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Thread: How Important is timekeeping to you?

  1. #1
    Master
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    How Important is timekeeping to you?

    How much drift do you allow before resetting your watch(s)? Mine gains about 1sec a day so will set it 30 secs slow and let it overrun by the same amount which should last a month before adjusting. Am I being OT? Coming from 30 years of quartz takes a bit of adjusting myself!

  2. #2
    Journeyman Ukal's Avatar
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    I'm definitely not ocd about timekeeping. As long as it doesn't make me late or early for anything, which a couple of seconds out won't do, I'm ok.

    Plus with having several mechanical watches they get set each day when I wear a new one.

  3. #3
    Master
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    I set whatever watch I'm wearing each day to my atomic G-Shock, to the second. Always. Guess that makes me OCD 😊

  4. #4
    Master
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    I'm happy if my watches run within their COSC tolerances and reset to my SMP quartz when necessary, say when they are c. 30 secs fast.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by S Works View Post
    I set whatever watch I'm wearing each day to my atomic G-Shock, to the second. Always. Guess that makes me OCD
    Pretty much what I do as well

    Malc

  6. #6
    Craftsman
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    Doesn't bother me at all, as long as the watch runs a bit fast rather than slow. I hate being late for anything, which is what I'm OCD about. Therefore a watch running slow would get adjusted quickly, but not otherwise.

  7. #7
    Master DB9yeti's Avatar
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    I change watch every day, set it to the minute from what I wore previously. Every few days I check it against the railway clock when on a platform but otherwise really don't care.

  8. #8
    Grand Master Der Amf's Avatar
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    I wish my automatics were a bit more accurate - it's the accumulated inaccuracy after four or five days wear which bothers me - I'm definitely appreciative of watches that are still telling the time to the right minute at the end of the week.

    On the other hand, at least they're reliable in their accuracy

  9. #9
    Grand Master magirus's Avatar
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    My watches all lose or gain to a small degree so I set them fast or slow to run in and out of perfect time over a couple of weeks, which is the period I wear them for in rotation.
    F.T.F.A.

  10. #10
    Master
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    I change every few days and set to the second. Rarely will I reset in between, but I do like the watch to be accurate, so if I notice it out by more than around 30 secs, I will reset it.

  11. #11
    I change which watch I am wearing every 5-10 days and just set them as I wear. I don't normally make adjustments during the period I am wearing them though. They're decent timekeepers but by no means perfect.

  12. #12
    I find that automatic watches don't stay if they don't keep time to within a couple of seconds a day, and it's often the cheaper ones that keep time best. I had a couple of Hamiltons that were superb, and my current Orient Star Classic barely gains or loses when kept face up overnight.

  13. #13
    I set the one I am wearing about right apart and then don't worry about it. I try to get to important appointments in good time and others don't matter to the second so TBH I don't really know how good time my watches keep !

  14. #14
    I used to regularly check the accuracy of my watches.
    But for long time it has not been an issue, as long as it is running within COSC.
    I tend to only check the accuracy when I remember.

  15. #15
    Master
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    I did (do) go through periods of checking everyday, at approximately the same time, against time.is to see how accurate the watch I'm wearing is. This usually happens just after I've got a new watch.

    Once that novelty has worn off, I set whatever I'm wearing with time.is and then don't bother checking it again. Generally I change what I'm wearing regularly every 5-7 days.

    Have to say that I am a little ocd in some things and I did check all of my watches for accuracy and power reserve over a two week period.....I need to get out more, apparently ;)

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by groyn View Post
    Doesn't bother me at all, as long as the watch runs a bit fast rather than slow. I hate being late for anything, which is what I'm OCD about. Therefore a watch running slow would get adjusted quickly, but not otherwise.
    I prefer them to run within 5s a day. Doesn't bother me if it's slow as then I just set it 30s fast and it is fine for a week, you just start at the same point you'd end up with a watch running 5s fast!

  17. #17
    Craftsman
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    Quote Originally Posted by marcus fenix View Post
    I prefer them to run within 5s a day. Doesn't bother me if it's slow as then I just set it 30s fast and it is fine for a week, you just start at the same point you'd end up with a watch running 5s fast!
    Good plan. I actually do this too, only difference being that my margins are measured in minutes rather than seconds.

  18. #18
    Master
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    I typically arrive at the station least 5 minutes before my train is due so while it is nice to know how a watch is keeping time, it has never been something to concern me. Even at 10 minutes fast or slow a day, I'll be on time, and I wear a different watch each day, many different watches each day, so I always wind and set my watch in the morning anyway :)

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by hafle View Post
    I typically arrive at the station least 5 minutes before my train is due... 10 minutes fast or slow a day, I'll be on time
    No, you won't. If your watch is 10 minutes slow you'll miss the train by five minutes.

  20. #20
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by bitfield View Post
    No, you won't. If your watch is 10 minutes slow you'll miss the train by five minutes.
    It'll be 10 minutes slow by the end of the day, not when I set it before leaving the house :) when heading home I am on no schedule so it doesn't matter when I get to the station.

  21. #21
    Master bigbaddes's Avatar
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    vaguely as suggested above - watch gains few seconds a day - so set about a minute slow - about a month later its about a minute fast - reset watch.

    but that is only with my auto daily wear - i have evening and weekend watches which rarely get worn for more than 3 days on the trot so even less to get all worked up about there. and the quartz tend to be reset at battery change or GMT/BST transition and vice versa .

    the only real times are meal times and bed times - the rest are just numbers - must go now its just gone half past 'ish ... public transport - perish the thought
    Last edited by bigbaddes; 27th March 2016 at 13:38.

  22. #22
    Craftsman dmpl's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Der Amf View Post
    I wish my automatics were a bit more accurate - it's the accumulated inaccuracy after four or five days wear which bothers me - I'm definitely appreciative of watches that are still telling the time to the right minute at the end of the week.

    On the other hand, at least they're reliable in their accuracy
    I agree, a minute out over a week I find perfectly acceptable.

  23. #23
    Master WatchIng's Avatar
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    My approach is to note the effect of overnight positioning e.g. my Omega Seamaster gains about 1 and a half secs overnight when on its back and loses about a second on its side (crown up) [my Speedmaster, unusually I think, does the reverse]. Hence, I compare against my radio-controlled Protrek before going to bed and set the watch accordingly: as a result I can keep my currently worn watch (usually rotated every 7-10 days) within a second or so without having to adjust it!

  24. #24
    A minute a week is fine for me with my Hamilton much better than that, two seconds a day.

  25. #25
    Master MakeColdplayHistory's Avatar
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    I wear a different watch every day which is set to an atomic G-Shock.
    Having set it, I rarely check accuracy over the day so unless it's wildly out I never notice.

  26. #26
    Master
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    I tend to set mine to the minute from my phone. its rare i wear the same watch for more than a couple of days so individual accuracy doesnt really matter. if i need an accurate watch i wear a quartz and will synchronise it when required. the last time i needed to make sure i had the "right time" wasnt particularly life or death so the nearest minute tends to be about right.

  27. #27
    I used to care much more about absolute timekeeping; now I care about consistency. It's nice to have a watch still be within a minute of the correct time by the end of a week, though :) But honestly, who doesn't like a highly accurate auto? Seems to be luck of the draw, no matter the price, unless you pay for COSC or have the movement adjusted/regulated?

    There are better things to worry about!

  28. #28
    Craftsman
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    My Daytona is consistently 1 second fast per day. I must be OCD because I track it daily with an atomic linked app.

    It annoys me when it reaches 30 seconds too fast, so I then adjust it to 30 seconds slow. So, adjusted every 2 months.

    Oddly, when I first got it it was far more accurate than now. I did not adjust it until the clocks change then.
    Last edited by JasH; 27th March 2016 at 17:48.

  29. #29
    Master PhilipK's Avatar
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    I must be getting more tolerant in my old age, but whereas I always used to adjust my watches when they were more than 5 seconds out (by reference to a radio-controlled clock), these days I'll sometimes let it drift as far as ten seconds. Anything more than that is totally unacceptable to me (except when I'm wearing a Meistersinger!)

  30. #30
    Grand Master snowman's Avatar
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    If a watch is correct to a minute or two I'm happy.

    M
    Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?

  31. #31
    Master Gruntfuttock's Avatar
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    Not very, but this is because I rarely wear any watch for longer than a week. My SMP300 runs 15 secs slow per day (needs a service!) so I just set it one minute fast at the start of the week I wear it. Close enough over the next week...
    Last edited by Gruntfuttock; 27th March 2016 at 19:40.

  32. #32
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by snowman View Post
    If a watch is correct to a minute or two I'm happy.

    M
    Ditto.
    Cheers,
    Neil.

    My Speedmaster website:

    http://www.freewebs.com/neil271052

  33. #33
    Grand Master
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    Anything over 20 secs annoys me unless it's vintage, but everything I own is within 30 secs a day
    ktmog6uk
    marchingontogether!



  34. #34
    Master
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    The only time I wear the same watch more than a couple of days is when on holiday and always set the watch I am wearing by the Watchville app or a radio controlled quartz, so yes I am a little OCD about time keeping.

  35. #35
    Journeyman
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    It depends, really. I have a vintage Omega Seamaster that runs around one minute late per day (should get it serviced). I'm okay with that, no problem. With my Omega Speedmaster, I usually wear it in rotation and so it stops and I have to set it again - don't really care if it's off by a minute or not while wearing it. These habits would suggest that I'm indifferent to timekeeping; however, I recently bought a Grand Seiko SBGX063, which is a HAQ and accurate to mere seconds a year, and the accuracy was one of the reasons I was so interested in the watch. Maybe it's because the 9F quartz movement is so highly regarded and considered one of the most accurate in the world that I keep so close a track on it, whereas with the Omegas I'm indifferent because I don't really expect them to be dead on.

  36. #36
    Grand Master TaketheCannoli's Avatar
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    Timekeeping is very important to me. Up to five seconds variance is what I’m happiest with. Between five and ten I can live with but over ten and I’m losing interest. I can say with certainty that my current watch is the best performing auto I’ve ever owned. Over seven days it’s returned zero variance. Only matched by my GS 9F quartz.

    The movement? A Seiko NH35. Yes it’s been regulated but even so, amazing performance from a humble movement.








  37. #37
    Master M1011's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TaketheCannoli View Post
    Timekeeping is very important to me. Up to five seconds variance is what I’m happiest with. Between five and ten I can live with but over ten and I’m losing interest. I can say with certainty that my current watch is the best performing auto I’ve ever owned. Over seven days it’s returned zero variance. Only matched by my GS 9F quartz.

    The movement? A Seiko NH35. Yes it’s been regulated but even so, amazing performance from a humble movement.
    Nice headphones

  38. #38
    Grand Master TaketheCannoli's Avatar
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    Haha yes, the fetching Jabra headset from work.

    Quote Originally Posted by M1011 View Post
    Nice headphones

  39. #39
    Used to think about it and test watches a great deal but i dont care so much anymore.

    I once regulated a £28 vostok slow beat handwinder with no real tools or timegrapher. I had only a small flathead screwdriver to open the case back and regulate the movement.

    I got it so that it almost lost no time at all for about 2 and a half days, and that was wearing it all day as normal.

    However the accuracy did not last and soon went all over the place, that is the difference with high quality movements, they can stay accurate long term.

  40. #40
    Master
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    Anything more than 5s/day either was is too much.

    I prefer +2 to -1 as I don’t like watches to be slow as I hate being late.

    If a watch drifts more than 20s out I’ll reset.

    I track them using an app.

    Here is the data on mine.



  41. #41
    Grand Master MartynJC (UK)'s Avatar
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    Used to track mine - when I used to catch trains



    Now just set to the nearest minute
    “ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG

  42. #42
    Master
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    Maybe we need more two handed watches out there? Ditch the seconds hand and the obsession with accuracy isn’t quite so important anymore. But then it’s Panerai or nothing. I know you could settle on one of those one hander watches, but they’re just weird and not so practical.

  43. #43
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by seabiscuit View Post
    Maybe we need more two handed watches out there? Ditch the seconds hand and the obsession with accuracy isn’t quite so important anymore. But then it’s Panerai or nothing. I know you could settle on one of those one hander watches, but they’re just weird and not so practical.
    T'is true.

    Quite a few people seem obsessed with apps etc etc to keep a check on timekeeping and ditching the seconds hand might help them with their obsession.

    What did everybody do before the advent of quartz, the internet and timegraphers? Was everybody continually late?

    I guess folk just set their watch to the Greenwich time signal on the home service and were tickety boo.
    Cheers,
    Neil.

    My Speedmaster website:

    http://www.freewebs.com/neil271052

  44. #44
    Grand Master TaketheCannoli's Avatar
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    My 83 year old father in law has always set his watch daily using the Teletext clock.

    Quote Originally Posted by Neil.C View Post
    T'is true.

    Quite a few people seem obsessed with apps etc etc to keep a check on timekeeping and ditching the seconds hand might help them with their obsession.

    What did everybody do before the advent of quartz, the internet and timegraphers? Was everybody continually late?

    I guess folk just set their watch to the Greenwich time signal on the home service and were tickety boo.

  45. #45
    Grand Master Saint-Just's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Neil.C View Post
    T'is true.

    Quite a few people seem obsessed with apps etc etc to keep a check on timekeeping and ditching the seconds hand might help them with their obsession.

    What did everybody do before the advent of quartz, the internet and timegraphers? Was everybody continually late?

    I guess folk just set their watch to the Greenwich time signal on the home service and were tickety boo.
    There is a reason why chronometer concours were so popular early in the 20th century, and a much sought after marketing asset.
    Some Zenith of the time would give a spring drive a run for its money.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  46. #46
    Grand Master Neil.C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saint-Just View Post
    There is a reason why chronometer concours were so popular early in the 20th century, and a much sought after marketing asset.
    Some Zenith of the time would give a spring drive a run for its money.
    Quite right.
    Cheers,
    Neil.

    My Speedmaster website:

    http://www.freewebs.com/neil271052

  47. #47
    Grand Master
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    If it loses 1/2 seconds - I set it five minutes fast and change again when clocks go back or forward.
    If it runs fast - I set to the time and then reset when its five mins fast, usually when clocks go back or forward.

    The only one I have that has more than a 4spd deviation is a Seiko, but I only wear that once every couple of months when im in London so just set it to the right time and dont worry about it. 40 seconds over a working week isnt going to kill anyone.

    Im not overly fussed about timekeeping, but then I dont have any which deviate massively.
    If something was 30 seconds - 1 min out per day id regulate it as that would probably irritate.

  48. #48
    Quote Originally Posted by TaketheCannoli View Post
    My 83 year old father in law has always set his watch daily using the Teletext clock.
    Thought Teletext died years ago.

  49. #49
    Master
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    10 seconds per day is my niggle point. 5 secs is great unless you have the chronometer stamp on the dial.

    Sent from my Redmi Note 9S using TZ-UK mobile app

  50. #50
    Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by seabiscuit View Post
    Maybe we need more two handed watches out there? Ditch the seconds hand and the obsession with accuracy isn’t quite so important anymore. But then it’s Panerai or nothing. I know you could settle on one of those one hander watches, but they’re just weird and not so practical.
    Never really thought about it like that before, I have a manual wind Panerai base and I have to admit I never checked it for accuracy, never crossed my mind I just wind it up and go.
    My autos all with second hands get set to my g-shock whenever I wear even though I keep on a winder. Anything +/- 10 secs a day bothers me, I guess I just want them to be within reasonable tolerance, the higher the cost the more accuracy I expect.

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