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Dear forumners, I had an interesting experience last weekend after visiting a watch exhibition in a major European city. Wandering around the shopping haunts and emporiums, I stumbled upon a 2nd hand dealer of watches. There was a minor complication watch model that I had rejected years ago in the w
Dear forumners,
I had an interesting experience last weekend after visiting a watch exhibition in a major European city.
Wandering around the shopping haunts and emporiums, I stumbled upon a 2nd hand dealer of watches. There was a minor complication watch model that I had rejected years ago in the window and looking good to the naked eye.
During my inspection, I raised the watch to my good ear and shook the watch that was grasped in my hand and using only my wrist action. The motion was a truncated version of that prescribed in the Seiko 5 handbook, where crown winding is impossible.
The salesman immediately rebuked me and told me never to perform that action with automatic watches because the rotor pivot stem was at great risk of "breaking". He said that my action would subject the watch to forces in excess of 3 - 5 G that could break the mechanism. He conceded that the micro-rotor in that PARTICULAR watch was possible less vulnerable than a model with big rotor but also that all such pivot breakages are due to human failure to follow this rule; because of that - all such repairs are chargeable and never covered by warranty. He claimed to have worked for after-sales department of famous brand before his current job, so I assume that brand had a lot of such breakages from such wrist action.
As I have never broken the rotor (big or micro) pivot on about a hundred automatic watches that I have owned, I asked him for clarification: "What G-forces do the manufacturers test their watches in impact tests?"
He did not answer directly but asked me how I would feel if 3G of force was applied to myself. "Like on a roller coaster?" - I ventured. "Yes" - he said. I changed the subject to wearing watches to play golf like the Tag-Heure Golf watch that Tiger Woods used to promote.
Do I believe him?
ISO 1413 [Shock-resistant watches] specifies the minimum requirements.
Watches may have to withstand forces of 30 G for periods of several minutes in a centrifugal accelerator.
In a pendulum impact test, the watch is accelerated to 5,000 G in milliseconds, which simulates the effect of a free fall onto a hard wooden floor from a height of 1 metre.
Is it usual to have rotor pivots break from shaking a watch by flicking wrist action?
Does this salesman inspire confidence to buy a watch from him?
Regards,
MTF
Some time ago I was at an official dealer of a lot of famous brands. He told me that almost all Big Fliegers from IWC came back with rotor problems as they had problems with the size of the rotor. Honestly, I think the reality will in between the statements made by your sales guy and the test performed by the brands. I'm sceptical on both accounts to be honnest. Interesting theme. Ps: obviously, it must be hard for a sales guy to have well educated customers like us.... br, Dirk
Yes, for sure! LOL. But the good ones like us :-) I know at least one place with knowledgable people and they told me that they are really happy to talk to people like me, because in so many cases it is only about price, price and price they are forced to talk about by their customers. You know that place as it is in your former city ... :-) Cordially, Oliver
Fully agree my friend. We really should meet again some time... What part of the world are you hanging out at the moment? I'm quite often at London, Geneva and Joburg... And a short flight to Berlin is always within scope ;-) Warm regards, Dirk
I understand his point, assuming that you are not a regular customer. One cannot let his wares being rocked by everyone (I'm aware that you are not everyone) risking to see it dropped or worst. On other hand, life is full of myths no matter if we are on watches or technology products. I love to see/hear a sales pitch of watch sellers, explaining what they don't have a clue (coaxial escapement is my favorite) or, more fun, a kid on a Best Buy explaining to an average Joe/Mary the benefits of a SS
. . . curses the day I first walked into his establishment ;-) . . .
could he just unticipate you "shake" that watch, to try to play a guilt trip until you purchase it? Regards E
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