Hi all, I have a seamaster 120, late 60s, manual wind. It’s always been very stiff to wind. There’s a gasket in there that’s making it much stiffer than my other manual wind watches, right?
Thanks very much for any insight.

 

Could be any number of things, without pics its near impossible to diagnose but best bet is get a local watchmaker to take a look, if you do not know a local guy tell us where you are and someone will likely be able to suggest someone local

 

Will do, I’ll take it in. I was just curious if there was something in the mechanism (i.e. a waterproofing gasket in the crown) that should make it feel inherently tighter than my other manuals.

 

There is a gasket in the crown that can be stiff when they are brand spankin new (the crown), and make it stiff to wind- but that’s not likely the case if the watch hasn’t seen service in years. It’s most likely oil/grease that has turned to tar and you’re putting far more stress in delicate parts than they were designed for. As said, service should cure that and don’t wind it anymore.