Your best timekeeper?

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strapline
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Your best timekeeper?

Post by strapline »

This time yesterday morning saw me welcoming in the beginning of a new month, alas we have become seasonally cold and grey in southern Ireland. I went through the routine of resetting my watches. I do it most months, even if there is no need with the months containing 31 days. I like to set the time exactly on the first day of the month and see where I am come the months' end. I have both quartz and autos; depending on my wearing habits the autos can end up on zero net gains/loses. There's nothing like starting the month only to find your watch bang on.

In general my autos seem to hang around COSC spec -4/+6s per day. I'm lucky really, nothing seems to drift in to double figures either way. But my two most reliable timekeepers are my two quartz Elliot Browns. The split second's chronograph runs consistently fast at a gain of 8s a month. It's powered by a Ronda 530D chrono movement. The Canford three hander is the winner a considerable distance; it's always slow by somewhere between 0.5 and 1s a month, for a yearly accuracy figure of -6 to -12 per annum. I don't know much about quartz accuracy figures but that seems very good. I'm not sure if that would put it in the HAQ range, maybe someone knows?

So, what's your best, most consistent, performer? And I know you can't expect mechanicals to outperform quartz, before anyone suggests it.

Lastly, do you have a watch that's performing way better/worse than is expected?

Des
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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Best mechanical timekeeper. Easy. Cartier Tank. Not COSC but has never really run outside COSC specs in 5 years. Typically +1 or +2 s/d.


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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by JAFO »

I like your idea of a monthly reset. For me, that would be ok on quartz watches, but would need a lot of work for nechanicals.
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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by H0rati0 »

strapline wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:05 am The Canford three hander is the winner a considerable distance; it's always slow by somewhere between 0.5 and 1s a month, for a yearly accuracy figure of -6 to -12 per annum. I don't know much about quartz accuracy figures but that seems very good. I'm not sure if that would put it in the HAQ range, maybe someone knows?

Des
HAQ is "generally" accepted as better than 10 seconds per year, so yep your Canford is up there but not specified as such. Generally HAQ specification watches do much better than even that 10 seconds!

In truth, a few seconds every six months is fine for me - I have to adjust for DST anyway. To answer your question my GS Springdrive is easily my most accurate at actual +2 seconds per month, even compared with my quartz watches, more then good enough I'd say.
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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by strapline »

^^ ^^
Two gorgeous and accurate and consistent watches. Personally I'm a real sucker for a Cartier; love the '19 Santos with blue dial and raised metallic numerals.

Des
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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by Richard D »

This...


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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by Wolfman53 »

My top 3 in order if accuracy is.
1. Grand Seiko SBGN005 9F Quartz - Lost 4 seconds over 12 Months!
2. Grand Seiko Blue Snowflake - averages + 0.25 seconds per day.
3. Ball Engineer M Marvelight- averages less than + 2 seconds per day.

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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by JAFO »

I have a Dreyfuss open heart watch that seems to run perfectly at any stage of power reserve. It's just uncanny. The time is always spot on.

My CW C65 Vintage hand wound runs within a couple of seconds, and often runs at 0spd, depending on the PR. Ditto with a Montblanc Timewalker Chronograph, a Burberry Britain BBY1206, and even an Invicta Pro Diver. Probably others too.
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Re: Your best timekeeper?

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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by rkovars »

For me the most accurate watch is my Bulova Lunar Pilot. It has a high performance quartz module running at 262 kHz. It is spec'd at +-10s per year but to my measurements runs more like +-2 per year. It is a beast! My best performing mechanical is my Ombré LE which has a COSC movement. It runs somewhere between 0-1s per day. Conversely, my worst is my Seiko 5 from the 70s.

Somewhere about 25-30 sec per day. Considering that it has never been serviced (to my knowledge) and is 40 something years old I am not about to complain! :thumbup:
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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by nbg »

IIRC the last time the clocks changed, my Quartz Animal gained only 5 seconds in a six month period.

Most accurate automatics are a couple of Rolex and a Tudor. One of which was worn, for at least part of each day, over a period of about 2 months and ended up at a cumulative +0.5s, with negligible positional variation.

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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by JAFO »

I have just been surprised. I set my Dreyfuss at 10am, just after the above post, and wound it a bit and put it on. I just checked, and the blighter has gained a second in 6 hours. I will give it a talking to, and have another look tomorrow morning. :D

(And apropos my Tribus, I forgot this was a gold watch, although not on a bracelet.)
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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by Bident »

Coincidentally, the watch I'm wearing today is one of my best timekeepers. I have two others that are also pretty much 0 spd like this one:
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Two of the three, including the Nodus, are Miyota 9015. The third is an ETA 2893-2.
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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

JAFO wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:01 pm (And apropos my Tribus, I forgot this was a gold watch, although not on a bracelet.)
Liverpool watch? Probably been losing quite a bit recently then.
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Re: Your best timekeeper?

Post by Bungle-ator »

Easily this:
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