A long-winded tale of self-regulation
Hi.
Attached to this post are two photos of my Seiko SRPD85, a watch one reviewer online referred to as a contender for the ugliest Seiko ever. I'm paraphrasing... Slightly.
Perhaps because of this watch's brown dial, on brown strap (came with brown nato I swapped for brown silicon), with a brown-tinted stainless-steel case, it was considered too... Brown. I think it's great, and slightly uncommon... Would love to hear your honest opinions. It was also about $220 Canadian, which is the equivalent of 1 U.S. bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken (given the exchange rates).
Anyway... This arrived in November. As I don't have too many automatic watches I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of accuracy. I used it a while, regularly adjusting the time, but I ultimately decided that since it was running 7 minutes-fast per day, I had to intervene.
The smarter among us would most likely contact Seiko (which I did), wait for a reply (which I did not, but it never came), or try again to get warranty service (nope).
Others among us would consider paying a watchmaker to regulate it. As I am in neither of those first two groups, I decided that I would watch you-tube videos and tutorials about how to do the job myself.
I armed myself with a timegrapher app for my phone, my trusty Amazon watch repair kit (used primarily for changing batteries and adjusting links) and set to work.
Caseback off, MacGyver'ed microphone in hand. Made some measurements.... Don't expect accurate details, as ultimately the watch readings were not good without proper gear. I started with small adjustments, and ended up going from 7m-fast to about 4...
I've made multiple adjustments since then, and have maybe, finally, found a happy place (within about 30 sec / day, I think) where I can leave it and see what happens with regular wear or winding.
I would not have done this with any other watch. As mentioned, I really dig it, but it was relatively inexpensive and likely replaceable. Would I suggest trying your hand at this? Sure, if you're so-inclined. Go slow and make small adjustments. Watch the videos. Have good eyesight.
Good luck - thanks for reading.
I work in the Auto industry, I'm a musician for fun, and I dig watches.
Thanks for giving others the courage to wade in a little deeper. Good for you!
And nothing ugly about that watch. Looks chocolatey!
I could do with a different texture on that brown dial to help it resemble something perhaps more pleasant. But yeah… it’s chocolate textured!
I enjoy regulating watches myself, but have never had anything even close to several minutes off. It’s certainly unique looking! I hope you enjoy, and I actually do kind of like it.
7 minutes a day is extreme and points to a problem beyond simple regulation. I'm surprised that a hobbyist had any luck at all. I hope it lasts .
I gave away a watch for being too brown that was less brown than that.
But if you think it's the shiznit, then more power to you.
Cheers!
7 minutes a day is extreme and points to a problem beyond simple regulation. I'm surprised that a hobbyist had any luck at all. I hope it lasts .
If I can't get going myself, I'll seek professional help...
... For me, then the watch.
I gave away a watch for being too brown that was less brown than that.
But if you think it's the shiznit, then more power to you.
Cheers!
One of my photos actually seems to over-brown the watch, but yes, there's no doubt about it.
If it was off by 7 minutes, you really should have sent it back to Seiko. That is not normal and nowhere withing specs. Or it may have been magnetized.
The 4R36 movement can be easily regulated to +/-5 seconds if the watch was already running within Seiko's specs.
The timegrapher on the app is a nice tool. You should be also aware it doesn't show amplitude which is also important. Send it back to Seiko if it still under warranty.
Never seen this chocolate dial version in person but the green Avocado version is really a fun watch.
If it was off by 7 minutes, you really should have sent it back to Seiko. That is not normal and nowhere withing specs. Or it may have been magnetized.
The 4R36 movement can be easily regulated to +/-5 seconds if the watch was already running within Seiko's specs.
The timegrapher on the app is a nice tool. You should be also aware it doesn't show amplitude which is also important. Send it back to Seiko if it still under warranty.
Never seen this chocolate dial version in person but the green Avocado version is really a fun watch.
You're not wrong. Having Seiko take a look would be best, but I wanted to try my hand at this (just like I installed a car stereo 20 years ago, or fixed a latch on my clothes washer in 2016). I like small projects that won't result in major catastrophes if I botch them.
Also - I did reach out to Seiko first, but admittedly became impatient.
Even 30 sec a day is way too high. I can get my cheap Chinese NH35 movements within +/- 4 seconds a day, with a focus on the dial-up position, as I tend to sit at a desk.
I agree, this should have been a warranty case.
I would also recommend regulating a watch only after you have some experience with modding work. There is little room for error.