Grinding feeling when winding GMT II

[mkmk]

My friend has a GMT II - 116713. When he went to wind it a couple days ago it felt "gritty" and felt like it was grinding when wound. He let it run out off the wrist and then wound it again. Same feel. Then today he went to wind it and it wound normal like mine does. Tried it again to make sure and gritty again. Tried again couple hours later it was fine. Tried again and gritty. He says his watch runs fine and is keeping excellent time. He asked me to ask for the forums advice. Doesn't want to service it if he doesn't have to.
Thanks in advance for any information you can share.

[DoctorA]

I’m no expert but it’s time to have it looked at by RSC! I wouldn’t wind it as I’d worry about damaging something else especially given the “grinding” description which is certainly not normal!

[77T]

So a couple of thoughts as it appears this is intermittent and the accuracy seems OK.

The mainspring in the barrel may be dried out and chafing slightly against the dry barrel sometimes.

Or as the mainspring is tightening, the tail of it is sometimes slipping along a section of the wall inside the barrel that is now worn.

The best way to check is opening it up.


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[Dirt]

Originally Posted by DoctorA

I’m no expert but it’s time to have it looked at by RSC! I wouldn’t wind it as I’d worry about damaging something else especially given the “grinding” description which is certainly not normal!

I would tend to agree.
The fact that it's inconsistent is a concern.
However, having said that. Why is it being manually wound?
What's wrong with just wearing it and letting it wind itself up as it is an auto after all.

[Lester]

Agree too. Cheers everyone.

[In-Cog-Neeto]

Originally Posted by 77T

So a couple of thoughts as it appears this is intermittent and the accuracy seems OK.

The mainspring in the barrel may be dried out and chafing slightly against the dry barrel sometimes.

Or as the mainspring is tightening, the tail of it is sometimes slipping along a section of the wall inside the barrel that is now worn.

The best way to check is opening it up.


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If the barrel starts drying out you are doing something wrong

[77T]

Originally Posted by In-Cog-Neeto

If the barrel starts drying out you are doing something wrong

I’m not sure what you mean. The owner doesn’t have much influence on the barrel.



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[In-Cog-Neeto]

Originally Posted by 77T

I’m not sure what you mean. The owner doesn’t have much influence on the barrel.



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Lol. I’m too obscure brother

[vistec]

This happened to me. BLNR. Rolex serviced free under warranty. Send it in ASAP


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[mwatch]

Had a similar issue on a sub and it turned out the watch needed service, running dry. Accuracy was still within COSC and amplitude was within normal range so don’t pay much attention to these numbers in such situation.

[77T]

Originally Posted by In-Cog-Neeto

Lol. I’m too obscure brother

Ahhh...different kind of barrel...


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[In-Cog-Neeto]

Originally Posted by 77T

Ahhh...different kind of barrel...


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Thats the one

[Tools]

So, it has a gritty feel when winding. This doesn't have any impact on how it is running, does it?

Don't look for issues when there are none, or they are minor. Have it serviced when something actually goes wrong.

[Fire bloke]

Interesting as it's from flat
Usually get a gritty feel if fully wound. And it's the clutch slipping

[bjaredt]

I just got my Explorer 214270 back from RSC and I had the same problem. My watch is only a month old. They said it got magnetized and that can mess up the movement. They were not super clear with what exactly the issue was. But now it sounds like it should when I wind it. If you live near a RSC they will have a specialist look at it right there to see if it needs to go in for repairs. It took two weeks to fix. Best of luck!

[mkmk]

Thanks all for the info. I gave a copy of all the posts to my friend and he decided to ship it to RSC in Dallas. He says he'll feel better knowing for sure if it needs a service or if all is ok.