The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Discuss Christopher Ward watches
Internaut
Senior
Senior
Posts: 175
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:07 pm
CW-watches: 2

The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by Internaut »

This is the question I'm almost afraid to ask.... Given the following scenario:
  • I wear my watch all day Friday
  • I move a lot (get my ten miles of walks in
  • Have a very lazy evening (because it's Friday)
  • I take the watch off when I go to bed, around 11.
What rough level of power reserve do I have left at this point? Is the maximum reached through normal daytime wear and usage?
Beat up vintage Swatch Irony, C5 Malvern (the original), Swiss Military Swiss Soldier Quartz, Seagull 1963, Swatch Blurang Automatic, Swatch Cafe de Flore, Sealander GMT, Trident Pro 600, Fitbit Charge 5. Festina 8810, Addiesdive AD2113 knock off.
User avatar
Amor Vincit Omnia
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 33795
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:34 pm
CW-watches: 4
Location: Norfolk, UK

Re: The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Leave it on the bedside table, wear something else for a couple of days, make a note of when it stops. It’s the only solution I can think of.
Steve
Linguist; retired teacher; pilgrim; apprentice travel writer

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time


Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. (Max Ehrmann)
User avatar
iain
Trusted Seller
Trusted Seller
Posts: 3115
Joined: Sun Mar 01, 2015 3:13 pm
CW-watches: 1

Re: The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by iain »

I’m not an expert so feel free to discount this, but this is my thinking.

Moving about a lot will wind up your watch, I would say if you’ve worn it all day then it will be fully would by the evening.

Lounging around and not moving may not wind a watch further (if it wasn’t already fully would) but would maintain the charge at its current level.

So a fully wound watch would not lose anything while lounging round and would still be fully would at 11 when you take it off.

If you want to confirm this then try it tomorrow. When you take it off then manually wind it close to your ear and you should be able to hear those tell tale clicks as it slips to prevent overwinding.
Iain’s Law: Any discussion on the Christopher Ward forum, irrespective of the thread title or subject matter, will eventually lead to someone mentioning the Bel Canto if the thread continues for long enough.
User avatar
rkovars
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 3258
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2020 7:56 pm
CW-watches: 5
Location: New England, US

Re: The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by rkovars »

Well, you would have to test it out. Depends a lot more on how much you move your wrist/arms then how far you walk. Full power reserve is 56 hours. So from a full wind it should stop 56 hours later. In your scenario above, it depends on a couple of factors - what the PR was when you started and how vigorously you moved your arms.

If you are concerned about the PR then test it. Wind it fully and measure how long it takes to stop. Should be 56 hours. If that is okay then you should test the auto wind.

To test the auto wind I would wind the watch fully (until I hear the clutch). Wear it for a day of my usual activity. At the end of the day give the crown a wind. If you hear/feel the clutch then the PR is full. If not then either you didn't move enough to give it a full wind or there is something going on with the auto wind. Remember that it takes anywhere from 1000-1300 full turns of the rotor to wind the watch from 0. Also note that the rotor doesn't really spin freely. Take the watch off and spin it watching the rotor you will see what I mean. If you move it back and forth like you would casually walking you will notice that it doesn't move much if at all. The inertia created by the movement of your wrist has to overcome the opposing force in the winding gears.

If we start with 65 crown turns for a full wind that would equate to between 18 and 19 rotor turns per crown turn.
Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.
Jack London
Leon O
Senior Guru
Senior Guru
Posts: 780
Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2020 7:32 pm
CW-watches: 9

Re: The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by Leon O »

I have a C65 Trident GMT with the Selitta SW330-2. I tested it from a full wind and got about 55 hrs give or take an hour. I checked with CW and was told that the SW330-2 could be wound daily and doing so would not void the warranty. Thus, I wind it daily and if I forget I can wind it the next day.
C7 Rapide Quartz, C60 Pro 300 Chronograph Quartz, C3 Malvern Chronograph, C7 Rapide Chronograph Quartz, C65 AM GT LE, C7 Rapide Chrongraph LE, C65 Trident Diver HW, C5 Malvern 595, C65 Trident GMT Pepsi
Internaut
Senior
Senior
Posts: 175
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:07 pm
CW-watches: 2

Re: The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by Internaut »

So, I think there is a problem with my watch. Watched a late movie, took it off around 1am Saturday morning and went to bed. The watch stopped at 9:15PM, Saturday night.

This morning I did the wind up test. I’m not sure what to make of that. Certainly around 65 or so winds, while holding then watch to me ear, I started to hear that shifting/sliding sound you get as a watch self winds. I don’t think I selected a click as such. Now to see if the watch is still ticking at 10am Tuesday.
Beat up vintage Swatch Irony, C5 Malvern (the original), Swiss Military Swiss Soldier Quartz, Seagull 1963, Swatch Blurang Automatic, Swatch Cafe de Flore, Sealander GMT, Trident Pro 600, Fitbit Charge 5. Festina 8810, Addiesdive AD2113 knock off.
User avatar
Amor Vincit Omnia
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 33795
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:34 pm
CW-watches: 4
Location: Norfolk, UK

Re: The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Much depends on what you had been doing while wearing your watch on Saturday. The amount of power wound in by the rotor is very much dependent on your level of physical activity.
Steve
Linguist; retired teacher; pilgrim; apprentice travel writer

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time


Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. (Max Ehrmann)
Internaut
Senior
Senior
Posts: 175
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:07 pm
CW-watches: 2

Re: The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by Internaut »

Unfortunately, the only other frame of reference I have is very different architecture - the Sistim 51 watch I wear at the weekend. My activity at the weekend is pretty similar to weekday. I take this watch off, typically 10PM Sunday night, and it is still running on Wednesday. The Swatch has an advertised power reserve of 90 hours.
Beat up vintage Swatch Irony, C5 Malvern (the original), Swiss Military Swiss Soldier Quartz, Seagull 1963, Swatch Blurang Automatic, Swatch Cafe de Flore, Sealander GMT, Trident Pro 600, Fitbit Charge 5. Festina 8810, Addiesdive AD2113 knock off.
User avatar
Bahnstormer_vRS
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 35165
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:06 pm
CW-watches: 34
LE-three: 1
LE-foura: 1
LE-fourb: 1
LE-six: 1
Location: Hertfordshire, UK

Re: The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

^^^^ With a 90 hours Power Reserve your Swatch should run to at least Thursday lunchtime, assuming it is fully wound when you take it off at 10pm Sunday night.

Guy

Sent from my XPERIA 5 III using Tapatalk

In small proportions, we just beautie see:
And in short measures, life may perfect bee. - Ben Jonson (1572 – 1637)

Inscription on the Longitude Dial
Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 5NB, England
Internaut
Senior
Senior
Posts: 175
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2007 8:07 pm
CW-watches: 2

Re: The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by Internaut »

Bahnstormer_vRS wrote: Sun May 22, 2022 11:23 am ^^^^ With a 90 hours Power Reserve your Swatch should run to at least Thursday lunchtime, assuming it is fully wound when you take it off at 10pm Sunday night.

Guy

Sent from my XPERIA 5 III using Tapatalk
Quite correct. The only thing we can safely assume is the two are different. The swatch seems to self wind with more directions of movement (and it’s a noisy beast in that respect). I’m still trying to wrap my head around whether a watch would fully wind with a full day of wear. I asked Google and the answers were of course inconclusive. For example:

https://watchandwares.com/wind-my-automatic-watch/

We'll see how my watch fares after the full wind I did at 10am today. If it’s fine then I’m inclined to think I’m overthinking it.
Beat up vintage Swatch Irony, C5 Malvern (the original), Swiss Military Swiss Soldier Quartz, Seagull 1963, Swatch Blurang Automatic, Swatch Cafe de Flore, Sealander GMT, Trident Pro 600, Fitbit Charge 5. Festina 8810, Addiesdive AD2113 knock off.
User avatar
Bahnstormer_vRS
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 35165
Joined: Thu Sep 06, 2012 3:06 pm
CW-watches: 34
LE-three: 1
LE-foura: 1
LE-fourb: 1
LE-six: 1
Location: Hertfordshire, UK

Re: The Power Reserve Question (Sealander GMT)

Post by Bahnstormer_vRS »

Internaut wrote: Sun May 22, 2022 2:21 pm . . . . .

I’m still trying to wrap my head around whether a watch would fully wind with a full day of wear. I asked Google and the answers were of course inconclusive.
In my watch wearing experience, I'll advocate that any 'normal' watch, say a C60 with an SW200 movement, will be fully wound easily within one day's wear. I have a couple of Miyota powered watches with PR indicators, that are easily fully wound by early afternoon (this is having put them on my wrist 'stopped' first thing in the morning).

It is only my watches with a longer PR e.g my SH21 powered CWs with a 5 day PR, that will be around three-quarters wound i.e. 3.5 - 4 days PR after one day's wear and get topped off to a full 5 days PR early on the second day's wear.

This is of course only a guide and my 'level of activity' may well be different to yours.

Good luck with your Sealander GMT.


Guy
In small proportions, we just beautie see:
And in short measures, life may perfect bee. - Ben Jonson (1572 – 1637)

Inscription on the Longitude Dial
Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 5NB, England
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post