Repairing Guides

how to repair an overwound watch

by Dayton Roberts Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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How to fix a broken watch?

Why is the spring on my watch so delicate?

Can you repair a watch if you are not sure what you are doing?

Can a watch break from being overwound?

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How do you unwind an overwound watch?

1:342:35How to unwind a pocket watch mainspring - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo how is it done rotate the crown a few notches to release the stopper slightly. And then push itMoreSo how is it done rotate the crown a few notches to release the stopper slightly. And then push it back further using a small screwdriver. While holding the crown tightly between your fingers.

What happens if a watch is overwound?

You can't actually stop a watch by “over winding” it, although if you keep trying to turn the crown when the watch is fully wound this can cause the balance to swing too far and might cause damage.

How do you release an over wound watch?

2:307:55How To Service a Watch Mainspring By Hand - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipDo not suddenly release the crown when the click has been pushed that aside. You need to slowlyMoreDo not suddenly release the crown when the click has been pushed that aside. You need to slowly release the crown making sure that the thumb remains in contact with crown to provide as friction.

What happens if you overwind a watch?

Overwinding the watch manually is impossible as well. In case the watch's mainspring is not wound completely, simply turning its crown will wind the mainspring as it should be. When the mainspring is fully wound, turning the crown of the watch will have no drastic effects on its functionality.

Can a wind up watch be repaired?

You will need to take your watch to a professional watch repair centre. Your watch will need to be dried and cleaned and the gasket seals may need replacing to restore the functionality of your watch. This should be an inexpensive fix for your malfunctioning mechanical watch.

Can you break a watch by winding it too much?

Winding a Watch – Is It Possible to Over Do It? If you have an automatic watch, it's not possible to overwind it. If the watch has full power, the rotor inside the timepiece will simply stop spinning. Automatic watches are designed to stop powering the mainspring when it can't be wound anymore.

How much does it cost to replace a mainspring?

A new mainspring costs about $45.00 and up. If needed, cleaning and oiling runs about $160.00 and up. For old pocket watches basic cleaning & oiling costs around $200.00 and up. Due to extreme price increases, most mainsprings for pocket watches now cost $80.00 or more installed.

How do I get my watch to start ticking again?

0:081:37How to correctly wind your automatic watch - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo you would start by screwing down on the crown in an anti-clockwise fashion. Three or four timesMoreSo you would start by screwing down on the crown in an anti-clockwise fashion. Three or four times until the crown pops out.

Can you Overwind a vintage watch?

Don't Overwind Vintage watches produced before 1969 are all mechanical watches, since quartz watches weren't invented until that year. If you do have a mechanical watch, no matter when it was made, it will probably need to be wound regularly.

Can you Overwind a vintage watch?

1:3510:01How much should you wind a watch? - Watch Basics - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo that basically you can't over wind them the rotor in an automatic watch needs to be able to spinMoreSo that basically you can't over wind them the rotor in an automatic watch needs to be able to spin freely even after the watch is wound. And so because of that once the spring has reached its maximumHow much should you wind a watch? - Watch Basics - YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com › watchhttps://www.youtube.com › watchSearch for: How do you know if a watch is fully wound?

Can you Overwind a vintage Rolex?

Is it possible to overwind a Rolex? If you have a modern day or self-winding Rolex, it is not possible for your Rolex to overwind. If you wind the Rolex too many times, the mechanisms disengage, making it impossible for it to be overwound.May 9, 2022Can You Overwind A Rolex? - A Luxury Lifestylehttps://aluxurylifestyle.com › can-you-overwind-a-rolexhttps://aluxurylifestyle.com › can-you-overwind-a-rolexSearch for: Can a Rolex be overwound?

How often do you wind up a watch?

Can a winder overwind a watch? A watch winder should not be able to overwind a watch, per se. Just as you should not be able to overwind your watch by winding it manually. Watches have a slip-clutch in place which ensures the main spring does not get overwound.Jun 13, 2019Are watch winders safe? Do they damage watches? - Wind A Watchhttps://windawatch.com › are-watch-winders-safehttps://windawatch.com › are-watch-winders-safeSearch for: Can you Overwind a watch in a watch winder?

How do you unwind a Timex watch?

Don't Overwind Vintage watches produced before 1969 are all mechanical watches, since quartz watches weren't invented until that year. If you do have a mechanical watch, no matter when it was made, it will probably need to be wound regularly.

Watch repair guide - Overwound

Overwound mainspring> Antique Watch repair • Wrist watch repair • Pocket watch repair: Your Watch Repair Troubleshooting Guide. Watch Repair Home

How to Fix a Stalled Second Hand on a Watch | Our Everyday Life

Strap the watch on your wrist as normal. Ensure the piece is firmly attached, without exhibiting too loose a fit. Ideally, you should be able to fit your finger between your wrist and the back of the watch.

Why does my watch stop working?

Sometimes, an automatic watch will stop because it hasn’t been worn enough and there hasn’t been enough wrist movement to keep it going. When this happens, you can always wind it yourself. To do this, wind it roughly 10 times in 360-degree motions, or whatever the manufacturer recommends that you do. An automatic watch can easily be brought back to life with a few good winds!

Can you overwind a watch?

When you have a watch that you have to wind daily, you may wonder if you can actually overwind it. This is a natural question that all watch owners have, and the basic answer is that it depends on what type of watch you have. Watches are made better than ever these days, so it’s actually getting more and more difficult to overwind a watch. In fact, you cannot really overwind a watch to the point of breaking it. If you are winding the watch and it stops working, the chances are good that something else is going on inside of the watch.

Does Rolex watch have overwinding?

A: Yes. Most of the watches made by Rolex today have mechanisms and designs that prevent overwinding from occurring.

Can you overwound a mechanical watch?

Mechanical watches can’t be overwound in most cases. In fact, for this to happen, you would have to use a tremendous amount of force – more force, in fact, than most people are physically able to achieve. In mechanical watches, there is a mechanism inside of the watch that will build tension and, therefore, let you know exactly when the watch is fully wound and ready to go. Automatic watches can’t be overwound simply because if you use too much force, the mainspring simply disconnects from the winding mechanism.

Can you break a watch by overwinding?

In theory, it is possible to break a watch by overwinding it. That being said, it is extremely unlikely that this will ever happen. Why? For one thing, an overwound watch is very difficult to find because in most cases, the mainspring is of high quality and will not allow the watch to be overwound in the first place. If the mainspring is in good condition, you will simply not be able to overwind the watch. In fact, if you have a high-quality and fully functional mainspring, it will be able to take a lot more force than you can possibly give it, which is why breaking the watch is all but impossible.

Can an Overwound Watch Be Repaired?

Since it is virtually impossible to find a watch that has been overwound, there would be nothing to repair. Nevertheless, when a watch stops working because you’ve been winding it, there is almost always something else wrong with it. More often than not, it is the movement that needs some repairs. In many cases, a good cleaning and oiling will get the watch back to its original glory. A good watch repair person can diagnose the problem and make any necessary repairs, which may include anything from a few repairs or replacements to a complete overhaul of the entire watch.

What does a B.W. watch look like?

It looks a little like a wagon wheel, with spokes. If you hold the watch upright in your hand and twist your wrist you may see the balance wheel "run" if you can encourage this to keep going for a while, keep twisting. You may resolve the issue. If the B.W will not keep running.

Can you repair a watch yourself?

Do not attempt to repair the watch yourself as it can be any number of problems e.g. the Mainspring may have become detached from the Barrel Wall etc. & you may cause more damage. Take it in to a Qualified Watchmaker who won't charge you to look at it & will quote you a price to repair it.

Is overwinding a problem?

Simply over winding is not a problem, the problem is what damage overwinding has done. If you have decided the watch is not worth the cost of repair, then get the back off. If you can acheive this without stabbing yourself. You proberbly have the skill to fix the watch.

How to stop old watches from running?

I've had a few old watches just refuse to run after being left in the box for a few months. All you can really do yourself is to keep shaking it or rocking the hands every time it stops. Do this for a couple of hours, while watching TV or whatever. It might free itself off and start running OK. I'd not try winding it again until it's been running OK for a half a day or so.

How to fix a wind watch that won't run?

Simple job, but with the potential to cause permanent damage. Remove case back, turn crown and hold it, then release click with pegwood or toothpick. Let the crown run through your fingers half a turn, then let the click drop back into the wheel.

Why does my watch need a service?

Chances are it needs a service - the oil dries out and stops the watch. It's also possible that the watch has been dropped, damaging the balance. Either way, it'll need attention from a watchmaker if it doesn't sort itself out.

Where to warm up a watch?

A suitable place to warm a watch up is on a radiator shelf , or if weather is good, a sunny windowsill. :lookaround:

Can you overwind a watch?

If everything else is OK, I agree that you can't "overwind" a watch. However, if there's some wear in the barrel or first wheel, it's possible for a fully-wound watch to jam. A very sticky spring can also jam up. I saw exactly this problem in a clock a couple of weeks ago. After I let the spring down a couple of clicks, it ran fine. Of course, it needed a full service to fix it properly.

Is there such a thing as an over wound?

there is no such thing as 'over wound' , it could be anything from a gear train problem to a prob with the key works.

Can you put a watch in the heat?

You can also try placing it somewhere warm, but not hot once you get it running a bit - that sometimes "frees off" the train if the watch oils have gone sticky or solid. If you do this and it runs, but stops once you take it from the heat, then it definitely needs cleaned and serviced - and Steve at Rytetime is excellent. :yes:

Plato

The watch was described as being 'overwound', I think the main problem is all the 3 in 1 poured over the balance which has seeped through the entire movement!!

KarlvonKoln

Yuck. I think you're probably right about the extra oil, of the not-watch-friendly kind. As many others on this forum will likely agree, the term "overwound" gets used way too much, particular by laymen in the sales advertisements for non-running watches. Any watch that is wound all the way would happily unwind *unless* something prevented it.

Plato

I got the oil off the movement after two washes. The watch started running although very poorly.

LittleWatchShop

Well, for 60 years I have scoffed at the "overwound" claim until recently I overwound my GMT chronograph with a Valjoux 726. I learned later that this is not uncommon. I think it is a broken crown or ratchet wheel. Next year I will get the guts to fix it.

KarlvonKoln

Well, for 60 years I have scoffed at the "overwound" claim until recently I overwound my GMT chronograph with a Valjoux 726. I learned later that this is not uncommon. I think it is a broken crown or ratchet wheel. Next year I will get the guts to fix it.

Plato

Doh! Just realised that the stud support can be rotated so (probably) no need to to rotate the spring on the collet.

Plato

Looking OK, I'll let the oils bed in before making any further adjustments. What amplitude should I expect from a 6498?

Why can't I overwind an automatic watch?

You can’t over-wind an automatic watch because it has built-in safety precautions to prevent precisely this. 2. It’s over-wound because I can’t wind it anymore and it doesn’t run. You’ll see this one in plenty of ads on eBay and other auction sites. I’ve heard it on collector fairs and flea markets, as well.

How to break a watch?

2. The watch is fully wound, but it doesn’t run. It’s impossible to wind it any further, so it must be over-wound. 1. Break a watch by winding it too much.

Why does a barrel wall slip?

This creates friction so that the mainspring can be wound. However, if the kinetic energy built up in the mainspring grows bigger than the friction on the barrel wall, it’ll slip. The barrel wall is made of brass or aluminum and is, therefore, quite “slippery.”.

What is a hand wound watch?

Hand-wound. The mainspring in a manual wound watch is secured on both ends. One end is secured to the barrel arbor, and the other end is secured to the barrel. The mainspring has a hook or an extension spring that locks in a groove in the barrel wall. This hook or extension spring is also called the bridle. When you wind a manual watch, you’ll ...

What happens if you break a watch mainspring?

Also, you have to be very stubborn and ham-fisted to keep trying to wind your watch when it’s resisting. If you break the mainspring, it was in bad condition and it needed to be replaced anyway.

Where is the mainspring on a watch?

The mainspring in an automatic or self-winding watch is only secured on one end, the barrel arbor. The other end has a kind of bridle to it, but it doesn’t have a hook.

What does it mean when a watch stops?

Presence of dust or dirt or a hair. Severely magnetized. A damaged, bent or worn pinion. A broken, bent or worn tooth on a wheel. Loose, cracked or worn bearing jewel. Etc. Etc. There are hundreds of reasons for a watch to stop, but over-winding your watch isn’t one of them.

How to fix a broken watch?

Open the watch to diagnose the problem. Use a knife or thin screwdriver and carefully pry open the cover to see where the problem is within the watch. The two most common problems are the spring not being properly connected and the staff being broken. The staff is easily replaceable and the spring can be reattached to either the winder or the staff. However, do so with caution, as watches can be very delicate and easily broken.

Why is the spring on my watch so delicate?

The spring is designed so that it cannot be stretched to a breaking point within the watch. A problem must persist elsewhere. If you open your watch, be careful. The internal workings of a watch are incredibly delicate and precise.

Can you repair a watch if you are not sure what you are doing?

Don't risk removing or repairing parts of the watch if you're not sure what you're doing. In a clock, everything has to be fitted in a certain way to ensure the watch runs correctly. If you are unsure, you will probably need to call in a professional.

Can a watch break from being overwound?

Remember that a watch cannot break from being overwound. The spring is designed so that it cannot be stretched to a breaking point within the watch. A problem must persist elsewhere. If you open your watch, be careful. The internal workings of a watch are incredibly delicate and precise.

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