I have seen several people get worried about the strange noises from their newly purchased watch and I must admit, I was one of them. This is also why I have found those discussion here. I think the most exact one is here:
(But it is already in the archive, so I could not post there, that's why I started a new thread.)
Before I have bought my first IWC watch (Portofino Automatic) I was wearing Seiko Kinetic for 15 years by every occasion. From office to sports. From that I think I can tell exactly how a pendulum sounds and what noises it can make. But Kinetic series are not mechanical watches. Therefore I've got very surprised that suddenly I hear a lot more. Not only pendulum noises. The same way, as Paul has described in the discussion mentioned above, when you lightly tap the watch, oh man, you can hear something!
One fact is, that over the discussion forum we cannot judge the sounds. Therefore I was thinking how to make "a sound database" as proposed there. That would not be a problem, we can easily use YouTube or SoundCloud. The problem is to record the sounds, so that everyone can hear them. I've tried, but it's tricky.
So I have turned back to my watch, which make those sounds as well. And there was something familiar in that sounds there. Again, the discusion above helped. I think it might be the spring. Or better said, the "part" of it, which has already given away its potential energy. It gives the sound as if it would be loose. Well, it is and it is not. It still has enough energy to vibrate and generate sounds. And these together with sounds created by the pendulum can make the noise.
The easiest way to test was to fully wind the watch. And I did. What happens then is, that you wind the spring tighter, so it is not "loose" anymore and cannot generate sounds. Do it. The only sound, that will remain is the sound of pendulum. Even if you tap the watch.
If not, or if you feel your watch malfunction somehow, then of course it is back to AD with them to do the research. Also you have to be aware, as was written above (boy what a usefull thread that was) that some thinner models do not damp the sounds that good as those with thicker cases. On the other hand, who would want to mute them ? Not me, I want to hear my watch ticking ;o)
This mostly occurs to the automatic watches I would assume. We tend to rely on the pendulum to wind them, but if you wear them 95% of time sitting in the office or driving the car, it is just not enough for them to get fully wound. It is better to give them few turns with the crown every morning. The watches run better and more accurate. This was also among the first things AD told me when I was buying the watch. And also the thing that I did not follow, as I was used to something else for several years before. I was just surprised, why the time on my watch was loosing seconds day by day.