Why is the time on the mechanical watch getting slower and slower?
Due to its own structural problems, mechanical watches are affected by the earth’s gravity. The deviation of the horizontal position and the vertical position will produce a discrepancy. The spring will change from tightening to relaxing, and the torque will be unbalanced. In addition, it will be affected by external temperature, magnetic field, vibration, etc. Even if the mechanical watch increases the frequency, it is impossible to achieve the accuracy of the quartz electronic watch. There is actually no watch that is always accurate. Whether it is a mechanical watch or a stone watch, there is an error range, and this range varies from country to country. Generally speaking, mechanical watches (including automatic mechanical watches) only need With the strings fully wound, if the running time does not exceed 30 seconds per day and does not exceed 30 seconds per day, it basically meets the standard.
Common reasons why mechanical watches run slowly:
1.Insufficient kinetic energy: Mechanical watches are divided into two types: manual winding and automatic winding. Insufficient power is often an important reason why the watch runs slowly or even stops. Manual winding mechanical watches can solve the problem by winding, while automatic winding watches are mostly worn by people who have insufficient wearing time (less than 8-10 hours a day) or do little exercise. Generally, friends in the office or the elderly often experience insufficient power in their mechanical watches, causing their watches to run slowly.
2.Received impact: No matter what brand of watch, do not hit it hard, even if some watches have good shock resistance. When playing golf, tennis, boxing and other sports, you should also take off the watch and do not swing it hard. If the watch is hit, some parts inside may become loose, causing the watch to run slowly or not. Due to the complex structure of mechanical watches and the close connection between various parts, mechanical watches are more likely to malfunction when they are impacted.
3.Lack of maintenance: Mechanical watches require regular maintenance, usually every 2-3 years. If the watch is not maintained regularly, the sludge in the watch movement will accumulate too much and dry out, which will gradually increase the friction between the gear trains. When encountering these failures in the stepper motor and gear train, they should be cleaned, foreign matter removed, and refueled. Some parts in the watch movement are damaged and need to be replaced. Lack of maintenance of the watch will not only accelerate the wear of parts, but also cause the watch to run slowly, causing inconvenience to our use.
4.Gear train failure: This situation is mostly related to the watch maintenance mentioned in the third point. Most of the time, there is dust and foreign matter between the gear teeth, causing the gear train teeth to get stuck with each other. There are also some cases where there is too much or too little oil. Too much oil causes adhesion between the wheels and between the wheels and the splint. Too little oil will cause excessive resistance to the rotating gear train, which will cause the watch to run poorly. When encountering these failures in the stepper motor and gear train, they should be cleaned, foreign matter removed, and refueled.
5.Watch magnetization: Watch magnetization is one of the common reasons why watches run slowly. Even anti-magnetic watches cannot be placed next to some electrical appliances because some of their parts are not anti-magnetic and will still become magnetized over time. . If the watch is magnetized, it needs to be demagnetized by a professional watch repair agency.
How to prevent your watch from running slow:
To prevent the watch from running slowly, we mainly take corresponding measures based on the reasons why the watch runs slowly. Pay attention to winding the mechanical watch. Automatic mechanical watches must be worn for a long time and exercised every day. The watch must be maintained as required, and repairs and maintenance must be carried out when it runs slowly. Of course, there are also problems such as the speed clamp that affect the watch’s running time. In this regard, you must pay attention to the watch’s shock resistance, and repair it in time if there is a running time failure.
How to repair a slow watch:
In the case of insufficient kinetic energy, we need to solve the energy supply problem. The mechanical watch must be sufficiently wound, and if the speed clamp fails, it must be adjusted in time. If your watch slows down after being subjected to severe vibrations, it should be repaired by a professional watch repair organization to adjust misaligned parts and replace damaged parts. If the watch runs slowly due to lack of maintenance, it must be maintained in time. The problem of a slow watch cannot be underestimated. Not only will it fail to provide us with accurate time instructions, but if it is allowed to run slowly, it will often cause great wear and tear on the components in the watch movement.
All in all, both mechanical watches and quartz watches sometimes run slow. When a mechanical watch is not fully wound and causes it to run slowly or stop, we can solve the problem by winding it. Watch time failures caused by other reasons must be brought to a repair center for adjustment.