How to regulate a watch

I often see people asking how to "service" their watch or what to do about a watch that runs too fast or too slow. Often the answer to this is as simple as just regulating it.

Watches are designed to be simple to adjust, but there is an assumption that you're not a dickhead and that you:

• can do delicate work
• aren't messy
• have some basic tools
• are patient

The place to regulate a watch can be seen through the back of your watch if you have something modern with a display back (or just by taking the back off).

This is the guts (genius) of how a watch keeps time, the balance wheel (the "pendulum" of the watch) and the lever to tune the watch "frequency" of oscillation. 

Just like a guitar plays a different note by pressing on a fret, this lever changes the tune of the spring which times the frequency (or note) of how balance wheel spins back and forth around and around.

Expectation Management

Now before we go any further I want you to think about something. If the balance wheel swings back and forth (say) 6 times a second and you want your watch to be better than 20 seconds per day accurate you need to make an adjustment so that it beats its little heart exactly 518,400.  That means you want to adjust that to be less than 120 beats per day different. 

That's 0.0231% change just to go from 20 seconds fast to perfect.

So yes, we're talking a tiny adjustment.

What this is telling you is that the adjustment movement you'll apply to that lever is tiny. No, seriously tiny.

So having said that basically all you do is move that lever so that the "nipple" on the ring moves towards the + or the - as you desire (in the blue circle there). Moving towards + speeds up the beat.

Now some other things. Seiko claim that this movement is between +45 seconds and -35 seconds a day if its within spec. So before you start on this process check that you're perhaps not already inside that.

If that's not to your liking then perhaps you should have bought a Quartz watch? I mean that is why Quartz watches dominated watchmaking until the COVID boredom set in and people went spakko looking for stuff to buy on YouTube.

Presently my watch (yes, that's mine above) runs to about 6 seconds fast per day. I would prefer to have it a tiny bit fast than a tiny bit slow because all I have to to is every couple of weeks pull out the crown. So something for 2 minutes put the crown back in and now its about a minute slow.

If you're going to now say under a minute out per week is a big issue, then I'm going to say "get a Quartz watch"

no really ... there's nothing wrong with Quartz and unless you're wanting to spend well over a thousand bucks (and still need to regulate it), get a Quartz movement watch.

Ok, to remember that its only a tiny movement needed on that lever. Worse the lever is tight (because obviously) and designed not to move by vibrations or bumps to the watch. You'll need also

• a case back opening tool (as below they are not expensive) 
• a match stick 
• an accurate time source (like say, your phone)
• a fresh clean cotton tip

Have a clean work area, quite dust free. Also have a vinyl or leather surface (clean and dust free) to put the watch when working on it. If you're older or need glasses consider whatever else is needed to allow you to see really fine and really close to the watch to see what you're doing.

Procedure

Take the back off and just as you're about to turn the last part, turn the watch with the back down so that the back falls off into your hand. Holding the watch above you with the open movement facing down, use the cotton tip to carefully remove any dust or gunk that was on the case (so that it'll also fall down).

Now place the watch with the face town (movement up) and get that match stick. Make the smallest possible movement to the lever in the direction you want the nipple to go (think about how its going to move when you move the lever).

Probably it went too far unless you were super careful. If you even think it moved it probably did.

Now put the case back back on (not to tight, firm; because you're probably going to need a few goes at this) and set the watch to the second against your phone's time.

Wear it for a day and check the time in an hour ... if its like running crazy fast or slow then you know you've moved it too far, so move it back. If its less than a second in an hour then give it 24 hours.

If its within 10 seconds per day then you'll probably only get it worse by trying again, if not then try that process again. If its the last time, then just make sure that the case back is snuggled in firmly with the tool (not just finger tight).

Its really not even worth doing this if the watch hasn't been worn daily for at least 6 months, but if you want to then its good practice.

That's it

Happy Watching