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FAQ

Môntrčk FAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


What is the difference between quartz and mechanical movements?

Quartz movements are those that are battery powered. Quartz watches are extremely accurate, to a few seconds per day. A mechanical watch is any watch that is not battery powered. Môntrčk mechanical watches are automatics, meaning the movement of the wrist powers the movement. Due to the more complicated movement (a traditional mechanical watch is made up of about 130 parts), mechanicals are traditionally more expensive than quartz. An automatic (sometimes called a self-winding) watch’s mainspring is wound by the movements of the wearer’s arm—a rotor turns and transmits its energy to the spring by means of an appropriate mechanism.

What if my watch has stopped from non-use (for instance, you don’t wear the watch over a weekend)?

It must be fully wound by hand by turning the crown 50 times before you resume wearing the watch. The automatic winding system in your watch is designed to keep the mainspring fully wound, not actually wind it from a completely run-down condition.

Your daily activity will then keep the watch fully wound by using the automatic winding system. This allows the watch to run in its premium condition and keep the best time.

We suggest that an automatic watch be actively worn for at least 8 hours a day to allow the winding system to keep the watch fully wound. This amount of time can vary as this system is subject to wear and over a period of time and will eventually need cleaning, oiling, and adjusting.

If you find your watch stopped earlier than normal or not keeping time, please review your wearing habits using the suggestions above. If the watch continues to be problematic, please contact our authorized service center.

What is a complication?

This term refers to watches that do more than tell time. The most common complications display the date. Other complications include: chronographs, alarms, second time zones/GMTs, moon phases, minute repeaters or perpetual calendars.

What is a chronograph?

A chronograph is a watch that has a stopwatch feature. This watch measures intervals of time when activated. This includes additional hands that are started, stopped, and brought back to zero by pressing the buttons (called pushers) on the side of the case. Using this feature does not interfere with or in any way modify the regular timekeeping of the watch.

What are the “jewels” in my watch?

The jewels are ball bearings that reduce friction in an automatic movement and are made from inexpensive synthetic sapphires or rubies. They also resist temperature change better and hold oil longer than metal would. Most mechanical watches will have a minimum of 17 jewels.

What is an “Authorized Retailer”? What is the benefit from buying from them?

A watch seller who is officially sanctioned by the distributor and/or the manufacturer is authorized. Watches that they sell will have the full manufacturer’s warranty. The quality of watches purchased from anyone other than an authorized retailer cannot be ensured nor can the distributor attest to the service the dealer provides. Any official factory warranty is voided on watches bought from an unauthorized retailer.

How should my Môntrčk watch be cared for?

If your watch is mechanical, it helps to have it professionally cleaned every three to five years. The technical center will disassemble the watch and clean all the individual parts to remove debris and oil that may have hardened and accumulated on the gears. The watch will then be reassembled, oiled, and all tests will be performed to ensure that it is water-resistant. The gaskets will be replaced and the watch will be checked with special pressure equipment.

Are there elements that will damage my Môntrčk watch?

Certain types of materials can damage or corrode a metal case or bracelet, such as salt seawater, soaps, detergents, and chemicals. Perfume or cologne should not be sprayed on wrist while wearing watch.

Are there reasons why I shouldn’t wear my Môntrčk watch when I bathe?

Owners must evaluate the risks of bathing with the watch & make determinations based on those factors. Some things to consider:

Soaps and detergents contain abrasives, which could potentially damage the case finish and the crystal Unless the wearer can completely rinse off all parts of the watch, the soaps, body oil, and dirt can accumulate on the watch case, crown, pushers, bezel, bracelet, buckle, etc.

The extreme temperature difference from getting into and out of the shower or tub could potentially affect the water resistance of the watch. Heat expands and cold contracts; different materials expand and contract at different rates. The case material of the watch may expand at a different rate than the rubber gaskets—thereby comprising the water-resistance of your watch.

What is a diving watch?

Some people will rely on their watch to accurately tell time deep underwater, and use the elapsed time mechanism to determine the remaining air time. Diving watches will have a unidirectional rotating bezel, which the wearer will turn when beginning the underwater descent. This will show him how much air time he has left, and when he needs to surface. The unidirectional turning bezel is important because if they are knocked out of position, they will only err on the caution side by reporting the diver must surface for air sooner, rather than later.

What is ATM when referring to water-resistance?

Môntrčk watches are marked on their casebacks with their water-resistance. The resistance is to a certain depth or unit of pressure, measured by a number of ATMs, or atmospheres (1 ATM = 33 feet or 10 meters). Due to this technical specialty, it is important to send it to our authorized technical center for repairs and/or maintenance, as they will test that the seal has been restored upon resealing the caseback and that the watch remains suitable for submersion.

My Môntrčk watch seems to lose or gain time—is this normal? Should it be sent to the technical center for adjustment?

Any mechanical movement is comprised of more than 130 different parts and counts about 672,000 beats per day. They are built to exacting tolerances finer than 1/100ths of an inch. Lubrication levels, wear patterns, and slight variations in alignments can make the watch operations slightly off—one hundredth of a percent (0.00001) difference can throw a watch off by 8 beats per day, which can be a difference of 1 second.

Also, like most mechanical devices, when the watch is brand-new there is a period of time when it begins to distribute its oil and adjust its gears. This should last approximately 30 days or so. During this time, the accuracy can vary, but will settle into its tolerances.

Should your Môntrčk watch’s accuracy fall out of these tolerances, it would be best to send it to the authorized technical center for evaluation.

It is important to remember that you should time your automatic watch against an atomic clock for accuracy. Quartz movement watches or clocks, although more accurate than an automatic, are not 100% perfect.

What is the hardness of the sapphire crystals on Môntrčk watches?

A mineral crystal has a scratch resistance of 600 – 800 vickers; the Môntrčk sapphire crystal has an approximate scratch resistance of 2000 vickers. As a comparison, glass windows have a scratch resistance of approximately 200 vickers.

The hands or bezel markings do not line up perfectly—can this be fixed?

A misalignment is not unusual and normally is not a sign of a defect or problem. Certain moving or movable parts of a watch, particularly the second hand and the rotating bezel, have their exact stopping positions controlled by mechanical components (springs, gears, and ratchets). The exact precision of the stopping points for these elements can change slightly over time as the new mechanisms settle in and gradually wear over time from use.

These are not defects or imperfections. They are minor differences within normal tolerances of precision and wear for such mechanisms. Watch manufacturers may intentionally set components a small fraction of an inch off to compensate for how the mechanism is expected to settle in from use.

It is not unusual for a new watch owner to scrutinize their watch to extremes and stress over any perceptible inconsistency they can find. But some buyers can go to the level of observing details that are below the threshold of reasonable expectation of perfection in a timepiece.

Why does my date change at noon instead of midnight?

Most mechanical calendar watches are not AM/PM savvy. Most people assume the system is more complicated than it is. They advance the date every other time the hands pass over the 12 position.

When you set the watch, it is important to roll the hands past 12 at least once to see when the date changes. Then you can properly set the time knowing that your date will change at midnight and not noon.

Why does the date sometimes drop 1, 2, or 3 days behind or show the 31st when it is actually the 1st?

Most mechanical watches are not date/calendar savvy and take a simple approach to date changes—the watch assumes all months have 31 days. The date will roll forward one time for every other time the hands pass the 12 position. For 7 times during a year, this is not a problem for the wearer as the watch will be dated correctly. However, for the other 5 times, the wearer must manually advance the date to correspond with the proper calendar date.

Why does the “sweep second hand” actually jump?

The sweep motion of a mechanical watch is quite different than the sweep of a clock. Depending on the beat rate of the movement, the sweep second hand moves 5 – 8 times per second. Although the name implies a smooth, continuous movement of this hand, it actually jumps when in motion.

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