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Do you like "ticking" on a mechanical watch?

  • Yes

    Votes: 11 23.4%
  • No

    Votes: 34 72.3%
  • Undecided

    Votes: 2 4.3%

Do you like how a "dead beat" (ticking) complication makes your watch look?

10K views 28 replies 25 participants last post by  justinle 
#1 ·
Hello,

For those who doesn't yet know, a "dead beat" complication is a complication which is added to make the second hand in mechanical watches ticks one time per second, similar to how quartz watches work in general. It's also called "jumping seconds", "seconde morte" (dead seconds), or "tru-beat" in Rolex' terminology. Click this link for a vid:



While the relative smoothness of the sweeping second hand is one reason that makes mechanicals so mesmerizing and unique (not here), I admit that sometime I miss the one tick per second of a quartz because it's just easier to synchronize with the mind if you're timing something (maybe the crude tick is less desirable in chronographs or if you're counting pulses). So it made me think when I saw that Rolex vid.

For "looks" only, do you prefer that your mechanicals "to tick as opposed to sweep smoothly"? If I have to guess, I think the majority will vote "NO":-x As for me, I'm kind of undecided because I also love smooth sweeping hands:roll:

PS: Is there "jumping minutes" complication? I think it'll be wonderful if we combine the two together for "legibility" purpose.
 
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#4 ·
No, sweeping second hands all the way.
 
#7 ·
Nope, for that I'll buy a quartz
 
#15 ·


Haha cool and it's kinda funny when the minute hand moves on that clock. Any idea why the second hand stops for a moment at 12 and doesn't it affect the timekeeping?

v76 said:
Check out the "Lange Zeitwerk". It has the jumping hours and minutes complications.
I did but it's presented in "digital format". A beautiful watch though.

jason_recliner said:
I think Alpha make a jump hour too.
For me, I think a jumping hour is less desirable because it actually makes reading the watch more difficult.

Chascomm said:
If you want to know about a really crazy 1-second-beat complication, look up 'Chinese Duplex'.
Thanks I'll check it out.
 
#20 ·
It's supposed to come from the times when doctors actually measured your pulse by holding your wrist and looking at their watches. It has something to do with the easier seconds-counting.

I've read it somewhere. Probably at Habring website. They make a dead-beat seconds watch, too.
 
#14 ·
From a purely geek interest, I'd love to have a Tru-Beat or an early Timex-Laco electromechanical, especially with a display back to show off the clever bits. however from a purely aesthetic perspective, I prefer a sweep hand to sweep. It's illogical, but I can't help it.

I bought my first quartz analogue in 1985 (a Hong Kong pocket watch with Swiss movement), and immediately found the 'dead beat' less attractive than the 6-ticks-per-second of my previous Poljot-powered pocket watch. Even so it was a practical watch and it remained in regular use for the next 15 years or so. But it was such a relief to get the old watch running again

...except that it led to this watch collecting habit o|

If you want to know about a really crazy 1-second-beat complication, look up 'Chinese Duplex'.
 
#18 ·
I suppose before the ubiquitous quartz watches a dead beat complication would be something special, but now it would simply look like there's a quartz movement in there. Even knowing it was some unique mechanical complication wouldn't do it for me.

And honestly I do prefer a smoother ticking than once/second. A complication that truly smoothly moves the second hand, especially if it were mechanical and not electronic, would be much more interesting.

I also don't like quartz movements that move the minute or hour hands in noticeable jumps. There have been a couple of watches I've halfway considered with analog/digital displays. They didn't have the second mechanical second hand so I wouldn't see the ticking seconds, but the minute hand moved in noticeable jumps.
 
#19 ·
I can't really answer this properly because I only own quartz (thermocompensated high accuracy) or Spring-drive watches, which are hybrid quartz-mechanical or mechanical, according to how you feel about it. I'm so used to seconds hands that move once per second that the smooth, liquid sweep of the Spring-drives surprises me every time I look at them. I think I like both, though I wish the seconds hands on quartz watches would line up with the minute markers better. Since, obviously, alignment is not a factor in the SDs, that's a point in their favor.

I don't know of any "jumping minutes" watches but there are several whose minute hands move twice, three times or four times per minute (I'm not sure if there are models that move both three times AND four times, but certainly one or the other). All of these are quartz, so are probably of no interest.
 
#21 ·
I don't know of any "jumping minutes" watches but there are several whose minute hands move twice, three times or four times per minute (I'm not sure if there are models that move both three times AND four times, but certainly one or the other). All of these are quartz, so are probably of no interest.
It is common in quartz movements without seconds for the stepper motor to step once every 20 seconds to save power.

As mentioned, some quartz clocks step once per minute. Smiths Industries built a car clock like that shortly before they dropped out of the civilian market. The clocks are now built under license by another company using the Smiths brand. Setting is by push-button. I have heard about quartz watches for children that work the same way. Interestingly they were sold on the UK market so I wonder if there is a connection. :think:
 
#27 ·
I'm not having a preference either way, I grew up with watches that tick from second to second so nothing seems out of place with it. I have a couple autos that sweep and they are fine watches. What really matters to me is when I stop to check the watch against my phone is that it is running spot on with the digital signal my phone receives. Now some may say that this isn't an effective way to access accuracy and I concede it may not be the best but.............. Either my phone and quartz Omega are conspiring together to fool me or the watch is staying right on time the way it was set.

Of course I check the sweeping auto the same way and am happy to report that it seldom needs to be adjusted when in use. So, sweep or tick; it doesn't matter to me. I know replies like this may not be mainstream but I felt like answering.

Ard
 
#29 ·
I’m very much interested in this complication. The JLC geophysic is a beautiful example.
 
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