Horological Meandering

Hello all!

The inspiration for this thread was the recent European summer time thread, and the thread in the FPJ forum about time setting.

I have only recently become aware of time-setting protocol, except for the 8pm-2am time when the date should not be adjusted.  Anyway, I have an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean (which btw I love dearly) and I was wondering if for this simple movement if setting the hands backwards is to the movements detriment?

My primary question is how the time-setting rules change or if they become more important when it comes to retrograde or jumping hour movements?

Thanks
B

about simple movements and the ability to set time backwards.

I was told that if the movement has a seconds hand which can be hacked (stopped by pulling out the crown) then it would be relatively safe to set the watch backwards. 

As a general rule though, it just seems easier to just advance the time forward the way the wheels/gears/levers were designed to do in the first place.  It is a difficult question to answer because even on a simple watch, the movements are of  different designs.

This is even more so for retrograde movements.

For example I own a Prescher Sculptura Una which is a double retrograde.

The historical piece which this series is based on cannot be adjusted backwards because " there is a ratchet, which works with the first time correction wheel. This arrangement is necessary, as the mechanism works with a snailed disk. A lever, which acts on the snailed disc, transmits this position to the hands. If the disc is turned backwards, via the crown, the lever will break"

But The Sculptura Una can be corrected backwards:

"The Prescher mechanism has a coupling system, which allows one to turn back the minute hand, via the crown, to 0. After this the mechanism decouples. Turning the crown forward the mechanism couples again and the time may be set"

 

So to be safe, unless you have the info directly from the manufacture, I would not set time backwards for any complication.

Best, Mike

*tech info from Curtis Thomson.