The watch runs intolerably too slow or fast, or worst of all simply stops. One watchmaker told me that watches let you know when they need service: symptoms manifest themselves. Personally, I have a watch serviced when it appears to need service. The question everyone asks is how lengthy an interval should there optimally be between full servicings. Reassembly often is more difficult than on a new watch, since parts have worn and no longer fit perfectly. For a complete service, a watch needs to be fully disassembled and then reassembled. There are many reasons for this, including the need to maintain an inventory of hundreds of thousands of parts and also the fact that servicing a watch involves twice the watchmaking work. Although servicing after warranty can be costly, it usually costs the company more. Having your watch receive periodic service is not a profit-making attempt by the watch industry. A fine mechanical watch needs to be serviced regularly. In just one day, most modern watches make 691,200 beats. If you're uncertain whether you might slip, consider placing masking tape first on your watch lugs. Always work from the back side, so any slips -and scratches-will be less noticeable. If you must perform this surgery, consider practicing on a lesser quality watch first. The difference in cost is nominal, and lesser quality tools ones usually have thicker forks at the end which also might move slightly. I believe in using high quality tools and many believe that the Swiss Bergeon ones are excellent. Use only the right tool, a so-called springbar tool, and never a knife. To change straps, learn how to do it, either by someone teaching you or at least digesting an online instructional video. One expert I know designed a watchmaking course, and placed strap changing in Part 2, after basic movement disassembly and assembly. One of the easiest ways to scratch your watch lugs is to try changing a strap. But most collectors understandably don't like scratches and try to avoid them. But perhaps that's just me.Įxtreme shocks can damage any watch mechanism, and scratches to the case, in contrast, are minor. Perhaps I'm too protective an owner, but I never understood why the Tour de France rider would risk even scraping his watch if he crashed. And the shock protection mechanisms used in modern watches, KIF or Incabloc, are excellent but do not provide perfect protection from all blows at all angles. All mechanical watches work due to swings in the lever escapement. Keep in mind that an automatic watch winds with an oscillating weight. ![]() I'm unsure why either person would want to test his mechanical watch to that extent. And I recall a rider in the Tour de France wearing a fine watch. I recall one collector from Scandinavia asked if his IWC watch could withstand him chopping wood. But all I need is one good impact, and the watch will have a problem. ![]() ![]() Fortunately for my watch, but unfortunately for my golf game, my stroke just doesn't have the power of a pro's swing. Despite high survival rates (after all, these watches are tough), I'm unsure that this makes sense. I -and I know many others -have worn their automatic watches while playing golf, tennis, or other sports. That's not something I understand relative to a fine, intricate and costly instrument. I've heard about owners who wanted to find out if their watch was bullet-proof by putting it in the freezer. That's fine, too if it works for you, that might be good enough. Not surprisingly, given the diversity of opinion about watches generally, not everyone concurs about everything pertaining to watch maintenance. Some of these I've learned the hard way -such as dropping a watch while winding it -and others involve using common sense or following “rules” that you can find from maintenance guides on the Internet. To keep these parts running well requires care and maintenance.Īs a watch collector for more than three decades, I've been guided by numerous principles to keep my watches in top shape. No fine mechanical watch will work well if it is maltreated, even inadvertently, and all mechanical watches are inherently intricate mechanisms, usually involving 200 to 400 movement parts, many of which are minuscule in size. Today, technology has produced watches that are more sealed and shockproof than ever.īut still the front-line attack against these enemies must be done by the individual user. For more than a century, watchmakers like IWC have developed and utilized engineering solutions to fight these enemies. They include dirt, dust, moisture, and shocks, to say nothing about temperature extremes and UV radiation.
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