Faulty link Tag 7750

[Lucio69]

Hi,

After reading for weeks the forums and reviews, I ordered a TAG Heuer Link from Silix 15 days ago, after a pleasant transaction complete with tracking, two days of Quality Control and many cordial emails, I finally received the watch. No doubt its a beautifully crafted and near perfect replica and so is the box that came with it..

- but there is a BIG problem, the watch gains about a minute every 5 minutes, basically im traveling in the future!!

Any suggestions on how (if possible) to fix the fault?

Thanks to all,

Lucio

PS

A quick technical update, I noticed something really odd:

The watch GAINS a minute or so every 5 minutes during normal use, but if I let it run with the cronograph on, it LOSES a minute every 5 minutes instead, maybe this can tickle some expert mind...

Thanks,

Lucio

[14060 or 16610?]

Hi,

After reading for weeks the forums and reviews, I ordered a TAG Heuer Link from Silix 15 days ago, after a pleasant transaction complete with tracking, two days of Quality Control and many cordial emails, I finally received the watch. No doubt its a beautifully crafted and near perfect replica and so is the box that came with it..

- but there is a BIG problem, the watch gains about a minute every 5 minutes, basically im traveling in the future!!

Any suggestions on how (if possible) to fix the fault?

Thanks to all,

Lucio

PS

A quick technical update, I noticed something really odd:

The watch GAINS a minute or so every 5 minutes during normal use, but if I let it run with the cronograph on, it LOSES a minute every 5 minutes instead, maybe this can tickle some expert mind...

Thanks,

Lucio

The movement needs service, including adjustment and regulation. Activating the chrono puts more pieces into motion, creating slightly more drag; that's why it slows down considerably when the chrono is activated.

[Lucio69]

The movement needs service, including adjustment and regulation. Activating the chrono puts more pieces into motion, creating slightly more drag; that's why it slows down considerably when the chrono is activated.

Thanks for your answer, could you reccomend anyone that does service in the UK?

L.

[Lucio69]

When I buy one new,Shouldnt i get a watch that doesnt require service straight away though?

[Dudemeister]

The movement needs service, including adjustment and regulation. Activating the chrono puts more pieces into motion, creating slightly more drag; that's why it slows down considerably when the chrono is activated.

That's not exactly correct. There is a A7750 Myths page somewhere that deals with the do and don'ts as well as with the myths about the A7750.

Runnin the Chrono on teh A7750 should NOT affect it's time keeping accuracy, certainly not to the point of being able to tell the difference, much less to the point of loosing 2 minutes for every 5 minutes it runs (1 min.fast/chrono off, 1 min.slow chrono on).

Given the HUGE discrepancy you're seeing in the first place (the watch is off by over 20%), I would say that there is somehting really wrong with it, and yes, you should be able to get some kind of action from the dealer you bought it from. None of us here would accept a watch that is this badly adjusted (or not adjusted).

I found the A7750 myths file, and below is an excerpt desribing what happens when you start the chrono:

Only two things happen when you start a 7750 chrono

1. The tilting pinion (which is running ALL the time) tilts over and engages into the center chrono seconds gear. The center seconds chrono gear has slight friction, in fact it

[Lucio69]

Thanks for your answer, that gives me some grounds on what to discuss with the dealer which, for the time being, is being sympathetic. I will wait until Monday then , if the fault is still that bad (Dealer, jay at Silix, says that that can hasppen when a watch is new and sometimes it settles itself with the time) I will decide what to do. I am sure Jay will be happy to replace it. Sunday I will meet a friend (he is a 60+ years old watchmaker from Luxembourg) and he will also give me some hints. Thanks a million!

By the way, how can you tell what movement is the one in the watch, can you direct me to some pictures or tutorials? (Its supposed to to be the new A7750 28800 Bph 21 jewels I believe?)

Thanks,

L.

[Dudemeister]

Dealer, jay at Silix, says that that can hasppen when a watch is new and sometimes it settles itself with the time

I hate to say this but that's really nonsense. A watch with a problem like yours will never "settle".

What Jay might be talking about happens on watches that have been over oiled, and/or are dirty. If they sit in one place for along time, the oil forms tiny little pools, which increase the friction. Also, if the movement is dirty, the impurities mix in with the oils, which contributes to the movement getting "gummed up". In this case, the moment won't even start, or starts and stops all the time.

In either case, this is NOT a good thing. Don't waste any more time, and have them replace your watch.

As for tutorials on the A7750, there are many here, just do a search in the Knowledge Base section. The Zigmeister, By-Tor, Francisco, they've all done fantastic tear downs and tutorials with pictures. You can also got to the original manufacturer's site for a great interactive dis-assembly tutorial ETA 7750 .

Good luck, and don't let this one bad experience deter you from collecting chrono watches.

[Lucio69]

Thank you, as I am new to the hobby I am keen and need to learn, ah and about the bad experience; no way, its not a problem, if everything would be perfect i would lose interest I like challenges, I always liked making my life more complicated than it is, whats best than a dodgy watch movement for that!?

Thanks,

L.

[14060 or 16610?]

That's not exactly correct. There is a A7750 Myths page somewhere that deals with the do and don'ts as well as with the myths about the A7750.

Runnin the Chrono on teh A7750 should NOT affect it's time keeping accuracy, certainly not to the point of being able to tell the difference, much less to the point of loosing 2 minutes for every 5 minutes it runs (1 min.fast/chrono off, 1 min.slow chrono on).

Given the HUGE discrepancy you're seeing in the first place (the watch is off by over 20%), I would say that there is somehting really wrong with it, and yes, you should be able to get some kind of action from the dealer you bought it from. None of us here would accept a watch that is this badly adjusted (or not adjusted).

I found the A7750 myths file, and below is an excerpt desribing what happens when you start the chrono:

Only two things happen when you start a 7750 chrono

1. The tilting pinion (which is running ALL the time) tilts over and engages into the center chrono seconds gear. The center seconds chrono gear has slight friction, in fact it

[Dudemeister]

The particular myth this excerpt was lifted from, had to do with the claim/myth that you should only use the chrono on a fully wound A7750 movement, or the friction generated by the movement of the newly engaged gears would have a slowing down affect. In reality you can run the chrono continuously, until the watch stops without noticing any difference in the performance/accuracy or the reserve power.

The statement above is correct, assuming a properly working movement. I understand, and agree with your statement that a dirty, over or under oiled watch has much more friction than a working one, but usually, if it's dirty, it's dirty all over, not only the couple of gears that engage during the active chrono (center seconds and tilting pinion)

Never-the-less, a watch that gains a minute for every five it runs, then looses a minute for every five the chrono is on, has problems that go well beyond simple friction and lubrication, hence my advice to not waste anymore time and get it replaced.

[Lucio69]

The particular myth this excerpt was lifted from, had to do with the claim/myth that you should only use the chrono on a fully wound A7750 movement, or the friction generated by the movement of the newly engaged gears would have a slowing down affect. In reality you can run the chrono continuously, until the watch stops without noticing any difference in the performance/accuracy or the reserve power.

The statement above is correct, assuming a properly working movement. I understand, and agree with your statement that a dirty, over or under oiled watch has much more friction than a working one, but usually, if it's dirty, it's dirty all over, not only the couple of gears that engage during the active chrono (center seconds and tilting pinion)

Never-the-less, a watch that gains a minute for every five it runs, then looses a minute for every five the chrono is on, has problems that go well beyond simple friction and lubrication, hence my advice to not waste anymore time and get it replaced.

Yea , agreed, watch is in the post, Jee at Silix agreed to replace and was very helpful, lets see if the watch will trn up quick.

By the way I noticed , when watching very closely, that both the seconds indicator (at 9) and the chrono seconds needle , when engaged, have an irregular movement (seconds at 9 barely noticeable), looks like its some sort of friction which is not constantly there, It could be due to over-oiling or dirt but can be anyhting. I didn't want to open the watch and have a look at the movement as i preferred to just send it back, but still doesn't make sense that it runs fast but slows heavily down when chrono runs. Id love to udnderstand why but probably never will!

L.

[Lucio69]

18 days from posting it, still waiting.

[Lucio69]

20....

[Lucio69]

24....

[Lucio69]

OK, got the watch, after 30 days and the promise of a new watch I got my same old one and still faulty, its one minute per hour fast, around 25 minutes per day. Can anyone help me please to fix it? I really want to use it as a watch and this is making me lose the will. Its a TAG HEUER LINK , supposedly valjoux 7750 chrono automatic movement.

L.

[dbutlerman]

The watch is adjustable and there are some good guides out there. Many will say that is nearly impossible to do without a timing machine, but I have managed to get my reps within a couple of seconds per day (including my IWC 3717 that has the same movement as yours). Here is a great guide

[dbutlerman]

But...if the beat of the movement is off, you'll still have trouble....and need to have it regulated with a timing maching

[Lucio69]

who can do that for me? Im in the UK.

[dbutlerman]

There are watch guys in the UK and EU - I don't know off hand who does it, but, it's not that hard to do....you just have to be careful not to bang into other parts inside the watch while doing it...

[Dudemeister]

OK, got the watch, after 30 days and the promise of a new watch I got my same old one and still faulty, its one minute per hour fast, around 25 minutes per day. Can anyone help me please to fix it? I really want to use it as a watch and this is making me lose the will. Its a TAG HEUER LINK , supposedly valjoux 7750 chrono automatic movement.

L.

Here is what you can do. Take readings of your watch periodically (say every 4-6 hours), and see if it is regularly fast or slow. By this I mean does is always gain or loose the same amount of time in a given period of time? Some people refer to this as "isochronism". If it does, (The loss or gain is constant), then your watch is probably pretty close to the correct beat.

This is a good thing, because it means you can adjust the watch yourself (if you're careful).

On the other hand, if the loss/gain is all over the place, then you'll probably never get it right, so you'll have to have it regulated by a watchsmith.

If you are lucky and the beat is right, you can try to adjust it following this link. It's a simple adjustment, and although your movement is probably different than the one in the link, the balance regulator, or spring levers will look and function the same regardless.

Given the gross amount of deviation you currently have you should adjust the lever by a fair amount (by that I mean about 3-4 degrees or .5mm), then set the watch to the correct time and check it a few hours later. Rinse, lather, repeat... As you get closer to the correct adjustment the amount of adjustment should get a lot smaller. As you get down to adjusting it within 5-10 seconds per day, the movement on the lever should be extremely small. Put it this way, if you can see it move with the naked eye, you probably moved it too much, do the adjustments under 5x magnification.

I've adjusted a few watches that now run very close to

[Lucio69]

Watchsmith charged