Constantly running the Chrono damages the watch?

[s.al-anizi]

Hi all,

I was wondering, would running the chronograph constantly on a chrono, say a Daytona or an El Primero or any other chrono, damage or wear down the movement?

[NiceShirt]

The warranty booklet on my el primero says not to leave the chrono running.

[Tools]

Originally Posted by s.al-anizi

Hi all,

I was wondering, would running the chronograph constantly on a chrono, say a Daytona or an El Primero or any other chrono, damage or wear down the movement?

This is hotly debated over and over..

The short answer is that any time that you engage the additional movement gears and pinions of the chrono, they will wear the same as the other parts in the watch that are moving.. If they are not moving, they are not wearing..

[justinwheelon]

does "constantly" running anything hurt it...? Uhhh yeah probably so (over a long period of time of course)

[dimster]

My colleague has been running his Seamaster Chrono Diver for over 10 years with the chrono running without service and doesn't have a problem.

[GradyPhilpott]

Why would anyone want his chronograph to run continuously?

[SALTY]

I certainly am no expert, but I have been told that NOT running the chrono on the Daytona can cause more wear. I cannot even begin to understand this but it is what I have heard - on the internet of all places!

Wear these darned things; run these darned things and get them served now and again!

[jay1988]

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

Why would anyone want his chronograph to run continuously?

Because nothing is more attractive on a watch then a nice sweeping seconds hand ?

[le_baroudeur]

No problem at all, especially on the superb 4130, which is perfectly engineered (ball bearings instead of pivot). You will perhaps loose a tiny bit of power reserve, but that is nothing. Have fun with it!

[gargamel647]

Originally Posted by jay1988

Because nothing is more attractive on a watch then a nice sweeping seconds hand ?

This is true.

[FNFZ4]

Yup I believe so. If they are not moving then there is no wear. So in service, you might have to replace more parts.

[Keeperoftime]

Originally Posted by gargamel647

This is true.

Lol, True. Although I do not keep my Chronographs running.

[Bangel]

My friend just had his IWC spitfire chronograph serviced and was advised by the watchmaker to use his chronograph as little as possible to avoid wear and tear.

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by jay1988

Because nothing is more attractive on a watch then a nice sweeping seconds hand ?

This may be true, but it is irrelevant.

If you want to watch a sweeping second-hand, look at the sub-dial.

Otherwise, wear a watch that the large second-hand is designed to do no more than to traverse the circumference of the dial once per minute.

Besides, you can snigger smugly if some rube asks you why your watch isn't running.

[crowncollection]

it will definetely wear some of the gears more, but these parts are strong and high quality item like the rest of movement. If you service it reguarly i cannot see a problem, maybe a slightly larger bill and lets face it, it looks hot!!!

[s.al-anizi]

Originally Posted by jay1988

Because nothing is more attractive on a watch then a nice sweeping seconds hand ?

Exactly...

[kymwatchlog]

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

Why would anyone want his chronograph to run continuously?

so that he can SEE the watch is running indeed. No kiddin, this was told to me by a watch technician :)

[kymwatchlog]

i was told that for vertical column wheel movt like the Seiko 6138, you should keep the chrono running as this disengages the "clutch". for swiss watches, it is better to NOT keep the chrono running.

OK, this is as far as i know (and have learned), anything more is not in my syllabus :)

[gtb5]

Don't think it will be bad for the watch since it is just part of the watch, if you like the look of running chrono just let it run I say!

[RolexWatcher]

If you constantly wear a mechanical watch, you would wear it out too but that's what a mechanical watch is, it has gears and bearings and stuff etc...BUT it was designed to do that.

Everything wears out...

[padi56]

Originally Posted by GradyPhilpott

Why would anyone want his chronograph to run continuously?

Exactly a Chronograph is meant to be used to time things its a glorified stop watch and cannot see any point to be kept running if not used..Its a bit like watches on a machine just cannot see any point of keeping them running when they are not needed to tell the time on the wrist.

[Roxas]

Originally Posted by kymwatchlog

i was told that for vertical column wheel movt like the Seiko 6138, you should keep the chrono running as this disengages the "clutch". for swiss watches, it is better to NOT keep the chrono running.

OK, this is as far as i know (and have learned), anything more is not in my syllabus :)

4130 also has a column wheel and vertical clutch. I read from the internet that we can keep the chronograph running constantly without wearing the movement. Anyone can confirm or elaborate?

[Andad]

I sort of agree with Peter but the mini dials are a bit small for me so I do run my Daytona chrono hand all the time synced to the little one.
The Daytona has two second hands and I want to get my monies worth out of this puppy.
It's a Scottish thing.

[IMG2]

Originally Posted by Tools

This is hotly debated over and over..

The short answer is that any time that you engage the additional movement gears and pinions of the chrono, they will wear the same as the other parts in the watch that are moving.. If they are not moving, they are not wearing..

Why then do we buy watch winders? Based on this theory it would be better to let them sit un-wound and not running, less wear and tear.

[HL65]

Originally Posted by IMG2

Why then do we buy watch winders? Based on this theory it would be better to let them sit un-wound and not running, less wear and tear.

Correct and precisely why we(the other we) don't buy watch winders.

[Adam K.]

From all I've read and heard, vertically coupled chronographs (which the Rolex 4130 is...other superb vertically coupled chronos include Patek's CH 28-250 and the Frederic Piguet 1185) can be run continually with no problem.

Horizontally coupled chronographs, however, (Zenith El Primero, various Lemania chronograph calibers, Venus 175, etc. etc.) should be used somewhat more sparingly, and not run continually; this is partly due to issues with wear from the sudden meshing of the gear teeth in this system (compared to the vertical system, which transfers energy smoothly via coupling wheels), and also due to the fact that amplitude can be sharply affected in horizontal chronos as they are switched on/off--negatively affecting precision. This is another issue that is eliminated in vertical chronos like the modern Daytona; the force flow is even regardless of whether the chronograph is being operated or not.


Probably a poor explanation (as best as I can remember) but that's the basic concepts behind the advantages of a vertically-coupled chronograph for a wearer that wants to run their chronograph more or less all of the time.

[dannyp]

Given what I've been reading in this thread, I'd probably keep it running for two reasons:

1. I, too, prefer having the large seconds hand going.

2. I'd rather those parts wear at the same rate as the rest of the watch so that everything is serviced at the same time. I'd rather the parts wear at the same rate (like car tires) so that I don't have to have maintenance on the regular watch functions one year, only to have to have the chrono rebuilt two years later.

[gimpex]

No shame in admitting , when I wear my Omega Speedie I also tend to run the chrono all the time.

Why ? I like the sweeping hand !

And it is also synchronized to the small second hand.

And I am not even Scottish !

[77T]

Did anyone among our perpetual chrono operators notice a distinct impact on the Power Reserve?

[TSW]

Not only the war and tear on parts, On many watches the amplitude will suffer when running the chrono or regatta function.