Hello Odoo Gurus

Using a controller in 17 community to try some stuff out. Can anyone tell me why:

request.env['installers.installers'].create({ 'notes': kw.get('update')})

works fine, but:

request.env['installers.installers'].write({'id': int(installers_id.id), 'notes': kw.get('update')})

does not?

I want to update an existing record. There are not errors reported and the logs are clean. Not much to go on. Record 1 exists.

The variables:

installers_id=1

kw.get('update') = "some random text"

The notes field is Char. 

I suspect there is something very obvious I am complete missing here. 

TIA.