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Member |
Hi, I'm considering a new watch (which beyond time keeping is a luxury item for me). But I'm considering splurging a bit here. I currently have a Citizen Promaster Dive watch (eco-drive) which is fine except for 2 minor nits for improvement: 1) brighter / longer lume, 2) radio atomic time setting. I'm finding a couple of Citizen watches that may help with #2 (but not necessarily with #1). The question I have is that I'm used to the dive bezel and find it useful at times. The watches I'm looking at aren't offered with the dive bezel but with a tachymeter. I get that the tachymeter an be used to determine speed (given known distance) or distance (given known speed). But I'm not sure how useful that really is. But I've come to appreciate the dive bezel actually after having it, not before. Are the tachymeters useful? Or only for pilots or race car drivers? Why no (Citizen) dive watches with radio atomic time setting? "Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it." L.Tolstoy "A government is just a body of people, usually, notably, ungoverned." Shepherd Book | ||
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| Peace through superior firepower  |
I've actully used this feature on a Seiko watch. In the 1980s, I had an old Cutlass with a broken speedometer. Traveling on the interstate, I used the mile markers and my watch to gauge my speed so that I wouldn't get a speeding ticket. I may be the only person you know who has had a genuine need for this feature on a wristwatch. ____________________________________________________ "I am your retribution." - Donald Trump, speech at CPAC, March 4, 2023 | |||
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| Member |
That actually makes sense. And it didn’t occur to me that it could be used to determine a set distance based on speed until I researched a bit. So wondering if there are other useful things for it. But reality - my eyes are bad and generally can’t read the tachymeter unless I take off my glasses. So probably useless to me if something is moving. Maybe a sign I should hold off until the perfect watch for me is available. "Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it." L.Tolstoy "A government is just a body of people, usually, notably, ungoverned." Shepherd Book | |||
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Seeker of Clarity |
Without the chronograph (stop-watch) functionality, I would think it's be tricky to gain alignment just by rotating the bezel to the right spot (the place where the second hand is at that instant) in order to begin using it. If you are talking chronograph, then yeah, by all means. Not even for utility, but for the fun of playing with that gadget. Chronos are my fav because they allow me to time all kinds of things. Kid's band concerts, the sermon at church, How long my wife is in the store. hehe  | |||
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| Seeker of Clarity |
Other way around. -- From mile marker to mile marker you start and stop the chrono (or I suppose theoretically on a non-chrono you could spin the bezel to the right spot to find the second hand where it is). Then the tachy tells the speed. If it takes the full minute, it's 60 miles and hour (mile a minute). | |||
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| Do No Harm, Do Know Harm |
' Beyond this very specific use, I've never understood how one is supposed to use a chronometer to measure distance in any other usable way. Same thing with using one to determine distance based on time. Sure, if you were on the interstate going 70 for two hours straight...but with changing speeds, stop and go, etc., I don't understand the idea. That said, I've got two and they do have a place. Just never understood that selling point. Knowing what one is talking about is widely admired but not strictly required here. Although sometimes distracting, there is often a certain entertainment value to this easy standard. -JALLEN "All I need is a WAR ON DRUGS reference and I got myself a police thread BINGO." -jljones | |||
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| Seeker of Clarity |
I've always assumed it was just for 60 second or less timings. | |||
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| Not as lean, not as mean, Still a Marine  |
I use it when watching an auto race live, as it will figure the vehicle speeds. I've also used it when a passenger in a car to calibrate the speedometer or to check my kids driving speeds without being too obvious. I shall respect you until you open your mouth, from that point on, you must earn it yourself. | |||
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SIG's 'n Surefires |
I'd suggest you contact Dave Truong. "Common sense is wisdom with its sleeves rolled up." -Kyle Farnsworth "Freedom of Speech does not guarantee freedom from consequences." -Mike Rowe "Democracies aren't overthrown, they're given away." -George Lucas | |||
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| Member |
The tachymeter is a static, secondary component to a chronograph. The real point is to time up to 60 seconds with the central seconds chrono hand, and then up to longer durations with totalizer sub-dials (which in Citizen’s case are usually 30 or 60 minutes). If you’re okay with atomic clock syncing (Multi-Band 6) that’s a great way to keep your watch accurate. It’s also a lot more common than GPS models. Citizen divers have better lume than their busier watches (e.g. Nighthawk) by the nature of their design and the broadness of the hands and indices (which allow more paint). If you want brighter and longer-lasting lume, you’ll likely be looking at more diver models. The reason you don’t see divers with radio sync is because of their design and water resistance. Radio sync means a different module, with more pushers required. Pushers make water resistance more challenging. I have two Citizen solar quartz (Eco-Drive) watches: a Promaster diver that gains about five seconds a month, and a Chandler that gains about a tenth of a second a month (yes, that’s correct). So. Better lume than what you have probably means another diver, most of which don’t sync with MB6 or GPS. If you want a compromise, check out the Casio Oceanus OCW-S100. It’s a sleeper JDM model. Titanium, solar-powered, radio sync, perpetual calendar, world timer, etc. in a very discreet package. Decent lume too. Best of luck! | |||
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| california tumbles into the sea |
nice. where do they say is the best place to buy, if browsing turns to buying that is. couldn't find one thread on it (watchuseek).\ edit: ok, lots of OCW-S100-1AJF threads on watchuseek lol.This message has been edited. Last edited by: f2, | |||
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| Member |
https://www.seiyajapan.com/products/ocw-s100-1ajf | |||
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| Member |
Great info and nice suggestion! "Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it." L.Tolstoy "A government is just a body of people, usually, notably, ungoverned." Shepherd Book | |||
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| Member |
Don’t fall down the rabbit hole of JDM only models... that’s another thread. | |||
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| Little ray of sunshine  |
Tachymeters are for racers. But they are fun. Try a Daytona. ;l The fish is mute, expressionless. The fish doesn't think because the fish knows everything. | |||
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| Member |
A word of caution about Citizen watches. I like chronograph three dial watches. I bought a Citizen that fits that description. It wasn't until I got it home that I noticed that the individual dial markings were so small, that it was virtually impossible to tell the difference between three and four minutes. I do think the EcoDrive system is a stroke of genius. | |||
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