Why must mechanical watches not be dropped?

　　Mechanical watchThe most common fault is none other than inaccurate timekeeping, especially when a watch accidentally falls to the ground. Under the force of acceleration due to gravity, the damage caused to the watch is quite significant. This brings about a few situations: firstly, external damage to the watch, such as dents and scratches on the case, a skewed crown, or a cracked crystal; secondly, internal structural issues, including a deformed dial, dislodged markers, and loose hands. If severe, it can even affect movement components.

　　Among these situations, the watch movement parts are the most delicate, especially the balance wheel and hairspring. The balance wheel is vulnerable because its pivot is extremely thin—so thin that 0.1mm—and while the balance wheel oscillates at high speed inside the watch, its entire mass has to be supported by it.

movement arbor

　　As for the hairspring in the movement, it is actually a miniature spiral spring, referred to in the industry as an "Archimedean spiral" because of its shape. It coils around 10 times or so and is made of an extremely complex nickel-based material. It is the most important part for maintaining the oscillation of the balance wheel within the movement, and its adjustment and installation within the gaps of the regulator pin form the most crucial part in determining the timekeeping accuracy of a watch.

　　CurrentReplica watches, with the frequency generally being 28800 vibrations per hour. The hairspring is also relatively stiff with small spacing, and after a watch is dropped, the hairspring is prone to deformation. Horizontal deformation occurs most frequently; once the hairspring is out of concentricity, it may brush against the outer stud while oscillating, causing the watch to easily stop or run fast. This specific situation depends on the degree of contact between the hairspring and the outer stud. If severe, the timekeeping can be as fast as 2 an hour.

　　In addition, many repaired watches (especially ETA movements) show that without exception, the hairsprings have experienced horizontal displacement and deformation, and all of them had the second coil of the hairspring brushing against the outer stud. This is because during the repair process, tweezers are needed to carefully correct the hairspring to ensure its concentricity, pitch, and flat circle.

replica Hublot Big Bang series watch

　　If your beloved watch is accidentally dropped, first observe the symptoms in its timekeeping. If it stops running or the running speed changes drastically, then most likely the hairspring has deformed. Of course, it is also possible that other parts of the watch have malfunctioned, and the best course of action is to take it to a repair shop for inspection and servicing.