Just after a bit of advice.
Bought my first Christopher ward second hand from cash converters of all places!
C65 trident mechanical hand wind.
Saw it in the window and I’ve wanted one for ages.

It seems to have a slight problem.
It takes a bit of winding to get it going.
Once fully wound it only seems to run for about 16 hours.

So is this a definite take it straight back (my first thought on the matter)?
Or is this something that sounds like it just needs a service?

I’d be gutted if I have to return it as it’s wonderful but don’t want to get saddled with a duffer.

Any advice appreciated, thanks.

I suspect it needs a service.

Watches designed for hand winding tend to wind easier than automatics. I have 3 C65s. They are lovely and smooth to wind, wind fully in less than 20 turns, and run to COSC standards.it's great to not have a screw down crown.

If the watch case is clean, I would get it serviced by CW, which I imagine would cost about £150. Depends how much you paid perhaps, but running well it could be a really good deal.

Good luck anyway.

What @JAFO said^^^^
I think it's legitimate to convince yourself that whilst the combined cost of purchase and a proper service might look a little high, you are then holding a watch with a guaranteed future reliability.
What am I saying? By and large we all look the other way when it comes to getting watches serviced but it ought to be part of the ownership experience long-term.

Guessing it does not have any overwind protection so my first thought is that it’s been overwound.

I think Cash Converters just rings too many alarm bells for me.
It’s where people offload problems.

Most things in Cash Converters seem way overpriced to me.
I call it ‘Dearer than New’.

Can I ask what it cost compared to a brand new one?

It was £299 so certainly a good price

Thanks for the info!
It seems to be running a bit longer today so hopefully ok!
I’ll keep hold and get it serviced soon.

It’s good to know the info regarding the buffer to stop overwinding. I’ve noticed that and stopped at that point.

Only had automatics before.

It’s such a nice watch I’m happier keeping it.
Definitely a huge step up in quality from my previous watches.

As a seasoned second hand watch buyer, I’ve been unlucky about 2-3 times and my watch needed a service. I have also had maybe 5-6 fixes under warranty from CW.

For me, I feel like a re homing service for neglected CWs.

I will say I’ve always had great service from CW and I would recommend sending to them for service if you choose to service

ribbetinngfrog wrote: ↑Sun Jan 28, 2024 11:16 pm Thanks for the info!
It seems to be running a bit longer today so hopefully ok!
I’ll keep hold and get it serviced soon.

It’s good to know the info regarding the buffer to stop overwinding. I’ve noticed that and stopped at that point.

Only had automatics before.

It’s such a nice watch I’m happier keeping it.
Definitely a huge step up in quality from my previous watches.

It's hard to miss the "fully wound" point. You would really have to force it quite hard to get past the point I think. A watch being "over-wound" is pretty rare.

It's much the same with a key wound clock. The stop is noticeable, and the wind actually gets a bit "harder" as it approaches fully wound.

Which colour did you get, out of interest?

So it got worse, had to give it a shake after winding to get it started.
It only lasted 5 hours on a wind by day 3.

Rather than hoping a service would sort it, took it back.
Was sold as fully working.

Didn’t want to really as it’s a superb watch.

The shop were dodgy from start to finish, definitely a lesson for me to buy the seller before you buy the watch.

I’ll be getting another Christopher Ward though. Beautiful watch and the finishing on the case is amazing.

They’ve put it back up for sale straight away so if anyone wants a cheap c65 with issues!!!!