Is your automatic watch running fast? That’s great!! You will be early for all your appointments and you might even get a raise from your boss! However; if you are like most people you want your watch to be on time.

 

Listed below are the most common reasons why your automatic watch is running fast.

 

 

 

Magnetism: This is the most common reason a watch will run fast. If a watch is running fast from 20 seconds per day to a couple hours per day this is a clue that the hairspring coils are magnetized. When this happens the coils stick together. This causes the rotation of the balance wheel to shorten and makes the beat rate to increase greatly. To correct this is very simple in most cases. The watch just needs to go through a demagnetizing machine to correct the problem.

 

 

 

Tangled Coils: This is another common reason why your watch would be running very fast. If you have ever dropped your watch and it is now running fast, this could mean that the coils are now entangled. This is usually caused by a sudden jerk to the movement. When the coils are entangled the rotation of the balance wheel shortens and the beat rate increases drastically. Dropping a watch could also cause the hairspring to knock out of alignment and make the watch run fast.

 

 

 

Lubricants migrate to hairspring: Overtime the lubricants can cause the hairspring to stick. This happens when the lubricants migrate to the hairspring rather than sticking to the parts of the mechanism it is supposed to. The Hairspring manages the speed that the wheels in the movement rotate, so when the hairspring sticks , the rate of movement of the hands are going to be affected.

 

 

 

Frequency of service: All of these problems can be fixed or prevented by giving the watch a complete overhaul every couple of years. Every 5 years is the average recommendation from expert technicians. However, depending on how frequent you wear your watch and how it is stored when it is off your wrist will determine how often it needs to be serviced.