Winding mechansim sounds and feels different after service, what do you think?

Hello,

I bought my Pilot Mk. XVI 4 years ago. I am its first owner. A few weeks ago I had the local IWC agent send away my watch a "Complete service". Judging by the warranty letter it was serviced by Richemont UK Ltd, the officially authorised IWC service centre in the UK.

Here is a description of what is different about the winding mechanism following the service:

1) Previously the crown had to be screwed about a half turn to release it for winding. Now it takes about one and a quarters turns.

2) Previously when screwing the crown back into the closed position the torque needed to turn it would be low, then suddenly high, this being the signal to stop turning the crown. Now the torque builds very slowly towards the ends of the tightening procedure, perhaps over a quarter turn.

3) Previously when winding the sound from the watch was a series of distinct clicks with silence in between each click. Now the clicks are almost overwhelmed by a random collection of twangs and gentle grating sounds. I believe I can “feel” the new noises through the crown whilst winding.

In writing this post my thoughts have been clarified somewhat. I firmly believe that something is wrong with my watch now. The sales person in the local agents shop where I had the watch serviced said that all watches sound different, and so the above changes were not necessarily indicative of a problem.

I plan to keep this watch until my end. On this basis I want to be sure that everything is running correctly. We decided to send it back to Richemont for a Technical Assessment.

The reason am posting on this forum is that I would like to receive your collective opinions on if I really have a problem here. Perhaps some of you have Mk. XVI's or other models with Calibre 30110/2892A2 mechanisms, and you can confirm what s normal for this watch.

Regards
Paul

Hi Paul

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the Mark XVII.
I have the Mark XVII in Le Petit Prince version.

Such diagnosis is very difficult based on your description.
The sounds and feel of all watches are diverse. What I do is wind the watch up with 50-60 winds of the crown and then if the movement is keeping good time and things feel ok - then it's ok. You have a warranty on the work done so you can bring back to the AD later if you don't feel comfortable.

Perhaps now your watch is exactly as it should be - rather than the sound before the service.

My watch does have a life of its own as well.

Hi Paul,
congratulations on that wonderful watch.
To me this sounds quite normal, that after a service it feels differently, because a lot may have been changed / renewed.
For example the closing of the crown: There are new dealings inside with new (soft) rubber sealings. They have to tighten smoothly.
So if you don't have a problem I wouldn't have it checked.

Hi Paul,
I believe your watch is functioning correctly and I hope I can go some way in addressing your concerns regarding the differences, before and after service, that you have observed in the winding mechanism.
1] Your crown + crown tube were replaced during the service as the internal threads were worn. The quarter turn to lock was a symptom of this problem and did not offer the same level of water-resistance security as the new parts, with one and a quarter turns to lock.
2] The crown tube is conical in shape so the crown seal is progressively compressed as the crown is screwed down which is why 'the torque builds very slowly towards the ends of the tightening procedure'. You can notice this more now as the crown requires more turns to lock.
3] The 'random collection of twangs and gentle grating sounds' you hear is the high speed turning of the freshly cleaned and oiled reverser wheel, a part of the clutch mechanism that disengages the hand(crown)winding from the automatic winding. You may not have heard this before as the old oil would have become more viscous, reducing efficiency but also noise.
3a] The 'series of distinct clicks with silence in between each click' that you heard before would have been the, fully wound, mainspring clicking around the guard slots inside the barrel. You may still be able to hear this if you fully wind the watch and continue to wind the crown.
[](s1152.photobucket.com/user/leosweeney/media/crown.jpg.html)
Leo

Leo is fully involved in the UK service centre of Richemont UK. Have faith and trust in his response!

To everyone who has replied to my questions, I would like thank you very much for taking such time and effort to explain the causes and provide reassure to me that all is well with my watch.

Regards
Paul

@Leo, very interesting explaination. It is amazing what we (less technical forummers) can learn. Thanks a lot.

Cheers Chris

Fantastic description Leo

Glad that I predicted the watch is exactly as it should be.