7S26 Gaining Time

[newkid]

Hello Everyone,

A month ago I purchased a brand new Seiko SKX023 with a 7S26 movement. Now the watch is gaining about two minutes per day. Can this much deviance be regulated? Is this something that I can do or must it be brought to a watchsmith? Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks
N.K.

[stockae92]

how was the watch running before?

that seems to be way fast

possibily magnetized?

some watch markers have machines to de-magnetize it

[newkid]

It seemed to run about 1/2 minute fast when I first got it. Thanks for the information about being magnetized.

N.K.

[Angelis]

Hey NK:

I hope all is well. I hope this info helps...

With the Swiss ETAs, and many other watch movements (regardless of country of origin), good performance may be related to the manipulation of one or more of the following factors:


position of watch while resting (face up/down; crown up/down)
temperature
hours worn vs. hours at rest (6-8 hrs. daily & consistent is normal)
Keep in mind that the 7s26 is one of Seiko's base models, and at the level of the Seiko you purchased, they are unadjusted. Try manipulating each of the points outlined above. What might be helpful is that you keep records on the changes you see. After all, this is one of the technical joys of owning automatic watches.

Keep me posted.

Angelis

[N_Jay]

What is the expected accuracy of the 7s26?

My son wears his all the time and it runs fast. (about a min a day)

It has always been this way. I had heard that you should let a watch "break-in" for a year before getting it adjusted.

[Angelis]

Hey N Jay:

See my post to NK. I lend the same advice to you.


Keep in mind that the 7S26 is a base movement, and that it is no where near chronometer grade---but it has been known to be extremely reliable.


Hope this helps,

Angelis

[motorboat]

I have 3 7S26 movements and all 3 of them run between 25 and 30 secs fast per 24 hours. I wear them all the time, I have kept them on winders when not wearing, kept them in awatch box when not wearing, none of that has affected how fast they run. That's just how they are. My brother has a Black Monster that runs 5 secs per 24 hours so I guess he got lucky. I still absolutely love my Seiko autos in spite of them running fast. I plan on buying a Land Shark soon.

[turboBB]

I have the Land Shark (7s36) that is currently running about +15/day but this is in the crown down position otherwise, it's closer to +30 if I lay it dial up.

[newkid]

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for your suggestions. To add to my woes, two days ago the Seiko 7S26 stopped working altogether. Yesterday, I brought it to a local watch dealer. They do not repair watches in-house but job them out. I'll know its' fate on Tuesday.

I purchased it new one month ago from an overseas dealer on eBay. To say I'm disappointed is an understatement. My only other Seiko is one I purchased in 1972. It is still running all these years and never been serviced.

N.K.

[Adanac]

My Black Monster gains about 2sec/day

[Angelis]

Hey Newkid:


So sorry to hear about your Seiko. Some advice: be very careful where you buy watches on the Internet.

Also, keep in mind that you never know what the previous owner of the watch did to it--wear/tear; and also, have you noticed that many folks open up their watches to photograph them on the websites--do you really want to own a watch that someone else (regardless if they are jewelers or enthusiasts) has opened and potentially toyed with, let alone the water resistancy being broken. Also, you will want to make sure that you receive all the necessary documentation that belongs to your watch. No instruction booklet included is a serious red flag.


When you buy a watch on the Internet, some things to look for:

Look for trusted websites/companies
Look at customer reviews of their purchasing experiences on that site
Check for the BBB (Better Business Bureau) logo
Check for the E-Trust Logo
Be careful when buying from just an ordinary person who's selling a watch
Look for a return policy, without a re-stocking fee

God bless,

Angelis

[greendiver]

Mine runs 9 seconds/day.

Cheers...-.-

[Joukowski]

Depends on how I wear them and the state of wind the main spring is in...

Orange monster = -4 to +8 sec/day typically around +4sec/day
Black monster = +3 to +20sec/day typically aroundd +9sec/day
Seiko 5 = -6 to +6sec/day typically +1 or +2 sec/day

[nex]

Hello Everyone,

A month ago I purchased a brand new Seiko SKX023 with a 7S26 movement. Now the watch is gaining about two minutes per day. Can this much deviance be regulated? Is this something that I can do or must it be brought to a watchsmith? Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks
N.K.

I just bought one 7s26B ... played with adjusting it...so far it loses about 40sec in 3 weeks !! not bad I would say... when I got it brand new it was running fast about 15sec a day or so... I will adjust it one more time after the one month 'trial' is over ... the model is snxj89k

nex

[Token]

I purchased a brand new Seiko SKX023... the watch is gaining about two minutes per day.

Two minutes a day is pretty fast... My rule of thumb is that if a watch has to be adjusted more than once a week, it's not acceptable... My new A35 was gaining about 30 seconds a day, which I thought was fairly poor. However I've noticed over the last few days that it seems to lose the extra time if I lay the watch dial up overnight. It's still too early to tell how well this is working, but I am hopeful it will keep the watch close to 'acceptable'.

In your situation, I would experiment with your overnight positioning and see what happens, assuming the work you are having done on it doesn't set things to rights.