Newb question about time adjustment

[stroppy]

I have an automatic which is gaining about five minutes a day.  I don't have access to an electronic tester and I would have to retard the movement at the balance wheel using the adjustment lever.  Say if the lever is at the half-way point (as it is on most unadjusted movements) how far would you move the lever "back" for a first go at retarding the mechanism?

 

[Lawson]

Hey Stroppy,

Phew!  Tough question mate.  Very movement is different in the amounts you have to adjust, and without a timegrapher you'll just have to make small adjustments and retest until it's running within spec.

Also without the aid of a timegrapher you can dial-out beat error, so this is one piece of kit I would place high on your wishlist.  You don't have to spend a lot of money either mate.  At home I use a No.1000 and these can be purchase for around $200 smackers from from OTTO as of the date of me posting this ... worth every cent.

PS. Make sure you've demagnetized the movement before testing as this could affect it's accuracy.  Yeah I know, it's another thing to purchase ... but nobody said this was a cheap past-time

[jdm]

4 minutes ago, Lawson said:

t home I use a No.1000 and these can be purchase for around $200 smackers from from OTTO as of the date of me posting this ... worth every cent.

Or USD150 on aliexpress. I don't think one can work on mechanical watches without a timegrapher, beside setting beat and rate, it shows amplitude and pattern that are basically the primary health indicators.

[stroppy]

Thanks Lawson and jdm.  The watch is only a cheapy and so the cost of buying anything like a timegrapher wouldn't be worried.  What I might do is just gently nudge the adjustment staff less than a mm into the negative and keep an eye on the watch over the course of a day.  If there's some improvement then I can work from that point.

I have heard that the better movement and watch makers actually set their watches via an industrial timegrapher before they send their stuff off to shops.  Pity the Chinese don't follow suit on their cheaper movements.

[jdm]

1 minute ago, stroppy said:

Thanks Lawson and jdm.  The watch is only a cheapy and so the cost of buying anything like a timegrapher wouldn't be worried.  What I might do is just gently nudge the adjustment staff less than a mm into the negative and keep an eye on the watch over the course of a day.  If there's some improvement then I can work from that point.

I have heard that the better movement and watch makers actually set their watches via an industrial timegrapher before they send their stuff off to shops.  Pity the Chinese don't follow suit on their cheaper movements.

The thing is that without looking at the timegrapher you can't know if the watch is working correctly or not. The timegrapher or equivalent application is an indispensable tool. Beside, if the watch running fast it could be magnetized and demagnetizing should be done first. If you do not have these tools at this time, go to a shop that has tem.

[Mark]

Moved to Help & Advice section

[jnash]

move it.. wait a few hours,test it again a quartz watch - your phone /oven clock, if fast move it back a bit - reset to right time and wait a few hours.. repeat until happy enough?

the closer you get the amount of time you should wait will probably be doubled.. i.e. 24 hours..

see you back in a week or so lol!

[Hertzogpholian]

47 minutes ago, jnash said:

the closer you get the amount of time you should wait will probably be doubled.. i.e. 24 hours..

come on....  hysteresis is soooo much fun!

[svorkoetter]

If the watch has suddenly started gaining five minutes a day, the first thing I would do before adjusting anything is check if it has become magnetized. All you need for that is a compass. If the watch makes the needle swing, the watch is magnetized, and needs to be demagnetized.

Five minutes a day is well beyond just being out of adjustment.

[Geo]

If you have an iPad or iPhone you can download the Watch Tracker App for£3.99.

I find it quite useful at times for checking watches both mechanical and quartz, as well as clocks.  It doesn't give you the detailed information that you get from a timegrapher regarding mechanical condition of the escapement, but it certainly lets you regulate a timepiece, and shows fluctuations over time in graphical form.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=watch+tracker+app&rlz=1C9BKJA_enGB686GB686&oq=watchtracker+&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l3.16621j0j7&hl=en-GB&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8

[stroppy]

Geo...thanks!  I will look for the Android version of that app in the PlayStore.  I also ordered a watch demagnetiser on Ebay for AU$16 so I will wait until that arrives from China, demagnetise the watch and THEN adjust it.  This forum has really improved my confidence in doing such things BUT it has also cost me money!  Since joining I've bought a new watch tool kit, a couple of boxes of many sizes of spring lugs and a couple of books.  I'm as happy as a pig in mud!

[canthus]

I have used a trigger type soldering gun as a demagger.  I placed the movement near the main case where the transformer is, switch on the gun and slowly move it away (say 5 secs) to about 1 metre,  This worked for me. I gather almost anything with mains transformer will work.  Also believe if you take the watch to the local store which has a security tag remover and scan it across slowly will also work.  I have a cheap demagger and it works well, I normally place parts in a plastic pot (ie plastic milk bottle top!!) to ensure they do not go walkies!  

[svorkoetter]

Just a note on demagnetizers: never switch them on or off with the watch near the demagnetizer. Turn the demagnetizer on with the watch about a metre away, bring the watch toward it and move it around in the magnetic field, move the watch about a metre away again, and then turn the demagnetizer off. Also make sure you're not wearing a watch on the hand that is operating the demagnetizer.

If you're old enough to a have an audio cassette tape demagnetizer, those make good watch demagnetizers too.