The Breitling Watch Source Forums

I recently picked up my first Breitling, the 125th Anniversary Navitimer (air racer band, bronze face, #1901/2009), and I'm trying to get the minutes and seconds hand to stay in synch with each other.

I've checked the seconds hand against the Naval Observatory clock (202-762-1401) and it's keeping accurate time, but the minute hand seems to lag and won't hit the minute marker exactly as the second hand rolls through 60. Is there a way to marry the minute hand and the second hand?

I've done the obvious setting procedures that should produce the results I want (pull crown, hold seconds hand at 60, adjust minute hand to marker, push in crown at time hack), but the minute hand seems to lag roughly 15-25 seconds before moving. Is this a normal tolerance/behavior for the watch?

Thanks for the help.

There are a few threads here on different ways to try and line them up, but the bottom line is that it's a temporary solution, the hands do no stay aligned perfectly due to play in the running train - it's not a problem.

This could be helpful!

http://www.breitlingsource.com/phpBB2/v ... 12&t=18854

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Breanach78

A Few Breitlings.

Thanks for the help.

Here's an interesting development: the watch now takes a full minute to engage the minute hand. In other words, the seconds hand will make one full revolution after the hack before the minute hand begins to move. After that initial minute lag, it seems to be keeping accurate time, with the minutes hand moving through the quarter minute marks fairly well aligned with the seconds hand.

Is the 60 second delay a normal tolerance in a mechanical watch? This is my first Breitling, and first mechanical watch, so I'm intrigued by workings and want to really understand how and why the watch does what it does.

Thanks again.

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2009 Navitimer, 125th Anniversary Limited Edition, #1901/2009, Panamerican Bronze, Air Racer Bracelet

The regular minutes hand, not the chrono??

The chrono works on a jump, but not the regular time hands.

The chrono hand works fine; it's the regular watch face minute hand that is delaying. This is a different movement than the regular Navitimer: would this make a difference in the analysis?

Thanks.

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2009 Navitimer, 125th Anniversary Limited Edition, #1901/2009, Panamerican Bronze, Air Racer Bracelet

I'm aware that it's a different movement, but it shouldn't 'jump' from minute to minute. There is slack in the movement to prevent it binding and it may simply be that - tough to tell from the description.

And you may try what RJRJRJ suggested on another thread. Move the minute hand past the target minute marker and then reverse the minute hand back to the target minute marker. He said this takes up the slack or play. I tried it and it worked! No more guessing just how far ahead to set the minute hand.

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SHARKMAN

Thanks for all the help.

I figured out what was causing the delay in the minute hand movement after the hack. Turns out that on my watch, following the steps listed in the other threads actually introduced the delay.

To eliminate the delay and maintain an accurate hack with this movement, I have to:

1. Pull the crown when the seconds hand is top dead center.
2. Rotate crown (counter clockwise, I believe) to move watch face hands clockwise until the time is set. (I have to set the minute hand ahead to the first quarter-minute hash to elliminate the play in the gears I can't remove via the crown.)
3. Carefully push the crown in at the hack without letting the crown rotate.

When I do this, the minutes and seconds hands stay pretty well aligned (minute hand is on first quarter minute hash at 15 seconds, seconds hash at 30 seconds, etc).

Thanks again for all the help.

This is true for every Breitling and almost every mechanical watch made.

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SHARKMAN