Do You Have Automatic Watch Issues? What Causes It And How Can It Be Fixed?
If you’re unlucky, your automatic or mechanical timepieces might have some issues.

The steps to fix it will vary depending on how serious it is. While some of the minor issues can be fixed by you, some of the more serious ones may require a full service.

I’ve included a few of the common issues that arise with automatic watches below, along with their root causes and recommended solutions.

List of Contents

1. While I was wearing it, my automatic watch stopped working.
2. Power Reserve Issue / Automatic Watch Stopped Working After Taking It Off
3. Automatic Watch Stopped Functioning Following a Drop
4. Automatic Watch Speeding Up Or Slowing Down
5. Inside of the watch fogging up 6. Imperfect Minute and Second Hand Alignment
6. Automatic Watch Doesn’t Wind
7. Date/Day Display Doesn’t Alter When It Should

As great as they are, automatic watches are not free of problems. By having some knowledge about what we should and shouldn’t do to it, we will be able to avoid costly repairs.

1- While I was wearing it, my automatic watch stopped working.
Have you ever had a watch malfunction while wearing it? If it’s a quartz watch, the battery is presumably dead. However, automatic watches don’t have batteries and are meant to be powered by movement, correct?

You’re right, though, there are a few other possible causes for a dead watch. There are three typical reasons why an automated watch might stop functioning:

Cause 1: Insufficient Power Reserve
Most people are unaware that even though you wear your watch frequently, it may not have adequate power reserve.

However, don’t automated watches recharge via wrist motion?

You’re not moving about enough to wound the mainspring completely, which is the culprit.

Take an exhibition caseback watch, shake it, and check to see if the self-winding rotor rotates or not. The movement of the rotor is simple.

A extremely smooth rotor that rotates lively even with a tiny movement can be found in some watches. However, the rotor in some timepieces needs greater force to rotate.

Because of this, winding your automatic watch completely may not be possible only by wearing it to work. If your watch is a sports watch, think about wearing it when you jog, swim, or work out at the gym.

With a dress watch, though, avoid doing this. That gorgeous item is not something you want to scratch, lol.

Another technique I like and employ personally is periodically winding your watch by hand. By doing this, you can ensure that the watch has a full power reserve because simply wearing it might not be enough to fully recharge it.

Just be cautious not to wind it too much or too frequently because you could harm the fragile parts within.

Cause 2 – Magnetic fields

The steels inside your watch will become attracted if you expose it to strong magnets, such as those found in speakers, refrigerators, etc.

The result?

Your watch’s little steel parts will tend to attract or repel one another depending on the pole, which will decrease the accuracy of the timepiece (the watch will run slower or faster).

However, in a severe case of magnetization, the watch will stop functioning altogether. Bring your watch to a watchmaker so they can check it for magnetism and demagnetize it.

Cause 3 – Serious Problems With The Movement

If you wind your watch every day and it still stops, there may be a significant problem with the movement. No magnetization is known to be the cause. Bring the watch to a watchmaker and let him examine it for any issues and perform any necessary maintenance.

You can bring the watch to the vendor for an inspection or replacement if it is still covered by the warranty. Remember that comprehensive service might be expensive depending on the type of watch and the degree of need.

Popular and reasonably priced movements like the Swatch ETA, Seiko, and Orient movements are simpler to maintain by virtually any qualified watchmaker. Parts costs are also less expensive for these.

2- Automatic Watch Stopped Working After Taking It Off / Power Reserve Problem

You put your watch off after wearing it for a while, and when you go to put it back on, it is dead. How is this even possible?

The same factors that led to the first issue above—a shortage of power reserves—also account for this issue’s origins and solutions. The power reserve of your watch is another important consideration.

Purchase a watch with a power reserve indicator, like this Orient Star Retrograde, if you are anxious about your watch’s power reserve. As you can see, the top subdial shows how much power is left, which is really convenient.

Even though the movement in your watch may have a power reserve of 40 or 50 hours, the watch could stop functioning earlier.

Why is this so?

One thing we should be aware of is that an automatic watch’s power reserve determines when it will stop functioning after being fully charged.

As I mentioned above, often a day’s worth of wear (about 10 to 12 hours on the wrist) won’t be enough to fully charge the watch.

Not to add that most watches lack power reserve indicators, which are quite useful for always knowing how much power is available.

In fact, according to the majority of experienced watch owners, the watch’s power reserve is still approximately twice or three times what it was when we last used it.

What should we do then?

I always manually or hand-wind my automatic watches before using them. It only takes a few (15–20) revolutions to get the movement going, after which I simply wear it.

The secret is to NOT just rely on the movement’s self-winding. As was already noted, the rotor movement might not be enough, especially if you have a desk job that requires little wrist movement.

Additionally, since the watch has more power, this will maintain its high accuracy.

What if I’ve tried that but it didn’t work!

The watch could then have a more serious issue. Lay the watch down after attempting to manually wind it for 40–50 crown rotations. The mainspring will be filled with power reserve as a result.

Keep track of the hour at which the watch stops. If it falls short of the movement’s stated power reserve, there can be an issue with the movement itself.

We should now take it to a watchmaker to have him have a look at it. Depending on the circumstance, the mainspring may merely require repair, cleaning, or replacement.

A watch winder, which is a perfect substitute for those who don’t want to have to reset or manually wind their watches before using them, can also be a good option to get.

The watch is rotated by the watch winder using a motor. Simply insert your watch into the winder’s slot and plug it in.

In order to wind the self-winding rotor and charge the power reserve, the watch will then rotate.

3- Automatic Watch Stopped Working After Dropping It

This reason is simpler to comprehend. When you drop the watch, it makes a loud impact and instantly stops working. The likelihood is that your watch has some internal damage.

A mechanical or automatic watch has hundreds of internal components that all work together to keep the watch running smoothly. The thickness or diameter of these components might be as small as 1 mm. Any unexpected impact could cause these components to become misaligned or, worse, damage them.

The balancing wheel is the component that is most vulnerable to impact damage. Because it supports the weight of the balance wheel, which is constantly rotating at a fast speed, the pivot/staff of the wheel balance is an extremely important component.

Most impact-related damages are caused by damaged wheel balancing pivots and/or their jewels.

If your watch stopped operating after being dropped, check to see if the balance wheel is functional by listening for any sound.

If your watch has an exhibition caseback, you may simply verify this by directly inspecting the balance wheel to look for any issues. The watch must be taken to a watchmaker for repair as the only option.

Automatic/mechanical watches have some sort of shock protection device in place to guard against impact damage, specifically to the jewel.

Some of the shock protection methods developed by watch companies are Incabloc (from Switzerland), Diashock (from Seiko), and Parashock (from Citizen). At the balancing wheel’s jewel pivot, each of them has a spring of some description to cushion the impact.

You might want to look into watches with a shock protection system if you are a rough person who frequently causes damage to watches in this way.

4- Automatic Watch Running Slow Or Fast

Both mechanical and automatic watches eventually run slowly or quickly. The COSC certified chronometers, which have an accuracy range of -4 to +6 seconds per day, are the most precise timepieces.

Other watches might be less accurate than this, so make sure to verify the manufacturer’s official statistics. However, for a low end range of automatic watches, the accuracy numbers are typically within +/-25 seconds every day.

If your watch’s accuracy is less than this, there may be an issue with it. There are five factors that can cause automatic timepieces to operate with less precision than desired:

Cause 1 – Not Enough Power Reserve

When a watch has been fully wound, the maximum power reserve is used to measure a movement’s accuracy. A watch’s accuracy will be a little bit less than what the watch manufacturer said if it is not properly wound (or power starved).

To ensure that it has a full power reserve, try to wind it at least once in a while. When compared to when the watch only relied on wrist movement, the accuracy will be noticeably different.

Cause 2 – Temperature

Most people are unaware of another crucial fact, which is that the accuracy of your watch varies depending on the temperature.

The metal components inside the watch will be harmed by temperatures that are too hot (above 38 degrees Celsius) or too cold (below 15 degrees Celsius). Steel will enlarge at high temperatures and contract at low temperatures. The lubricants inside the watch might also be impacted by cold.

Since it takes a very high temperature to make a difference—not all of us live in a searing hot desert—coldness is typically what has an impact on accuracy.

But coldness, particularly in the winter, can alter how the watch functions. If it is exposed to cold temperatures, it will operate somewhat more slowly and perhaps have a lesser power reserve. However, wearing the watch will prevent the effects of cold from being felt because our body heat will warm it up.

Cause 3 – Position

The balance wheel and escapement have a significant impact on the precision of watch movements. Due to gravity, these systems might be impacted by the position of the watch. Examples of watch positions include horizontal with the dial or watch face facing up, dial down, and vertical positions with various crown placements.

As you might infer, the dial up or down generally refers to when you take your watch off at the end of the day and put it on a table or shelf. The watch is worn in the vertical positions.

Each of these configurations will cause the balance wheel to move somewhat differently, which will result in some inconsistency. This is due to the action of gravity. One or two of these places yield the best accuracy for most watches.

The accuracy of the watch will decrease if you wear it in different postures. The fact that chronometers are made and set to be accurate in all positions is the fundamental factor in their high demand.

Keep track of which positions your watch is most accurate and which ones it isn’t by following my advice. Apps can be used to assist with this. Just perform a playstore or appstore search for watch accuracy.

These apps typically ask you to set your watch to precise time at first, after which you can record the time periodically and the app will report the accuracy in seconds each day. You can then use your watch deliberately knowing in which position it is most accurate.

Cause 4 – Magnetism

As was already said, a watch’s magnetism can significantly lower accuracy. To prevent magnets, it is strongly advised to keep your watch away from any digital or electronic gadgets.

Case 5 – Due For Service

Like an automobile, automatic and mechanical watches eventually require maintenance in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. One major disadvantage of automatic timepieces over quartz watches is this.

Automatic watches require servicing to keep the mechanism well oiled and to adjust the balance wheel and escapement due to the high number of moving components inside. Typically, the service interval is between 3 and 5 years. If you want to save that watch as an heirloom for your grandson, don’t skip this step =)

5- Fogging Inside Watch

For increased protection, some timepieces, particularly dive watches, have screw-down crowns. Gaskets and seals make it simple to prevent water from entering the dial window and caseback.

The crown has a staff that is attached to the watch movement because it is used for hand winding and setting the time. Water can easily enter through the little opening between the staff and casing.

Screw down crown solves this problem by screwing the crown into the case, and eliminating any possible gaps between them.

But it must be emphasized that when wearing the watch for any activity, notably swimming or diving, the screw down crown must always be screwed in firmly. The crown must not be used underwater because, well, that’s an obvious explanation, right?

After a few years, it’s also advised to get your diving watch’s water resistance tested. It is concerned that the watch’s gasket and seals have already started to wear down.

If you’re a committed diver, it’s crucial to keep your watch’s water resistance in tip-top shape to prevent any unintended issues.

6- Minute Hand And Second Hand Not Perfectly Aligned

The minute hand and second hand on automatic timepieces frequently do not line up exactly.

For instance, the minute hand is not exactly on top of any minute marker when the second hand is at the 12 o’clock position.

This results from incorrect time setting while removing the watch from the stop.

To be quite honest, this does not imply that there is a defect with the watch. Although the watch appears to be functioning well, this is unacceptable to those with a strong eye for detail.

I personally don’t like this either, but not because it looks bad. For me, a watch should be simple to read, and when the minute hand isn’t properly aligned, it makes timekeeping strange and bizarre.

So what do I do to avoid this problem?

I’ll reposition the minute hand to be precisely on top of the minute marker after stopping the second hand at the exact 12 o’clock position.

With a hacking movement, this is simple to accomplish; however, a non-hacking movement (such as the 7S26 found inside Seiko’s SKX watches) makes this slightly more challenging.

We must be more exact with those motions because the second hand does not stop. Therefore, as the second hand crosses 12 o’clock, the minute hand must move precisely.#

7- Automatic Watch Not Winding

Try to let the watch stop on its own if you think there is a problem with the hand-winding mechanism.

After then, pick it up and wind it by hand. After a few crown turns, the watch ought to wind itself. If it isn’t, there is a movement issue and a trip to your watchmaker is required to fix it.

8- Date/Day Display Don’t Change At The Right Time

The date and day indication don’t change appropriately is a frequent problem that I’ve personally experienced.

Those who wear analog timepieces with either of these features will undoubtedly notice a quick change in the date or day about noon.

he only reason for this is incorrect setting of the day/date.

We need to remember that automatic watch is not like an electronic watch. It does not know the current time (i.e am or pm). Which is why the day/date will simply change once the hour hand completes 2 rotations (or 24 hours).

So what’s the correct way of setting the day and date display?

Below is the step by step guide on how I change my date/day display on my watches:

The date and day should be changed to the day ONE day earlier. For instance, if today is Sunday, May 15, then we must modify the date to Saturday and the day to 14.
When the timer reaches 12:00, the date/day frame will have changed.
The internal time of the watch is in PM mode if there is no change. The watch will switch to the current day’s AM time with one more rotation. We can now make the appropriate adjustments.
If the day or date changes, the watch has simply entered the current time in AM mode. Once more, the watch needs to be adjusted appropriately.

Automatic/mechanical watches are a delicate piece of engineering and should always be treated delicately. Not to mention they cost way more than normal quartz watches. So I’d put them as the fancy sports car – expensive but have to be properly taken care off lol!

Thus, it is important for all automatic watch owners to know what can be done and what cannot be done to prevent from any unwanted and costly problems to their prized watches.