Automatic Watch Newbie Questions!
Discussion
Apologies in advance, I've googled a lot but I would like to know for sure that I'm correct!
I'm about to order my first automatic watch - A Steinhart Ocean Forty-Four with an ETA 2824-2 movement.
I understand the basics of how the movement works regarding how it’s wound via movement. But I have a few questions...
1) If the watch isn’t worn and it’s not on a winder how long until it “runs out of energy”?
2) Do you then use the crown to wind it up? Or is it a case of wear it for 30 mins, change the time and it’ll be fine?
3) I’m likely to wear it quite a lot and only take it off during the night. If it’s worn daily and left on the bed side table at night will it still keep accurate time?
4) If I wore a different watch for say a week would the Steinhart still have an accurate time / enough energy?
5) Would most watch repairers be able to service a Steinhart?
6) How often does it need servicing?
Again, apologies for what I’m sure are the most basic of basic “watch questions”... I like to get quite geeky about my interests in life so I need to know the basics first!
I'm about to order my first automatic watch - A Steinhart Ocean Forty-Four with an ETA 2824-2 movement.
I understand the basics of how the movement works regarding how it’s wound via movement. But I have a few questions...
1) If the watch isn’t worn and it’s not on a winder how long until it “runs out of energy”?
2) Do you then use the crown to wind it up? Or is it a case of wear it for 30 mins, change the time and it’ll be fine?
3) I’m likely to wear it quite a lot and only take it off during the night. If it’s worn daily and left on the bed side table at night will it still keep accurate time?
4) If I wore a different watch for say a week would the Steinhart still have an accurate time / enough energy?
5) Would most watch repairers be able to service a Steinhart?
6) How often does it need servicing?
Again, apologies for what I’m sure are the most basic of basic “watch questions”... I like to get quite geeky about my interests in life so I need to know the basics first!
Honestly, don't worry. The watch will tick along quite happily whilst on your wrist, and for a good couple of days after you take it off. Then it stops. Merely pick it up when you want to wear it, give it a shake, watch the second had start moving and then adjust to the correct time. Rinse and repeat.
The power reserve is about 40 hours from fully wound, if you want a figure. Anyone can service an ETA movement, though it won't need doing very often anyway; I'm sure people will tell you to do so every 5 years or something, but honestly - just leave it until it stops keeping good time or ceases to tick.
Jobbo said:
The power reserve is about 40 hours from fully wound, if you want a figure. Anyone can service an ETA movement, though it won't need doing very often anyway; I'm sure people will tell you to do so every 5 years or something, but honestly - just leave it until it stops keeping good time or ceases to tick.
^^^As above,
Expect about 24Hrs off wrist life but a max of 38 for a ETA2824
Just wear for 5 min's then reset the time if stopped
I have two daily autos and when I wake I place todays wearer on the bed and wind the other by the crown
Open the crown (unscrew on the Ocean44 until it 'pops' open) then wind to add power re-screw the crown & that should keep it going
Servicing depends on the abuse it receives but between 5~10 years, If your desk bound then any good jewellers but if you use it in its professional capacity diving then at a AD as they'll have the correct size case seals for the water tightness
Regards
To answer the OP
1. 38 hours max
2. use the crown to wind it up, from flat about 30 winds will do it
3. yes it will keep accurate time within specs, do expect it to be anyway near as accurate as quartz watch
4. no see 1.
5. yes it's a very common ETA movement
6. about every 5-10 years depending on use
1. 38 hours max
2. use the crown to wind it up, from flat about 30 winds will do it
3. yes it will keep accurate time within specs, do expect it to be anyway near as accurate as quartz watch
4. no see 1.
5. yes it's a very common ETA movement
6. about every 5-10 years depending on use
SteveS Cup said:
1) If the watch isn’t worn and it’s not on a winder how long until it “runs out of energy”?
2) Do you then use the crown to wind it up? Or is it a case of wear it for 30 mins, change the time and it’ll be fine?
3) I’m likely to wear it quite a lot and only take it off during the night. If it’s worn daily and left on the bed side table at night will it still keep accurate time?
4) If I wore a different watch for say a week would the Steinhart still have an accurate time / enough energy?
5) Would most watch repairers be able to service a Steinhart?
6) How often does it need servicing?
1) Depends on the state of wind – if you’re deskbound then you’ll hardly ever have the mainspring fully wound. If you’re active enough, then a fully wound mainspring should see about 40 hours.2) Do you then use the crown to wind it up? Or is it a case of wear it for 30 mins, change the time and it’ll be fine?
3) I’m likely to wear it quite a lot and only take it off during the night. If it’s worn daily and left on the bed side table at night will it still keep accurate time?
4) If I wore a different watch for say a week would the Steinhart still have an accurate time / enough energy?
5) Would most watch repairers be able to service a Steinhart?
6) How often does it need servicing?
2) Hand winding to put some power into the mainspring is the quickest way to get a stopped watch running again. Give the crown a good 20 turns or so, then pull it out to the 2nd position when the seconds hand is at 12. Set the time, making sure you advance the hands to the correct time of day (i.e. 6pm for example, rather than 6am) so that the date changes when it should.
Speaking of date changing, as per your instruction manual included, don’t change the date between 9pm and 2am – if you’ve set the date wrong, change the time first then change the date.
3) Tied in with (1), but highly unlikely to stop overnight, even if deskbound for most the time it’s worn.
4) No – as we’ve already established, the mainspring can only provide around 40 hours of power, before the watch stops. Accuracy is a different matter, and only partially involves the mainspring – today’s research word is…Isochronism.
5) Any decent watch repairer will be able to deal with the ETA or Soprod movement fitted.
6) Typically, 5-7 years, if worn 4-5 days each week. You’ll become attuned to the watch over time, therefore it’ll be easier to gauge when it may need a service.
Thank you guys, all of this info is much appreciated... I prefer to know as much as possible about something prior to getting it so I don't mess it up!
Out of interest... How will I know whether the watch thinks it's AM or PM? On all of my quartz watches to date just clicks in... have I been doing this potentially wrong for the last 10+ years?
Also, why not set the date between 9pm to 2am?
Bloody interesting all of this horology stuff!
Out of interest... How will I know whether the watch thinks it's AM or PM? On all of my quartz watches to date just clicks in... have I been doing this potentially wrong for the last 10+ years?
Also, why not set the date between 9pm to 2am?
Bloody interesting all of this horology stuff!
SteveS Cup said:
Also, why not set the date between 9pm to 2am?
You run the risk of damaging the mechanismIf left for a number of days unwound, and the time is 07:30, wind the time to past 12:00 to about 06:00 .... if the date changed then your at AM and if not your now on PM, at this point if AM set the date and move the time to 07:30, If PM set date one day previous, then wind past 12:00 to 07:30. (the date will advance 1 as you pass 12:00)
It sounds a flaff but is easy to do and becomes second nature
HTH
Edited by T6 vanman on Monday 22 August 13:34
On many watches the date change process starts around 21:00 and can take until 02:00 to be fully complete. Manually changing the date between that period can have potential of disrupting the process and can lead to damage of the mechanism.
Personally I've never understood why anyone would do this though. Surely you set and wind a watch from stand still in the morning when you're going to wear it.
Not sure if it has stopped in AM or PM? Setting your watch for the day (assuming you get up in the morning at is) Easy wind the time forward until it clicks over the date then you know it's in the AM 12 hour period, set the time, then the date, and that's that
Personally I've never understood why anyone would do this though. Surely you set and wind a watch from stand still in the morning when you're going to wear it.
Not sure if it has stopped in AM or PM? Setting your watch for the day (assuming you get up in the morning at is) Easy wind the time forward until it clicks over the date then you know it's in the AM 12 hour period, set the time, then the date, and that's that
bobbybee said:
On many watches the date change process starts around 21:00 and can take until 02:00 to be fully complete. Manually changing the date between that period can have potential of disrupting the process and can lead to damage of the mechanism.
Yes, it's the only annoying feature of mechanical watches and the only thing you really need to be aware of. Between 9pm and 2am, or thereabouts, the teeth that change day and date engage the relevant disks and move them on to their next positions. Because the day and date disks are locked into the mechanism for this if you then try to use the fast day/date adjustment you can jam this bit of the mechanism. It's easy to unjam it, but does require taking the back off the watch, popping the movement out, removing hands and dial and then finally when you've made your way to the day and date disks, moving them back to an unjammed position. Talk about a pain!Anyway, for a full and only slightly biased description of how watches actually work: http://www.classicchronographs.co.uk/technical-inf...
Ever wondered why there are 24 hours in a day? It's all down to counting in base 12 (duodecimal numbering) on your fingers, which was very handy for your average Sumerian farmer.
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