I got into mechanical watches about two years ago. I fell in love. I started with a Seiko 5, wore it for about a year and a half. It was $60. Then I got a Seiko diver, an SKX013 for about $200. I am really not a multiple watch guy so I slowly phased my diver into the rotation. But at the -25/30 seconds a day it was running it ticked me off. So I got a cheap timegrapher program for my iPad and tried to regulate it. I was successful. For the last 29 days it is 0.3 seconds fast a day on average. I have worn it in the office, and in the field. And I can beat the hell out of it in the field.

I'm saving up still for a Speedy, and maybe even a Rolex Explorer one day. But I do love mechanical watches

Back home:


The "office" (Sorry I didn't take a watch pic. This was Ft. Stewart a week or so ago. Next time, no pun intended )

I've added three new watches to the stable. They're all automatics: Deep Blue, Phoibos, Vostok-Euro







I'm not quite, up to an expensive Swiss Breitling yet, but I will. I'm into tool dive watches big-time.

quote:

Originally posted by Sock Eating Golden:
If I may be pedantic for a minute.

quote:

Originally posted by Mars_Attacks:
My first Bulova Accu-Swiss Chronometer Chronograph...

That said. STUNNING watch there. Wish I had the funds to pick one up.

.

I’m confused Mars. Are you saying your new Swiss Made watch has a Japanese movement?
“My first Bulova Accu-Swiss Chronograph arrived today. The Swiss movement has been discontinued for a Japanese movement.”

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:
I’m confused Mars. Are you saying your new Swiss Made watch has a Japanese movement?
“My first Bulova Accu-Swiss Chronograph arrived today. The Swiss movement has been discontinued for a Japanese movement.”

With no notification Bulova ended the Acutron and Accu Swiss lines last year.
This link is the only thing I can find about the topic.

quote:

Originally posted by Sock Eating Golden:

quote:

Originally posted by Jimineer:
I’m confused Mars. Are you saying your new Swiss Made watch has a Japanese movement?
“My first Bulova Accu-Swiss Chronograph arrived today. The Swiss movement has been discontinued for a Japanese movement.”

With no notification Bulova ended the Acutron and Accu Swiss lines last year.
This link is the only thing I can find about the topic.

Bulova can’t decide who or what they are can they? In one of Mars’ photos the watch has Swiss Made on it. So it has to have a Swiss movement to carry the Swiss Made branding from what I’ve read. Besides having to have 60% of the cost of the watch with Swiss material and workmanship the movement must be Swiss.

The watch must be a year or so old then. I bet it has a SW500 movement.
Or maybe it is an Accu Jap.

I wish I bad the cash for an Accu Swiss Gemini that has the Accutron markings and tuning fork logo.

It's a Swiss movement. I bought two Accu-Swiss because they were discontinued and wanted to get the swiss movement before they were gone.

All the new models have the Japanese movement.

The tuning fork logo was nixed, but they got extreme backlash and it has reappeared on some models.

Mine only has it on the crown and bracelet. Not the dial.

I bought two 63C116 Murren autos for $298 each.

The Gemini is the 63C115 and the lugs have that tuning fork logo shape to them.

Still trying to scratch the Omega Speedy Pro itch until I can find one for a price I am willing to pay. Picked up this Seiko solar chronograph on the cheap using Kohls cash and a sale price plus 30% off....shipped to me for less than 70 bucks. I like the Porsche 917 LeMans vibe.

I know little about watches beyond what catches my eye.

I see y'all mentioning being seconds (sometimes fractions of seconds it seems) +/- a day. That leaves me scratching my head with questions:
1. What are you measuring against (I assume an atomic clock)?
2. How are you measuring the difference of the watch vs the master source?
3. I get that over a long period of time seconds become minutes, hours, or days, but I don't understand the frustration of gaining or losing 3 seconds in a 24 hr period. Can someone help me understand the tragedy of the lost/gained time?

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
I know little about watches beyond what catches my eye.

I see y'all mentioning being seconds (sometimes fractions of seconds it seems) +/- a day. That leaves me scratching my head with questions:
1. What are you measuring against (I assume an atomic clock)?
2. How are you measuring the difference of the watch vs the master source?
3. I get that over a long period of time seconds become minutes, hours, or days, but I don't understand the frustration of gaining or losing 3 seconds in a 24 hr period. Can someone help me understand the tragedy of the lost/gained time?

There are phone apps that compare your watch's time to the atomic clock and then you use that reference to check in with the app after a day or two to see what your gain or loss is per day. I use WatchCheck for this. Some have a timegrapher which allows them to check for beat errors to calculate +/- seconds/day in real time.

I think most of us don't care about a few seconds per day. That's just an acceptable error with any mechanical watch. Excessive loss or gain is an indication that the watch needs to be serviced.

quote:

Originally posted by agony:
Still trying to scratch the Omega Speedy Pro itch until I can find one for a price I am willing to pay.

I got offered $8,000 for mine.
Been told mine is worth much more.
I think I might keep it.
8 THOUSAND smackeroos.

I've seen 3750's for $2500.


Look at a Casio 503. Even though it's quartz, it's VERY similar.

quote:

Originally posted by brminpin:
Excessive loss or gain is an indication that the watch needs to be serviced.

Also mechanical watches will keep different time depending on their orientation, and to a lesser extent, temperature. When worn my Glycine has averaged less than a second +/- per day. When face up on a table it will be about +4 s/d. When the face is vertical with the 3 up it is -2.5 s/d. So I can regulate it's time relative to actual time based on how I lay it down.

It's also a bit of bragging and a signal of quality. My, relatively margin priced, Glycine averaged 0.0 +/- s/d over about a week. With a little assistance from me on how I leave it when not worn.

Also tracking it's gain/loss will signal before one just notices it.

quote:

Originally posted by mbinky:
...But at the -25/30 seconds a day it was running it ticked me off. So I got a cheap timegrapher program for my iPad and tried to regulate it. I was successful...

More info? How did you regulate it? My Seiko 5 is losing some 25 s/d and I'm thinking of sending it in under the warranty, but I'm curious how you did it.

Link to original video: https://youtu.be/Ui_QnDKciBU

When regulating Seiko movements, you have go REAL slow and make super small adjustments. It's really easy to nudge the lever too much. Take your time and once you get it within +/- 7 seconds, I'd call it a day.

Thanks, SC. I bought a kit to remove links from the band when I got the watch, but that's all. Looks like it takes a real tool kit to do this work, and I don't know why I didn't realize this when I read mbinky's post.

I'm guessing that the cost of buying tools for this operation wouldn't be worth it for the one job I need to do, so I may as well just send the watch to Seiko. I only paid about $10 for the link kit which is probably less than a jeweler would charge for the work.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:

quote:

Originally posted by agony:
Still trying to scratch the Omega Speedy Pro itch until I can find one for a price I am willing to pay.

I got offered $8,000 for mine.
Been told mine is worth much more.
I think I might keep it.
8 THOUSAND smackeroos.

I've seen 3750's for $2500.


Look at a Casio 503. Even though it's quartz, it's VERY similar.

Someone offered me a 2016 speedy pro with hessalite crystal 2,900 bucks. I may still jump on it.

Well I went and did it.
I bought an Invicta Automatic. Seiko movement.
$50!

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:...My Seiko 5 is losing some 25 s/d and I'm thinking of sending it in under the warranty...

I doubt that they would consider regulating it to be covered under warranty, since the Seiko 5 is not a certified chronometer, and no guarantee of sub-minute accuracy is stated or implied.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
Well I went and did it.
I bought an Invicta Automatic. Seiko movement.
$50!

Invicta's run the gamut from nice watches like yours to bizarro world. What Seiko movement is in it? NH35?

RMD

quote:

Originally posted by leftnose:

quote:

Originally posted by rduckwor:
The answer for those of you with Marathon watches.

Ugh!! Back to the factory.

"
Removing the bezel requires a proprietary tool. Regular bezel removing tools would be too weak for our bezel.
Please send the watch in using the attached form so that we can look after the issues for you.
The shipping instructions are described on page 2 of the form. Please follow them literally."

RMD

They want it to go back to Canada?!

I know their service agent in the US is IWW/Jack Alexyon in NC as I had him service mine last year.

Maybe write him an email to see if he has the tool.

info@internationalwatchworks.com

Be patient on a reply though. He may take a day or two to respond but, once you get a response, if you have a follow-up quesion, ask it immediately because he's sitting at his computer and he'll likely respond right away.

Yeah, I asked Jack. He said he wasn't sure he could Get the bezel off. I emailed him recently about another project and he is swamped.

RMD