[DaveInLA]

I sent my Omega Speedy Pro in for regulation, and I was called yesterday that it's ready to be returned-- before, it was +11-13 sec/day, now it's been regulated to something like 4.7 sec/day. Since the number is so specific (ie, not 4-1/2 sec), I assume it's done by computer. How accurate are these computer measurements typically? Also, how long is the movement actually hooked up to the computer for these measurements to take place? Seconds? Minutes? Hours?

I initially took this Omega to Swatch in LA for regulation, and when they returned it, they said it was +7.6 sec. In the 3 months since, it never ran slower than +9, usually >10 sec/day. How could they be so far off?

 

[DaveInLA]

Thanks for the info!

When a watch is timed with such a machine, do most watchmakers only do it in one position (ie, dial up) or in multiple positions? The fact that I was only give one measurement suggests it was only in 1 position, no?

Also, if a watch can be timed in only seconds or minutes, why can't better accuracy be attained? For example, if mine is +4.7 sec, would it not be possible to tweak the regulation screw a tiny bit more and re-measure? The only way it wouldn't be feasible would be if the movements had to be put back into the case, which I don't believe is the case.

 

[DaveInLA]

Thanks for the excellent explanations, guys! Don't get me wrong, I'd be very happy with +4.7s, but my concern is that real-life timekeeping won't be that good. Like I mentioned earlier, when Swatch returned my watch, they said it was about +7-8 sec/day, but on my wrist and on the desktop, it was more like +11-13. I tried resting the watch in mutliple positions, and this was the best I could do. On my wrist, it was about the same. Hopefully things work out well this time!

 

[DaveInLA]

Well, my watch came back with a couple small printouts with results and statistics. Can someone explain what they mean?

Why is the "X +04.1 270o" circled? That's what the person from the shop told me represented the accuracy of the watch (not 4.7 like I initially thought), without mentioning position. Do the different letter combinations refer to the positions fo the watch? If so, what do they stand for (D, X, Xh, etc.)? What about the degrees posted after that (022, 270...)?

The symbols in front of the numbers on the left column look like positions of the crown (dial up, crown down, 12:00 down), but I'm not sure how to interpret the numbers after that. Any ideas? thanks a lot!

Edit: I wound the watch fully when I got it and set it dial-up. 11 hours later, it's +5 sec. At the rate it's going, that's really no better than when I sent it in, >10 sec/24 hrs. I'm going to time in several positions as well as worn on my wrist and see where it stands. I understand there will be some variation between the watchmaker's timing machine and real-life accuracy, but it's a little frustrating that they are consistently underestimating how fast this watch is.