300M Chrono Diver - Indexing, Minute hand loose when setting

[kremzeek]

Sorry if the subject line makes no sense - I didn't really know how to word my question...

First, some background: I started reading this forum a few months ago when I was researching Omega in general and then the Seamaster line. I ended up getting a Seamaster 300M Chrono Diver in black:

http://www.omegawatches.com/gents/se...21330424001001

I got it from the FAD - amazing price, excellent service, and the watch arrived *perfect* in every way. I love it. I know that I have OCD with gadgets and especially my watches. Most of my everyday watches are Solar Atomic G-Shocks and I check that they sync up every night. My other watches then get sync'd up manually every few weeks.

This Omega was my first "expensive" watch, and my 2nd automatic (I have a cheap $80 Invicta automatic/Japanese Miyota movement that is styled after a the Rolex Submariner). The first thing I noticed was the excellent fit & finish of the Omega. Everything felt "tight" and the hands would line up perfectly. The chrono seconds hand would like up perfectly with the :00 tick mark, and the triangle marker on the bezel was also perfectly aligned. Subdials were also right on-mark. When setting the watch, the minute hands felt "tight" when turning the crown (my Invicta is way looser, and always has been). There was never any "play", looseness, or "wobble" in the crown or minute hand, and I also noticed how the minute hand would line up perfectly based on where the seconds were. For example, at :00 seconds, the minute hand would be perfectly aligned with 11:03am, then at :15 seconds, the minute hand would be about a quarter of the way between 11:03 and 11:04. Then at :30 seconds, the minute hand would be exactly halfway between 11:03 and 11:04 -- etc. etc.

Here's where things may have gone south:

The other night I noticed that the watch had stopped because I had not worn or wound it in a few days. It was about 10pm, so I wound the date forward to the previous day's date, and then turned the minutes/hours forward to flip the date to the current date, and then set the hours & minutes. I twisted the crown kind of fast, and I'm concerned that I may have done some internal damage . I now notice when setting the time that the crown is a tiny bit "loose" (maybe a quarter of a turn) and the minute hand can "wobble" about the distance between 2 tick marks on the dial when the crown moves. I don't remember it being like this when I first got the watch and think it might've been tighter.


I read in some posts (after the fact) that you shouldn't set the date between 9pm and 6am as it may damage some internal gears, and that you should avoid turning the minutes/hours too much for the same reason.

I've always seen a very high level of experience and expertise in this forum (which is why I've stuck around ), and I'm hoping you guys can shed some light... so here are some questions.

1. How many times should you twist the crown when winding it up after the watch has stopped? (I'm pretty sure there's an overwinding protection in there.)

2. Specifically for this watch - and the Omega 1164 movement - is it a bad thing to set the date at night?

3. Does your minute hand have any free or loose movement when the crown is pulled out all the way (when setting the time)? Does this happen naturally over time (normal wear a few months or years of ownership, etc.) Should I be at all worried? Does your watch crown still feel tight?

4. Is it possible to do damage to the watch by twisting the crown too fast (either when setting the time or when winding it)? Should one generally avoid turning the crown more than 12 or 24 hours?

5. Does the position of your minute hand line up based on where the seconds are? (i.e. minute hand right on the tick mark at :00 seconds, quarter of the way at :15 seconds, halfway between tick marks at 30 seconds, three quarters at :45 seconds, then directly back on the next tick mark at :59 or :00 seconds)

I think I may have found the solution to #5... if the current time is 4:21 (assume on time.gov), I'll stop the watch when the seconds are at :00. Then I'll turn the crown (and minute hand) forward to 4:25, and then slowly and gently back to 4:22. This puts the "looseness" (I can't think of a better term - perhaps "play"?) ahead of the minute hand, rather than behind it. When the time turns 4:22, I'll push in the crown. (Note that 4:22 is only an example - it could be 9:38, 11:03, 7:46 etc.)

Looking forward to hearing your comments, and thanks in advance! My OCD appreciates it

-Ed

[himmelblau]

Hi Ed,

I can help you with question number 1. It should be about 60 full turns of the crown but as we are unable to turn the crown through a full turn, you should wind the watch until you hear a click this is the over-wind mechanism kicking in.

Being slightly deaf, I hold the watch close to my ear when winding it and can hear the mechanism click when it is fully wound.

Re question number 5; I copied this from another post explaining this phenomenon and what to do:

"It is a normal behavior (for example, the Omega Dynamic Chrono has the same issue, which really is not an issue, more an annoyance ).

Thus, when setting the time at, say, 2:30 against an atomic clock, here's what you do:

On your watch, you pull the crown when the small seconds hand arrives at ‘0’

1. You advance the minutes hand (always forward) to 2:29:5 (i.e., halfway between 29mn and 30mn).
2. When your atomic clock hits 2:29 (and NOT 2:30), you push back the crown, engaging the movement. The small seconds hands will start right away but your minutes hand will not move for the first thirty seconds or so.
3. After thirty seconds the slack will be absorbed by the minutes hand and will start moving towards the 2:30 marker.
   
4. At 2:30, the minutes and seconds hands should be synced together and with your atomic clock.

Hard to explain in writing. Hopefully this is clear enough."

Brian

[kremzeek]

Hi Ed,

I can help you with question number 1. It should be about 60 full turns of the crown but as we are unable to turn the crown through a full turn, you should wind the watch until you hear a click this is the over-wind mechanism kicking in.

Being slightly deaf, I hold the watch close to my ear when winding it and can hear the mechanism click when it is fully wound.

Re question number 5; I copied this from another post explaining this phenomenon and what to do:

"It is a normal behavior (for example, the Omega Dynamic Chrono has the same issue, which really is not an issue, more an annoyance ).

Thus, when setting the time at, say, 2:30 against an atomic clock, here's what you do:

On your watch, you pull the crown when the small seconds hand arrives at ‘0’

1. You advance the minutes hand (always forward) to 2:29:5 (i.e., halfway between 29mn and 30mn).
2. When your atomic clock hits 2:29 (and NOT 2:30), you push back the crown, engaging the movement. The small seconds hands will start right away but your minutes hand will not move for the first thirty seconds or so.
3. After thirty seconds the slack will be absorbed by the minutes hand and will start moving towards the 2:30 marker.
4. At 2:30, the minutes and seconds hands should be synced together and with your atomic clock.

Hard to explain in writing. Hopefully this is clear enough."

Brian

Thanks for your reply!

You've definitely put my mind at ease that "slack" (the word I've been looking for) is normal. I tested the method you listed, and it does work. I appreciate the advice, though (and certainly not to be contrary) I think my method of moving the minutes forward more than you need and then gently easing back to the time setting you want is a *tiny* bit more accurate. If your OCD drives you to nitpick at these things (which mine unfortunately does), doing it this way has the slack "already absorbed" and takes away the guesswork or chance of how much slack needs to be absorbed by the minute hand when it catches up. I think it all comes down to which method works better for the user and is easier to accomplish.

Note to other readers of this thread -- the point isn't to sync the watch perfectly to the atomic clock as an automatic will (likely) noticeably gain or lose time within 12-24 hours after being synced. The point of this is to get the minute hands to move proportionately in-step with the second hand.

I'd still love to hear people's opinions on questions 2, 3, #4.

Thanks again!