Expert: Melvin Mills - 9/3/2007

Question
I have a Longines wind up watch that winds and ticks for a  minute or two-keeps time for a minute or two and then quits running. Could you please give me your opinion on what it's  problem might be? I bought it from an estate sale so I have no idea when it was last service.Thanks!

Answer
Lynn,

It is next to impossible to diagnose a problem without actually looking at the watch.  

The first thing one would do is service the watch. That means to disassemble the watch and clean it.  Then, when the parts are clean and we can get a good look at them, we inspect the parts as we put it back together.  If one of the gears has a broken tooth, we will find it during this process.  One of the gears or pivots might be bent.  Anything that is wrong will be discovered during this phase.  If nothing is found, we put the watch together and then oil it.  If it just needed a cleaning, it will start running.

Although this is not a failsafe method of diagnosis, I would suggest opening up the case and looking at the movement.  If it looks dirty, you might just need to clean it to get it running.

Kind regards,

Melvin