Am I expecting too much?

[fluppyboy]

Hi everyone,

I know nothing is perfect, and most of my watches show this issue to some extent, but... the last two (German) watches that I bought, both of them had a lagging hour hand. In both cases, the hour hand is lagging behind the minute hand, by two or three minutes.

This is especially noticeable on my Flieger, because of the precise nature of the dial and hands, and especially at 6 o'clock! I have already had my other watch adjusted under warranty, and will most probably send the Flieger away for adjustment as well, but it does make me wonder: Do I expect too much? I have this issue with other watches as well, to a lesser extent. Some have the hour hand slightly ahead, some slightly behind, the minute hand. On most watches this is not an issue, but when it's more than two minutes or so, and on a dial that is as precise as a Flieger, it can be really noticeable.

What do you think? Do I expect too much?

[HoungMao]

By lagging, do you mean that it's not aligned? If that is the case it is a minor repair. Bring it to a watch repair shop and have them re-align it for you. It's a pretty simple job, remove the hands then push them back in.

[mat_]

i dont think you are.
I'm not familiar with the watches you've mentioned and hence their price and quality but i dont think its too much to expect that our watches function as close to perfectly as possible. Last year i sent my B&M back twice under warranty because i was unhappy that the power reserve hand wasnt going all the way to 0 (zero) when the spring was totally unwound.

When i can own a $100 seiko automatic that keeps better or about the same time that other more expensive swiss watches ive come across can keep, i think thats pretty poor. It makes you wonder...whats the point? I recently had to send my quartz tag back to the dealer after i had the battery changed for the first time, it just decided to stop keeping time. It made me think..well..what the bloody point, when ive owned seikos and known folks who've owned seikos for a decade that have never missed a beat.

[fluppyboy]

By lagging, do you mean that it's not aligned? If that is the case it is a minor repair. Bring it to a watch repair shop and have them re-align it for you. It's a pretty simple job, remove the hands then push them back in.

I know this, the question is whether I expect too much? Both watches were over $400, both considered good brands. And don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing the brands, they are great watches, I just wonder why they can't be better aligned out of the shop...

[paulie485]

Since I've started paying attention to this issue, my most accurate watch turns out to be a $500 Seiko Sumo. My IWC Aquatimer is not far behind, but that gives me pause when I reflect on the difference between a $500 watch and a $3500 watch. (I leave out the quartz movements, llike my SMP Quartz, which of course blow the others away on accuracy).

[Eric L.]

I think the hands should be lined up, so no you are not making an unreasonable request. But if you are seeing it on every consecutive watches, either you are very unlucky or detecting something that most people miss.

[fluppyboy]

I think the hands should be lined up, so no you are not making an unreasonable request. But if you are seeing it on every consecutive watches, either you are very unlucky or detecting something that most people miss.

I only started paying real attention after I had to send my other watch back. Once you pay close attention, just about any watch will show some misalignment, even if only extremely slight. That said, the misalignment on the Flieger is very noticeable too. A two-minute misalignment might not sound like much, but on a watch with sharp, pointed hands and a precise dial, that stands out!

[e2k]

I don't think you are. I'm pretty much the same, even though I only have a couple of affordables in my collection. The hour hand lags ~5 mins on my SKX007, and it still bugs me a little. Luckily it is easily corrected (still doesn't bug me enough). But I imagine that I'd get frustrated if it happened on a watch I've put a pile of cash on