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I am not looking for the ultimate level of accuracy. For me, the certification is like an insurance policy against inaccuracy, inconsistency and unreliability. I would prefer METAS certification but even COSC is sufficient for my peace of mind. On the other hand, I am aware that insurance policies are not free of charge but nothing is.
When buying a new watch, I cannot be certain that it is within the specs that are declared by the manufacturer, no matter what these specs are. If it is certified, however, I am certain that it is within the specs that are declared by the certification institute. In other words, the certification eliminates the uncertainty factor. I prefer eliminating this factor before paying for the watch, especially if this is a luxury watch.
How can you be certain the certification company is any more trustworthy than IWC or Breitling, though?
The guarantee that the watch is accurate within a specific set of seconds in terms of gaining or losing time. That goes out the window. The reason why the guarantee ends is because many customers get cold feet about spending several hundreds of dollars servicing their (for example) COSC certified watches, properly. (Within a certain set number of years each time.) Due to that, the various brands make it clear that the original certification is no longer valid.
On average, a typical watch needs servicing once every 7 years. Usually once every 5 years if it's an older vintage model. With some newer models, an individual brand might say 10 years. Whether you wear a watch or not, it's best to stick to those intervals. At least that's been my experience. I'm sure others will disagree. Mechanical/Automatic watches have a very odd tendency of being able to keep accurate time.... While the oils on the inside get gunked up or thin out far too much. You look at your watch, you think everything is fine. But on the inside, you have gears grinding against each other without proper lubrication until the watch completely stops dead! Winding it, shaking it; nothing!
I understand that. To be honest, while I do wear watches for their time keeping function, the watch I chose to wear from one day to another essentially comes down to which ever one grabs my fancy as I visually scan the collection. Their looks matter a lot to me, in addition to keeping good time. So in that sense, they also serve me as fashion baubles. I greatly enjoy looking at them from time to time on my wrist when I have no interest whatsoever in knowing just what time it is.
You are right in pointing out that I cannot be absolutely certain about anything. I also comprehend that feelings like insecurity and skepticism do not improve life quality, especially if they go to extremes. My point is that I wouldn't like IWC or Breitling to be the jury. The independence or the honesty of any third party jury is also questionable, indeed, but questioning who the jury is, in the first place, makes more sense for me. Certification would give me peace of mind in hoping that I wouldn't have to open a warranty claim but I agree that buying a watch without this hope would not be the end of the world. I am not ruling out IWC based on certification but Breitling gets an edge due to COSC certification.
And thus... the reason I buy watches that if ever need be, I can replace the movement myself, or have it replaced for the same money as, or less than, a modestly priced service fee. I do like to tinker and have regulated a number of my watches using a TimeGrapher. Quite fun to dial in a movement oneself, to within a couple of seconds a day. 😎 If I had a very expensive luxury watch, I would not want to tweak it myself. And I'd be frustrated if it wasn't running to my satisfaction. I just don't need that in my life.
For me, getting a watch (or car, or else) properly serviced is part of the joy of ownership. Since it needs servicing, it also deserves it because it gives me something in return. Otherwise, I wouldn't buy it in the first place. This is interaction between watch (or car, or else) and owner. If it deserves expensive service, this is the outcome of my initial choice (of buying it). Neglecting or skimping on servicing would make me feel like not getting my dog to regular vet visits or like skimping on dog food. This would disturb my joy of ownership. The more unnecessary the item is (luxury watch or luxury car as opposed to more affordable ones) the more uneasy I would feel if I would fail in giving it what it deserves.
I'm with you here. I regulate anything in the box that's outside "house specs" of +5 seconds in two positions. One of the little things about the hobby that keeps it from being just raw consumerism.
Learning to do some tweaking on a watch is like learning to do some gun smithing or knife sharpening, or flashlight emitter modding, fountain pen nib tweaking, or modifying one's guitars' electronics or pickups... this level of involvement greatly deepens one's engagement with the item/hobby and enriches the experience. It also helps continue one's skills and abilities. Plus, it's just damn FUN to do all these things. 😀
Looks nice and thin, but how do you wear it so tightly? Doesn't the caseback dig into your wrist and clamp the nerves a little?
Ha, good question...picture is misleading, it is not that tight.....I hate a tight watch band.
Great looking watch and quite easily readable. There is a lot to like about that watch, the crown placement at 4 o'clock and how deep-set it is, the hands, and the coin edge bezel is very cool.
Nice example of a cleanly done chrono that maintains easy readability.
If possible, could we see just how thin it is? i really like thin lol. If Citizen could just make a bn0200 diver at 38-40mm with a 9-10mm thickness, I'd be all over that in a heartbeat. And chamfer off some of the hard angles in the bracelet too...i get that it's a tool and should look as such, but the angles get quite uncomfortable for extended wear. I have 7.25" wrists, but they swell and deflate depending on what I'm doing or eating at the moment.
