# Help with JLC Master Hometime Loud Winding Noise



## watchulook (May 17, 2011)

Hi all, I just bought a new Master Hometime (Q162843) and noticed that it makes a pretty loud winding noise when it is on my wrist. Definitely audible in a semi quiet room. My master control and master calendar are both silent. Are there any owners out there experiencing similar issue? Is this unique to the cal 975 movement? Thanks for your help.


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## Dixan (Oct 10, 2009)

watchulook said:


> Hi all, I just bought a new Master Hometime (Q162843) and noticed that it makes a pretty loud winding noise when it is on my wrist. Definitely audible in a semi quiet room. My master control and master calendar are both silent. Are there any owners out there experiencing similar issue? Is this unique to the cal 975 movement? Thanks for your help.


Does the cal. 975 have ceramic rotor bearings? It's strange that your Master Control winds silently; mine emits a definitely audible buzzing or zipping noise when its rotor spins. Is that what you're hearing with the MH?


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## Teece (Dec 7, 2011)

The 939A in the Master Geographic (with ceramic rotor bearings) also makes this noise.


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## dero (Nov 4, 2011)

I think I know what you're describing. I have the same watch and have heard the same thing. There's a bit of a noise with the rotor spinning in the unsprung direction.

Remember, the rotor on the Cal975 rotates only counter-clockwise. The other direction is a free-spin. In a quiet room if there's a particular type of movement to generate sufficient momentum, you'll be able to make the rotor spin clockwise (the non-wound direction) and it'll spin a number of rotations.

What you're probably hearing is this. The momentum and speed of rotation when the rotor is free-spinning.


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## guto (Jan 3, 2013)

Hi, I've just bought a Hometime this Christmas (my first JLC) and it also make a rather loud noise when the rotor is spinning. It sounds like a shaker.
Watchulook, I'm curious whether you had yours checked and whether it had a problem? From the other replies here it seems this noise is 'normal'?
thanks


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## dero (Nov 4, 2011)

The sound you're hearing is just the rotor free-spinning when it's going the other direction from winding. I think its a sound of the ceramic bearings rolling around. It can make quite a bit of momentum with the free spinning.


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## BoredAtWork (Dec 24, 2012)

Dixan said:


> Does the cal. 975 have ceramic rotor bearings? It's strange that your Master Control winds silently; mine emits a definitely audible buzzing or zipping noise when its rotor spins. Is that what you're hearing with the MH?


i concur. i can definite hear the wind buzz when my wrist moves quickly.... perhaps as far away as 3 feet from my ear.

(edit: q154.84.20)


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## Ovalteenie (May 4, 2010)

guto said:


> Hi, I've just bought a Hometime this Christmas (my first JLC) and it also make a rather loud noise when the rotor is spinning. It sounds like a shaker.
> Watchulook, I'm curious whether you had yours checked and whether it had a problem? From the other replies here it seems this noise is 'normal'?
> thanks


In my opinion, distractingly loud rotor noise and audible buzzing from as far away as 3 feet (as mentioned in another post) should not be 'normal' - and to my mind is quite unacceptable in a high end watch in this price range from a well regarded brand.

I would take it back to be looked at. If they do say that it's 'normal', well if it were me I'd be less than impressed.


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## fareastcoast (Dec 10, 2012)

My Master Geographic, with the autotractorized movement also makes a zipping noise when the rotor winds in the winding direction (it is pretty much silent in the other direction). I don't think it is significantly louder than other watches per say, but the zipping sound is quite distinctive which makes it more audible over a larger distance. It is audible over 3 feet away in a quiet room, but you need to be paying attention to hear it.


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## guto (Jan 3, 2013)

Thanks for the replies. Today I went back to the store where I bought it. I listened to 5 other automatic Master watches they had on display: Geographic, Reserve de Marche, Memovox, Grande Ultra Thin and Ultra Thin Reserve de Marche. They all had this zipping noise when the rotor winds. And all sounded very similar to each other and to my Hometime.

That puts to bed my concerns that my watch has a manufacturing problem. It's unfortunate that JLC has not addressed this issue in their designs though. I'm sure I'll get used to it after a while but that has definitely put a small dent on my appreciation for this brand. Otherwise, I'm really loving this watch. Thanks for your help.


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## dero (Nov 4, 2011)

It's not an issue in their design from what I can see though.

It's the sound of the ceramic bearings rolling. They designed the movement to use ceramic bearings for durability, low friction and to not need any oil on the bearings thus having oil run over/out/dry over time. Personally, I think it's a good choice to have made. Fewer lubrication requirements = better design.


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## dak_la (Sep 13, 2012)

I have a Master Compressor GMT that houses the same 975H movement as the Master Hometime. Like the Master Hometime, it features the Autotractor technology, part of which includes the ceramic ball bearings for the rotor. 

The MC GMT's rotor produces a very distinctively clear and crisp sound when spinning in a particular direction. As dero has mentioned above, the crispness, and loudness, of the sound can be attributed to the ceramic materials being used and the fact that there is no oil/lubricant to muffle the sound. The sound is indeed more audible when compared with my IWC Mark XVI, which uses the ETA 2892 movement. In a dead quiet room, I can hear the rotor spinning as I'm waving my arm (my arm's length is about 2 feet I'm guessing?). 

However, even after wearing it almost daily for the last 5 months (mostly in office/meeting settings), I have never come upon an occasion in which I find the rotor sound to be annoying or disturbing. In contrast, it gives me the pleasure of reminding me the kind of design and technology that is built into the watch. 

The several owners of the 975 movements, while wanting to confirm that this sound is normal, never made a statement that this sound has caused any annoyance or distraction. I wonder if Ovalteenie has experienced this in person (rather than basing off of others' description) before making an opinion so strong that he/she feels the need to implicate the quality of JLC in this and other threads.


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## Ovalteenie (May 4, 2010)

dak_la said:


> I have a Master Compressor GMT that houses the same 975H movement as the Master Hometime. Like the Master Hometime, it features the Autotractor technology, part of which includes the ceramic ball bearings for the rotor.
> 
> The MC GMT's rotor produces a very distinctively clear and crisp sound when spinning in a particular direction. As dero has mentioned above, the crispness, and loudness, of the sound can be attributed to the ceramic materials being used and the fact that there is no oil/lubricant to muffle the sound. The sound is indeed more audible when compared with my IWC Mark XVI, which uses the ETA 2892 movement. In a dead quiet room, I can hear the rotor spinning as I'm waving my arm (my arm's length is about 2 feet I'm guessing?).
> 
> ...


If you happen to like a brand, whatever it is, you can always turn a negative into a positive. One might equally say of a laptop with loud fan noise that it give great pleasure to be reminded of the technology at work within.

And if you think about the thread, the fact that the OP started the thread asking for HELP with the noise implies that it was bothering him and wondered if it was a manufacturing fault. And another poster viewed it as a design flaw ("it is unfortunately that JLC has not addressed this issue" and said it definitely dented his appreciation of the brand. It's not just me that's calling it out.

Now this does not necessarily mean that it is *bad quality*. But I suspect if JLC developed a new version of the movement that was quieter, it would be seen as an upgrade.

I can well understand your instinct to defend JLC, but let's face it if it were a Chinese brand (to go to the opposite end of the brand prestige spectrum) that was making a loud noise, I doubt you or anyone else would be professing their admiration.

P.S. It would also be wrong for you to assume I don't like JLC.


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## BoredAtWork (Dec 24, 2012)

Ovalteenie said:


> If you happen to like a brand, whatever it is, you can always turn a negative into a positive. One might equally say of a laptop with loud fan noise that it give great pleasure to be reminded of the technology at work within.
> 
> And if you think about the thread, the fact that the OP started the thread asking for HELP with the noise implies that it was bothering him and wondered if it was a manufacturing fault. And another poster viewed it as a design flaw ("it is unfortunately that JLC has not addressed this issue" and said it definitely dented his appreciation of the brand. It's not just me that's calling it out.
> 
> ...


Us defending this design decision is just as irrational as you attacking it without even handling it in person. You are the only one in this thread to explicitly label the noise as distracting. Yes it's present, but it's more of a curiosity --- certainly odd enough to cause alarm bells with people not familiar with it, but not at all loud enough to make me notice during the average work day. It is what it is, there's really not much more to it than that...


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## Ernie Romers (Apr 27, 2005)

Message from JLC:


> We would like to inform you that the automatic movement of the Master Hometime is equipped with ceramic ball bearings. As no lubrication is required, thus there is no cushioning between the ceramic balls. Therefore, it is perfectly normal that it creates a louder sound than a mass with stainless steel ball bearings. The main advantage of this mass is that the ceramic ball bearings have a longer life span.
> 
> Moreover, as the size of the ball bearings is different between the Master Hometime, Master Calendar or the Master Control, it results that there are differences of sounds between these models.


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## Ovalteenie (May 4, 2010)

BoredAtWork said:


> Us defending this design decision is just as irrational as you attacking it without even handling it in person. You are the only one in this thread to explicitly label the noise as distracting. Yes it's present, but it's more of a curiosity --- certainly odd enough to cause alarm bells with people not familiar with it, but not at all loud enough to make me notice during the average work day. It is what it is, there's really not much more to it than that...


There's another recent thread with people having "noticed" their JLC making a "rattling" noise and asking about the "problem".

If the the sound is 'noticeable' enough for someone to feel it might be a 'problem', then by definition it is distracting (def. to draw attention). I am simply reflecting what the owners report of these 'rattling' watch movements.

I realise it's heresy to criticise JLC and other favored brands, but it's a false argument to discredit criticism from non-owners of the watches in question, if those owners have reported what they perceive as 'noticeable' (ie distracting - "to draw attention") sound. You might likewise also direct your ire at all those who criticise the quality of Invicta/fashion/Chinese brands without ever owning them.

I find this an interesting reflection of how attitude to a brand influences perceptions about a watch. One sees the same phenomenon in the art world, for example.

Anyway the above response from JLC is there - it's normal. So there we have it. It now comes down to whether one like the noise or not... which I expect will be influenced by whether you like the brand or not.


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## watchulook (May 17, 2011)

Great. Thank you very much for the confirmation. I think this thread can be closed.


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## Simons194 (Dec 15, 2012)

watchulook said:


> Great. Thank you very much for the confirmation. I think this thread can be closed.


Agreed kinda gone off piste...


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## GaryF (Dec 18, 2009)

Thanks Ernie and thanks to JLC for taking the time to help out.


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## VisibleSpecter (Apr 19, 2009)

Here I am reviving an ancient thread, but I have to say that I actually found it very helpful! I traded my Rolex for a JLC master control date, and the very first thing I noticed about it (besides how stunning a watch it is) was how noisy the automatic winding mechanism is. I've had the watch for over a year, and I am definitely very used to it at this point, but for anyone who has never worn one - yes, it is relatively noisy. You don't hear it all the time, and factors like long vs. short sleeves do effect how audible it is. Most of the time is very much in the background. Depending on how good your hearing is, I'm sure it would be more or less annoying. At this point I don't notice it too much and just find it kind of amusing when I notice it. I think because I love the watch it is easy for me to overlook - it is so comfortable and light on the wrist, and very versatile. 

Despite being a bit argumentative in nature, some of the comments above are spot on. It's easy to look at the sound as a positive or a negative based on individual perspective, and I think has a lot to do with one's opinion about the brand. In a perfect world, I'd choose to have it make no noise. Once in a while I miss that about my Rolex. I do think it's a good thing for any potential buyers to know, at the very least. However, I can't imagine ever trading this watch despite its occasional pleading for my ear's attention. It is a stellar timepiece. I suppose I'll have the best of both worlds when I add the Omega I'm eyeing up to my collection...


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## watchulook (May 17, 2011)

Glad you found the thread helpful. I definitely don't notice it anymore. Enjoy the JLC!


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## grnbean (Apr 4, 2012)

This thread deserves a pic!


I recently acquired this watch after selling my PAM 351. The noise is noticeable (not distracting) but like dakla mentioned earlier, it reminds me of the design and craftsmanship put into this watch. The design and movement were the main reasons I got this watch.

I miss the PAM sometimes but am still very very happy with my "noisy" JLC.


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