Winding action on way211a

I have a way 211a ceramic AR recently returned from service, something went wrong with the movement which made it impossible to wind, winding action was very stiff and it would cause the rotor to turn when I did. They won't tell me what was wrong but they fixed it and threw in a free polish so I was happy with that.

Now when I open the crown for winding, it pops into the open position but not totally because when I start to wind it, it feels like it catches on something very slightly which moves or shifts it a bit more before I can wind the watch freely.

I remember this also happened before but not all the time. I would like some feedback since I have not used the watch in over two months prior to sending it in for service. A few searches turned out something similar described by other users but nothing definitive.
Now what I do is I pull it all the way out and press it back before winding it to avoid the unpleasant sensation of it catching onto something before i can wind it. I would like to hear from other users if this is normal or not.

I had a similar issue with my AR Cal. 5 WAY2012. The manual winding seemed to be somehow blocked with some resistance. The watchmaker of the AD where I bought it said, this was normal for that calibre. But they offered me to send it to TH if I was willing to take the wait, which I did. TH fixed it and did some more overhaul like of the water resistance, all under guarantee. I was very content.

My way211 calibre 5 aquaracer is back with tag atm because of this fault.

@dtf, what was the cause they gave?

@Remo, it's not resistance, it just seems to catch on something which causes it to pop into the proper position for winding.I did have a lot of resistance prior to it the movement going bad. Glad you had yours resolved.

It's been a while since I used this watch regularly, but I'm pretty sure it was not this bad before. Now, almost every time I unscrew the crown and wind it I get this feeling like it catches on something no matter how I position the crown for winding.
If I unscrew it normally, it happens, if pull the crown all the way out and back again to where I feel the first position is for winding is, it does the same thing. Another thing I noticed when I wind it from a dead stop, I can wind it for about two to five turns before it happens. Not sure what that means.

I recently had a very well priced Superocean in my possession for a while which I passed on because I had decided to keep the AR only, but now I'm considering letting it go because of this.

Last time I checked, TAG haven't listed a fault, just that there is an issue and the repair should complete by early may(!).

Mine always kept terrible time, but got worse with wear and I think it got magnetised by an ipad case. After time I noticed that it stopped most nights, something like a 7 hour power reserve, and then realised the manual wind was very stiff and didn't wind the watch (because the second hand didn't start moving when it was being wound). Setting time and date still worked as the should.

I'll see how long it lasts when it comes back from TAG, it's not worked for so long I'm tempted to flip it and buy a black bay or rolex tbh. If I keep it I'll probably fit a quartz movement when the calibre 5 goes wrong again.

I am really curious how isograph will improve the notorious calibre5

The current one is really bad in the sense that i really love the design but dislike the movement.

Come on Tag Heuer, if others can use better 2824, you sure can do better as bigger manufacturer.

On the side note, calibre7 is very very very good. No wonder other manufacturer has been "exploiting" it for a while. I will definitely buy another aquaracer if it's a calibre7. The price wasn't huge different either.

I've been using mine on and off for several days since my last post. It was -2 in the crown up position prior to servicing and now it's +1 so I can't complain.

I dread everytime I have to wind it when it runs out of reserve. I have not been able to narrow down or find a pattern in what causes the sensation I described in my earlier post where it seems to catch on something and the crown slightly pops and repositions itself. I have to be really careful when winding it, I feel like I'm operating that puzzle from the Da Vinci code movie, that one that releases vinegar into a scroll if not done correctly.

It's a shame, I really have come to love this watch. It was not even on my list prior to attaining it. Now I can't be sure if I will keep it beyond the 12 months of warranty life it has left.

I guess we've all been looking at the same watches. I was checking out the calibre 7 aquaracer just two days ago and this morning I happened by a place selling a used black bay at a good price. I might get the AR pepsi or stainless BB if I decide to sell this on soon. I've never had to sell a watch because I did not have confidence in it's movement or robustness.

Im in exactly the same situation, I love the watch, but am tempted to sell it when it comes back from service and buy something more durable. The other option Im considering is fitting a quartz movement

I was actually thinking about the possibility of a 7s26 or the like, as a replacement. That would do it for me if something like that could be done.