Care Instructions

 

Commissioning

A hand-wound watch should be wound until resistance is felt. An automatic watch runs automatically, of course. However, if the watch has not been in use for a long time, it should be wound like a hand-wound watch. This is done via the winding crown – 40 turns are the rule. The crown does not always need to be turned back and forth, only forward!

Time and Date Setting

Please avoid using the date quickset between 9:00 PM and 3:00 AM. The date setting mechanism is engaged during this time and the Movement could be damaged as a result. Please also avoid turning the hands back past 12:00 AM.

Storage

If you do not want to use your watch for a longer period, then store the watch in a dry place protected from direct sunlight. Exposure to heat from the sun or in the sauna should be avoided. The high-quality oil at the bearing points can chemically change due to heat exposure, so that the lubricating property decreases and the accuracy and running time deteriorate.

Accuracy

A quartz watch is generally always more accurate than a mechanical watch. A mechanical watch has a balance wheel. This oscillates at a certain heartbeat rate, which lies between 18000 A/h and 32000 A/h. Even an absolutely perfectly regulated watch can run inaccurately. The reason for this is physical influences, such as temperature or wearing behavior. To perfectly regulate a watch, it would have to be precisely adapted to the owner's wearing behavior, since even temperature and the Earth's gravitational pull are enough to make a balance wheel beat a little slower or faster. The accuracy of your mechanical watch can be slightly influenced by you within a certain range (+/- 3 seconds). If you take the watch off at night, you can place it in different positions. Crown up: The watch runs slower. Dial down or up: The watch runs faster.

Beware of strong mechanical impacts

Studies have shown that repeated impacts in the vertical direction can lead to long-term damage to the small wheels, bearings, and springs. This stress occurs, for example, in mountain biking, squash, and tennis, i.e. in all sports where the wrist is constantly exposed to shocks or performs jerky movements.

Service and repair

Most watch manufacturers recommend servicing the watch every 3-5 years. We hold a different view: servicing costs a lot of money and should only be done if the watch has a stronger, no longer regulatable rate deviation, e.g. if it starts to run significantly fast or slow or the power reserve decreases significantly. During a service, the Movement is cleaned, oiled, and wear parts are replaced. There are watches that can go over 20 years without servicing. Furthermore, manufacturers recommend sending the watch directly to the manufacturer via a jeweler. We recommend not taking the watch to a jeweler but contacting a master watchmaker directly. Most watches can be repaired much more cheaply by them. Prices at the manufacturer are often many times higher.

Water resistance

If the watch has tested positive for water resistance, this property applies at the time of measurement. Water resistance according to DIN 8310 is not a permanent property, as existing seals are subject to natural aging and wear. After heavy use, e.g. a fall, shock, or strong temperature differences, the water resistance must definitely be checked again. Therefore, before contact with water, the watch should be tested again by a watchmaker. To be able to keep a watch on the wrist while washing hands or showering, it should be tested to at least 3 ATM (30m). When swimming, the problem is not the water in general, but the rapid pressure change when the arm is immersed and the associated impact on the water. You must also make sure that the crown is in the closed or screwed-down position.

• Water resistance is not a permanent property: it should be checked annually and before special stresses, as the built-in sealing elements lose their function and daily use.
• To still ensure water resistance for certain requirements, there are special constructions with built-in seals. These are subject to a natural aging process. They are attacked, among other things, by saltwater, sweat, high temperatures, and acids.
• Watch cases are precisely assembled from several materials that may have different coefficients of expansion with temperature fluctuations.
• Watch cases described as "water-resistant" are resistant to sweat, water droplets, rain, etc. They must withstand immersion in water for over 30 minutes at a water depth of 1 m without water ingress. These watches are intended for normal daily use and must not be used under conditions where water pressure and temperatures vary significantly.
• When an additional pressure such as "3 bar" is specified, the test conditions are stricter. The pressure indication "3 bar" must not be confused with diving depth but defines the test pressure. A test pressure of "3 bar" is reached at 30 m water depth.
• When swimming and jumping into water, a higher pressure can temporarily occur on the sealing elements than the guaranteed test pressure. Watches are especially at risk if you jump into the water after prolonged sunbathing, because the impact pressure adds to the negative pressure caused by cooling, which can more easily lead to damage. A watch used for swimming and diving should be treated and stored with particular care at other times and checked annually by a specialist shop for water resistance.
• The crown of every watch should always be pressed in when worn or, if it is a screw-down crown, always screwed down tightly. Please check this before any contact with water!
• And here is an important note or mistake often made by the proud wearer of a new waterproof wristwatch: NEVER operate the control buttons of a wristwatch underwater. No matter how high the water resistance is specified.
• DIN 8310 regulates criteria for design and test pressure that new watches must withstand. The resistance is specified in "bar" and noted on the case back.