Home Forums General Discussion Forum Watch Hands Have Either Moved, or Were Installed Incorrectly

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  • #49303
    maitai11
    Participant

      Hi Guys,

      This RELIC Automatic winding watch I own has an hour hand that is off a bit. Please see the pic. I’m thinking of opening it up to correct the problem. Does anyone know if it would be a big deal?

      Thanks,

      Tim

      #60245
      chris mabbott
      Participant

        No biggie Tim, just remove the movement, remove the hands and reinstall them properly aligned to the hour markers.

        You might want to sharpen a couple of toothpicks to manipulate the hands and avoid marring the dial face..
        If you have round peg wood, you can quickly make yourself a pusher. Make sure that it has a hole in the end to accept the post..

        #60246
        bernie weishapl
        Participant

          Not a big deal at all. Chris gave you some good advice and I just did it on a pocket watch. I took the hands off and re-positioned them. All is good.

          #60247
          maitai11
          Participant

            Thanks Guys :) I appreciate that!

            Tim

            #60248
            maitai11
            Participant

              Oh, and by the way…will I have to do anything to retain the water resistance, other than replacing the rubber gasket that comes with the watch? Thanks Guys…

              Tim

              #60249
              gerene
              Participant

                You should at least use some silicon grease on the gasket before replacing it and it would be best to test if it is waterproof in a special machine. You probably don’t have such a machine, neither do i ;)

                Jan

                #60250
                maitai11
                Participant

                  Thank you Jan :)

                  Would dielectric grease do the trick, do you know?

                  Best,

                  Tim

                  #60251
                  chris mabbott
                  Participant

                    OK, here we go again with the continuing adventures of should or should not, or as it’s called in Switzerland, you have to because we said and we rule so NAH 😆

                    A watch gasket is simply an o-ring, round or flat. The materials and sizes differ, but they all do exactly the same job.

                    1. They prevent something getting out
                    2. They prevent something getting in
                    2. Both of the above.

                    The sealing effect is created in a number of ways… but basically, there is a slight cut-out around either one, or two mating surfaces to be sealed. The o-ring is sized so that when the two pieces are sandwiched together, they will squeeze the seal, thus forming a tight, impervious to whatever, seal..

                    Historically, a thin film of hydraulic oil was applied to an o-ring when one of the mating parts was female, and the other was male, and this part had to slide into a space, past the o-ring, which sounds very pleasant ;) . The thin film of oil was to help the mating part to slide past the ring without disturbing its location in its seat. Because dry rubber and dry metal have a high coefficient of friction, so the ring will move.

                    So, on a watch cover, you either have a snap back or a screw back, a snap back case has a flat seal, this requires no lube, it isn’t necessary to the seal effect as it’s the rubber being compressed that seals NOT the grease.

                    A screw back is slightly different, because you have a metal suface revolving against a dry rubber surface, what will happen?
                    So for this case, ANY thin, low viscosity liquid that won’t eat the seal will suffice, you can even use spit to cut down the momentary friction from screw compressing the seal. Once the compression has been completed, i.e the lid has been correctly torqued down to spec. it’s done and dusted.

                    The idea of applying a lubricant to a seal for better sealing performance is misplaced, like so many other “rules”.
                    The “rule” that should be adhered to is that a watch should be serviced every three to five years, depending on conditions. During this service, the old seal should be discarded and replaced with a new one, simply because it is now flat and incapable of providing a proper seal.
                    This is possibly where adding grease to an old seal to improve it, rather than changing it, originated from.

                    Grease is a high viscosity substance, it can actually interfere with the seals capacity to seal as you are adding an extra layer to its diameter and creating a kind of hydraulic effect. Fluids cannot exceed their space under compression, the container will either break or the fluid seeks an exit of least resistance. That exit on a watch is either inside the movement, outside on your arm or both.

                    There is the school of thought that thinks that lubrication will prolong the seals life, that may be true to an extent, depending on material, but our seal is the compression type, so anything that may seek refuge inside it, on a molecular level, has no room. plus the mating parts will squeeze out any lubricating film.. Dont forget that most seals made are non porous, you can drop one in oil for a week, then wipe it dry and it won’t have absorbed any oil. Obviously paper, leather, cork seals etc are different, but usually it’s a composition seal that is used in a water resistant/proof watch.

                    Think of your sandwich, Mmm lettuce and tomato, with a nice smear of mayo. When you bite into it, the mayo squeezes out the sides.

                    So I would suggest, everytime the cover is removed, especially if it’s an old seal, change it for the correct sized new one, don’t fill the gap with grease.

                    #60252
                    maitai11
                    Participant

                      Thank you, O’ Encyclopedia Española de Espaniard :)

                      Awesome info, Chris, love that mayo reference…No, I mean, I REALLY LOVE mayo!!! Haha.

                      I will most probably take a risk, as this watch is brand new, within the year or so…unless said o-ring looks like it needs to be changed :ugeek:

                      Chat soon,

                      Tim :D

                      #60253
                      chris mabbott
                      Participant

                        You’re welcome grasshopper,
                        First you must feel “the force” only then can you truly appreciate the POWER…. of the force :ugeek: 😆

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