The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Hi,

Sorry if this has already been asked. I did a search and didn't find anything.

I just purchased a black dial Chronomat w/ ocean racer and I'm loving it!! When I unscrew the crown, I hear a clicking sound with each turn until it has been extended. My AD set the time and date so I didn't notice it at the store. It sounds like a spring turning or something ... my Colt GMT doesn't make this sound when I unscrew it. Does anyone else's Chronomat click when you unscrew the crown?

Thanks!

I suspect that your Colt does do it, just quieter. It's the sound of the ratcheting mechanism in the winding mechanism. To unscrew the crown you have to turn it in the opposite direction to winding the watch and so the teeth 'slip' rather than engage and that's what you are hearing.

Well... I'm not so sure. How many clicks do you hear with one full rotation of the crown?

Winding pinions usually have about 12 teeth. If it is the pinion you should hear about that many clicks. If you only hear one or two with a full turn of the crown, it is the spring in the crown slipping. The "feel" of the crown spring slipping should be more pronounced that that of the winding pinion. If it is the spring in the crown, it is probably worth a trip to your AD. Otherwise, it is not a problem. I don't know what the service center does, but I normally put a small amount of clock oil or mainspring grease (depeding on the size) on the pinion teeth to reduce the friction, which also reduces the noise.

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1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger

Hi Guys, thanks for your replies. If I'm not mistaken, and this sounds very coincidental, when I'm unscrewing the crown (counter-clockwise from locked/screwed in position), I hear about 1 click for each notch on the domed crown ... I think I counted 12 or 13 notches on the domed crown. It's hard to actually count the number of clicks for a single counter-clockwise rotation since my thumb covers the crown making it difficult to tell where I started. If there is a problem, my AD didn't notice (or did not bother to inform me) when they set the date the time for me.

Can one of the many Chronomat owners out there unscrew your crown (from locked/screwed in position) and listen for clicks? I haven't had a chance to play with my Colt GMT yet.

I'll have to play with it some more outside the date change zone. I'm always afraid of unscrewing and extending the crown out to far and changing something during the "danger zone".

Aside from that, it's keeping great time. It's about +1 second over 4 days so far.

UPDATE:
I finally had some time to play with the Chronomat a bit more this morning. When the crown is rotated counter-clockwise, the click is consistent and sounds uniformly apart from the previous click. Even with the crown and stem extended to position 1, it still clicks when rotated counter-clockwise. It sounds consistent with what Roffensian stated earlier.

But just to be sure, can one of the many many other Chronomat owners out there give it a try? I'd greatly appreciate it and would put my mind at ease.

Thanks!

Sounds like everything is normal! What you are hearing is the winding pinion. Rest easy. Roff is correct. Enjoy the watch!

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1809 Cosmonaute
1903 Navi
Navi Olympus
Super Avenger

Thanks for all the help guys! I'm loving the watch!