I have been asked on a number of different occasions by several T-Touch owners to fix their watch for them. Oddly enough, on many of these occasions I have found that the clients’ watches weren’t in any particular need of a watchmaker’s careful attention at all. They had just gotten a little disoriented – literally. The number one such complaint is that the compass feature no longer points in a straight line. Second to the compass being out of alignment, is that the digital and analog time no longer match up. Luckily, both are symptoms of the same problem and, fortunately for the customer, the problem is one that is easily remedied. So easy, in fact, that the client could do it themselves.
What causes the problem?
The most common reason that the hands on Tissot’s T-Touch can become de-synchronized from the rest of the functions of the watch is because the watch has been exposed to a magnetic field (for more on magnetism and watches, check out J.Peter’s post here). Unlike most quartz watches, the hands of the T-Touch are driven by two independent, bi-directional, motors, which each consist of a mobile permanent-magnet and two small electromagnets to control the direction of motion of the permanent-magnet. Without getting into too much detail about the physics at work, when these tiny motors are exposed to an external magnetic field they move. This, in turn, causes the hands to move. The microprocessor that controls the positioning of the hands, however, isn’t able to register when this involuntary change happens and still considers the hands to be in the same relative position that they were originally programmed to be in. So, when the microprocessor tells the hands to point North, or to show the correct time, or any other function, where it believes the hands to be pointing is no longer correct.
How to fix the problem yourself
To re-calibrate the hands:
- Press the center pusher and then tap the center of the touch sensitive glass until the digital display reads either 24h/cm or 12h/ft (or any combination between the two).
- Next, press and hold the center pusher in until the the digital display reads SYNCHRO.
- When the display reads SYNCHRO, the watch is now ready to receive new information about where the hands are pointed. The next step, then, is to align both of the hands at precisely 12 o’clock, which is where the microprocessor expects them to be pointed when in SYNCHRO mode.
- To advance the minute hand, press the pusher that is located at 2 o’clock.
- To advance the hour hand, use the 4 o’clock pusher.
- If you accidentally pass the 12 o’clock marker for either hand, you will have to move the hand completely around the dial again until you get it right.
- Once both hands are aligned at 12 o’clock, press the center pusher to register the new settings.
That’s it! Your T-Touch should now be properly synchronized.
Video demonstration and more information
For a video demonstration and even more information on syncing (or de-syncing) your T-Touch, check out the T-Touch synchronization page at AllianceHorlogère.com.
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26 Comments
this is off-topic but i have a question for you… back before the quartz boom, people still had a wristwatch… a brand that i’ve come across as i’ve talked to my father-in-law are the old mechanical, hand-wound timex watches. have you had any experiences with them?
Hi Henry,
I apologize for being a little tardy in responding. I’ve been away for the past few days. I have seen the older, hand-wound Timexes. However, I haven’t ever taken the time to disassemble, clean, and get one running again. They were inexpensively produced, though were admirable timekeepers given the quality of materials used. All of the ones I have seen used pin-lever escapements and, if I remember correctly, were unjewelled. You might be interested to research Roskopf watches, to give you some idea of the lineage that the old mechanical Timex watches come from.
My t touch does not seem to be operating properly. I cannot get it to stay in synch mode long enough to adjust. When I release the center button, it immediately returns to the time mode. Could my battery be the problem?
The battery would be the easiest fix, but more likely the button is sticking and needs to be cleaned.
It may also be a contact problem, as the contacts on the classic T-Touches are known to wear through over time. When this happens the movement will often register a double-hit when the pusher is depressed and/or released. You can try turning the alarm on and off in alarm mode to diagnose if this may be the problem.
Hi, my t-touch is 9 years old, and now the compass wont show north anymore,it would stuck between 10 and 11 o’clock, and when i select any baro(meteo or altimeter functions), it wont show any number in the digital box, just the unit( Ft or M) in case of the Meteo function, it will only show hPA. Any of u guys got any idea? Thanks.
Hi M. Zaki,
It sounds like your TTouch is due for service. If you look in the User’s Manual you received with the watch, you should be able to find a list of official service centers that you can send your watch to.
I really liked the T Touch and all the functions it has, the problem is that its to complex for the Swiss to understand, and lloks like it needs a constant firmware update.
Like a LandRover if they were finished and built in Japan they would be the perfect vehicle.
For now i will pass on the T Touch, spending near a grand and have a wash give issues is not of any interest for me, far to many negative and unhappy customers with them..PASS
I wonder if you have disasembled this watch and my question is can you clean the inside of the crystal glass? I understand wire circuits run on the inside glass side for the t touch
The inside of the crystal can be cleaned with extreme caution. I’m not sure exactly of the technology but the circuitry is kind of a film etched on the inside of the glass. Extreme caution should be used but it can be cleaned. A microfibre cloth with hexane or alcohol.
J.Peter is right, you can clean the glass, but with caution. You need to be most careful of the contacts near the perimeter of the glass, as this is the only place they are exposed (with the exception of a few very early models that are fully exposed). The contacts/circuitry are an ITO coating (described to some extent in this post http://watchmakingblog.com/2008/12/11/breaking-into-the-unseen/ ) over which an anti-reflective coating is applied. The anti-reflective coating stretches to within about 2mm of the edge of the crystal and helps both to protect and “hide” the ITO circuit, in addition to cutting down glare.
Tissot T-Touch The Meteo function just shows ‘hPA’ without any reading, the altimeter just shows ‘FT’
Had my touch battery replaced now when I touch ALtimeter all i get is “FT” and when I touch Meteo all I see is “hPA” ….all other functions seem to work normal.
L. Martin, Both of those functions rely on the same sensor which it appears is malfunctioning. It may be really dirty or the entire movement may need to be replaced.
Tissot T-Touch Classic. Had battery changed and discovered hands/digital out of sync and Compass only moves within 10:00 & 2:00. Performed sync and hands sync’d but still no compass function. Can I calibrate or is it service time?
Sounds like a possible problem with the spring bars. Try removing the bracelet and spring bar and see if the compass returns to a full range of motion. Genuine Tissot T-touch spring bars (or bracelet pins) are non-ferrous so they don’t affect the compass. If they got replaced with generic that could be the problem.
Unable to remove spring bars at this time (with paper clip) will re-try with jeweler’s punch tonight. If they are this tough to remove, I tend to think maybe they have rusted and as such are not original. I have never emmersed directly but do wear for boating and saltwater splash occurs regularly.
Thanks
I have a Sea Touch, as was wondering if I can change the bracelet pins to the more traditional style springbars that other watches comes with. I understand this might cause an issue with the compass (which is something I have no use for). Would standard springbars case an issue with the regular timekeeping as I know the hands use magnets to keep them synched.
Does anyone have a source for non-magnetic 22mm traditional springbars?
Standard springbars won’t affect the timing of your SeaTouch, just the compass, as you have already noted.
I am not acquainted with any suppliers of specifically ‘non-magnetic’ springbars. Gold springbars would do the trick, but you probably don’t want to vest that kind of money in your SeaTouch. I would suggest perhaps trying a search for brass springbars, which were fairly common in the middle part of last century. Large watches, on the other hand, weren’t so common, so 22mm will be a stretch.
i’ve bought T-touch 3 years ago.last year, i renewed the battery and it works well so far.recently, my T -touch stop working,then after a day it works again.i reset the time back and tried other function as well and it works, but then after 1 hr it stops working.it has been doing like this for the past few days…is it because of the battery?or other else…please advice..thank you.
@raj It’s hard to say without physically seeing the watch. If you’re using the compass and/or alarm a lot it is possible that the battery could be drained after just one year. The battery may also have leaked if it was not handled properly when installed. There is also a chance the battery contact could be fractured. Or you might be looking at moisture damage. There are all sorts of possibilities. I would recommend getting it to someone who knows what they’re looking at.
Hi
Thanks for the info on how to sync the T – touch. Pity and instruction manual was not included when the watch was purchased.
You can download the T-Touch Expert Manaul on line at http://support.tissot.ch/usersmanual/141-en.pdf
I just did, and now my watch is synch’d. Sadly, when I had the battery replaced yesterday, the sensor for the Compass, Thermo, Meto, and Altimeter do not work. There is no display on the display screen. I fear that I will have to send my watch to one of the 3 service centers. Yikes!
Any suggestions?
Hi Mike,
For that many things to have gone wrong all at once, I am concerned that you may have some serious moisture damage going on. From what you’ve expressed, I am certain the battery change was not performed correctly.
Do you have an early generation T Touch? Or a newer model such as the T Touch 2 or T Touch Expert?
My t touch expert does not show anything in the digital display for the top functions including altimeter, meteo, and thermo. The hands align and move to the touched function but nothing reads on the digital display. All other functions work. Normally. Any ideas.
The circuit is shorted. If it’s a T Touch Expert or T Touch II you’ll need a new sensor module. If it’s the T Touch classic the entire movement will need to be replaced.
In mild cases it is sometimes possible to salvage the board.
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