How accurate is your mechanical watch?

Zenith El Primero watch is ALWAYS RIGHT... it's the rest of the world that varies.

Heisenberg tells us that time is uncertain. And Einstein tells us that time is relative. Planck tells us that time in quantized, moves in jumps rather than as a continuous flow.



I once saw a lecture by the International Arbiter of Time and Calendar. There is no physical standard to base time-of-day and calendar date on. Ultimately, they are arbitrary. And so there is one man elected from among the world's metrologists to make those decisions. Of course, someone in the audience had to ask, "What watch do you wear?" So, he pulled back his sleeve and let the camera show that the man who decides what time it is wears a Timex Micky Mouse watch.
 
Gollnick said:
Zenith El Primero watch is ALWAYS RIGHT... it's the rest of the world that varies.

Heisenberg tells us that time is uncertain. And Einstein tells us that time is relative. Planck tells us that time in quantized, moves in jumps rather than as a continuous flow.
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Famous quote by Anon.

If you have one watch, you know what the time is. If you have two, you are never sure.*


*The same goes for thermometers and and temperature. ;)
 
I have to turn my Seiko 5 back about a minute every week or so. I guess it's ok. Never needed to be super precise anyway. I'm just glad that I don't need batteries anymore.
 
My Seiko 5 also loses time, several seconds a day, not sure exactly how much, it doesn't matter to me. What I do like is that if I don't wear it for a couple days it is usually still ticking. It is my everyday watch that I don't worry about. I will probably get some of the other colors of the same watch.

 
My $50 Chinese Parnis flieger hand-winder used to be spot on, but now after two years it tends to lose about two minutes a week. I think that's pretty good for a cheap watch.
 
DOBA-- Dead on balls accurate. In fact, now that you ask, I'm actually getting tired of the Naval Observatory calling me to ask what the time correct time it is. www.time.gov Rolex Explorer II 42mm just over a year old, dropped once (UGHHHH!!, good story)

BTW, the USNO own the "right" time

This public service is cooperatively provided by the two time agencies of the United States: a Department of Commerce agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the U. S. Naval Observatory (USNO). Readings from the clocks of these agencies contribute to world time, called Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The time maintained by both agencies should never differ by more than 0.000 0001 seconds from UTC

As a Navy guy, the issue of "What time is it" has amazed and perplexed me. I really want to go visit the Royal Naval Observatory. And if you are even remotely interested in what time is it?, the the book Longitude is absolutely enthralling and fascinating. All I can say is that if you own a watch that "keeps" time, then you will triple your investment after reading this three hour thriller. http://www.amazon.com/Longitude-Genius-Greatest-Scientific-Problem/dp/080271529X If you've got a kindle, it's three bucks well spent...
 
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I've always wanted a Rolex Submariner and back in 1985 was in Geneva looking at the Rolex building thinking I could buy one for a good price...WRONG! They were more expensive than in the USA?

Not willing to spend thousands on a fine watch, and being used to minimal weight on my wrist, I wear a Casio "Atomic" model.

Those Rolexes SURE are nice!

Peter
 
Funny you should ask. I was adjusting my 1936 Omega 15 jewel pocket watch two weeks ago. Got it within 5 seconds a day and the mainspring went boing. And I thought that thing came with a 75 year guarantee.
 
Just hope your Rolex never dies. My Dad sent his in to be fixed, will all the original paperwork and receipts, and they sent it back unfixed, telling him it was too old, and he should buy a newer one. They lost more than 1 customer that day.

Up until it died, it was pretty accurate.
 
sodak said:
Just hope your Rolex never dies. My Dad sent his in to be fixed, will all the original paperwork and receipts, and they sent it back unfixed, telling him it was too old, and he should buy a newer one. They lost more than 1 customer that day.

Up until it died, it was pretty accurate.
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If it comes to that, there are plenty of reputable places that service/repair Rolex.
 
Every time watches are discussed, Rolex is invariably mentioned as if it were in a class by itself. There are many fine watch companies out there, and while Rolex certainly makes robust, relatively affordable sport watches, it is by no means even in the upper echelon. Not a knock on Rolex or those who own them; I actually like the Milgauss, but it doesn't give the date so it's a no-go for me. After a certain point, you're paying for exclusivity, and since Rolex sells over a million units per year, it's difficult to justify the price.
 
MajorLonghorn said:
Every time watches are discussed, Rolex is invariably mentioned as if it were in a class by itself. There are many fine watch companies out there, and while Rolex certainly makes robust, relatively affordable sport watches, it is by no means even in the upper echelon.
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Rolex? Rolex is not a high-end watch.

Rolex is the Lexus of the watch world. Lexus makes some nice cars. But they're not high-end. If you want a "high end" car, then you need to look at Rolls Royce... but even legendary Rolls is not truly high-end. No. For true high-end cars, turn to Lamborghini, Bugatti, Austin Martin, Pagani, Koenigsegga, Zenvo, McLaren, etc. You see, your brand new Rolls Royce has a factory-built BMW engine and drive-train in it. Your Lambo? That engine was hand-built by a master craftsmen and tested and optimized at every step.

High-end watches? Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron, Ulysse Nardin, IWC, Zenith... etc. The price tags head well into seven figures... even eight. And it's not usually because of the materials. You'll notice that I did not list Cartier. They make some very expensive watches. But they are expensive because of how many carats of diamonds they have on them. It's not so much a watch as it is a diamond bracelet. Rolex does this. When they want to run the price up on one of their watches, they "ice it." But when you look at high-end watches, the real value is more in the quality of the craftsmanship. Every part, the smallest screw, the most minor bit, is hand-made and hand-finished to the highest standard. A tiny part that can not be seen, that is buried deep inside of the movement, is polished to perfection. The assembly is all done by hand by master craftsmen who apprenticed for six or eight years before they were allowed to actually tighten one screw on a product watch. And then there's the complications with their intricate designs, the agonizing construction. These are watches that can have over 900 parts... in the space of a wrist watch! Rolex is not in this league.
 
By the way, Rolex did not start out as nor do they really portend to be a high-end watch company. The Rolex claim-to-fame has always been ruggedness. They make watches that can go anywhere. They are especially known for water-resistant watches, watches that have literally gone to the deepest depths of the ocean; don't try that with your Jaeger-LeCoultre. And that's a different market and a different design challenge entirely.

As Thomas Crown, Pierce Brosnan wore a Patek Philippe. But, as James Bond, he wore a Rolex.
 
Towards the end of his Bond career, he wore an Omega Seamaster. Ian Flemming originally had Bond wearing Rolex because it was the only watch that could be slid over his fist and used as a knuckle duster.
 
And Ian Fleming wore a Rolex, I believe. WATCH magazine did an article on Bond and rolexes several months ago.

Charlie Mike said:
Towards the end of his Bond career, he wore an Omega Seamaster. Ian Flemming originally had Bond wearing Rolex because it was the only watch that could be slid over his fist and used as a knuckle duster.
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