Reply With QuoteSeems it gains time overnight... when sat on its back?
I don't know if any of you remember the 1969 Zenith Captain I had bought in a jumble sale.
In 2008, I sent it to Zenith in Le Locle, here in Switzerland, and paid quite a lot of money to have it refurbished and serviced.
Since then I have worn the watch maybe a dozen times and it has always kept excellent time.
Last weekend I decided to wear the watch and wore it on Saturday for the whole day. Kept perfect time.
I set it on my bedside table at night and on Sunday morning I was very surprised to see that it had gained three minutes.
I corrected the time setting and wore it all day Sunday. It kept perfect time all day.
On Monday morning I found that it had again gained three and a half minutes.
Any ideas what could be causing this please? Lack of use maybe? Hardened lubricants?
Surely that would make it run slow, not fast.
Thank you for any pointers.
Last edited by calypso; 2nd April 2014 at 22:11.
Seems it gains time overnight... when sat on its back?
Watches are timed at various positions (face up, face down, crown at 12, 3, 6, 9). At each position the watch will run at a different speed.
If you rest the watch on it's back, try it on it's side or face down to see where it gains/loses the least time overnight.
Alternatively just wear the watch in bed.
What else is on the bedside table?
hmmm.........+3 min/12hours is a lot for a position variation, sounds like an electromagnetic influence
yep, bet you've got an alarm clock there with an unshielded speakerOriginally Posted by pacchi
Same happened to a Bell & Ross I used to own.Used to leave it at night beside alarm clock.I had to send it back under warranty.Turned out it was magnetised seemingly from the alarm clock !!
Try sitting it dial-up, but well away from magnetic influences. Strange problem. Alternatively, take it to a repairer who has a timing machine ans see what it's doing in the dial-up position on the machine.
If it has become permanently magnetised it'll probably run fast in all positions. Demagnetising should fix it.
It's also possibly that the hairspring is touching the mainplate when in the dial-up position (sagging very slightly). This will make it behave as though it's shorter and hence will cause fast running. This is usually a problem that's sorted out when servicing the watch and setting it up; I wouldn`t expect it to develop over time unless the hairspring isn`t secure at it's pinning point on the balance cock. If this was the case I`d expect it to misbehave in other positions.
Paul
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