Accuracy or coincidence?
Discussion
On the 24th of December I set my 'good watch' to the clock on my phone. It has been worn everyday over Christmas and New Year and when checking again today before swapping watches it was running 13seconds slow. For a mechanical watch this would be excellent however 3 days ago when I checked it was 28 seconds slow. So I am questioning whether the watch is super accurate, all be it varying over a period of time, or I was just lucky to catch it between wild swings of time keeping? When I first got the watch it could lose 2 or 3 minutes over a weekend so I'm thinking the later.
The watch I swapped it with has been unworn on the watch winder since the 24th and was 9 seconds slow, again set from my phone the day it was taken off. Usually I set watches using radio clocks at work linked to Althorn to be sure of accuracy as I'm sure the phone clock must have a delay built in from when it reads the network but don't think it could vary that much.
Interested to hear opinions and thoughts.
The watch I swapped it with has been unworn on the watch winder since the 24th and was 9 seconds slow, again set from my phone the day it was taken off. Usually I set watches using radio clocks at work linked to Althorn to be sure of accuracy as I'm sure the phone clock must have a delay built in from when it reads the network but don't think it could vary that much.
Interested to hear opinions and thoughts.
automatic movements run differently at different angles. There is most probably one angle where it will be +/- 0secs on a timergraph but in real life you can never maintain that angle.
That's why in the old Rolex owners literature, it taught you how to speed up/Slow down the watch by resting it at different angles.
That's why in the old Rolex owners literature, it taught you how to speed up/Slow down the watch by resting it at different angles.
Ninjin said:
automatic movements run differently at different angles. There is most probably one angle where it will be +/- 0secs on a timergraph but in real life you can never maintain that angle.
That's why in the old Rolex owners literature, it taught you how to speed up/Slow down the watch by resting it at different angles.
I am going to try this as my Submariner has started gaining at a faster rate than normal.... will let you know if it works after a week or two!That's why in the old Rolex owners literature, it taught you how to speed up/Slow down the watch by resting it at different angles.
Louis Balfour said:
philcray said:
I am going to try this as my Submariner has started gaining at a faster rate than normal.... will let you know if it works after a week or two!
You might try demagnetising it first.philcray said:
I have just googled this and and considering giving it a go, I have looked at some kit for sale on Amazon. Some of the comments of users discuss watches which are running very fast, mine only gains about 60-90 seconds a week so is not crazy fast. Could that level of gain still be a sign of it being magnetized, I guess there are differing levels of magnetization....
Yes.Once upon a time, watch main springs were easily magnetised and when they became magnetised they ran really fast, because the coils of the spring would stick together. Minutes a day. This is where the idea came from that a magnetised watch will always run very fast.
Latterly, watches often have anti-magnetic mainsprings but smaller components that can still be magnetised. This can lead watches to run just a little bit fast, or sometimes even slow.
All my watches become magnetised and all behave differently. I have a Submariner that runs BETTER when slightly magnetised. My others just run a bit fast.
Some of my watches have been difficult to magnetise, some very easy. I had a Sea Dweller that would magnetise in a few days.
My son bought a Seiko 5 recently and it arrived magnetised. I have had watches back from Rolex magnetised.
I am increasingly of the view that magnetisation is a far more widespread phenomenon than people realise. But many people don't care or notice if their watch is not keeping good time.
Where does the magnetism come from? I have never been entirely sure, but I think it is cumulative from repeated exposure to magnetic fields e.g. phones, laptops, speakers etc.
In your case, a cheap compass will tell you if your watch needs demagnetising. Just let the compass needle settle, then dangle the watch above it and move it closer and away. If the compass needle deflects your watch is magnetised. You can also get phone apps that will tell you, but I have never been sure about using a mobile phone to test if something is magnetic!
You need something like this to demag a watch.
Passing the watch over the demag tool several times should sort it out. SOME watches I find demag better if I make them MORE magnetised by leaving them static on the tool for a few moments and THEN doing the demag prcodure.
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