watch usage guide

How to use your Swiss AUTOMATIC (self-winding) watch:

If your automatic watch stops, don’t worry it’s not broken, it just merely needs to be wound. The automatic watch doesn’t use a battery to power the hands. Swiss automatic movements (like those found in Rolex or Breitling) have a sweeping seconds hand with a continuous motion due to the spring inside the movement which is applying continuous power. The watch needs to be “wound” to keep enough tension on the main spring which drives the hands. This is achieved by unscrewing the crown and then in 1st Position turning the crown clockwise 40 complete turns to fully charge the spring. The watch has a power reserve of about 42 hours, meaning that it will continue running for that time even if not worn. Once the watch has been sitting idle for more than that time, the spring is unwound and therefore needs to be rewound.

These instructions will explain how to unscrew the crown, wind the watch, set the date and then set the time. Winding the watch happens in 1st position; setting the date happens in 2nd position; setting the time happens in 3rd position, and everything begins with unscrewing the crown.

Unscrewing the Crown: the crown is located on the right side of your watch. To unscrew the crown, turn it counter clockwise until it “pops out” into 1st position.

1st Position: this position is where you wind the watch after it has been unworn for a few days. The movement is mechanical in nature, which means there is a main spring inside which stores the energy to run the watch. The spring becomes unwound after a few days of the watch being unworn, therefore it doesn’t have enough tension to drive the hands, requiring you to wind the watch. Gently turn the crown clockwise 40 complete turns to wind the watch. This completes the winding step, now let’s set the date in the 2nd position.

2nd Position: gently pull the crown out to 2nd position, then turn the crown clockwise to change the date. Remember the date can only be moved in one direction, so if you miss the desired date, you’ll have to cycle through the remaining days till you reach the date. Once the date has been set, we’ll move to setting the time in 3rd position.

3rd Position: gently pull the crown out to 3rd position, then turn the crown clockwise to change the time. Always change the time forwards, not backwards. 3rd position is the farthest the crown will pull out. Once the time has been set, gently push in the crown returning it to 1st position; at the same time apply gentle pressure to the crown and turn it clockwise screwing the crown fully back in.Screwing-in the Crown: make sure to keep turning the crown until it stops, ensuring the water tight seal has been restored. During normal operation, meaning when you’re wearing the watch, the crown should be turned all the way in – known as “screwed in”. Please remember to screw the crown all the way back in after winding the watch or changing the date / time. The only way water can get into the watch is if the crown is not fully screwed in.

Warranty Info

Your handcrafted timepiece is covered for a period of 24 months against manufacturing defects; but does not cover damage incurred by unauthorized repairs, accidental impacts / drops or inappropriate / abusive use or water damage. Water damage caused by leaving the crown partially unscrewed will be repaired at the owner’s expense. The movement is manufactured in Switzerland according to exact standards and is timed based on the manufacturer’s specifications.

Mechanical (automatic) watches are delicate pieces of machinery that can be thrown off kilter if the proper precautions aren’t taken; among things that can affect a timepiece are magnetic fields, extreme temperatures, and shocks. Your watch has been manufactured according to the standards established for Swiss production. Each watch is inspected and has been electronically tested with various precision machines to ensure water resistance and timing function. Water can only get into the watch if the crown is left unscrewed or has not fully been screwed in.

Should your watch require repair, please contact us via email for instructions on how to proceed before sending your watch back. We recommend that you send the watch without the watch box to reduce shipping weight, though very well packed and insured. We will inspect the watch upon receipt to determine the cause of the damage.

Don’t use in SHOWERS / HOT TUBS / SAUNAS

Water resistant watches are NOT safe for steam-generating showers / sauna / hot tubs. All our watches use rubber gaskets rings (or “O” rings) to seal the screw-down caseback and a screw-in crown (the “winding stem”) which actually screws into the case to further increase water resistance. Our watches are pressure tested to 300-meters.

EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE PRESSURE TESTED, it is NOT RECOMMENDED that you wear your watch in steam-generating conditions like a shower, sauna, or hot tub.

HERE’S WHY :
The extreme heat causes the metal parts to expand faster than the rubber gaskets can accommodate and this creates minute openings which allow the steam into the watch. Remember it is NOT the water that pressure-seals the watch but the depth traveled under water which applies pressure externally on the watch and thereby achieves water tightness.

SO in the shower / sauna / hot-tub you don’t have external (depth) pressure exerting on the watch case and therefore it is a Swiss “rule of thumb” to never expose a watch, even a diver’s-rated watch, to any of these steam-generating conditions as the o-ring gaskets can degrade and/or fail, allowing water to enter the watch case and ruin the watch’s expensive internal components (dial, hands, movement, inside aspect of a coated crystal, etc.)

Again this is NOT our rule, but a Swiss standard. We suggest this since we want you to enjoy your custom produced watch for many years to come.

SOLUTION FOR STEAM:
If you do have steam / fog / water in your watch, we suggest placing your watch with an open crown inside a bowl of rice, which allows the water to slowly be evaporated and sucked up by the rice. Even though this can work, it’s a hassle, so just remove your watch before you shower.