Frequently Asked Questions
When you consider owning or caring for a Jacob Zech Original® watch, several questions may come to your mind. Find below an overview of answers that will be helpful to you.
Care and Maintenance
Shocks. Although all Jacob Zech Original® watches are tested for impact resistance, you should still avoid violent shocks to your watch. Apart from damaging its appearance, this can cause premature wear in materials and components, which may affect the performance of the watch.
Magnetic fields. Avoid leaving your watch close to equipment that can produce strong magnetic fields such as speakers, refrigerators, mobile phones, or magnets on bags or boxes, etc as these may affect the performance of your watch. We also recommend that you remove your watch when you go through the body scanner at the airport.
Before using your water-resistant watch in water, there are several ways to ensure its protection:
– Ensure the crown is fully pushed in (and depending on the model, screwed down) against the case in order to preserve its water-resistance.
– Leather straps are not advisable as they can be deformed/discoloured by water. For frequent or prolonged use in water, we recommend a metal bracelet or rubber strap.
– After exposure to salt water, rinse the watch in fresh water then dry it.
If you do not regularly wear your automatic watch, we recommend either winding the mainspring manually using the crown unscrewed or in neutral position (minimum 55 times) or purchasing an automatic watch winder. This will ensure that the lubricating oil in the movement remains fluid.
It’s a good idea to clean your watch every 2 to 3 months to maintain its appearance and keep it in good working order:
- If you have any doubts about the water-resistance of your watch, simply clean it with a soft brush.
- Straps in fabric, leather and alligator or python should not come into contact with water. Remember, leather is a natural, living material and its colour will fade a little over time.
After each exposure to salt water, rinse the watch carefully in fresh water then dry it with a dry soft cloth.
Technical details
An automatic movement is a mechanical watch movement that is wound by the action of the wearer’s wrist. An oscillating weight (rotor) pivots freely around a spindle, and each movement helps to wind the mainspring (energy source), charging the power reserve. The regulator of the watch is a balance wheel with a hairspring that vibrates 6 – 8 times a second. An automatic movement comprises over 70 parts and the smallest of these is no thicker than a human hair (0.07mm). All of these mechanical components work continually in unison, creating the effect of a sweeping second hand rather than a ticking one. While it is less precise than a quartz movement (by a few minutes per month), an automatic movement is the ultimate example of watchmaking expertise and tradition.
The accuracy of Jacob Zech Original® watches depends on several factors, including the type of movement and conditions of use. The following list shows the average tolerance given by the movement suppliers (based on normal conditions, and full power reserve for automatics):
Quartz movement: between -1 and +11 seconds per month
Automatic movement: between -20 and +40 seconds per day
The power reserve is the amount of power a watch accumulates to keep the watch or chronograph functioning without being wound. Jacob Zech Original® automatic movements have a power reserve of about 41 hours depending on the model. As it is the action of the wearer’s wrist that winds up the movement and maintains maximum power, the power reserve will begin to drain if there is not enough movement, causing the watch to stop.
You can recharge it by turning the crown clockwise, unscrewed, or in the neutral position, (minimum 55 times. This will start the watch, giving it sufficient power reserve to function normally.
A quartz movement is powered by a battery (energy source), with a quartz crystal regulator (time-measuring device). The electric tension from both the battery and the integrated circuit causes the crystal to vibrate consistently at very high frequency – at 32’768 times per second.
This gives the movement almost perfect precision (only a few seconds per month variation). Quartz watch dials can display hands (analog), numbers (digital), or both.