IWC (3904) Chronograph - Click when winding

[Gigaton Punch]

Hi all,

I had a question regarding my IWC 3904 portuguese chronograph classic. Once in a while, when I wind the watch, I first hear a light click before the usual winding. The click feels like a mechanism of some sort, but not sure if this is supposed to be normal or not. This happened to me when the chronograph is not running. To replicate this click, I've been randomly winding my watch throughout the day, but I only experience 1 out every 25 winds, or so. No other issues with watch; keeps good time.

Is this normal?

Thanks in advance.

[PJ S]

It could be nothing more than the mainspring slipping in the barrel, but it’d be worth having a chat with a local watchmaker to be sure it’s not the early symptoms of something to be concerned about.
Has this only started to happen recently, or has it be ongoing since you got the watch?

Speaking of which, was it new or pre-owned?
If the latter, how old and was it serviced if more than 5 years old?

[Gigaton Punch]

Originally Posted by PJ S

It could be nothing more than the mainspring slipping in the barrel, but it’d be worth having a chat with a local watchmaker to be sure it’s not the early symptoms of something to be concerned about.
Has this only started to happen recently, or has it be ongoing since you got the watch?

Speaking of which, was it new or pre-owned?
If the latter, how old and was it serviced if more than 5 years old?

I recently purchased the watch pre-owned (2013). Not due for service yet. Is there a way to find out if it is in fact the mainspring slipping in the barrel?

Thanks!

[PJ S]

Well, if you speak to Richemont, they’ll only suggest sending it in for a service, which is chargeable as it’s out of warranty.
Have a look online for watch repairers in your locale/state, and have a chat.
Like I said, 1/25 is not regular enough to indicate something to be concerned with, but I’m open to being told otherwise.

Is this not an automatic?
Presuming so, and it’s a modified ETA movement, then I can tell you that automatic ETAs tend not enjoy being hand wound – and begs the question of why you’re not letting the auto winding mechanism take care of the single duty it was designed for.

[Gigaton Punch]

Originally Posted by PJ S

Well, if you speak to Richemont, they’ll only suggest sending it in for a service, which is chargeable as it’s out of warranty.
Have a look online for watch repairers in your locale/state, and have a chat.
Like I said, 1/25 is not regular enough to indicate something to be concerned with, but I’m open to being told otherwise.

Is this not an automatic?
Presuming so, and it’s a modified ETA movement, then I can tell you that automatic ETAs tend not enjoy being hand wound – and begs the question of why you’re not letting the auto winding mechanism take care of the single duty it was designed for.

It's actually an in-house movement: CALIBRE 89361. Thus, will probably be expensive to take to IWC, as you've mentioned.

[liu_watch]

All automatic watches make that click sound when they are fully wound.

To make sure that it IS the safety mechanism making the noise you describe, you could let the watch wind down/stop, then manually wind. The first 20-30 turns on the crown should not produce the clicking sound. You'll hear the clicking sound when you continue to wind after the mainspring is fully wound. And you'll hear the click sound every few turns after that.

This may explain why you hear it occasionally. It depends on when you wind it.




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[PJ S]

Originally Posted by Gigaton Punch

It's actually an in-house movement: CALIBRE 89361. Thus, will probably be expensive to take to IWC, as you've mentioned.

Thanks – I’m not all that into IWCs (bar specific Aquatimer & Ingenieur models), so tend to gloss over certain info.

Nevertheless, I’m still not grasping the reasoning behind you hand winding an automatic on a daily basis.

[Gigaton Punch]

Originally Posted by PJ S

Thanks – I’m not all that into IWCs (bar specific Aquatimer & Ingenieur models), so tend to gloss over certain info.

Nevertheless, I’m still not grasping the reasoning behind you hand winding an automatic on a daily basis.

I don't wind to power it. Rather, I've been hand winding (a few revolutions only) solely to replicate the clicking.

[Gigaton Punch]

I figured out why it does this - sometimes, the teeth on the winding gears aren't lined up (that is, the pointy part of the teeth of two gears are lined up), and the teeth have to "click" into place (hence the "click") before it starts winding.

Is this common? Or is this a cause for concern?