Devedander Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 So I cracked open one of my asian auto watches to peek inside and lube the o-ring and noticed the rotor spins very freely... as in if I tip the watch 180 degrees and snap it back to flat on it's face the rotor may spin up to 3 or 4 times... But then I was messing around in my Ingy taking some pictures and greasing it up and noticed the roter is much more stiff on it... it will usually fall to the bottom of the watch on it's own, but I haven't been able to get it to swing all the way around more than once on it's own... this seems odd as I would think the better movement would be the one to spin more revolutions etc... Is there some standard for how stiff these are or is it determined by the type of movement how freely it rotates.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 It depends on the model of movement, bi directional or uni directional winding... See my basic 101 and 102 for what types have what type of winding mechanism. RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted December 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I have read your basics but must have missed the part where you describe how free the rotor should be... And this may seem silly but does the "Swiss Made" stamped on the rotor reeally mean anything? Or do our Asian finished ETAs also feature Swiss made stamped on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mog Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 I have read your basics but must have missed the part where you describe how free the rotor should be... And this may seem silly but does the "Swiss Made" stamped on the rotor reeally mean anything? Or do our Asian finished ETAs also feature Swiss made stamped on them? I must admit I too couldn't see references about the rotor and the types of winding. I am interested in the answer too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 Sorry, I thought the links explained it better. It's there, but not self explainatory. Here's the quick version: If the rotor has to wind the mainspring while it turns, it is facing resistance as it turns. On a bi-directional winding watch there is resistance in both directions and the rotor feels "stiff" all the time... On a uni-directional winding watch, the rotor only has resistance in one direction, and is quite free to turn in the other direction as there is no resistance. I have no seen any Asian models stamped Swiss made, I have seen various copies of ETA models, but normally they are unmarked... If it's a uni-directional winding rotor, it's Asian... Any pics to show it off?? RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted December 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 (edited) Why it just so happens I do... I processed the heck out of the shot that shows the rotor but it says "Twenty Five 25 Jewels Swiss Made" BTW it's bi directional... stiff in both directions... it's ok to push these around with your finger right? Edited December 13, 2006 by Devedander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NRG Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 It's ETA Dev, bi-directional winding...and....no...don't touch the rotor with your finger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted December 13, 2006 Report Share Posted December 13, 2006 What he said... I use a piece of Rodico to move the rotor... RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted December 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 (edited) Hmmm... will keep that in mind. Is it the oils from your finger that can screw up the rotor or what? Thanks for the ETA answer, but I thought we had Asian ETA vs Swiss Finished ETA... so is this one really Swiss finished? Edited December 14, 2006 by Devedander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Oils and acid from your finger, if left on the watch anywhere, will normally cause damage and rust... I have seen "fingerprints" etched into the movement parts from poor workmanship... If you do touch it, as sometimes it's unavoidable, then clean it up with Rodico... RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HauteHippie Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 I try to use finger cots when handling my watch parts. They look like little mini condoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaccum Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Rodico is one of the most used "tool" around my bench. You can hold parts, clean finger prints, dust, lint, etc. Also you can lift, remove and install small delicate parts with it. vaccum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted December 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 I will have to get some of that... is it different than blue tac? It seems to look like blue tac... thanks for the advice guys! I always wash hands before touching anything with watches but will make sure to clean the parts I have touched now especially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaccum Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Try the bay...search for "Bergeon rodico" vaccum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NRG Posted December 14, 2006 Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Rodico can also be a pain in the ass! Yes it can clean but it can also distribute oil as well so be scrupulous with it. Use the finger cots as explained above, try not to shape rodico with your fingers, you may put oils on to it which you then dab on to the movement... be careful with dial printing, it can and will remove it given the chance. And no Dev, Blue tack is not the same Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted December 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2006 Thanks for the advice, I will get some rodico to try and undo any potential damage and prevent future damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sailboat641 Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 I also have the same question. On my Ingie, the rotor doesn't seem to swing freely at all. The only way it swings more than 1 revolution is if I swing it pretty hard (whether fully wound or no power). The Zigmeister did respond that it could possibly be a defective click wheel, but for the past 6 days, the watch seems to keep pretty accurate time, but I do hand wind it every couple of days. However, on my watch, there are slight clicking sounds when the rotor swings. Dealers says that this is how the movement is supposed to be and the watch should make sounds if it is operating normally. I will be sending it to get serviced anyhow as this is one of my favorite watches. Is this really normal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 A bi-directional rotor should not swing freely, it's trying to wind the mainspring so it has some resistance to overcome. As for your particular model, you did not say the type of movement, I am guessing a 2836 or 2824...if so, that model should only have clicking sounds when the watch is fully wound. THe clicking would be the bridle cable on the mainspring releasing, but anything less than full wind, and there should be NO clicking sound... Other models can click, but not this one... RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devedander Posted December 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 (edited) I haven't noticed mine making any significant clicking sounds... it is louder than I thought an ETA would be and does make the metalic "ting" when being swung around that my Asian autos make, but not nearly as bad as an Asian auto on either count... the odd thing is I don't think my PO does this... I am thinking it's just normal opperation for this watch as it's keeping good time and it ran over 24 hours on it's back in my watchbox with the only winding be that of being on my wrist for a day. Edited December 15, 2006 by Devedander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omega1 Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 A bi-directional rotor should not swing freely, it's trying to wind the mainspring so it has some resistance to overcome. As for your particular model, you did not say the type of movement, I am guessing a 2836 or 2824...if so, that model should only have clicking sounds when the watch is fully wound. THe clicking would be the bridle cable on the mainspring releasing, but anything less than full wind, and there should be NO clicking sound... Other models can click, but not this one... RG That is very interesting Rob. Both of my ETAs (2824 and 2836) make clicking sounds when being wound with the rotor, whether fully wound or not. I had posted about it HERE. The video is not working, but I went into great detail explaining what I was observing. Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWG Technical Posted December 15, 2006 Report Share Posted December 15, 2006 You should only be able to hear any clicking on a ETA 2836 series when the mainspring is fully wound. The click on the crown gear, and the crown gear to mainspring gear click are quite quiet and normally dont' make any sounds... I wonder why your particular model is making noises...normally I only hear anything once fully wound, not before... RG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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