Have you ever had a mechanical watch that kept great time?

[RedlinePSI]

I don't have a ton of experience to go on here, but my last 2 watches (a Jaeger and a TAG) both are off by a good margin. The Jaeger was slow, and my new TAG is fast. I haven't done the exact numbers yet, but seems to be a half minute to a minute a day.

I understand mechanicals are not perfect, but this is ridiculous. How much is too much and when do you think it should go in for repair? I have to get warranty activated on this and send it in. It's much easier to set correct when it's fast, but it's still annoying.

[MrGreenPump]

Well, considering there are 86,400 seconds in a day, being +/- 60 seconds isn't anything alarming. Check out this thread if you're interested in regulating your watch (https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=309355).

We don't buy mechanical watches because of their high accuracy - we buy them because they are mechanical engineering marvels.

Buying a quartz/battery watch is like buying a tesla over a bmw - there is appeal to having a lightning quick 0-60 (or dead accurate watch) but the mechanics behind a petrol engine (or an automatic watch) is what draws us to the brand.

[JamesWWIII]

Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) standards for mechanical chronometer certification is -4 to +6 seconds, or 10 seconds of variation per day, and only around 6% of Swiss-made automatic watches made are certified.

I absolutely have automatics that meet this standard, some of which are COSC certified (my Breitling Chronomat is one) and some that aren't certified but are still this accurate.

If you want to learn more: http://www.cosc.swiss/en

[1MOREMOD]

I haven't paid much attention as I change watch daily so reset time when worn again anyway. I do know my stowa was off by 20ish sec. Per day.

[turo329]

Both my Tissot Automatics are very accurate. Bridgeport Powermatic 80 and Lelocle are both within a 2-3 seconds a day + or -. Friend of mine as well as my brother both complain about the accuracy of their TAGs.

[Blksnowflake]

That is why I buy Rolex. I love other brands like IWC and their Big Pilot but accuracy sucks ass. Even AP runs inconsistently. I can't pay $10k for a watch that loses five seconds a day. Running a few seconds fast doesn't bother me, and five out of six Rolexes I have had ran +1/2 seconds fast over a month or so with only one losing 3 seconds a week.

At this point I'm not buying experimental fly by night watch designs. I stick to Rolex and their designs suit my needs perfectly.

[Nivarox]

From my experience nothing can beat Rolex in terms of accuracy considering +2/-2 standards as well .
My Grand Seiko also keeps great time but they they call it Spring Drive

[stooker]

All my mechanicals keep great time, definitely way better than 30-60 seconds off a day.

I was bored in a meeting one week, and so I synchronized my daily beater watch with the digital clock (that showed seconds) in the room... and a week later at the same weekly meeting it was only off 7 seconds. It has a fairly basic ETA movement, not COSC certified, and I am definitely not gentle with it.

Try to get some objective data, even if it's crude testing, for your two watches. If it's more than ~10 seconds or so off a day, I'd get them checked out. A half to full minute off a day is pretty bad for higher end mechanicals, or TBH any modern mechanical watch worth wearing in my opinion.

[fullstack]

I had a planet ocean 2500 that was horrible until it got past 5 years as a daily and then it started to keep time perfectly to a second fast per month. I read that the oil dries up and changes the movement.

My rolex sub-c lv has been about 5-7 seconds fast per month consistently for the past 4.5 years.

[david in germany]

Originally Posted by Nivarox

From my experience nothing can beat Rolex in terms of accuracy considering +2/-2 standards as well .
My Grand Seiko also keeps great time but they they call it Spring Drive

I read an article once that mentioned one of the main designers from Rolex looks to one of the Grand Seiko movements as the industrial standard for time keeping accuracy.

I do have one Tag Heuer S/el that is around + 2 seconds every 3 months. I think I got lucky with that one. The majority of my Seikos are 3-4 seconds a week but most of them are Quartz or AGS watches. My automatics vary between 3-5 seconds a day when daily worn.

[Dang3r]

My Tutima chrono actually grows time up to 35 secs a day and its fresh from its last revision, which was not really cheap.
This depends from various circumstances like wearing or just laying onto the desk, using the stop watch or not, wearing during flights into the cockpit or do some sports.
Anyway, this is too much, before its 5 year-cycle "overhaul" the win was down to 9 secs a day and thats beyond from precise for a manual chrono.
Until now (and I wear this watch since 26 years) I'd never encountered negative time, whats meaning the watch is loosing some seconds a day.

[RedlinePSI]

Originally Posted by JamesWWIII

Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC) standards for mechanical chronometer certification is -4 to +6 seconds, or 10 seconds of variation per day, and only around 6% of Swiss-made automatic watches made are certified.

I absolutely have automatics that meet this standard, some of which are COSC certified (my Breitling Chronomat is one) and some that aren't certified but are still this accurate.

If you want to learn more: http://www.cosc.swiss/en

Great info, thanks!

[RedlinePSI]

Originally Posted by stooker

All my mechanicals keep great time, definitely way better than 30-60 seconds off a day.

I was bored in a meeting one week, and so I synchronized my daily beater watch with the digital clock (that showed seconds) in the room... and a week later at the same weekly meeting it was only off 7 seconds. It has a fairly basic ETA movement, not COSC certified, and I am definitely not gentle with it.

Try to get some objective data, even if it's crude testing, for your two watches. If it's more than ~10 seconds or so off a day, I'd get them checked out. A half to full minute off a day is pretty bad for higher end mechanicals, or TBH any modern mechanical watch worth wearing in my opinion.

Yea I thought it was a little bit too much. I guess it's good to see it's far from unusual. I'll do a more accurate test and make a determination.

[RedlinePSI]

Originally Posted by 3rdPedalAddict

I had a planet ocean 2500 that was horrible until it got past 5 years as a daily and then it started to keep time perfectly to a second fast per month. I read that the oil dries up and changes the movement.

My rolex sub-c lv has been about 5-7 seconds fast per month consistently for the past 4.5 years.

Sweet, maybe i'll just sit on it until it repairs itself. haha

[RedlinePSI]

Originally Posted by MrGreenPump

Well, considering there are 86,400 seconds in a day, being +/- 60 seconds isn't anything alarming. Check out this thread if you're interested in regulating your watch (https://www.rolexforums.com/showthread.php?t=309355).

We don't buy mechanical watches because of their high accuracy - we buy them because they are mechanical engineering marvels.

Buying a quartz/battery watch is like buying a tesla over a bmw - there is appeal to having a lightning quick 0-60 (or dead accurate watch) but the mechanics behind a petrol engine (or an automatic watch) is what draws us to the brand.

Wow I never knew that about how to try and get the watch to +/- some seconds by laying it a certain way. Lately I have been laying the TAG vertically crown up. It literally says thats a way to gain seconds. I'll try laying it crown down. Though I never really liked the idea of that, i'll use a soft glove or something.

[TheWatchGuy]

Originally Posted by RedlinePSI

I don't have a ton of experience to go on here, but my last 2 watches (a Jaeger and a TAG) both are off by a good margin. The Jaeger was slow, and my new TAG is fast. I haven't done the exact numbers yet, but seems to be a half minute to a minute a day.

I understand mechanicals are not perfect, but this is ridiculous. How much is too much and when do you think it should go in for repair? I have to get warranty activated on this and send it in. It's much easier to set correct when it's fast, but it's still annoying.

you probably need a service on both of them. neither should be that far off.

majority of mine are within 1-2 s/d fast, but i service them regularly (every few years)

[BEM-S4]

My aqua timer loses a minute a week or thereabouts

[RABAUKE]

Originally Posted by Blksnowflake

That is why I buy Rolex. I love other brands like IWC and their Big Pilot but accuracy sucks ass. Even AP runs inconsistently. I can't pay $10k for a watch that loses five seconds a day. Running a few seconds fast doesn't bother me, and five out of six Rolexes I have had ran +1/2 seconds fast over a month or so with only one losing 3 seconds a week.

At this point I'm not buying experimental fly by night watch designs. I stick to Rolex and their designs suit my needs perfectly.

I find that hard to believe, my wife and I both have Rolex's and don't get me wrong we love them but even after coming back from service at Rolex they don't keep great time....I think the post above says it best, we wear them because they are mechanical marvels.....my Omega Speedy Professional actually keeps pretty decent time as does my wife's Planet Ocean by far better than the Rolex's.

[stooker]

Originally Posted by RABAUKE

I find that hard to believe, my wife and I both have Rolex's and don't get me wrong we love them but even after coming back from service at Rolex they don't keep great time....I think the post above says it best, we wear them because they are mechanical marvels.....my Omega Speedy Professional actually keeps pretty decent time as does my wife's Planet Ocean by far better than the Rolex's.

I agree if the watch didn't come with a certification, but if it did, I would want it to stay within tolerance. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't all Rolexes COSC?

[RABAUKE]

Originally Posted by stooker

I agree if the watch didn't come with a certification, but if it did, I would want it to stay within tolerance. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't all Rolexes COSC?

They are, I suspect they are close to the COSC standard but I was questioning Blksnowflakes " I have had ran +1/2 seconds fast over a month or so with only one losing 3 seconds a week. " That seems like it's two small a margin to even measure.....my Rolex gains a couple of minutes a month, same for the wife's.

[JamesWWIII]

Originally Posted by stooker

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't all Rolexes COSC?

Since 2016, all Rolex watches are actually held to a higher standard than COSC, with -2/+2 second per day variability which they label "Superlative Chronometer".

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/rolex-e...n-house-tests/

[stooker]

Originally Posted by RABAUKE

They are, I suspect they are close to the COSC standard but I was questioning Blksnowflakes " I have had ran +1/2 seconds fast over a month or so with only one losing 3 seconds a week. " That seems like it's two small a margin to even measure.....my Rolex gains a couple of minutes a month, same for the wife's.

Agree. A second or two over a month is quartz accuracy.