What is the difference between Automatic and Kinetic watch?

[durianking]

Hi ... going to get a new watch for me. What is the difference between automatic watch and kinetic watch? Both are auto adjust right? I only know kinetic, need to move it. Advice from the expertise is needed. Thanks

[Steve5380]

Both the automatic and the kinetic watches use a small weight inside the watch that by its movement when the watch is moved or shaken produces the "kinetic" energy to make it work.   This means that you don't need to wind them up. 

 

The "automatic" is purely mechanic, the kinetic weight winds up the spring that is otherwise needs to be wound up in a non automatic watch.  This watch lacks the precision of an electronic watch, the kinetic energy lasts only a few days, and it needs to be moved frequently, like every day.  This is AN OLD RELIQUE FROM LAST CENTURY that makes absolutely no sense to wear today,  except for those who like weird gadgetry or have nostalgia of the past. 

 

The "kinetic" is a true electronic watch with its crystal-control precision,  that has a rechargeable battery inside instead of the regular one.  This battery is "kinetically" charged by the little weight inside that moves a minute electrical generator.  It can store enough energy to function even if it is not moved for 6 months or so.  This is the MODERN timepiece gadget. 

 

I fail to see any advantage of these kinetic watches over a regular electronic watch. Even if the regular electronic watches need to have their battery changed every 3 to 5 years, this should not be a hardship. Their lack of the kinetic charging stuff should make them more reliable, and the need to pay for new batteries can be compensated by their lower price.   

[durianking]

1 hour ago, Steve5380 said:

Both the automatic and the kinetic watches use a small weight inside the watch that by its movement when the watch is moved or shaken produces the "kinetic" energy to make it work.   This means that you don't need to wind them up. 

 

The "automatic" is purely mechanic, the kinetic weight winds up the spring that is otherwise needs to be wound up in a non automatic watch.  This watch lacks the precision of an electronic watch, the kinetic energy lasts only a few days, and it needs to be moved frequently, like every day.  This is AN OLD RELIQUE FROM LAST CENTURY that makes absolutely no sense to wear today,  except for those who like weird gadgetry or have nostalgia of the past. 

 

The "kinetic" is a true electronic watch with its crystal-control precision,  that has a rechargeable battery inside instead of the regular one.  This battery is "kinetically" charged by the little weight inside that moves a minute electrical generator.  It can store enough energy to function even if it is not moved for 6 months or so.  This is the MODERN timepiece gadget. 

 

I fail to see any advantage of these kinetic watches over a regular electronic watch. Even if the regular electronic watches need to have their battery changed every 3 to 5 years, this should not be a hardship. Their lack of the kinetic charging stuff should make them more reliable, and the need to pay for new batteries can be compensated by their lower price.   

Thanks for your clear in-sight Mr Expertise .....

[FattChoy]

>"I fail to see any advantage of these kinetic watches over a regular electronic watch."

 

- Perhaps better resale value?  Some (wealthier) people like to collect rare items.  

 

Personally I like my wrists free.  I have a phone with me 90% of the time.  Especially with the Covid pandemic out there, would you wanna spray down your watch everytime you come home with disinfectant?  

[nothunk00]

If u are using the watch as purely telling time, buy the most fuss free watch (usually quartz) with a design you like.

Quartz/kinetic/photoelectric are use it and forget it kind of watches, no winding or adjusting necessary for a long time.

 

People buy automatics mostly because they appreciate the mechanical aspect of it.

 

Nowadays watched are more of an accessory than timekeeping tool anyway, which plays up the luxury aspect of some brands.

[Steve5380]

7 hours ago, FattChoy said:

 

- Perhaps better resale value?  Some (wealthier) people like to collect rare items.  

 

Personally I like my wrists free.  I have a phone with me 90% of the time.  Especially with the Covid pandemic out there, would you wanna spray down your watch everytime you come home with disinfectant?  

 

 

Better resale value?  This never occurred to me.  A decent watch can last forever, what is the need to sell it?

 

I agree with you about having the wrists free.  It is also a little... little safer because a wrist watch can get entangled in something and if the band doesn't break, this can cause injury.  I only wear a wrist watch for their looks or when I need to check the time often with a glance and this is easier than pulling the cellphone from the pocket and turning it on.

 

About getting disinfectant sprayed on the watch,  now it is known that infection through surfaces is very rare, so there is no need for so much spraying.

[FattChoy]

1 hour ago, Steve5380 said:

 

Better resale value?  This never occurred to me.  A decent watch can last forever, what is the need to sell it?

 

I agree with you about having the wrists free.  It is also a little... little safer because a wrist watch can get entangled in something and if the band doesn't break, this can cause injury.  I only wear a wrist watch for their looks or when I need to check the time often with a glance and this is easier than pulling the cellphone from the pocket and turning it on.

 

About getting disinfectant sprayed on the watch,  now it is known that infection through surfaces is very rare, so there is no need for so much spraying.

One of my clients mid manager had 300 expensive watches.  He plans to photograph his collection when he's retired.  People like him buy (and sometimes sell) all the time.  

[upshot]

Automatic watches are just something to behold.

 

An invention that has been around for a long time, and its amazing how human beings so far back in history has the intelligence to create something this complex mashing so many mechanical principles at an intricacy level. And being able to own them today as layman and able to take a closer look at them is something so taken for granted by the disposable generation of mobile apps and digital smartwatches today. When you take the time to study some of the greatest inventions humans has ever made, you get a sense of wonder and privileged you are alive to witness the evolution triumph of mankind and indication of future potential beyond our own life span, the path we're progressing. A saving grace amidst the negativity mankind can also make. I am still hopeful more good will come than bad.

 

When I took a course in Retail Watch Selling/Marketing decade ago, it was a further deep-dive into the intricacies of watches and yes the automatic watch technologies. You really appreciate the various mechanism and development from the likes of Swiss Made to Japanese..etc. From what I learn, a good automatic watch deserve a good auto winder especially if you do not wear every day. An especially common gripe of friends who buy into getting the automatic watch fan club, the regular need to keep it wound. More tediously so if you have more than one to maintain. heh.

 

I had customers previously, who had an extensive collection. It's never so much to wear them but about appreciating them. He gets all 'touchy feelie' with them daily, playing with them in his home. He can go at length talking about brands, explains the mechanism's pro and con..etc. And he does not just buy the pricey ones but many overtly taken for granted lower price brands too. Which can be really nice gems. So do not look down on the cheaper automatic watches. There will be things one need to do when owning automatics so take the time to learn about them online or the watch shop if you go to one who knows their 'stuff'. Even a thing like changing the date on an automatic, there are a mechanical reason why you do that between a certain time frame to not stress a certain mechanical part of the watch for example.

 

Alway appreciate people with such passion and interest even if their livelihood has nothing to do with it or for boasting. Far too few people with passion for anything but the usual obvious. To buy, to show off but not understand or appreciate what they bought.

 

 

ahh... sorry carried off with another day not at work heheh...

[nothunk00]

There is no need for a watch winder,

Winding it to wear takes less than a minute, a winder is useful if u have a QP or grand complication.

[heman]

i suggest a mechanical watch for a start. Depends on your budget you can get an inhouse calibre from Seiko especially their midprice Pressage line. The dial on this series is beautiful even beats those of Swiss except perhaps from Kari Voutilinen and very few others. These Swiss master pieces costs just above $40K as compared to a Pressage which is just in between $400 to $600.

A mechanical watch needs not be automatic. In fact few watches in my collections are manual and NOT automatic. The joy of micromechanics is very rewarding. I dont like to use a watch winder for some specific reasons. Frankly i took at least 40 mins to wind all my watches each day except those with five or eight or ten days power reserves and this give me immense joy.

 

Kinetic watches use hand movement to operate the battery which then run the watch. This is different from quartz watches .Grand  Seiko , which is different from Seiko , had developed a spring drive whose accuracy beats even those of Patek, Ulysee Nardin , V. Constantin, Chopard and other high end watches.

Edited April 23, 2021 by heman

[heman]

A good watch is a very personal and can even be a very emotional experience. So please do take time and go around the dealers before deciding. The joy is the hunting for a watch that will live with you for decades. Just my two cent worth of opinion.

Edited April 23, 2021 by heman

[begleitung]

2 hours ago, heman said:

i suggest a mechanical watch for a start. Depends on your budget you can get an inhouse calibre from Seiko especially their midprice Pressage line. The dial on this series is beautiful even beats those of Swiss except perhaps from Kari Voutilinen and very few others. These Swiss master pieces costs just above $40K as compared to a Pressage which is just in between $400 to $600.

A mechanical watch needs not be automatic. In fact few watches in my collections are manual and NOT automatic. The joy of micromechanics is very rewarding. I dont like to use a watch winder for some specific reasons. Frankly i took at least 40 mins to wind all my watches each day except those with five or eight or ten days power reserves and this give me immense joy.

 

Kinetic watches use hand movement to operate the battery which then run the watch. This is different from quartz watches .Grand  Seiko , which is different from Seiko , had developed a spring drive whose accuracy beats even those of Patek, Ulysee Nardin , V. Constantin, Chopard and other high end watches.

How do u know when it’s time to wind it?

[heman]

Apart from my few watches which has more than 5 days power reserve, generally the rest has about 40 to 60 hours only. My routine is to wind all my watches at about 7 am in the morning. Weekend if i am not out it will be about 11 am. Be careful NOT o overwind those non automatic mechanical watches which dont have a safety mechanical devise to prevent overwinding. 

Some watches even have a power reserve indicator. One such reasonably price ones which is about $500 is one of Seiko Pressage too.

The watch technology developed by Ulysee Nardin The Freak back in year 1990 if i am not wrong, cause a big wave in the mechanical watch development that even the big giants like Patek and AP have to rethink twice in their approach.

JLC is the king of mechanical watches that it supplied the ingredients for watch making for many top names in horology.

Bear in mind even Rolex uses Zenith automatic chronograph movements in Daytona series until much later they develop their own mechanism.

Patek at one time even outsourced the chronograph mechanism from Lamminar (hope  correct spelling) in the early days.

I better end here before i be carried away about my passion in haute horology.

Edited April 23, 2021 by heman

[begleitung]

Lol, please carry on. 
 

so grand seiko is your favorite?

[heman]

Nope ...i have only one of Grand Seiko apart from few of the Pressage lines. These make good accessory brilliant colour watches to coordinate with my attire. I more of the Swiss rare limited edition series. Remember some Seiko watches like CREDO surpassed many of the high Swiss brand. Credo is relatively unknown outside the Japanese market. Average price of Credo even surpassed the Holy Trinity in high horology namely Patek, V Constantine and AP.

There is much controversy about spring drive ....is it a pure mechanical movement or otherwise though its accuracy if i am not wrong is about +15 to -15 sec per month !!??

Edited April 23, 2021 by heman

[Steve5380]

13 hours ago, upshot said:

Automatic watches are just something to behold.

 

An invention that has been around for a long time, and its amazing how human beings so far back in history has the intelligence to create something this complex mashing so many mechanical principles at an intricacy level. And being able to own them today as layman and able to take a closer look at them is something so taken for granted by the disposable generation of mobile apps and digital smartwatches today. When you take the time to study some of the greatest inventions humans has ever made, you get a sense of wonder and privileged you are alive to witness the evolution triumph of mankind and indication of future potential beyond our own life span, the path we're progressing. A saving grace amidst the negativity mankind can also make. I am still hopeful more good will come than bad.

 

Automatic watches are nothing special.  They have all the inventiveness in a regular mechanical watch plus a simple mechanism to wind it up.  A bigger landmark was the invention of the pendulum as a time measuring device, and its conversion to the rotating flywheel with its escape in the wristwatch.  A ladies watch has parts that are impressively minuscule, but... they are huge under the microscope.   

 

If you want to be impressed, consider microelectronics.  The integrated circuit in a cheap quartz watch has much more inventive in it.  Plus, and this is the crux of the matter in a watch,  it has much more precision than a mechanical watch.  You should admire the quartz watches that keep time FOR YEARS, and run FOR YEARS without any energy source but a tiny battery.  I have a TAG Heuer watch that has been running for many years on a battery, so precise that I never need to reset it,  waterproof to 300 meters,  so superior to a fancy automatic Rolex I got from my employer, which I never use and therefore never runs.  And when I want to use a watch in my simple life or take one on a vacation trip, it is a beautiful Timex indiglo also running for years and with high precision, that I bought years ago for less than $50.

 

8 hours ago, heman said:

 

There is much controversy about spring drive ....is it a pure mechanical movement or otherwise though its accuracy if i am not wrong is about +15 to -15 sec per month !!??

 

 

The accuracy of the best mechanical watches is about +/- 1 second per day, that is, 365 seconds or 6 minutes per year.

The accuracy of good quality quartz watches is about +/- 10 seconds per year.  Over 30 times more precise than the best mechanical ones.  

No wonder I never have to reset my watches, or wind them up, or shake them.   ...

 

except that every 6 months I have to reset all my watches due to the silly American "daylight saving time" feature  

.

Edited April 23, 2021 by Steve5380

[heman]

4 hours ago, Steve5380 said:

4 hours ago, Steve5380 said:

fancy automatic Rolex I got from my employer,

 

Rolex is not a high horology brand though it fetches a good resale value. It is just a high street end tool  watch (apart from its Cellini collection). Well buying a mechanical watch is like buying a piece of art where you can pass it down to the next generation.  I know nothing beats the over produced quartz mechanism in accuracy. To me a mechanical watch has a soul especially if it has a tourbillon and a constant force mechanism in combination.  Again it is up to one's taste. Btw i am not a watch expert. Just my five cents worth of contribution.

Edited April 24, 2021 by heman

[Steve5380]

57 minutes ago, heman said:

Rolex is not a high horology brand though it fetches a good resale value. It is just a high street end tool  watch (apart from its Cellini collection). Well buying a mechanical watch is like buying a piece of art where you can pass it down to the next generation.  I know nothing beats the over produced quartz mechanism in accuracy. To me a mechanical watch has a soul especially if it has a tourbillon and a constant force mechanism in combination.  Again it is up to one's taste. Btw i am not a watch expert. Just my five cents worth of contribution.

 

I estimate that the fame of Rolex watches comes from their price.  I didn't buy mine, it came to me at my 20 years anniversary with the company I worked at.   I have no idea of what kind of mechanism is inside,  and I don't care since it cannot be seen.  I can understand your likeness of mechanical watches,  I share the same.  I had a passion for mechanisms as a child, I went through half a study of mechanical engineering before I changed to electrical engineering, and my passion changed to cybernetics.  It is interesting the recent evolution of mechanical watches with their two and three axis tourbillions and new constant-force mechanisms.  I guess these complexities justify their high prices.  Your likeness is similar to my likeness for the acoustic pianos with their continuing minute improvements even if today the electronic, hybrid pianos are striving to catch up with the precision and stability of their electronics and their many more highly convenient features.

[Guest watch nerd]

9 hours ago, Steve5380 said:

 

Automatic watches are nothing special.  They have all the inventiveness in a regular mechanical watch plus a simple mechanism to wind it up.  A bigger landmark was the invention of the pendulum as a time measuring device, and its conversion to the rotating flywheel with its escape in the wristwatch.  A ladies watch has parts that are impressively minuscule, but... they are huge under the microscope.   

 

If you want to be impressed, consider microelectronics.  The integrated circuit in a cheap quartz watch has much more inventive in it.  Plus, and this is the crux of the matter in a watch,  it has much more precision than a mechanical watch.  You should admire the quartz watches that keep time FOR YEARS, and run FOR YEARS without any energy source but a tiny battery.  I have a TAG Heuer watch that has been running for many years on a battery, so precise that I never need to reset it,  waterproof to 300 meters,  so superior to a fancy automatic Rolex I got from my employer, which I never use and therefore never runs.  And when I want to use a watch in my simple life or take one on a vacation trip, it is a beautiful Timex indiglo also running for years and with high precision, that I bought years ago for less than $50.

 

 

The accuracy of the best mechanical watches is about +/- 1 second per day, that is, 365 seconds or 6 minutes per year.

The accuracy of good quality quartz watches is about +/- 10 seconds per year.  Over 30 times more precise than the best mechanical ones.  

No wonder I never have to reset my watches, or wind them up, or shake them.   ...

 

except that every 6 months I have to reset all my watches due to the silly American "daylight saving time" feature  

.

 

What is so impressive about timekeeping using a $10 quartz crystal?

accuracy using electronics is a given

Horology all about accuracy is just boring af, turning an art into science.

 

[Steve5380]

6 hours ago, Guest watch nerd said:

 

What is so impressive about timekeeping using a $10 quartz crystal?

accuracy using electronics is a given

Horology all about accuracy is just boring af, turning an art into science.

 

 

I am not against mechanical time keeping.  I loved a huge grandfather clock my uncle Werner had in his living room.  It had one of the first constant-force devices:  heavy solid brass weights.  And quartz watches did not exist when I was a young guy.

 

Horology is a very positive science.  After all, the genius of the great physicist Albert Einstein was stimulated by his interest in the nature and measurement of time, cultivated during his years as scientific clerk in the patent office of Bern, where he may have run into patents about horology.  This and his perplexity at the concept of 'simultaneous' led to his Theory of Special Relativity.

 

And we can find 'art' in sophisticated ingenious mechanisms.  Hopefully if you are enthusiastic about horology, it may lead you to a doctorate in modern theoretical physics.

[Guest watch nerd]

On 4/24/2021 at 9:55 PM, Steve5380 said:

 

I am not against mechanical time keeping.  I loved a huge grandfather clock my uncle Werner had in his living room.  It had one of the first constant-force devices:  heavy solid brass weights.  And quartz watches did not exist when I was a young guy.

 

Horology is a very positive science.  After all, the genius of the great physicist Albert Einstein was stimulated by his interest in the nature and measurement of time, cultivated during his years as scientific clerk in the patent office of Bern, where he may have run into patents about horology.  This and his perplexity at the concept of 'simultaneous' led to his Theory of Special Relativity.

 

And we can find 'art' in sophisticated ingenious mechanisms.  Hopefully if you are enthusiastic about horology, it may lead you to a doctorate in modern theoretical physics.

 

All your ramblings still doesnt my question about what is so impressive about a quartz watch keeping time accurately

It just shows you dont know much about horology but just trying to act like you know...stop trying so hard to sound knowledgeable by dropping useless info on Einstein

[Steve5380]

1 minute ago, Guest watch nerd said:

 

All your ramblings still doesnt my question about what is so impressive about a quartz watch keeping time accurately

It just shows you dont know much about horology but just trying to act like you know...stop trying so hard to sound knowledgeable by dropping useless info on Einstein

 

A common quartz watch is amazingly impressive!  It is the materialization of THE IDEAL watch.   Small, precise, runs forever, and inexpensive.

 

Also inexpensive and amazing is the atomic alarm clock that we can all have ( a simple digital clock with a receiver tuned to the National Standards broadcast WWVB). This is the time standard in my home.  Easy to use, automatically changes time with the "daylight savings time". 

 

Precise time measurement is essential in modern science.  The Mars exploration projects would be impossible without precise time.  The impressive GPS, a miracle of modern technology, is based on very precise measurements of time differences. 

 

But I am total ignorant.  Ignorant of the reasons you post nonsense here. 

[kelvin32bb]

Automatic is a mechanical watch. Kinetic is a quartz watch powered by movement. 

[Guest watch nerd]

Lets see what you posted in response to my question: What is so impressive about timekeeping using a $10 quartz crystal?

 

I am not against mechanical time keeping. <Nothing about quartz here>

I loved a huge grandfather clock my uncle Werner had in his living room.  <Nothing about quartz here>

It had one of the first constant-force devices:  heavy solid brass weights. <Nothing about quartz here>

And quartz watches did not exist when I was a young guy. <Something about quartz here, but it doesn't answer my question>

 

 

Horology is a very positive science. <Nothing about quartz here>

After all, the genius of the great physicist Albert Einstein was stimulated by his interest in the nature and measurement of time, cultivated during his years as scientific clerk in the patent office of Bern, where he may have run into patents about horology. <Nothing about quartz here>

This and his perplexity at the concept of 'simultaneous' led to his Theory of Special Relativity. <Nothing about quartz here>

 

And we can find 'art' in sophisticated ingenious mechanisms. <Nothing about quartz here>

Hopefully if you are enthusiastic about horology, it may lead you to a doctorate in modern theoretical physics. <Nothing about quartz here>

 

All the rambling above... blah blah blah... I pity the people trying to have a conversation with you

 

22 hours ago, Steve5380 said:

But I am total ignorant. 

Well, at least you got something right!

[Steve5380]

On 4/26/2021 at 8:42 AM, Guest watch nerd said:

 

Well, at least you got something right!

 

 

Yes, my total ignorance is about what is wrong with your head.  

 

I had answered perfectly well what is so impressive about a quartz watch.  But maybe what you don't know is what quartz is, and what its piezoelectric effect is.

 

Quartz is a mineral made of silicon dioxide that grows in crystalline form.  The piezoelectric effect appears when the crystal is placed in certain orientations between two conductive plates like the dielectric in a capacitor. The material experiences mechanical deformations in response to electrical fields.  So a voltage impulse between the plates makes the crystal vibrate at a frequency determined by its size, like a tuning fork after being hit vibrates at a frequency that depends on its size. And by the same piezoelectric effect, the crystal deformations of its vibrations create a tiny voltage across the plates that is of a very stable frequency. 

 

Quartz oscillators had been used for decades in high precision electronic oscillators.  It was the development of integrated circuits which allowed such an oscillator to be packaged in the size of a wristwatch.

 

In this world,  "impressive" is often perceived in inverse proportion to the price.  A quartz watch can be so cheap ($10) that you fail to see how impressive its technology is.  If instead their prices would be like $20,000,  which they really deserve given their precision,  you would WORSHIP such a watch by keeping it in a glass display and kneeling in front of it in adoration.   

 

One should also mention that what allows the adjustment of the mechanical watches to a high precision (without having to wait for weeks), is the existence of a quartz oscillator in the instrument that measures the period of their tick-tack to fractions of a microsecond, in a very short time.

.

Edited May 5, 2021 by Steve5380

[Guest watch nerd]

On 4/26/2021 at 10:41 PM, Steve5380 said:

 

I had answered perfectly well what is so impressive about a quartz watch. 

 

Let me make it easy for you, i have itemized your reply below, pray tell which sentence responds to "what is so impressive about a quartz watch", and you can choose multiple sentences 😉

Don't weasel out with another long essay pls.

 

1)I am not against mechanical time keeping. <Nothing about quartz here>

2)I loved a huge grandfather clock my uncle Werner had in his living room.  <Nothing about quartz here>

3)It had one of the first constant-force devices:  heavy solid brass weights. <Nothing about quartz here>

4)And quartz watches did not exist when I was a young guy. <Something about quartz here, but it doesn't answer my question>

5)Horology is a very positive science. <Nothing about quartz here>

6)After all, the genius of the great physicist Albert Einstein was stimulated by his interest in the nature and measurement of time, cultivated during his years as scientific clerk in the patent office of Bern, where he may have run into patents about horology. <Nothing about quartz here>

7)This and his perplexity at the concept of 'simultaneous' led to his Theory of Special Relativity. <Nothing about quartz here>

😎And we can find 'art' in sophisticated ingenious mechanisms. <Nothing about quartz here>

9)Hopefully if you are enthusiastic about horology, it may lead you to a doctorate in modern theoretical physics. <Nothing about quartz here>

 

[Steve5380]

I will answer your "highly intelligent" post with nothing about quartz.

 

You are entitled to your ideas as much as I am to mine.  But I feel so happy that I am on this side of the conversation.   

Have a good day!

.

Edited April 27, 2021 by Steve5380

[Guest watch nerd]

2 hours ago, Steve5380 said:

I will answer your "highly intelligent" post with nothing about quartz.

 

You are entitled to your ideas as much as I am to mine.  But I feel so happy that I am on this side of the conversation.   

Have a good day!

.

LOL, Dont weasel out la, give you multiple choices still cannot answer? 

such a simple question also need to avoid ah.

 

 

[Steve5380]

1 hour ago, Guest watch nerd said:

LOL, Dont weasel out la, give you multiple choices still cannot answer? 

such a simple question also need to avoid ah.

 

 

I gave a plentiful, generous answer to your question.  But you don't seem to have the intelligence to understand it.

Why should I further waste my time ? 

[kelvin32bb]

There is nothing wrong whether you prefer mechanical or quartz watch. Mechanical watch is more like art while quartz watch is more practical and accurate. Seiko spring drive is a hybrid of both but very expensive. 

[drektster]

for me , an automatic watch means that i do not need to worry about batteries. all others needs to change batteries over time. (rechargeable or not). but when automatic watch had gone thru an impact, the movement needs to be serviced.(but you need not worry if they no longer makes the batteries).

[heman]

Normally we are advised to service a mechanical watch every three to five years although Baumatic from Baume and Mercier with its latest silicon technology once every ten years. Depending on the brand it may costs between $200 to $8K for complete service. I had one watch which i bought forty years ago and it costs me three times the cost of that watch for complete service. There were even occasion where there is no spare parts locally and the item needs to be send to Switzerland for repairs because it is an old watch. You do need to play the airfare too and may take about  six months.

Worse still if the company cannot service your vintage watch , you still need to pay for its examination too. 

Edited May 2, 2021 by heman

[heman]

10 hours ago, drektster said:

i do not need to worry about batteries.

This year Cartier has reinvented an iconic Tank Watch  which is very reasonably priced using solar power that will run the watch for 15 years without changing the battery through a series of minute perforations in the numeral indices. A really handsome and understated watch  and it causes a stir in this year 2021 Watches and Wonder in Geneva. 

[kelvin32bb]

If looking for a practical watch, can consider g shock tough solar with gps or Bluetooth which sync the time with your mobile phone. 

[Steve5380]

1 hour ago, kelvin32bb said:

If looking for a practical watch, can consider g shock tough solar with gps or Bluetooth which sync the time with your mobile phone. 

 

LOL!  The Casio G Shock watch is the counterpart for the lovers of microelectronics and gadgetry to the mechanical watches with silicon parts for the lovers of micromechanics.   For "practical watch",  my personal champion is my $30 little Timex indiglo that more than fulfills all my needs for precision time information.

 

This Casio G Shock watch achieves an absolute horology by being able to sync with the various atomic clocks in the world.  This takes "horology" out of the picture, and leaves a multitude of interesting gadgets.  (I see an equivalent example in a high-end Casio keyboard, whose gadgets fulfill all the needs of tuned sound production, at a much lower cost and much higher stability than a plain Fazioli  F308 grand piano.)

 

13 hours ago, heman said:

Normally we are advised to service a mechanical watch every three to five years although Baumatic from Baume and Mercier with its latest silicon technology once every ten years. Depending on the brand it may costs between $200 to $8K for complete service. I had one watch which i bought forty years ago and it costs me three times the cost of that watch for complete service. There were even occasion where there is no spare parts locally and the item needs to be send to Switzerland for repairs because it is an old watch. You do need to play the airfare too and may take about  six months.

Worse still if the company cannot service your vintage watch , you still need to pay for its examination too. 

 

$8,000 to completely service a mechanical watch!  This must be a sign of high prestige.   I realize that I have missed on an era of mechanical innovation in watches, to the point that I thought that they are simple reliques of the past.  My last memory of watch fanciness dates back to Bulova's Accutron.  But I am catching up, and I think that this new cult of mechanical perfection is very positive.  It keeps alive the skills of Swiss watch craftmanship, and it might also have some practical technological benefits.  Maybe one day I might need an implanted lens for cataracts, and maybe micromechanics could produce one that has perfect accommodation. (just dreaming)

 

Here "horology" is a justification for ingenious innovations, not so much a need of precise time but a goal of excellence.  It is a new interesting technology of fabricating the escapements, hairsprings and other parts with silicon, and its pros and cons.  This can bring great advances, and for the enthusiasts for these watches,  an opportunity to spend their money that is not too frivolous.  

 

[InBangkok]

15 hours ago, Steve5380 said:

This can bring great advances, and for the enthusiasts for these watches,  an opportunity to spend their money that is not too frivolous.  

You clearly do not realise that collecting fine watches is no different from collecting other artefacts, paintings and the like. I was once in the office of the Chairman of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (before it changed its name to HSBC).  He took much pleasure in showing me drawers and drawers of pocket watches, many very rare, that he had collected over the years. Collecting and maintaining watches is jut as much a hobby as any other. On another thread I mentioned the Chopard watch I was given by a client 25 years ago. Stupidly, given the heat and humidity in Asia, I failed to have it maintained. When I decided to give it to a younger member of my family, I had it checked up. Rust had got into some of the parts. It cost US$1,200 to restore.

[heman]

Indeed it is expensive for servicing a watch. A Patek generally costs $3.5K for very basic cleaning up . Rolex starting price only $1600. So do take care of your watches carefully.

[heman]

1 hour ago, InBangkok said:

Chopard watch I was given by a client

Is yours the classic LUC series of Chopard or the Alpine Eagle? I recently saw the new Alpine Eagle which had an almost Gerald Genta influence. This famous watch designer was responsible for Patek's Nautilis, IWC 's Engineer first series and AP iconic Royal oak. 

[InBangkok]

58 minutes ago, heman said:

Is yours the classic LUC series of Chopard or the Alpine Eagle? I recently saw the new Alpine Eagle which had an almost Gerald Genta influence. This famous watch designer was responsible for Patek's Nautilis, IWC 's Engineer first series and AP iconic Royal oak. 

I am sorry to admit I do not know! It was given to me by the then Chairman of Chopard, Karl Scheufele, in return for some work I had done. It cannot have been the Alpine Eagle for it had a simple tonneau shape with a very elegant face design. I wore it frequently for a number of years and then only on special occasions. Because I was wearing it so infrequently, I decided another member of the family would make better use of it.

[Steve5380]

5 hours ago, InBangkok said:

You clearly do not realise that collecting fine watches is no different from collecting other artefacts, paintings and the like. I was once in the office of the Chairman of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (before it changed its name to HSBC).  He took much pleasure in showing me drawers and drawers of pocket watches, many very rare, that he had collected over the years. Collecting and maintaining watches is jut as much a hobby as any other. On another thread I mentioned the Chopard watch I was given by a client 25 years ago. Stupidly, given the heat and humidity in Asia, I failed to have it maintained. When I decided to give it to a younger member of my family, I had it checked up. Rust had got into some of the parts. It cost US$1,200 to restore.

 

You clearly do not realize that you are Out of Topic here!  The TS @durianking does not appear to be a collector of ridiculously expensive watches, but a person who is trying to decide what type of watch to buy for himself.  This is why my posts were intended to describe and clarify the types of watches he was interested in,  and not brag about frivolities.  A Chopard watch that had parts rusted ???  What kind of "fine watch" is this?  Even my $50 watch will not rust, because it is made from rustproof materials and is impermeable. 

 

I am familiar with collecting expensive items for the sake of them being expensive.  And then bragging about such a collection.  As a child I once started a collection of stamps,  nothing expensive of course,  but there are people who pay thousands for some rare stamp.  I have nothing against them, although I think that this is idiotic.  There should be something better to do with one's money in a world where millions of children die of hunger!  

 

This is why super rich Bill Gates is one of my heroes,  and he does not collect expensive watches, that I know.

 

5 hours ago, heman said:

Indeed it is expensive for servicing a watch. A Patek generally costs $3.5K for very basic cleaning up . Rolex starting price only $1600. So do take care of your watches carefully.

 

So do take care of your money,  and don't spend frivolously. 

[heman]

He had a very nice and understated Bvlgari goldwatch and was shown in a coffee table book about Bvlgari

 

[heman]

8 minutes ago, Steve5380 said:

o do take care of your money,  and don't spend frivolously.

Please dont worry about me . I am a very simple down to earth guy who is very careful with my expenditure. Thank you for your kind reminder. 

[InBangkok]

1 hour ago, Steve5380 said:

You clearly do not realize that you are Out of Topic here! 

I beg your pardon! You who are so frequently out of topic on so many threads are the last person to criticise another poster. So I use once again one of your favourite words - nonsense!

[Steve5380]

12 minutes ago, InBangkok said:

I beg your pardon! You who are so frequently out of topic on so many threads are the last person to criticise another poster. So I use once again one of your favourite words - nonsense!

 

Yes indeed.  You use my favorite word... to write nonsense.  But I won't negate you my pardon   

 

In all your writing here, you have done nothing to advice the TS as to what type of watch to get.  Should he get a Chopard watch that rusts?  Or you want to influence him to become a collector of expensive watches?

.

Edited May 3, 2021 by Steve5380

[InBangkok]

42 minutes ago, Steve5380 said:

Should he get a Chopard watch that rusts?

And that is another of your utterly stupid and pathetic remarks. I suspect every expensive watch will rust in the constant heat and humidity in Asia if it is not maintained. In my post i made it abundantly clear that i had not maintained it. Entirely my fault - not the watch's. But then you twist everything that others post if it does not agree with the blinkered view of the world you have from your eyrie in Houston, USA.

[Steve5380]

4 minutes ago, InBangkok said:

And that is another of your utterly stupid and pathetic remarks. I suspect every expensive watch will rust in the constant heat and humidity in Asia if it is not maintained. In my post i made it abundantly clear that i had not maintained it. Entirely my fault - not the watch's. But then you twist everything that others post if it does not agree with the blinkered view of the world you have from your eyrie in Houston, USA.

 

Like you now often write:  nonsense!  What "constant heat and humidity in Asia"?   There are other parts in the world with high heat and humidity, and Houston is one of them.   Your suspicion about expensive watches is wrong, and a put down to the watchmaking industry.  My somewhat expensive TAG Heuer has been with me for 25 years, and it has not rusted.  It would not rust even at 100% humidity submerged in water like a good diving watch,  since it is totally hermetic with stainless steel rustproof case, and in all these decades it has NEVER been maintained, except for some few changes of the battery.

 

Yes, I twist back what you post,  like my "blinkered view from my eyrie in Houston".  I live in one of the oldest and least expensive houses in a high middle class neighborhood, a modest single story house, one of the few left, that has been the shelter of a very decent family and other people for over 40 years.  The view from the living room of my shelter is the Lakewood Church, the source of an aura of holiness from pastor Joel Osteen that crosses the freeway and permeates through the new roof of my home.   

[InBangkok]

12 hours ago, Steve5380 said:

Like you now often write:  nonsense!  What "constant heat and humidity in Asia"?   There are other parts in the world with high heat and humidity, and Houston is one of them.

Yet again you write nonsense! I wrote "constant heat and humidity", did I not? You live in Houston, 14,000 kms away from Asia and on your infrequent visits to Asia you mostly inhabit in air conditioned gay saunas, as you have told us many times. The average temperature in Houston in January its 5.7 degrees Celsius.  You call that "heat?" In Bangkok the January temperature is between 22.6 degrees an 32.5 degrees.

[Steve5380]

10 hours ago, InBangkok said:

Yet again you write nonsense! I wrote "constant heat and humidity", did I not? You live in Houston, 14,000 kms away from Asia and on your infrequent visits to Asia you mostly inhabit in air conditioned gay saunas, as you have told us many times. The average temperature in Houston in January its 5.7 degrees Celsius.  You call that "heat?" In Bangkok the January temperature is between 22.6 degrees an 32.5 degrees.

 

Yes, it gets cold in Houston, like some weeks ago we had a freeze of nearly 10 degrees below zero deg.C.  But in Sommer it gets very hot and humid.   And "constant heat and humidity" on your watch does not make sense.   You leave your watch outside when you come home to your air conditioned house?   All wristwatches get warm with the body temperature when they are used.  All this does not excuse you from the shame of wearing a wristwatch...  that rusts!  

[InBangkok]

54 minutes ago, Steve5380 said:

All this does not excuse you from the shame of wearing a wristwatch...  that rusts!  

Another of your ridiculously stupid responses showing that you have not read the thread.

[Steve5380]

3 hours ago, InBangkok said:

Another of your ridiculously stupid responses showing that you have not read the thread.

 

Not only did I read all the thread but I also contributed much to it.

You also contributed, by letting the TS know not to buy a US$10,000 or so Chopard watch because it only has a 2 year warranty, and it may RUST after that and you may have to pay US$1,200 to have it repaired.