To the extent of my knowledge that is not normal and should be repaired under warranty! Did you buy from an ad or grey market dealer?

 

Time for service...

 

Maybe a silly question, but if you give it a full manual-wind does the reserve last longer?

I ask, because if I just shake any of my watches or give them just a few turns to get them moving, I don't believe any (including my Aquis) will "wind" enough (during a normal day) to reach their full reserve. If I start fully-wound, I can go weeks without having to hand wind. Just a thought.

 

Maybe a silly question, but if you give it a full manual-wind does the reserve last longer?

I'm pretty sure it does. I'll need to test it a few times for science.

I don't like manually winding it because of the screw-down crown. I also find it's a little rough to wind. The crown has a lot of resistance compared to my manual-wind-only watches (eg: Seagul 1963 or Speedmaster). It's the only traditional automatic I have so I don't have anything to compare it to. How smooth should the manual-wind on an auto be?

I bought it second hand off the forum but I have the boxes and papers. I'm not sure of the age offhand but the Aquis line isn't that old in the first place. I think it came out around 2011.

As far as servicing, should I just send it to my regular shop for servicing? It's a generic-enough movement that most people should be able to service it. I just don't know if I should send it in since it's bang-on w/regards to timekeeping.

 

Is it new ? If yes, it needs to be repaired under warranty.

If its older than 1-2 yrs then it needs to be repaired.

If its over 4 yrs old then it needs to be serviced.


EDIT: Just seen that you said its fairly new, take it to where you bought it from and have it repaired under warranty. 16hrs of wear should be enough to pretty much fully charge the power reserve

 

One of two things is likely happening if you aren't getting the power reserve you want, but the watch is still keeping time.

1. You're not winding the watch fully. If you are wearing it through the full day and your lifestyle isn't unusually sedentary, I doubt that this is the case. But you could try winding it up manually just to be sure.
2. The overwind protection has fallen out of regulation. Automatic watches have a feature that prevents the watch from being overwound, since you can't stop the rotor from moving like you can stop twisting the crown once you feel resistance on a manual watch. It could be that the slip system is slipping too easily, causing the mainspring to not be fully wound.

A watch that new should not require service. It's probably an isolated problem in the movement that can be fixed.

 

Thanks. I'll have it looked into.

Since I got my Speedmaster, the Oris has spent a significant amount of time on the watch winder. I wonder if that would contribute to problem #2 since it's always at it's maximum wind-ery.

 

As far as smoothness goes with regard to winding the Aquis, it's not smooth. It can almost be described a rachety, "popping" sound when winding the crown. It worried me when I first got mine, but I had it checked and it's apparently fine. I posted a thread about it a few months ago but didn't get many responses, so it may be an SW vs ETA difference? I dunno.

 

"Ratchety" would be the word I would use as well. Glad to hear that's normal ... at least for an Aquis; not sure if other ETA 2824 have the same issues.

Since I'm not the original owner, I doubt I can get it serviced by Oris. I'll drop it by the local watch repair shop and see if that's something they can fix for a nominal sum.

Side Question: If I wear the watch all day, can I reasonably expect to get the full 38-hours on the power reserve on a properly functioning watch? I wasn't sure if those were real-world numbers or if it was manufacturers optimistic projection.

 

Sitting in front of a terminal or walking around all day wearing a lab coat will do that.

 

I can't be too sedentary. I bought a dive watch to let people know how sporty and athletic I am. :-/ On the plus side, it's never actually stopped while I'm wearing it, so I've got that going for me.

I'm going to run some more tests. I'll do some "maximum hand winding" and time how long it lasts. I'll also put it on the winder and see how long it runs after coming off the winder. I'll also try a few tests just wearing it all day and then seeing how long it runs at night. The good thing about timing all these tests is that the watch does the timing automatically and will tell you exactly when it quit working.

It will take me a few weeks to run through all the test scenarios but I've got two new straps coming in for my Speedy so that will work out fine. It will be interesting to see if the watch needs to be serviced, or if I just spend 16 hours per day on WUS instead of moving around.

 

When using a winder, wind fully before and after taking it off, winders are pretty much of a waste.

 

(deleted double post glitch)

 

UPDATE: I followed the instructions that BrentYYC linked to. For anyone who's interested, here's my results:

• 12/17/2014 - wound the watch 50 times and let it sit. It ran for 42 hours.
• 12/19/2014 - put it on the winder @844 TPD and let it run for a few days. Set it on the counter and it ran for 42 hours again.
• 01/01/2015 - wound it 50 times and wore it for 4 days on vacation (where I am presumably more active than my office job). I wore the watch all day and set it on the night stand at night. Then, I put it on in the morning. Repeated that for 3 days. Set the watch down on the night stand after work on the 4th day and it ran for 18 hours and stopped. I suspect that I would have gotten less time had I continued to wear the watch for another few days. Sometimes it will stop running before I wake up the next day.

Verdict: The watch keeps great time and holds it's power reserve as advertised. Apparently I just don't move around enough to keep the watch charged. It could by my office-job and all the WUS computer time. This is my only automatic so I don't have anything else to compare it to.

Questions:

• Would a different watch with an ETA 2824 give me better results (eg: a Tudor Black Bay) or are they all about the same?
• Are different movements more efficient at winding the watch? If so, does anybody have any recommendations for a movement that would yield better results for a middle-aged geriatric?
• Or should I just put it on the winder at night?

Thanks to everyone for all the advice.

 

My watch hasn't stopped at night even though I work at a desk. Perhaps take a walk at lunch if you have so little movement during the day.

 

Stick it on the winder!

 

I think your watch not fully wound. Try to wear it a whole day let say 8am-6pm doing outdoor activities. I'm sure it will keep at least 38 hour power reserve.

 

Do yourself a favor and go get that Tudor Black Bay!



John

 

Do yourself a favor and go get that Tudor Black Bay!

John

The main reason I haven't got the Black Bay is that it's 3x the price with the same movement and, to my eye, roughly the same fit and finish. I didn't find the bracelet any better on the BB (though the standard lugs are a bonus). It doesn't even have a ceramic bezel or AR coating like the Aquis.

While I do like the look of the watch, it doesn't seem worth thousands of dollars extra for the same movement and less features. Maybe the Aquis is just a fantastic value.

 

Despite what some day, the winding efficiency in some of the ETAs is sub-par, I am a big JDM fan and have had a few ETA powered pieces over time. While I did not encounter your issue, of the watch running down over night after being worn during thee day, I did notice that the ETAs, I owned, including some with the ubiquitous 2824-2 do not wind up as fast as my Seiko's or my Orient Stars which get to full reserve after just wearing for 5-6 hrs. And I also have a desk job and a (very) short drive so can't say I'm terribly active whilst being at work. I have also managed to keep most of my JDMs running in "dual" rotation , that is one at work till 5.30-6, then put another on till 11.30-12 when I go to bed and they both stay running with decent reserves (at least half my watches have a PR indicator which is among my favourite complications).

 

FWIW, I pulled the loupe out and found the "sw-200" marking on the back of my Aquis.

I can't say with certainty that all Aquis' use Sellita movements or that there's any meaningful difference between ETA and Sellita.

I'm inclined to say they're identical for all practical purposes.

 

Sellita it is but thankfully, you do hit the max reserve.

Winder or manual wind is your best bet then, aside from the jogging commute.

FWIW, I pulled the loupe out and found the "sw-200" marking on the back of my Aquis.

I can't say with certainty that all Aquis' use Sellita movements or that there's any meaningful difference between ETA and Sellita.

I'm inclined to say they're identical for all practical purposes.