Yeah, my automatic picks up about 40 seconds every 24 hours.

That's pretty bad, actually.

A good mechanical watch can easily be within 1 to 2 minutes per month. You can get it closer to zero if you understand that a watch will gain or lose different amounts of time in different positions. All you have to do is figure out whether it is slow or fast when on your wrist during the day and then find a position to place it in at night that has the opposite effect on rate.

I've had watches that I could get down to +or- 0 seconds a week. The last new one I bought would do that with me wearing it 24 hours a day. A few years down the road it's a couple seconds slow per day, on it's own.

JR

My Seamaster Professional is in Switzerland right now. Not only a full service, but repainting the once red indices (faded to orange), new luminescent (sp) stuff, fixing the screw down crown that stripped and a polish. $600

At 4 mins over a month- the watch is averaging -8 seconds per day.

The COSC standard for an automatic movement (which is a bit of a joke as all decent movements exceed the standard) is -6/+4 seconds per day, IIRC.

A mechanical movement is just that, a tiny machine. It runs on your wrist in all positions, during activity, in all temperatures, may be under water or at altitude and it tells you the time to within a couple of secs a day. It is an industrial age wonder. Depending on the movement, a modern mech movement runs at runs at 28800 or 36000 beats per hour- 8 or 10 beats per second. A quartz watch beats once per second, fired by an electrical impulse.

The measure of a mechanical movement BTW, is how regular it is every day- ie, if loses 2 secs a day, it should lose -2 secs each day, not -2 one day, -7 the next then +4.

Your watch can be adjusted and regulated without spending on full service.
If you need or want a higher level of time keeping, dont use a mechanical watch. You need a quartz watch.

Stuartj is absolutely correct.
Mechanical watches are not "perfect" in a digital manner, but as a machine they are damn close to it. The tolerances and minute forces used to power them and the fact that they have to accommodate such varied activities attached to the human body as sleeping and full power recoil from an S&W .500 and still function to within a few seconds a day is an amazing level of mechanical perfection.

BTW many watches adjusted to manufactures specs can run slower or faster when worn by various people. Not everybody moves or subjects the watch with the same stress; therefore results for the same watch will vary between different people.

I had my Submariner serviced at the "authorized" center here in Denver, a year later on a diving trip I had condensation in the dial. I went back and they claimed the stem seal had failed, the very same seal they replaced the year before. I'm now up to two $450 dollar services, six months later diving in South America, same thing.

By suggestion of this board I shipped it Rolex in NYC and they found that the crown was bent, and it was bent internally, not caused by me. They managed to get $450 towards the repair from the dealer in Denver, I then spent another $400 on a new bezel, hands, face and date plate and a beautiful polish. The watch is perfect now, keeps time, looks like the day I got it, and holds out the water finally.

Just my two cents, however its sometimes good to go to the manufacturer.

So if a $2400 watch needs $800 tune ups every few years and keeps marginal time, how long before a Seiko perpetual, like mine, that has run untouched for about 12 yrs and only gets re-set 2X a year for daylight savings time, starts to look good? Is the prestige worth that much? Is it getting you laid? Buy a fake. Bimbos cant tell. I'm perplexed.

Mule, i no longer get it either which is why the watch has sat in the drawer for 2 years.
I always wanted a "nice" watch. When I got my first "real" job, it was one of the first things I did. Not for prestige, but just because I liked watches and this one appealed to me. I knew absolutely nothing about "routine maintenance" that these things require until it stopped acting normal and I asked a few people.

I have always been a watch wearing person. However, since mine has been sitting, ive come to depend on my cell phone and actually dont miss the heavy weight on my arm.

ive often thought of selling it so that i could put the money towards an insanely LOUD exhaust for my 911 :-)

Mule, some of us don't go out with Bimbos.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1218077197.jpg

Let me ease your perplexity, you poor man.

Its not always about prestige, though for many it is, no doubt. You will find these people seeking out Rolex, Panerai, TAG and sadly, Omega. You can which tell by the quality of the fakes that are available.

I mostly wear a $200 Seiko diver. Tough as nails, usable, cheap- and mechanical. Fished it off the bottom of the ocean a few months back, I wont cry if i lose it.

So, why, you ask? This is the Cal. 2998 movement in a 1953 Omega Seamaster. These can bought for very little, although good examples are fetching decent money. Nothing special, but this is how they made watches in the 50s. These have no prestige value.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1218077670.jpg

Now- This is a A. Lange & Sohne cal. 33888 manual wind. This is art in mechanical form. At this point I invoke the Harley argument- if you need to ask, you dont understand.....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1218078306.jpg

Stuart, when you say, "sadly, Omega" are you saying they are crap? im not arguing, just trying to understand your statement because you obviously know a thing or two about watches

Beautiful craftsmanship. I'm just not sure how man $800 tune ups I'd be up for to know what's inside my watch that doesn't keep time particularly well.

ill say this, in the 7 years that my watched worked perfectly, i enjoyed it and feel i got my $2,400 worth from it. but having to spend $500-$800 every 5 years or so, as well as having to deal with the shipping and waiting for it for months.....sorta kills my interest

No, not all. The marque is the maker of the famous Moonwatch, the Speedmaster. In recent years Omega introduced the CoAxial movement , which was real advance in mechanical movements. I meant no offence- its just that with the resurgance of expensive watch as man-bling, Omega has been as guilty of any of the "big brand". James Bond, piles of celebrity endoresements.....Bite the bullet, fix your Seamaster and enjoy it. Its a fine watch.

ive got a speedmaster. wasnt offended, just was wondering if you knew something i didnt. thanks for the info

i hear ya about the bling. dont like it. i prefer a vintage, understated look. i love the Seamaster Aqua Terra. very simple and classy

http://www.omegawatches.com/fileadmi...g/26023037.gif

I dint take much interest in watches any more- they are just a vanity purchase now- but that is a nice looking dress watch. It has the CoAxial Escapement too. Unlike the James Bond type Seamaster, that one is a real homage to the 50s Seamasters. Heres is mine a little, automatic 1953 Seamaster ("seamaster"- wouldnt go near a glass of water with this watch, but it runs and times beautifully)



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1218080967.jpg

My own $.02 is to make sure all watch service comes with a warranty, even cleaning and adjusting. I had my Porsche Design repaired (button fell off) and it came with a two year warranty. They fixed it two more times for free, and each time it took maybe three weeks. I paid $800 including the cleaning and re-lubing and adjusting. The watch is made by Eterna, and the repair facility is in Chicago I think, or somewhere around there.

I got mine from my wife in 87' it's lasted this long and still looks like new. I've dived with it in almost every ocean, so a few hundred here and there does not bother me. I really don't think a Seiko would have done that for me, and I'm not sure how well a Seiko works at 4 atmospheres.

My own $0.02 is that a straight mechanical or straight digital is the way to go. My "best" watch right now is a Citizen Blue Angels model which is nice and has a lot of neat features, but it has gone in for repair no less than a dozen times since I got it in 1999. The biggest issue/problem is a failure of the synchronization between the digital and the analog/mechanical components inside. And everytime it goes in for service, it's about 3-4 months and $100-$200. Very frustrating. I would not ever buy another Citizen - or any watch with "mixed" analog/digital features again.

That said, my next "good" watch is likely to be a straight mechanical one. I already have a couple of digitals including my heart-rate monitor one and my "cheapie" one that I wear working out 'cause it's proven that it can take the abuse, sweat, etc.

Still, I can't fathom spending more than maybe $500-$600 on a watch in general... I'm not a big "male jewelry" kind of guy. I only really wear a wedding band and occasionally a watch. Nothing else. And I don't wear the watch all the time.

So anyway I'd say check out the straight mechanical timepieces. I can deal with having to adjust it once a week or whatever. No big.

My Seiko Kinetic was bought on the mid 90's. Zero service! Seiko claims 10 bars for the current ones. I love good watches. If money was no object I'd wear a Concord or Piaget. But it is, so $800 tune ups would end my interest.

http://www.seikowatches.com/products/premier/kinetic_p.html