Everyone has to use a watch every day, but, unfortunately, not everyone knows how to properly handle them so that they serve for a long time and without fail.
The clock mechanism, like any precision mechanism, needs to be handled with care.
There are a number general rules for almost all types of watches.
1. For each watch, first of all, you need to set a specific time for winding the spring.
It is recommended to wind watches with 24-hour winding (wristwatches, pocket watches, alarm clocks) daily and regularly at the same time. Weekly winding watches should be wound on certain, regular days (for example, Saturday, Sunday). Bi-weekly winding watches must be wound on the 1st and 15th of each month or every other Sunday. This order should be strictly followed.
2. When winding wristwatches and pocket watches, the crown can be rotated in one or both directions. This should be done evenly, without jerking, with leisurely, smooth movements.
3. The spring must be wound all the way. Before the end of winding, rotate the head more slowly.
4. It is advisable to move the arrows in the direction of their normal movement. However, if the clock has not moved forward much, the hands can be moved against their normal movement.
5. It is not recommended to leave the watch directly on glass, marble, or metal. If the watch is placed on a bedside table with a marble or glass surface, you need to place a soft cloth under it.
6. In order to protect a stopped watch from damage, you should not open the cover and make repairs yourself, but rather contact a watch workshop. 
7. It is necessary to protect the watch from falling and major shocks.
8. It is advisable to have each watch cleaned and lubricated at least once every two years, especially if a violation of the accuracy of the movement is noticed.
9. Watches left unused will not deteriorate, but the lubricant in them may thicken and dry out. It is recommended to keep watches that are not in use in a suede bag or soft tissue paper to prevent them from becoming dusty.
If a watch that has been inactive for a long time does not move after the springs are fully wound, they should be slightly swung in the plane of movement of the hands (Fig. 1).
10. It is advisable to check the clock daily, using the transmission of accurate time signals via radio.
If your watch begins to regularly fall behind or move ahead by several minutes a day, you can, knowing the rules of adjustment, adjust the watch yourself (see tip “Adjusting the stroke”).
Wrist watch usually small in size, so their mechanism consists of particularly small and fragile parts. Exactly wrist watch most often exposed to shocks, shocks and blows.
This does not always depend on the negligence of their owner and is largely related to the profession and the conditions in which he has to work.
The watch must be protected from water, steam and dust; do not leave it on your hand when working in a room with humid or dusty air, as well as when working with strong acids and chemicals, the effect of which can affect the watch mechanism. In such conditions, it is necessary to use watches in dust- and moisture-proof cases.
You should not leave balance watches (wristwatches, pocket watches, desk watches, etc.) on TVs or radios. It must also be remembered that strong magnetic fields. They can magnetize the balance hair and cause a violation of the accuracy of the movement, and in some cases even stop the movement. Therefore, wearing a watch in such places is not recommended.
Pocket watch are usually much better conditions than wrist ones. However, when using them, you need to make sure that dust does not accumulate in the pocket where the watch is. At home, it is advisable to hang the watch by its strap or lug, ensuring it is in a vertical position.
A table clock There are balance and pendulum types. The former can walk in any position of the mechanism, and the latter should be installed so that the pendulum is in a vertical position and does not touch any parts of the mechanism and body. The pendulum's oscillations must be equal in both directions. This is easily achieved by installing the pendulum lens in the center of the scale, mounted on the back wall of the case, and then checking the pendulum's oscillations by ear.
Desk clocks should be placed on surfaces that are not subject to shocks and shocks, as well as sudden changes in temperature; they cannot be placed on window sills, etc.
Alarm. It is recommended to place a soft bedding under the alarm clock - this will muffle the noise produced by the movement and prevent the alarm clock from moving during the fight, which sometimes happens on a smooth and slightly inclined surface.
Fully winding the spring of a 24-hour alarm clock ensures its operation under normal conditions for 36 hours, but it is recommended to wind the spring regularly every day at the same time.
The most convenient time to set an alarm is before bed. At this moment, you will probably not forget to also wind the bell spring and release the signal hammer if it was closed.
It is advisable to move the arrows only as you move forward, especially if the signal arrow has already been set at the intended time.
The signal arrow can only be moved in the direction indicated on the cover. After it is installed, you need to wind the signal spring and move the lever that locks it away from the hammer.
Wall Clock First of all, you need to hang it correctly. To do this, it is preferable to choose one of the internal, preferably solid, walls (the external wall is more likely to be damp and the steel parts may be subject to corrosion), away from the door, the slam of which shakes the watch and can disrupt the accuracy of the clock.
Often watches run poorly due to skew in one direction or another. It is necessary to hang them straight and, when the pendulum strikes are uniform, fix this position of the clock case with a mark on the wall.
If the pendulum touches the rear wall of the case, you should slightly unscrew the adjusting screws present here, and if there are none, place a piece of cardboard or a board behind the top of the case. If the pendulum moves too far away from back wall, you need to tighten the adjusting screws or place a board behind the lower part of the housing.
When setting the hands to the exact time, it is recommended to set the minute hand to 12, and the hour hand to the nearest hour. Then, by rotating the minute hand, bring the hands to the correct reading, and then set the clock in motion, slightly swinging the pendulum.
When establishing the correct position of the hands of a striking clock, you need to set the minute hand to 12 and count the number of strikes. Then place the hour hand on the dial division corresponding to the number of beats, and only after that bring the hands to the correct position in time.
Stroke adjustment. If your watch is constantly slow or fast, you can adjust it.
Wall pendulum clocks are adjusted with or without striking by screwing or unscrewing the adjusting nut (Fig. 2). To correct the clock lag, the nut must be screwed in by rotating from right to left; when moving ahead, unscrew the nut. In this case, you need to move the nut with one hand, and hold the pendulum rod with the other.
Adjustment of the alarm clock is achieved by moving the regulator located in the slot in the cover. If the alarm clock is in a hurry, the regulator needs to be moved slightly towards the inscription “Zam” (slowdown), if it lags behind, then towards the inscription “Usk” (acceleration). Moving the knob one notch will lead or lag by about a minute and a half.
Move balance hours(wrist, pocket) is adjusted according to the same principle, i.e. by moving the regulator. If the clock is in a hurry, then the regulator should be moved towards the markings “R”, “S”, “-”, and if it is behind, then towards “A”, “F”, “+” (Fig. 3).
After moving the regulator, the hands must be set to the exact time (by radio signal or by telephone) and the watch must be checked for several days. 
If after checking the clock continues to rush or lag, you need to move the regulator further. On the balance bridge there is a special scale consisting of a series of lines. Moving the regulator to one side by one division causes the clock rate to change by about one minute per day.
It is advisable to move the regulator with non-metallic objects so as not to scratch the balance bridge.
A scratch on a plexiglass watch crystal (most watch crystals these days are made from plexiglass) can be sanded out and the glass can then be refinished. First, sand with fine-grained (velvet) sandpaper, making light circular movements. When the scratch becomes invisible, you need to continue sanding with the finest pumice powder, rubbing with a soft flannel cloth. After the glass becomes completely smooth, it is polished to a shine with chalk (tooth powder). It is useful to do polishing without grinding at least once every six months, then the glass will always be shiny.
If a watch glass falls out of its frame, Before putting it in place, you need to carefully apply a little BF-2 or Moment glue to the groove of the frame (this can be done with a pointed match or a toothpick) and, inserting the glass and placing a small weight on it, leave it for several hours until the glue dries completely. It is more convenient to glue it in the evening so that the glue dries well overnight.
Pendulum wall clock makes it possible to adjust the accuracy of the move. As you know, the accuracy of a wall clock depends on the number of swings of the pendulum. Clocks that run incorrectly can be adjusted moving the lens along the pendulum rod. If the clock is slow, then the lens should be lift up by turning the adjusting nut to the right, if they are in a hurry, - lower by turning the adjusting nut to the left. Do not try to start a stopped clock by correcting it with home remedies. Contact a watchmaker who knows the mechanism well and has the necessary tools and equipment not only for watch repair, and for adjusting their stroke. The pendulum is suspended on a very thin steel suspension (spring), which is easily damaged if handled carelessly. To protect the suspension, adjusting nut You need to rotate it with your right hand, holding the lens with your left. In many wall clock Most of the pendulum rod is made of wood, since a wooden rod is less affected by temperature than a metal rod.
Setting the speed of a mechanical watch
Mechanical wall clock- a technically complex device, they require qualified service (setup, installation). From correct settings depends not only precision, but also watch durability.
If watch stopped, you should check the location of the weight suspension cable (chain) and the correctness of the pendulum suspension.
If this does not help, you need to contact service center By watch repair.
Tolerance precision For wall, table clock+/-30 seconds per day. If the clock is running, But not exactly, should adjust watch accuracy. To adjust the accuracy of the stroke, it is recommended to act experimentally.
Setting the exact time
By exposing on hours exact time let them sit for a few days. To obtain the daily clock error, you need the resulting difference in precision divide by the number of days. For example, if watch will fall behind by 10 minutes in 5 days, then the clock error per day will be 2 minutes (120 seconds). Considering that one revolution adjusting nut under the pendulum lens averages from half a minute to a minute per day (depending on the model of the mechanism), we check whether the thread is long enough for the required adjustment. In our case adjusting nut you need to turn it 3 turns. Several sessions adjustments will allow you to achieve satisfactory running accuracy.
Wall clock mechanism
Pendulum clock mechanism Quite durable and unpretentious, it can work without cleaning for 2-3 years. After this period watch necessary clean and lubricate, since dirt from condensed oil has a harmful effect on watch accuracy. In all striking clock combat mechanism cannot act independently. Being directly connected to the movement mechanism, it is activated by it at certain hours, after which it strikes the time shown by the hands on the dial. To strike the strike, from one to eight hammers are installed in different watches, striking one, two or three strike springs (for hours and half-hours). Eight hammers usually strike the quarter hours on separate eight springs. The striking spring is a spiral made of steel wire, and the new type of watch uses so-called gongs. Gongs are located inside the watch cases in a vertical or horizontal position and produce melodic sounds of different tones. Each of the hammers must be installed at a certain distance from the point of contact of its spring.
The rattling, unpleasant sound of the strike is explained by the fact that the hammer comes into close contact with the spring. A weak striking sound indicates that the hammer is too far from the sound element and strikes weakly; The fastening of the sound element on the watch case has become loose. The joint, well-coordinated work of the running and combat mechanisms operates flawlessly until the winding of both springs ends. When the winding of the striking spring ends, clock chime appears to be violated. If clock chime will be broken, then it is restored by turning the minute hand in the direction of its movement.
Testing the accuracy of wall clocks
In our watch workshop you can test the accuracy of a wall clock. As a result of testing, it can be determined whether the clock needs adjustment, i.e. determine the maximum instantaneous daily movement of the clock. When adjusting the watch, it is necessary to take into account changes that could occur in the watch during long-term use: an increase in the viscosity of the lubricant, an increase in friction due to contamination of the mechanism, a decrease in the torque of the mainspring.
Adjustment of stroke accuracy
Adjusting the accuracy of the stroke is a very important process, which is best left to an experienced master. Therefore, if your watch does not run accurately and you need professional adjustment of the accuracy, contact our watch workshop. Our experienced craftsmen are well aware of all the intricacies of watchmaking. A watchmaker will adjust the timing of your wall clock with acceptable accuracy.
A high-quality and beautiful clock in the house is an attribute of comfort and prosperity. The rhythmic ticking of the clock mechanism helps you calm down and put your thoughts in order, and the chime helps you keep track of time without having to look at the dial. Clocks, especially large floor-standing ones, can become one of the key components of the interior composition of a room. Therefore, despite the abundance electronic devices, watches are still in fashion.
Setting the chime mode of quartz watches
Before proceeding to setting the melody and strike mode of a quartz watch, you should make sure that a power source is installed in the music unit. The setting is made taking into account the night mode (silence mode), during which the battle and melody are disabled. Most models of modern watches automatically switch to night mode. Transition times vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Let's look at setting up the battle mode using the example of a wall clock from GASTAR. Let’s take a model with an automatic switch to silence mode between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. On the music block of the watch there is a control button that adjusts the melody and chime. Each number of strikes after the melody corresponds to a certain number of presses on this button.
The watch's sound mode starts at 6 am with one click on the battle settings button:
- 1 press - 6.00 - 6 beats;
- 2 clicks - 7.00 - 7 hits;
- 3 presses - 8.00 - 8 beats;
- 17 clicks - 22.00 - switch to silence mode (the battle is turned off);
- 18 presses - 23.00 - silence mode, etc.
Important! Setting the battle mode, selecting a melody and other manipulations with the music block cannot be done during the battle itself or while the melody is playing. This may damage the watch's sound unit.
Setting the strike mode of mechanical watches
Mechanical watches require regular winding to operate. There are three holes on the dial of models with cable suspension weights:
- for winding a clock mechanism;
- for factory melody;
- for the battle plant.
This watch can only be wound using a key. A watch with a chain suspension is wound differently: you need to pull the chain with the free end (without a weight) down.
To set the battle mode and melody mechanical watch levers are used that can be installed to the left of the dial, to the right of it, or on both sides - depending on the model. By setting the levers at the appropriate marks, you can adjust the combat mode. Eg:
- “Strike” mark - fight every hour;
- “Night out” mark - activation of night mode;
- “Silent” mark - disables combat.
To correctly set the melody and strike mode, we recommend that you carefully study the instructions that come with each watch model.