Resolved - Minute Hand Delayed Start on Longines Chrono

sonicosa · May 29, 2020

Hello OF,

I have a Longines Heritage Column Wheel Chrono that is exhibiting a bizarre (to me at least) issue with the minute hand. Based on my research, it is a L688.2 that is based on the ETA A08.L01 in case that is helpful in answering my question. Pertinent (I think) to my issue is that it has a hacking second hand.

The issue I am having is that when I stop the watch from running to set it, the minute hand takes about 30 seconds before it starts to run once I start the watch running again. This causes the minute hand to be 30 seconds behind the second hand, which drives me kind of nuts.

I can stop the second hand at 30 seconds instead of 60, which comes close to addressing the issue, although it isn't as exact or precise as I would like (minute hand usually winds up being a tad slow or fast using this method).

I've never experienced this with a watch before, so I want to ask if others have seen this happen before. Is it perhaps just how this movement operates, or is it possible something is wrong with the watch? It runs fine and keeps great time other than this issue.

And because I know OF love pics:

Here is the watch with the second hand stopped at 60 seconds and the minute hand lined up with the marker at 39.

...and here I've started the watch. It has run for 30 seconds, but he minute hand has not moved.

and here we are 5 minutes later showing the minute hand out of alignment with the second hand due to the delayed start.

Any thoughts or info people can provide would be much appreciated. Thank you!

sonicosa · May 30, 2020

I sent Longines an email about the issue this morning and will post what I hear back from them.

I'm still interested in other's thoughts in the meantime if anyone has ever seen this issue before.

Dan S · May 30, 2020

How long since the last full service?

sonicosa · May 30, 2020

Dan S
How long since the last full service?

Thanks for the response, Dan.

I haven’t serviced it - the watch is about 6 months old. I bought in December 2019 during Longines’ Black Friday / Holiday sale, and I’ve worn it maybe 4 or 5 times since.

Dan S · May 30, 2020

Wow, so it's brand new, and presumably still under warranty. In general, depending on how I set the minute hand of a given watch, I sometimes experience some lag before the minute hand starts to move. But 30 seconds does seem a bit long, and would make things noticeably out of sync. I suspect this could be improved with an adjustment. I'm not familiar with this particular movement, but I'd be surprised if this behavior was a characteristic. If it were an older watch, I'd probably live with it until the next scheduled service, since you've already figured out how to account for the lag when setting the watch. However, since it's so new and still under warranty, I might be tempted to send it in.

sonicosa · May 30, 2020

Thanks again, Dan.

Yes, it's still under warranty, so I'll most likely wind up sending it back to them. I just wanted to make sure this wasn't something that was normal for certain movements. It's also the third time I've had to send a new watch back for a warranty service in the last 6 months, so I'm not exactly excited to do so... haha.

silverghost_1907 · Jun 8, 2020

sonicosa
Hello OF,

I have a Longines Heritage Column Wheel Chrono that is exhibiting a bizarre (to me at least) issue with the minute hand. Based on my research, it is a L688.2 that is based on the ETA A08.L01 in case that is helpful in answering my question. Pertinent (I think) to my issue is that it has a hacking second hand.

The issue I am having is that when I stop the watch from running to set it, the minute hand takes about 30 seconds before it starts to run once I start the watch running again. This causes the minute hand to be 30 seconds behind the second hand, which drives me kind of nuts.

I can stop the second hand at 30 seconds instead of 60, which comes close to addressing the issue, although it isn't as exact or precise as I would like (minute hand usually winds up being a tad slow or fast using this method).

I've never experienced this with a watch before, so I want to ask if others have seen this happen before. Is it perhaps just how this movement operates, or is it possible something is wrong with the watch? It runs fine and keeps great time other than this issue.

And because I know OF love pics:

Here is the watch with the second hand stopped at 60 seconds and the minute hand lined up with the marker at 39.

...and here I've started the watch. It has run for 30 seconds, but he minute hand has not moved.

and here we are 5 minutes later showing the minute hand out of alignment with the second hand due to the delayed start.

Any thoughts or info people can provide would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Hi
I just read your post, just picked up a Longines Heritage Big Eye, which has a similar problem to yours. Did you hear anything back from Longines? I synchronize the minute and second hand together, but there seems to be a lag, for example at 7:40 its okay but at 7:20 the minute hand is behind the second hand. Please let me know if you have learned anything about this issue

Best regards,
Paya

Canuck · Jun 8, 2020

Advance the minute hand 30 seconds ahead of the seconds hand, then counter clockwise the minute hand to the correct minute mark. Nothing you can do about lash in the wheel teeth and pinions.

sonicosa · Jun 8, 2020

Canuck
Advance the minute hand 30 seconds ahead of the seconds hand, then counter clockwise the minute hand to the correct minute mark. Nothing you can do about lash in the wheel teeth and pinions.

That did the trick, thanks @Canuck

I had never heard of "lash" before, so I did a quick search learned a bit about something new today. Thanks for that too.

I was going to send my watch back to Longines as it is still under warranty, and they said this issue I'm describing is not normal. Do you think this is something SG's watchmakers would be able to fix, or would the watch likely come back with the same issue?

S silverghost_1907
Hi
I just read your post, just picked up a Longines Heritage Big Eye, which has a similar problem to yours. Did you hear anything back from Longines? I synchronize the minute and second hand together, but there seems to be a lag, for example at 7:40 its okay but at 7:20 the minute hand is behind the second hand. Please let me know if you have learned anything about this issue

Best regards,
Paya

Paya, I did hear back from Longines. I'm supposed to be getting a mailer sent to me by Swatch Group to send the watch in for a warranty service. I was able to get someone on the phone during their customer service business hours. That was a week ago though, and I haven't heard an update about the mailer yet. I'm assuming they might be running slower than usual because of the pandemic.

Canuck · Jun 8, 2020

Sounds like you and @silverghost_1907 have similar watches that behave the same way. Does that tell you anything? Longines will not be able to take the “lash” out of the gears and pinions. A query to Longines would likely have landed on the desk of a clerk who interpreted the lagging minute hand as a “problem”, warranting the watch going back. When it ends up on the desk of whoever is supposed to deal with the “problem”, they won’t be able to remove an inherent characteristic of the gear lash. Many other makes have the same problem. Don’t ask me how I know about the same characteristic on Rolex, starting with calibre 3035. Do I think your watch will not have the same characteristic (I was going to call it a problem, which it is not) when it comes back? Almost for sure it will. It is inherent in the design.

sonicosa · Jun 8, 2020

Canuck
Longines will not be able to take the “lash” out of the gears and pinions.

That is what I assumed based on your previous response, but I wanted to confirm I was understanding correctly. Thanks for following up.

silverghost_1907 · Jun 9, 2020

sonicosa
That is what I assumed based on your previous response, but I wanted to confirm I was understanding correctly. Thanks for following up.

Thank you both for your help

dennisthemenace · Jun 9, 2020

I can't believe that anyone, let alone a supposed watchmaker, would come on here and say that 30 seconds lash in a modern movement is inherent in its design. Maybe one of our more "with it" watchmakers would care to comment.

Canuck · Jun 9, 2020

dennisthemenace
I can't believe that anyone, let alone a supposed watchmaker, would come on here and say that 30 seconds lash in a modern movement is inherent in its design. Maybe one of our more "with it" watchmakers would care to comment.

Get off your high horse and look up the definition of the word “inherent”! You clearly have NO idea what you are talking about. I said 30 seconds “lash” is inherent in the design of some watches. I didn’t say that it shouldn’t be an annoyance! I guess that relegates me to the category of “not with it” watchmakers! Anyway, @sonicosa now understands “lash”, and how to compensate for it. His problem Is solved. See his reply to my post to which you obviously refer.

dennisthemenace · Jun 9, 2020

Canuck
Get off your high horse and look up the definition of the word “inherent”! You clearly have NO idea what you are talking about. I said 30 seconds “lash” is inherent in the design of some watches. I didn’t say that it shouldn’t be an annoyance! I guess that relegates me to the category of “not with it” watchmakers! Anyway, @sonicosa now understands “lash”, and how to compensate for it. His problem Is solved. See his reply to my post to which you obviously refer.

Like I said, hopefully a real watchmaker will comment on whether a 30 second lash in a new movement is acceptable, as you seem to think, or if it is a problem. If there was a 59 second lash would you still say that Longines wouldn't be able to take that lash out of the gears and pinions, (your words, not mine) because it's inherent in the design?

Canuck · Jun 9, 2020

dennisthemenace
Like I said, hopefully a real watchmaker will comment on whether a 30 second lash in a new movement is acceptable, as you seem to think, or if it is a problem. If there was a 59 second lash would you still say that Longines wouldn't be able to take that lash out of the gears and pinions, (your words, not mine) because it's inherent in the design?

NOWHERE did I say it was acceptable! What I said was the design of some movements results in lash. I also told how to get around the misalignment. Send the watch to Longines, and it will come back unchanged. So now I’m a senile old fart who posts garbage, and deserves to have you call me out! Who are you anyway? Did your mother have any children that lived?

dennisthemenace · Jun 9, 2020

Canuck
NOWHERE did I say it was acceptable! What I said was the design of some movements results in lash. I also told how to get around the misalignment. Send the watch to Longines, and it will come back unchanged. So now I’m a senile old fart who posts garbage, and deserves to have you call me out! Who are you anyway? Did your mother have any children that lived?

Do you make a habit of sending abusive PM's to anyone that questions your wisdom on the forum, and then quote only sections of their replies? Feel free to quote my full reply to the message you sent me earlier this evening.

Canuck · Jun 9, 2020

dennisthemenace
Do you make a habit of sending abusive PM's to anyone that questions your wisdom on the forum, and then quote only sections of their replies? Feel free to quote my full reply to the message you sent me earlier this evening.

I only send abusive PMS to people who use terms like “supposed watchmaker” when referring to me, along with an implication that I am not “with it”. Do me the honour of ignoring any and all future posts I might choose to make on the message board.

WaffleDial · Jun 15, 2020

dennisthemenace
Do you make a habit of sending abusive PM's to anyone that questions your wisdom on the forum, and then quote only sections of their replies? Feel free to quote my full reply to the message you sent me earlier this evening.

And here he is again. The number #1 troll of the omega forums. His daily routine. A morning coffee and some trolling to forget his failed life, even for just a moment.

Canuck · Jun 15, 2020

WaffleDial
And here he is again. The number #1 troll of the omega forums. His daily routine. A morning coffee and some trolling to forget his failed life, even for just a moment.

Agreed!

Resolved - Minute Hand Delayed Start on Longines Chrono

sonicosa

sonicosa

Dan S

sonicosa

Dan S

sonicosa

silverghost_1907

Canuck

sonicosa

Canuck

sonicosa

silverghost_1907

dennisthemenace

Canuck

dennisthemenace

Canuck

dennisthemenace

Canuck

WaffleDial

Canuck

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