Vintage Newbie!

A place to show and discuss your vintage watches
GMR
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:49 pm
CW-watches: 7
Location: North Wales

Vintage Newbie!

Post by GMR »

I have recently purchased my first vintage watch, a Smiths Astral with a linen effect dial, a lovely little watch. As you will know this is a manual wind watch, and my first, so I apologize in advance, for the ( to some at least ) rather obvious questions, but before it winds down completely, or if it does, how do I keep it wound up, or, if it has stopped completely get it started again?

Do I :

1. Leave the crown in, or, pull it out once ?

2. Do I wind the crown clockwise or, anti-clockwise or, back and forth ?

3. Can I over wind the movement ( presumably wrecking it in the process ) ?

May I thank you Ladies and Gentlemen in advance, for your input. :thumbup:
User avatar
chrisjohnson
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 1473
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2012 12:42 pm
CW-watches: 40
LE-two: yes
LE-three: yes
LE-fourb: yes
Location: Somerset

Re: Vintage Newbie!

Post by chrisjohnson »

We cannot help you unless you post a picture!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Chris

"A thing of beauty is joy forever."
John Keats
teestech
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 1525
Joined: Sat Apr 13, 2013 4:22 pm
CW-watches: 7
Location: UK

Re: Vintage Newbie!

Post by teestech »

chrisjohnson wrote:We cannot help you unless you post a picture!
He's right, it's the rules!
Chr Ward • Rolex • Oris • Magrette • Orient • Helgray • Citizen • CWC • Momentum • Suunto • Rotary • Majex • Yema
Handwound: 2 • Automatic: 15 • Quartz: 6
User avatar
Amor Vincit Omnia
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 33796
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 7:34 pm
CW-watches: 4
Location: Norfolk, UK

Re: Vintage Newbie!

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

GMR wrote: Do I :

1. Leave the crown in, or, pull it out once ?

2. Do I wind the crown clockwise or, anti-clockwise or, back and forth ?

3. Can I over wind the movement ( presumably wrecking it in the process ) ?
1. Leave the crown in to wind the watch, pull it out to set the hands.

2. Either clockwise or back and forth as you wish. The mainspring will only wind when you turn the crown clockwise. It's up to you whether you wind back and forth or just clockwise. The ratchet ensures that winding anticlockwise has no effect.

3. You stop winding when you feel an obvious resistance. You would have to put a hell of a lot of force on the crown to break it.

Basically, don't worry. It's easy when you have done it once.

So is winding watch... :D
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
7ee
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 1496
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:15 pm
CW-watches: 0

Re: Vintage Newbie!

Post by 7ee »

^So now you have your answers, pictures time :thumbup:

Nice way to begin with vintage BTW, it was actually Smiths that captured my vintage imagination when I was first introduced to a W10(wish I'd bought one back then :cry: ) many years ago, although it was only recently(well, about a year ago now) that I finally got around to picking one.
GMR
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:49 pm
CW-watches: 7
Location: North Wales

Re: Vintage Newbie!

Post by GMR »

AVO

Thank you for your advice, however if I leave the crown in, it won't turn clockwise at all, only anti-clockwise. If I pull out the crown once it rotates both clockwise and anti-clockwise, and there seems to be no resistance, so I'm a bit confused, is there a fault? Also once I think the watch is fully wound, how long may I expect it to last before it stops, or should I keep it wound up by winding it periodically? :?

Many thanks. :D

Photographs to follow, if I'm able to work out how to post them, I'm a real Luddite! :oops:
User avatar
Robin CB
Senior Forumgod
Senior Forumgod
Posts: 2923
Joined: Thu Jan 28, 2010 11:05 pm
CW-watches: 1
Location: Sunny Sussex

Re: Vintage Newbie!

Post by Robin CB »

It it running? If so let it run down and try winding again.

Back in the olden days when I had a wind-up Timex as my only watch, I used to wind it every evening. A fully wound watch should last for more than 24 hours.
User avatar
tikkathree
Trusted Seller
Trusted Seller
Posts: 7364
Joined: Fri Jan 24, 2014 12:21 am
CW-watches: 1
Location: East Anglia - arr 'aas right buh

Re: Vintage Newbie!

Post by tikkathree »

GMR wrote:AVO

Thank you for your advice, however if I leave the crown in, it won't turn clockwise at all, only anti-clockwise. If I pull out the crown once it rotates both clockwise and anti-clockwise, and there seems to be no resistance, so I'm a bit confused, is there a fault? Also once I think the watch is fully wound, how long may I expect it to last before it stops, or should I keep it wound up by winding it periodically? :?

Many thanks. :D

Photographs to follow, if I'm able to work out how to post them, I'm a real Luddite! :oops:
1. You don't say if the watch is running?
2. If it's running did you buy from a shop or get it through the post? I'm trying to ascertain how long ago it might have been fully wound.
3. When you pull the crown out as you've described and rotate it clockwise or counterclockwise, are the hands moving to and fro?
C60 MKI, MKII, MKIII: "some",
C6 & C60 Kingfishers,
C600 Tritechs,
C63 "some",
C65 "some",
C4, C40, C8, C9, C3, C5, C20 & 23FLE
Some other brands
GMR
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 27
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 4:49 pm
CW-watches: 7
Location: North Wales

Re: Vintage Newbie!

Post by GMR »

Seems to be working fine now.

Many thanks for all the advice. :thumbup:
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post