GMT 1675 - Adjustment by 'Flicking'

[StanGMT]

Hello All,

Sometime in the early 1990's I called in to the RSC in central London to ask if they could regulate my 1675 GMT (1966 vintage) as it was losing time slightly. I've always preferred it to gain slightly because it's easier to adjust it every few days just by leaving it winder-up overnight or occasionally 'holding' the second hand on the winder.

They didn't regulate it but simply advised me to 'flick' the watch in a particular way (they showed me how), which causes the second hand to jolt forward. The process involves holding the watch in the hand and using a sharp flick of the wrist to flick the watch in a way that advances the second hand by a couple of seconds. This trick certainly works, but I never adopted it as a regular practice because it feels wrong to me to subject the GMT to this kind of treatment.

My GMT keeps excellent time generally but has recently drifted in to losing about 1-2 sec a day (even when I leave it lying face-up overnight) and I don't really want to be unscrewing the crown and adjusting it every few days as I prefer not to disturb the crown and winder any more than necessary.

Then this London RSC advice about flicking the watch came back to me and I was wondering if any of you had heard of it and if any of you adjust your watches this way? Also, can any of you with technical knowledge tell me if flicking the watch to advance the second hand in this manner could cause any undue wear or damage? If 'flicking' is normal practice and safe for the movement then it is a simple, convenient way of advancing the watch slightly.

Thanks in advance for any information/advice.

Stan.

[cop414]

Stan,
If you're only loosing a second per day why don't you do what I do. Set it ahead one full minute, in 2 months it will be spot on and in 90 days it should be 30 seconds slow. Nothing in life has to have "quartz" watch accuracy in my opinion. I reset my watch every 3 months or so.
I've heard of the "flicking" technique also but I'm in agreement with you in thinking that can't be good for the movement.

[iclick]

Originally Posted by StanGMT

They didn't regulate it but simply advised me to 'flick' the watch in a particular way.... (they showed me how), which causes the second hand to jolt forward. The process involves holding the watch in the hand and using a sharp flick of the wrist to flick the watch in a way that advances the second hand by a couple of seconds.

I hadn't heard of the "flick" trick until now, but it may explain why my 1675 GMT gains a few seconds every time I jog. I thought the jarring movement affected the balance wheel, not the second hand, but that wasn't based on any rational concept. I wonder why it doesn't work going in the opposite direction--i.e., to make it skip backward. Maybe the mechanism can't move backward in this manner.

I tried flicking mine in a manner that would cause the watch to move, then stop abruptly in the direction of the second hand advancing--then again in the opposite direction. It didn't seem to make any difference, but I'm sure I'm not doing it quite right. Obviously, something in the jogging movement is making mine advance several seconds in a relatively short period of time, as little as 8 min.

BTW, there was a thread from several months ago that discussing the jogging phenomenon I've just described, so it isn't just me that has experienced it.

[StanGMT]

Thanks for your replies. The flicking action needed to advance the second hand is quite 'robust' - which is why I have tended not to use it - but I can also add to the jogging phenomenon as I have noticed over the years that all sorts of activity that involves prolonged arm movement, such as running, swimming or even polishing windows can cause my GMT to gain a second or two.

Cop414 - I agree with you, it's not really necessary to have accuracy to a few seconds and simply adjusting by the minute is logical. I've just been very lucky in having a 1675 movement that has always varied by only about 1-2 sec a day and it has spoilt me because I've just been used to only needing to adjust it by the 'overnight face-up/winder-up' method keeping it to within a second or two of real time.

Stan.

[rmfnla]

Originally Posted by StanGMT

Thanks for your replies. The flicking action needed to advance the second hand is quite 'robust' - which is why I have tended not to use it - but I can also add to the jogging phenomenon as I have noticed over the years that all sorts of activity that involves prolonged arm movement, such as running, swimming or even polishing windows can cause my GMT to gain a second or two.

Cop414 - I agree with you, it's not really necessary to have accuracy to a few seconds and simply adjusting by the minute is logical. I've just been very lucky in having a 1675 movement that has always varied by only about 1-2 sec a day and it has spoilt me because I've just been used to only needing to adjust it by the 'overnight face-up/winder-up' method keeping it to within a second or two of real time.

Stan.

That may just be because all that additional activity is winding the mainspring more than your usual routine...