Reply With QuoteNo, never.
Over the past few weeks I've been timing a bunch of my watches; all the quartz daily and my autos over the week or so I've worn them in rotation.
The quartz watches are predictably consistent in terms of daily deviation and accuracy. The bruised and battered CWC G10 gains 0.3 seconds every single day, the Undone chrono loses 0.1 and the Bulova Moonwatch is currently reading 0.1 seconds slow over the whole period, something that can easily be attributed to human error with it's average daily loss of 0.0. Cheap G Shock, loses 0.1 every day.
The mechanicals on the other hand...
Seiko Monster, gained nearly 17 seconds on the first day, then 2, then 7, then 0, 10, 3, 5.
Seiko Turtle, lost 9, 5, 5, 12 then gained 1. A bit more consistent but still a bit annoying, especially when it went from losing 12 to gaining!
Seiko Presage... this one was gutting. Lost 9, 15, 3, 13, 27, 25!
Currently got the Longines Legend Diver on, only the first day and it is +3. I know from experience it's a lot more consistent than the Seikos and I'm hoping and expecting it to be so tomorrow.
Now I know mechanicals are never going to be as consistent or accurate as a quartz, I've bought the mechanicals with my eyes open but I do feel like measuring their timekeeping has made me obsess unnecessarily over it.
I wear my watches around a week at a time and so none of them are going to be so far out that it causes me issues... but I'm going to stop timing my mechanicals because it has taken some of the joy out of it for me.
And yeah, I know the first ones I measured were from the lower end of things and my Sinn and Longines will be better but I'm kind of glad I did the cheaper ones first, getting the timing binned before I fell out of love with nicer things.
No, never.
Nope, and nope.
So long as a watch is within approx 5 minutes of the "actual" time I am happy.
Gaining or losing a few minutes here and there is not the end of the world.
Initially yes, but after a while you just accept mechanical watches are not that accurate (mine is +1 or 2s a day). Quartz, especially the high accuracy ones from Grand Seiko and Citizen are incredible (5s to 10s a year) but nowadays I just wear them and enjoy life.
If you're important, people will wait for you.
Sent from my Huawei Mate 10 Pro using Tapatalk
If I am really honest I dont often set the time and date
RIAC
I do it from time to time, just because I want to know if everything is OK. If watch suddenly goes from steady -2s to -15s, like my Seamaster did couple of weeks ago, I take it to watchmaker, because of there is clearly something wrong.
I only check the drift against the radio clock when it's time to adjust for DST. There are some which are quite far off, and since they're all quartzes, it is a tiny bit annoying - I've got a 90s Citizen digital that loses something like a second a day! Still, I'd never wear a super accurate watch that I didn't like the looks of, so I don't dwell on this too much, especially since I've also scored some crazy accurate ones that practically don't drift in the entire 5-/7-month period.
No and No.
Though I do have a good idea which of my watches keeps time within 2 secs per day and which gains about 25 secs per day.
Are the results you are seeing for the watches within their timing specification? It sounds like they are - so they are working fine.Is the variation you are seeing due to the way that you are timing them? Watch timings are normally done with the watch static on a bench, not being worn. Try timing them this way and see how well they run, that may reduce the variation you are seeing.
I time my watches at 10.00am ever Saturday and it is a waste of time because they are all spot on. They hardly gain or loose anything over the week.
Yes and no.
I know the average variation of probably all my watches - about 8 that I wear regularly or semi-regularly. As long as I know what to expect it doesn't bother me. The quartzes that lose I set a little fast at daylight saving time and the mechanicals I set a little fast depending on how long I expect to wear them and how much they lose. I also don't normally wear my SKX007 (minus 10-15 seconds a day) for longer than a couple of days in a row, but my CWC (minus 5 seconds a week) I do.
Only when I think they are running a bit off or when I get bored and decide to regulate them.
Yes and yes.
Autos can be a bit of a pain and most of my recent acquisitions are quartz or superquartz.
High service cost for autos also does not help.
No I won’t measure them unless I see a problem so massive gain or loss. I have cut the amount of the collection I wear down now so each watch gets a week or more on the wrist I never measure the variance and can’t say I notice it. Which is good! Would definitely drive me mad if I knew they was gaining or losing..
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I check mine on this basis too. I also have taken to rotating once a week so a large error per day can then be accomodated over the week particularly if watch is losing time.Originally Posted by Normunds
Does not put me off wearing them. I just like to know how they behave.
Sent from my SM-G955F using Tapatalk
No and no.
If having a watch that is totally spot on is a requirement, buy one of those atomic clock watches from the Saturday papers, guaranteed to be accurate to one second over the next million years. Quite a claim when wrist watches are a little over a hundred years old.
I keep an eye on the minutes, but never obsess about a few seconds here and there.
Very strange figures for the OPs mechanicals, it’s the inconsistency that surprises me and I would question the results. State of wind is and obvious factor to question, and I would also question the reference timer.
Definitely worth repeating in my opinion, I’ve plenty of experience in timing watches and I simply don’t see this lack of consistency, even with an old watch in worn condition. As I’ve said many times, check the rate ‘ on the wrist’ over around 16hrs wear, then check dial- up overnight for 8 hrs. Record these numbers and see what the watch is really doing in a real- life wear situation. Figures obtained from a watch winder will often bear no relation to reality unless the watch is top- notch and in top condition in which case the positional variation will be v. small.
Generally, the ‘ on the wrist’ rate won’t vary by much, even with differing wear patterns. 2-3 secs /day is the most I’d expect. The dial- up rate should be consistent but it will be influenced by state of wind and the duration of the test due to the rate changing as the watch runs down.
What’s the best reference timer? Either a website showing real time or quartz watch that’s known to be good. I favour my quartz Omega that gains 2 secs/month, that’s good enough for me.
There are three issues to consider with a mechanical: how carefully it’s regulated, whether it needs servicing, and what condition the movement is in. In my experience even a worn movement can give decent results if it’s serviced and regulated carefully. State of wind is also going to influence results and that’ll be more pronounced on a watch that’s struggling to give good amplitude. Actually, there’s another factor that seems to cause more problems thesedays than in the past, that’s the dreaded magnetism! Watches can be mildly affected and the owner doesn’t pick it out, I had one recently that ran 15 secs/day slower after being demagnetised, and the amplitude improved by around 20 degrees. Not a severe case, but a significant one.
Despite my involvement with watches I’m not obsessive about timekeeping of my own stuff. I regulate and adjust them after servicing but I ‘m far more meticulous with other people’s watches. If it’s one of my own I get it fairly close then call it a day, one of my watches loses a few seconds and it’s done so since I serviced it, but it’s such a pain to get into ( bracelet off, press- fit caseback) that I can’t be bothered to correct it. Recently I’ve had more time to spend on my own watches so I’ve gone the extra mile to get them running spot-on, but that’s more an excercise in seeing what can be achieved.
Paul
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 25th April 2018 at 13:32.
I don’t wear a watch long enough to feel the need to time but your results are interesting
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
Yes and no.
I usually rotate 3-4 during the course of a 2 week period, during which 3 will be running at any one time. They are set to the second at the outset and then checked again when they are replaced by a different 3-4 put at the end of the period. Just interested in seeing how accurate they are.
No and no.
The only exception is when I first get something to make sure it is working as it should, but even then I just time it over the first 24 hour period and if it seems ok then I forget about it. When setting after something has worn down I just put it to the nearest minute and ignore the seconds anyway!
I'd been using the "Watch Timer" app from the Android store, it takes the time from GPS and NPT. Basically, you press a button as the seconds hand ticks over from 59 to 0 and it measures the deviation. It was bang on with the consistency for the quartz watches so I've no worries about the method but I think there is certainly something in the positioning of the watch creating some inconsistencies, perhaps sometimes they had spent longer being worn or were in a different state of wind.
To allow for that, yeah, I should probably get more data, but I don't want to obsess over it and draw comparisons with quartz watches. I really feel like if I go down that road I'll end up with a collection of radio controlled Casios. And no one wants that!
No and Yes
the first part of the question, its certainly something i need to start to do - i do however notice when a watch is running away from what it should be, but dont correct until i feel i am hitting over all +/- a mintute (some might class that as sad). but i am comparing that to my phone, hence why i actually need to time them correctly.
the second part of the question - absolutely. I am at a point now where i am contemplating buying a new watch (AP 15400) and the precision of the time in this movement is an issue for me and is causing me to re-evaluate the purchase, when comparing to the likes of my rolex which on paper (testing environment) claim +/- 2 seconds.
Timing a watch or putting a loupe over it leads to more sadness than joy. Why would you do that to yourself :-(
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/uk/london
Other than my trusty quartz watches this is the only time source I trust. Androids and apps?........it's a foreign language to me because I don`t use mobile phones.
It's worth checking the mechanicals again using my procedure (16hrs on the wrist, 8hrs dial up, record all the figures over a few days). Bbe sure to start off with the watch in a high state of wind.
I definitely don`t advocate being obsessive over timekeeping, but it's nice to know what a watch is doing. A cheap Timegrapher and a cheap demagnetiser are worth having thesedays for checking watches, the problem with magnetisation seems to have got worse over the past few years.
Paul
If I can get a 1960s hand-wound Omega to run consistently between 0 and +2 there's no reason why ANY decent modern watch can`t do the same. Comparing figures on paper is meaningless, it's not like comparing specifications for a car you might wish to buy.
3 things to get right with a watch if it's going to perform well.....REGULATION, REGULATION and REGULATION.
Seriously, you're over-thinking it if you'd allow the numbers to put you off buying.
Yes and No.
First and foremost to me, is for a watch to tell as good as the correct time. I know my Grand Seiko and Longines Conquest VHP quartz are as good as always spot on. But If I've not had my Omega or Tudor on for a few days I'll set them to the correct time before I wear them.
It's interesting you should say that. What would you attribute this to?
I measure really intermittently. Once I get a rough idea of what they're up to I leave them to it. All of mine run at less than +3 so if I'm wearing for a long spell I'll just let them drift til they're around 5 mins fast and then correct but tbh I change watch ever week or 2 so it's a non issue and doesn't diminish my enjoyment.
I wouldn't be fond if one ran excessively fast and I can't stand when watches run slow. That would irritate me and id have it sorted.
I don`t know why watches become magnetised thesedays, but I suspect the abundance of tablets/cases and laptop computers could be a cause, especially if the watch is placed very close. Maybe I should try it and see what happens. Speaker magnets and electric motors are other causes, but I don`t know how likely they are to create a problem. Glass backs on watches worry me, that's bound to compromise the shielding offered by a normal case/caseback.
There are various theories regarding the magnetism of watches in the modern environment but I`ve yet to see any hard data. Suffice to say, if a watch suddenly starts running faster than normal it's a fair bet it's been magnetised.........or dropped! There are no mysteries, only questions we don`t have the answer for; it's surprising how owners conveniently forget they've dropped or knocked a watch.
A timegrapher's a quick easy way to check that a watch is still doing what it should, but whether the cost can be justified is debatable.
Paul
The clock on my iMac and the Emerald Time app i use on my iPhone and iPad run spot on with the timeanddate clock.
F.T.F.A.
I don't bother to time my mechanical watches, I wear them in rotation and rarely for more than a few days continuously - over that time I can live with the variation I observe, because to be frank, it's really not significant.
I do however get a geeky thrill from timing my high-accuracy quartz watches, I suspect precisely because accuracy is their raison d'etre in my collection at least. I'd be miffed if they were out of spec, but my two seem to be working very well indeed, so I just feel the satisfaction of seeing a machine performing as it should.
Yeah, I’m similar. Watches running slow annoy me. I don’t mind if my watches run fast by up to 20 secs though lol
Whenever I rotate I always set the time precisely just to keep an eye on the way things are running. As it currently stands all the watches I have at the moment run between +1sec and +7sec a day at present.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I check the watch I am wearing using the WatchTracker app.
I do it mainly just to keep an eye on how they are doing. I quite like to do so and typically find they all run well.
More than 15s a day is about my limit.
Most of the time I wear the Explorer that runs consistently at +0.2s/day which is good.
that is because Macs and mobile devices usually syncs automatically with time servers.
Nope never, got far too many more important things to be doing.
I'm aware of how accurate each of mine are, obviously my two radio controlled watches are spot on, but my omega 2254 loses about 12 secs a day so that's going to Paul for a check over soon. Most accurate mechanicals are my EXP II at approx 2 secs a week and my Borealis Cascais which is approx 5 secs a week. I have a vintage that is +5 mins a day so that needs looking at too.
ktmog6uk
marchingontogether!
Yes. No.
I like to know if my mechanicals are running to spec - and if there is a dramatic change I get them serviced.
Yes and no.
I’d go as far as saying it adds enjoyment too for mechanicals.
I basically like to check every few days that they are running as expected and within tolerances. I enjoy checking that they’re running ok, but don’t bother resetting them unless they are more than a minute or so off which is generally not the case within a weeks rotation.
I’ve got a few quartz watches which are obviously far more accurate and not worth checking regularly, so I actually miss this aspect when wearing them.
I hate watches that lose too. I like to be able to sort my watches timing out with a quick pull and push of the crown - l probably check every other weekend - it used to be more...
...luckily my two most-worn are within the second a week bracket - but l don't get as excited about it as l used to.
Slow is a nuisance though.
Doesn't really matter to me,I wear mine in rotation but not everyday so I'm constantly winding a watch and wearing it for a day then it goes back to the box to wait until I wind it again for the next outing
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
If you’re bothered about accuracy, buy an apple’watch’.
Sigh.
Yes, your right, it shouldn't put me off and perhaps I am over thinking. But when your paying what is a significant amount of money on a watch, I just feel that on paper and in reality they should work with near 100% accuracy.
I'm similar, about 20 watches, I roughly set them before winding or shaking (within a minute) and grab another the following day, some others are quartz (grab and go) and my daily workwear (manual trade) is a Miyota 8215 powered cheapie, which is amazingly accurate at less than a minute a month, yet can go unwound (or shaked) for a couple pf days at a time (or stop randomly after a few hours of being off the wrist). Lets be honest here, unless your docking with the ISS or landing on the moon etc, do you really need super accuracy, when near enough is close enough in everyday life?
Most do. Heck, losing a minute a day still gets the watch to 99.93% accuracy
Bullshit.
Edit - and it is every and lose. Spent too much time in the expat bar?
Last edited by Mr Curta; 28th April 2018 at 04:54. Reason: Prig on the pop
The attraction of precision is that it's a simple test of the mechanical quality of a watch. No marketing nonsense or bluff....some very expensive watches are not especially good timekeepers. So they are not especially good watches in my book. Rolex seem to make the most precise movements, overall, in my experience.
Mind you, probably through pure luck, all my current watches only vary by a second or two per day. At the moment!
Mechanical excellence is pleasing.
Nope, I have never done that.
I usually do test mechanical watches when I first get them but the sake of curiosity. Only one that disappoints me is my SBDX017 which fairly consistently loses 10+ seconds per day and has done since I got it brand new a few years ago
Sent from my [device_name] using TZ-UK mobile app
Never
I do time them; I have a simple command line program written in Python with a MySQL backend:
~> watchtime -w pulsarsolar -l
10 Apr 17:05 - 20 Apr 20:11 - 2 secs gain, 0.2 per day
20 Apr 20:11 - 28 Apr 07:09 - 1 secs gain, 0.1 per day
overall: 3 secs gain, 0.2 per day
~>
It doesn't diminish my enjoyment of them.
Posting Permissions
