Yesterday, while winding my Speedy Pro (I usually hold the watch to my right ear while winding so I can hear the clicking - my hearing is not so great), I heard a 'clank' as I got to the winder/crown stop, then noticed that I could keep winding the watch without hitting the crown stop.

The watch ran fine from 6:30am till 2:30pm then stopped. Then, after 15 minutes, it started running again. I wound it a bit after that and it ran another 12 hours or so. I'm afraid of winding it this morning so as to prevent any damage.

I bought this Speedy a few years back from George (Kringkily) so I assume it's due for a service?

Anyway, I would like to send it to Archer to be checked out but never sent a watch out before for service.

Any comments, suggestions are welcome.

Thanks All!

 

I'll take a blind stab at it: broken mainspring?

 

I'll go for a broken mainspring too

 

Yes, broken mainspring.

 

Either a broken mainspring or you threw a rod.

 

.... and the daily prize for "Best Internet Diagnosis by an Rank Amateur" goes to......

89-0!!!!

 

I just want to say 'Thank you' to God, Bunnspecial, and all those who sacrificed so much for me to be here today.

 

Thank you all! Really appreciate the responses. Ouch! That never happened to me before. Off for repair it goes!

 

You're going to have to update your user name to 90-0.

 

Just following up on my watch repair.

I sent my watch off to a Omega qualified local jeweler (recommended by a watchmaker on AWCI) and it is indeed in need of a new mainspring and general service. Repair cost is $750 USD. I assume going by Omega's price chart that is the norm.

Thanks for all your help!

 

<cue Sarah Mclachlan>

"Overwinding. It's a real problem in the mechanical watch community. If you don't take precautions...your precious timepiece...could be next. Please help us not let another mainspring get broken, by giving to SON. That's Stop Overwinding Now. Thank you."

 

Ok here’s a dumb question for a newb’s first post. I am used to automatic watches, do modern hand wound watches not have a clutch to prevent over winding?

And here’s another dumb question. How do you know when to stop winding?

I ask because I really want an Omega Speedmaster Professional, and I came to this site to try and learn something.

 

Answers...

No they don't.

When you can't wind it any longer.

Cheers, Al

 

Automatics do have a clutch, but the huge majority of hand wind manuals do not. It’s a feel thing...as you are getting near fully wound the resistance starts to increase. STOP there

 

Thanks for the help. Doesn’t sound too hard to deal with.

 

It’s fairly easy to feel the stop. It’s obvious that if you continue to wind it will break. It’s a hard stop I’ve never seen anyone over wind a watch and admit it.

 

Are you telling him to stop winding at the first sign of resistance? That's completely wrong. A manual wind watch will have increasing resistance as the mainspring coils tighter inside the barrel, so stopping at the first noticeable resistance won't even wind it 2/3 of the way - or less.

You will feel a definitive stopping point, where you'd have to get pliers to twist any further..... unless you're George the Animal Steele, Hulk Hogan, or King Kong Bundy.

 

No not the first sign. When the increase is significant. When it feels like going further may break something. Because it will.

 

It's not. People tend to overcomplicate this and warn of impending disaster, but really just wind it until you can't wind it anymore. It takes a lot of force to actually break the mainspring, or damage the winding parts inside, so it's really not the big deal some make it out to be.