Mine is at the shop again for the automatic winding. If I were to go back in time, I’d get the DS30 instead of the DK32.

FWIW I got one very early, and it’s possible they’ve fixed the qc since then. I still love the watch, and maybe I just got really unlucky, but I wouldn’t recommend the movement.

 

Automatic winding has broken twice in 1.5 years on my a26, and I've read a few other similar stories on here. Accuracy has been amazing (1-2 spd) with great consistency between positions and the movement was repaired under warranty both times, but seems there might be some kinks in the pawl winding system. Hope they are being worked out because I love the watch and what Damasko is doing.

 

the appeal of an "in house" movement goes away pretty quick when you realize you paid extra for it and something goes wrong huh ? - this is supposed to be a rugged tool watch but I'm reading some negative things across the interwebs - i don't see the point of a rugged tool watch that breaks in normal use. this CAN go horribly wrong for Damasko IF these stories are becoming normalized -wonder what the failure rate is for the A26 vs the similar quality ETA that it replaced, i guess that would be the reference point, the assumption is that the a26 has improved upon the ETA design not the opposite

 

Having a design flaw in first generation movements is not unexpected. The Oris Calibre 400 had an issue with time setting. I knew I was taking a risk buying a brand-new movement. The A26 clearly had something with the automatic winding. I don't know if the A26's shipping now have been cured or not. I know that the Oris Calibre 400 was stealth updated to fix the issue. Unfortunately, manufacturers don't typically release press releases saying what they've fixed, because they don't want to call attention to the fact that there ever was a problem.

All in all, I still think the A26 is an upgrade over a 2824, they just need to fix the design flaw. The time keeping and positional variance was immaculate. I'm going to ask my watchmaker if the new replacement parts have been modified from the original design or not, and maybe that will have the answer to the question for us.

 

The A26-2 in my Findeisen works flawlessly since I got it.

 

the Demasako in house movement is sold as an upgrade to the ETA - i guess the open question being is that correct ? is the A26 in point of fact a quantifiably better and more reliable movement than the eta ? i would be delighted to pay more for the upgrade ...but is it ? is the answer know definitively ?

 

Well, everyone has to decide for themselves whether the A 26 is actually an upgrade or better in comparison.
I say the A26 is indeed better.
Changes that were made include a new pawl winding system with 2 ceramic ball bearings to increase winding efficiency. Additionally, all brass components within the manual winding system, which were common failure points in the ETA, are replaced with stainless steel parts. Compared to ETA movements with the usual balance cock, the A 26 features far more robust balance bridge.

 

Have a Dsub50 with the A26 for about a year now and so far so good. Its the most accurate watch I've ever owned. Runs about +2 second per week no matter what position I leave it in.

 

Interested to hear of everyone's experiences. With cars, if reliability is important to you, the first model year or new tech should be avoided. The kinks usually get worked out by the second or third model year/ generation.

 

Mine is back from the shop again and works perfectly this time. Beyond relieved.

 

Also, definitely a high quality movement.

 

How does it run in other positions on your timegrapher?

 

Positional variances all within +/- 3 SPD. The biggest variance the movement has is power level. If it winds down ~<35% or so, it starts getting very slow. Being a single barrel design it does not do nearly as well as double barrel movements in that aspect. Keep it well wound if you want good timekeeping.