Reply With QuoteI believe TWR are Sinn service agents.
I've been WFH the majority of the time since the start of the pandemic. During this time I've noticed that automatic watches that I wear would run out of power more often than before. I attributed this to my now sedentary lifestyle with the lack of walking and daily commute. So I tend to give the watch a manual wind every other day.
The issue seems to be more prevalent with my Sinn 556 that I bought from SC a couple of years ago. If I wear it during the day and don't wind it, it would stop in 48 hours or so. Whereas my Pelagos would last a few days longer in similar conditions. The other day, the Sinn also stopped about 10 minutes after I wore it on my wrist. I only noticed it 2 hours later. Tried swinging my wrists around and walked a bit and it only started when I loosened the crown to the 1st position.
Is this an issue worth checking? The 556 has a lower power reserve than the Pelagos but it feels like it also does not do automatic winding that well even when I have a more active day. Any suggestion on where to get it serviced other than sending it to Sinn?
Thanks in advance
I believe TWR are Sinn service agents.
I have an old SXK with 7s26 movement that hacks but doesn't wind.
I tend to give it a good whirl about in my hand to ge the automatic pendulum moving and giving it a good wind, when it has not been worn for a while.
Then, in normal wear on the wrist, it is fine.
I have an old 2416B Vostok Partner that is the opposite. It winds but doesn't hack, so a few winds, just minimal and then set and wear and it goes as long as I wear it.
In your case, I think the auto mechanism may not be transmitting all the power of the pendulum to the wind, as even ten minutes wear should wind it up enough for a few hours running.
To clarify, automatic watches don`t have a pendulum!
Contrary to popular belief, walking doesn`t always wind a watch efficiently, especially an older watch with some wear and tear in certain parts. If someone walks steadily their arms don't move much and the rotor oscillates back and forth through a small arc which isn`t sufficient to overcome the freeplay and backlash between directions of rotation. I`ve actually simulated this effect by moving the rotor back and forth and that's how I worked it out.
Some movements are more efficient at self-winding than others, the ratio of rotor movement to movement of the barrel arbour varies and the length of the mainspring also varies. Lots of variables between different models. Generally, ETA 2824 and 2892 movements are v. efficient winders, so are Seikos despite the rather basic design.
I always advocate fully winding an automatic if its stopped, provided you're reasonably active and the watch is worn for 16 hrs/day it should top up the power reserve and keep running, it shouldn't be necessary to hand wind frequently to keep the watch going. That begs another question, how many twists of the crown to fully wind? This varies between movements, an ETA 2892 takes approx. 32 twists whilst a 2892 takes around 70. A Miyota 9015 takes about 65, a Seiko 6R15 takes a similar number. An Omega 565 takes either 25 or 30 depending which mainspring is fitted.
How do you know when the watch is fully wound? Sometimes its nigh-on impossible to tell, but if the barrel has indentations or flutes on the inner wall you can hear the mainspring as it slips in discrete increments, this produces a light ticking sound and it can sometimes be felt through the crown. If the barrel walls are smooth its harder, but sometimes you can feel the resistance through the crown changing.
How can you tell if a watch is self-winding properly? That's not easy, on some designs the rotor will turn OK but the watch won't be winding, if the reverser sticks on an ETA 2892 the rotor turns but there's no power transmitted to the ratchet wheel. A timegrapher is v. useful for checking self-winding, give the crown a couple of twists to get the watch running, albeit with v. low amplitude, wear it vigorously for an hour, check the amplitude and it should have risen significantly. After another hr it should have risen more and after a day of active wear it should be close to the figure produced by fully hand-winding.
I sometimes see examples where the owner swears that the watch isn't self-winding but when I check it out I can`t find anything wrong, maybe some owners are just too sedate or they don't hand-wind the watch initially.
As for Seiko 7S26s with no hand-winding, they're a pain in the arse! I'm all for originality but there's a lot to be said for swapping the movement for the Hittari version of the 6R15 (NH35), basically a 7S26 with hand-winding and a slightly better balance! My own Seiko 5 is awaiting some TLC and I`m sorely tempted to swap the movement.
Here's another little tip for those who's watch doesn`t have a hack feature: when setting the watch from a stopped position, give it a couple of twists of the crown to just get it going, set the hands close to time, then hold the crown or turn it slowly backwards whilst in handset. This should cause the movement to stop and allow the seconds hand to be set to time. When the seconds hand is correct fully wind the watch and reset the hands. With the mainspring fully wound it's unlikely that the movement can be stopped this way because there's far more torque going through the trainwheels. If the watch is still stopping as the hands move backwards that's tough, you have to ensure you move them forwards to set the time otherwise you'll loose your carefully synchronised seconds hand.
So ends this week's sermon........I don`t make this stuff up!
@walkerwek1958: "To clarify, automatic watches don`t have a pendulum!"
OK, it is not refered to as a pendulum, but when the definition of a pendulum says: "a weight hung from a fixed point so that it can swing freely" - the term servies to illustrate the purpose for someone who may not be familiar with the horological term.
A pendulum swings from side to side and a rotor spins around a fixed point. I don't know anyone who has said an automatic watch has a pendulum.
Either way I'd get the Sinn checked out. You did say you bought it a few years ago so maybe it's due a service.
Sent from my SM-N976B using Tapatalk
Well, a bumper rotor swings from side to side.Originally Posted by sickie
Thanks all for the replies. Very informative stuff too walkerwek1958. I learnt a bunch of things.
Looks like I should get it checked out. Definitely seems like the problem is the auto mechanism not transmitting power to the reserve properly.
It's interesting to read that some are having problems with automatics winding down whilst working from home.
I too work from home, and to be honest, I do nothing at home that I don't do in the office. I sit down, type, get up, move around, go upstairs, downstairs, make a brew, sit down again, get up, go to loo, wash hands vigorously, etc.
Whether at home or at the office, I've never had an automatic fail on me.
I do wind the watch fully before wearing, but never wind it everyday. My autos all have inhouse movements if that makes a difference.
The Sinn as others have said should be looked at. OP, hope you resolve the issue. I assume at weekends you're more active. Do you have the same issue with watches stopping then?
I blame Uri Geller. He's obviously behind this.
;)
Yeah I will do. I'm about to go traveling for a couple of weeks so will get it checked out when I'm back. Good opportunity to monitor it further as I'll be out and about more than when I'm WFH.
I do have the same issue on the weekend but that's because I tend to not wear the watch until later in the day. Would also have the G-Shock on when I'm running or cycling.
All vigorous hand movements probably help.
I'm getting 15000 steps registered on my Fitbit most days - but do have a large veg. garden to attend to.
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
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