I dropped my watch

[capoots]

Now it seems to be running fast. It was dead on accurate for ever. Now after the drop, it seems to be running fast. Is this correctable? I have read many threads about leaving the watch crown up etc.. but could this work after dropping the watch? Has anyone had success in correcting this after a drop etc..?

[Ironstark]

I suspect that you have knocked the hairspring out of centre. This is fairly common once a watch receives a shock. The shock protection is designed to protect the balance pivots, but if it`s a sufficent knock the hairspring can be knocked out. It will require adjustment by a watchmaker, it`s a simple correction. If it`s under warranty have it returned to an RSC.
How fast is it running? Worst case, broken balance pivot, again correctible.
If I were closer I`d do it for you, wrong side of the pond, sorry.

[mailman]

Psst...hey Chris. You didn't hear this from me but ask James

[capoots]

Do I want to know what James has to say? Does he have bad news?

[mailman]

Originally Posted by capoots

Do I want to know what James has to say? Does he have bad news?

No but he may or may not have dropped his SD on the bathroom floor once

[Prince]

Originally Posted by mailman

No but he may or may not have dropped his SD on the bathroom floor once

Let's call a dropped SD a dropped SD here. I believe he DID do that, and if I recall correctly, things started working correctly later... Eh?

[nko51]

Am afraid it's back to the RSC for servicing!

[capoots]

Well, notice I didnt say how or where I dropped it. I took it off in the shower to rinse it off and it flew out of my hands and hit the tub square on.

[puffnmo]

When I was up in Vegas I visited an AD. The salesman was taking watches out of the case to show me and dropped a DJ smack on the hard floor. He quickly pulled out another watch, handed it to me to look at, and picked up the fallen one, thinking I had not noticed. He kept it in his hand until I gave him back the one I was examining, then slid them both back into the case.
I did not say anything. Not my business. Larry.

[Obsession]

Yes exactly, with my old watch I had lots of accidents in snow and also I dropped several times, it was running so fast about 65-70 seconds in 1 day, I went to service and they said that is normal, I was 16 and I had to believe them cause I was understanding nothing about watches.

[padi56]

Originally Posted by capoots

Now it seems to be running fast. It was dead on accurate for ever. Now after the drop, it seems to be running fast. Is this correctable? I have read many threads about leaving the watch crown up etc.. but could this work after dropping the watch? Has anyone had success in correcting this after a drop etc..?

Well first your watch would have quite a serious Knock to really upset its time keeping.Now you say its running fast is this just a few seconds or minutes.If it was the hairspring it would be very erratic minutes more than seconds.If its just seconds its possible the fine micro screw regulation has just moved,and all is needed is a bit on simple regulation.If your watch is winding on wrist staying powered,and no excessive movement noise.Check your watch over a few days,with the same time source and same resting position at night.Check to see if the time keeping is consistent which is the most important.If any watch say gains 5 minutes a day,if its the same every day its still a accurate watch,all thats needed is a bit of regulation.Now If your watch is pretty consistent all is well,then all thats needed is a bit of fine tuning to bring it back into the COSC spec -4 +6 per day if watch is outside this spec.

One of Mikes pictures.

[Ironstark]

There is no hard and fast rule as to how much a watch will gain or loose if the hairspring is out of centre.It could be seconds, it could be minutes if the hairspring is entangled. Is it within chronometer tolerances ? ie: -4 to +6 seconds a day (for the current calibres)

Originally Posted by Ironstark

There is no hard and fast rule as to how much a watch will gain or loose if the hairspring is out of centre.It could be seconds, it could be minutes if the hairspring is entangled. Is it within chronometer tolerances ? ie: -4 to +6 seconds a day (for the current calibres)

What do you mean with regards to the hair spring being "out of centre"? Never heard it expressed that way before so just curious. Thanks.

[Ironstark]

Originally Posted by Avalon

What do you mean with regards to the hair spring being "out of centre"? Never heard it expressed that way before so just curious. Thanks.

Sorry I got technical, I spend so much of my time with other watchmakers and we just use these terms and forget that to everybody else they mean nothing.
When a balance is adjusted and timed it is said to be "isochronous" (hope I spelt that right!!)
This means it takes the same time to describe (swing) a large or small arc.
For this to be acheived the balance wheel has to be perfectly poised and the hairspring has to be concentric (in round), on the balance wheel and in the watch.
If it sustains a blow sufficently strong it is possible for it to be knocked "out of centre" and it is no longer concentric. This can cause the watch to be less accurate, it could loose or gain seconds or minutes, depending how badly out of centre it is.
It is very common and easily corrected.
If a watch is within tolerance then there`s no problem and nothing to worry about.
The rate of a watch will change during the year as temperature, pressure, magnetic field and changes to the viscosity of the lubricants, affects it`s rate. This is normal and part of the character of a mechanical watch.
It`s one of the reasons I love working on them and owning them too.

[Prince]

Originally Posted by Ironstark

Sorry, I spend so much of my time with other watchmakers that we just use these terms and forget that to everybody else they mean nothing.
When a balance is adjusted and timed it is said to be "isochronous" (hope I spelt that right!!)
This means it takes the same time to describe (swing) a large or small arc.
For this to be acheived the balance wheel has to be perfectly poised and the hairspring has to be concentric (in round), on the balance wheel and in the watch.
If it sustains a blow sufficently strong it is possible for it to be knocked "out of centre" and it is no longer concentric. This can cause the watch to be less accurate, it could loose or gain seconds or minutes, depending how badly out of centre it is.
It is very common and easily corrected.
If a watch is within tolerance then there`s no problem and nothing to worry about. The rate of a watch will change during the year as temperature, pressure, magnetic field and changes to the viscosity of the lubricants, affects it`s rate. This is normal and part of the character of a mechanical watch.
It`s one of the reasons I love working on them and owning them too.

See, I KNEW your posts would be like this. Excellent!!! We would never get this kind of detailed, interesting explanations and info except from someone like you. Thank you VERY much for a fascinating explanation! Cheers...

Originally Posted by Ironstark

Sorry I got technical, I spend so much of my time with other watchmakers and we just use these terms and forget that to everybody else they mean nothing.
When a balance is adjusted and timed it is said to be "isochronous" (hope I spelt that right!!)
This means it takes the same time to describe (swing) a large or small arc.
For this to be acheived the balance wheel has to be perfectly poised and the hairspring has to be concentric (in round), on the balance wheel and in the watch.
If it sustains a blow sufficently strong it is possible for it to be knocked "out of centre" and it is no longer concentric. This can cause the watch to be less accurate, it could loose or gain seconds or minutes, depending how badly out of centre it is.
It is very common and easily corrected.
If a watch is within tolerance then there`s no problem and nothing to worry about.
The rate of a watch will change during the year as temperature, pressure, magnetic field and changes to the viscosity of the lubricants, affects it`s rate. This is normal and part of the character of a mechanical watch.
It`s one of the reasons I love working on them and owning them too.

I actually think you didn't get technical enough.

Yep - I understand all that. I think the term you used is just different than what I have heard such a situation described before.

So assuming the balance pivots aren't broken, the hair spring is simply deformed. I agree would be an easy fix to replace the spring. More tricky is manipulating the spring back into it's proper shape. I am just learning how to do things like that.

[capoots]

Looks like I am gaining about 5-6 seconds a day. I took it off last night and put it crown up. I still gained about 5 seconds. Should I keep trying to keep it with the crown up at night?

[padi56]

Well if your watch is gaining 5-6 seconds only a day your watch is fine,you could try it crown down.Experiment as no two watches are completely the same, you might shave 1 or 2 secs off.But as long as your watch was consistent 5-6 seconds I would be perfectly happy with that.

[Mrdi]

No reason to take your Rollie into the shower,
unless you like cleaning soap scum from the intracacies.

[capoots]

Originally Posted by Mrdi

No reason to take your Rollie into the shower,
unless you like cleaning soap scum from the intracacies.

I wear my watch 24 hours a day.

[Ironstark]

The spring would not necessarily be deformed, just knocked out of position.
If it became entangled and twisted then manipulating it may or may not be possible depending on how badly damaged the spring is.
Replacing the spring is not easy. Each hairspring is specifically "vibrated" to a specific balance wheel. They are not interchangeable. If the spring becomes too badly damaged then you would either have to make a new spring and then "vibrate" it (time it) to that specific balance (a very skilled job) or more commonly these days, replace the hairspring and balance wheel completey.
You can`t just drop a new spring onto a balance.
Are you training to become a watchmaker? Enjoying the experience?

Originally Posted by Ironstark

The spring would not necessarily be deformed, just knocked out of position.
If it became entangled and twisted then manipulating it may or may not be possible depending on how badly damaged the spring is.
Replacing the spring is not easy. Each hairspring is specifically "vibrated" to a specific balance wheel. They are not interchangeable. If the spring becomes too badly damaged then you would either have to make a new spring and then "vibrate" it (time it) to that specific balance (a very skilled job) or more commonly these days, replace the hairspring and balance wheel completey.
You can`t just drop a new spring onto a balance.
Are you training to become a watchmaker? Enjoying the experience?

Sorry, free sprung balance - more complicated for sure.

"replace the hairspring and balance wheel completey"

Yep - balance complete is the easiest way.

Not training to be a watchmaker - just an enthusiast.

Cheers.

[capoots]

Reading this technical stuff is pretty cool.

So if the watch is running about 6 seconds fast over a 24 hour period, that is considered pretty good? The problem is after a week, being close to a minute off will drive me crazy. I just wonder how long I will be able to hold out before I go nuts and have to bring it in to be regulated.

[jaycee]

This sounds very much like the problem I have! I dropped my GMT onto my bedroom carpet. First I was told it could be a hairspring problem as it was gaining 20 seconds a day, then my local dealer decided it just needed regulating and now that I've gone back to them again as the watch is rather inconsistent in its timekeeping they've decided that it's the hairspring again and the watch is going back to Rolex in a few weeks time.

I'm also finding a gain of nearly a minute a week rather irritating, particularly when the gain is 4 seconds one day and 9 the next!