Hi to the Calibre 11 TH Pack !
I try to figure out how precise our TH automatic watches are , over the time.
My Monaco Calibre 11, bought new 3 years go, is losing 30 seconds per day.
No big deal if I enjoy the beauty of my watch, but at a certain point, for the price I paid and in timelapse of 3 years I would have expected a better precision. I add that I don't wear it all day long, sometimes it stays a couple of days in its box.
Thanks for your feedback !

 

I have a different but related question.

How long does it take to fully wind an automatic, and how long does the power reserve last?

I.e. do you actually get the advertised number of hours' reserve? I seem to get about half of what I expect before they stop.

I've only ever had two automatics, so my experience is very limited.

 

My Kirium Chronometer with ETA 2892-A2 lasted 51 hrs (specs said 48 hrs). I tested it after a full service, I did find it difficult to know when it was full (manually winding). The Carrera 360 has the same movement but still haven't tried that yet.

 

Thanks for the link Hubert. I was wondering if members of the forum here were experiencing the same issue

 

Were those automatics with half the power reserve purchased new, or used? If new, did they run shorter right from the start?

In my experience with new watches, the stated power reserve is often outperformed.

How long it takes to fully wind an automatic, is about 50 turns of the crown or a day or so of wear on the wrist. You can also hear a clutch slip when you wind it by hand, it sounds like a small tick after you've wound it up.

 

Losing 30 seconds a day is a lot to me. Try making sure it has a good wind-up charge, if it's still loses 30 secs a day, it maybe time for servicing.

My oldest Monaco, a Cal 12, is 9 years old. When it was new, it was about +8 secs/day. About 4 years ago I noticed it was losing time, around 30 secs a day. Took it in for service and it was back to about +8 secs again.

 

Your mechanical ones keep excellent time Albert

 

Hi Albert, which watch winder did you buy, or which would you recommend?

 

Should a stopped automatic start ticking again with a bit of winding alone? Just winding doesn't seem to set my Calibre 11 off, it needs a little shake too (i.e. turn the watch upside down and right side up a couple of times). Is this normal?

The watches were purchased new, but have not yet had much use. Maybe they need to be worn-in a little? I've never heard a clutch-slip, but my hearing isn't great having been on the barrier at Motorhead 26 times... (plus other bands of course!) Once fully wound (I think), the crown simply won't turn any further.

 

I found my Dad's old Citizen in a drawer yesterday, don't know how accurate it is, but I shook it once and it started going - it must have been in the drawer for six months... I don't get how it does that.

 

These won't do that - I don't actually know of any automatic that will. The clutch slips when it's fully wound, so that the rotor can continue to spin without overwinding it. Not all automatics have an audible click, for instance my JLCs are silent, but any TAG I've had has quite an audible click. (Which I should say I actually prefer, so I know it's fully wound as I wind it)

 

Sounds like it needs a service then - though are you sure you're winding the Cal 11 properly? You'll need to wind it backwards (or upside down, dial up) because of the left-side crown placement.

If you're already doing that, then yes I'd say it needs a service.

 

Thanks for the help. Hopefully it's just because I'm a noob and I'm doing things incorrectly It would be pretty unlucky for a new automatic (1 year old, barely worn) to need a service - I hope?

 

Saw this guide on winding depending on the Calibre / TH movement. Can’t entirely say it is accurate but might be able to help (TPD - turns per day)

 

That means the rotor is bi-directional (not all are) - but winding via the crown still requires clockwise movement.