Reply With QuoteDoes the built in step adjuster allow you to move the seconds hand by 1 sec? If so then you should be able to get it to align. But I would be disappointed that it arrived like that.
I received this watch new from the manufacturer:
The sweep center seconds hands seems misaligned. I did try using the built-in step adjuster multiple times but cannot get the hand to line up properly, or at least to my preference.
Am I being too picky or is this a manufacturing defect?
TIA
Does the built in step adjuster allow you to move the seconds hand by 1 sec? If so then you should be able to get it to align. But I would be disappointed that it arrived like that.
I sent back a Tudor BB chrono for less deviation than that - and they didn’t have any issue with resolving.
There is an extensive thread about it somewhere here, from Jan 2019 or 2020 I think
I couldn’t live with it.
If it cannot be manually adjusted by you, get it sent back.
Not at all acceptable.
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The dial and bezel markings also look to be misaligned.
I think if you are unhappy with it then that's enough to send it back regardless of what others say. Else you will always have a nagging doubt on the watch. To me it seems misaligned and if I'd bought it cheap pre owned I'd be OK with it and resolve to sort it at next service but if like you I'd bought it new and it turned up like that I'd be asking for a replacement.
my eyes see the bezel misalignment too.
i wouldn't stand for misaligned markers on a chrono.... kinda defeats the purpose?
Misalignment could be due to the centre seconds hand being fitted slightly off, which could be improved, but it’s likely that the dial has slight printing errors or the centre hole isn’t quite concentric . The latter may be improved by adjusting the dial feet slightly to centralise the dial.
These faults typically occur on cheaper watches from small manufacturers, expectations have to be matched accordingly.
Send it back.
It looks like more than the hand is misaligned, I would 100% send it back.
If it bugs you, send it back. A watch is supposed to be a precision piece of equipment and it should be perfectly aligned. No excuses for that.
The seconds hand doesn’t align with the dial and the dial doesn’t align with the bezel. That would bug me every time l looked at it. Send it back.
There might be a method to recentre the chrono second hand - there usually is on a quartz chrono.
I can see.Originally Posted by Aramis9
I can see it’s not a Tudor, but I had a problem with a Chrono hand on a Tudor.
And I couldn’t live with it.
And I’m sure I wouldn’t live with it for any other brand of watch.
If I couldn’t correct it manually, it would go back.
That was the moral of the story ;)
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Last edited by notenoughwrists; 20th September 2022 at 17:34.
The movement is a Ronda 3540, and yes, I used the technique shown in the video provided by @monogroover to reset/align it. I cannot get the hand to move that small amount further to the left.
I noticed the misaligned bezel text on the crystal and attributed it to printing. Nothing can be done about that specific issue.
This was my initial email and the reply:
On 25 Aug 2022, at 18:31 XXX wrote:
Today I received my red Panamericana from order 10833. The sweep central seconds hand arrived offset, so I adjusted it using the instructions provided. The hand remains slightly offset to the right, however. I have tried re-adjusting it multiple times and even letting the chronograph run for an hour to see if it was possible to get the hand to align more closely to where it should be, but it remains offset.
Photos of the issue are attached to this email.
Is it possible to make micro-step adjustments to the central sweep seconds hand?
On 30 Aug 22, at 05:00 XXX wrote:
Morning
All our watches are hand assembled and this is what is known as industry standard allowances or tolerances.
However if you’re not happy with it, we can take it back and see if we can adjust the movements for you.
I am in the USA and return shipping (without insurance or tracking) will cost at least USD 30, probably closer to USD 40. I do not think that I should pay that much to return a defective piece.
By contrast, at nearly the same time I received a different watch from a different micro-brand manufacturer that had a different defect. After a few email exchanges, the manufacturer sent me a prepaid shipping label and the problem was resolved within two days. It has been more than two weeks with no response from this manufacturer—which has yet to acknowledge an issue with the watch.
I offered to try to reinstall the errant hand myself (or might be able to find someone locally to do it), but those actions would void the warranty.
No further word from the manufacturer. It took two emails and five days to get a reply to the first email, so it seems that I have to do a fair bit of work to get something accomplished.
It seems to me that even this minor offset is not a typical "industry standard allowances or tolerances" even for a quartz watch. It is not a terribly expensive watch, but for what it is, the price is somewhat high. I hoped for a more supportive customer experience. I do not know if it is worth the hassle of pursuing it further.
Aye, that's not "tolerances", that's just sloppy. The dial/bezel misalignment is bad enough, if the hands don't even line up properly, it looks like it's been thrown together and QC is poor or non-existent. I'd return it for a full refund, given the response from the vendor.
Personally, Id send it back for a full refund.
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