Watch movement comparison question

B

BlackDPlus

Joined
Dec 14, 2000
Messages
195
I always heard that the real Rolex second hand sweeps and doesn't 'tick'. I have an Omega Seamaster and am wondering how the second hand compares.

The Seamaster has 6 steps per second and almost looks like it is sweeping. Not having a Rolex, I'm just curious how smooth the second hand actually is.

Thanks,
Alex
 
my rolex GMT11 has a smooth sweep of the second hand & doesnt tick at all, not one bit, i dont think my seiko diver 'ticks' either,
 
Depends on the movement. They all are incremented into a certain amount of 'clicks' per second. The popular Swiss Chrono movement, Val 7750 is rated at 28,000 per hour, the Val 7751 is 28,800. At 28k, that boils down to 7.777... ticks per second. My Seiko 7S26 movement is much cruder, though I don't know the exact number. It is noticeably clunkier clicking from second to second. As for the Rolex, my Explorer is smooth but still uses some amount of clicks per second. Don't know the exact number but 6 sounds a bit course. They are all smooth compared to a quartz movement which will only increment in one second intervals. This is a very crude way to tell if your 'Rolox' (mispelling intended) is a fake or not. It won't have an automatic or mechanical movement.
 
All my Seiko 7S26 Automatics sweep with four steps per second.

However, each step you see in the second hand is one trip out and back for the hairspring. Therefore it is two "beats" per step. Multiply that by sixty seconds in a minute, and then 60 minutes in an hour, and voila!

4 steps/second * 2 beats/step * 60 seconds/minute * 60 minutes/hour = 28,800 beats/hour
 
I've noticed that the minute hand isn't necessarily pointing directly at the minute mark when the second hand is at 12. Does that vary between movement types?
 
There's some confusion here -- the lever escapement (used in practically all modern mechanical watches) advances at both ends of the balance wheel's spin. Modern wristwatches beat from six to ten beats per second, and the hands advance with every beat.

Ewok, that depends on you. Us watch wnuts take grrrrrrreat pains to set the minute hand exactly on the minute. The secret is to take up the backlash (play) in the gear train by advancing the minute hand a few minutes and then moving it back to the exact minute. With some minute chapters you can see better if you set it to 30 seconds after the minute, and line up the minute hand exactly between two minute marks....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top