8 Issues With Automatic Watches and How to Fix Them

An automatic watch is a great addition to your accessories roster. It has the ability to really pull together your look and fell. Automatic watches have many benefits, including that they have more longevity than manual watches, with an indefinite lifespan. While your watch is undoubtedly great, you could experience some common issues with automatic watches. This happens even to the highest end timepieces.  Here we have put together a roundup of common issues with automatic watches and how to solve them.

Issues With Automatic Watches and How to Fix Them…

1. The Day and Date Display Doesn’t Change When it Should

If your watch isn’t showing the correct date or time, there are a few things you can do to fix it. It’s important to remember an automatic watch is more complex than a manual one. You should never change the day or date of your watch when the time’s between 9 pm or 3 am. This is when the gears are most active so it can cause more damage.

To fix the issues, change the date and day to a day before the current one. Move the needle to 12:00 and you should see the date and day change. If it doesn’t, the watch’s time is in PM mode, if it does, it means it’s in AM mode.

2. It is Not Winding

If your watch isn’t winding, try to leave the watch and let it stop by itself. Once this has happened, give it a go hand-winding it and see if that makes a difference. If not, you will need to get it taken into a professional to get it seen to and avoid any further damage.

3. There is Fogging Inside of the Watch

There are many reasons the inside of your automatic watch could end up fogged up. For example, in cold weather going between the low temperatures outside and the warmer temperatures inside can cause this, or if your water-resistant watch is underwater for too long. It could be that the seal to your watch has won overtime. There also might be a hole or crack in the casing.

There are a few ways that you can fix this, including putting your watch in a rice bed or with silica gel sachets to help draw out the moisture. You could put it in sunlight on a warm day or try to dry it with a hairdryer, but it is important not to leave this heat on it for too long or in the same place as it can damage the watch.

4. It Constantly Stops and Starts

If your watch constantly stops and starts it is a good idea to try manually winding it. If not, you will need to get it to a repair shop as it could be that dirt and debris have got into your watch causing it not to work as it should. You might have a broken part or it could have been de-magnetized. The watch shop can sort this out for you.

5. It is Running to Fast/to Slow

If your watch is running too fast it could be because your hairspring coils are magnetized making the coils stick together. It could also be because the temperature of where you are is too hot or slow, or if you have dropped your watch and it has altered the inner components. Gravity can also have an impact on your watch running too fast or too slow, for example, if you leave it with the watch dial looking up or down for too long. Keep track of the best position for your watch to be kept in to ensure it has the best performance.

There are apps you can get to check the accuracy of your watch over 24 hours, but the best way is to use a timegrapher that can accurately measure this. It records the health of the movement of the watch and gives you detailed information on the health of your device.

6. It Stops Working When You Take It Off

Your watch should have about 35-40 hours of movement when it has been fully wound, so if it keeps stopping working when you take it off, it could indicate a problem.  Try fully winding it by hand and leaving it, to see how long it ran for before it stopped. If it is within the range it might be that you just aren’t active enough during the day to get it charged, or it has a deeper issue that needs to be looked at. Take it in to a professional and they will be able to help you to see what the issue is and get it fixed for you.

7. The Hands of the Watch aren’t Aligned as they Should Be

If your watch hands aren’t quite aligned, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there is anything wrong with it. The reason it occurs is due to the parts that move the hands. They are controlled by mechanical parts and these can vary slightly depending on a few different factors in the process. It doesn’t mean that it will get worse over time. Sometimes the difference can be so small it won’t affect you. If you have a hackling movement, stop the second hand exactly at the 12 o’clock position, then move the minute hand to be on top. If that doesn’t work, a professional can try and sort it for you.

8. It Stops Working While you are Wearing It

If your watch stops when wearing it, try using a timeograph to measure the watch’s movements when you are not wearing it and see how long it lasts. Try wearing it and moving your wrist more to give it extra power and see if this fixes it, but if not it could be due for a service.

How Does an Auctomatic Watch Work

When you are looking into issues with an automatic watch, it’s helpful to understand how the mechanics work. See the video below to better understand the internal mechanics of automatic timpeieces.

Authorized Service to Fix Issues with Automatic Watches

If you have an automatic watch and it is still under warranty, you may want to consider an authorized service center. Most watch manufacturers have a statement in their warranty that any unauthorized work will void the warranty. That means if you or a local repair shop do any work on it, the warrnty is voided.

If the timepiece is still active, for most brands 2 years from the purchase date, then consider reaching out to the authorized service center. If your problems are covered then the work will be done for free. Any issue not covered they will give you an estimate on the repair cost.

Automatic Watch Internal Components

Issues With Vintage Automatic Watches

If you have a vintage automatic watch you may want to seek a restoration service instead of a repair shop. A restoration service doesn’t just repair problems, but knows where to find parts that fit the watch. They also consider how their work impacts the overall value of the watch to a collector. Often when it comes to restoring an old automatic watch, doing less is bette.  Any good resto shop may even advise against certain repairs.

Issues With Automatic Watches – Conclusion

These are just a few common issues with automatic watches and how you can solve them. The majority of issues can be solved on their own by you at home. If the extent of the problem is severe, or if the same problem keeps on happening, you might need to get it seen to by a professional.