[claybuster]

Hi, new member here who knows nothing about watch repair. I have my fathers Bellmatic and besides liking it for the sentimental value, I really like it for how it looks. It is very nice looking watch. I recently sent it out for a repair that cost around $125. I had a new crystal put on and had the alarm reset. I had accidental dropped the watch years back and it landed on a hard floor knocking the alarm out of sync with the hands. I would set the alarm for 8 and it would ring at 12...you get the idea. So, as mentioned recently decided to have the repairs done and luckily it comes with a 1 year warranty.

When I first got the watch back, I did have a few stalls, but that may have been because I hadn't given it enough time on the wrist to fully wind, only giving it about a 30 second shake wind at first. Right now it is running great with no stalls and keeping very good time. However, after about a week or so I am running into some problems.

When I pull the crown stem out all the way to position 2 (setting the hands), the hands will only move backwards, not forwards. If I keep turning the crown the proper way for forward movement of the hands, nothing happens and eventually the crown will unscrew off the stem. Also, when the crown is out to position 1 (setting the alarm), the alarm indicator will not move around the dial. Everything was working fine when I first got the watch back, but as mentioned after one week these issues started. I noticed this when I tried to move my hands forward about a minute or two after that first week.

Does this sound like an involved repair? I am hoping the shop (J&J Watch Repair, Melville NY), will honor the one year warranty and re-service my watch at no cost to me. My invoice on this states: general overhaul, crystal, and 1 year warranty.

I would like to forward along some pics of this watch but I don't have enough posts under my belt to do so.

Any thoughts on this would be appreciated, thank you.

Charles
Plainfield, CT.

 

[rileynp]

Hello Charles,
Welcome to the forum, but I'm afraid we are not the best place to answer your questions. That would be the business that did the work for you, and according to your paperwork stand behind their work. Any of us guessing from this far away will not improve upon an in-person inspection of the watch and the behavior you describe.
That said, I'd agree with you that 30 seconds of movement is not enough to build up a long power reserve, try for a few minutes of gentle shaking, or better yet, go for a brisk walk to wind the mainspring as your arm moves about.
I'd also remind you about inherent design of the alarm setting mode (crown pulled out to position one), and that it is not possible to move the alarm indicator if the alarm button is pulled out. So make sure you have the button pushed in to the neutral position when you are trying to change the alarm time. I don't know that the watch will need to be entirely re-serviced to correct the issues you describe, that will be for the service provider to decide. I'd recommend you give them a chance to correct the situation.

 

[pollyc]

Hello and welcome,

I have to agree with Noah, this is one of those how long is a bit of string questions and most times only answered with any certainty by stripping the watch and carrying out an inspection. From my limited experience with the 4006 I would expect it would be straight forward to put right, the only problem for the repairer would be if a component has broken then a spares watch will be needed unless they have a stock of obsolete vintage Seiko parts.

Fingers crossed it is only a mis seated part.

 

[claybuster]

Fingers crossed it is only a mis seated part.

That is what I am hoping, as opposed to a multitude of issues that could result in the problem. I am confident though, that a specialist knows exactly what causes this problem of hands that will only move in a backward direction, not forward when turning the crown. Something has to be off tract? Re-reading my first post, the only question I asked was does this sound like an involved repair...whereas I should have asked, does anyone know the cause of this problem? Knowing the cause would answer I suppose whether or not it is something major as opposed to a minor quick fix. Warranty or not, I would like to take care of this so it is working properly.

Thanks for the replies,
Charles

 

[twall3]

Hello and welcome,

I have to agree with Noah, this is one of those how long is a bit of string questions and most times only answered with any certainty by stripping the watch and carrying out an inspection. From my limited experience with the 4006 I would expect it would be straight forward to put right, the only problem for the repairer would be if a component has broken then a spares watch will be needed unless they have a stock of obsolete vintage Seiko parts.

Fingers crossed it is only a mis seated part.

I have a spare 4006 movement - so if this becomes the case please let me know.

 

[claybuster]

I have a spare 4006 movement - so if this becomes the case please let me know.

Thanks, hopefully won't come to that but good to know folks wiling to help!

 

[claybuster]

http://www.thewatchsite.com/members/38546-claybuster-albums-various-watches-picture1210-seiko-bell-matic-4006-7002-107494-oct-71-bell-matic-had-belonged-my-father-since-his-passing-96-i-have-had-serviced-twice-today-still-keeps-great-time-however-does-have-problem-hands-when-trying-set-will-not-move-forward-direction-alarm-indicator-will-not-move.html

 

[Joe Horner]

[...]
When I pull the crown stem out all the way to position 2 (setting the hands), the hands will only move backwards, not forwards. If I keep turning the crown the proper way for forward movement of the hands, nothing happens and eventually the crown will unscrew off the stem [...]

Given this paragraph, I'll stick my neck out a little further than the previous posters and say that (as long as it doesn't feel unusually "tight" to turn the hands backwards) it's almost certainly a simple case of the crown is loose on the stem.

Removing the stem, threadlock the crown back on, and refit should cure it, which I can't imagine them not covering even if they're "dodgy" (I have no reason to think they are btw).

When you return it it's worth mentioning to them that it lost a minute or so over a week of wear (if you can get an accurate figure in seconds even better) because while they're doing the crown they should be able to tweak the regulation to allow for your wear habits from that

 

[claybuster]

... it's almost certainly a simple case of the crown is loose on the stem.

Removing the stem, threadlock the crown back on, and refit should cure ...

I think you have hit the nail right on the head Joe. I am 99.9% confident this has to be something simple. And yes, the hands will move backwards smoothly, but I am avoiding doing that to the watch. I can fix the date easily enough by push button, but already 12hrs behind on the day setting because of backwards movement! My watch won't be on current day until about 12 noon. In addition to that, I'm not sure if backwards movement is a good idea anyway on these watches.

 

[Joe Horner]

Setting them backwards isn't too much of a problem except that you'll "pick up" the alarm indicator as you turn past the alarm time which may put unwanted strain on things. The bigger problem is that if it's loose then sooner or later the (obsolete) crown is likely to fall off and be lost.

Really not a hard fix - if you were in the UK and came in with it it's the sort of thing we'd do on the spot for a contribution in the charity jar.

 

[claybuster]

Thanks Joe for the advice, it all makes perfect sense. For the warranty work which I am sure they would have done no questions asked involves a cost. About $5 to priority ship it to NY, and another $15 with the insurance to get it back. Instead, I took a ride today to visit Vladimir Loskoutov in Cranston, Rhode Island. He runs a shop, "Fine Watch and Clock Repair" (since 1962).

I explained to him the issues, talked about the warranty and he suggested I send it back to NY being there could be other issues. With a small bit of persistence and mentioning it's no doubt the crown just needs to be reset on the stem, he decided to go ahead and do the repair. He got the case off, popped in his jeweler monocle and began the work. About 5 minutes later he was finished....$12 repair. YES!!!

Joe, thanks again for suggestion about a loose fitting crown. If it wasn't for your post about the simplicity of this I probably wouldn't have taken the time today go see Vladimir. Next round down at the pub is on me....:bravo_2: