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Allure of a watch that never stops and keeps perfect time

7K views 50 replies 29 participants last post by  Hart 
#1 · (Edited)
I've got some nice mechanical watches and decided I did not want to go down the rabbit hole of getting more and more expensive watches. After reading common watch complaints for a few years on this forum I decided to narrow my selection:

- needs to be accurate
- needs to be a good value / reasonably priced
- needs to be reasonably sized
- needs to be lightweight
- needs low service costs
- needs infrequent service
- needs to be legible
- needs lume
- needs to be good looking
- needs to be from reputable brand that will be around awhile
- needs good fit and finish

Any of these particularly compelling? All of them?

It has been a year since I bought a watch but a new one showed up yesterday. I had been poking around reviews for months and just in the past week landed on one what really ticked all the boxes. For a few hundred dollars I came across the Citizen Eco Drive Radio Controlled Atomic Time Titanium AT4010-50E that comes in at 42mm.

For openers, the solar powered Eco Drive is a marvel that continues to improve... there are countless examples of watches with this proven technology that have run continuously without service for over 20 years. It doesn't require battery replacement. The quart movement in the base case stays accurate to within 10 seconds a month, but proven to be within 10 seconds a year... However at 2:00 am every night it syncs with Atomic time in Colorado so the watch is never off more than a fraction of a tenth of a second. Lastly it is made of Proprietary Super Titanium, 40% lighter and 5 times stronger than steel and very scratch resistant... Tougher than any grade of titanium Seiko makes. It adjusts for 30 day months, DST and leap years. Set it upon arrival when new and no adjustments or service necessary for the next 20+ years. All for a few hundred dollars. Insane! It is a reasonable 42mm and good looking. I almost feel guilty.

 
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#3 ·
What about citizen chronomaster

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I'm not aware they sync to atomic time and certainly cost quite a bit more than a few hundred dollars. Great watch, though.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I have a very similar model. 200m WR, sapphire, radio controlled. In steel though. Love it. Just performs, and does basically everything. Agree with you on all points. Good buy you made!
I forgot about the 200M WR and Sapphire crystal... Actually 2 more cost of entry requirements I have (well, at least 100M WR). Good points. We won't even bring up time zone travel, the alarm or the chrono functionality.
 
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#8 ·
You are certainly in the right direction. If you like the look you should go for it. For me, after getting my first Eco-Drive it is hard to look back. Even without radio control my watch looses about a second a month!!! Actually if you want to avoid service for 20 years I would stick to a simple Eco-drive without RC or even a chrono...

 
#13 · (Edited)
Can it be digital? I know it's not necessarily sexy to a WIS, but something like a solar atomic GShock ticks nearly all of your boxes and can cost under $100 to boot. Take the GW6900 for example. Syncs every night to the atomic radio signal, solar powered, electroluminescent backlight, light as a feather, nearly indestructible, has dual time and world time, and is $90 or less from Amazon.



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#14 ·
Yes. I have the same with you. Here are what I want:
- Solar with power reserve indicator
- Sensors to measure temperator, pressure, compass
- Moonphase
- Tide graph
And here it is:



My collection: Grand Seiko SBGR051
Tissot Chemin Des Tourelles Powermatic 80
Citizen Skyhawk Bue Angle Titanium
Casio Protrek 2500
Casio Solar DB E30
 
#17 ·
If you search some of the Japanese websites that sell to the US you will find, as I have discovered, Citizen has dozens of models in the Attesa and Exceed line that provide all this functionality. Of course Casio and Seiko offer numerous models as well.
 
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#24 ·


OCW-S100 is 40mm hardened titanium, sapphire, solar, atomic, perpetual calendar, 30 time zones (very subtle, almost hidden, around the chapter ring), solid end links, Made in Japan.





OCW-S100-1AJF.OCW-S100-7A2JF



 
#25 · (Edited)
Below I think I found my ideal next-up, pictures borrowed from a fellow WUS member posting. 38.5mm wide and 9.6mm thick. It would be my smallest watch. I would rather not say the model number as it is out of production and only a few sites still have them available... don't want to cause a run... :-d

 
#31 ·
I honestly think the Citizen AT8110-53E is the nicest example of this technology.

Watch Analog watch Watch accessory Fashion accessory Jewellery


I would switch that scratch magnet bracelet out for a black leather or croc strap with deployant to really put it over the top.

I've had this watch in my cart and ready to pull the trigger so many times I'm actually disgusted with myself. The ONLY reason that I haven't bought it yet is that I am not sure it will sync in Europe while I'm on vacation in Portugal this summer; its is the reason I want to buy it in the first place. It really is a beautiful watch with some incredible technology.
 
#36 ·
definitely very alluring. if a mechanical that do not stop is the JLC Atmos(i know, u cant wear them), then the quartz is by far the one and only Citizen... might gone on the same route as TS. god dmn it!

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#40 ·
Another vote for the Casio Oceanus. Don't forget it also comes in black. I have one but this is not my photo.
Watch Analog watch Watch accessory Fashion accessory Strap
 
#41 ·
I posted this in another thread, perfectly applicable here.

[quote name="Lee_K" post=41548970]Or the manual vs. automatic transmission debate on an automobile forum...[/QUOTE]
I'm intentionally "old school" in some aspects of my life. My last three cars have all been manual transmission, I simply find them more enjoyable and keep me engaged when behind the wheel. There would be far fewer texting while driving accidents if everyone drove a stick.

As previously stated I conceal carry a revolver in the age of semi-automatics. I have never had to use it but should the need arise I have full confidence it will go bang when the trigger gets pulled. I don't want to even have a shadow of a doubt about jams, stovepipes, ect.

I tried wearing automatics (I loved my Hamilton Khaki Titanium Auto) but like a semi-automatic I found myself constantly worrying. It was running about two seconds fast, which in the realm of autos is excellent however my ocd self could not tolerate it. That combined with a very active lifestyle (LEO, powerlifting, running) I was constantly afraid of damaging the movement and having to pay several hundred dollars to fix it. Automatic watches are one old school aspect I unfortunately can't get behind.

I say unfortunately because I do find them very interesting. What other item in our daily lives runs solely on us? No need for gas, electricity or any outside source other than the movement provided by you the wearer. I believe that is where the idea of an automatic watch having a soul comes from.

I am however, down to Earth enough to know a set of gears and springs does not have a soul. A watch can never love, hate or feel pain. It is a machine designed to display time which has ultimately been usurped by better technology.

I personally find Eco drive watches (really most solar/atomic watches) to be quite impressive. The idea of a watch ticking along keeping perfect time with almost zero need for maintenance is quite alluring. I find great satisfaction in looking at my wrist no matter the conditions and knowing without a shadow of a doubt my watch is accurate to the exact second. If you can show me an automatic watch that does that I'll be all over it.
 
#44 ·
In my searching I've come across a 38.5mm RC watch but all GPS watches seem to be 44mm minimum, unfortunately.
 
#47 ·
It also tracks London time zone out of the Germany radio signal... but understand more remote parts of the UK may have difficulties getting a signal.
 
#46 ·
- needs to be accurate
- needs to be a good value / reasonably priced
- needs to be reasonably sized
- needs to be lightweight
- needs low service costs
- needs infrequent service
- needs to be legible
- needs lume
- needs to be good looking
- needs to be from reputable brand that will be around awhile
- needs good fit and finish
On the edge of watch designs, we are approaching "never stops" and "perfect time." The watches that do that, however, require external stimuli to accomplish it, and can't do it entirely on their own.

Deprive them of a radio signal and they can't update. Deprive them of a light source and they can and will run down. Deprive them of motion and they can and will run down.

We don't have dilithium crystals eternally powering them yet, and they aren't 100% accurate on their own.

A watch will stop - how easy is it for you to get it running? A watch will be inaccurate, how closely does it run absent any regular adjustment?

My latest purchase is running =/- 1 second over the last three weeks, with the month coming up. It has a self contained power cell which needs replacement based on the makers estimate of two years. It doesn't need daily solar recharging - my Eco Drive would run down eventually, the autos within two days.

I think I've gotten close enough with an $85 ana digital. So do many others considering the sales volume. Exotic bleeding edge watches are always a fun thing to have, the exponential sums of money to acquire one aren't always there for many of us. So we are forced to accept wearing lesser watches of minor repute - which, nonetheless, perform to within a few percentage points the same.

Incremental differences expressed with decimals.

We could then simply toss the watch when the battery runs down, acquire another, and still spend less accomplishing almost the exact same performance for our adult life. Atomic sync or not, it can't get you to work on time unless you leave early enough to account for the worst case situation - traffic delays, road mishaps, your leased parking spot filled in a full lot. It would make no difference what watch brand you wore with a name ending in -ex, -o, or some consonant.

We all like to buy rare and unique watches, plenty of them to go around. Lets not let this list be exclusively limited to just watches for those with thousands of dollars in disposable income. Frankly, many watches under $100 will do it. I bought one.
 
#49 ·
Frankly, many watches under $100 will do it. I bought one.
My $120 Bulova UHF was within .5 seconds in total over the first 12 months. But at 262kHz it consumes battery... in the past 3 months it has gained 2 seconds, and I'm fearing I may be within 6-12 months of having to spend an hour of my Saturday morning and $10 to keep this watch running. Meanwhile, there is testimony of Eco-Drives still functioning daily after 20 years... and assuming the Colorado radio signal is still broadcast in 20 years, that is saving 10 hours of my precious Saturday mornings and $100 in batteries. Considering whatever someone's hourly wage is (and personal time is even more precious) buying this fancy radio watch (which was <$400 BTW) is a much more sound investment over time than an $80 ana-digital. I can throw my solar watch in a drawer and pull it out a year later and it will still be running... it literally shuts down all operation after 2 days except for the chip that tells time to conserve energy. Obviously it could need a radio reset at that point, but could be as accurate as any other $80 battery powered watch after a year.

In summary, beyond the cool gimmick factor, it actually makes economic sense.
 
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