Automatic watch accuracy

Midget · May 13, 2003

Ok, I read some more on self-winding watches.

It seems that many people feel they are inaccurate when it comes to telling time? Someone mentions losing/gaining 3 seconds/day.

What's the scoop on this. Anyone know how the Seiko-5 holds up in the time-telling field? After all, it is a WATCH.

??

Thanks.

DB1 · May 13, 2003

Even a high-end mechanical watch will fail to be as accurate as a typical quartz movement. My Casio G-Shock is the most accurate watch I have, and the cheapest.

The automatic is for folks that don't mind making an adjustment to the time every so often. Yes it's a "WATCH" but you trade off a measure of precision for the pleasure of wearing a intricately-machined, elegant piece of equipment without benefit of electronic technology. I enjoy wearing such an instrument, but others might not care to deal with the added maintenance.

The Seiko 5 watches run a 7S26 movement and are accurate to a couple of seconds a day. A very solid auto for the money.

Good luck with your purchase. Whether it's super-quartz accurate or not, I think if you are into gadgetry at all you'll appreciate wearing an auto

Lenny · May 13, 2003

I just had my IWC Fliegerchrono Auto serviced.
It's running at +1 sec/day.
Pretty phenominal for an auto, but nothing compared to a quartz movement watch's accuracy.
As the oils wear down in the movement, it should get slower.
That's why they recommend a complete overhaul every 5 years.
Lenny

BobHWD · May 13, 2003

Originally posted by Midget
Ok, I read some more on self-winding watches.

It seems that many people feel they are inaccurate when it comes to telling time? Someone mentions losing/gaining 3 seconds/day.

What's the scoop on this. Anyone know how the Seiko-5 holds up in the time-telling field? After all, it is a WATCH.

??

Thanks.

If you had a mechanical watch losing or gaining just 3 seconds a day, you would be doing well. I have a half dozen Seiko mechanical watches. Almost all of them run fast, typically +5 to +15 seconds a day. None of my Seikos runs slow. That being said, I don't really mind. I rarely wear the same watch two days in a row. I'm used to setting the time when I wear a watch.

fishbulb · May 13, 2003

Figure on a Seiko automatic being within 15 seconds a day.

While you are correct in that it is a WATCH, it also runs on a much slower vibration cycle than a quartz watch, and this results in less accuracy.

People don't buy mechanical wristwatches because they are more accurate than quartz models. I can't speak for others, but in my case the blend of engineering and art that you find in a mechanical watch more than make up for the decreased accuracy.

If you want a battery-free watch that still gives the soulless accuracy of quartz, you should take a look at a Seiko Kinetic or Citizen Eco-Drive.

Blue Jays · May 14, 2003

Good Evening All-

Fishbulb, excellent explanation on what makes an automatic "tick" to us enthusiasts! I've often had to explain to friends and co-workers the concept of a "soul" in my Omega and IWC watches. Sometimes they "get it" and sometimes they don't.

Regards,

~ Blue Jays ~

Midget · May 14, 2003

Thanks for the input, guys.

bquinlan · May 15, 2003

I think I understand what drives the automatic fans; I just don't share it.

My EDW is a Citizen Titanium Skyhawk Eco-Drive. It may not be as mechanically elegant as an automatic, but I find a similar aesthetic pleasure in its unique meshing of electronics and mechanics, of form and function. There is more to this watch than simple engineering.

At the same time, the designers were able to push the envelope of pure function by building one of the most accurate electronic movements ever put into a case that size. There is even a thermocouple in the circuit to allow compensation for temperature-induced variations in the oscillator's frequency. This watch appear to be losing only about five seconds per year.

I know I'm not a watch purist, but I just can't get past my desire for superior function and design rather than sacrificing one for the other. I'm not trying to start an argument, just trying to explain a different viewpoint.

--Bob Q

fishbulb · May 15, 2003

Originally posted by bquinlan
I think I understand what drives the automatic fans; I just don't share it.

My EDW is a Citizen Titanium Skyhawk Eco-Drive. It may not be as mechanically elegant as an automatic, but I find a similar aesthetic pleasure in its unique meshing of electronics and mechanics, of form and function. There is more to this watch than simple engineering.

At the same time, the designers were able to push the envelope of pure function by building one of the most accurate electronic movements ever put into a case that size. There is even a thermocouple in the circuit to allow compensation for temperature-induced variations in the oscillator's frequency. This watch appear to be losing only about five seconds per year.

I know I'm not a watch purist, but I just can't get past my desire for superior function and design rather than sacrificing one for the other. I'm not trying to start an argument, just trying to explain a different viewpoint.

--Bob Q

I would agree. Many electronic watches, especially the higher-end digital/analog combinations from Seiko and Citizen, are quite impressive. As you explained, their movements can be very unique and often feature proprietary technology. I have nothing but respect for a manufacturer who can fit all the functionality of your Citizen in something that small, even if they cheat and use electricity

The quartz jobs that I can't stand are the ones that are just a cheap plastic movement that go into a fancy looking case and get sold to people who don't know any better for many times what they're worth.

By the way, if you think the "automatic fans" are backwards I must be nuts. I prefer handwound mechanicals. Yep, every day I have to take a minute or so and actually wind my watch. I think it's sort of strange myself, since I don't ride a horse to work or use candles to see at night.

Lenny · May 16, 2003

Fishbulb, you are one retro dude!
I wear an auto IWC which I love for the styling and self-winding aspect. But I totally understand the fascination with manually winding a watch every day.
In a way, you build a personal co-dependant relationship (man that sounds weird) with your watch and it probably seems more alive when you bring life to it every morning. Plus, the silky smooth whir of the gears during the winding process can be very soothing.
Anyway, bquinlan, I also understand the fascination with the mechanical/electronic quartz style of watch. I think Seiko, Casio, and Citizen push the envelopes of what can be done in such a small piece of machinery. Watches like yours, the Omega X-33, and the mecaquartz version of the IWC Fliegerchrono are fascinating in a different way. I especially like the way some of them are powered: solar, kinetically like an auto watch, etc.
All this technology is good for everyone.
There are no rights or wrongs when it comes to watches (except the cheap plastic watches with a digital quartz movement that is given away at McDonalds).
Lenny

DEA · May 16, 2003

my two cents

a watch isn't simply a device for telling time
i think of it as jewellry for men

donn · May 16, 2003

My Oris Big Crown Commander Auto (a reproduction of the watch used by WWII US bomber pilots) loses about 2 secs a day, but then I usually keep my watch running five minutes fast so it dosn't bother me.
Lennys right; I was advised to service my Oris every 5 years and since its overdue for a service it has been losing more time.
I have a couple of more accurate (and alot cheaper) watches I use if I'm doing sports or if I'm going out on the town and know I'm going to be walking home alone late at night.
I bought the Oris cos of the skill and engineering required to make what I believe is a work of art. I often take it off and watch the movement through the glass back. I'm actually thinking of buying a second auto watch because I like classic objects. Technologys fine but I dont need a watch accurate to within 16 billionths of second in 3000 years or something.
D.

bquinlan · May 16, 2003

Originally posted by donn
Technologys fine but I dont need a watch accurate to within 16 billionths of second in 3000 years or something.

Sure, but it's never really about what we need...

I get an aesthetic pleasure from owning a precision instrument which I imagine is similar to what you get from owning a beautifully-complicated auto. The appreciation is about how far beyond the merely functional some watches go.

--Bob Q

Don Luis · May 16, 2003

I´ve been caught by the spirit of the thread (not the first thread that does it), so I´ve been wearing my old automatic Mido commander since yesterday, its going fast about 5 seconds a day, not at all bad IMO, and I can use my cheap quartz watch to set the Mido back on time.

For father´s day last year I got an ostrich leather band for it, it´s sooooooo nice.

fishbulb · May 16, 2003

Originally posted by Lenny

There are no rights or wrongs when it comes to watches (except the cheap plastic watches with a digital quartz movement that is given away at McDonalds).

I don't know, some of those talking Simpsons ones that somebody (Burger King perhaps?) was selling recently were interestng. Not a real paragon of the horological arts, but not bad for three bucks.