Hello Lankysudanese. My personal experience with brand new Speedmasters of any variation (be it the traditional three sub dials/manual or the modern versions with two sub dials...

Feb 03, 2020,05:52 AM
 

... and automatic Co Axial movements) is that they always are not easy to pull the crown off to set the time, and to wind them is hard for the fingers when brand new.

The difficulty for pulling is due to the placement of crown between the case crown guards. Curiously the force of pull required and winding hardness varies from watch to watch: some are harder than others.
Fortunately with use the resistance disminishes and makes it easier to pull the crown and wind. I feel the gaskets get a bit worn and they offer less friction over the stem.

The 3681 movement of my own watch is really hard to wind... contrary to what our colleague Holdemchamp reports and that confirms my observation that it varies from watch to watch.

I remember for example, that when I bought my modern Speedmaster Moonwatch with brown dial a few years ago, it was a real pain to pull the crown and winding, and left my fingers sored each time. It was very unpleasant. With use it became a pleasant watch to wind.

Hope my comments help you. Enjoy your beautiful Racing so much!


Cheers! Abel


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8 - 10 day timing results for the Apollo 11 Moonshine (cal. 3861)...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 2nd, 2020-03:53
I will copy and paste what I wrote in the thread started by Art below. Day 1: I fully wound the movement and set the exact time against the atomic clock application I have on my Note 10 plus. This was done at 8:30 am (Paris time so GMT +1). I set the watc... 

Day 2...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 2nd, 2020-03:54
Day 2: I repeated the steps from Day 1 but this time the watch was laid down dial side down on my dresser. When I rewound and checked the watch against the atomic clock app this morning, the watch had a cumulative gain of about 2 seconds since the start o... 

Thank you for your report Holdemchamp!!

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 2nd, 2020-05:12
Will keep following you! First 24 hours on mine shows no variation which I could meassure. Your second per day is well within specs. Cheers! Abel

My experience tells me that most new watches ...

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 2nd, 2020-09:08
... begin running better after several days working. Never run a serious test on this but by observation it usually happens this way with my new (modern) watches. Cheers! Abel

We can both agree to that 😁👍 [nt]

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 2nd, 2020-06:23

Glad to see other accuracy-focused horologists on this forum

 
 By: Lankysudanese : February 2nd, 2020-11:17
Thanks for sharing the results of this detailed accuracy check. Impressive results, indeed. Quick question: how easy do you find the process of fully-winding and accurately-timing this timepiece? I'm asking bc I recently purchased a version of it's automa...  

My secret to pulling out the crown on most Speedmaster is to do it from the caseback side as it is easier...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 2nd, 2020-11:51
As for timing a Speedmaster, that is somewhat more difficult for certain models but due to the new 3861 movement which hacks, it makes it easier to set and time. As for winding, I find the Moonshine's 3861 caliber easier to wind with less resistance than ... 

👍🙏 [nt]

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 2nd, 2020-11:59

Hello Lankysudanese. My personal experience with brand new Speedmasters of any variation (be it the traditional three sub dials/manual or the modern versions with two sub dials...

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 3rd, 2020-05:52
... and automatic Co Axial movements) is that they always are not easy to pull the crown off to set the time, and to wind them is hard for the fingers when brand new. The difficulty for pulling is due to the placement of crown between the case crown guard... 

I agree with Abel that it is somewhat difficult to pull the crown out and also difficult to wind initially...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 3rd, 2020-07:39
Again each watch is different but every NEW Speedmaster I have purchased has been about the same. The subtle differences I have felt personally have been the resistance of the crown when winding. For example, my Speedy Tuesday 1st edition, Speedy Tuesday ... 

Thanks for the reassurance

 
 By: Lankysudanese : February 3rd, 2020-08:38
Either way, I am happy to sacrifice my fingers in order to continue to wear this timepiece

Don't know about fingers, but have cracked a nail . . .

 
 By: Dr No : February 4th, 2020-11:16
. . . pulling out the crown on my Flightmaster once.

Ouch!! That´s not nice! [nt]

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 4th, 2020-12:44

Very respectable...

 
 By: Clueless_Collector : February 2nd, 2020-11:54
I mean your contribution and of course the initial results. I'll be watching this space...Thank you.

You can always jump in, Raymond. The more input . . .

 
 By: Dr No : February 4th, 2020-16:59
. . . the more reliable the conclusion, no? Encouragingly, Art

I will try because I rotate my watches almost everyday...

 
 By: Clueless_Collector : February 4th, 2020-17:11
But I will try at least for a few days.

I understand your point. I also rotate my collection and sometimes change watches twice a day but mainly daily...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 5th, 2020-03:54
I made this effort for "scientific" purposes and to give raw data to those wanting to know more about the new caliber 3861 🤣😂 Believe me, it is NOT easy to be wearing the same watch for such an extended period of time for me. The last time I wore ONLY one... 

Agreed 👍 [nt]

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 5th, 2020-03:50

Day 3 results

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 3rd, 2020-04:30
Day 3: I repeated the same procedure of winding the Moonshine fully and checking it against the atomic clock app on my phone. One thing to note is that I was not as active yesterday (Sunday) as I usually am so I wanted to take that into consideration. The... 

Outstanding performance dear Holemchamp!

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 3rd, 2020-06:00
In my watch I could not detect a variation the first 24 hours and detected a two second loss in the 48 hs control this morning. In my case I was more active yesterday, and left the watch resting dial down on my night stand. So average results are similar ... 

My pleasure Abel. I think the variation in daily rate could be attributed to activity and also resting position overnight...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 3rd, 2020-07:42
this field test we are doing will help a little with an overall picture of the caliber 3861. Let's see how many others will participate so we can get a larger sample size 👍 Once I am finished with the Moonshine test, I will try the same test with the Apol... 

Excellent results so far !

 
 By: Seeks : February 3rd, 2020-04:47
Let me wear my steel Apollo 11 next time i travel as then it will be just one watch and activity will be more or less similar each day. Thanks for sharing your results ! Best regards

👍 [nt]

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 3rd, 2020-05:37

Day 4

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 4th, 2020-02:13
Day 4 results: Same procedure was used with the watch laying dial side down for day 4. The Moonshine was fully wound and then checked with the atomic clock app on my phone. Results after day 4 show a total gain of 4 - 5 seconds after 4 days of constant we... 

Thank you so much for the up date dear Holdemchamp-. Your Moonshine keeps working consistently.

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 4th, 2020-05:18
Something curious with mine. Yesterday in the morning I reported a loss of two seconds after leaving it dial down during Sunday night. Yesterday night I left it to rest dial up and this Tuesday morning check at 10:00 AM showed the watch has recovered two ... 

Abel, your Moonshine caliber seems to be acting more commonly than mine...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 4th, 2020-05:29
usually the movement of a watch would vary in rate depending on the testing position so your Moonshine is behaving normally. As for mine, no idea why it has remained consistent with 2 different testing positions (dial side up and dial side down). It could... 

My knowledge about watch mechanics is limited. I only have my experience with many watches. I have experimented the same that is happening to you in some...

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 4th, 2020-10:40
... of my watches. I wouldn´t worry if a watch consistently gains one second per day. In any case I feel it can be adjusted by a watchmaker easily I feel because it is not erratic. We should consider that it will gain just half a minute in a whole month i... 

This timing test is proving to be . . .

 
 By: Dr No : February 4th, 2020-16:56
. . . invaluable, wouldn't you say? ...  

It is certainly helpful...between Abel's Moonshine and mine, the caliber 3861 seems to be very accurate so far...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 5th, 2020-03:49
Let's see how many other Purists decide to join in on the test so we can get a bigger sample size 👍

Agree Holdemchamp! [nt]

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 5th, 2020-05:20

Day 5 results...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 5th, 2020-04:15
Day 5: Same procedure was performed as the prior 4 days. It seems my Moonshine is extremely accurate with a constant rate whether the resting position is dial side up or down. After 5 days of constant wear and testing against the atomic clock app on my ph...  

Day 6 results...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 6th, 2020-02:15
Day 6: Same procedure was performed again with the Moonshine resting dial side down. After 6 days of constant wear it shows a net gain of around 6 - 7 seconds with a consistent gain regardless of the resting position (dial side up or down).

Hello Holdemchamp: Results are excelent I feel. It is interesting to compare how our two watches perform. Mine...

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 6th, 2020-05:25
... has accumulated a two seconds gain total after 120 hours of test. It has also shown rest position has influenced gain (dial up) or loss (dial down) in one or two seconds in one night. I look forward to the reports of other participants of this test. A... 

Hi Abel, yes it seems both our Moonshines are super accurate so far with consistent rates...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 6th, 2020-05:42
sorry to hear that your crown is so stiff. The crown on my Moonshine winds smoother and with a bit less resistance than the Apollo 11 50th in SS. No idea why but it is definitely winds smoother. The Apollo 11 50th in SS winds with similar resistance to bo... 

Thank you so much for your comments dear Holdemchamp. Yes this crown is really stiff. As we had talked this theme around Speedmasters crowns in another thread, it doesn´t surprise me...

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 6th, 2020-10:12
... as it is a very usual issue with brand new Speedies but fortunately it becames better with use. I employ a similar technique to wind my stiff crown watches as you suggest. It really helps, but still it is a pain to wind. My Moonshine is a little bette... 

I am very sure that with a bit more time and wear, the crown on your Moonshine will wind more easily...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 6th, 2020-11:06
at least that was the case for mine. I have probably worn my Moonshine more than you have worn yours so that could explain why the crown on mine is less stiff. I also have an AP 15202ST but since it is an automatic I rarely need to wind it. Maybe when it ... 

Thank you again for your kind comments. Yes, I had worn the Moonshine very very little. I´m sure all the Speedies will get smoother with use. I don´t worry too much about that ...

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 6th, 2020-12:49
... it only hurts a little at the beginning! Lol! I need to wind my AP each time because I like to rotate my watches changing them almost daily. The crown is not very stiff but I find the shape is not easy to grip with the fingers and rotate it. Well, tha... 

Day 7 results...

 
 By: holdemchamp1225 : February 7th, 2020-02:31
Day 7: I followed the same protocol for the Moonshine as the 6 days prior with the watch resting dial side up. After 7 days of constant wear it shows a net gain of around 7 - 8 seconds with a consistent gain regardless of the resting position (dial side u... 

Grazi mille, Bruce. Expectations . . .

 
 By: Dr No : February 7th, 2020-11:52
. . . confirmed, and then some. Gratefully, Art

Your watch was consistent and shows a great performance. I was annoyed yesterday when I observed my watch seemed to "accelerate" during the day...

 
 By: Subexplorer : February 8th, 2020-10:48
... and accumulated a gain of five seconds at night. The check this morning at 10:10 AM showed a gain of three seconds. May be it is connected with my activity? Don´t know. I feel we can be more than happy with this performances! Cheers! Abel