dear all,
i just got my first IWC portuguese automatic 500114 and i noticed that the hour hand does not align properly.. this is pretty saddening and wanted to check if anyone has come across this issue.. and what can i do to get this corrected though frankly i hate the thought of giving this for repair..
regards,
srijith
Hi Srijith
Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new aquisition and foray into the magnificent world of IWC watches.
There have been a number of posts on the forum regarding misalignment of hands on both the ref 5001 and ref 5101 Portofino. If you search the forum using the hour glass icon you should find them quite easily.
I believe there is a certain amount of leeway that is considered within factory tolerances (1-2 mins) outside this is considered abnormal but can be easily fixed.
Some choose to ignore these aberrations others prefer to have them corrected either at service or sooner - it is a matter of preference.
I had the same experience and it bothered me so I had it fixed.
Either way it isn't a major problem and please don't let it detract from your enjoyment of a beautiful piece of machinery.
Regards
Peter
Look for a post by Leo Sweeney who explains how and why this has occurred and looks after the London service dept
For me there is one simple test to do first: at 12 o'clock the hands must cover each other perfectly, not after setting the watch at that time, but while the watch is running.
Furthermore, the dial must be centered perfectly, that is, when you put the side of a business card exactly over the central pinion, the side of the card must touch opposing hour markers exactly too: 12 - 6, 1 - 7, 2 - 8, 3 - 9, 4 - 10 and 5 - 11. That way you can find out in which direction there is a misalignment of the dial.
If the second test fails, I guess either a dial alignment or a new dial is in order. If the second test is OK and the first test fails, the hands must be re-installed. I am not sure if a watchmaker at an AD can do this, or the watch must be sent in.
Kind regards,
Paul
Thank you everyone. I reckon my watch's hour hand is ~4 minutes fast. I also checked at 12 o'clock and it doesn't align perfectly, whereas the business card test is fine. So guess, I will get the hour hand alignment corrected.
In addition, I set the time (to the second) based on GMT website wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/info/current-time/) and it was perfect for a while but the next morning my watch was ~3 seconds faster. Not sure if the website time can be relied on. Is there an authoritative time setting website that I can refer for the exact time?
+3secs is well within tolerances allowed for a mechanical watch, I believe. Most of mine are outside of that so you are doing ok.
but this has been noticed just within 24 hrs!
The heart beat of a mechanical watch varies just like that of a living person.
+ or - 3 seconds per day is fine.
Non mechanical (quartz) movements may be more accurate but they have no heart or soul.
(Apologies to any quartz fans!)
Regards
Peter
You are being too paranoid about accuracy. A 3 second variance (fast) is well within tolerance for a mechanical watch. Another factor in mechanical watch is consistency of time keeping. Excessive variations in being slow or fast is something to watch. Btw, how you place your watch when off your wrists affects accuracy. A dial down or up position may speed up the timekeeping, while a crown up or down can slow it down.
If you are insisting on absolute accuracy you should consider a quartz watch.
Don't worry so much, enjoy your IWC and wear it in good health.
Your shiny new 5001 (a beautiful watch, great movement and the first IWC for many of us here including myself) beats 518400 times per day, or 6 times per second. To be fast by 3 seconds after a day means it is only beating an extra 18 beats per day, or a daily error rate of 0.003472% - pretty good for a device that is driven by a piece of spring metal that was shaped and constructed by hand.
Like many here, you have acquired your first real time piece and expect it to be the most accurate time piece ever made. After you have some time appreciate your time piece for what it is - a mechanical marvel, you will no longer worry about being +3 / day or even +8 seconds a day and appreciate the fact that you have a mechanical work of art on your wrist :)
I would however look into getting the hands aligned . . .
Cheers,
Ben
Thank you everyone. Your comments have been very helpful.
Dear everyone,
on the accuracy, after noticing my watch getting 3 seconds faster in 1 day, I have been checking it daily and now its almost 42 seconds faster (its been a little more than a week since I set the time per a website).
Do you think I should get my watch serviced - just bought it a month back.
Regards,
Srijith
I will make the same comment I made earlier. Don't be so paranoid about your wonderful IWC. It is performing within spec. Assuming 7 days (and you say it's been more than a week), the variance per day is <6 seconds per day. That is within spec. Enjoy your watch and don't fret. If you need an absolutely accurate to the second watch, maybe you should get a quartz watch.