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14dna

14dna

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My son gave me a Seiko watch about 15 years ago. This is a self-winding watch. Lately it has been losing time, 3-5 minutes per day. Has anyone had this experience. Thanks
 
14dna said:
My son gave me a Seiko watch about 15 years ago. This is a self-winding watch. Lately it has been losing time, 3-5 minutes per day. Has anyone had this experience. Thanks
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My Seiko has the opposite problem, it gains about 4 minutes a day. Last year when I contacted them they wanted $300 for the repair. I never sent it in. If you find anything please post it. Thanks.
 
Very simple. Seiko self-winding watches use whale oil to lube the jeweled movement. I bought a 21-jewel self-winding Seiko divers model in 1967 at an Army PX for $18.00. Every three to five years it needs cleaning and oiling. In between it keeps perfect time. I also have my GI issued Hamilton watch with tritium dial. Still working if I remember to wind it.
 
So would or should oiling be done by a trained professional, or could I do this myself. Dave
 
14dna said:
So would or should oiling be done by a trained professional, or could I do this myself. Dave
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Sure, go ahead. You change the oil in your car, right? There are synthetic watch oils available now.
 
Might find this helpful.

www.namokimods.com

Everything You Need to Know Before Oiling your Seiko Watch

If you want to learn more about best practices for dismantling, cleaning, and reassembling a watch, you are in the right place. This is intended to be a guide that will be helpful for Seiko modding beginners. It is our utmost advice that you take the time to obtain the essential tools and set up...
www.namokimods.com www.namokimods.com

You can really mess up a good watch by oiling the wrong parts.
 
Disclaimer: I'm a mechanism freak... "Anything whot goes: click-buzz-whirr!"

"Mechanical" watches are in the category. Proper tools are essential, as are fine motor control and eyesight. And patience. Omitting any one of those endangers the instrument in question. Personal experience started as a pre-teen with successfully repairing a mainspring in grandfather's South Bend pocket watch, through Certifications as an ASE and factory trained Porsche tech. Most things, like camera/lens repair or Ferrari V-12 engine rebuilds are in that timeline as well. But servicing my Omega Seamaster went to a Certified Omega watchmaker. Timex/Waltham/Hamilton are no problem, but that Omega would've taxed my patience.
And sentimentality enters into it, too. Know your limitations. (y):unsure::coffee:
 
Gliderman8 said:
My Seiko has the opposite problem, it gains about 4 minutes a day. Last year when I contacted them they wanted $300 for the repair. I never sent it in. If you find anything please post it. Thanks.
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This thread got me to see if I could fix my Seiko. I removed the back and found the + /- adjustment of the mainspring and moved the adjuster a little bit towards the minus side. It's been running for eight hours and is keeping perfect time. I'll give it a full 24 hours before I consider it fixed.
 
Gliderman8 said:
This thread got me to see if I could fix my Seiko. I removed the back and found the + /- adjustment of the mainspring and moved the adjuster a little bit towards the minus side. It's been running for eight hours and is keeping perfect time. I'll give it a full 24 hours before I consider it fixed.
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If you've had it for fifteen years it needs to be serviced. Adjusting the regulator to make it keep time without servicing it is just ignoring the underlying issue. Which is likely dried up lubrication, but could be worn parts that should be addressed.
 
CARSINC said:
Very simple. Seiko self-winding watches use whale oil to lube the jeweled movement. I bought a 21-jewel self-winding Seiko divers model in 1967 at an Army PX for $18.00. Every three to five years it needs cleaning and oiling. In between it keeps perfect time. I also have my GI issued Hamilton watch with tritium dial. Still working if I remember to wind it.
Click to expand...
Industry standards lean more towards synthetic oils rather than whale oil these days.

While servicing a watch is pretty straightforward, it's also a lot like rebuilding an engine, if you don't know what you're doing you can really screw it up.
 
waltesefalcon said:
If you've had it for fifteen years it needs to be serviced. Adjusting the regulator to make it keep time without servicing it is just ignoring the underlying issue. Which is likely dried up lubrication, but could be worn parts that should be addressed.
Click to expand...
I was wearing my Seiko when I had a bad bicycle accident two years ago. My helmet was cracked, and the front wheel bent; both watch and me took a harder fall than Humpty Dumpty and that’s when it started losing time. It’s been about 12 hrs. and it continues to keep accurate time.
 
Still right on time.

IMG_2401.jpeg
 
Like Doc, certifications and repaired watches over the years, but need magnifying glass to see what battery it needs. My hands on tiny parts do not get along well, besides trying to see them up close. Mine go to the watch shop.
 
And coincidentally, a cheap knock-about "Swiss Army" watch I was wearing yesterday stayed at 12:46 for a couple hours before I realized it. Changed the battery and back in business. There are a couple of these I like, they make great "work" watches.
SS5_2760sc.JPG
 
DrEntropy said:
And coincidentally, a cheap knock-about "Swiss Army" watch I was wearing yesterday stayed at 12:46 for a couple hours before I realized it. Changed the battery and back in business. There are a couple of these I like, they make great "work" watches.
View attachment 90730
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Nice!
 
LarryK said:
Like Doc, certifications and repaired watches over the years, but need magnifying glass to see what battery it needs. My hands on tiny parts do not get along well, besides trying to see them up close. Mine go to the watch shop.
Click to expand...
I'm the same way for tiny stuff.
Good thing I have a room full of microscopes of every kind.
 
Wife bought me a Seiko about 15 years ago. Replaced battery twice and keeps perfect time although the sweep stopwatch hand no longer goes to 12 o'clock but resets to 9 o'clock position. My other watch is a fake Breitling my son bought in Shanghai for $25. I also have a golf watch that also keeps perfect time as well as a mode that gives me yardage to holes and hazards.
 
pdplot said:
Wife bought me a Seiko about 15 years ago. Replaced battery twice and keeps perfect time although the sweep stopwatch hand no longer goes to 12 o'clock but resets to 9 o'clock position. My other watch is a fake Breitling my son bought in Shanghai for $25. I also have a golf watch that also keeps perfect time as well as a mode that gives me yardage to holes and hazards.
Click to expand...

Inquiring minds need to know: How can a watch know the yardage for the hazards and greens????
 
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