Why Does My Watch Keep Losing Time? [Troubleshoot It on Your Own]

Nick Rolloson January 26, 2023 0

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Unlike any normal individual, you might believe that time is valuable and expensive, like money. But what if your watch keeps losing time continuously?

A cumbersome incident is if you set the alarm for 5.00 a.m. and get an alarm for 5:30 a.m. Being 30 minutes late is a big deal for those who are strict about keeping time. Have you ever asked yourself, why does my watch keep losing time?

Watches (both mechanical & automatic) lose time for some reason. The most likely reason is that it doesn’t have enough power to function accurately. Besides the unconsciousness of maintaining a standard temperature to store the watch, magnetism is another significant issue.

Why Does My Watch Keep Losing Time?

One common reason the watch stops is to keep accurate timing for magnetism. This may also happen for proper maintenance, old batteries, and many more. Additional reasons of the fact that why your watch continues to show the wrong time or lose time are included:

Improper Maintenance

Lack of proper maintenance causes the watch components to be junky and ineffective. If you don’t use the watch every time and leave it in a drawer for a long time, all the small stuff inside it becomes rusty. Especially the stainless steel and metallic wristbands, parts, and winds may be affected by the moisture.

Excessive moisture in the air forces the metal to make a chemical bond known as rust. Rusty watch winds also block them from running, showing slow time on the display.

Old Battery

A faulty battery is another reason the watch keeps losing time. If you’re not regularly wearing a watch, then it may start losing time. Regular wind motion plays a vital role in operating the automatic wristwatch gradually.

As soon as the user raises or down their wrist, the motion or circulation inside it lets them act or function with proper action. Old batteries do not have enough energy to run these continuous functions. As a result, your watch became slower and slower frequently.

Magnetism

The watch loses its time to keep for magnetism issues. Since it is not a certain issue, it often detains the watch from showing the accurate time. As you’re not an expert on watches, you may have questions about what magnetism is.

Magnetism is a common stuff found in household appliances and other electronic equipment. It can affect the movement of the watch hands and overall operation. Again, the watch will start to slow down and lose time constantly if the watch balance spring is affected by magnetization.

Old Watch

The old watch is another culprit that makes your watch timing slow. Old, damaged, shabby, new watches are getting slower since all the equipment is getting older. The more you use your watch, the closer it gets to the expiration date.

At that point, when the watch’s lifespan is too old, it has become too old to show time properly.

Accident/ Unpredictable Impacts

Suppose the watch accidentally dropped on a floor or hard surfaces; this could be the one reason. The shock of the accidents may have damaged the watch spring key and resulting slow down times on the screen. Harmful impacts or sudden accidents can bind the dial to move freely.

Automatic Watches

Automatic watches are generally required to wear regularly. It loses sufficient power to function if you own it and avoid wearing it every time.

Yes, these are obvious thumb rules for automatic wristwatches. Because the movement of the wrist works to actively watch internal kinds of stuff as if the engine is alive the car’s internal components.

Clinging Strings

Sometimes it isn’t a big factor or issue that lets the watch function appropriately. But this could be significant because that may damage both the watch winds and key springs.

In case the watch springs are clinging altogether, the watch begins to act abnormally. Fortunately, you can fix this complication with a professional.

Low Power Reserve

Low or less power voltage in mechanical and automatic watches is also responsible for this. Inspect it to solve the problem earlier. Check out if the power reserve is running low or faster. If there are any issues found, a user needs to wound it.

Shifted Dials

It is one impact or trouble with the watch. This will shut the dial to move whenever this occurs in the watch. As well as the binding on the watch digits also becomes juggling and inappropriate likewise any normal watch wind.

Altered Spring Key

Any manual problem or impact lets the watch alter the spring keys. As a result, the general function of the watch becomes disturbed and causes it to lose time repeatedly.

Improper Watch Storage

Storing or improperly keeping the watch also works behind it. The watch should be stored at a specific temperature under a safe deposit box or cupboard. Make sure the place you choose has a normal and valid temperature.

Remember that the watch’s excessively hot and cold temperatures can cause constitutional damage. This can also lead to the water entering the dial and moving. Heat can also dry out the lubricants, creating friction between the gears that affect the exact timekeeping of the watch.

What You Should Do If Your Wrist Watches Keeps Losing Time

Watch movement is the core of everything. Without this, your watch cannot cover or notify you about the accurate time of the watch.

After that, when the watch is becoming slower day by day, it annoys you a lot. Fixing the slow watch problem depends on the reason. It often modifies the entire problem before you go to determine any exact solutions.

Below I try to add and discuss two methods according to watch norms, including:

1. Troubleshooting Analog Watches

Analog watches usually lose time to not wearing the watch regularly. Sometimes it is the biggest fact that won’t let the watch function correctly for sufficient power. If the watch continues to show you time-losing issues, then follow the below steps one by one:

Fixation:

Lay down the watch on a flat surface, and set the timing around 5.00 a.m. or 5.00 p.m. By setting these, you’ll allow viewing the date windows.
Next, set up the date according to yesterday’s date
As soon as the second hand of the watch completed one circle, then pull out the crown completely.
Using the time setting, try to move the time past midnight to change the date. Now that time, you’ll be able to view the correct date.
Afterward, set the correct time by dragging the hour hand once beyond noon. Make sure the time passes, and the wind stays between 12.00 a.m. and 12.00 p.m. This will also obstruct the date from showing as too early at noon.

Tips: If your watch is from a vintage or antique model, it is best to take it to an expert. Another best thing is to take the watch to any expert for repairing or servicing.

2. Troubleshooting Digital Watches

With a digital watch or automatic watch, the problem relies on internal compounds. All the digital watches are fantastically engraved with Quartz. It is one of the common minerals of the earth.

All quartz watches, especially digital watches, alert their users by numbering. You don’t have to count the number of winds with a dial and hands.

Now, why does this digital watch lose time? Simple, it loses energy since the quartz movement watch’s battery diminishes.

So, when the watch battery diminishes, it will eventually lose charge. For this reason, the watch power voltage becomes lower than expected. And each second, this lasted longer than anything. Besides, sometimes the watch battery stops updating the display due to the lack of energy power.

Fixation:

There is an immediate action you can take to fix the problem of digital watches losing time frequently.

Wear off your watch from hand, and watch out for the power button. Or you may swipe down from the middle of the watch face. Next, go to the setting icon from the menu bar.
Select connectivity > then tap on the location.
Meanwhile, let your watch display accurate time if you are outside or traveling. Set the watch by syncing automatically with the time shown on the smartphone.
Do this frequently by swiping down from the watch face. Press the power button repeatedly. Again, select the settings icon > tap the settings icon> select tap system > tap date & time.
Now, select the date & time automatic icon to set up the time, and date gradually.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does An Accurate Watch Exist?

No, no watch has 100% accuracy. All the watches which you’ve found relative to anything. As the proverb time and tide wait for none, watch timing is not relative to an individual, and there’s no universal time.

Do Battery Watch Lose Time?

There are many reasons that your watch is losing time. Of course, if the watch is getting too old or the battery is losing power swiftly, you need to replace it daily. The watch may bother you because it cannot accurately show time.

Can a Weak Battery Cause a Watch to Lose Time?

A weak battery can also cause a watch to lose time. Especially a damaged battery issue is a significant sign that it didn’t long to be kept. Again, some more watches run slowly. If you have a digital watch, battery drainage issues are the most common problem.

Do Watches Lose Accuracy Over Time?

Of course, watches can lose accuracy by about 99.9%. The duration of this can be too lengthy or too short. The watch would be off by 1 minute and 27 seconds per day.

How Many Minutes Does a Watch Lose Per Day?

The watch loses its time naturally. If we calculate the total daily minutes, it becomes easy to determine how much time the watch loses daily. There are 24 hours a day. Multiply the 24 hours by 60 minutes= 1440 minutes since there is an error between 64 and 16/11 minutes.

This means it has been lost 1440 minutes = (16/11×1/64) ×1440 times per day. The number of days lost is 1440 minutes = (16/11×1/64) ×1440= (1/44) ×1440=360. Therefore, 360/11 is equal to 32. As a result, “32” is the real correct answer.

Final Words

After analyzing all the factors, you might understand and clarify about yourself why does your watch keep losing time. Do the main actions that I mentioned above. It may lessen the difficulties even if not eradicate them.

Because if your watch has a manual problem like loose springs, external damage, accidental falling down, etc. You have to change them as necessary.

Anyway, in case you cannot troubleshoot them on your own. Take the watch to any watch troubleshooting expert; they’ll fix them. Also, wear the watch regularly and don’t forget to take good care of it appropriately.

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Nick Rolloson

Nick is the editor-in-chief of Pickedwatch.com, a blog about watches. Nick started his professional career in the information technology field, and now works as a professional technology & gadget writer. He likes to write about various topics on technology and Gadgets.