[stuartj]

Wayne, its not about telling time. Offical Swiss COSC standard for a mpvement to be classifed as a "chronometer" is somthing like -4/+2 secs per day. A Casio GShock will be accurate to that each year, and Im sure you have a very accurate clock on your phone too.

Most of the good manfutures exceed this standard (which is largely about marketing) and a watch can be considered accurate if its error its consistent, ie 2 secs every day, not -2 one day, +3 the next.

Its about building little machines powered by springs, gears, escapements that can measure time. Before the quartz movement circa 1970, which nearly destroyed the Swiss industry, these were all we had. It goes back to John Harrison in the 1700s and the requirement to solve the riddle of longitude, whcih required accurate time keeping. In the day, this was a "man on the moon" proposition.

To build a little time machine that can mechaically measure time, days, months leap years- as some highly evolved very expensive mechanical movements can, is the expression of the art.

A Nissan GTR will beat the pants of your 959- but what do you take pleasure from?

Cheers Stuart