Which watch power source is going to last?

Midget

Midget

Joined
Jun 1, 2002
Messages
2,809
So...

Recharging, lithium batteries die over time.. Mainsprings break... Movements get dirty...

Assuming zero maintainence, which power source will make it for the long haul?

Considering solar g-shocks, citizen ecodrives, seiko automatics, etc., etc.
 
If you're talking zero maintenance, you're not even willing to open the back and put in a new battery, Seiko mechanicals beat anything. They often go well over twenty years without service. Some other mechanicals might do as well but I'm betting on Seiko to do it most consistently.
 
P.S. Then again, a solar powered digital watch with no moving parts could last a long time. It's hard to say how long they could last; they haven't been around long yet.
 
I had a lithium powered Casio go out after about 8 years. If I turned off the hourly beep, used the alarm less, used the built in backlight less at night to tell time, it would probably still be running today. Not bad for $6.

For sheer durability and long life, I'll put my money on the sun. Sun Dials have been in use for a very long time. If you look in your yard in the morning, you might even find a few you didn't realize you already had! :)
 
Seiko automatics get my vote.
I've got one that's seen lots of abuse. Got it while in Airborne school in 1991. The face is loose, has rotated out of place, and the crystal is covered with pits from welding splatter. Has a few dings, and chips at the edges of the crystal, too. Poor thing looks horrible. It made all my jumps in jump school, and when I was in the 82nd-too bad it wouldn't carry my ruck, too:rolleyes:, followed by years of wear in steel fabrication, heavy industry, and construction (all much harder on gear than the military, to tell the truth), and has been through over half a dozen bands.
On the surface, the watch is pretty much trashed, but the mechanism still functions perfectly.
"One of these days" I'll get the face repaired, the crystal replaced-maybe even get it customized like those Yao's I've seen pics of, and start EDW(earing) it again.
Could just buy a new one, but I've developed some sentimental attachment to this one.
 
I have read that the IC boards in quartz watches deteriorate and that they will inevitably burn out given enough time. Not sure if that is a myth, though.

Still, if a quartz dies, it is probably cheaper to replace the movement than to repair it. And if the manufacturer no longer makes the required movement, then one has to replace the entire watch.

The mechanical watch sector does not seem to be quite as fast moving/short lived; many of the more common movements have been around for decades. I think you will easily be able to get a not-too-exotic mechanical repaired for a long time to come.
 
Originally posted by Cougar Allen
P.S. Then again, a solar powered digital watch with no moving parts could last a long time. It's hard to say how long they could last; they haven't been around long yet.
Click to expand...

I had a Seiko Silverwave Solar Powered watch back in the late 1970's. The storage cell lasted 4 years. The Silverwave was discontinued during the 1980's. This was 20+ years ago.

My Rolex 5512 with a 1530 mechanical is still going strong. It dates back to 1967. Yes, it has seen service, but at least parts are still available for this watch.

My JLC MK XI with a 488 sbr mechanical movement dates back to the late 1940's and is approaching 60 years of age. It has been serviced once or twice and it still runs like a champ.

My Omega '53 6B with a 30T2 movement dates back to the early 1950's and is approaching 50 years of wear. It too runs like a champ.

Hope that helps.
 
If you're willing to pay a little money to keep a watch going -- but don't want to pay a lot of money -- then a quartz analog watch would be the way to go. Although an exact duplicate of the movement it came with might not be available a hundred years from now, as long as technological civilization endures there will be something available that can fit in a watch case and operate three hands and a date wheel. Replacing a quartz movement costs a lot less than servicing a mechanical movement, and doesn't have to be done as often. Of course it won't be the same watch, not if you count the insides ... it'll only be in the same case....
 
I've heard people say their Seiko Quartz watches have lasted seven years on a battery! :eek:

A few bucks every seven years doesn't seem to bad to me.

As far as zero maintenance goes, an automatic would probably be your only option. Both Kinetics and Eco-drives often have problems with holding a charge, so they wouldn't be good options.
 
Timeless styling, and CHEAP.

Just bought one for $9.99 on eBay.

Go to the mall and see what bit of junk you get for a tenspot...
 
I've got my grandfather's old pocket watch...

westclox dax

gets about 12hrs between needing a wind(14hrs and it starts loosing time)

edit: dates... Dax pocket watch as shown in a 1935 Westclox catalog. Dax was first made in 1932.

he told me he got it pre ww2...
 
This is interesting stuff. I was always under the assumption that the solar G's and eco drives would last forever. I guess I figured automatic movements would die out because of all the moving parts. Sometimes I just look through my glass caseback and get amazed that these things can even work...

Philalex, you got a 5 for ten dollars? I hear a lot of people talking about getting great deals on their seiko5's, but... I mean i paid about 55.00 for mine, and i thought that was cheap.

I never put any thought into mechanicals. How about those? Will they outlast an automatic/solar? I mean I feel like mechanicals are the same as automatics, but they don't have that big weight or geartrain or anything, so I bet they will win out the race, yea?
 
Originally posted by OwenM
Seiko automatics get my vote.
I've got one that's seen lots of abuse. Got it while in Airborne school in 1991. The face is loose, has rotated out of place, and the crystal is covered with pits from welding splatter. Has a few dings, and chips at the edges of the crystal, too. Poor thing looks horrible. It made all my jumps in jump school, and when I was in the 82nd-too bad it wouldn't carry my ruck, too:rolleyes:, followed by years of wear in steel fabrication, heavy industry, and construction (all much harder on gear than the military, to tell the truth), and has been through over half a dozen bands.
On the surface, the watch is pretty much trashed, but the mechanism still functions perfectly.
"One of these days" I'll get the face repaired, the crystal replaced-maybe even get it customized like those Yao's I've seen pics of, and start EDW(earing) it again.
Could just buy a new one, but I've developed some sentimental attachment to this one.
Click to expand...

OwenM, make sure you check out the repairman before you do any work on your watch--get references on him and a good warranty policy. I had a Zodiac Sea Wolf since my days in the military. It worked perfectly for years--until I decided to replace the scratched crystal. When I got the watch back from "repairs" there was dust on its face and it leaked later after exposure to water. Just my two cents.
 
I'd vote for the Seiko automatic. This was the first "good" watch I ever owned. (Meaning it was the first non KMart special.) I bought it in 1988 at the PX at 29 Palms. It's still going strong today, despite repeated exposures to saltwater, unpressurized aircraft, close proximity explosions, Saudi Arabian sand, and inexpensive domestic beer. I've never had to do anything to it beyond a simple freshwater rinse to get the salt off. It's had several band changes, the most recent coming after an unfortunate exposure to hydraulic fluid. I've also had good luck with the Casio solar G Shock atomic watch. (You didn't really think there was anybody posting in the forums that DIDN'T own a G, did you?) I use the Casio to set all my other time pieces.
 
Man, the Seikos may have more fans because they've been around longer, but I've had my Citizen Ecodrive for a few years now and love it. I'd take it over my father's Seiko (although he's had it a nice long time to be fair) or my friend's Seiko. My father nearly drools over my watch too by the way. I work in an office, and the power indicator on the watch has never read anything but full strength, so it's not like it takes much light to keep it going. My dad on the other hand is always shaking his watch. But then again, I don't think it is his every-dayer. You could keep my ecodrive in the dark for over a year without losing time according to the manufacturer info I believe.

Oh, just remembered this too--my friend likes his Seiko better than my watch (or so he says). So just pick the one you like wearing the best.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top