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Good evening, everyone!
This column discusses mechanical watches from an engineer's perspective. For our 15th installment,
"Watch Handling: Crown Operation"
We'll be talking about this topic.
The "crown" is a feature found on almost all mechanical wristwatches.
It's an indispensable part for operating the watch, including setting the time.
This time, we'll discuss tips for operating the "crown" that might help reduce worries like "Is something wrong with my watch?"
Winding the Mainspring
Do you think self-winding watches keep running as long as they are worn on the wrist? Self-winding watches work by an internal rotor that rotates with the movement of your arm, winding the mainspring. Therefore, if you often take off your watch or have little arm movement, the watch may not get enough power to run, leading to inaccurate timekeeping or even stopping.
For this reason, you need to wear the watch on your wrist for at least 8 to 10 hours a day.
If you often take off your watch or have little movement due to desk work, etc., there's a possibility of insufficient power even if you wear it for a long time. So, it's best to slowly wind the mainspring 10 to 20 times in the winding direction every morning before use.
Even automatic watches can have their mainspring wound by turning the crown, just like hand-wound watches. However, automatic watches are designed to have their mainspring wound by the rotor, so using the crown for winding is best used as a supplementary measure.
If you're starting a completely stopped watch, it's better to manually wind the mainspring about 20-30 times rather than fully winding it by hand, and then let the rotor's power take over. This puts less strain on the movement.
Over-winding the mainspring can also cause wear on the mainspring or automatic winding mechanism parts, so for an automatic watch, it's best to let the rotor handle the winding.
Of course, it is essential to operate the crown gently and slowly. So, even on a busy morning, please be careful not to wind the mainspring too quickly.
Date Quick Set
Mechanical watches have a "calendar no-operation zone." This zone is generally between 8 PM and 4 AM. During this time, the gears of the calendar plate and the time display are engaged, and the watch changes the date by itself.
Therefore, if you forcibly change the date during this time, the gears may chip, requiring repairs, so please be careful.
Here's how to correctly adjust the date:
① Pull the crown out all the way.
② Advance the hands until they show around 6 o'clock.
(This is the safest position for the hands.)
③ Push the crown back in one click and set the calendar to the day before the desired date.
(If you want to set it to the 6th, set it to the 5th.)
④ Pull the crown out all the way again and advance the hands clockwise,
confirming that the date changes as the hands pass midnight.
(This moment, when it switches, is 12 AM)
⑤ Once you've confirmed the date has changed, advance the hands clockwise to set the current time.
⑥ After setting the date and time, push the crown back to the winding position.
For models with screw-down crowns, ensure it's securely screwed in.
Please note that, with the exception of some models, common mechanical watches require manual calendar adjustment for months with 30 days (February, April, June, September, November) on the day after the end of the month.
Time Setting
The advance or delay of a watch is referred to as "accuracy," and the term "daily rate" is used to express how many seconds of difference there are per day.
The accuracy of a typical mechanical watch is expected to be -10 to +20 seconds per day.
For a vintage watch that has aged, a daily rate of -30 to +60 seconds is generally acceptable.
A daily rate of 10 to 30 seconds is not a malfunction; it should be considered within the acceptable range for a mechanical watch.
Also, due to factors like position differences (various orientations when worn on the wrist), temperature differences, and winding status, the watch's accuracy might exceed this acceptable range over long periods of use.
Additionally, for other reasons, we sometimes receive inquiries about problems such as "I set the time perfectly with a time signal, but it immediately lags by about a minute."
This is caused by a mechanism called backlash.
Backlash is the gap between gears.
For two gears that provide driving force to mesh correctly, there must be a certain amount of clearance. Without this, the teeth would fit too tightly, causing wear and excessive force. Furthermore, rotation would not be smooth, and problems such as complete immobility could arise when considering thermal expansion.
While backlash is characteristic of precision machines like watches, its side effect is that the hands can shift during time setting due to the existing gap.
This is more noticeable in quartz watches than in mechanical watches, but depending on the model, mechanical watches can also experience a deviation of nearly a minute.
A slight deviation is considered to be caused by this backlash and is within the acceptable range for most manufacturers. Therefore, there is no need to be overly concerned.
To minimize the delay in the hands' movement due to backlash, it is effective to "turn the hands backward" for the final adjustment when setting the time to the desired hour.
Turning the hands backward eliminates the delay in their initial movement caused by backlash, resolving the problem where the minute hand moves about a minute late, even if you thought you had set it perfectly with a time signal.
Summary
What did you think?
By understanding the internal structure and handling the crown, which you usually operate casually, with care, you can keep your beloved watch in excellent condition.
We hope this article provides useful information and sparks even a little interest in luxury watches! Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask us directly, and we will answer them thoroughly. We look forward to your visit and inquiries.
Stay tuned for the next installment! See you then!
