How Your Timepiece is Powered
- Quartz watch movement
If your watch is powered by a ‘Quartz’ or battery powered movement, then it will continue to operate until the battery is completely drained (presuming all other internal pats and connectors are in good working order). Battery-powered watches should not be left unused for extended periods of time — a battery should be replaced or removed before they burst or leak acid, which can cause serious damage to the watch movement. A battery will generally last at least 1.5 - 2 years.
- Manual-wind watch movement
If your watch is powered by a manual-winding movement, then it is solely powered by winding the crown of the watch in a clockwise or forward direction until resistance is felt and the crown cannot be wound any further. Instructions for winding will be detailed in the next section. A full wind is required before wearing the watch and should typically last between 24-36 hours. Most people generally wind their watch completely each morning before putting it on their wrist.
- Rotor-powered automatic watch movement
A watch with an automatic or self-winding movement does not require winding, but it can also be wound manually if desired (instructions for how to wind an automatic watch will be detailed in the next section). These automatic or self-winding watches possess a rotor or bumper mechanism that will move and automatically wind the watch based upon ypur wrist movement as you wear the watch over the course of the day. If you and your wrist are sufficiently active while wearing the watch throughout the day (for at least an 8-hour period), the watch should maintain a power reserve for between 24-36 hours.
How to Wind a Mechanical Timepiece
- Manual-Wind Timepieces
Place the crown (winder) between your thumb and forefinger. Turn the crown forward (clockwise) with a long stroke. The crown will turn in in both directions, but will only wind in one direction: clockwise (or forward). To fully wind a watch requires 15 to 25 full 360-degree turns (this will vary depending on the watch). Wind/Turn the crown clockwise until it stops abruptly and cannot be wound any further. A manual-wind watch should be wound until resistance is felt and the crown will no longer turn clockwise, whereas an automatic watch can be wound forever without risk of damage. Your fully wound watch should maintain a power reserve and will run for at least 24-36 hours.
If the watch is worn daily, it should be wound, fully and completely until the crown comes to a stop, each day at the same time for peak performance. It is not necessary to wind the watch if you are not wearing it that day. These watches are rugged; do not be afraid of “overwinding”.
- Automatic (Self-winding, Perpetual) Watches
Automatic or self-winding watches have a small rotating weight inside the movement which spins around when you move your arm and winds the spring which runs the watch. If you wear an automatic watch every day for 6-10 hours and your wrist is reasonably active within that period of time, the watch will still be running when you put it on in the morning, because the movement of your wrist will build up an 8-10 hour winding reserve. If you do not wear it for a day or more, the watch will stop as the reserve will be depleated.
You can start your automatic watch by winding it 5-8 complete 360-degree turns manually before you put it on your wrist. Then set the time and wear it normally. An automatic timepiece can be wound indefinitely with no damage to the watch, however, 30 complete 360-degree turns should give the watch a full wind and any further winding would be unnecessary.
Caring For Your Mechanical Watch
- Dropping and/or Banging
Be mindful when wearing your vintage watch to not to drop or bang it! When new, many of these watches were designed to withstand a fall of no more than three feet on to a raised wood surface. Now that these timepieces are much older, their parts may be rare, costly, or not readily available to replace. Though a watch may appear completely intact after a drop or bang, damage may be much more extensive internally. Even a slight bang can cause serious damage if impact occurs at the right angle.
- Water or Other Fluids
Do not expose your vintage watch to water or other fluids. Many vintage watches were not equipped with gaskets to prevent exposure to moisture. Exposure to steam is potentailly more damaging than water exposure. If water enters the mechanism or dial/crystal of your vintage watch, pull out the crown as far as it will go, immediately place the watch in the crystal-down position in a resealable bag of rice, and seal/close the bag. Bring the watch in to us for service AS SOON AS POSSIBLE: any delay could cause further damage and corrosion to the watch movement.
We also recommend not wearing excessive perfume or cologne on the same wrist you wear your watch. These oils and alcohol can potentially react with the metal of your watch or enter the interior of the watch and interfere with the delicate balance of oils within your watch.
- Magnetism
In the modern world, there are many external “dangers” to the optimal functioning of your mechanical vintage watch. Most frequently, magnetism is the cause behind a watch running abnormally or often excessively fast, slow, or stopping altogether. When most vintage watches were manufactured, people lived in a world with fewer sources of magnetism and electricity — no laptops (huge battery beneath the keyboard), mobile phones (large battery behind the screen), metal detectors at airports or court houses, or even purses with magnetic clasps (many purses today have magnets on the fastener, which your watch will pass by every time your hand reaches in). (Note: Quartz watches are immune to magnetism.)
When many of these vintage wristwatches were first produced, the greatest electrical / magnetic source in day-to-day life was probably a television set. After a long day at work, a person might come home at night and then place their watch on top of the TV set. In today’s world, you might accidentally leave your watch on top of a closed laptop or notepad or have it scanned by X-Eays in aorport security. Try to wear your watch when passing through metal detectors (ask to wear it during a body scan) and avoid putting your watch in direct and prolonged contact with batteries, electrical equipment, and magnets.
Magnetism is in most cases easily reversible, and can be tested for with a common, analog compass. When passing a wristwatch very close and slowly over an analog compass, the directional compass indicator should remain completely still. A magnetized watch will cause the indicator on a compass to move or spin. Magnetism can most often be quickly removed using a “Demagnetizer” which can be purchased online. In certain rare occasions, a watch can become so magnetized that magnetism can only be removed by disassembling the watch and demagnetizing individual components.
Though magnetism is in our experience, the most common cause of malfunction, there are a number of other possible causes or explanations, and it is important to remember we are discussing items which are mechanical: everything can be fixed. Remember, we didn’t make these watches, ultimately we are just attempting to make them work as well as (or better than) they worked when they were first manufactured.
Long Term Storage
If you plan to store your watch for an extended period of time, make sure it is stored in a dry place (ideally high above ground level, as moisture tends to collect at lower levels). When keeping your watch in a safety deposit box (hopefully you have chosen a Safe deposit box located on a higher-level), it is best to wrap the watch in paper towels and place the watch in a resealable plastic bag. Ideally, one should place moisture absorbing silica gel packs with the watches. Do not store a Quartz watch for long periods of time with a battery installed in it, otherwise the battery may leak, corrode, and severely damage the movement.
To prolong the life of your leather watch strap, keep it dry as much as possible.
Periodic Service of Your Watch
Your watch purchased from Second Time Around Watch Company comes with a two-year warranty. We strongly recommend you continue to bring us your watch for periodic service or repair. Watches, like cars, have oils which over time, dry up, coagulate, or get dirty. Certain parts of a watch are maintenance wear items that require periodic replacement, similar to a car’s oil filter, and therefore these parts should be replaced every so often, particularly the mainspring and the gasket rings. A mechanical manual wind or automatic self-winding watch typically should be serviced every 3-5 years.