For Newbies/Inexperienced

[Oceanklassik]

Hi,

This has been bothering me but I kept forgetting to ask. How does one know if his/her watch(es) requires repair/service? What are the common/possible tell-tale signs? Is it relevant across brands/models?

Why I asked? Ok. Some watches, when the crown is screwed in after adjusting time, there is this "siap" (in Hokkien) feel. As though, no lubrication. But other than this, all's fine. Some others, the feel of screwing (oops ), er, I mean the crown, feels comfortable. Then comes the adjustment of time. Different watches give different feel. So far, screwing and unscrewing( ) of my ROLEX watch, and adjusting the time, gives me the most comfort. Now, this leads me to more questions...

Winding automatic movement watches. It seems that different watches give different numbers of winds before the second hand moves? Is it correct? Also, when adjusting/setting the time, must one set it to the exact minute for the movement to run smoothly? Or else, when the second hand touched the "12" marker, the minute hand is in-between the mins?

I really need some expert advice here please . Thank you.

[seiko.citizen]

i think service has nothing to do with the (un)screwing of the watch. rather when the oil starts to run dry, the watch may not function properly, this i feel is thru the accuracy of time keeping

[Darkangel]

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to this. I use the traditional way....

Only when the watch doesn't move...then I service. I dun bother to wind the watch...just shake shake and there we go The adjusting part also dun bother 1...the watch won't spoil also if u do that also.

[116520]

When your watch starts to slow down, its time to go servicing...

Also, when your watch gets lots of "scars", its time to go servicing...

Also also, when your wallet has too much money and don't know where to spend, its time to go servicing...

Also also also, when you see a pretty receptionist at RSC (highly unlikely), its time to go servicing...

I hope the above points help to answer your question...

[Oceanklassik]

... ok, ok.. thanks-thanks.. so there's no worry. There's definitely no prob with the time; no accuracy issue. All's fine, except wat I'd brought up. Thanks for advice so far.

[seiko.citizen]

When your watch starts to slow down, its time to go servicing... (...)

regulation issues are handled FOC iirc. please correct me on that.

[116520]

YES! Regulation issues are FOC. On the other hand, when the ladies at RSC find out that your watch is >5yearsold, she will "force" you to service it before they solve the so-called "regulation issues"....

regulation issues are handled FOC iirc. please correct me on that.

[decksurgeon]

Hearsay info is always open to various interpretation.
hard data/info and evidence based suggestions from the REAL watchmakers themselves you can never go wrong:


(1) Watch timer, Witchi or similar. its great for keeping an eye on the collection and it makes for a great "audit tool" when a watch is returned from the service center. put it this way, if a service center knows u actually own one - they will be super diligent with the servicing and know u are pretty serious about horology.

Example: Witschi Watch Expert


this machine will tell you all the variation in the movement and beat error of the pallet forks. you need to be quite technically apt and armed with info to interpret the data shown..... to calculate the amplitude of the balance wheel you will need to know the lift angle of the watch (factory info usually).
If you have watches that use a unique escapement like a omega co-axial, you watch timing machine needs to be able to handle it.
this machine is not easy to master. the real experts can take one look at a trace and tell you that a banking pin is out of position! (exprience counts basically)



(2) factory info and documents, for example: factory standards for replacement; eg. they will ask you to change the screw in crown of the shock-tube if the screw in crown does not engage for at least (eg.) 1.5 turns etc etc.
all sorts of other conditions laid out according to factory spec is the best guide. i simply do not trust some 'ah seng' telling me hearsay info on a watch basically cos he has done that for the last 20 years and thinks its the right thing to do. he has been doing it wrong for the last 20 years IMHO.


sorry to be blunt, but with fine timepieces and swiss engineering, there is a need to uphold some sort of due care and respect to a marvel we call a watch and its servicing in order to perpetuate the item.

[seiko.citizen]

wow....... maybe i should enquire about one and its cost.

[decksurgeon]

For a Witchi Watch Expert about 4k-6k.
you can add options and accessories also like the printer.
there is even a GPS calibration module available for it.

amazing little toy, tells you lots of info:
beat error, balance amplitude, VPH, set lift angle, deviation in terms of sec/day at a glance etc etc etc etc.

the best investment if you are totally watch seow, just think of it as another watch to watch the rest of the watches

if you are on a budget then there is a China made alternative that does exactly the same thing (still 4 digit purchase tho). MTG-3000

here's a link where u can view to purchase:
http://www.tztoolshop.com/page164.html

good luck

[seiko.citizen]

wow.......... costly. just like the watches themselves. tho being electronic one ponders if the china made alternative is inferior to the european made equipment?

[decksurgeon]

wow.......... costly. just like the watches themselves. tho being electronic one ponders if the china made alternative is inferior to the european made equipment?

actually no, in comparison the china MTG count wise is as good as the Swiss one. it has backlight that the Witschi does not.

however the build quality of the Swiss machine still edges out the china made one. buy u pay a massive premium for this privilege tho

[decksurgeon]

forgot to add. this does not mean the china one is poor build quality. it pretty decent actually. and there is a printer option too

[decksurgeon]

finally they have a website:

please see this link
www.timegrapher.com

there are new entry level units available

[seiko.citizen]

actually no, in comparison the china MTG count wise is as good as the Swiss one. it has backlight that the Witschi does not.

however the build quality of the Swiss machine still edges out the china made one. buy u pay a massive premium for this privilege tho

thanks for the information. if the item is to sit in its dedicated place, and not thrown about it should be ok to buy chinese.

like ive said before, this race is picking up the tabs on quality, and soon (one day) they will know how to engineer quality products that will compete with the westerners.

this time if i go ahead i may have to settle on a chinese made tool