[BikeFast]

So my 19 hr accuracy check after receiving a new Orient watch at 7:00 last night showed I had gained 8 seconds in 19 hours. Understanding that, to quote fromm a previous thread on accuracy that:

"many factors can affect the accuracy of a mechanical watch, including ambient temperature (the colder it is, the faster it will be, as the mainspring contracts, shortening the amplitude of the beat/ the warmer it is, the slower it goes), centrifugal force, shock, state of wind and position it lies in"

I thought I'd describe the conditions I have been wearing the watch to elicit thoughts on whether I should expect different performance when I correct one or two things.

I wore watch all night last night to include while sleeping so It was largely stationary. This morning, 12 hrs in, watch seemed still to be 8 seconds or so behind NIST time, where I set it.

I rode my bikle to work so I wrapped watch in a shirt inside my bike bag. Though cusioned, suffice to say that it was more prone to jostling than it would have been while I was sleeping. It was also 35 degrees outside (although probably y stayed pretty warm in my bag). Around 10:00, I noticed watch had gained about 4 seconds on NIST.

I have not yet had the bracelet sized so it slides around my wrist quite a bit when I move. From 10:00-12:00 I was pretty stationary at my desk and watch did seem to gain any time. Then I went to meeting that had me leave my office, get into car, walk quite a ways, and sit in a very warm conference room. By the time I returned at 2:00, watch had gained an additional 4 seconds so is now spot on with NIST.

SO question, what effect do folks think jostling and jangling that occurred while biking and because bracelet is loose had on performance so far?

 

[CitizenM]

So my 19 hr accuracy check after receiving a new Orient watch at 7:00 last night showed I had gained 8 seconds in 19 hours. Understanding that, to quote fromm a previous thread on accuracy that:

"many factors can affect the accuracy of a mechanical watch, including ambient temperature (the colder it is, the faster it will be, as the mainspring contracts, shortening the amplitude of the beat/ the warmer it is, the slower it goes), centrifugal force, shock, state of wind and position it lies in"

I thought I'd describe the conditions I have been wearing the watch to elicit thoughts on whether I should expect different performance when I correct one or two things.

I wore watch all night last night to include while sleeping so It was largely stationary. This morning, 12 hrs in, watch seemed still to be 8 seconds or so behind NIST time, where I set it.

I rode my bikle to work so I wrapped watch in a shirt inside my bike bag. Though cusioned, suffice to say that it was more prone to jostling than it would have been while I was sleeping. It was also 35 degrees outside (although probably y stayed pretty warm in my bag). Around 10:00, I noticed watch had gained about 4 seconds on NIST.

I have not yet had the bracelet sized so it slides around my wrist quite a bit when I move. From 10:00-12:00 I was pretty stationary at my desk and watch did seem to gain any time. Then I went to meeting that had me leave my office, get into car, walk quite a ways, and sit in a very warm conference room. By the time I returned at 2:00, watch had gained an additional 4 seconds so is now spot on with NIST.

SO question, what effect do folks think jostling and jangling that occurred while biking and because bracelet is loose had on performance so far?

It's almost certainly negligible. If it's a brand new watch, it'll probably slow down noticeably in the first couple weeks you wear it. If it's running too fast, let it sleep crown up at night, if it's too slow, dial down. Still, it sounds quite accurate already.

 

[Tragic]

You just need to stop fretting over it and wear it in a day to day manner for a month or so.
Then you'll have a good idea of it's accuracy.

 

[BikeFast]

You just need to stop fretting over it and wear it in a day to day manner for a month or so.
Then you'll have a good idea of it's accuracy.

Sorry to imply fret. I really wasn't. I was just curious as to how sensitive watch would be to jangling. To citizenM, why will new watch slow down and how does position of watch (crown up/face down) have an effect?? I am asking not because I have any concern about this watch but am itersted in how various things (gravity, time, etc) affect the movement.

 

[LJUSMC]

So my 19 hr accuracy check after receiving a new Orient watch at 7:00 last night showed I had gained 8 seconds in 19 hours. Understanding that, to quote fromm a previous thread on accuracy that:

"many factors can affect the accuracy of a mechanical watch, including ambient temperature (the colder it is, the faster it will be, as the mainspring contracts, shortening the amplitude of the beat/ the warmer it is, the slower it goes), centrifugal force, shock, state of wind and position it lies in"

I thought I'd describe the conditions I have been wearing the watch to elicit thoughts on whether I should expect different performance when I correct one or two things.

I wore watch all night last night to include while sleeping so It was largely stationary. This morning, 12 hrs in, watch seemed still to be 8 seconds or so behind NIST time, where I set it.

I rode my bikle to work so I wrapped watch in a shirt inside my bike bag. Though cusioned, suffice to say that it was more prone to jostling than it would have been while I was sleeping. It was also 35 degrees outside (although probably y stayed pretty warm in my bag). Around 10:00, I noticed watch had gained about 4 seconds on NIST.

I have not yet had the bracelet sized so it slides around my wrist quite a bit when I move. From 10:00-12:00 I was pretty stationary at my desk and watch did seem to gain any time. Then I went to meeting that had me leave my office, get into car, walk quite a ways, and sit in a very warm conference room. By the time I returned at 2:00, watch had gained an additional 4 seconds so is now spot on with NIST.

SO question, what effect do folks think jostling and jangling that occurred while biking and because bracelet is loose had on performance so far?

Wow, my head hurts.

So, a few weeks ago I took delivery of my Speedy Pro, I adjusted the bracelet, set it to the correct time, and went to work. I have no idea whether or not it has gained or lost anything since I set it.

I don't figure I'll set it again until it's time to change for daylight savings.

What's the point in this? Here: Don't think about it - if it gets you to work on time, then it's accurate enough. However, if you're one of those people where seconds really do count, then you should get a casio atomic solar.

 

[GregAM]

So my 19 hr accuracy check after receiving a new Orient watch at 7:00 last night showed I had gained 8 seconds in 19 hours. Understanding that, to quote fromm a previous thread on accuracy that:

"many factors can affect the accuracy of a mechanical watch, including ambient temperature (the colder it is, the faster it will be, as the mainspring contracts, shortening the amplitude of the beat/ the warmer it is, the slower it goes), centrifugal force, shock, state of wind and position it lies in"

The comments are really good-natured. What they & I mean/ suggest:
a) let your Orient break in for a while, and then check out its accuracy
b) try not to worry about a few seconds deviation per day anyway, since in the grand scheme of things, a few seconds still mean the watch is around 99.999% accurate!!! OR
c) if you are actually attracted to precision (I, for one, am attracted to mechanical precision, for example) make it your hobby guideline!
IMO, Orients are well made and reasonably priced. They have decent motors. They are reliable. All I am saying is, give Orient a chance!;-)
Regards

 

[BikeFast]

Wow, my head hurts.

So, a few weeks ago I took delivery of my Speedy Pro, I adjusted the bracelet, set it to the correct time, and went to work. I have no idea whether or not it has gained or lost anything since I set it.

I don't figure I'll set it again until it's time to change for daylight savings.

What's the point in this? Here: Don't think about it - if it gets you to work on time, then it's accurate enough. However, if you're one of those people where seconds really do count, then you should get a casio atomic solar.

Well the point was, as I noted, I am curious to know how my watch works and what factors affect performance. Its a mechanical thing that performs differently under different circumstances. Inferences being drawn that I am being overly anal about accuracy are incorrect (I have very accurate quartz watches I can wear for that). Someone tells me it will slow down, I want to know why, mechanically, that would be because its interesting and I like mechanical things. I will do research elsewhere on mechanical watch workings to pursue my curiosity.

 

[CitizenM]

Well the point was, as I noted, I am curious to know how my watch works and what factors affect performance. Its a mechanical thing that performs differently under different circumstances. Inferences being drawn that I am being overly anal about accuracy are incorrect (I have very accurate quartz watches I can wear for that). Someone tells me it will slow down, I want to know why, mechanically, that would be because its interesting and I like mechanical things. I will do research elsewhere on mechanical watch workings to pursue my curiosity.

I understand completely. I'm kind of obsessed about accuracy myself. I'm not a watch maker, but this is my understanding of basic positional variance.

The idea goes that the actual contact between moving parts of watches changes depending on the way gravity is pulling on them. Specifically, the balance wheel's contact increases in a vertical position, because, apparently, the drag on the sides of the pivot increases when gravity isn't pushing straight down onto the jewel.

That's my rudimentary understanding of it, at any rate.

As per break in, I've never heard a satisfactory explanation for it. Break in periods are typical in complex mechanical devices though. They are seen as irrelevant in modern car engines, but historically, you had to treat a car engine different in the first few thousand miles. This was apparently due to the imprecise machining of the day which caused excessive friction, although eventually the friction would perfectly sculpt the metal inside (high resistance areas are automatically polished).

Theoretically, the same could be true of a mechanical watch. Other suggested explanations are that oils get better distributed by the normal operation.

In either case, it appears to me that the watch would actually run faster if this occurred.

So, long story short, I really have no good explanation for the behavior.

Making matters more complex, most medium or high end watches aren't even new when you buy them new, at least, not in the movement sense. They've been tested for at least a week of constant operation. Grand Seiko, which probably does more adjusting and testing than any other company, actually has their 9S calibre running for 17 days before you receive it. Case in sum, it seems like most of the wear in period for a grand seiko, rolex, patek or what have you, should already be done when you get it. Yet people still report it.

I have even heard of a break in period of watches that were just inactive a long time even though they'd be worn for a long period of time before that. My Seiko Ananta was like that.

 

[BikeFast]

It's almost certainly negligible. If it's a brand new watch, it'll probably slow down noticeably in the first couple weeks you wear it. If it's running too fast, let it sleep crown up at night, if it's too slow, dial down. Still, it sounds quite accurate already.

Hey, not to beat a dead horse, but I thought I would note here (mainly because if I told my wife this, she would roll her eyes and call me a dork), that letting watch rest crown up does in fact slow it down. In the week I have owned the watch, while wearing it, as I noted already, it runs a shade under 10 seconds a day fast. I noticed that over the weekend , when I went 36 hours or so without wearing it, the watch ran a bit faster while lying flat, face up -- more like 12 seconds. So last light I let it lie crown up to see if CitizenM theory worked. And, indeed, in 11 hrs, it gained only 3 seconds (which equates to 6.5 for 24hrs). Interesting (and all within factory spec, more than accurate enough for me).