[starkweather]

Hi,

I've been testing the accuracy of my Automatic watch by setting it at the same time as another source and monitoring it over a 12/24 hours period. But I am wondering what it is best to compare it with. I was thinking a digital watch, cell phone, PC clock or speaking clock perhaps.

Which is it best to compare it against do you think?

:thanks

 

[LeifUK]

I use this:

http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/europe/uk/


Even if the time is wrong because you are not in the UK, you could sync the seconds, and watch the drift.

 

[starkweather]

Do you usually get pretty accurate results with that page then?

 

[scottw44]

I recently picked up an inexpensive Junhans atomic and have been quite pleased.

 

[DW-5600E]

I use this:

http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/europe/uk/

Seems to be spot on with this:

http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?UTC/s/0/java

 

[danl b]

There are two questions here. Setting a watch accurately requires an accurate source. Use any atomic clock or use the time on your cable box-this will be close. Checking how accurate your watch is in keeping time can be done with any quartz watch. To determine how your watch performs try this: Get a stop watch and a quartz watch. Set the automatic watch a bit fast. When the second hand on the automatic hits a point on it start the stopwatch. When the second hand on the quartz hits that point stop the stopwatch. This is how fast you are running. I can get to about .2 sec accurately. Try this a couple of times to see how consistent you are. Ok, now you know how fast your watch is. Now you check your watch every hour and determine how much your watch gains or loses under different conditions of wear. My Longines Legend Date Diver gains about .3 sec per hour at full wind. At a partial wind it keeps perfect time. I take my watch off at night and in the morning it is losing time--a little if it was fully wound when I took it off and more if it was partly unwound. For me a perfectly regulated automatic gains during the day under your normal wear usage and then when removed at night loses the exact amount gained during the day. You can also try this. Take the watch off at night when it is fully wound. In the morning do not put it back on. Take hourly measurements and you will notice the watch lose more and more time as it winds down. I don't know how much watches vary but I would think better watches are more consistent as they wind down.

 

[Noku Dzu]

I like listening to the tick of WWV from the NIST time standards. Then, I can view & listen to what the watch is doing:

303-499-7111