How accurate is accurate?

[Tricolore66]

Last night at dinner my girlfriend noticed a was wearing a new Speedmaster Professional 3861 that I bought Wednesday and asked me if it was accurate. I told her it was still within 2 seconds after almost four days, so I was very pleased with it. I’ve owned several Speedy’s and none have been particularly accurate.

She then told me her Sub, a 114060 is racing ahead a running four minutes fast. The watch never leaves her wrist, she even sleeps with it on. I usually clean and set it for her a couple of times a year, but it seems like it had been awhile. Turns out she remembers it was before she left town in August, so at least five months.

I ran the math and I’m actually thinking this is pretty good! A consistent +2 seconds a day is a minute per month fast, so her watch is keeping pretty good time considering it’s 4 years old and hasn’t been serviced and definitely not been babied. Since she never takes it off the rate seems to stay pretty consistent. I get to know how all my watches run and can self-regulate them to a degree by how I set them down at night.

She mentioned that her watch before she started wearing Rolex’s, a Movado, was very accurate. I suggested that we go to the mall tomorrow and I could buy her any Movado she wanted and I’d be happy to wear the Sub! Then she wanted to talk about the Olympics!

[JMGoodnight369]

114060 is an amazingly accurate watch. Mine runs a solid +0.5 sec a day and I got it in 2018. My 124060 is a bit slower at about -1 sec a day. Still even at -2/+2 it’s very very accurate. I’m one of those OCD timing guys (which some on here are not a fan of) and this is why Rolex is my brand of choice.

[garyk]

I think my Rolex watches have always been very accurate. So accurate in fact I have never felt the need to time them or measure them for accuracy…

[H25B]

Sort of subjective, is it accurate enough for what you’re trying to accomplish..? My 1861 Speedmaster is certainly the least accurate but certainly acceptable and amazingly “accurate” for a mechanical watch. So far, my SD43 is still dead on and I haven’t adjusted the time on it since the AD sized and set it for me maybe 3 weeks ago when I bought it.

[EEpro]

I try to grab a data point now and then just to keep track of health. I no longer own a timegrapher and only care about actual performance on wrist so this app works fine. I just tell it the time displayed on my watch and it records it against atomic time. No different than a spreadsheet but generates plots without needing a PC.

[StanGMT]

Having used my 1675 GMT as my daily watch for 50+ years I am very used to its typical accuracy of +/- 2 sec per day. Depending on my usage pattern and level of activity I might need to adjust it, to get it back on track, maybe once a month. Similarly for my Air King.

Then I bought a Speedmaster 3861 last September. I set it to right time on the day I bought it. I have since worn it a lot and have just wound it up fully every morning. I haven't needed to adjust it at all and it is currently 4 sec fast. I think a 4 sec gain in five months is not bad for a mechanical movement.

Stan.

[Brian Page]

Originally Posted by StanGMT

Having used my 1675 GMT as my daily watch for 50+ years I am very used to its typical accuracy of +/- 2 sec per day. Depending on my usage pattern and level of activity I might need to adjust it, to get it back on track, maybe once a month. Similarly for my Air King.

Then I bought a Speedmaster 3861 last September. I set it to right time on the day I bought it. I have since worn it a lot and have just wound it up fully every morning. I haven't needed to adjust it at all and it is currently 4 sec fast. I think a 4 sec gain in five months is not bad for a mechanical movement.

Stan.

I'm having the same experience with my new speedmaster with 3861 as well Stan, hell of a movement!

[StanGMT]

Originally Posted by Brian Page

I'm having the same experience with my new speedmaster with 3861 as well Stan, hell of a movement!

[Tricolore66]

It’s really nice having a Speedy movement that hacks too! I’m noticing more differences in this watch over the 1861 everyday.

Originally Posted by Brian Page

I'm having the same experience with my new speedmaster with 3861 as well Stan, hell of a movement!

[Chiboy]

I haven’t wound or set my Daytona for seven months and it’s off by 3 seconds total. Not too bad!

[HogwldFLTR]

Some-one will appear before too long mentioning the number of seconds per day. It doesn't really matter as it is easier to discuss the seconds lost or gained. I was amazed by the performance of my Daytona about a year ago. In a month it was within one second of time.is to which it was set a month earlier.

[RFC]

As of late I’ve been regulating all my watches by keeping them dial up (to run faster) or crown down (to slow down) while sleeping. As for Rolex my 14060M runs at +2 sec/day while the 124060 at -1.5 sec/day over an average of one week. A slower watch bugs me more than a faster one. Both are still accurate.

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by StanGMT

Having used my 1675 GMT as my daily watch for 50+ years I am very used to its typical accuracy of +/- 2 sec per day.

Originally Posted by HogwldFLTR

Some-one will appear before too long mentioning the number of seconds per day.

[Greenwood_]

My 126610 is about 3 months old and hasn’t been set since it left the AD. It’s currently +1.5sec over that period.

I check its accuracy every week or two, and adjust overnight orientation to regulate accordingly.

Some might find this arduous, but I enjoy the routine. I was finding sub ownership somewhat clinical after 6 years of daily winding with my speedy.

[7enderbender]

I’m spoiled. My Speedmaster reduced runs for weeks and months pretty much at +/-0. My recent Speedy Pro 1861 seems to be running at +2-3sec/day. My Sea Dweller 16600 is more disappointing at +10 and will go in for service after the summer.

[saxo3]

Originally Posted by 7enderbender

I’m spoiled. My Speedmaster reduced runs for weeks and months pretty much at +/-0. My recent Speedy Pro 1861 seems to be running at +2-3sec/day. My Sea Dweller 16600 is more disappointing at +10 and will go in for service after the summer.

Try to get the 3135 caliber of your 16600 regulated before you decide for a service. Did you check different rest positions overnight? The 3135 is one of the best movements they built.

[shipitfresh]

Originally Posted by RFC

As of late I’ve been regulating all my watches by keeping them dial up (to run faster) or crown down (to slow down) while sleeping. As for Rolex my 14060M runs at +2 sec/day while the 124060 at -1.5 sec/day over an average of one week. A slower watch bugs me more than a faster one. Both are still accurate.

That's exactly what I do. Easy peasy. Just checked my DJ41 and it's about .5 sec slow. I'll keep it crown down until this weekend and then maybe put it dial up a day or two.

[Rebel]

Within specs.

[brandrea]

No idea how any of my watches keep time … I rotate too often to care

[padi56]

Originally Posted by brandrea

No idea how any of my watches keep time … I rotate too often to care

Have to agree life's to short to worry and test watches constantly like some for perhaps a few seconds.For any mechanical watch to run even within the tested COSC spec truly is a mechanical marvel.

[saxo3]

Eat sleep post repeat repeat repeat
Eat sleep post repeat repeat repeat
Eat sleep post repeat repeat repeat
Tiring Retirement Folks

[Andad]

Too cryptic even for me Peter.

[eijiboy]

I dont even bother setting the time and date since i rotate them. they run out of PR by the time i wear them but didnt bother setting the time and date. I just wear it and thats it. I just look at my phone to check the time.

[jimcameron]

G-Shock Wave Ceptor/Tough Solar. 100% accurate every day. $90

[StanGMT]

Originally Posted by eijiboy

I dont even bother setting the time and date since i rotate them. they run out of PR by the time i wear them but didnt bother setting the time and date. I just wear it and thats it. I just look at my phone to check the time.

I'm not sure I understand. If you're not using them to tell the time why are you bothering to wear them at all? What's the point - or is this just a wind-up?

Stan.

[JSolution]

Originally Posted by brandrea

No idea how any of my watches keep time … I rotate too often to care

Bingo - ignorance is bliss brian.

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by JSolution

Bingo - ignorance is bliss brian.

That’s what my wife tells me too

[77T]

I’m noticing that owning one manual watch is refreshing.

Due to other ones being safely ensconced on the Wolfie cuffs, I can easily see their relative accuracy.

Winders are the best thing to ease horological IBD.

But the Calatrava doesn’t worry me. It’s wound up for each use maybe once a month. As long as the seconds hand begins it’s transit, I’m good for the day.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[padi56]

Originally Posted by jimcameron

G-Shock Wave Ceptor/Tough Solar. 100% accurate every day. $90

Well I have several old silver pocket watches from the 1890s some not working at the movement, but even the non working ones show accurate time twice a day.

[paxjedi]

I don't really care about + / - seconds in a day.
Heck the date change is + / - 12 hours, who cares about seconds.


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