Shall be the main spring loose. The watch very likely will not hold much reserve power and need a service.

 

The watch seems to maintain reserve and accuracy.
I wonder what does a loose spring have to do in this case?
I assume that the rotor spins by itself using the energy stored on the spring.
It looks as if a some ratchet has been damaged and the energy goes to the rotor, which makes it spin.

 

I wonder what does a loose spring have to do in this case?

Nothing. The problem is in the reversing wheels - they are either worn, improperly lubricated, or dirty.

Cheers, Al

 

How old is the watch?

Rotor spin on Sellitas seems to be an increasingly commonly noted issue, frequently on watches that are relatively new and well inside of their recommended service window (anywhere from days to a year old). Wondering if there is a larger issue with Sellita not lubricating these correctly in the factory.

 

Watch was bought 3 months ago.

 

Archer is correct, I have seen the occasional broken staff on a rev wheel cause this as well but less likely on a new watch.

 

For your peace of mind, you might consider having a local pro inspect it and correct if needed.

Good luck.

 

Thanks for all the answers.
By the way, it's strange that new watches have such problems.
I have 10 years old Seiko and Tissot and everything works as it was when I bought it. Tissot is accurate to +1 s a day!

 

It's not uncommon for a SW200-1 to spin the rotor out of the box; it may have sat in that box for two or three years before you bought it (especially GM). As Archer says, it's not supposed to do that if the reversers are clean and properly lubricated. But they are touchy little things as the lube is a very thin coat compared to other lubricated items in the movement.

As far as the concern raised by some of the above posters, I think it is overstated. When you hand wind the entire automatic train turns up to the larger wheel in each reverser whether the rotor spins or not, so you are not putting any (much) load on the automatic that wasn't there before.

If your watch is covered under warranty or you were planning on a service, I'd make sure the reversers were corrected or replaced, but if not I wouldn't worry about it until it's time for a service.

You will probably notice that the rotor only spins when held close to horizontal; if held vertical it will just wag back and forth. Sellita actually has a special information sheet that shows if you place the watch at 30 degrees from horizontal and the rotor doesn't spin, it meets requirements.

Again, if you are under warranty you should do something about it, although they may perform the 30 degree test and say it's fine.

And it's not just Sellita movements with the problem; I have a Speedmaster with a 9300 co-axial movement that does it.

BTW, the reversers are the ratchet joints that convert oscillating motion of the rotor to one-way motion that winds the mainspring. Each is really a pair of gears stacked one on top of the other with a ratchet joint between them.

 

As far as the concern raised by some of the above posters, I think it is overstated. When you hand wind the entire automatic train turns up to the larger wheel in each reverser whether the rotor spins or not, so you are not putting any (much) load on the automatic that wasn't there before.

Disagree - the parts in the winding/setting are not designed to move the load of the rotor - winding manually when the reversing wheels are not releasing, can cause damage, so I do not recommend it.

 

ExpiredWatchdog - thank you for your comprehensive answer.
You reassured me a little.
Currently, the watch is lying and I do not wear it for fear of extensive damage to the mechanism.

However, I have one question - as I wrote, my rotor can rotate not only during manual winding, but also when the spring is wound and the watch is in a horizontal position. Then the rotor can spin (without touching the crown) using the power stored on the spring.
Please clarify - is this symptom also a result of faulty reversing wheels?
Can I wear a watch in this situation?

 

ExpiredWatchdog - thank you for your comprehensive answer.
You reassured me a little.
Currently, the watch is lying and I do not wear it for fear of extensive damage to the mechanism.

However, I have one question - as I wrote, my rotor can rotate not only during manual winding, but also when the spring is wound and the watch is in a horizontal position. Then the rotor can spin (without touching the crown) using the power stored on the spring.
Please clarify - is this symptom also a result of faulty reversing wheels?
Can I wear a watch in this situation?

Are you saying that if you wind the watch up with the crown so that it is fully wound and then set it down horizontal on a table, the rotor spins under its own power?

 

It helps to understand the workings of a modern movement. I posted a link to a Tissot advert video that goes through a Powermatic 80, a derivative of the ETA 2824-2 (which the SW200-1 is also a derivative); for all intentional purposes, they function the same. This is in the sticky titled "How a Mechanical Watch Works" above the regular posts. Others have posted similar videos but the Tissot video shows how the SW200-1 movement works better than other videos.

You will notice that the mainspring barrel turns when the watch is running but that the arbor (shaft in the middle) and the ratchet wheel (the big gear attached to the shaft) are stationary. They only turn while winding, either by hand or via the automatic. In order for the automatic to drive the rotor, the ratchet wheel would have to turn and it either won't because the click is stopping it from turning or the click has failed and it unwinds in a real hurry (probably breaking something internally in the process).

Your english is a little off, so your words have a few possible interpretations. First, the rotor will never touch the crown but I think you are saying it turns without you touching (or turning) the crown. And "using the power stored in the spring", I believe you are saying that the spring makes the rotor move while it is unwinding.

As I said above, unless the click has failed, unless you or the automatic is winding, the ratchet wheel and everything upstream is stationary. That's why you can wind the spring and it doesn't immediately try to unwind.

If you can wind the watch up and it unwinds normally as it runs, I see no way the train would put any movement into the reversers or rotor.

If my interpretation of what you are describing is correct, you have an unusual problem and I'd strongly recommend someone skilled have a look at it.

 

ExpiredWatchdog Sorry for my bad English.
Thank you again for all your help.

 

Don't worry, my <everything else> is totally useless. You've got a puzzle I can't explain. The only way the mainspring could spin the rotor is if the ratchet wheel was turning, indicating that the click was somehow not engaging. But it that case, I think it would relieve all tension pretty quickly, 1250 turns of the rotor for a full wind if I remember correctly. I think you would also see the crown turning backwards in the winding position.

Do you get any reserve; does it run for 38 plus hours on a full wind?

 

After your post, I looked at the mechanism through the case back.
You're right. Sometimes the click does not seem to fall correctly between the teeth of the "crown wheel" .
I only wonder why ...

If the click engages well, the watch appears to be operating normally.
I haven't checked the reserve, but I think it lasts around 38 hours.

 

This happened to my 6 month old Divers Sixty Five, I bought it from someone who bought it from Joma, who of course was no help. I can confirm the reversing gears were not releasing and when hand wound it sounded terrible accompanied by a vigorous spinning of the rotor. Local watchmaker replaced the reversing gears and serviced it for about $125. Ran great after that, but thus began my disillusionment with the watch and I have since sold it.

To be clear I don't blame the chap who sold it to me. It ran fine after I received it, until rather suddenly some months later, it didn't. Joma suggested I leave it unwound with the crown pulled for 24 hours before trying it again. 24 hours later they said the warranty was for their customer, not the watch. Honestly the rep I talked to both days sounded so much like circa 1980's Ralph Macchio that I couldn't even stay mad at them!

 

Ok. I will have to send watch for a service.
Thank You for professional help.

 

Came here to find a perpetual motion machine, leaving disappointed.