Mechanical watches

Timing instruments with mechanical vibration systems, such as pendulum clocks, balance clocks, etc. Its working principle is to utilize a vibration system with constant period and continuous vibration. Multiply the vibration period by the number of vibrations during vibration, which is equal to the elapsed time. Time = vibration period × number of vibrations. It is generally composed of several parts such as energy, gear train, escapement, vibration system, pointer mechanism and additional mechanism. Power - spring or weight, provides the energy for the mechanical clock to work. Through the speed increase of the gear system, one winding can run continuously for many days. The escapement mechanism makes the timing frequency of the clock conform to people's concept of "seconds". The rudder or balance wheel controls the speed of the clock, and the time (marking) mechanism tells people: what time it was when the last time was sounded.

Electronic watch

The basic part is composed of electronic components. The working principle of electronic clocks is designed based on the physical phenomenon of "electricity generates magnetism and magnetism generates electricity". That is, electrical energy is converted into magnetic energy, and then magnetic energy is converted into mechanical energy to drive the hour and minute hands to achieve the purpose of timing.

The transistor balance watch

uses dry batteries as the energy source, transistors as the switches, and the balance spring as the oscillation system.

Quartz watches

Use "quartz crystal" as an oscillator, and use electronic frequency division to control the operation of the motor and drive the pointer, with high accuracy. Electronic hands watch. It is a watch that combines an electronic movement with a quartz movement, and has both electronic display and hand movement instructions. This type of movement is such as Citizen Miyota Co., Ltd.'s T250 movement.

Light wave watch

The light kinetic energy radio wave watch receives the "standard time" radio wave emitted by the transmitting tower through the built-in radio wave receiver and antenna of the watch, obtains data such as time and calendar, and automatically Correct the time and date of your watch. The standard time signal uses the theory of high-precision cesium atomic watches, with an error of one second every 100,000 years. Citizen's radio-controlled watches all use photodynamic energy technology, using any visible light source as energy drive. As long as there is light, there is energy, and as long as the radio waves can be received, there will never be an error.

Electronic paper watch

An electronic paper watch is a watch equipped with an electronic paper display inside, which can display the time, day of the week, and date. The technical approaches to realize electronic paper mainly include cholesterol liquid crystal display technology, electrophoretic display technology (EPD) and electrowetting display technology. Electronic watch paper used in electronic paper watches mainly uses electrophoretic display technology. The display brightness and contrast of e-paper watches are high, and there is no need to use backlight to improve readability. The e-paper display used in e-paper watches has a simple hardware structure and a thickness of about 1mm. It is a new force in the watch industry. Diving watch The so-called diving watch, as the name suggests, refers to a watch that has been waterproofed and used for diving. General waterproof watches cannot be used for diving. Diving watches must comply with strict regulations. Just because they are waterproof does not mean they can be called diving watches. The standard waterproof performance of a diving watch reaches the standard of at least 200 meters of water depth; the bezel has an outer ring that can rotate in one direction to measure diving time; divers are often in dark water, so the hands, scales or surfaces of the diving watch usually need to be Coated with fluorescent material, it makes it easier for users to read the time. Common brands of diving watches include: Rolex, Finland's Suunto Element series Aqua Spirit diving watches, Omega Seamaster Ploprof series diving watches, Tag Heuer Aquaracer series, IWC marine timepiece series, Blancacar super submarine series, etc. Rolex (ROLEX)

It was founded as a partnership in London in 1905 (the 31st year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty) by the German Hans Weisdorf and the Englishman Davis. In 1908, Weisdorf registered the "Rolex" trademark in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, and changed the name to Rolex. The original logo of a Rolex watch was a palm with five fingers extended, which indicated that the brand's watches were entirely crafted by hand. The watch gradually evolved into a registered trademark of Crown to show its dominance in the watch field. It is the third most valuable brand in the world and the only watch brand that was fully developed by Rolex in the 1920s. The first waterproof watch. In 1926, Rolex's waterproof watch was officially registered. The design style of Rolex watches has always been "solemn, practical, and not flashy" and is loved by people from all walks of life, especially those in the Far East and the Middle East.

LONGINES

Since its founding in Saint-Imier, Switzerland in 1832, Longines has repeatedly made breakthroughs in watchmaking technology around the world and is proud of its peers, while at the same time not losing sight of its peers. Reflecting its elegance. In 1912, Longines created a historic moment at the World Games - it was the first to use the disconnection principle to start and stop the timing device at the starting and ending points of the competition field. Longines has since become the designated official timekeeper for many international events, including many winter and summer Olympic Games. Longines also has an indissoluble bond with the history of aviation and navigation. For example, Longines calculated the flight time for the aviator Lindbergh's first solo crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, and later produced the Hour angle navigation watch based on Lindbergh's design. Longines is often at the forefront of technological development. It announced the creation of its first wristwatch in 1905, the world's thinnest electromagnetic watch in 1960, and the world's first electronic magnetic quartz watch - Longines Ultra-Quartz - in 1969. Super quartz watch. The following year, at the Downhill Skiing World Cup held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, Longines used a digital signal transmitter to electronically transmit the time directly to the world's television screen for the first time. In 1979, Longines cooperated with other watch brands to develop the "Feuille d'Or" watch, which became the world's thinnest quartz watch. Later, in 1984, it launched the famous Conquest watch, equipped with a highly accurate movement (Very High Precision).

RADO

Swiss Rado Watch Co., Ltd. was established in 1917 and has a history of 82 years. The company now has about 300 people, about 8,000 sales outlets around the world, and about 200 maintenance service centers. In the Chinese watch market, Radar Watch was not only the first to introduce automatic watches, but also the first to introduce non-wearable watches. The unique appearance design of Radar Watch also promoted the development of the Chinese watch industry; and, Radar Watch Company became the first in the same industry. Watch A foreign company that provides professional training for the sales of its products in China. Radar Watch has offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, and special service outlets in nearly 30 cities across the country.

TISSOT

The Tissot brand was founded in 1853. In 1983, it joined the Swatch Group, the world's largest watch manufacturer and distributor. From the beginning to the present, we have been committed to developing innovative products that can surprise customers. Market retail price: RMB 1,000-10,000. Now it has seven series: sports, classic, classic nostalgia, fashion, high-tech, pocket watches and gold watches. The 150-year-old Tissot brand is currently sold in more than 150 countries on five continents. In 1853, Tissot was born in a small Swiss town with only 8,500 residents located in the Jura Mountains on the border with France. Today, Tissot has spanned five continents and won praise from watch lovers in more than 150 countries. The serious, non-exaggerated, and texture-emphasis style that Tissot has adopted for 150 years, just like its craftsmanship and design, has endured and has been recognized by all customers around the world.

Swatch

As a model of Swiss luxury watches, it has the youthful power among the world’s famous watches. Swatch watches, with their fashionable and colorful colors, lively designs and subversive traditional shapes, are ticking forward with the rhythm of modern life. Before Swatch, no popular brand had achieved such an achievement: occupying the hearts of fans around the world in a very short period of time, and maintaining an unshakable position; in addition to maintaining its existing territory, it also continued to expand into other fields. Extension development. The reason for Swatch’s success is no secret: Swatch is more than just a watch that tells time. The Swatch brand is positioned in fashion, sports, music, art...create with passion. Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek, born in 1928, is one of the founders of the Swatch Group (headquartered in Biel, Switzerland) and is currently the chairman of the Swatch Group.

In 1985, after more than four years of restructuring Asuag and SSIH, Mr. Hayek finally facilitated the merger of the two watch companies to form the Swatch Group. At the same time, he also joined hands with a group of Swiss investors to become the controlling shareholder of the Swatch Group. In 1986, Mr. Hayek became Chairman and CEO of Swatch Group. When the temperature is 25 to 28°C, the electronic watch has a timekeeping error of less than one second per day and night. When the temperature is below 0°C or above 50°C, the timekeeping error will be two seconds per day and night. At the same time, when the temperature reaches 60°C, the LCD panel will turn black. When the temperature drops below 0°C, the LCD panel will lose its display function. Therefore, in winter, electronic watches can only be worn on the wrist and rely on the constant temperature of the human body to maintain it. normal timing. In addition, high temperatures and low temperatures can cause battery leakage and corrode the movement. The battery of an electronic watch generally lasts for more than a year, but the lighting consumes a lot of power. The power consumed by turning it on for one second is equivalent to more than one hour of timekeeping. When the battery is almost empty, the lights will dim, or the digital display will dim or even disappear when turned on. When replacing the battery, if you do not know how to repair watches, you should send it to a watch repair shop for installation. Moreover, battery specifications are not standardized. There are many batteries of various brands and cannot be used at will.

Be careful with electronic watches: do not press the buttons too hard to avoid malfunction; the LCD panel needs to be replaced with a new one after five to seven years of use; the battery should be removed in time when it is dead to avoid leakage from corroding the movement. If you find that the lights are not on, the buttons are malfunctioning, or the timing suddenly has a large error, you must repair it in time. It may be that the solder joints of the components are in poor contact or have been removed. Electronic watches, especially digital electronic watches, generally have poor waterproof performance. Even though some products may have the word "waterproof" printed on the manual or back cover, try to avoid contact with water. The structure of electronic watches is different from that of mechanical watches. They are all electronic circuits and electronic components. If water enters, it will be "catastrophic" and the entire watch will be scrapped. In particular, LCD panels and integrated lines are not only afraid of water, but will also malfunction over time even if they are exposed to moisture. Therefore, it is best to take off the watch when washing your face or doing laundry. Be careful not to get splashed with rainwater when it rains. If you find that water has entered the electronic watch, or moisture has accumulated on the inner wall of the watch cover, you should immediately send it to a watch repair shop for water and moisture removal.

Belts should be protected from contact with water and moisture to avoid discoloration and deformation of the belt. Avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight to prevent the belt from fading. Because the cortex is easy to penetrate, it prevents contact with greasy things or cosmetics. The gold-plated layer on gold-plated watches is mostly 14K gold. In addition to 58.5% pure gold, this gold also contains a certain amount of silver. After silver reacts with some volatile industrial waste gases in the air, a black silver sulfide film will be produced on the surface, causing the gold-plated watch to lose its golden luster. Therefore, when wearing a gold-plated watch, you should avoid contact with chemicals and exhaust gases, such as gas, liquefied gas, and sulfur soap, and keep the gold-plated watch dry and clean. It is best to wipe it with a flannel cloth once a week. In addition, the chloride in sweat is very corrosive to gold-plated watches. When gold-plated watches are stained with sweat, they should be wiped clean in time to avoid sweat corrosion and loss of the original luster of the watch.

The yellow-plated layer of a yellow-plated watch is a metal film composed of copper, zinc, and aluminum alloy. If it is not well maintained, it will easily fade and lose its luster. Before wearing a yellow-plated watch, the watch case should be wiped clean with a clean soft cloth, and a layer of colorless nail polish should be evenly applied. Let it dry before wearing it, and then apply it every 1 to 2 months. After such treatment, not only can the color of the yellow-plated watch be maintained without being worn, but it can also increase its surface brightness. At the same time, it can prevent sweat and moisture from intruding into the watch in hot summer.

Quartz

① Avoid strong impacts: Although the watch has a shock-proof function, sudden impacts should still be avoided, so it is best to take off the watch when doing exercise. ② Keep away from magnetic objects: The watch parts are made of metal. Although there are anti-magnetic devices, the time may be inaccurate when encountering magnetic objects, so it is best not to place them near radios, TVs and other electrical appliances. ③ Please do not wash. Quartz watches are generally waterproof for daily use. They can only prevent occasional hand washing and water splashes from rain. They cannot be worn for bathing or swimming!

The most common situations in which mechanical watches are sent for repair are water intrusion and collision. Unless a mechanical watch is marked with waterproof function, you must avoid water entering the watch case, because water will cause mechanical corrosion and is very destructive. The sea water is even more untouchable.

Even if the watch is marked as waterproof, it can only have one year of waterproof guarantee, because the waterproof ring of the watch will be tired after a whole year of wear and tear, coupled with various unavoidable external factors such as sweat and dust, so after one year The waterproof ring must be replaced with a new one, otherwise it will not have the waterproof function.

In addition to being waterproof, it must also be anti-collision. As long as your financial ability allows, you might as well replace two or three watches in your daily life: wear a mechanical watch when doing static activities, and wear a sports watch when engaging in sports. This way, you can adjust the time to local conditions and help extend the service life of the watch. Mechanical watches are driven by mechanical gears and springs. The rotation will inevitably cause friction, so oil and lubrication are necessary over time to reduce the wear rate of parts. Otherwise, if you wait until something goes wrong before sending it for repair, the problem is often already serious. It is best to return the mechanical watch to your parents' house every year to check whether it has been used improperly or has been damaged by water. In particular, Taiwan's climate is hot and humid. Sweat, rain, and dirty air accumulate over the years, causing chronic erosion of machinery. The frequency and extent of damage are much higher than in Europe, the United States, and Japan, so "regular inspections" are very important; and then every three years. A thorough cleaning and maintenance is required.

For the safest maintenance and repairs, it is safer to leave it to an orthodox agency. Internal cleaning must be left to professional masters, while mechanical watch owners may wish to do the external cleaning work themselves; scrub the strap with a soft-bristled brush dipped in cleaning fluid, and finally rinse it with water. Waterproof watch cases can also be cleaned in this way; watch cases that are not waterproof should never be scrubbed. Routine cleaning of the exterior is very important, because sweat, dirt, etc., even if they are too subtle to be noticed, are actually still accumulating. If not cleaned, the watch strap will rust, rot, or become brittle. Therefore, it is best for the owner to clean it frequently.

Water treatment for watches

Method 1. If the watch is soaked in water, you can use several layers of toilet paper or moisture-absorbent flannel to wrap the watch tightly and place it in a 40-watt Place it about 15 centimeters away from the light bulb and bake it for about 30 minutes. The water vapor in the watch will be water vapor. Do not bake the watch cover directly near fire to avoid thermal deformation of the watch cover.

Method 2: Put the watch face inward and the bottom case outward, and wear it on your wrist. The moisture will be eliminated after two hours. If there is serious water intrusion, it is best to send it to a watch shop immediately to apply oil and remove the moisture from the movement to prevent the parts from rusting.

Method 3: Use granular silica gel and put the watch that has accumulated water into a closed container. After a few hours, take out the watch and the water will disappear. This method is simple and economical, and does not cause any damage to the accuracy and life of the watch. Silica gel that has absorbed water many times can be dried at 120°C for several hours, its water absorption capacity can be regenerated, and it can be used repeatedly.

When using instruments to test the swing of a watch, there are several important related indicators.

(1) Amplitude drop: When the watch is fully wound and after 24 hours of actual movement, two planes (top and bottom) and three vertical surfaces (bottom of the handle) are measured. , handle left, and handle up), the swing amplitude changes of these five positions are compared with the same position, and the largest difference is taken as the swing drop. The swing gap is also an important indicator of the isochronous performance of a watch. It can also reflect the quality of the spring and hairspring and their design and assembly. The gap is usually required to be below 50 degrees.

(2) Swing amplitude and vertical difference: When the watch is in the fully wound state, compare the plane position on the surface of the watch with several vertical positions, and take the largest difference as the swing amplitude and vertical position. Difference. The swing amplitude and vertical difference is also an important indicator of the position error performance of the watch. The vertical difference is usually required to be below 50 degrees.

(3) The minimum swing of the 24-hour vertical plane: After the watch is actually running for 24 hours, the minimum swing of its vertical plane (usually the left position of the handle) cannot be less than 180 degrees. The performance of the watch is better when the swing is high than when the swing is low. Especially for watches with calendar attachments, the minimum swing requirement for the 24-hour facade is particularly important.

The amplitude of a watch is usually measured with an amplitude meter. Switzerland produced models such as AM201 and GD-50 in the early years. It is measured using the so-called "base angle method", so before measuring, you must select the corresponding balance wheel lift angle of the watch under test. When using instruments to test watches, a complete testing unit requires a calibration meter and an amplitude meter. In the past, when it came to repairing watches and clocks, only calibration meters were used, and amplitude meters could only be seen in watch factories. It shows that everyone generally only pays attention to the speed and accuracy of the watch, but the swing and accuracy are equally important and interrelated. The technical index of the swing is not good, and a watch with too large gap and vertical difference will definitely not run well.

Especially when calibrating the balance wheel and adjusting the position error, you must refer to the swing. The concept of swing requires maintenance personnel to have a higher theoretical level of clocks and watches.

Authenticity and counterfeit identification

The appearance of the watch can be checked from the outer shell, mirror, dial and hour, minute and second hands. The watch case should have no blisters and obvious scratches, and the edges and corners should be symmetrical; the connection between the back cover and the upper case should be tight; the distance between the two watch rings and the watch case should be equal, and the hole for installing the earrings should be at the end of the watch case. It is centered and not deviated, and the depth of the hole is appropriate so that the watch ring is not easy to fall off; the watch mirror should be free of defects and scratches, transparent and bright; the three needles are installed correctly, and there should be a correct safety gap between the needles, the watch mirror and the dial; the dial and The pointer coating has a good finish with no marks, and the dial scale lines or luminous spots are intact; there is about a 0.1-0.3mm gap between the crown and the case.

Sensitivity

The sensitivity of a watch refers to the flexibility of its balance wheel to swing automatically. The inspection method is:

1) Gently shake the watch that has not been wound and has stopped moving, and use the power of the shaking to observe the movement of the second hand: If the second hand stops in a short period of time, If the second hand continues to move for a long time, it means that the watch cannot complete the movement after being fully wound (i.e. the spring has no torque) and has high sensitivity. The spring also stores torque), the sensitivity is not high or the watch machine is faulty.

2) Place a watch that has not been wound and stopped, slowly turn the crown and observe the starting of the second hand: the less the winding knob rotates and the earlier the second hand starts, the more sensitive the watch is. High; otherwise, the sensitivity is low or the meter has other faults. However, it should be noted that due to the greater stiffness of the hairspring in a fast swing watch, it requires a little more wind to start swinging than a watch movement with a traditional frequency (18,000 times/hour). A watch with high sensitivity will continue to move for a longer time after being wound once.

A certain distance should be maintained between the watch hands, the watch mirror, the dial, and between the three hands, otherwise they will rub against each other and affect the normal operation of the watch machine. It can be observed by dialing the needle during inspection. The method to check whether the position and mutual cooperation of the hour and minute hands are normal is: set the minute hand and hour hand to 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, and observe whether the two hands are at right angles; set it to 6 o'clock, and see whether the two hands are in a straight line; set it to 12 o'clock, and see whether the two hands are in a straight line. Whether the two needles overlap.

Winding mechanism

Normal watch winding should be easy. When turning the handle to wind up, it will feel loose at first, and gradually become tighter and tighter. When the handle cannot continue to be turned forward, it means that the spring has been fully wound and the winding mechanism is working normally. If there is an abnormal chirping sound when the crown is turned, or the top teeth slip, it means that the winding mechanism is faulty.

The needle setting mechanism

The watch is in When setting the needle, it should be flexible and reliable, and the pointer should rotate evenly. When checking, you should focus on checking the tightness of the friction fit between the minute wheel and the central wheel shaft. If there is no feeling of looseness or tightness when setting the needle, it means that the friction of the minute wheel is normal and normal. Refuel appropriately, otherwise, the needle setting mechanism is faulty.

Quartz movement. Domestic plastic quartz movement is very cheap in price and quality, and consumes a lot of power. Once it breaks, it can only be thrown away. A The watches generally do not use this kind of movement, and the junk ones are basically these. The disposable plastic quartz movement imported from Japan is commonly known as "black movement" in the circle, and most sellers call it "Japanese OS80 movement". If the movement is not broken, it can be used continuously for a long time. Once it gets wet and breaks, it cannot be repaired. The only way is to throw it away. Compared with domestic disposable plastic quartz movements, the quality is slightly better. In fashion watches This type of movement is often used in A-grade watches. Japanese original 2035 quartz movements are often used in mid-range domestic brand quartz watches. This type of movement is also commonly used in A-grade quartz watches. This movement is more energy-saving, has better quality, and has low maintenance costs. Generally speaking, it is cost-effective. It is an original Japanese 5y30 quartz movement. This type of movement is often used in high-end domestic brand quartz watches, such as Tianwang and Rossi. Ni. This type of movement is also commonly used in A-grade quartz watches. This movement saves electricity, is of good quality, and generally does not break down. The maintenance cost is low. Japanese original 1L32 quartz movement: Omega mid-to-high-end quartz watches. This type of movement is commonly used in two-hand watches. This movement is energy-saving, has good quality and has low maintenance costs. Japanese original VC101 quartz movement. Among A-grade quartz watches, this type of movement is commonly used in Longines’ mid-to-high-end two-hand watches. The movement saves electricity, has good quality and has low maintenance cost. It is an original Japanese VX12 quartz movement.

Among A-grade quartz watches: high-end three-hand watches mostly use this type of movement. Radar’s high-end A-grade watches also often use this type of movement. This movement saves power, has good quality, and has low maintenance costs. Original Seiko quartz watch movement. Genuine Seiko quartz watches basically use this movement. Many mid-to-high-end A-grade quartz watches also use this quartz movement, but the cost is high. This movement consumes little power, has accurate travel time, and is of good quality. , low maintenance cost. Mechanical movement Guangzhou Pearl mechanical movement. Because the structure is imitated from Japan’s Citizen mechanical movement, many buyers call it a “Citizen” movement, which is a bit of a brush-off! It is commonly known in the circle as "disposable mechanical movement". This movement imitates the Citizen movement, but does not inherit its quality. It is easier to break and difficult to repair. It is rarely used in A goods and commonly used in bad goods. Japanese original Double Lion brand mechanical movement. This movement is from the Japanese Shuangshi brand. Shuangshi is an early brand in Japan and has a long history. The logo is very distinctive, with two lions, which should be somewhat impressive. Among A-grade mechanical watches: mid-to-high-end mechanical watches mostly use this type of movement, and are also commonly known as “Double Lion Movement” in the circle. This movement is a movement with a long history in Japan. It has accurate travel time, small error and strong power. Swiss original 2824 mechanical movement. Among A-grade mechanical watches: high-end mechanical watches mostly use this type of movement. Among genuine Swiss watches, Plum Blossom and Inager mechanical watches basically use this type of movement, which is also commonly known as "yellow movement" in the circle. This movement is a movement with a long history in Switzerland. It has accurate travel time, small error and strong power.