Watch accuracy tolerances - one for the watch peeps?

Jez

Jez

Jez

Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
33,073
Guys, just a quick question re a watch my father has given me; is losing around 1 minute a week within what you would expect of an automatic high end watch?

The best watch ive had up until now was a £500 (at the time) cheapy Hugo Boss item, but that never lost as much as a second.

Short but sweet, thought i'd ask here to save the embarrassment of troubling my dad about it.:)
 
If it's a certified chronometer, the daily variation must be within -4/+6 seconds per day i believe.

If the watch hasn't been used for a while it may need time to "settle in". My Omega Seamaster was very erratic in keeping time for about 3-4 weeks when i first got it, but after that it was fine.
 
Tefal said:
Is it old?

As "high end" I would expect to be accurate to the second over a year or more.
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What? A second a year for an auto? lol good one.

I have an ExpII and a seamaster both gain between 1 sec and 2 secs a DAY and that imo is pretty damn good.

1 minute a week is a tad annoying, if its really getting to you get it regulated, or you could try and lay it flat during the night (face upwards) and it should gain some time back.
 
Well for COSC certification (which most more expensive watches have) a chronometer needs to have a daily rate of -4/+6 seconds. You're looking at a maximum loss of about 30 seconds per week for a certified watch.

However the daily rate can of course change with age, wear and use. If you're worried have it sent for a service.

Edit: like ibolden mentioned too :)
 
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Bigsy said:
What? A second a year for an auto? lol good one.

I have an ExpII and a seamaster both gain between 1 sec and 2 secs a DAY and that imo is pretty damn good.
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Thats pretty depressing then. that you spend hundreds to thousands on a whatch and it's less acurate than some chinese tat for less than a fiver :/
 
Col_M said:
Well for COSC certification (which most more expensive watches have) a chronometer needs to have a daily rate of -4/+6 seconds. You're looking at a maximum loss of about 30 seconds per week for a certified watch.

However the daily rate can of course change with age, wear and use. If you're worried have it sent for a service.
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Its not actually a loss, its running fast by up to a minute per week. Is this unusual for it to be this way round?
 
Tefal said:
Thats pretty depressing then. that you spend hundreds to thousands on a whatch and it's less acurate than some chinese tat for less than a fiver :/
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That's what i've always thought about expensive watches. Look pretty, sometimes bleedin' awesome, but their performance (I mean it's a machine to tell you the time) isn't always that accurate. I don't see it as part of an outfit or an item of jewellery.

Each to their own I suppose in the nicest possible way; most people out there won't do what I do and spend well over £150 on headphones. :)
 
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Greenlizard0 said:
That's what i've thought about expensive watches. Look pretty, sometimes bleedin' awesome but their performance (I mean it's a machine to tell you the time) isn't always that accurate.
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Kinda sounds like those hugley expensive computers that where made jewl encrusted gold, but still had 1GB of ram and pentiums in them :/

I always thought these whatches where meant to be super acurate :(
 
Tefal said:
Thats pretty depressing then. that you spend hundreds to thousands on a whatch and it's less acurate than some chinese tat for less than a fiver :/
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Why is it depressing? No one's asking you to buy one :)

Quite simply, the engineering and work that goes into a mechanical watch is phenomenal. It's still accurate enough to use. Who needs split second accuracy anyway?
 
Jez said:
Its not actually a loss, its running fast by up to a minute per week. Is this unusual for it to be this way round?
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I'd say that was ok, I'm not an expert though ;)

When it was certified a 42 second per week gain would have been acceptable but if it's a good few years old and hasn't been serviced then it can be more.

My Seamaster is about 6 years old now and I haven't had it serviced and it tends to lose about 4 mins a month, I really should get it serviced to be honest.
 
If its gaining time, then lay it vertical (with crown facing up) at night and it should gain a lot less time..... or just get it regulated/serviced.
 
taliesyn said:
Why is it depressing?
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Cause i always thoguht they where acurate.

Quite simply, the engineering and work that goes into a mechanical watch is phenomenal. It's still accurate enough to use.
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Your amazed by cogs, yet don't think anything of a resonative crystal slice?


Who needs split second accuracy anyway?
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Well we arn't talking split second are we, if he didn;t ajust it then he'd be almost an hour early by the end of the year.
 
Nitefly said:
You clearly have poor memory. A diary, perhaps?
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I honestly wouldn't know what to write.


"woke up, wondered were i was for a few mins"

"Wondered if there was anything left to drink"

"went on ocuk"

"lost countless hoursto ocuk/wiki"

"ate"

"wrote in diary"

"Finished of the last of the bottle and went to bed"

"wondered how I'm still writing in diary"


:(
 
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