Quartz losing time, can this happen?
Discussion
My (cherished 21st birthday present) TAG Heuer Aquaracer seems to be losing time, I've noticed it in the past month. I can't remember when I last had the battery changed, but I know it's not the battery running low as when that happens it hacks around for 3 seconds, stops for 3 seconds, and hacks again for 3 seconds, rinse & repeat. Can Quartz's lose time? Or is the movement finally beginning to show its age? I've had the watch for 10 years now, it was my first "proper" watch, so I'll do whatever I can to get it sorted.
I've just set the time against the time.is website, so I'll monitor it, but I'm 99.99% sure it is running slow.
I've just set the time against the time.is website, so I'll monitor it, but I'm 99.99% sure it is running slow.
It's hard to say as I only wear it every now and then, but usually whenever I put it on it is on the same minute as my iPhone. But today I noticed it was 2 minutes behind. I can't remember exactly the last time I wore it, but it was around 2 weeks ago. I noticed it the last time I wore it as well. I'll wear it everyday over the festive period (unless Santa brings me the Yachty I've been dropping hints about) and see how it goes.
As I said before, if the battery is going it has always done the hacking thing in the past. I'll obviously try a new battery if it is losing time before doing anything else, but this watch has never been out of alignment since I've had an iPhone (7 years?) and I'm hoping it's not something else. The whole point of this watch is that I can just put it on the side without worrying about it losing time etc, and it's sentimentality.
As I said before, if the battery is going it has always done the hacking thing in the past. I'll obviously try a new battery if it is losing time before doing anything else, but this watch has never been out of alignment since I've had an iPhone (7 years?) and I'm hoping it's not something else. The whole point of this watch is that I can just put it on the side without worrying about it losing time etc, and it's sentimentality.
Quartz movements, unless thermo-compensated (and I think the calibre in the TAG is not), are optimised to work at a temperature that assumes the watch is on the wrist. If you've changed your wearing habits (for example, keeping it in a cool drawer for two months) that may affect its timekeeping. It should last more than 10 years, but a replacement ETA movement from outside the TAG network will be inexpensive to replace.
Variomatic did a movement swap out on my Ben Sherman after it started draining a battery a month (yes, different end of the market, but I like the watch as a daily).
Variomatic did a movement swap out on my Ben Sherman after it started draining a battery a month (yes, different end of the market, but I like the watch as a daily).
Yes, quartz can lose time. If it's more than the 1/2 second or so per day that the specs allow then it's a sign that they're due servicing. If they GAIN time outside of specs then it's a sign of a fault.
Because quartz only "step" every second, if the resistance in the train gets too high and the motor fails to step it, it'll lose a whole second in one go. the next step may well go ok, so the watch doesn't stop but it's now a second slow. You only need that to happen once or twice a day (out of the 86400 steps it makes each day) for a noticeable loss to build up. Seeing as it's only missing maybe one in every 10000 steps, the chance of you actually seeing it do so is pretty small.
The good news is that it won't have harmed the movement at all - there's simply not enough power in the stepper motor to create significant wear, and the gear train is sitting with no load on it at all (and hence no chance of wearing) for about 99.9% of the time - only coming under load for about 1 millisecond every second when it steps.
That means that, depending on replacement cost of the particular movement (is it chrono or straight timepiece? The Aquaracer range has both), either servicing the existing movement or replacing it complete will put it back to mechanically like new
Because quartz only "step" every second, if the resistance in the train gets too high and the motor fails to step it, it'll lose a whole second in one go. the next step may well go ok, so the watch doesn't stop but it's now a second slow. You only need that to happen once or twice a day (out of the 86400 steps it makes each day) for a noticeable loss to build up. Seeing as it's only missing maybe one in every 10000 steps, the chance of you actually seeing it do so is pretty small.
The good news is that it won't have harmed the movement at all - there's simply not enough power in the stepper motor to create significant wear, and the gear train is sitting with no load on it at all (and hence no chance of wearing) for about 99.9% of the time - only coming under load for about 1 millisecond every second when it steps.
That means that, depending on replacement cost of the particular movement (is it chrono or straight timepiece? The Aquaracer range has both), either servicing the existing movement or replacing it complete will put it back to mechanically like new
t, I hope it won't need a new movement. If it does, looks like I may be coming your way, Variomatic. It's just a standard watch, no chrono.new movement isn't that scary. At that age it's around the changeover from 955 series to F series movements by them (I suspect F series).
In either case servicing isn't that scary and a replacement F series is (currently) cheaper than servicing because there's far less work involved. That use to be true of the 955's as well but their replacement cost has rocketed lately so servicing's become economically viable for them.
In either case servicing isn't that scary and a replacement F series is (currently) cheaper than servicing because there's far less work involved. That use to be true of the 955's as well but their replacement cost has rocketed lately so servicing's become economically viable for them.
sad61t said:
Quartz movements, unless thermo-compensated ...
I thought most modern quartz movements were thermo compensated, just not individually compensated.It's really very simple to do, the oscillator runs a bit too fast and the timer occasionally skips oscillator pulses. Control of how often pulses are skipped is via a simple lookup table in the watch, the silicon measures it's own temperature then looks up the required adjustment.
What isn't done is individual adjustment. Every low end quartz movement will have the same identical adjustment map, regardless of the actual crystal / silicon parameters. A higher spec'd "calibrated" watch will be measured and individually (digitally) trimmed.
I could be wrong of course, it does happen.
I think you're right, Mike, although I must admit not to worrying too much about what the current tech state is - it makes no practical difference in a repair workshop and they all get worked on the same.
Although, one thing to bear in mind is that thermo compensation is a little bit over hyped in most real life cases.
A watch which is worn every day tends to have it's internal temperature controlled pretty closely by the variable output, thermostatically controlled, organic, heater that it spends its life strapped to. You can see that effect with some of the Casios with temperature sensors - unless you take them off and let them stabilise the temperature reading tends to stay within a few degrees all the time!
That's why the older quartz movements with "service" trimmers fitted can be adjusted within a few seconds per year in use even without thermo compensation.
Although, one thing to bear in mind is that thermo compensation is a little bit over hyped in most real life cases.
A watch which is worn every day tends to have it's internal temperature controlled pretty closely by the variable output, thermostatically controlled, organic, heater that it spends its life strapped to. You can see that effect with some of the Casios with temperature sensors - unless you take them off and let them stabilise the temperature reading tends to stay within a few degrees all the time!
That's why the older quartz movements with "service" trimmers fitted can be adjusted within a few seconds per year in use even without thermo compensation.
Hi all,
Sorry for resurrecting such an old thread, but I have this happen with my quartz chrono, it seemed to keep perfect time when I wasn't wearing it, but when worn it would lose about 5 mins per day - I thought that the battery was going, but it din't do the 'jumps' that it did last time the battery went.
Anyway, now the battery has gone and I wondered if anyone had any recommendation for where to send it for a service and battery change?
Thanks,
Sorry for resurrecting such an old thread, but I have this happen with my quartz chrono, it seemed to keep perfect time when I wasn't wearing it, but when worn it would lose about 5 mins per day - I thought that the battery was going, but it din't do the 'jumps' that it did last time the battery went.
Anyway, now the battery has gone and I wondered if anyone had any recommendation for where to send it for a service and battery change?
Thanks,
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