Some of it is laziness or cost cutting. Some movements don't come in a no-date form and a no-date movement would require design changes and a lot more expense.

 

I can't find any reasonable basis to be irked about this so I don't really care.
I'm a date guy so I wouldn't buy a date-less watch so that's another reason why this doesn't matter at all to me.

 

Not cool, but if I like everything else about a watch I wouldn't let it turn me away.

On a side note, if there was a watch with a ghost chronograph I'd probably buy, just because.

 

Not cool, but if I like everything else about a watch I wouldn't let it turn me away.

On a side note, if there was a watch with a ghost chronograph I'd probably buy, just because.

I have a fake Daytona my dad brought back from China when I was a kid. It not only hacks and hand winds, but it has a ghost date and non functioning chronos. I also have a Long Island watch with a ghost date, it doesnt bother me at all.

 

Isn't this usually referred to as a phantom date? Ghost seems... scarier

It would start bothering me above a certain price point, especially a phantom date set pull out position of the crown. Just seems sloppy for a pricier watch.

 

It's all about cost, they get the movements from the manuf pre assembled with date and it would cost too much to remove the parts and add the no date option. Not all mvts have a no date option and using a date version also gives them more options on dial layout.

 

Never had one so I can only assume it would be a small nuisance.

 

I think I'd prefer my no date watches to have no date hidden underneath, but it's not something I'm really bothered by.

 

agreed but saw this one for $170 still deciding to pull the trigger on this it has an NH35 mvmnt and this one has a ghost date

 

Does this negatively impact the functioning of the movement in any way? I assume it's annoying when it comes to setting the time, but does it reduce reliability or power reserve or anything else?

 

No, The only thing the average person will notice is the "second" crown position doesn't do anything, as it doesn't engage what normally would be the calendar bits. So, fully in is for winding. Position two is a phantom position with no function and fully out is to set the time ( on most watches).

 

I have had a few inexpensive watches with the ghost date and to me it made the watch feel cheap. If the movement has a date I want to see it if it doesn’t I don’t want to feel it.

 

It does not bother me, but I'm not a purist.

Only issue I could think of is if you are inadvertently setting the phantom date during the no-no time between 9pm and 3am, and if that would screw anything else up.

 

It does not bother me, but I'm not a purist.

Only issue I could think of is if you are inadvertently setting the phantom date during the no-no time between 9pm and 3am, and if that would screw anything else up.

I think the date wheel is usually disengaged ... no?

 

I have a watch with a ghost/phantom date. It doesn't bother me. I'd prefer it to not be there, but meh.

 

I have a seiko that I modded that is actually a ghost day/date. It doesn't bother me the slightest bit...

I usually prefer the clean look of a no date dial

 

That's a gorgeous mod - love that yellow gold tone.

 

So you will never know if your watch says AM or PM?

 

I can take it or leave it. Not a deal breaker for me, although I am mostly a no-date guy. Don't lose too much sleep over this either way.......

 

Like many here im indifferent up to a certain price point

 

Junghans do this on the Max Bill, and I think some other German manufacturers using ETA movements do the same. It's not a big issue and reflects the price point of the watches.

 

No they don't. The no date Junghans Max Bill uses an ETA 2801-2, which does not have a date complication.

 

I find it to be sloppy, and it does make me think less of the watch. Ultimately, it's a cost-cutting measure, which is fine, but it also reduces the value proposition of the watch in my opinion, which in turn enters into the purchasing decision.

 

If I can save a couple hundred bucks I'm not bothered at all with the added time consuming burden of having to pull the crown out and extra click to set the time.

 

Not a big deal to me...maybe on an expensive watch, but I’ve only seen it on budget micros. It’s not even something I’ve ever noticed if I wasn’t looking for it. If you’re setting the time you pull the crown all the way out, so whether there’s a tiny extra click on the way doesn’t really register for me.


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Pretty sure my Archimede Bronze Pilot has a ghost/phantom date. I just have to remember to pull out 2 positions to set the time. No biggie but of course I would prefer if it wasn't there

 

I don't have any watches with a phantom date position, but I do often struggle finding position 2 on my date watches. I inevitably pull past it 50% of the time and end up in the time setting position. I start turning and end up having to reset the watch.

Way more annoying than an extra dead, do nothing click in my opinion

 

The most expensive watch where I had a ghost date position was a Sinn 556 LE. The date wheel itself was removed, but the crown position was still there. Not a huge deal, as I didn't need to adjust the time too often.

 

ah, so if i'm understanding this correctly, you could pull the crown out and change the date, despite not being able to see the date at all?

 

Not a problem if using an ebauche movement that doesn't have a no-date version and the brand isn't claiming to have some hand in the watchmaking. There are good, honest reasons to do it.
It would only really bother me if the time setting was not the last position. Like, if I did that to an el primero, I would be severely annoyed.

 

It wouldn't bother me until I accidentally break the unseen mechanism by adjusting in the wrong position and wrong time. Then I would be furious

 

forgive my ignorance, but what is meant by a "ghost date"?

 

It means they used a movement that has a date function, but aesthetically they chose not to include a date window. So you have a date position when the crown is pulled, and you can move the crown, but nothing occurs.