I own several mechanical watches and i was never really into their accuracy. They are all pretty good in i don't need to be hooked on seconds. That was until my Miyota powered Helberg started do run way to fast and i have to readjust minutes every other day. So now i would like to know how accurate each watch is. And i know curiosity killed the cat, but i like gadgets and i would like to know more about tools that measure watch accuracy. How do you do it?

Do you rest your watch together with a quartz or radio watch and check after 1, 2, 3, days? Or are there any specific tools for this job?

Did your watch receive any knocks or blows? If not, this could very well be just a case of magnetism. The hairspring that controls the pace at which the watch runs got sticks together and in effect shortens the length of the hairspring. This makes the balance wheel swing and hence speeds up the watch. Any watchmaker can fix this within a minute or you could bu a small demagnitizer yourself. I think you're watch is fine.

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try Toolwatch find it on store apple for IOS

 

If you have an Android phone, try Watch Check. Here's a screenshot from a new watch I've been checking.

 

A resting mechanical watch will have a different accuracy than wearing the same watch. So don't let it rest. Wear it normally and..

- compare to an atomic time signal from time to time + pen and paper, or
- use an App for that purpose.

 

Since you like gadgets, you can get a decent timegrapher on Amazon for less than $150.

 

As people already mentioned, you have several options:
1. Use timegrapher. Most watchmakers I visited use them, I heard that they are fast, accurate and pretty easy to use. Problem with them is that you have to invest money to buy one. If you are not seriously into watches I suggest moving on with the list.
2. Use some application on your mobile phone. There are numerous apps for this purpose, both for iOS and Android. They should be easy to use, some of them are free and some are freemium (so I've heard).
3. Use simple spreadsheet.

I'll try to elaborate method 3 because I use this every day.
First, you find some online atomic clock that you are going to use for comparison. It is very important that you compare your watch with (the same) atomic clock every time. Don't use other watches/clocks because they are not accurate and most of them have some daily deviations. Make the first reading, compare your watch with atomic clock (ie. if your watch has second hand wait for this hand to be in 0 position and note the time on the watch and atomic clock). You will have your first reading - note the time difference between the watch and the clock. (let's say your watch is 5 sec late). After some time (for the sake of argument, let's say after 24 hrs) you repeat the procedure. You'll get another reading (let's say your watch is now 10 sec late). Judging by those two readings, your watch lost 5 sec in 24 hrs.

If you do this often you'll notice that your watch gains/loses time differently in different positions (face up, face down, crown up, crown down etc.). Naturaly, it will bahave differently while it's on your hand. Force in the spring has influence on the accuracy also. Other factors also influence time keeping (temperature, pressure, magnetism etc.) but that's another, very complex and interesting subject. Hope this helped.

 

Personally I feel accuracy is best judged while wearing the watch normally. For a short test I use an app on my phone. For a longer test I start with my watch set to my Casio GWM 5610 and time how long the test is with. Casio GD-350. I just checked and the test I am running on another Casio is up to 289 hours.

 

Any body have experienced Kello app for iOS?

 

Timegrapher 1000

 

A timegrapher is a great bit of kit but be careful not to get in a tizzy over what it tells you.

 

^^ This.

The timegrapher is a great tool to get a quick overview and check the movement condition. But to measure the accuracy on the wrist, you need to wear it for a day or a couple. The grapher says nothing about that.

 

My tools are the watch and laptop. I set the watch to time.gov and just wear it normally for 7 days. The error divided by 7 is sufficient information for me.

 

Don't do it man..

https://www.watchuseek.com/f2/i-bought-timegrapher-its-destroying-lives-4667807.html

 

I'd recommend against a timegrapher unless you're also willing to work on the watch. Otherwise you're just spending your money to do a task that you'd then pay your watchmaker to do again.

For just general accuracy logging, I use an app called WatchTracker.

 

I'd recommend against a timegrapher unless you're also willing to work on the watch. Otherwise you're just spending your money to do a task that you'd then pay your watchmaker to do again.

Owning a timegrapher means paying money for knowing if you need to pay a watchmaker or not. Or for knowing if he did a good job when you get it back.

But I agree that unless we are talking about the potential servicing of a watch, a timegrapher isn't required. There are easier and better ways to check the general accuracy.

 

Q. Do you reset your watch together with a quartz or radio watch?
A. No,

Q. Are there any specific tools for this job?
A. I use the website time.is site.

Q. Do you check after 1, 2, 3, days?
A. No. I check every couple of weeks or so; or, when setting a watch after its power reserve has come to a dead stop.

 

The apps won't be as good as a timegrapher. If you go down the timegrapher route, here's an article from Bob's watches about how to read one and what constitutes good and bad readings.
https://www.bobswatches.com/watch-resources/how-to-use-a-timegrapher

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Good info. I'll start with an app and see how i like it.