Adjusting mechanical date watch

H

hwyhobo

Joined
Jan 23, 2006
Messages
366
I've been looking at two different Seiko mechanical watches, just because I find their simple, understated look to be rather elegant. Anyway, here are both of them:

Desert color
Green color

I realize the second one is series 5, which is supposed to be quite desirable. Is the first one of significantly lower quality?

However, my main question is this - since they both have dates (something I would rather live without, but I don't see an easy way of removing that feature ;)), and since I travel all the time (well, almost) and change date and time zones like crazy, with a watch without a date adjusting it is simple - just wind forward whatever number of hours is required. On a watch with a date, however, one would have to adjust back (unless one would be willing to adjust one year each time), which I know people have mixed opinions on.

Is anyone in a similar situation with either of those watches? Is frequent adjusting them back detrimental to their longevity?

BTW, I realize that the simple answer is - "well, if you don't care about the date, just let it be whatever". Unfortunately, if you've ever watched Monk, you will understand why that is not an option. :D
 
Those watches are identical internally. The quality is the same.

As long as you are not adjusting back past a day/date change you should be fine.
 
Steven Roos said:
As long as you are not adjusting back past a day/date change you should be fine.
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Right. So, where in the world will you be that you'll need to adjust for more than 24 hours? :confused:

Most mechanical watches can take an adjustment backwards within travel ranges without damage. I did it with my Omega SMP last week in Singapore (+12 hours).
 
hwyhobo said:
....Unfortunately, if you've ever watched Monk, you will understand why that is not an option. :D
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Unfortunately, I know EXACTLY what you mean! :D ROFLOL Another member of the Anal-Retentive Obsessive-Compulsive Marching Band, eh? Did you get the T-shirt? ;) As far as the watch is concerned, sometimes you just have to FORCE yourself to leave the date alone. I know at first you'll be looking at it in horror about 18 times a day, but be strong. ;)
 
Steven Roos said:
Those watches are identical internally. The quality is the same.
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How interesting. So the "5" in the name does not designate a different mechanism. I did not know about it.
 
tonyccw said:
Right. So, where in the world will you be that you'll need to adjust for more than 24 hours? :confused:
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It is possible for your watch to flip the date based on your original time zone, then when you land, you may find yourself still in the same day you took off. For example, you depart at 18:30 from SFO on Monday and land in Taipei at 22:10 the same Monday. In the meantime you watch is showing 07:10 on Tuesday. There can be many other examples of this.

Adjusting your watch back at that point would affect the date, wouldn't it? Or can I separately and independently adjust time without touching the date?

Heh, I wish Seiko had a version of those watches without the date feature. I can barely see it without glasses anyway, but if it were wrong, it would bother me to no end even if I couldn't see it. :D
 
cockroachfarm said:
Did you get the T-shirt? ;)
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Not yet. I will look for one. ;)

As far as the watch is concerned, sometimes you just have to FORCE yourself to leave the date alone. I know at first you'll be looking at it in horror about 18 times a day, but be strong. ;)
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Perhaps I could train myself to do that, but I am concerned about damaging the watch by backing up; unless, as I mentioned above, it is possible to adjust the time separately from the date.
 
hwyhobo said:
It is possible for your watch to flip the date based on your original time zone, then when you land, you may find yourself still in the same day you took off. For example, you depart at 18:30 from SFO on Monday and land in Taipei at 22:10 the same Monday. In the meantime you watch is showing 07:10 on Tuesday. There can be many other examples of this.

Adjusting your watch back at that point would affect the date, wouldn't it? Or can I separately and independently adjust time without touching the date?

Heh, I wish Seiko had a version of those watches without the date feature. I can barely see it without glasses anyway, but if it were wrong, it would bother me to no end even if I couldn't see it. :D
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Exactly, it could happen.

I don't believe the mechanism can turn the day/date backwards. Let me give it a shot on my Auto 5.

EDIT: Looks like I was right, the date remains on the last day you were on. If you go backwards past a day/date change and then the watch continues to run, you will advance another day.
 
Steven Roos said:
Looks like I was right, the date remains on the last day you were on. If you go backwards past a day/date change and then the watch continues to run, you will advance another day.
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Oh, wow, that's yet a different mechanism than I thought. I guess that means that if you keep adjusting it, you could unintentionally end up several days forward at some point. Very strange. What happens if you advance the time forward? Will the date flip while you're advancing?

Anyway, this is one more reason why the date feature for my needs is a liability, not a plus. Only one of my watches has a date in it (just a number, not a day). Fortunately, it is under one of those silly "magnifying glass" thingies that completely obscures it, and I can't see it even with with my glasses on. ;) Let me check it out of curiosity with my Agfa Loupe. It says... "28". :eek: :D
 
Just about every watch these days has some form of quick date set. I'm not familiar with those watches, but there must be some way to set the date without changing the time.
 
hwyhobo said:
Oh, wow, that's yet a different mechanism than I thought. I guess that means that if you keep adjusting it, you could unintentionally end up several days forward at some point. Very strange. What happens if you advance the time forward? Will the date flip while you're advancing?

Anyway, this is one more reason why the date feature for my needs is a liability, not a plus. Only one of my watches has a date in it (just a number, not a day). Fortunately, it is under one of those silly "magnifying glass" thingies that completely obscures it, and I can't see it even with with my glasses on. ;) Let me check it out of curiosity with my Agfa Loupe. It says... "28". :eek: :D
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Every 24 hours it will advance; both on its own and while you are adjusting it. You just can't go backwards.
 
Cougar Allen said:
Just about every watch these days has some form of quick date set. I'm not familiar with those watches, but there must be some way to set the date without changing the time.
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There is a second crown position between normal running position and the time set position. That allows you to change they day/date.
 
Steven Roos said:
There is a second crown position between normal running position and the time set position. That allows you to change they day/date.
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Both directions, or just forward?
 
Spydiefan04 said:
Hey if you want to lose the date check out http://www.mkiiwatches.com/Home.jsp
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:eek: Wow. I haven't quite grasped everything on that site, but one could even take a Rolex and modify it to say something that would make it look like an imitation. ;)

Also I don't know how much you want to spend but the Rolex Sub and the Explorer I are both available without date, and the Explorer I looks a lot like those Seikos.
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I wouldn't use a Rolex as a trail beater, no matter how pretty (note to self: talk to boss about a raise :D).
 
I've had a Seiko 5 for several years, the date adjust is similar to other mechanical watches, you can pull out the crown fully to adjust the time or partially to adjust the date.

From the partially pulled out position, turning the crown clockwise will advance the day number, turning it counterclockwise will advance the day name, they only go forward but it is easy and fast to go all around the 31 numbers or 14 names (they come in two languages).

Luis
 
Don Luis said:
From the partially pulled out position, turning the crown clockwise will advance the day number, turning it counterclockwise will advance the day name, they only go forward but it is easy and fast to go all around the 31 numbers or 14 names (they come in two languages).
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Ah, that's excellent info, thank you. That means you wouldn't have to go through the entire year to get it right. In other words, they do not have special clever settings for February as opposed to July, for example. In other words, each month is 31 days, always (or, to be more precise, there is no concept of a month). So at the end of February you would have to change the date to make sure it doesn't show "31". That makes perfect sense. I could live with that.

I do have it right now, don't I (I'll ask just in case ;))?
 
One interesting thing I noticed when I went to http://www.seikousa.com/ - it has a small subset of the Seiko watches on http://www.chronograph.com/ - does that mean that Seiko does not officially offer those other watches in the US and one can only buy them through a mail order?

I won't mention the fact that their website is fixed at such a tiny size, it must have been designed to run on cellphones.
k020.gif
 
Seiko does not make many automatic watches available in the USA for some reason. The internet is the only way to go it seems.
 
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