7. Be careful when you go through a door frame. Seriously. 95% of all the bangs my watch has sustained, has been because of my dumb ass hitting it on door frames.
Oh same here. Lol 🤣 glad it's not just me. I have to have the glass on two of my watches replaced because I have smacked into doorframes like a clumsy hooligan haha 😂
I actually thought about this getting my new watch, and I remembered having a bracelet on my wrist when I crashed one time. The only injuries I had were normal bruises and a gash on my wrist where the bracelet was. Learned my lesson there. I'd go for a quartz Casio G-Shock if I again were to put a watch on my hand when riding.
watchmaker here- good advice all around! The one tip I want to add is to use caution with soaps! Most water resistant watches are sealed with oil-impregnated rubber or silicone gaskets in the crown/tube and caseback. Soaps will pull the oil out of those gaskets and dry them prematurely. A little bit of soapy water when you wash your hands is fine. Just be careful around washing your car, dishes, etc
@@andrewfindlay9099 soap is still soap regardless of pH, it has long molecules of which one end is attracted to water and the other attracted to fats/oils. If it's soap it will emulsify oils so it's probably best to be careful even with that. Probably better than other soaps though.
@@904melkman it’ll still work mostly fine but the oils that lubricate the watch will eventually evaporate, leaving a residue that could potentially become an abrasive rather than a lubricant.
@@georgegiesbrecht8224Not sure. It was a gift. I am having a sort out at home so I might come across some paperwork. I also got given a very early electronic watch at the aame time but that has struggled.
As a watchmaker by profession since 2011 I must say that you are spot on on most occasions, especially when it comes to winders, I here this myth on a regular basis from customers at the shop I'm working that it's good for watches to be in winders, that's just not true, it just wears them down over time. One thing I can ad is that swan necks in most cases don't prevent the "adjustment arms" to move, those arms can be moved independently from the swan neck screws so they can still get moved out of position if the watch recieves a shock. For Rolex and most high end watches this is not a problem because there is no such arms but instead small screws on the balance wheel that the watchmaker moves in and out to move the center of gravity. One thing more to keep in mind is to not take your watch in to the sauna, or leave it where it's very warm, the heat will with time dry out the oils and it will need service more frequently and the paint on the dial might age faster, there might even be condensation in the watch because of the temperature change. I really like your videos, keep up the good work!
If I may, can I ask a question about setting the time on movements without a hacking mechanism? I often hold the second hand with a bit of back pressure on the crown while synchronising the time - is this ok? Does this back pressure damage the movement in any way?
I am not sure if I agree with you. My watches have been mechanically wound for years on a winder and haven't experienced any issues. I got my JL back from Switzerland last year and the comments from the technicians working on it was that the movement was in great order for being 12 years old. It had been on a winder for 6 years at that time.
As Teddy says, it's not all doom-gloomery. This is a true story: like the fool that I am, about 5-6 years ago I hurried out of the bedroom in the middle of fitting one of my favourites (a Brosnan-era Seamaster Pro) to my wrist, and dropped the watch. It went through the banisters, down the side of the stairs and straight onto a laminate floor. I actually felt sick - the noise it made when it hit the floor was like loud crack. So I rushed downstairs to get the watch, which just carried on as if nothing had happened. The floor still has the dent in it.
@@joshs3916 Maybe I just got very, very lucky - I really feel for some of the other commentators here. I had this watch serviced 2 or 3 years later at an AD and I was kind of worried the guys in Switzerland would refuse 🙂, or come back with a charge of watch abuse or something! But the only question they asked was if I would like a new clasp. Amazing.
My grandfather, when gifting to me my first watch, pointed out that over winding a watch was the absolute WORST mistake almost everyone was guilty of. He recommended letting your watch run completely down the first time. Then, when winding it, count how many half turns it takes to completely wind the watch. There after, every time you wind the watch (daily) only wind it just over 1/2 the total amount. Since his recommendation, I have always followed his advice.
@@supanjibobu372 You never want to 'completely' wind a watch spring as it over taxes and fatigues the spring. You ONLY want to wind it about 3/4 to 2/3 of the entire potential. The absolutely worst thing you can do repeatedly to a watch is to over wind it. Best to know its full potential and to wind it somewhat short of its full capacity and let it wind down from there. Even automatic wind watches stop short of over winding the spring.
@@marcusaurelius3487 Saying you cannot overwind an automatic watch is like saying you can't put gasoline in an electric car. While it is a true statement - it also does not make any sense. Automatic watches have a mechanism in the movement that disengages the winding gears from the mainspring once it is fully wound. Matriculation is always good!
I’m a watchmaker. One thing I see a lot is people hand winding their automatic watches despite wearing them daily. Yes, main springs on autos are designed in a way that they slip when fully wound, however that ‘slips’ being done over and over again turns into grinding and chaos ensues with the automatic and winding mechanism being worn down faster that the service period.
@TheMinidrey I was thinking the same thing, great tip! If you did not wear an automatic watch and it stopped just give it one crown turn and put it on the wrist, it will wind extra efficiently when the mainspring is unwound anyway. I would like to add that turning the crown slowly is much better than forcing it to turn fast. Less force on the winding mechanism and less wear because you are not forcing the reverser wheels in the automatic section spin at crazy crazy speed (they spin much slower in normal automatic operation) and cause unnecessary wear. WInd slow please if the watch is an automatic. PS: some automatics do solve this problem by decouplig the reversers during manual wind but most do not.
@@paulrowan1501 Some? Every modern automatic watch of the type covered here or other watch channels can be manually wound. That's the whole basis of the watch collecting hobby--that you go days or longer without wearing some of your watches.
A week after I bought my first rolex, I did exactly that and broke the stem from winding it as a habit when it didn’t need it. Luckily the warranty covered it but if you wear your automatic daily there is no need to wind it
Tip: move your SKX007 or other mechanical forward to 6 oclock (safe zone) before setting the date. Set the date 1 day prior to your current day if you're not sure it's AM or PM.
In 67 I bought a Speedmaster while serving in the army in Germany and wore it daily through maneuvers and fire missions. After a couple of years it started to show some condensation on the crystal. It went through a house fire and survived as well as being given to a friend who wore it till it quit! I finally had it repaired/serviced (cost was 7x it’s original cost of $94.00) and still have it. Also have a 77 GMT which I lent to friends. One managed to loose the bezel but had it replaced. It was never serviced till recently but ran well loosing a few minutes. I’ve been keeping it safe in a watch box. .
One addition to storage: be careful when storing watches with steel bracelets and display casebacks. If the bracelet touches the glass caseback (E.g. tucking it in a roll) it can scratch it up (if it's mineral glass).
The funny thing is that if the display caseback is sapphire, then it's the other way around: the caseback could scratch your bracelet (probably not given how smooth it is, but still in that case if one of them scratches the other it's going to be sapphire scratching steel, not the other way around).
As a watchmaker, I've seen many more watches with damage due to vibration than shock or impact. Yes, occasionally a watch will come in with a broken balance pivot, or an off center dial, but what I've seen much more of is screws (either bridge or casing) backing out due to vibration and getting lost in the movement or getting jammed up in the balance wheel or escape wheel. If there are loose bridge screws, I will tighten then down for the customer but will be under the assumption that there are other screws that I can't see that are also loose and will recommend a full service. There is no warranty for the customer if they bring in the watch a week later and it's stopped just because I tightened some bridge screws before. As for causes, motorcycles and bicycles are by far the most common culprits.
so what to do with watch if motorcycle is the only means of transportation that you have ? Would putting it in a pocket or backpack be better than wearing it on hand ?
I used to wear my Seiko SNK809 while using an impact wrench for a month before getting a beater casio. The timekeeping of the watch wasn't badly affected, but I found out that some of the screws got a bit loose in the mechanism.
Precision is most important, similar to nuts and bolts, it should keep it in place. That speaks quality, a month of wrench using and its impact is definitely, quality of the brand that speaks for consumers.
Thanks for your insight Teddy. I store my watches in a display watch box (for my solar powered watches) and all of my boxes have Silica gel packs to help minimize the humidity. Keep 'em coming!
Very good advices. About vibration: the antishock system works really well, but it's not invulnerable. I put my watches box into the car trunk for a trip, to show them to a relative, and even when they were cushined, over more luggage, and it was just a road trip without big stress, some bump damaged one of the watches. After one year of erratic malfunction, I found what was the problem: the antichosk system of the balance jumped so high that it got jammed and could not come back to it normal position. Easy to fix, I just had to reposition it, but it's was a good warning about vibration and mechanical watches!
One thing not mentioned is extreme temperature changes. If you're outside in the winter (we get to -40C around these parts) and you go into your house where it's warm, the watch could still be cold and this will cause condensation on the outside and inside of the watch. Condensation on the outside is usually okay. It's inside that really matters. The same thing can happen if you're in a pool/lake/ocean with your watch and after your swim you come out of the water on a hot day. You need to allow the watch to slowly warm up to prevent this. You could leave it in the pocket of your parka which will insulate it from the warm air or wrap it in a towel. I've had new watches arrive by mail in the winter and when I receive it, I leave it in the shipping box for a couple of hours to bring it up to room temperature slowly.
First of all, jumping into cold water would be a problem. Jumping into the cool sea or pool with a watch heated up by the sun or summer temperatures, right?
@@georgeii2629 Hot to cold is not a problem. Cold to hot is the issue. Like taking something out of a fridge and then you see condensation on the surface. Moisture in the air condenses into the surface.
Shock and magnetic fields are the 2 most annoyances for me when it comes to wearing my watches. The magnetism is obviously inescapable. It’s all around us. So that part just sucks, but the shock does as well because you have to always be conscious. I had a Hamilton Aviation and I ( not thinking ) had it on while riding my Harley. Not even a quad or dirt bike !!! Nothing off road and still…. Even on paved roads that movement was wrecked from the constant vibrations of being on my wrist. Time was off by honestly like minutes per day. Same thing with a Seiko I had in the SPB line. Nice robust watch. Went to play golf and the watch was off by close to a full minute per day. Simply not worth using these watches for rugged activities. Even if it’s a anti magnetic or anti shock like the Ball watches. Just wear a G Shock or a Quartz and let the other watches rest on the shelf for a cigar and cold beverage. Teddy. I think a cool video will be wearing an automatic watch and doing all these activities within a week and see the effects. Obviously it don’t have to be tested on a expensive watch. But even a lower priced Seiko or Orient and compare the accuracy pre and post activity.
@@СимонКазаков-г1в it really depends. The most likely problem is that the vibration has loosened screws in the movement or misalignment of friction points. As far as friction points you'll probably notice a loss in accuracy, and power reserve. It might be an expensive fix for a watchmaker to track down exactly where in the movement there is a hang-up. As far as screws go you might get lucky and see a degradation of performance, but if they back all the way out you risk having it jam up and damage another mechanism or delicate component in the movement.
@@andrewallen9993 vostoks run on witchcraft. I take mine to music festivals, go in mosh pits, shake my arms like a lunatic, and it is exactly as accurate (read, not accurate whatsoever) as it was when it fell out of the truck right onto my doorstep from chistipol
I don't give a thought to riding motorcycles with any of my watches but I did damage a Seiko auto by repeatedly running a pneumatic impact with the hand it was on. It was an easy fix for my watchsmith. I'm surprised that I've never had a "magnetic incident", as, as you said, they're everywhere, and I am semi-frequently around stronger ones than a lot of people. Since it's an easy fix I don't worry about it, anyway. Overall, good tips.
With regards to screw down crowns, if you want to be extra careful. Wind it in reverse while keeping pressure until you feel a click then screw it forwards to tighten.
This is a good trick for any finely threaded screws or nuts. As a kitchen table gunsmith I learned this trick after many trips to the real gunsmith to fix my "screw ups."
Good info as always. The stem on my Rolex Air King broke twice. Sold it recently and have come full circle and have embraced premium quartz. So far I have acquired Longines Hydroconquest 39mm blue quartz and Casio Oceanus S100. Looking at the Conquest VHP also and maybe the Omega AT Quartz. Many of the issues discussed here and non-issues for me now. *Casio Oceanus line is incredible and don't recall you mentioning them ever.
You've got to get your hands on that Seiko 9F. I almost pulled the trigger on one, but it was my first Grand Seiko and I felt like spring drive was more iconic of the brand, but sure I'll get a 9F eventually.
Right there with you. After a few years of collecting I upgraded to midrange and higher end autos. Then I acquired a Breitling Chronospace and it totally broke me. I could pick it up and it showed the time and date accurately, no winding, no resetting every day/week and I did not worry about getting it close to magnetic fields or bumping it by accident. When watch prices skyrocketed I ended up selling most of my autos and actually made a few bucks. I bought a Longines VHP GMT (very nice and accurate watch BTW, I’d recommend it) and a Casio S100. I’ve never looked back. I’m considering getting a Breitling Aerospace Evo or a Grand Seiko Springdrive GMT also.
@@cle_roknn3742 Sounds like some nice pieces you have. I got a great deal on my new 39mm Longines Hydroconquest quartz ($700) and it is 2mm thinner. Thickness is my biggest gripe of autos -- that and the fact that once you have a few watches you will be setting/winding them every time you pick them up to wear one out of your rotation. However, the Oceanus S100 is the watch that really was a game changer for me. Thanks for tips on the Breitlings -- will be sure to give those a look.
@@brocklanders6969 I recently bought a hydroconquest commonwealth games version as I managed to get it for the equivalent of about 1650 usd and although it’s ok I find the case is very easily scratched. I hardly touched the lugs when changing from the bracelet to a curved end rubber strap but still managed to leave marks under neath them. I considered a quartz hydroconquest but just couldn’t. I do have a few quartz watches like a certina ds2 chronograph and a tag but I don’t find myself wearing them very often
@@murph8411 I have heard that (scratch magnets) about the whole Conquest/Hydro line, but for $700 I not going to lose sleep if it gets a few scratches or dings.
My favorite screw up (which I've done three times) is taking off my watch before jumping in the shower and placing it on the bathroom sink, then when attempting to put it back on, inadvertently dropping it face down on the ceramic tile bathroom floor, smashing the crystal. I've finally trained myself to take off my watch in the bedroom, when getting ready to shower.
@@bobohare4825 True. I've dropped the same Seiko twice, the one my wife bought me for our first Christmas. She bought it in 1984 and I was lucky that a crystal was still available.
Im the workshop manager for a large bicycle company and have been working on bikes for nearly 13 years and with that comes a lot of mechanical experience. First time working with the screw down crown on my seiko turtle i was like boy that will strip easy..
Great video! I would like to add one more or less obvious thing: watch maintenance and cleaning. I like to keep watches with polished bezels clean, like tudor bb36, Seiko SARB033 etc. Constant wiping using cloth can scratch metal surface really badly! If your watch has good water resiatance it is better to clean it gently with mild water first. This will remove dust particles and then dry it with paper towel and wipe. Unfortunately I found it difficult to resist not to wipe a watch when I am at work and see some smudges :) as for shock resistance, I play piano for a few hours every day and never take my automatic watch off my wrist. My hand is moving quickly during playing but everything seems fine so far.
The movement of playing the piano is not the kind of shock we’re talking about. Your movements are smooth enough and wrist cushy enough that there are no sudden jerks happening to the watch. When we talk about shock, we mean smacking it into a doorway, dropping it on the floor, etc. the kinds of impacts that cause a sudden jerk of the internal components, not just movement in general.
Great vid Teddy, many thanks - 2 points I've taken away: 1) don't overwind your watch - hadn't realised you should only wind until you feel tension as I'd always thought there was a built in mechanism to prevent overwinding, which I'd understood to be when you can't wind it any further and 2) no need to use a watch winder - I had always thought the 'real world' reasons to use one were the ones you said, because all that's happening is increasing the wear and tear on the mechanism while you're not enjoying the benefit of seeing it on your wrist.
You really can't over wind an automatic watch. The watch mainsprings are made so that they slip inside the barrel. You use a special type of barrel grease inside the barrel so that the mainspring simply slips as you continue to wind. It will feel as though the crown is getting harder to wind, but as a mainspring tightens around the Arbor, the Outer Circle of the mainspring stays rubbing against the barrel and will slip if there there's too much pressure caused by the winding of the mainspring
excellent video. I find the motorcycle example is so overblown. I've ridden a motorcycle as my primary mode of transportation for over 15 years and worn Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Tudor, and Lange with zero issue.
I think it depends on the movement and the regulator setup. Most of the brands you mentioned have a more sophisticated nature to the balance and regulating organ. Compare that to an entry level seiko movement for example that just require the movement of a small pin and isn’t locked into place to tighten or loosen the hairspring might experience more challenges.
I just went around Berlin and Warsaw on those e-scooter with my Exp 2 and I would wear my Speedie when riding my Brompton back home. Neither suffered any ill effect but I DEFINITELY would not do that same with my GS. Beyond the brand recognition, I think Rolex and Omega are well respected for their robustness not common in all mechanical watches.
@@TeddyBaldassarre An additional factor is the bike itself. The amount and type of vibrations your wrists will experience while riding a motorcycle depend deeply on the bike, the type of engine and the way the engine is mounted to the frame. I ride my BMW R9T everyday and would love to wear my Railmaster 57 everyday too. But I’m afraid that old boxer engine might be a bit too much…
One thing people with a lot of cameras/lenses have is a dehumidifying cabinet. It keeps the humidity inside at around 45% to stop fungus etc growing inside the lenses. I think a small one of these is a good idea for long term storage for watches, especially if where you live becomes a jungle over summer (85-90% summer humidity highs here).
Great video. Teddy already mention potential problems with taking watches to the shower. I would add that some people think, that if their watch has 200-300 meter water resistance, it should be ok if you take or rven wear it while taking shower, while these watches usually don’t really prepared for that kind of temperature changes. Hot water, steam expand the metal parts, and could let water getting inside. I would not care much if it was Casio Duro, but I don’t want to test out my Submariner or Seamaster, if I had one of course.
That happened to my first GMT Master back in 1980s. Wore that puppy everywhere.. hot tubs, showers, etc. Thought it was proof against all environments. Then weirdness on the dial and hands..nasty expense at service time..lesson learned. 😳
I still don’t understand why people even shower with a watch. I find it so weird and unnecessary lol. Why not just take it off? I’m open to enlightenment.
When I set the date, I just advance the time until the date changes, my Omega Seamster Midsize and Orient Mako 2 are my most common since I wear then for work and are normally only 1 or 2 days behind so it doesn't take long. I'm very surprised with how accurate the SMP is after almost 2 years of frozen stocking. Constantly banging against freezer doors, walls, trash compactors, and going with me in the freezer for hours at a time, that sumbitch is SOLID!
This is ok if the watch is rather new, if the watch is older and the oils are dry and dirty it will just cause excessive wear on the setting mechanism. Just move the hands to six a clock and use the fast setting.
Good video here, Teddy! I always bought super solid watches to avoid worrying about this stuff. As I start to consider less rugged options, I think what you point out here is even more helpful. The vibration one is definitely huge... I never thought of that part until after, but I am 90% sure riding motorcycles back in the day with my Seamaster Planet Ocean made it lose a few ticks. After I stopped riding, it stayed the same until I had it serviced pretty much.
ONE MORE... When putting on or taking off a watch (with open-end, not looped, strap), do it over a soft couch or bed, as opposed to (for example) over a hard tile floor. In a lifetime, you will rarely fumble the one-handed application of the strap and thus you will inevitably drop a watch at least several times in your life. With a soft landing, no problem. Over a hard surface, a repair bill. My former coworker dropped his Rado onto the steel deck of a ship.
I am an avid follower. I am not sure if something like this exists within your blog already, but I would love to see you break down the myth of "water resistance": how it's tested (I have some idea already), what it means for everyday wear, and especially an opinion (because I know you have one) of how the various brands stack up not only within their own self-ratings but also whether there is a common vernacular to follow for watch safety. For instance, "100-meter resistance means nothing, 300-meter resistance may or may not mean anything...". For instance, I know depth ratings are gauged based on uniform case pressure in a tank, which can change drastically in practical application. Just a thought.
Great video. Every point was dead on. Following this advice will go a long way to ensure that a watch and it’s owner enjoy many years of time together.
Screw down crowns combined with winding on wrist is what caught me. Stripped the thread on an Orient diver. Orient repaired under warranty (even though it was user error). The threads on a screw-down crown don't provide any of the seal, and the tightness doesn't affect the seal very much at all (with the exception of Vostok Amphibia, where the threads pull a gasket in the crown onto the crown tube). The threads are there to stop excessive moement of the stem in the o-rings that are providing the seal, so once the slack as been taken out, anythgin further is excessive.
For myself, I've always used inexpensive watches for daily wear, and I don't mean a Tudor instead of a Rolex. With a cheaper watch, I've NEVER bothered trying to protect it from water if it has any water resistance at all. My old Timex spent 3 months washing dishes 8 hours a day with me in a restaurant, and took a shower with me afterwards. I have an Out Of Order that I routinely wear while riding a motorcycle or even running a chainsaw. Both are quartz, but I've never had an issue. I wonder if in some cases the less expensive brands are more able to take abuse. (Less expensive, not junk like MVMT.) On the other hand, I probably wouldn't treat an Omega or Grand Seiko like that just to test that theory.
If you store your watch in a watch box, shoe box, safe deposit box, etc. put a silica pouch in the box as well. The pouches will absorb moisture, and they are available at super markets.✌🏽
I liked the fact you mentioned about screw down crowns are not essential for 200m or more water resistance, but just extra security to protect the stem. Many folks believe that if a watch does not have a screw down crown it can't possibly be water resistant, LOL! I have spent a lifetime as an oceanographer and should understand how O-rings work. They have nothing to do with screw down crowns, but everything to do with hydrostatic sealing. Many, supposedly "experts" on watches seem to keep emphasizing the screw down crowns.
Great video Teddy. I have just bought my first watch a Tudor Black Bay. On the subject of how magnetic fields can affect a watch. How would you recommend passing through airport security with my new watch.
I'm a native of SoFlo, so I actually use my watches for water sports. I dive, snorkel, paddleboard, surf and so forth. ALWAYS wash the salt water off of your watch after any salt water activity. Never underestimate the corrosive power of seawater.
hi teddy, over the years learnt a lot from you and would really like if you can at some point do a video on "watch winders" please. The pros and cons. any negative effects it might have on the mainspring etc. I think it would be very beneficial for a lot of ppl including me who can't really work out much negative effects except for the price. thank you
The manual for the Christopher Ward C1 Moonglow recommends not changing the date between 1800 hrs and 0200 hrs. This seems to be the exception to the rule for other manufacturers.
Just line up your threads when using your screwed in crown. Instead of forcing it clockwise just reverse it incrementally counterclockwise until you hear a little click this means you are lined up and ready to tighten clockwise if you're not lining up your threads everytime then it will slowly wear those threads out untill they're stripped. I've been in this business a long time lol
Really - I would think anyone who is even slightly mechanically inclined would know this little trick. I do this not just with witch crowns, but with almost anything that needs to be screwed in. Jar lids, eyeglass earpiece screws, machine screws (especially important)
So, what are the options for those of us who ride a motorcycle daily and shoot guns often, but prefer not to wear a G-Shock every day? What mechanical watches are the least sensitive/have the best shock resistance?
I don’t understand the complication timeframe. How do I know if the watch doesn’t have an indicator that it’s not safe? Between 8-9 or 3-4? Doesn’t make sense
Thank you. This gave me so much confidence with automatics and I thoroughly enjoy them rather than worry whether or not I’m doing the right thing. Thanks for helping me jump into this world of watch collecting.
Got a question about screw down crowns. If you don't wear watches for weeks, or months, like I do do you store your watches with the screw down crown in the open position or does it matter?
Great video.. I thought you’d mention something about cleaning the watch.. some people may use a cleaner that tampers the watch or even clean while they have a nice watch on with no regard on how the chemicals may react to the leather or metal.
I'm a high handicapper golfer been wearing my PO 39.5 for 4 years playing two games a week . Hasn't lost a beat. Absolutely punish this watch I wear tis every day I'm a construction worker. Love it 😍😍
As someone who just bought his first watch yesterday this video was extremely helpful. I knew some of these already but seeing as how watches are delicate works of art I want to learn all I can about taking care of them. Still haven’t decided if I’m going to buy more watches and start a collection… a lot of them can be pricey. However, I wanted to move away from my Apple Watch and wear something more elegant which is why I decided to buy an actual watch. It’s so pretty to look at too.
@Thomas Wright They sure are beautiful. I thought about getting a mechanical or automatic watch as my first but I instead decided to go with a solar powered one. Specifically, the Citizen Avion which has that Eco Drive system built in. I don’t know why but something drew me to that watch in the display when I was comparing watches. I basically wanted the watch to be gold so it would match my gold necklace and it came down to that Citizen watch and a Seiko that they had. Haven’t yet decided if I’m going to buy more watches but so far, 8 days later, I’m very happy with my new watch. Not only does it make me feel good wearing it but I’ve also gotten a few compliments.
I have a question. I've currently got about 15 watches in my collection, and can't afford that many electronic winders. Am I best off winding each manually every day / couple of days? OR just leaving them unwound until I decide that I'm going to wear one. Does a screw down crown make any difference?
When it comes to winding and setting the time on a watch on your wrist, you mostly only stress the stem if it's a screw down crown. I have seen so many broken off stems on these watches, so don't do this! On standard crowns, not so much as the pipe will guide the crown and stem. On many older finer dress watch you need to be careful though as they tend to have a built-in pipe in the crown that extends when you pull out the crown. Had this happen myself when working on a ladies Omega that was a bit stuck, so they are very delicate.
I would add, don’t pull the crown out. I use the “pinch” method. Place your thumb and forefinger so that they touch the case, and gently pinch the crown out. This is a lot easier on the crown and stem.
@@namorheiss8853 I’ve heard about people pulling the crown out/damaging it with just their fingers. If you haven’t, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.
@@jkokich well, I've personally tried it on an old diesel watch and I needed pliers. Maybe it was some defect or a really rusted movement but the crown shouldn't pull out the stem. You can break the stem but it won't pull out of the movement
On the point of overwinding - if you have an automatic you shouldn't worry about it. Just about every modern automatic watch I've seen has a clutch that disengages both the rotor and a stem from the winding mechanism if it reaches the full wind.
Watchmaker here: just don’t manhandle the watch. Winding and setting time on your wrist is completely fine. Just don’t pry and put large forces on the crown. Shocks are usually fine, vibrations are much worse. Motorcycles and bikes are much more likely to damage or deregulate a watch. Magnetic fields are also usually not an issue unless you are keeping a magnet nearby. Strong magnets do cause issues. Humidity is fine as long as your watch is water tight. Vintage watches often have rust because of deteriorated seals, and people washing their hands with it ect… tldr: don’t be an idiot with mechanical watches
@@wnuilan4599 Depends on the watch of course, but in general I'd say try not to. Some watches are built tough enough to not care about some shocks, whilst other watches get deregulated or even stop functioning. I general, the simpler the watch, the stronger it is.
One thing to note coming from a leather worker , never put watches (or any other metal items) in chrome tanned leather sleeves/pouches/sheaths they will come in reaction and over time will rust , stainless steel won't do as much but still....
I actually bent a crown stem. At that time, I had no idea it got bent and when I washed my hands, water got inside the watch because the rubber ring didn’t make contact anymore.
I used to shower with my automatic watch on, and put it together with the cellphone in the drawer, and I could attest to the damage they did to the watch. It became extremely inaccurate after two years, and I had to spend about 1/7 of the original price to get a major overhaul. Never do those to your watch, even if the watch is high water resistant and/or high magnetic resistant.
Yep. The steam and hot water act very different to cold water you’d find in a pool or ocean. Showering is really bad for any watch, regardless of the water resistance rating.
Good thing I take Icey showers, I've been wearing my SMP in the shower for 2 years and it works great, I also get it pressure tested every 12 months though because it also is my daily work watch that involves alot of hard physical labour and a commercial freezer. Definitely a safe practice to avoid water with your peices, especially high end ones, but man do I enjoy using that little SMP, and so far she's handled everything amazingly.
Counter anecdote, I’ve worn my aqua terra in nearly every shower, sauna, steam room, ice bath, plunge pool, ocean, lake, and river I’ve enjoyed since I bought it almost 7 years ago and it still keeps time as good as the day I got it.
Oh, one that you didn't mention, that might be of concern is rapid changes in air pressure. Marathon's Navigator is a watch specifically designed to handle this. But I assume dive watches have to tackle this same issue with water pressure changes. Come to think of it, any rapid change at all, like rapid changes to temperature. One thing that I NEVER, EVER do is shower with my watch on. I don't care if it is a mechanical, a quartz, or even a beater G-Shock. I hear of people that do this all the time. It is in every owner's manual out there. DO NOT SHOWER WITH YOUR WATCH ON! Sure, it's water resistant (static pressures). But it isn't designed with hot temperatures in mind. Materials expand and contract at different rates. And when you combine that with water, bad things can happen. I hear people often say something like, "I've done it for years and never had anything happen". Well, you were lucky. Do you want to try your luck one too many times? It's like golfing in a storm. Sure, you'll probably be fine, but what if your luck runs out. Do you want to be struck by that literal or proverbial lightening? Isn't it better to just take a few extra seconds and take the watch off? Besides, how do you clean your wrist?! :-)
Dropping a watch is an absolute nightmare especially on any surfaces. I've done this to a few ETA and selita models and it's totally messed the accuracy.
I appreciate this video very much. A really important conversation for sure. A few of my consistent practices: Crown up if you have to set it down. Never rest it flat on the case back. Go 5 min past the time being set, then move it back to desired time to remove any slack. Dry environment for storage. If stopped, wind before allowing the auto mechanism to wind it. Gentle pressure on the crown while turning counter-clockwise to hear the click of the threads, before gentle pressure while engaging the threads in clockwise direction. Cheers.
Keep watches clean. You don’t have to keep them surgical clean but if you wear a watch every day and work in dusty environments or live in briny/dusty environments then clean them periodically. You don’t to go crazy and disassemble but wiping the case back and inspecting the crown area for damage or debris. This is especially important with dive watches worn in saltwater. Rinse with fresh water to avoid corrosion.
Really enjoyed this video Teddy Some thoughts on the point about knocks and particularly vibration: Brands have for a long time been happy to sponsor/associate themselves with sports, especially motor sport, where vibrations are extreme. Take this even further, the iconic Moonwatch, the vibrations this would have to survive are without compare. One would therefore hope that the watches are capable of withstanding the types of activities that are everyday ( I don't drive F1 or travel in space!). Welcome thoughts.....
Thanks for this video Teddy. One thing I might’ve overlooked is Vibration. I tend to wear my Automatic watches while riding my motorbike. So yeah, thanks for all this. You have the best content for watches in RUclips. - it’s not even close.
During the video discussing the Watch winding, it looked as if the hand model was using a rocking motion to wind. Rolling the crown forward and reverse. I’ve seen a rep at an AD do the same and when I asked he just said that’s how he’s always done it. I’ve always used only forward rotations. Is there a “preferred” method???
The matter of magnetic fields is, well, a bit more complicated than that. Of course, you describe the potential effects of a magnetic field on a watch correctly. However, it's not like any minor magnetic field will wreak havoc on the movement. I saw quartz being done in for good by iPad mag-covers - long exposure, the owner of the watch left it accidentally on his iPad with a SmartCover for a day. But, for example, an ETA 2824 in my Edox, with a perfectly standard hairspring - no silicon wonders there - didn't get out of tune because of car audio, an iPad alright, or the magnetic lock in my laptop. In my new job, I received a service laptop, of which I've only noticed later on that it has a magnetic lock. I was wearing my 1949 Omega with a cal.283 inside. The magnetic fields in my car, at work or at home did literally nothing to the Omega 283, the 30T2 PC AM, the cal.561 in my Seamaster as well was absolutely unmoved by them and all retain their accuracy. No problems with any other of my vintage watches in that department. Of course, I enjoy the added measure of security that the Silicium in my Longines Spirit is offering, although it's not like the magnetic fields that I encounter daily would harm it if it didn't have it. Sure, everyone's better off keeping their watches away from anything from fridge magnets to MRI machines and industrial electromagnets, but in my experience even watches that are decades old are capable of withstanding the usual kind of magnetic fields in our daily lives - more so than we'd give them credit for. Caution is usually warranted, but I wouldn't get particularly paranoid about that.
@@mwk9473 Thanks, they make you believe you really won a Omega Seamaster 300m with a shipping cos of $100...how is teddy not aware of this. It's disappointing really.
The first thing I tried to do with my Breitling Navitimer was set the date between 10pm and 2am. I had no idea it was an issue. I initially thought the watch was broken since the date wouldn't move. I did some research and realized my error. The watch seems fine....but I still worry that I hurt something.
If it's a newer Navi with the B01 movement, you are fine. Date can be changed at any time..its it the older version bases on 7750, it's non quick set. But in general, you have to becareful with date changes because many people break their watches this way and blame the manufacturer
Great tips Teddy! I’ve heard this one mentioned to me numerous times but I’m curious what others think. Don’t place your watch on its crown. So in other words have it resting with the crown touching the surface instead of the case. Is this true or a bunch of hogwash? 🤔Keep up the great work! 😃
I guess after setting it down a million times or setting it on something like a running washing machine that's constantly vibrating that could be true, but I feel like that's so minute it doesnt really matter. Maybe a safe practice but certainly not required.
"Don't place your watch on its crown. So in other words have it resting with the crown touching the surface instead of the case" Aren't these contradictory statements? If you're not resting it on the crown, wouldnt you be resting it on the case with the crown pointing upward and NOT touching the surface? Lol.
@@steelsteez6118 I think the second part was explaining what he meant by "dont set it in the crown" but yea I thought the same thing too for a second lol
Hypothetically the main factor in this question would be the pressure the crown exerts onto the movement (or something similar). I personally believe it's negligible. At least if you're having a screw down crown the pressure will always be the same and on top of that you're not scratching the case if you place your watch on its crown
Idk if it's true or not, but I've also heard this before, so I don't place mine on the table crown down just to be safe. Whether it's true or not, I'd still think the solid case is still going to be less likely to be damaged then the crown that's attached by a small stem.
QUESTION: I travel often across many times zones. When flying from LA to New York, it is easy to adjust my watch ahead 3 hours. However, when flying from NYC to LA, I have to go backwards 3 hours. I have heard you should only adjust time forward, not backwards. So, what is the best way to adjust for the 3 hour (or in some cases 8 hour) time difference going backwards? I really don’t want to adjust 21 hours forward and have to scroll a date window through 29 days. There has to be a better way. PS: I’m aware there are GMT watches and some with quick adjust hours. Assume I have a watch (or several) I already really like that are not GMT or have a quick adjust hour. Thank you for any help 🙏
Glad to see you mention the various activities that can expose a watch to excessive shock. One of my minor pet peeves in general is people wearing a watch on their strong side, which I see constantly in recent years, even though for most people it'll be a total non-issue these days, so whatever. But one of my angry comic book nerd pet peeves is seeing cops drawn with nice watches on the wrist they shoot with. It tells me the artist doesn't understand the details they're drawing well enough.
If I need to change the date on a mechanical watch, as a precaution, I always advance the time to 12pm the day after the date says, then I set the date to yesterday and advance the time manually to the current time. This ensures that I never screw up a date complication and I also never get AM and PM reversed. It takes a bit longer to do but it's 100% worth it.
Also… playing with your chrono and resetting at the half minute. This puts a lot of stress on the reset. Try to reset around ten second for or over the 12. Unless you are actually timing things ofcourse
I have a number of watches. If I want to set a date between the 8 PM - 4 AM, I forward the time out of that zone, set the date and then set the time. Wear a digital if the watch is going to be bounced around. Seiko and Casio make some interesting models. I use an LCD G-Shock as my beater watch.
On screw down crowns I only apply gentle pressure, rotate a quarter-turn counter-clockwise, and then turn clockwise and allow the threading to catch on its own; then I tighten only a quarter turn past hand-tight resistance.
Waterfall Sr.: “Now, now, no applause. Every time you clap your hands, you kill thousands of spores, which will someday form into nutritious fungus. Just show your appreciation with a mold-friendly thumbs-up.” -Futurama
I’ve noticed on my Hamilton khaki that if I don’t keep it wound all the way up it’s not quite as accurate. That’s why whenever it gets to roughly below half I’ll wind it back up to keep it fully charged
There is one big one that you missed that really *everyone* should know about: Never hand wind an ETA 2824, SW200, or any other clone or variant. They cannot handle it even with the revised gearing on the -2's/ -1's. If you do and I have had people argue this with me and then come back later, it will screw it up to the point where the rotor will spin wildly when you handwind it. This can happen VERY quickly so please trust me on this, never handwind these movements.
@@diavalus Some may, as far as I know this is the only series of movements that have this issue but I have heard from several people and my watchmaker just to hand wind it enough to get it started. For instance I have several cheap watches with NH35's that I really don't care too much about and I have hand wound them many times with no issues so I suspect its just the design of this particular movement and clones. Its unfortunate given that its so common. I can say for sure that I have had three 2824's with this issue, one a Certina that I screwed up by hand winding, one a Damasko that came that way (used) and the other was really bad, a Glycine that I bought used too. There's also a lot on forums about this issue, its extremely common. It hasn't stopped me from buying watches with the movement, I just got a black bay 36 with an SW200, I just will never hand wind them.
@@Nefville thank you for the explanation, I was not aware of this. I don’t have any ETA 2824 movement or clones but who knows, maybe in the future I will, as I was thinking to upgrade my beater watch this year. I think it makes sense what you describe here since fully winding the watch and then wearing it means the movement has to disperse the energy gained during the time the watch is worn since the mainspring is fully tensioned. Although, I always thought this movement is super solid. It seems it still has some quirks.
Thank you very much for this information! I am new to self-winding automatic watches. I have always either used quartz or old-school, dainty, and uncomplicated, wind-up watches that I have received from my grandmothers.
7. Be careful when you go through a door frame. Seriously. 95% of all the bangs my watch has sustained, has been because of my dumb ass hitting it on door frames.
Dude I can relate.
Oh same here. Lol 🤣 glad it's not just me. I have to have the glass on two of my watches replaced because I have smacked into doorframes like a clumsy hooligan haha 😂
@@chantellelandon85 😩
Been there... Now I wear my watch with the dial on the inside of my wrist.
Oof. Yes I’ve even developed a way of walking through a doorway where I sorta lead with my right side and tuck my left hand behind me.
My experience:
Riding a motorcycle with a mechanical watch is fine.
Crashing a motorcycle with a mechanical watch is NOT fine.
I love this 😂
I downed a motorcycle with a Vincero.
Unfortunately, it was fine.
crashing a motorcycle WITHOUT a mechanical watch sounds not fine to me either..i can feel the pain already
6 years riding and I never dropped my bike….but I was just wearing a cheap quartz anyway.
I actually thought about this getting my new watch, and I remembered having a bracelet on my wrist when I crashed one time. The only injuries I had were normal bruises and a gash on my wrist where the bracelet was. Learned my lesson there. I'd go for a quartz Casio G-Shock if I again were to put a watch on my hand when riding.
watchmaker here-
good advice all around!
The one tip I want to add is to use caution with soaps! Most water resistant watches are sealed with oil-impregnated rubber or silicone gaskets in the crown/tube and caseback. Soaps will pull the oil out of those gaskets and dry them prematurely. A little bit of soapy water when you wash your hands is fine. Just be careful around washing your car, dishes, etc
It also lowers the surface tension of water allowing it to penetrate threads and seals more easily.
Use baby soap It's PH neutral
Just don’t wash your hands and avoid the shower.🤡
@@andrewfindlay9099 soap is still soap regardless of pH, it has long molecules of which one end is attracted to water and the other attracted to fats/oils. If it's soap it will emulsify oils so it's probably best to be careful even with that. Probably better than other soaps though.
And the soap scum in the bracelet.
Today I am wearing a 40+ year old Seiko Automatic. It has been serviced once during this period of time.
That amazing! Which model?
@@904melkman it’ll still work mostly fine but the oils that lubricate the watch will eventually evaporate, leaving a residue that could potentially become an abrasive rather than a lubricant.
@@georgegiesbrecht8224Not sure. It was a gift. I am having a sort out at home so I might come across some paperwork. I also got given a very early electronic watch at the aame time but that has struggled.
@@whatsstefon good to know. Might be time for a service then 🤔.
Same here but 60+ years Seiko. GOAT tier
As a watchmaker by profession since 2011 I must say that you are spot on on most occasions, especially when it comes to winders, I here this myth on a regular basis from customers at the shop I'm working that it's good for watches to be in winders, that's just not true, it just wears them down over time. One thing I can ad is that swan necks in most cases don't prevent the "adjustment arms" to move, those arms can be moved independently from the swan neck screws so they can still get moved out of position if the watch recieves a shock. For Rolex and most high end watches this is not a problem because there is no such arms but instead small screws on the balance wheel that the watchmaker moves in and out to move the center of gravity. One thing more to keep in mind is to not take your watch in to the sauna, or leave it where it's very warm, the heat will with time dry out the oils and it will need service more frequently and the paint on the dial might age faster, there might even be condensation in the watch because of the temperature change. I really like your videos, keep up the good work!
If I may, can I ask a question about setting the time on movements without a hacking mechanism? I often hold the second hand with a bit of back pressure on the crown while synchronising the time - is this ok? Does this back pressure damage the movement in any way?
I am not sure if I agree with you. My watches have been mechanically wound for years on a winder and haven't experienced any issues. I got my JL back from Switzerland last year and the comments from the technicians working on it was that the movement was in great order for being 12 years old. It had been on a winder for 6 years at that time.
As Teddy says, it's not all doom-gloomery. This is a true story: like the fool that I am, about 5-6 years ago I hurried out of the bedroom in the middle of fitting one of my favourites (a Brosnan-era Seamaster Pro) to my wrist, and dropped the watch. It went through the banisters, down the side of the stairs and straight onto a laminate floor. I actually felt sick - the noise it made when it hit the floor was like loud crack. So I rushed downstairs to get the watch, which just carried on as if nothing had happened. The floor still has the dent in it.
Woah 😳
@@joshs3916 Maybe I just got very, very lucky - I really feel for some of the other commentators here. I had this watch serviced 2 or 3 years later at an AD and I was kind of worried the guys in Switzerland would refuse 🙂, or come back with a charge of watch abuse or something! But the only question they asked was if I would like a new clasp. Amazing.
@@laurencehogg6010 When it comes to that watch I guess you could say that you shared a Bond... James Bond
@@fraybentos9854 Shame on you 🤣.
Well, good thing it was an Omega!
My grandfather, when gifting to me my first watch, pointed out that over winding a watch was the absolute WORST mistake almost everyone was guilty of. He recommended letting your watch run completely down the first time. Then, when winding it, count how many half turns it takes to completely wind the watch. There after, every time you wind the watch (daily) only wind it just over 1/2 the total amount. Since his recommendation, I have always followed his advice.
How do you tell if you've completely wound your watch?
@@supanjibobu372 You never want to 'completely' wind a watch spring as it over taxes and fatigues the spring. You ONLY want to wind it about 3/4 to 2/3 of the entire potential. The absolutely worst thing you can do repeatedly to a watch is to over wind it. Best to know its full potential and to wind it somewhat short of its full capacity and let it wind down from there. Even automatic wind watches stop short of over winding the spring.
@@supanjibobu372 when the crown stops during winding , then you know the watch is fully wound
You cannot overwind a seiko 5 watch
@@marcusaurelius3487 Saying you cannot overwind an automatic watch is like saying you can't put gasoline in an electric car. While it is a true statement - it also does not make any sense. Automatic watches have a mechanism in the movement that disengages the winding gears from the mainspring once it is fully wound.
Matriculation is always good!
I’m a watchmaker. One thing I see a lot is people hand winding their automatic watches despite wearing them daily. Yes, main springs on autos are designed in a way that they slip when fully wound, however that ‘slips’ being done over and over again turns into grinding and chaos ensues with the automatic and winding mechanism being worn down faster that the service period.
Did you mean winding their mechanical watch? I think automatic do need winding but I'm no watch maker haha
@@ncode03 Some automatics have a hand winding option. It's useful for those of us that don't want to wear the same watch every day.
@TheMinidrey I was thinking the same thing, great tip! If you did not wear an automatic watch and it stopped just give it one crown turn and put it on the wrist, it will wind extra efficiently when the mainspring is unwound anyway. I would like to add that turning the crown slowly is much better than forcing it to turn fast. Less force on the winding mechanism and less wear because you are not forcing the reverser wheels in the automatic section spin at crazy crazy speed (they spin much slower in normal automatic operation) and cause unnecessary wear. WInd slow please if the watch is an automatic. PS: some automatics do solve this problem by decouplig the reversers during manual wind but most do not.
@@paulrowan1501 Some? Every modern automatic watch of the type covered here or other watch channels can be manually wound. That's the whole basis of the watch collecting hobby--that you go days or longer without wearing some of your watches.
A week after I bought my first rolex, I did exactly that and broke the stem from winding it as a habit when it didn’t need it. Luckily the warranty covered it but if you wear your automatic daily there is no need to wind it
Tip: move your SKX007 or other mechanical forward to 6 oclock (safe zone) before setting the date. Set the date 1 day prior to your current day if you're not sure it's AM or PM.
Very helpful
Exactly how I do it and exactly what I was about to post as well ! I do this with every watch I own that has a date.
Yup, I do that all the time…👍🏼👍🏼
So 6pm is still a safe zone? I thought only 6am is
Be sure to set the hands in the southern part ( between 3 and 9) of the dial.
In 67 I bought a Speedmaster while serving in the army in Germany and wore it daily through maneuvers and fire missions. After a couple of years it started to show some condensation on the crystal. It went through a house fire and survived as well as being given to a friend who wore it till it quit! I finally had it repaired/serviced (cost was 7x it’s original cost of $94.00) and still have it. Also have a 77 GMT which I lent to friends. One managed to loose the bezel but had it replaced. It was never serviced till recently but ran well loosing a few minutes. I’ve been keeping it safe in a watch box.
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Seems like its nice to be friends with you
One addition to storage: be careful when storing watches with steel bracelets and display casebacks. If the bracelet touches the glass caseback (E.g. tucking it in a roll) it can scratch it up (if it's mineral glass).
Thank you, good tip!
This is good to know!
The funny thing is that if the display caseback is sapphire, then it's the other way around: the caseback could scratch your bracelet (probably not given how smooth it is, but still in that case if one of them scratches the other it's going to be sapphire scratching steel, not the other way around).
As a watchmaker, I've seen many more watches with damage due to vibration than shock or impact. Yes, occasionally a watch will come in with a broken balance pivot, or an off center dial, but what I've seen much more of is screws (either bridge or casing) backing out due to vibration and getting lost in the movement or getting jammed up in the balance wheel or escape wheel. If there are loose bridge screws, I will tighten then down for the customer but will be under the assumption that there are other screws that I can't see that are also loose and will recommend a full service. There is no warranty for the customer if they bring in the watch a week later and it's stopped just because I tightened some bridge screws before.
As for causes, motorcycles and bicycles are by far the most common culprits.
so what to do with watch if motorcycle is the only means of transportation that you have ? Would putting it in a pocket or backpack be better than wearing it on hand ?
@@nemanjamanutd anywhere it'll be isolated from the vibration that you feel safe. A backpack would be ideal.
For sure, I ride a bicycle everyday in the city and I wear a G-Shock (or other Quartz). Never do I wear a mechanical watch while riding.
As a motorcyclist, I appreciate this insight. Will be more cautious as to what I wear on my bike. Thank you!
@@CaptainXanax thanks
I used to wear my Seiko SNK809 while using an impact wrench for a month before getting a beater casio. The timekeeping of the watch wasn't badly affected, but I found out that some of the screws got a bit loose in the mechanism.
Precision is most important, similar to nuts and bolts, it should keep it in place. That speaks quality, a month of wrench using and its impact is definitely, quality of the brand that speaks for consumers.
Thanks for your insight Teddy.
I store my watches in a display watch box (for my solar powered watches) and all of my boxes have Silica gel packs to help minimize the humidity.
Keep 'em coming!
mine as well.
Very good advices. About vibration: the antishock system works really well, but it's not invulnerable. I put my watches box into the car trunk for a trip, to show them to a relative, and even when they were cushined, over more luggage, and it was just a road trip without big stress, some bump damaged one of the watches. After one year of erratic malfunction, I found what was the problem: the antichosk system of the balance jumped so high that it got jammed and could not come back to it normal position. Easy to fix, I just had to reposition it, but it's was a good warning about vibration and mechanical watches!
One thing not mentioned is extreme temperature changes. If you're outside in the winter (we get to -40C around these parts) and you go into your house where it's warm, the watch could still be cold and this will cause condensation on the outside and inside of the watch. Condensation on the outside is usually okay. It's inside that really matters. The same thing can happen if you're in a pool/lake/ocean with your watch and after your swim you come out of the water on a hot day. You need to allow the watch to slowly warm up to prevent this. You could leave it in the pocket of your parka which will insulate it from the warm air or wrap it in a towel. I've had new watches arrive by mail in the winter and when I receive it, I leave it in the shipping box for a couple of hours to bring it up to room temperature slowly.
Buut if it's 5 bar WR or better, it surely doesn't suffer that, does it? Or is it that the gaskets suffer?
not a problem with some specific Sinn watches
First of all, jumping into cold water would be a problem. Jumping into the cool sea or pool with a watch heated up by the sun or summer temperatures, right?
@@georgeii2629 Hot to cold is not a problem. Cold to hot is the issue. Like taking something out of a fridge and then you see condensation on the surface. Moisture in the air condenses into the surface.
@@bigcosta3478 Yes. They have an insert that absorbs moisture. Very cool.
Shock and magnetic fields are the 2 most annoyances for me when it comes to wearing my watches. The magnetism is obviously inescapable. It’s all around us. So that part just sucks, but the shock does as well because you have to always be conscious. I had a Hamilton Aviation and I ( not thinking ) had it on while riding my Harley. Not even a quad or dirt bike !!! Nothing off road and still…. Even on paved roads that movement was wrecked from the constant vibrations of being on my wrist. Time was off by honestly like minutes per day. Same thing with a Seiko I had in the SPB line. Nice robust watch. Went to play golf and the watch was off by close to a full minute per day. Simply not worth using these watches for rugged activities. Even if it’s a anti magnetic or anti shock like the Ball watches. Just wear a G Shock or a Quartz and let the other watches rest on the shelf for a cigar and cold beverage.
Teddy. I think a cool video will be wearing an automatic watch and doing all these activities within a week and see the effects. Obviously it don’t have to be tested on a expensive watch. But even a lower priced Seiko or Orient and compare the accuracy pre and post activity.
guess we really do need non-automatic watch as well to use in common day activities
Is this permanent damage to the movement or just a single instance and where you correct it, its ticking back normally
@@СимонКазаков-г1в it really depends. The most likely problem is that the vibration has loosened screws in the movement or misalignment of friction points. As far as friction points you'll probably notice a loss in accuracy, and power reserve. It might be an expensive fix for a watchmaker to track down exactly where in the movement there is a hang-up.
As far as screws go you might get lucky and see a degradation of performance, but if they back all the way out you risk having it jam up and damage another mechanism or delicate component in the movement.
I own a 1970 Norton 750 Commando, it killed a Hewlett-Packard HP01 watch but hasn't killed my Votok automatic :)
@@andrewallen9993 vostoks run on witchcraft. I take mine to music festivals, go in mosh pits, shake my arms like a lunatic, and it is exactly as accurate (read, not accurate whatsoever) as it was when it fell out of the truck right onto my doorstep from chistipol
I don't give a thought to riding motorcycles with any of my watches but I did damage a Seiko auto by repeatedly running a pneumatic impact with the hand it was on. It was an easy fix for my watchsmith. I'm surprised that I've never had a "magnetic incident", as, as you said, they're everywhere, and I am semi-frequently around stronger ones than a lot of people. Since it's an easy fix I don't worry about it, anyway. Overall, good tips.
We have an induction stove, something many folks may not think about with regards to magnetism, but that's basically how they work!
With regards to screw down crowns, if you want to be extra careful. Wind it in reverse while keeping pressure until you feel a click then screw it forwards to tighten.
Yep, I always do that to👍
This is a good trick for any finely threaded screws or nuts.
As a kitchen table gunsmith I learned this trick after many trips to the real gunsmith to fix my "screw ups."
Always rewind it slightly myself.
What do you mean? The click means the crown is in the right position to be screwed in?
@@vlk092 the threads are aligned and the crown is "seated" where it should be to start threading.
Good info as always. The stem on my Rolex Air King broke twice. Sold it recently and have come full circle and have embraced premium quartz. So far I have acquired Longines Hydroconquest 39mm blue quartz and Casio Oceanus S100. Looking at the Conquest VHP also and maybe the Omega AT Quartz. Many of the issues discussed here and non-issues for me now. *Casio Oceanus line is incredible and don't recall you mentioning them ever.
You've got to get your hands on that Seiko 9F. I almost pulled the trigger on one, but it was my first Grand Seiko and I felt like spring drive was more iconic of the brand, but sure I'll get a 9F eventually.
Right there with you. After a few years of collecting I upgraded to midrange and higher end autos. Then I acquired a Breitling Chronospace and it totally broke me. I could pick it up and it showed the time and date accurately, no winding, no resetting every day/week and I did not worry about getting it close to magnetic fields or bumping it by accident. When watch prices skyrocketed I ended up selling most of my autos and actually made a few bucks. I bought a Longines VHP GMT (very nice and accurate watch BTW, I’d recommend it) and a Casio S100. I’ve never looked back. I’m considering getting a Breitling Aerospace Evo or a Grand Seiko Springdrive GMT also.
@@cle_roknn3742 Sounds like some nice pieces you have. I got a great deal on my new 39mm Longines Hydroconquest quartz ($700) and it is 2mm thinner. Thickness is my biggest gripe of autos -- that and the fact that once you have a few watches you will be setting/winding them every time you pick them up to wear one out of your rotation. However, the Oceanus S100 is the watch that really was a game changer for me. Thanks for tips on the Breitlings -- will be sure to give those a look.
@@brocklanders6969 I recently bought a hydroconquest commonwealth games version as I managed to get it for the equivalent of about 1650 usd and although it’s ok I find the case is very easily scratched. I hardly touched the lugs when changing from the bracelet to a curved end rubber strap but still managed to leave marks under neath them.
I considered a quartz hydroconquest but just couldn’t. I do have a few quartz watches like a certina ds2 chronograph and a tag but I don’t find myself wearing them very often
@@murph8411 I have heard that (scratch magnets) about the whole Conquest/Hydro line, but for $700 I not going to lose sleep if it gets a few scratches or dings.
Whats your take on watch winders? Some say use them as it keeps the mechanism oiled, some dont as you are putting mileage on the watch.
My favorite screw up (which I've done three times) is taking off my watch before jumping in the shower and placing it on the bathroom sink, then when attempting to put it back on, inadvertently dropping it face down on the ceramic tile bathroom floor, smashing the crystal. I've finally trained myself to take off my watch in the bedroom, when getting ready to shower.
Bro just shower with it. It's probably rated 200 meters too.
Could be worse. The crystal can be replaced. Landing on the corner of a strap lug, say, can really mess things up.
@@Fridelain It is. Just in the habit of taking it off.
@@bobohare4825 True. I've dropped the same Seiko twice, the one my wife bought me for our first Christmas. She bought it in 1984 and I was lucky that a crystal was still available.
@@Fridelain I heard soap is bad for it so no.
Im the workshop manager for a large bicycle company and have been working on bikes for nearly 13 years and with that comes a lot of mechanical experience. First time working with the screw down crown on my seiko turtle i was like boy that will strip easy..
Great video! I would like to add one more or less obvious thing: watch maintenance and cleaning.
I like to keep watches with polished bezels clean, like tudor bb36, Seiko SARB033 etc. Constant wiping using cloth can scratch metal surface really badly! If your watch has good water resiatance it is better to clean it gently with mild water first. This will remove dust particles and then dry it with paper towel and wipe. Unfortunately I found it difficult to resist not to wipe a watch when I am at work and see some smudges :)
as for shock resistance, I play piano for a few hours every day and never take my automatic watch off my wrist. My hand is moving quickly during playing but everything seems fine so far.
You're claiming that the cloth can scratch metal?
@@JoeLaFon3 he’s talking about the dust you try to wipe off dry. The cloth will drag dust and leave small scratches
The movement of playing the piano is not the kind of shock we’re talking about. Your movements are smooth enough and wrist cushy enough that there are no sudden jerks happening to the watch. When we talk about shock, we mean smacking it into a doorway, dropping it on the floor, etc. the kinds of impacts that cause a sudden jerk of the internal components, not just movement in general.
My man! As someone totally new to timepieces, I can not thank you enough for all the value you give out through your videos. Keep it up!! 🙏
Great vid Teddy, many thanks - 2 points I've taken away: 1) don't overwind your watch - hadn't realised you should only wind until you feel tension as I'd always thought there was a built in mechanism to prevent overwinding, which I'd understood to be when you can't wind it any further and 2) no need to use a watch winder - I had always thought the 'real world' reasons to use one were the ones you said, because all that's happening is increasing the wear and tear on the mechanism while you're not enjoying the benefit of seeing it on your wrist.
You really can't over wind an automatic watch. The watch mainsprings are made so that they slip inside the barrel. You use a special type of barrel grease inside the barrel so that the mainspring simply slips as you continue to wind. It will feel as though the crown is getting harder to wind, but as a mainspring tightens around the Arbor, the Outer Circle of the mainspring stays rubbing against the barrel and will slip if there there's too much pressure caused by the winding of the mainspring
He isn't saying that he's overwinding. The watch remains running on a winder, thus all the gears and jewels get worn out faster since it never stops.
excellent video. I find the motorcycle example is so overblown. I've ridden a motorcycle as my primary mode of transportation for over 15 years and worn Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Tudor, and Lange with zero issue.
I think it depends on the movement and the regulator setup. Most of the brands you mentioned have a more sophisticated nature to the balance and regulating organ. Compare that to an entry level seiko movement for example that just require the movement of a small pin and isn’t locked into place to tighten or loosen the hairspring might experience more challenges.
I just went around Berlin and Warsaw on those e-scooter with my Exp 2 and I would wear my Speedie when riding my Brompton back home. Neither suffered any ill effect but I DEFINITELY would not do that same with my GS.
Beyond the brand recognition, I think Rolex and Omega are well respected for their robustness not common in all mechanical watches.
I commuted on my motorcycle, 40.000 km per year on average, with a Seiko 5 on my wrist. Must be a hell of a movement. :-)
@@TeddyBaldassarre An additional factor is the bike itself. The amount and type of vibrations your wrists will experience while riding a motorcycle depend deeply on the bike, the type of engine and the way the engine is mounted to the frame.
I ride my BMW R9T everyday and would love to wear my Railmaster 57 everyday too. But I’m afraid that old boxer engine might be a bit too much…
One thing people with a lot of cameras/lenses have is a dehumidifying cabinet. It keeps the humidity inside at around 45% to stop fungus etc growing inside the lenses. I think a small one of these is a good idea for long term storage for watches, especially if where you live becomes a jungle over summer (85-90% summer humidity highs here).
Living by the sea in Brazil I see this tip is really important
Great video. Teddy already mention potential problems with taking watches to the shower. I would add that some people think, that if their watch has 200-300 meter water resistance, it should be ok if you take or rven wear it while taking shower, while these watches usually don’t really prepared for that kind of temperature changes. Hot water, steam expand the metal parts, and could let water getting inside. I would not care much if it was Casio Duro, but I don’t want to test out my Submariner or Seamaster, if I had one of course.
That happened to my first GMT Master back in 1980s.
Wore that puppy everywhere.. hot tubs, showers, etc. Thought it was proof against all environments.
Then weirdness on the dial and hands..nasty expense at service time..lesson learned. 😳
Hmm, used to take shower with my g shock for 3 years and never have a problem with water
I still don’t understand why people even shower with a watch. I find it so weird and unnecessary lol. Why not just take it off? I’m open to enlightenment.
When I set the date, I just advance the time until the date changes, my Omega Seamster Midsize and Orient Mako 2 are my most common since I wear then for work and are normally only 1 or 2 days behind so it doesn't take long.
I'm very surprised with how accurate the SMP is after almost 2 years of frozen stocking.
Constantly banging against freezer doors, walls, trash compactors, and going with me in the freezer for hours at a time, that sumbitch is SOLID!
The SMP is a very tough watch, indeed
I do that as well that way when midnight happens the day and date turn right away
This is ok if the watch is rather new, if the watch is older and the oils are dry and dirty it will just cause excessive wear on the setting mechanism. Just move the hands to six a clock and use the fast setting.
@@nikkimiddlekillsday5161that is irrelevant to the date advance function. That is an entirely separate thing.
Good video here, Teddy!
I always bought super solid watches to avoid worrying about this stuff. As I start to consider less rugged options, I think what you point out here is even more helpful.
The vibration one is definitely huge... I never thought of that part until after, but I am 90% sure riding motorcycles back in the day with my Seamaster Planet Ocean made it lose a few ticks. After I stopped riding, it stayed the same until I had it serviced pretty much.
@marc Girard, did you also get the give aways message? Or was it someone trying to scam?
ONE MORE... When putting on or taking off a watch (with open-end, not looped, strap), do it over a soft couch or bed, as opposed to (for example) over a hard tile floor. In a lifetime, you will rarely fumble the one-handed application of the strap and thus you will inevitably drop a watch at least several times in your life. With a soft landing, no problem. Over a hard surface, a repair bill. My former coworker dropped his Rado onto the steel deck of a ship.
I am an avid follower. I am not sure if something like this exists within your blog already, but I would love to see you break down the myth of "water resistance": how it's tested (I have some idea already), what it means for everyday wear, and especially an opinion (because I know you have one) of how the various brands stack up not only within their own self-ratings but also whether there is a common vernacular to follow for watch safety. For instance, "100-meter resistance means nothing, 300-meter resistance may or may not mean anything...". For instance, I know depth ratings are gauged based on uniform case pressure in a tank, which can change drastically in practical application. Just a thought.
Great video. Every point was dead on. Following this advice will go a long way to ensure that a watch and it’s owner enjoy many years of time together.
Screw down crowns combined with winding on wrist is what caught me. Stripped the thread on an Orient diver. Orient repaired under warranty (even though it was user error). The threads on a screw-down crown don't provide any of the seal, and the tightness doesn't affect the seal very much at all (with the exception of Vostok Amphibia, where the threads pull a gasket in the crown onto the crown tube). The threads are there to stop excessive moement of the stem in the o-rings that are providing the seal, so once the slack as been taken out, anythgin further is excessive.
For myself, I've always used inexpensive watches for daily wear, and I don't mean a Tudor instead of a Rolex. With a cheaper watch, I've NEVER bothered trying to protect it from water if it has any water resistance at all. My old Timex spent 3 months washing dishes 8 hours a day with me in a restaurant, and took a shower with me afterwards. I have an Out Of Order that I routinely wear while riding a motorcycle or even running a chainsaw. Both are quartz, but I've never had an issue.
I wonder if in some cases the less expensive brands are more able to take abuse. (Less expensive, not junk like MVMT.) On the other hand, I probably wouldn't treat an Omega or Grand Seiko like that just to test that theory.
Yea quartz and electronics movements are beaters and nice daily watches,but automatics and winders,i dont recomend them as daily watches.
10:57 I love how you keep reminding us you're not trying to be Doom & Gloom in this video, but Mother Nature says "But I will."
Best watch channel out there. Your tutorials put you over the top.
If you store your watch in a watch box, shoe box, safe deposit box, etc. put a silica pouch in the box as well. The pouches will absorb moisture, and they are available at super markets.✌🏽
I liked the fact you mentioned about screw down crowns are not essential for 200m or more water resistance, but just extra security to protect the stem. Many folks believe that if a watch does not have a screw down crown it can't possibly be water resistant, LOL! I have spent a lifetime as an oceanographer and should understand how O-rings work. They have nothing to do with screw down crowns, but everything to do with hydrostatic sealing. Many, supposedly "experts" on watches seem to keep emphasizing the screw down crowns.
Great video Teddy. I have just bought my first watch a Tudor Black Bay. On the subject of how magnetic fields can affect a watch. How would you recommend passing through airport security with my new watch.
I'm a native of SoFlo, so I actually use my watches for water sports. I dive, snorkel, paddleboard, surf and so forth. ALWAYS wash the salt water off of your watch after any salt water activity. Never underestimate the corrosive power of seawater.
hi teddy, over the years learnt a lot from you and would really like if you can at some point do a video on "watch winders" please. The pros and cons. any negative effects it might have on the mainspring etc. I think it would be very beneficial for a lot of ppl including me who can't really work out much negative effects except for the price. thank you
“I don’t want to be all doom and gloom”
*Gloomy doom storm clouds come straight for teddy*
Quick question: should we pull the crown while storing a watch (Automatic and Quartz) for a decent period of time?
The manual for the Christopher Ward C1 Moonglow recommends not changing the date between
1800 hrs and 0200 hrs. This seems to be the exception to the rule for other manufacturers.
Just line up your threads when using your screwed in crown. Instead of forcing it clockwise just reverse it incrementally counterclockwise until you hear a little click this means you are lined up and ready to tighten clockwise if you're not lining up your threads everytime then it will slowly wear those threads out untill they're stripped. I've been in this business a long time lol
Really - I would think anyone who is even slightly mechanically inclined would know this little trick. I do this not just with witch crowns, but with almost anything that needs to be screwed in. Jar lids, eyeglass earpiece screws, machine screws (especially important)
So, what are the options for those of us who ride a motorcycle daily and shoot guns often, but prefer not to wear a G-Shock every day? What mechanical watches are the least sensitive/have the best shock resistance?
I do both those things multiple times a week and have never noticed any differences with my watches. My main daily watch is a Seiko sports 5
I don’t understand the complication timeframe. How do I know if the watch doesn’t have an indicator that it’s not safe? Between 8-9 or 3-4? Doesn’t make sense
Tip if you live in an area with high moisture : put some silica gel packets in your watch box.
Haha.. I live in a rainforest. Gel packs stand no chance...
7. Wearing your watch in the vacuum of space without protection. The watch will mostly be OK, but the moonphase will need adjusted.
Thank you. This gave me so much confidence with automatics and I thoroughly enjoy them rather than worry whether or not I’m doing the right thing. Thanks for helping me jump into this world of watch collecting.
Got a question about screw down crowns. If you don't wear watches for weeks, or months, like I do do you store your watches with the screw down crown in the open position or does it matter?
Great video.. I thought you’d mention something about cleaning the watch.. some people may use a cleaner that tampers the watch or even clean while they have a nice watch on with no regard on how the chemicals may react to the leather or metal.
I'm a high handicapper golfer been wearing my PO 39.5 for 4 years playing two games a week . Hasn't lost a beat. Absolutely punish this watch I wear tis every day I'm a construction worker. Love it 😍😍
As someone who just bought his first watch yesterday this video was extremely helpful. I knew some of these already but seeing as how watches are delicate works of art I want to learn all I can about taking care of them. Still haven’t decided if I’m going to buy more watches and start a collection… a lot of them can be pricey. However, I wanted to move away from my Apple Watch and wear something more elegant which is why I decided to buy an actual watch. It’s so pretty to look at too.
@Thomas Wright They sure are beautiful. I thought about getting a mechanical or automatic watch as my first but I instead decided to go with a solar powered one. Specifically, the Citizen Avion which has that Eco Drive system built in. I don’t know why but something drew me to that watch in the display when I was comparing watches. I basically wanted the watch to be gold so it would match my gold necklace and it came down to that Citizen watch and a Seiko that they had. Haven’t yet decided if I’m going to buy more watches but so far, 8 days later, I’m very happy with my new watch. Not only does it make me feel good wearing it but I’ve also gotten a few compliments.
I have a question. I've currently got about 15 watches in my collection, and can't afford that many electronic winders. Am I best off winding each manually every day / couple of days? OR just leaving them unwound until I decide that I'm going to wear one. Does a screw down crown make any difference?
Good vid Teddy. The crown on my squale is feeling odd and becoming difficult to screw down. Need to be conscious always of how we handle our watches.
When it comes to winding and setting the time on a watch on your wrist, you mostly only stress the stem if it's a screw down crown. I have seen so many broken off stems on these watches, so don't do this! On standard crowns, not so much as the pipe will guide the crown and stem. On many older finer dress watch you need to be careful though as they tend to have a built-in pipe in the crown that extends when you pull out the crown. Had this happen myself when working on a ladies Omega that was a bit stuck, so they are very delicate.
I would add, don’t pull the crown out. I use the “pinch” method. Place your thumb and forefinger so that they touch the case, and gently pinch the crown out. This is a lot easier on the crown and stem.
You'd need pliers and really pull to take the whole crown out. There's no problem with just pulling it out with finger strength
@@namorheiss8853 I’ve heard about people pulling the crown out/damaging it with just their fingers. If you haven’t, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.
@@jkokich well, I've personally tried it on an old diesel watch and I needed pliers. Maybe it was some defect or a really rusted movement but the crown shouldn't pull out the stem. You can break the stem but it won't pull out of the movement
On the point of overwinding - if you have an automatic you shouldn't worry about it. Just about every modern automatic watch I've seen has a clutch that disengages both the rotor and a stem from the winding mechanism if it reaches the full wind.
Watchmaker here: just don’t manhandle the watch. Winding and setting time on your wrist is completely fine. Just don’t pry and put large forces on the crown. Shocks are usually fine, vibrations are much worse. Motorcycles and bikes are much more likely to damage or deregulate a watch. Magnetic fields are also usually not an issue unless you are keeping a magnet nearby. Strong magnets do cause issues. Humidity is fine as long as your watch is water tight. Vintage watches often have rust because of deteriorated seals, and people washing their hands with it ect… tldr: don’t be an idiot with mechanical watches
Thanks for your insight. So I assume that's still a no for the golf course?
@@wnuilan4599 Depends on the watch of course, but in general I'd say try not to. Some watches are built tough enough to not care about some shocks, whilst other watches get deregulated or even stop functioning. I general, the simpler the watch, the stronger it is.
So is magnetism like a super easy fix? New to watches here just bought my first one 2 weeks ago
@@Bruhmoment21345 yeah it is super easy. We just pass it through a demagnetizer and done.
One thing to note coming from a leather worker , never put watches (or any other metal items) in chrome tanned leather sleeves/pouches/sheaths they will come in reaction and over time will rust , stainless steel won't do as much but still....
Dang. So glad he mentioned winding and setting your watch while it’s on your wrist. I do that occasionally. Never again.
I actually bent a crown stem. At that time, I had no idea it got bent and when I washed my hands, water got inside the watch because the rubber ring didn’t make contact anymore.
I think that the final recommendation of "wind okay, take it off to set" makes sense.
@@carrite indeed, although now I don’t risk anymore and I take the watch off when winding. It’s a lot easier for the stem this way
I used to shower with my automatic watch on, and put it together with the cellphone in the drawer, and I could attest to the damage they did to the watch. It became extremely inaccurate after two years, and I had to spend about 1/7 of the original price to get a major overhaul. Never do those to your watch, even if the watch is high water resistant and/or high magnetic resistant.
Yep. The steam and hot water act very different to cold water you’d find in a pool or ocean. Showering is really bad for any watch, regardless of the water resistance rating.
Good thing I take Icey showers, I've been wearing my SMP in the shower for 2 years and it works great, I also get it pressure tested every 12 months though because it also is my daily work watch that involves alot of hard physical labour and a commercial freezer.
Definitely a safe practice to avoid water with your peices, especially high end ones, but man do I enjoy using that little SMP, and so far she's handled everything amazingly.
Counter anecdote, I’ve worn my aqua terra in nearly every shower, sauna, steam room, ice bath, plunge pool, ocean, lake, and river I’ve enjoyed since I bought it almost 7 years ago and it still keeps time as good as the day I got it.
@@sonicpentatonic I don’t think that’s a guarantee. That’s just luck.
@@kenniboii192 still I think soap is bad for the gaskets.
As always the most thoughtful , well researched & eloquent watch channel around , keep MAMACOO coming !
Oh, one that you didn't mention, that might be of concern is rapid changes in air pressure. Marathon's Navigator is a watch specifically designed to handle this. But I assume dive watches have to tackle this same issue with water pressure changes. Come to think of it, any rapid change at all, like rapid changes to temperature.
One thing that I NEVER, EVER do is shower with my watch on. I don't care if it is a mechanical, a quartz, or even a beater G-Shock. I hear of people that do this all the time. It is in every owner's manual out there. DO NOT SHOWER WITH YOUR WATCH ON! Sure, it's water resistant (static pressures). But it isn't designed with hot temperatures in mind. Materials expand and contract at different rates. And when you combine that with water, bad things can happen. I hear people often say something like, "I've done it for years and never had anything happen". Well, you were lucky. Do you want to try your luck one too many times? It's like golfing in a storm. Sure, you'll probably be fine, but what if your luck runs out. Do you want to be struck by that literal or proverbial lightening? Isn't it better to just take a few extra seconds and take the watch off? Besides, how do you clean your wrist?! :-)
love it how you were showing rolex and omega watches for this guide and then suddenly bam! Orient Bambino hahaha. makes me love mine even more!
Dropping a watch is an absolute nightmare especially on any surfaces. I've done this to a few ETA and selita models and it's totally messed the accuracy.
Can I wear my PRX while showering? I have a gold 40mm Quartz.
I appreciate this video very much.
A really important conversation for sure.
A few of my consistent practices:
Crown up if you have to set it down.
Never rest it flat on the case back.
Go 5 min past the time being set, then move it back to desired time to remove any slack.
Dry environment for storage.
If stopped, wind before allowing the auto mechanism to wind it.
Gentle pressure on the crown while turning counter-clockwise to hear the click of the threads, before gentle pressure while engaging the threads in clockwise direction.
Cheers.
Does any of this matter if it's a quartz
Keep watches clean. You don’t have to keep them surgical clean but if you wear a watch every day and work in dusty environments or live in briny/dusty environments then clean them periodically. You don’t to go crazy and disassemble but wiping the case back and inspecting the crown area for damage or debris. This is especially important with dive watches worn in saltwater. Rinse with fresh water to avoid corrosion.
Really enjoyed this video Teddy
Some thoughts on the point about knocks and particularly vibration:
Brands have for a long time been happy to sponsor/associate themselves with sports, especially motor sport, where vibrations are extreme.
Take this even further, the iconic Moonwatch, the vibrations this would have to survive are without compare.
One would therefore hope that the watches are capable of withstanding the types of activities that are everyday ( I don't drive F1 or travel in space!).
Welcome thoughts.....
The silicon sachets you get with new shoes etc are ideal for putting inside your watch box etc as they draw out the moisture.
Thanks for this video Teddy. One thing I might’ve overlooked is Vibration. I tend to wear my Automatic watches while riding my motorbike. So yeah, thanks for all this.
You have the best content for watches in RUclips. - it’s not even close.
During the video discussing the Watch winding, it looked as if the hand model was using a rocking motion to wind. Rolling the crown forward and reverse. I’ve seen a rep at an AD do the same and when I asked he just said that’s how he’s always done it. I’ve always used only forward rotations. Is there a “preferred” method???
The matter of magnetic fields is, well, a bit more complicated than that. Of course, you describe the potential effects of a magnetic field on a watch correctly. However, it's not like any minor magnetic field will wreak havoc on the movement. I saw quartz being done in for good by iPad mag-covers - long exposure, the owner of the watch left it accidentally on his iPad with a SmartCover for a day. But, for example, an ETA 2824 in my Edox, with a perfectly standard hairspring - no silicon wonders there - didn't get out of tune because of car audio, an iPad alright, or the magnetic lock in my laptop. In my new job, I received a service laptop, of which I've only noticed later on that it has a magnetic lock. I was wearing my 1949 Omega with a cal.283 inside. The magnetic fields in my car, at work or at home did literally nothing to the Omega 283, the 30T2 PC AM, the cal.561 in my Seamaster as well was absolutely unmoved by them and all retain their accuracy. No problems with any other of my vintage watches in that department. Of course, I enjoy the added measure of security that the Silicium in my Longines Spirit is offering, although it's not like the magnetic fields that I encounter daily would harm it if it didn't have it. Sure, everyone's better off keeping their watches away from anything from fridge magnets to MRI machines and industrial electromagnets, but in my experience even watches that are decades old are capable of withstanding the usual kind of magnetic fields in our daily lives - more so than we'd give them credit for. Caution is usually warranted, but I wouldn't get particularly paranoid about that.
Hi, did you get the giveaway message too? Is this a scam and fraud message ?
@@lanuakumlongkumer4055 I saw that "won something special" comment under my comment, but I ignored it as most likely a scam.
@@mwk9473 Thanks, they make you believe you really won a Omega Seamaster 300m with a shipping cos of $100...how is teddy not aware of this. It's disappointing really.
Listening to the video on the go, I've started to walk more smoothly when I've heard about the shock and vibrations
don't develop OCD: you R more important than your watch !
The first thing I tried to do with my Breitling Navitimer was set the date between 10pm and 2am. I had no idea it was an issue. I initially thought the watch was broken since the date wouldn't move. I did some research and realized my error. The watch seems fine....but I still worry that I hurt something.
If it's a newer Navi with the B01 movement, you are fine. Date can be changed at any time..its it the older version bases on 7750, it's non quick set. But in general, you have to becareful with date changes because many people break their watches this way and blame the manufacturer
You mentioned storing your watches away from excessive light, how is that harmful to watches? I keep my watches in an box lit by an led strip.
Great tips Teddy! I’ve heard this one mentioned to me numerous times but I’m curious what others think. Don’t place your watch on its crown. So in other words have it resting with the crown touching the surface instead of the case. Is this true or a bunch of hogwash? 🤔Keep up the great work! 😃
I guess after setting it down a million times or setting it on something like a running washing machine that's constantly vibrating that could be true, but I feel like that's so minute it doesnt really matter.
Maybe a safe practice but certainly not required.
"Don't place your watch on its crown. So in other words have it resting with the crown touching the surface instead of the case"
Aren't these contradictory statements? If you're not resting it on the crown, wouldnt you be resting it on the case with the crown pointing upward and NOT touching the surface? Lol.
@@steelsteez6118 I think the second part was explaining what he meant by "dont set it in the crown" but yea I thought the same thing too for a second lol
Hypothetically the main factor in this question would be the pressure the crown exerts onto the movement (or something similar). I personally believe it's negligible. At least if you're having a screw down crown the pressure will always be the same and on top of that you're not scratching the case if you place your watch on its crown
Idk if it's true or not, but I've also heard this before, so I don't place mine on the table crown down just to be safe. Whether it's true or not, I'd still think the solid case is still going to be less likely to be damaged then the crown that's attached by a small stem.
QUESTION: I travel often across many times zones. When flying from LA to New York, it is easy to adjust my watch ahead 3 hours.
However, when flying from NYC to LA, I have to go backwards 3 hours.
I have heard you should only adjust time forward, not backwards. So, what is the best way to adjust for the 3 hour (or in some cases 8 hour) time difference going backwards?
I really don’t want to adjust 21 hours forward and have to scroll a date window through 29 days.
There has to be a better way.
PS: I’m aware there are GMT watches and some with quick adjust hours.
Assume I have a watch (or several) I already really like that are not GMT or have a quick adjust hour.
Thank you for any help 🙏
Great video! Thanks Teddy
Thanks Jack! Enjoy your Saturday.
What an amazing outcome for a beautiful watch. Always a pleasure to see amzwatch work your magic. Thanks for sharing this transformation with us!
Is it bad to let a watch sit unwound for an extended period?
Yes, it is bad. For the oil and the moving parts inside. You should wind it on a monthly basis.
Definitely have to be very careful with not cross-threading the screw down crowns, requires some finesse. Thanks Teddy, great video.
Glad to see you mention the various activities that can expose a watch to excessive shock. One of my minor pet peeves in general is people wearing a watch on their strong side, which I see constantly in recent years, even though for most people it'll be a total non-issue these days, so whatever. But one of my angry comic book nerd pet peeves is seeing cops drawn with nice watches on the wrist they shoot with. It tells me the artist doesn't understand the details they're drawing well enough.
If I need to change the date on a mechanical watch, as a precaution, I always advance the time to 12pm the day after the date says, then I set the date to yesterday and advance the time manually to the current time.
This ensures that I never screw up a date complication and I also never get AM and PM reversed. It takes a bit longer to do but it's 100% worth it.
#7 Looking at other watches
Best answer
Also… playing with your chrono and resetting at the half minute. This puts a lot of stress on the reset. Try to reset around ten second for or over the 12. Unless you are actually timing things ofcourse
Thanks for the video. Really wanted a video on how to take good care of watches.
Thanks for watching!
I have a number of watches. If I want to set a date between the 8 PM - 4 AM, I forward the time out of that zone, set the date and then set the time. Wear a digital if the watch is going to be bounced around. Seiko and Casio make some interesting models. I use an LCD G-Shock as my beater watch.
Should I stop the watches when storing (pull out the crown) , of just leave them running until they stop by them selves?
Leave them running.
On screw down crowns I only apply gentle pressure, rotate a quarter-turn counter-clockwise, and then turn clockwise and allow the threading to catch on its own; then I tighten only a quarter turn past hand-tight resistance.
Yes, gentle! Most people are ham-fisted Neanderthals when it comes to watch crowns.
Most of these are non-issues if you just settle for a nice quartz movement watch 😊
Another nice job Teddy 👍
Cheers from San Diego California
As far as shocks are concerned, my mind always wonders if clapping affects my watches too greatly.
Waterfall Sr.: “Now, now, no applause. Every time you clap your hands, you kill thousands of spores, which will someday form into nutritious fungus. Just show your appreciation with a mold-friendly thumbs-up.”
-Futurama
@@vincent67239 LOL! Sage advice :)
@@vincent67239 now, that’s comedy!
I’ve noticed on my Hamilton khaki that if I don’t keep it wound all the way up it’s not quite as accurate. That’s why whenever it gets to roughly below half I’ll wind it back up to keep it fully charged
There is one big one that you missed that really *everyone* should know about: Never hand wind an ETA 2824, SW200, or any other clone or variant. They cannot handle it even with the revised gearing on the -2's/ -1's. If you do and I have had people argue this with me and then come back later, it will screw it up to the point where the rotor will spin wildly when you handwind it. This can happen VERY quickly so please trust me on this, never handwind these movements.
That’s interesting. I thought most manufacturers recommend manually winding the movement before using it. Or am I getting something wrong?
I just wind mine, when I do, gently.
I have a SW200-1 movement in one of my watches (Boldr Expedition). You are spot on! Won't make this mistake again.😉👍
@@diavalus Some may, as far as I know this is the only series of movements that have this issue but I have heard from several people and my watchmaker just to hand wind it enough to get it started. For instance I have several cheap watches with NH35's that I really don't care too much about and I have hand wound them many times with no issues so I suspect its just the design of this particular movement and clones. Its unfortunate given that its so common. I can say for sure that I have had three 2824's with this issue, one a Certina that I screwed up by hand winding, one a Damasko that came that way (used) and the other was really bad, a Glycine that I bought used too. There's also a lot on forums about this issue, its extremely common. It hasn't stopped me from buying watches with the movement, I just got a black bay 36 with an SW200, I just will never hand wind them.
@@Nefville thank you for the explanation, I was not aware of this. I don’t have any ETA 2824 movement or clones but who knows, maybe in the future I will, as I was thinking to upgrade my beater watch this year.
I think it makes sense what you describe here since fully winding the watch and then wearing it means the movement has to disperse the energy gained during the time the watch is worn since the mainspring is fully tensioned. Although, I always thought this movement is super solid. It seems it still has some quirks.
Thank you very much for this information! I am new to self-winding automatic watches. I have always either used quartz or old-school, dainty, and uncomplicated, wind-up watches that I have received from my grandmothers.