Any harms in letting the chronograph keep running?

sfwatchlover

I sometimes either forget to stop the chronograph timing runs, or make it tick in sync with the seconds hand (as shown here) just to look at it.  Are there any downsides of keeping the chronograph running non-stop?    

#chronograph #octofinissimo
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Mr.Dee.Bater
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I've seen a number of threads on this very topic on Watchuseek and other forums.  I can't find the particular link at the moment, but the most useful commentary came from a gentleman who was a watchmaker.  If I remember correctly, his take was:

  • Definitely not an issue if the chronograph is vertical clutch
  • If horizontal clutch, there is a small bit of typical wear and tear associated with gears meshing together
  • Nonetheless, his final take away was that even if you're worried about wear and tear, if the chronograph movement is something like the Valjoux 7750, it's super easy to service and parts as always available, etc., etc.  But, you might not want to do it if it's a vintage watch with delicate parts and high service costs, etc., etc.

Hope that's helpful.  

By the way, that Octo Finissimo is absolutely mind-blowing.  Chrono and GMT functionality, 55hr power reserve, 28,800vph, and 100M water resistance, at less than 9mm thickness!  Absolutely amazing.  Very jealous!

sfwatchlover
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Mr.Dee.Bater

I've seen a number of threads on this very topic on Watchuseek and other forums.  I can't find the particular link at the moment, but the most useful commentary came from a gentleman who was a watchmaker.  If I remember correctly, his take was:

  • Definitely not an issue if the chronograph is vertical clutch
  • If horizontal clutch, there is a small bit of typical wear and tear associated with gears meshing together
  • Nonetheless, his final take away was that even if you're worried about wear and tear, if the chronograph movement is something like the Valjoux 7750, it's super easy to service and parts as always available, etc., etc.  But, you might not want to do it if it's a vintage watch with delicate parts and high service costs, etc., etc.

Hope that's helpful.  

By the way, that Octo Finissimo is absolutely mind-blowing.  Chrono and GMT functionality, 55hr power reserve, 28,800vph, and 100M water resistance, at less than 9mm thickness!  Absolutely amazing.  Very jealous!

@Omeganut Thank you so much for the summary of forum discussions on the same topic! My take-away based on your info is that it is fine if I'd like to let it keep running for a while just for fun, but I don't need to do this all the time :).   Thanks again!

Yeah, I love this watch a lot.  In addition to what you mentioned, the peripheral rotor is very cool!  It allows the movement to be seen completely and helps achieve the very thin design. I have only read about peripheral  rotor in one or two other watches (one example is Vianney Halter's Anniversary).

There is one drawback I found.  The GMT button is very easy to use when needing to change the local time (say when arriving in a different timezone).  However, this button is easy to be pushed by accident, sometimes without me knowing.  Then I suddenly saw the time was off by one hour.  They may address this issue by increasing the resistance of this button somehow.  

But overall, I have to say that I'm pretty happy with this watch. Thanks again for leaving your comments.  Have a good day!