Rattling sound from my new watch - normal?

HAYQ · Post by **HAYQ** » Thu Mar 06, 2025 10:51 pm

Hi everyone,

I discovered Christopher Ward through the Bel Canto and became a member here a while ago. I finally got my own Bel Canto Classic in Argento, and I wanted to share my thoughts and ask you something.

First Impressions
Opening the box, my immediate thought was: "This thing is tiny!"—in a good way. In photos and videos, it always looked big and chunky, but in person, it’s small, delicate, and almost ‘cute.’ It does have some thickness, but nothing beyond what I’d consider normal.

The watch is also very light, and I’m not sure how I feel about that yet. I generally prefer lightweight watches since I don’t like feeling them on my wrist, so in that sense, it’s perfect. However, when handling the bracelet, it almost has a plastic-like feel—which I believe is just the nature of titanium rather than a CW-specific issue.

Rattling Sound – Is This Normal?
Later today, while patting my son’s back as he was napping, I noticed a rattling sound coming from the watch. It sounded like something was loose or moving inside. However, if something was actually loose, I’d expect to hear it with every wrist movement—which I don’t. The sound only occurs when I shake my wrist or make strong, sudden movements.

At first, I thought it might be the bracelet, so I removed it and shook the watch again—the sound was still there. I’m used to hearing the movement inside a watch if I bring it close to my ear, but this is different. I don’t need to bring it near my ear to hear it—it’s very noticeable.

For those of you who own the Bel Canto, is this normal? I’ve recorded a video with sound so you can hear it clearly (it looks like a watch horror movie the way I shake it, but I wanted to make sure the sound was captured). Let me know what you think!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19bgpQ9 ... sp=sharing
I`m not sure how to upload my video here and hope the link works.

HAYQ · Post by **HAYQ** » Thu Mar 06, 2025 11:37 pm

Some pics of new Bel Canto. This and Rivanera from Echo/Neutra are two of my favourite watches and I think these watches may have ruined my desire to buy any new watch. These watches look so much more expensive than they are so this is what I`m expecting from my future new watches - to look at least 3 to 5 times the actual price haha

Post by **Bahnstormer_vRS** » Thu Mar 06, 2025 11:48 pm

I'm only watching that Video once as it certainly does look "like a watch horror movie the way I shake it".

I've compared your video with my own Bel Canto Phoenix, plus a couple of other of my watches, shaking them in a similar but more gentle manner.

As best as I am able to judge without having them side by side, they sound the same; it will be the sound of the winding rotor going round.

Guy

HAYQ · Post by **HAYQ** » Thu Mar 06, 2025 11:56 pm

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: ↑Thu Mar 06, 2025 11:48 pm I'm only watching that Video once as it certainly does look "like a watch horror movie the way I shake it".

I've compared your video with my own Bel Canto Phoenix, plus a couple of other of my watches, shaking them in a similar but more gentle manner.

As best as I am able to judge without having them side by side, they sound the same; it will be the sound of the winding rotor going round.

Guy

Thanks for molesting your watches for me. I really appreciate it and I did warn it was a proper watch horror haha. I only shook it like that for the video to make sure the sound would get captured. In reality I can hear it by just waving my hand, patting or just doing any strong and sudden movement with my wrist/hand.
I have few other automatic watches but non of them make a sound anywhere close to what I hear from Bel Canto

Engineer · Post by **Engineer** » Fri Mar 07, 2025 8:57 am

Yes my Bel Canto is very rattley. I've seen several YouTube videos were owners have also commented on this feature. But all the automatic watches, of whatever brand, I've got make this type of noise to a greater or lesser extent, and I've a feeling that the Sellita movement is nosier than some others. How pronounced it is seems to be largely a consequence of the case design (case material and thickness, case back etc.) - and therein lies the problem with the Bel Canto I suspect. Here we have a case specifically designed to amplify and transmit sounds as much as possible, be they wanted or not!

HAYQ · Post by **HAYQ** » Fri Mar 07, 2025 12:33 pm

Engineer wrote: ↑Fri Mar 07, 2025 8:57 am Yes my Bel Canto is very rattley. I've seen several YouTube videos were owners have also commented on this feature. But all the automatic watches, of whatever brand, I've got make this type of noise to a greater or lesser extent, and I've a feeling that the Sellita movement is nosier than some others. How pronounced it is seems to be largely a consequence of the case design (case material and thickness, case back etc.) - and therein lies the problem with the Bel Canto I suspect. Here we have a case specifically designed to amplify and transmit sounds as much as possible, be they wanted or not!

This actually makes sense. Thanks for explaining! I don’t have much experience with watches, which is why I wanted to check with others.

I only have a Rolex, which doesn’t make any sound at all. My other favorite, the Rivanera from Echo/Neutra, only makes a ticking sound when I bring it close to my ear. The last mechanical watch I have is from Venezianico, and that too is only audible when held close—just the normal ticking sound you’d expect from a running watch.

But this one, with its rattly sound so audible even when my wrist is far from my ear, really caught me by surprise.

In the Rivanera, I like the titanium—it’s only the case, but it feels solid. However, in the Bel Canto Titanium, even though it’s a more durable material, it comes off as kind of cheap feeling and plastic-like. That probably adds to the cheap, plastic-y rattling sound of the watch.

Post by **Amor Vincit Omnia** » Fri Mar 07, 2025 12:53 pm

There are three main types of mechanical noise you can get from a watch.

Rotor noise on automatics as described - very audible on some, imperceptible on others

Ticking - some need to be held right up to the ear, some can be heard from further away

Manual winding - the miniature buzz-saw sound of the ratchet/click spring, loud on some and imperceptible on others

But the point is, it doesn’t seem to be related (in my box at least) to the perceived quality or price of a watch. E.g….My Cartier is a little buzz-saw, I can hear the rotor if I turn my wrist over about 10cm from my ear, but I have to hold it up close to hear the tick. A different watch has silent winding and a prominent tick…etc.

Post by **welshlad** » Fri Mar 07, 2025 2:46 pm

In my view, what you're hearing is the rotor, as others have said. It's amplified compared to other watches due to the nature of the case design, which is trying to amplify the sound of the chime/gong every hour, but which also amplifies other sounds, like the rotor turning. I would regard it as a comforting noise, telling you that your watch is working properly, i.e. the rotor isn't stuck or something similar.

timepieces_and_bags · Post by **timepieces_and_bags** » Fri Mar 07, 2025 3:04 pm

My Bel Canto (original) is the same, so nothing to be concerned about.

Hope you enjoy the watch in good health @HAYQ - it looks great. Though having watched that video I'm surprised it's not running backwards!

Post by **rkovars** » Fri Mar 07, 2025 3:32 pm

I concur with the others. It sounds like rotor spin to me too. As others have stated too there is more of a cavity in that watch to amplify the sound.

PGR101 · Post by **PGR101** » Fri Mar 07, 2025 3:44 pm

I have the same with my C9 AM GT. Never thought too much of it but it also has quite a big case so that probably explains it. I bought it new from CW around 6 years ago and not had any mechanical issues with the watch.

HAYQ · Post by **HAYQ** » Fri Mar 07, 2025 3:55 pm

timepieces_and_bags wrote: ↑Fri Mar 07, 2025 3:04 pm My Bel Canto (original) is the same, so nothing to be concerned about.

Hope you enjoy the watch in good health @HAYQ - it looks great. Though having watched that video I'm surprised it's not running backwards!

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and insights—I really appreciate it! As I mentioned, I’m new to all of this, so it’s great to read your perspectives.

The watch is amazing—definitely one of my favorites, alongside my Rivanera and Datejust. That said, I’ve realized I might not be the biggest fan of titanium as a material. I appreciate its lightness, but it gives off a somewhat ‘cheap’ or ‘toy-like’ feel—I’m not sure if that’s the best way to describe it. Funny enough, two of my favorites are in titanium, but in the Rivanera’s case, that feeling isn’t as noticeable.

timepieces_and_bags · Post by **timepieces_and_bags** » Fri Mar 07, 2025 4:06 pm

^^^ I had the exact same thought when I bought mine and posted so in my First Impressions post.

But I think my impression was borne out of only having worn steel bracelet watches previously. Now I find it simply light rather than toy-like, but I do know what you mean by that comment.

HAYQ · Post by **HAYQ** » Fri Mar 07, 2025 8:47 pm

timepieces_and_bags wrote: ↑Fri Mar 07, 2025 4:06 pm ^^^ I had the exact same thought when I bought mine and posted so in my First Impressions post.

But I think my impression was borne out of only having worn steel bracelet watches previously. Now I find it simply light rather than toy-like, but I do know what you mean by that comment.

I’m surprised that not a single YouTube reviewer has mentioned any of these issues. Most people have little to no experience with titanium watches or ultra-light cases with noisy movements, so when you encounter something like this, you start to wonder if there’s actually something wrong with your watch.

Also, I don’t understand why Sellita movements are so popular and sought after in microbrand and independent brand forums. The cheap Seiko movement in my Venezianico is much quieter, and I’m sure there are other movements that are less noisy as well. Or is it just this specific Sellita series that has this "issue"?

When I`m manually winding the watch the winding sound and sensation is also a bit noisy with this crunchy sound and feel. Again not sure if I`m describing it correctly. Again something new to me compared to my other watches but for some reason I do like this crunchy feeling and sound

MarkingTime · Post by **MarkingTime** » Sat Mar 08, 2025 10:07 pm

HAYQ wrote: ↑Thu Mar 06, 2025 10:51 pm Hi everyone,

I discovered Christopher Ward through the Bel Canto and became a member here a while ago. I finally got my own Bel Canto Classic in Argento, and I wanted to share my thoughts and ask you something.

First Impressions
Opening the box, my immediate thought was: "This thing is tiny!"—in a good way. In photos and videos, it always looked big and chunky, but in person, it’s small, delicate, and almost ‘cute.’ It does have some thickness, but nothing beyond what I’d consider normal.

The watch is also very light, and I’m not sure how I feel about that yet. I generally prefer lightweight watches since I don’t like feeling them on my wrist, so in that sense, it’s perfect. However, when handling the bracelet, it almost has a plastic-like feel—which I believe is just the nature of titanium rather than a CW-specific issue.

Rattling Sound – Is This Normal?
Later today, while patting my son’s back as he was napping, I noticed a rattling sound coming from the watch. It sounded like something was loose or moving inside. However, if something was actually loose, I’d expect to hear it with every wrist movement—which I don’t. The sound only occurs when I shake my wrist or make strong, sudden movements.

At first, I thought it might be the bracelet, so I removed it and shook the watch again—the sound was still there. I’m used to hearing the movement inside a watch if I bring it close to my ear, but this is different. I don’t need to bring it near my ear to hear it—it’s very noticeable.

For those of you who own the Bel Canto, is this normal? I’ve recorded a video with sound so you can hear it clearly (it looks like a watch horror movie the way I shake it, but I wanted to make sure the sound was captured). Let me know what you think!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19bgpQ9 ... sp=sharing
I`m not sure how to upload my video here and hope the link works.

Sounds like normal winding rotor noise to me. Different movements have varying degrees of noise, but none are silent.

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Rattling sound from my new watch - normal?

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