# Laco Hand Wind Vs Automatic



## The Monk (Dec 23, 2010)

Hi! I am a newbie to the watch world so be gentle with me please. :to_become_senile:

In December I bought a Laco Pilot A with Miyota automatic movement. It is a beautiful watch, stunning on the wrist and with a lume that is radiant in its brightness. My only issue is not to do with the watch itself, but with automatics in general. They are wonderful but of course if one does not have a watch-winder then one has to get them back up to speed after a few days off the arm. I am nervous as I am not sure that the Miyota 821A movement has a manual-wind facility.

So I am toying with selling it and going for a manual-wind Laco. Does anyone have any advice or corrections for me? Does RLT have a manual winder available?!

I have been a reader of these forums for a few months now and enjoy them immensely.

Cheers!


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## handlehall (Aug 7, 2009)

http://www.citizen.co.jp/miyota_mvt/download/pdf/spec_6T51_8205_8215_821A.pdf

I'm no expert but googling the movement brought up this data sheet which seems to indicate that it can be hand wound. If in doubt, let the watch run down completely, pick it up without letting the rotor turn too much and give the movement a wind by hand,then put it down undisturbed - if it continues to run then I would say the hand-wind function works ok.

P.S. welcome to


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## The Monk (Dec 23, 2010)

handlehall said:


> http://www.citizen.co.jp/miyota_mvt/download/pdf/spec_6T51_8205_8215_821A.pdf
> 
> I'm no expert but googling the movement brought up this data sheet which seems to indicate that it can be hand wound. If in doubt, let the watch run down completely, pick it up without letting the rotor turn too much and give the movement a wind by hand,then put it down undisturbed - if it continues to run then I would say the hand-wind function works ok.
> 
> P.S. welcome to


Thank you for the answer, and the welcome! I think I saw the listing for the data sheet in Google myself but was put off by its apparent techie-ness.

Given that it looks like it is able to be hand wound, the question for me now is: if the watch might not be worn for days at a time, does a hand-wound movement cope better than an automatic one?

See how new I am!


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## Drum2000 (Apr 2, 2010)

The Monk said:


> handlehall said:
> 
> 
> > http://www.citizen.co.jp/miyota_mvt/download/pdf/spec_6T51_8205_8215_821A.pdf
> ...


If you're not wearing the watch just give it a wind each day to keep it running. All of my autos can be hand wound save for my two Seikos which feature the 7S26 movement.


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## The Monk (Dec 23, 2010)

Drum2000 said:


> The Monk said:
> 
> 
> > handlehall said:
> ...


Cheers! :notworthy:


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## Markrlondon (Feb 20, 2009)

The Monk said:


> They are wonderful but of course if one does not have a watch-winder then one has to get them back up to speed after a few days off the arm. I am nervous as I am not sure that the Miyota 821A movement has a manual-wind facility.


From what I've seen, well made automatic movements that are clean and in good condition will just start running almost the moment you pick them up and then require very little arm movement to keep them going. The lack of manual wind on some automatic movements (e.g. some Seikos and Orients) is thus not a major problem, I find.

I'd certainly include Miyotas in the "well made" category.


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## The Monk (Dec 23, 2010)

Markrlondon said:


> The Monk said:
> 
> 
> > They are wonderful but of course if one does not have a watch-winder then one has to get them back up to speed after a few days off the arm. I am nervous as I am not sure that the Miyota 821A movement has a manual-wind facility.
> ...


That's reassuring. As a newbie I am easily persuaded that only Swiss and German movements are to notch. But Miyota seems to get good press all round.


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Hi and welcome to this wonderful Forum!!

It's probably already been said on here but when winding up automatic watches do so very slowly as you are also spinning some very tiny "reverser" wheels in the mechanism, if you wind it up normal speed you will hear a feint screaming sound which is these wheels doing about 200mph!!

I nearly bought a Laco myself.......lovely watch, and of course one of four original companies who used to make them 60 odd years ago.............

A friend of mine has got the bigger A.Lange & Sohne which has an excellent provence..... A German bomber crashed in London and this chaps dad took it off the Pilot who was dead.............does'nt get much better than that!!


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## The Monk (Dec 23, 2010)

harryblakes7 said:


> I nearly bought a Laco myself.......lovely watch, and of course one of four original companies who used to make them 60 odd years ago.............
> 
> A friend of mine has got the bigger A.Lange & Sohne which has an excellent provence..... A German bomber crashed in London and this chaps dad took it off the Pilot who was dead.............does'nt get much better than that!!


Yes it was Laco "authenticity" as an original maker that did attract me, though I guess my lack of funds at the time of purchase forcing me to get the one with the Japanese movement rather lessened the authenticity! As for the Lange & Sohne: macabre good luck, but that is pretty much the way with the fortunes of war. As you say, cannot get better than that...

Thanks for the advice about winding: I was oblivious to the need to wind slowly. ardon:


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

> the question for me now is: if the watch might not be worn for days at a time, does a hand-wound movement cope better than an automatic one?


It makes no difference to the power reserve, all the automatic bit does is replace you doing the winding manualy, once it is fully wound either by hand or by auto the result is the same. It is the size of the mainspring that determines the power reserve, not the method of winding..


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

As far as I know all Miyota movements are handwindable.


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