Hello,

My Speedmaster is less than a year old. I have been winding it every 12 hours and it has been keeping excellent time. I did notice that each time I wound the watch it would only allow approximately 25 turns. The other day I tested the power reserve for the first time, and much to my surprise it stopped after less than 20 hours. I was certain that I had been winding the watch until the crown stopped (or at least offered very heavy resistance). I did a second test of the power reserve. This time I wound the watch as usual, but about a minute later I started winding it again. It was loser now and I was able to get 15 more turns before resistance set in again. I waited another minute and the watch allowed yet another 10 turns. I had never been able to wind the watch the reported 40 to 50 turns that others talk about. However, by waiting a little bit after the initial resistance and winding the watch in three "stages" one minute apart I was able to wind the watch a total of 50 turns. Is this normal? Perhaps I had not properly broken in my winding mechanism. The watch hasn't stopped yet so I don't know how long it will go, but it seems to be working fine. Has anyone else experienced this? Will this initial resistance at the 25 turn mark go away once the mechanism gets use to being fully wound, or am I doing something I shouldn't do that may hurt the movement? Thanks!

 

I've had a Speedmaster for 26 years. When I start winding from a full run down state, it takes exactly 50 "twists" (not necessarily each twist being 360°), after which the watch runs in excess of two days before running down. As you wind the watch, you are bound to sense a slight increasing torque required to wind with each twist of the crown. The more the mainspring is wound, the more it resists being wound further. That is normal. That increase in resistance as you wind will not change as the watch "gets used to being fully wound". If you sense a change over time, it will likely be because the crown may loosen a bit over decades of winding. Winding the watch in "stages" as you said you have done, doesn't make any difference to the effort required to turn the crown. The winding regimen you describe is so erratic and irregular, it is hard for me to advise. Why not let it run down, then wind it 50 times (as I and others do). Wind it like you mean it, until the crown absolutely will not turn any more. This should be the ONLY time you count the turns! Accept the fact the crown will be harder to turn as you approach fully wound, but keep on winding until the crown will NOT turn any more.

Obviously, if you're going to wind it every day, it won't require 50 turns.

 

I wind mine every morning. Once a day is the recommendation.

 

It's the crown gasket - as you wind it tends to get a bit tighter if it doesn't have enough grease applied to the gasket and case tube. Friction/heat from winding expands the gasket making it tighter on the case tube, and after you let it sit it loosens up again.

The gasket will take time to break in a bit, and they can be fairly tight when new. You could also apply a little silicon grease on the case tube with the crown pulled out to the setting position, and see if you can work it in to make the winding easier.

Cheers, Al

 

That is exactly what I am experiencing (i.e. 25 turns...tightness...let it rest a few seconds... it loosens...15 turns...tightness...let it rest a few seconds... it loosens... 10 more turns...fully wound). If there is insufficient grease applied to the gasket and case tube, will that resolve itself over time during the break-in period with the grease that it there redistributing, or is this something that needs attention now? I know you said that silicone grease on the case tube may help, but aside from the current tightness in between "winding stages" as I have described above, the watch winds well and is really not hard to wind until it reaches the point where it tightens. If letting it rest and continuing to wind will break it in and nothing else is necessary, that would be great. However, if you think it needs to be looked at to have grease added to the gasket please let me know. I certainly would not want to proceed as I am and risk damaging the watch.

 

You don't have to have it greased, it will be fine as it is, so don't sweat it.

Cheers, Al

 

OK. I won't. By the way, winding it 50 turns got me exactly 40 hours. The watch was not being worn all that time, just sitting on a table. I have read here and there that people report 45, 50, and one guy even reported 58 hours (but that was a 321 movement). Does the Speedmaster power reserve increase as it brakes in, or are some movements just more efficient than others? Of course, the third possibility is that people are just embellishing.

 

Depending on the average revolution of each the 50 turns, the watch may or may not still not be fully wound. Fully wound means the crown absolutely cannot be turned any more in the winding direction. Run time from a full wind will not increase as the watch ages.

 

Hi everyone,
My speedmaster is 2 weeks old and is doing the same. I wind it untill it stops, but if I let I rest or I pull the crown out and push it back, it winds an additional 10-15 times until it stops and it's fully wound. Are there developments on this? Was it actually the gasket? Maybe it's because it's brand new. Thank you so much for any help!

 

My 1968 Speedy has 52 hrs of reserve.