How to start a watch: a complete guide

How to start a watch, who needs to accomplish it, and what else is the crown capable of? For sure, any owner of a mechanical watch would ask these questions at least once. Answering them, we will take a short excursion into history to find out: how did the watch start before?

Crown location

The standard arrangement of the crown of a mechanical watch is “at 3 o’clock”, that is, in the far right position, if you look directly at the dial. Less common are “4 hours” models, but they are not surprising either, rather they give an additional touch to the product’s style. By the way, this arrangement of the head can cause discomfort when worn by a right-handed person on his left hand. In particular, V.V. Putin complained about this, who therefore wears a watch on his right hand, although he is a right-hander. Add info: for left-handed people there is a watch with a 9-hour watch.

3 o'clock crown

But before, the crown was not always in the usual place. In a pocket watch, it was located at the highest point, and in a wristwatch it was completely absent: its function was performed by a winding key on the side of the case. Given this, the current position of the head is optimal in terms of plant convenience.

Watch winding principle

In a mechanical watch, hands move thanks to the energy of a tightened coil spring. Over time, it unfolds, so it needs to be twisted which happens as a result of the circular movement of the crown. Unwinding, the spring again sets in motion a clockwork mechanism through a system of teeth and gears. Accordingly, if the spring completely loses energy, then the watch stops.

The mere fact of stopping a mechanical watch is not critical. Yes, with constant plant shutdowns, the resource of some parts is reduced. However, in the application to modern mechanisms, the inconvenience is only to periodically set the correct time and start the watch. To mitigate this inconvenience, engineers introduced the automatic winding function - when the spring is twisted with a simple shake of the watch. But there are classic models without automatic winding that need to be started manually. How often should this be done and how to avoid mistakes?

NIKA mechanical watches
with skeletonized dial

HOW TO START THE WATCH

Only a mechanical watch needs a winding. The quartz watch is powered by a battery, you do not need to start it, and the crown is purely decorative.

The quartz watch does not need a factory

A mechanical watch must be let down with the movement of the crown “clockwise”. The movements should be smooth, without sharp scrolling, as in this case, the winding mechanism may be damaged. You need to “tighten” the spring until you feel a taut motion: this means that the spring is fully cocked. Usually this requires no more than 15-20 revolutions.

Moreover, if the head rotates tight always, even at the beginning of the plant, this may indicate a malfunction of the mechanism or problems with lubrication. In this case, it is better to consult a specialist.

Setting the date and time using the crown

The crowns in mechanical and quartz watches function differently. If in quartz moving the head to the far right means opening the battery (that is, the watch stops), then in mechanics the same position is used to set the date. In this case, the rotation of the head back (counterclockwise) can lead to a breakdown of the calendar mechanism, if any, in the watch.

Mechanical watch with a calendar function

It is better to set the date around 6 o'clock when the mechanism has a maximum safety. If the time approaches 12 o'clock, the mechanism starts converting the time itself, which is why it is preferable to refrain from tuning, since there is a high risk of a mechanism breaking.

Finally, the main tip about winding frequency. Some models can live on a cocked spring for 48 hours which is equivalent to two days. However, it is desirable that the spring is in a state close to cocked. A simple tip could be applied to achieve this state. By starting a mechanical watch at about the same time daily it will serve you without any failures and breakdowns for the next few years!