Accuracy of Digital vs. Mechanical watches

[Derek N]

Hi all,

About 3 weeks ago, I synchronized all of my watches to the exact time using the official U.S. time clock: http://time.gov/timezone.cgi?Hawaii-Aleutian/s/-10/java

At that time they all kept steady accurate beats per second when compared to the U.S. time clock. Throughout the ensuing weeks, I've noticed that all of them started to run a bit faster or slower. Well, finally I was able to take data on all of my watches accuracy; and was surprised with the results:

GW-200 +3 sec
GW-200 +3 sec
DW-5600 +10 sec
DW-5700 +8 sec
DW-6600 +6 sec
G-2310 +3 sec
G-8000 +2 sec

ProTrek PRG-80T +2sec

Citizen Professional Divers 300M (Titanium) +2 sec
(solar powered quartz mechanical)

Seiko 7S26-0350 (black monster) diver -1 sec
(automatic wind mechanical)

Now based on these results, it appears that my mechanical watch is running much more accurately than the quartz digitals. Why is that? I've always had the impression that quartz powered watches were much more accurate than their mechanical powered brothers. I don't get it, can someone with better horological knowledge enlighten me about this.

[powerband]

Hi all,

About 3 weeks ago, I synchronized all of my watches to the exact time using the official U.S. time clock: http://time.gov/timezone.cgi?Hawaii-Aleutian/s/-10/java

At that time they all kept steady accurate beats per second when compared to the U.S. time clock. Throughout the ensuing weeks, I've noticed that all of them started to run a bit faster or slower. Well, finally I was able to take data on all of my watches accuracy; and was surprised with the results:

GW-200 +3 sec
GW-200 +3 sec
DW-5600 +10 sec
DW-5700 +8 sec
DW-6600 +6 sec
G-2310 +3 sec
G-8000 +2 sec

ProTrek PRG-80T +2sec

Citizen Professional Divers 300M (Titanium) +2 sec
(solar powered quartz mechanical)

Seiko 7S26-0350 (black monster) diver -1 sec
(automatic wind mechanical)

Now based on these results, it appears that my mechanical watch is running much more accurately than the quartz digitals. Why is that? I've always had the impression that quartz powered watches were much more accurate than their mechanical powered brothers. I don't get it, can someone with better horological knowledge enlighten me about this.

Mechanical watches vary all over the places in accuracy. You can consider yourself lucky to have a mechanical Seiko that's keeping good time. Mine is off +28 seconds a day, and that's considered within spec. Don't judge your your handful of digital against only one mechanical. ;-)