Watch accuracy

[DieselDave]

You guys had me concerned my Luminox 3101 might not keep good time so I have just completed a 3 day check and I am within 1/2 second. I will recheck at the end of the week. I won't ever need an atomic watch if I can stay with 30 seconds a month and I am now tracking 5 seconds at the moment.

Anybody want to do a 3, 7 and 14 day test for grins? I am using time.gov for my reference.

 

[avusblue]

My Timex Ironman stayed within 2 seconds during the 6 months between changing to/from Daylight Savings Time. Amazing!!

 

[RichardMT]

I also use time.gov to keep track of my watch. My Tag Heuer seems to gain about 10-15 seconds a month. I can live with that, but considering my sons 70 dollar Fossil does the same thing, I am a bit disappointed. I should note that the Tag is about 7 or 8 years old.

 

[Beretta1526]

I can try it with my Movado. I don't wear it too often in the summer, but I can make an exception. It's getting near time for me to get a new battery in it anyway.

 

[keithhr]

Do any of the Movado's have a second hand so that the exact time can be set? I thought all they had was the minute and hour hands. Just curious. In some ways that would be good, no way to compulse about being off a second or two would make life a bit more mellow.

 

[AlphaTea]

Funny you should mention watch accuracy.
I bought my current Ironman Triathlon about 3 years ago. Last night the wife was cleaning out the junk drawer in the kitchen and she found my previous Ironman with the broken band. That little sucker was still running, had the correct date and the time was only off by about 10 seconds or so! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[geepondy]

Well my Omega Seamaster Pro loses about 30-60 seconds a month. Not bad for a hundred percent mechanical watch.

 

[TheBob]

[ QUOTE ]
AlphaTea said:
That little sucker was still running, had the correct date and the time was only off by about 10 seconds or so! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

<font color="black"> </font>
The bad news is that if you actually were wearng the watch, it probably wouldn't be anywhere near as accurate.

My prior watch was off about a second every 3 to 3.5 days. When I replaced it, I still periodically looked at it and it is running faster.

Likewise, my new watch was running faster before I got around to actually wearing it. While wearing it, it is gaining 1 second every 8 or 9 days I think.

Oh, keep in mind that these things change. My prior watch started out losing less than 1/4 second in 49 days. After that it started running fast, gradually reaching the 1 second in 3 days days or so that it finally seemed to stick with after a couple years, even through battery changes.

Bob

Bob

 

[spotlight]

I've had a Citizen ProMaster Wingman for 3 years in November. I wear it every day and it has averaged 1.5 seconds a month since new. Excellent watch!

Les

 

[Beretta1526]

OK, I checked the Movado to time.gov at exactly midnight last night. It was dead on. I have not set the time on it since last year when we went back on to EST from EDT. I didn't set it this year because I no longer wear it when it's hot out. It's quartz and not all mechanical, so that should have something to do with good accuracy. I guess that's pretty good since the battery is almost 4 years old and the expected duty cycle is right around 30 months.

keithr: no second hand, I can only check accurate time at 0:00, 12:00, 6:30 or 18:30. Anything else is just speculation./ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

Also, if it is off, it can't be off more than 10 seconds or the minute hand would not be so perfectly aligned with the hour hand. I was going to try to take a pic, but the batt's in my camera were almost dead and the Movado face defies most photographic attempts.

 

[AllenInHouston]

I have a Citizen Skyhawk that I tracked for about 5 months. It loses a little less than 4 seconds a month. This is much better than the G-Shock that I wore for 10 years that would gain over 15 seconds a month. The Skyhawk is solar powered, but it's supposed to be able to keep time for 2 years in the dark. After a few minutes of darkness, the second hand stops moving and the displays turn off (I've seen this many times). Supposedly, after a few days of that, the minute and hour hands stop and it just keeps time internally (I haven't seen that - I wear it every day). The slide-rule bezel is probably it's most interesting feature.

Allen

 

[paulr]

I had a Casio Forester that consistently gained about 3 seconds a month. I lost it when the strap broke and bought another identical one. The new one gains about 15 seconds a month. I later found the old one under the seat of my car but I'm still wearing the new one.

Every electronic watch I've had has been very consistent in its rate, i.e. it gained or lost the same amount every day. That seems to say these watches could be adjusted to be extremely accurate, probably 1-2 seconds a month.

The Seiko Perpetual Calendar (analog face, quartz movement) is specified to be within something like 15 seconds a year (I don't remember but it was the tightest spec I'd seen for a non-specialty watch). It's also supposed to run for 10 years without a battery change. Basically you set it once when you put it on and that's it.

 

[keithhr]

beretta1526
I guess a guess is a guess I guess.

 

[DieselDave]

Day 5, My Luminox 3101 is still within 1/2 second. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

 

[FlashlightOCD]

I have a Stainless Steel Navigator that loses about one second per week, I wish it gained a second a week because that would make it much easier to re-sync, but I think 4 seconds a month is very resonable.

 

[DieselDave]

Day 8, My Luminox 3101 is still within 1/2 second. Now tracking a potential 2 seconds off a month.

 

[Beretta1526]

[ QUOTE ]
keithhr said:
beretta1526
I guess a guess is a guess I guess.

[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

 

[K-T]

Ok, guys, tell me: How do you track 1/2 second from a analog watch? How do you do that with a digital watch? I am absolute clueless! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif I agree that everything more that 1 or 2 seconds can be noticed after some time, but 1/2 second?

 

[DieselDave]

K-T, You start by not being able to get the analog watch and the reference clock to change seconds at exactly the same time. My watch stays half a heartbeat behind when the seconds change, err, 1/2 second. It could be 1/4 or 3/4 second but it's not a full second.

At the moment all of this is moot for me because my son has taken my watch and deposited it who knows where. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif It will likely turn up some time down the road along with my multi-tool.

 

[CCW]

My Citizen Eco-Drive, some limited edition, lost 2 seconds in last 7 years, compared to the government clock. No battery in this one (solar powered), so I never tweaked it besides wearing it almost everyday. Good watch.