How much time can a watch lose before it's faulty?

[aster]

Are there any general norms for this? Say in one month's time, how fast/slow does a watch have to be before it's fair to bring it in to have it exchanged/fixed?

P.S. The watch cost a couple of hundred bucks here, bought at Tangs, decent int'l brand, int'l warranty, etc. "Swiss movement" too...

[sundaymorningstaple]

That's an interesting question. I have a normal citizen automatic that I've had for years but ever since it was brand new it kept virtually perfect time. Until I put it on my wrist! Then it would lose several seconds a day and in a month's time it might be 7 or 8 minutes slow. I've had other electronic watches do the same thing. I was once told that it had something to do with the body's own magnetic flow, but I've always poo-pooed the notion, but I still don't have a explanation that's more viable.

My 38 year old Accutron still is doing around 2 seconds/month but the changing of the date is a pain in the arse on it! (batteries are a biatch to find as well - using modified 1.55 V nickle/cadmium ones that are physically modified to control output to 1.35-1.38V for the Accutron (the originals were Mercury batteries)

Is your watch a automatic self-winding (like my citizen), electronic or manual movement? If it's electtronic I'd say if it does more than +/- 2 seconds/month it's defective. Self-winding and manual can be adjusted.

[Strong Eagle]

What is the sound of one hand clapping? If a man is walking in the woods and there is no woman around to see him, is he still wrong?

I'd say it's time to get it fixed when it really bugs you. When I wore a watch I had one that started losing 5 minutes per month. It used to drive my wife nuts that it would be an hour off (or more)... except I always knew what time it was... so it never got fixed.

Then again... I know people that sh*t green apples if their Timex doesn't match up to WWV.

[ksl]

Are there any general norms for this? Say in one month's time, how fast/slow does a watch have to be before it's fair to bring it in to have it exchanged/fixed?

P.S. The watch cost a couple of hundred bucks here, bought at Tangs, decent int'l brand, int'l warranty, etc. "Swiss movement" too...

Its faulty if its not within the specifications of + - % each month could be 20 seconds per day either way they all vary depending on the mechanism used.

If its a mechanical or spring drive watch it just needs slight adjusting, it should be taken in asap...they may do it there and then, its very easy to adjust. There will be a plus and a minus sign on the adjustment mechanism, the spring can be seen, with a sliding lever. Mechanical watches rarely keep perfect time, but should be within specifications + or -seconds over the month. Yes is its annoying take it in now!

[aster]

It's actually a Skagen and most of their mechanisms are made in Japan (had two before and both have been great), except for the one I bought recently which happens to have a Swiss mechanism. I went for it because of the design only - instinctively I would have taken anything made in Japan over anything manufactured in Switzerland...

Battery-powered, no wind up action. Will have to bring it in I guess.