Strange Ways Timepieces Break and How to Prevent Them Part 2

In part one of this series, we tackled the first two strange ways a watch can break and how you can prevent them. This time, we’ll look at three more which could be bothering you and may not have addressed your initial concerns. 

If you want to preserve your watch’s authentic Seiko parts like their custom Seiko dials, read on!

Strange Way #3: Winding While Wearing

Setting your watch while wearing causes damage due to overwinding and overpulling the crown. As sturdy as mechanical timepieces are, their internal components are tiny, interconnected, and easily affected by slight changes in force. The unusual angle of setting the dial on your wrist risks the parts bending and misaligning the cogs that drive each mechanism, even if they are original Seiko parts or custom Seiko dials.

Not only do these result in the wrong time and date placements, but also breakage. Setting the hour while a watch is on the wrist risks overpulling and removing the crown. Yes, it looks suave and sophisticated, but it is not worth the risk of a busted timepiece and additional repair costs.

How to Prevent This

Set the correct time and date before wearing your watch, or take it off before doing so. Adjust the dials while the watch is on a level surface, such as a table, to preserve the alignment of all the internal components. This precaution ensures you will move the crown for the date and hour settings without exerting too much force.

Strange Way #4: Pressing the Crown Too Hard

If pulling the crown at an incorrect angle or too much force can destroy it, so does pushing it too hard. This applies to regular and diving watches, especially with the latter’s screw-down crown variant.

Gentle pushes to the crown keep it functioning. Usually, you should hear or feel two movements when pressing down (one for the hour mechanism, another for the date mechanism). There is a third for the screw-down component for diving watches, which keeps moisture out.

Hearing and feeling these clicks mean the crown is still correctly aligned. If it stops halfway or at any point when you push down, do not force it. There could already be prior damage to the alignment or component. Trying to fix it will lead to a crown and total case replacement.

How to Prevent This

Like the third strange way, never push the crown while wearing your beloved timepiece. Take it off and set it on a flat surface before doing so. Exert enough force to hear the two clicks, which means the mechanisms are locked in. If you’re screwing down a diver’s watch and it suddenly halts, unscrew and try again. Gently wobble the crown so that the screw matches the threading.

Strange Way #5: Skipping Regular Servicing

Applying these prevention tips may urge you to skip regularly servicing your watch. Please do not follow that motivation. Even if you avoid all the other strange ways a timepiece can break, they will not spare you from damage incurred from missing good old-fashioned maintenance checks.

Watch oils and lubricants dry up despite regular use, and gaskets degrade over time. Diving watches can suddenly show signs of internal moisture, which could mean some or most of the gears are rusting up.

How to Prevent This

Get your watch regularly serviced by your manufacturer. Depending on the kind you wear and how often you use it, they will advise either an annual (diving watch), biennial, triennial, or quinquennial checkup.

The Final Countdown

It could be minutes to midnight before your watch breaks down from these strangely-damaging ways. Remember to be gentle when using the crown and get it regularly serviced depending on how often you use it. If you forget everything else, bring your timepiece for regular maintenance so you get the manufacturer’s perspective on how to care for your beloved timepiece properly.

For more watch care tips and genuine Seiko parts in the UK, shop at Seiko Mods. We specialise in designing and manufacturing sapphire crystals and other client-specific parts for Seiko watches.