Seiko 5 - rotor direction?

[Trevor Kingston]

I've a few automatics and after wearing them just allow them to wind-down
before I next wear them. When I pick them back up I like to wind them up
again prior to resetting the correct time.

My question is... on the Seiko 5's which direction is winding as it's not
marked on any of the rotors (and they can't be manually wound) I'm almost
certain that I've been rotating them the wrong way for all these years
thinking it was winding them up!!

Assume looking at rear case back (in this case clear) with the crown on the
right?

thanks

[Jack Denver]

Seiko 5's have bi-directional winding - it's winding regardless of which way
the rotor is turning.

Post by Trevor Kingston
I've a few automatics and after wearing them just allow them to wind-down
before I next wear them. When I pick them back up I like to wind them up
again prior to resetting the correct time.
My question is... on the Seiko 5's which direction is winding as it's not
marked on any of the rotors (and they can't be manually wound) I'm almost
certain that I've been rotating them the wrong way for all these years
thinking it was winding them up!!
Assume looking at rear case back (in this case clear) with the crown on the
right?
thanks

[Bo Williams]

Post by Jack Denver
Seiko 5's have bi-directional winding - it's winding regardless of which way
the rotor is turning.

And BTW, it's not at all necessary to "wind" a Seiko 5. Just give it a
couple of shakes, set it, and go. IME they power up quite easily just
with normal movement.

[t***@visto.com]

Seiko 7S26 does not wind - it never had manual wind as a capability.

I do not know about the 7S36.

T.

[David Johnson]

Post by t***@visto.com
Seiko 7S26 does not wind - it never had manual wind as a capability.
I do not know about the 7S36.
T.

My understanding is that the 7s36 has 2 more cap jewels, but is
otherwise the same.

[Jack Denver]

Nope, not the 7S36 either. It's essentially the same movement w/ a couple
more jewels.

I think Bo meant that it's not necessary to whirl the Seiko around to wind
it fully - if you give it a few quick shakes to get it started, it will
continue running and wind itself on your wrist.

Post by t***@visto.com
Seiko 7S26 does not wind - it never had manual wind as a capability.
I do not know about the 7S36.
T.

[Trevor Kingston]

Post by Jack Denver
Seiko 5's have bi-directional winding - it's winding regardless of which way
the rotor is turning.

Sorry to have to disagree here Jack, but I've allowed a Superior 5 to wind
down then very carefully 'spun' it so that the rotor runs clockwise (looking
at case back and with the crown to the right) and it DEFINITELY does NOT
wind, but just as soon as I do it the opposite direction itr does wind -
therefore I can only conclude that it is not a bi-directional wind. Do Seiko
market it as such?

[Frank Adam]

On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 06:47:20 +0100, "Trevor Kingston"

Post by Trevor Kingston

Post by Jack Denver
Seiko 5's have bi-directional winding - it's winding regardless of which

way

Post by Jack Denver
the rotor is turning.

Sorry to have to disagree here Jack, but I've allowed a Superior 5 to wind
down then very carefully 'spun' it so that the rotor runs clockwise (looking
at case back and with the crown to the right) and it DEFINITELY does NOT
wind, but just as soon as I do it the opposite direction itr does wind -
therefore I can only conclude that it is not a bi-directional wind. Do Seiko
market it as such?

If yours doesn't wind both ways then the pawl lever is faulty. Any
Seiko i've ever seen has bi-directional winding.

[dAz]

Post by Trevor Kingston
Sorry to have to disagree here Jack, but I've allowed a Superior 5 to wind
down then very carefully 'spun' it so that the rotor runs clockwise (looking
at case back and with the crown to the right) and it DEFINITELY does NOT
wind, but just as soon as I do it the opposite direction itr does wind -
therefore I can only conclude that it is not a bi-directional wind. Do Seiko
market it as such?

if the watch you have is fitted with the "magic lever" auto system then
it is bi-directional, the pawl levers are moved by a cam, the fingers of
the pawl work on a push-pull method, one of the fingers is hooked and
the other is a finger, they engage what is basically a very fine toothed
ratchet wheel, as the pawls move away from the winding wheel the hook
will pull and turn the wheel, when the pawls starts to move towards the
winding wheel, the finger prevents the wheel unwinding at first then it
pushes the wheel around, in the mean time the pawl not doing any work
is simply slipping over the ratchet teth

it makes no differance which way the rotor moves, it will wind the spring

see here for a close up view
http://www.thepurists.com/watch/features/8ohms/7s26/

[Frank Adam]

Post by dAz

Post by Trevor Kingston
Sorry to have to disagree here Jack, but I've allowed a Superior 5 to wind
down then very carefully 'spun' it so that the rotor runs clockwise (looking
at case back and with the crown to the right) and it DEFINITELY does NOT
wind, but just as soon as I do it the opposite direction itr does wind -
therefore I can only conclude that it is not a bi-directional wind. Do Seiko
market it as such?

if the watch you have is fitted with the "magic lever" auto system then
it is bi-directional, the pawl levers are moved by a cam, the fingers of

Daz, was there ever a Seiko with directional winding ?

[dAz]

Post by Frank Adam

Post by dAz
if the watch you have is fitted with the "magic lever" auto system then
it is bi-directional, the pawl levers are moved by a cam, the fingers of

Daz, was there ever a Seiko with directional winding ?

not really sure, don't think so, the "magic lever" is their invention
used in the 6k and 7k movements, they do or did make autos with reverser
wheels like in the 4S15 and 5606 but again bi-directional winding.

Citizen is one that have single direction wind automatics, do you
remember that model that has the rotor mounted on a disk with teeth on
the inside much like a date wheel, it ran on a track on the top edge of
the movement and wound a wigwag pinion geared to the mainspring, noisy
bloody thing :)

[Frank Adam]

Post by dAz

Post by Frank Adam
Daz, was there ever a Seiko with directional winding ?

not really sure, don't think so, the "magic lever" is their invention
used in the 6k and 7k movements, they do or did make autos with reverser
wheels like in the 4S15 and 5606 but again bi-directional winding.

Yep, didn't think there was.

Post by dAz
Citizen is one that have single direction wind automatics, do you
remember that model that has the rotor mounted on a disk with teeth on
the inside much like a date wheel, it ran on a track on the top edge of
the movement and wound a wigwag pinion geared to the mainspring, noisy
bloody thing :)

Hm, no doesn't ring a bell, must have been in those 5-6 years you have
on me.. Anything like the Longines one(yeah i know, it probably does
have a caliber number <g>) was ?

[Revision]

"Trevor Kingston"
Do Seiko

Post by Trevor Kingston
market it as such?

I had an opportunity to observe the Magic Lever in action the other day
while regulating a 7S36. When I rotated the weight the lever wound the
watch quite vigorously, which was unexpected as I figured the weight had
to go around a few times for each stroke of the pawl, but not so.....once
or twice was more like it. The winder is bidirectional by design. If
one only works in one direction I would wager that it is enough to keep
it running.

[David Johnson]

Post by Trevor Kingston

Post by Jack Denver
Seiko 5's have bi-directional winding - it's winding regardless of which

way

Post by Jack Denver
the rotor is turning.

Sorry to have to disagree here Jack, but I've allowed a Superior 5 to wind
down then very carefully 'spun' it so that the rotor runs clockwise (looking
at case back and with the crown to the right) and it DEFINITELY does NOT
wind, but just as soon as I do it the opposite direction itr does wind -
therefore I can only conclude that it is not a bi-directional wind. Do Seiko
market it as such?

Which movement did the Superior 5 have? The most common movement in 5's
is one of the 7000 series, but I'm wearing a 1983 5 with a 2906, and I'm
pretty sure there were some with 6000 series movements as well. The
7000's are magic fingers, the 2906 is not, but both are bi. Don't know
about the other movements.

[Eric Jorgensen]

On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 21:04:18 GMT

Post by David Johnson

Post by Trevor Kingston

Post by Jack Denver
Seiko 5's have bi-directional winding - it's winding regardless of

which
way

Post by Jack Denver
the rotor is turning.

Sorry to have to disagree here Jack, but I've allowed a Superior 5 to
wind down then very carefully 'spun' it so that the rotor runs
clockwise (looking at case back and with the crown to the right) and it
DEFINITELY does NOT wind, but just as soon as I do it the opposite
direction itr does wind - therefore I can only conclude that it is not
a bi-directional wind. Do Seiko market it as such?

Which movement did the Superior 5 have? The most common movement in 5's
is one of the 7000 series, but I'm wearing a 1983 5 with a 2906, and I'm
pretty sure there were some with 6000 series movements as well. The
7000's are magic fingers, the 2906 is not, but both are bi. Don't know
about the other movements.

I've never seen a recent Seiko 5 or Seiko 5 Superior / Sport /
Poseidon that didn't have any one of 7s26, 7s36, 7s35. And I've shopped
long & hard on ebay.