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Geplaatst op 08-06-2023 door Marc Hut
Oh no!! Your watch is broken! That's pretty annoying. It ran perfectly, looks nice too, but suddenly it stopped working. A defect? Maybe your watch does work but it just isn't doing what it's supposed to do anymore? Loose parts inside the watch, a broken crown... It can happen with any watch brand, but it is the last thing you are waiting for. In this WatchXL Watch News we've listed 10 common watch defects for you, and in some cases we might even have the solution for you!
It may happen that parts inside the watch become loose. We see this especially with large (heavy) timepieces like Diesels etc. Indexes, hands and other pars on the dial have detached. Sometimes the defect is caused by the watch falling or bumping against something, but it can also be due to manufacturing defects. Did you notice loose parts inside your watch and on the dial? We recommend to stop the watch from running immediately by pulling out the crown to its outermost position. After that, make sure you have the watch repaired in time because loose parts can block the hands and movement and cause damage to your timepiece! Damage caused by dropping or impact is not covered by the warranty.
Watch broken: index has detached
It's a defect we see occurring with many watch brands: a loose hand. A small defect that seems easy to solve. But a loose hand inside the watch can block the other hands and the time course. Just like mentioned before: we recommend you to stop the watch immediately. Because a hand can stop the movement from functioning properly. It might even run so much out of control that the movement needs to be replaced. A loose hand or index is usually caused by manufacturing defects and may be covered by the warranty. But if the watch has been bumbed against something or has fallen and taken a big hit, you probably cannot claim the warranty.
Also read: 'How do I set the second hand of my chronograph watch?'
Very annoying: The link strap of your watch is no longer securely fastened. Maybe the pin that is connecting the strap to the watch has detached. The result: the strap has disconnected from the watch and maybe even fell to the ground. Things even get worse when you end up looking for a pushpin in a haystack, only to find that the pin has definitely been lost.
It is also possible that a split or screw pin has disappeared somewhere from a watch link. Some watch brands do not only use these pins to connect the links to each other, but also add small gaskets inside the strap link where the pin is supposed to be placed into. Without this gasket, the pin does not stay connected inside the link. Hopefully your watch didn't fall on the floor, that can cause even more trouble. Unfortunately, watch straps are not included in the warranty.
Did you discover the defect in time? A loose push pin, split pin or screw pin is probably a trifle to solve. But you may have to find you a local juwelery store. Did your watch fall on the floor? Well, oh dear. Need we say more...
Read also: 'How to shorten your watch strap'
Watch band links that are no longer connected.
Damage to the watch glass is the most annoying thing that can happen to you. Especially annoying because this kind of damage is never actually covered by the warranty. Not with any brand.
Does your watch have deep scratches and cracks in the watch glass? Then don't go walking around like nothing has happend for too long because pieces of glass can damage the internal movement. The watch also may no longer be waterproof.
Replacing watch crystal is often possible, but expensive. Ask a jeweler or a watchmaker about the possibilities and costs. Those costs also partly depend on the type of glass and the brand / type of watch and the damage that the glass has caused in the watch. When looking for a new watch or new glass we always recommend sapphire glass. It is so much more scratch resistance that it is a that it is actually outrageous that this glass is not placed with all watches from a certain price range, excluded some diving watches that need more flexible glass.
When it happens to you it's pretty annoying: moisture inside your watch. It might be serious or less serious, but moisture inside a watch is of course not looking good.
The cause may be a crown that has not been closed by you properly which could have caused the moisture problem. Maybe you didn't pay close attention to the water resistance of the watch, you swam with it when you weren't supposed to, or maybe there might be a manufacturing defect.
Condensation
Not always moisture inside a watch is that serious. Sometimes some light condensation can occur when a cold watch warms up again. This kind of condensation should disappear within a few hours.
Is there moisture inside your watch? Have it checked for water tightness as soon as possible. In case of warranty, it will be checked whether the moisture was caused by misuse or a manufacturing defect.
A pulled-out crown is fragile and can easily be damaged if misused. For example, if you put your hand inside your pocket or when you bump into something. Always push back the crown and (with a screwed crown) screw the crown tight onto the watch case. Do not go near any water with an open crown!
Oops, the crown on this watch has broken off!
Warranty or not?
It might be possible that a crown has really come loose from the internal movement, not due to misuse. This may be a manufacturing defect and may be covered by the warranty.
A watch with a broken crown is obviously no longer waterproof. And unfortunately, there is no other option: it will need to be repaired by a watch repair shop.
When your watch suddenly starts to lag, hands no longer rotate neatly but show irregularities or even jump large strokes at once, it is not impossible that the battery is almost empty.
Maybe your watch has already stopped completely? First put in a new battery! Often this solves the problem. A local jeweler can help you.
Has battery replacement not helped? Then there may be more going on with the watch. In worst case, replacing the movement all together is sometimes necessary. Here, too, it may well be a manufacturing defect, so check whether you still have a warranty.
Read 'How to recognize a timepiece with an empty battery'
The first question we have to ask you first is: Do you have an automatic watch charged by wrist movement? If so, try shaking the watch horizontally for at least 20 seconds and/or try winding it manually with the crown. Maybe your wristwatch now has some 'energy' to run again. If you stop wearing and moving an automatic watch for too long, it will stop running. Does your watch run to slow or to fast? An automatic watch may have a deviation of -20s and +40s a day. So anything within this range is still acceptabele and industry standard.
An automatic watch.
Mechanism broken
You've changed battery but all the things you did have not solved the problem with your stopped watch? Then it might be necessary to have the watch checked. The mechanism may be defective. Whether or not due to a manufacturing defect.
Do you have a chronograph watch? Then your watch might be in chronograph mode. Use the pushers to start/stop and reset the chronograph.
Is your automatic watch not showing the correct time? Unlike all the problems described above, this case may not be a malfunction. Automatic watches often have a certain deviation. That deviation can vary from a few seconds to more than a minute per day. Rule is: the more expensive the watch movement, the smaller the deviation. A deviation of -20 seconds to +40 seconds per day is quite normal. Does the deviation of your watch fall outside these limits? Then it is best to have it checked.
Before we go any further: I hope you know how to set the date on your watch, right? You do not? Okay, in short:
Pull out the crown to the second position to set the date. And note: Never set the date between 10 and 2 o'clock because the watch might be busy changing the date by itself. Always set the date before 10 am or after 2 am.
Date does not change
A watch will change the date every 24 hours. Does your date suddenly change at 12 o'clock in the afternoon instead of 12 o'clock at night? Solve this by turning the time forward 12 hours.
You've been turning the crown in all directions to set the date but nothing happens? Then it may be that something is wrong with the watch. You might need to find a watch repair shop.
We hope your watch will continue to run perfectly and without defects for a long time to come. Perhaps the above explanation will help you solve issues with your watch and out tips and tricks will help you to solve or prevent problems with your watch. Did you buy a watch from WatchXL and is it defective within the warranty conditions? Please contact us.
