Accuracy

[tmccann]

I just got a Polar Surveyour II (which is gorgeous, btw ; one of the managing partners of my firm was there when it arrived, stayed to see me take it out of the box, and complimented it profusely. He's more of a Rolex President/Patek/Lange guy, but he can't keep his eyes off it when we're in meetings now...) and was reading the papers to figure out how to set the second time zone when I noticed that this watch is rated to be accurate within 15sec/day. I think I remember the Phantom listing accuracy to 2sec/day. This might just be a difference in the literature from the year it was produced (2005), or because it's the K751, but that got me thinking. I haven't re-set my Phantom since I got it around 5 months ago, except to adjust the date at the end of June and September; it's off less than a minute, somewhere around 1/3 sec/day! I checked the PSII today, and it is off a minute since yesterday. I'll put that down to user error for the time being, but I'll be interested to see how accurate it is over a longer time period.

Now, before my I got my Phantom, I got used to vintage mechanical watches that measure +/- in minutes (or high-end quartz watches that are so accurate the might as well be digital, but they just seem so soul-less). So even +/- 15sec in a mechanical is impressive to me. But the Phantom losing only about 10sec/month? wow!

So, here's the question: how accurate is your Kobold? Is the Phantom's movement that much more accurate than an older PSII's K751 movement (which is essentially a modified/reworked version of the Phantom's movement)? How about the other movements?

Tim

[Chronometer]

Truth be known. If any of my watches are within 1-2 mins per day I'm happy. If I wanted to have the most accurate time I'd buy a quartz or just look at my cell phone.
I suppose if I had more time to waste I would set my watches to the atomic clock and check the deviation 24 times per day. Then average the +/- seconds and make a log of such differences. Then after I found out that all eight of my automatic watches were off by 2 or 3 seconds per day I would write the manufacture to complain about it. They would then write me back and inform me that this is quite normal. Then they would recommend a quartz watch if it mattered that much to me.

Ok. To answer your question the Phantom I have is within 5-7 secs per day I would guess.
My Rolex's seem to be pretty close to the Kobolds.

[Lilhoody]

The answer might have to wait. I haven't worn one watch for any extended length of time lately. I want to say that when I first gotthe SEAL it was under -3 sec a day during a month period.
I have done that with all the watches I have gotten latley. The Sinn u1 i just sold was incredible! @ 1 1/2 sec per day it lost.
I will get back to you on this.

Be well,
DArin

Have:
Kobold SOA
Kobold SS SEAL
Rolex GMT II "fatlady" (on the way to the RSC for some love)

Waiting for:
Paneria PAM 25

[gratefulwolverine]

My Polar Surveyor is + 2-3 seconds a day.

[tmccann]

Thanks!

On a slightly longer time frame, mine is somewhere around -15 sec/day so far. Might be because I've actually been using the chrono more on this one than the Phantom; so much handier without the screw-down buttons...

Tim

[lichmd]

My Seal is +1 sec.
My Endurance B is at -2 sec.
The SMG-1 at -1 sec.
J

[jadamo]

I used to be concerned about the rate, but I am no longer caught up in these details--suffice to say the rate for my Kobolds are well within COSC specs as are my other mechanicals. There are 86,400 seconds in a day. Does anybody really know what time it is? Stop obsessing--just enjoy the beauty and the sound of a mechanical timepiece.
John

[Chronometer]

I used to be concerned about the rate, but I am no longer caught up in these details--suffice to say the rate for my Kobolds are well within COSC specs as are my other mechanicals. There are 86,400 seconds in a day. Does anybody really know what time it is? Stop obsessing--just enjoy the beauty and the sound of a mechanical timepiece.
John

Ditto. That is the more to the point version of what I posted.

[markf]

I used to be concerned about the rate, but I am no longer caught up in these details--suffice to say the rate for my Kobolds are well within COSC specs as are my other mechanicals. There are 86,400 seconds in a day. Does anybody really know what time it is? Stop obsessing--just enjoy the beauty and the sound of a mechanical timepiece.
John

i strongly disagree. everyone is allowed to obsess in his own manner. just because you don't care that much about the accuracy doesn't mean everybody should not care.

i have a phantom Ti that is ridiculously accurate, + 1-2 sec/day at most. i also have an LSD that was running + 20 sec/day when i got it. i sent it back and it was re-regulated and is much much better.

[tmccann]

Some obsess over straps, bezels, and second hands; I'm an engineer. I dig the fact that a human being, through patience and excellent workmanship, put together this machine that is 99.999% precise at tracking this randomly-determined period on a daily basis...

tim