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Keeping acurate time

  1. welt9

    welt9 Aug 17, 2012

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    Hello,

    I am an owner of a 40 years old seamaster (565), which after I serviced it was keeping perfect time. Then I did not wear it for a couple of times, so it stopped. And now it is running too fast, like 10s/day.
    So I have two questions:

    1. Is this normal that it stops so fast. If I do not wear it for 24h it stops. And if I have to wear it for a few hours, if I just shake it for a minute, it stops after few hours. Friends who have newer automatic watches told me if the just shake it for few seconds, that they run for at least a day...

    2. Is it OK that the watch runs faster (before service it ran slower) after it stopped? I heard that it is better that it newer stops. So I am thinking of buying some watch winder - for the time I do not wear it. Which would be the best price/performance watch winder to keep my watch working for a long long time? With shipping to EU.

    Thank you,
    Jan
     
  2. dsio Ω 2

    dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Aug 17, 2012

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    Ok, your friends statement that they shake it for a few seconds and they run for at least a day, is massively wrong, simply not possible. Shaking it for a minute and running for a few hours is correct, but here's the key thing, the automatic winding system isn't designed to wind up the watch on its own, its designed to keep the watch wound. When you first pick it up to wear it, you must pop the crown out to the first position and wind the watch 40 turns in the clockwise direction, AFTER that, you can start wearing it, because that initial 40 turns gives it a full power reserve, which the auto winding system then keeps topping up. This also effects timekeeping, so your watchmaker regulated it to keep time when fully wound initially then worn on the wrist.
     
  3. welt9

    welt9 Aug 17, 2012

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    dsio, thank you for your kind answer.

    So, if I get this right, I have to wind the watch 40 turns? Even if the watch is 40 years old? Or is this just correct for the new watches?
     
  4. dsio Ω 2

    dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Aug 17, 2012

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    Every watch ever made with an auto winding system, whether you buy a brand new Rolex Daytona from the dealer, or are wearing a 1952 Omega bumper automatic, you must wind it fully before putting it on your wrist and wearing it as that is how its designed to be used.
     
  5. welt9

    welt9 Aug 17, 2012

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    OK, thanks. That is something new for me.

    Just another newbie question - 40 turns means 40 turns just with fingers, or 40 turns over the whole watch (that is a lot of turns - so the date goes 20 days ahead if you know what I mean)?
     
  6. dsio Ω 2

    dsio Ash @ ΩF Staff Member Aug 17, 2012

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    Ok, the hands shouldn't be moving in the first position, the first position for the crown is winding, not setting, when the crown is pulled out that's setting. If its a Seamaster with no screw-down crown, you don't pull it out at all, just wind it where it is, flush with the case
     
  7. Gavin

    Gavin It's the quiet ones you have to 'watch' out for. Aug 17, 2012

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    If the date changes as you turn the crown, the crown is at the wrong position. You should probably wind the watch without pulling out the crown. It should be all the way in and you turn it clockwise. If your watch has stopped, it should start running again after a few turns. And like Ash said, wind it up with 40 turns of the crown to charge it up fully.