Show us your Quartz Marine Chronometer (and mov't)...!

[McAllan]

Kind of a monologue so far but very interesting!

About 15 years is the normal death time for rechargeable batteries that I have seen used in automobiles... at least yours did not require disassembling a dashboard to get to!

Thanks! Perhaps there's something I don't know about cars. You say many of them have a backup battery of a kind behind the dashboard? But I do know that my old car have no bigger trouble not being used a couple of months throughout the winter and it starts instantly. My parents hyper modern electronic stuffed Mini on the other hand drains the starter battery in a matter of two weeks or so because of high standby drain (it's no defect!)

Yeah. Kind of surprise me there aren't more interested. Or perhaps the technical level in this thread seems too high. But hey. As I've said from start - all contributions also non technical are very welcome so this thread can be the Great Thread of Quartz Marine Chronometers.

Well this is not to be a thread of cars so instead I figure I'll show some photos of the back side.


Quite different than the QM-10/11. Also the QM-20 is designed to be used flat on a table where as the QM-10/11 you have the choice between standing (NOT on a ship or in a secure holder) or laying down. Well it's no bigger deal making a stand for the QM-20 for home use even though not intended for vertical use
The hole with the grille is the small speaker which beeps once per second when doing a battery check. Sounds exactly like some one is having their heart monitored.


A look to the batteries. I've used some 2x AA parallel -> D size adapters. The black knob is for hand setting. Just like it's siblings.

[Eeeb]

Thanks! Perhaps there's something I don't know about cars. You say many of them have a backup battery of a kind behind the dashboard? But I do know that my old car have no bigger trouble not being used a couple of months throughout the winter and it starts instantly. My parents hyper modern electronic stuffed Mini on the other hand drains the starter battery in a matter of two weeks or so because of high standby drain (it's no defect!)

Yeah. Kind of surprise me there aren't more interested. Or perhaps the technical level in this thread seems too high. But hey. As I've said from start - all contributions also non technical are very welcome so this thread can be the Great Thread of Quartz Marine Chronometers.

Well this is not to be a thread of cars so instead I figure I'll show some photos of the back side.

Almost all BMWs from the 80's (what I used to collect) have a small rechargable battery in the driver display for maintenance. Every last one of them I collected (six or seven, including the one I still have - an '88 L6) has had battery failure... and you do have to disassemble the dash and get out the soldering iron to fix it. I've gotten used to it and, once the L6's died, I didn't fix it... too much trouble for the worth of it. If the module gets corroded, I can easily source another. Collectors of vintage cars (or watches!) who demand perfection had better have deep pockets!

As to comments, well, a lot of us don't have electronic repair skills. Some of us won't even open our casebacks. But this is as much a thread for reference in the future as it is for current consumption.

Thanks again for taking the time to build the thread. OM owners in the future will have warm thoughts about you!

[McAllan]

Almost all BMWs from the 80's (what I used to collect) have a small rechargable battery in the driver display for maintenance. Every last one of them I collected (six or seven, including the one I still have - an '88 L6) has had battery failure... and you do have to disassemble the dash and get out the soldering iron to fix it. I've gotten used to it and, once the L6's died, I didn't fix it... too much trouble for the worth of it. If the module gets corroded, I can easily source another. Collectors of vintage cars (or watches!) who demand perfection had better have deep pockets!

Didn't knew. However not those kinds of cars I'm messing around with anyway - so probably not aware of it before it's too late. If repairing it myself I'd probably drag out some wire to a battery mounted in an easy place. Perhaps even just ordinary alkaline with a diode preventing it being charged if standby current is low enough.

As to comments, well, a lot of us don't have electronic repair skills. Some of us won't even open our casebacks. But this is as much a thread for reference in the future as it is for current consumption.

Yes and somehow I fully understand why. But not being aware of that it contains components dooming the device to "planned obsolescence" in a matter of 10-15 years is just depressing. Especially because it's easily avoidable. If one can't fix it self then having it done by a watchmaker or even just a careful radio mechanics (the electronics is basically the same). Many items and particular the QM-10/20 and many other electronic chronometers we're talking about here are just fine without backup. Only drawback is requiring setting when changing batteries. But hey at least on the devices with double speed like the Seiko's (and the Golay's but those you change one side at the time so it doesn't require backup) - let's say you're 30-60 seconds to change the batteries. Then just speed it up for 30-60 seconds after changing batteries to catchup with real time again. No fiddling with hand setting etc. required.

Thanks again for taking the time to build the thread. OM owners in the future will have warm thoughts about you!

I really do hope so. And I hope I've given some advice regarding preventive maintenance and repair advice. One thing is for sure. Working examples of historic (quartz) marine chronometers are being fewer as time goes by. Hopefully the advices given here will contribute to (significantly) slow down the rate of decay because people become aware of they should not be let alone even if they work for the moment. Think of it as it was your car. Properly cared for it can last a very long time. You don't wait for changing the oil or toothed belt before the engine ceases to work - by which point it's long beyond repairable - no you (or your mechanic) change oil and toothed belt before they fail and wreaks the engine.

[Hans Moleman]

Kind of surprise me there aren't more interested.

I am a bit overwhelmed, and don't know how I can contribute. Its really is fascinating these clocks. Such a shame we don't see them more often.

[McAllan]

I am a bit overwhelmed, and don't know how I can contribute. Its really is fascinating these clocks. Such a shame we don't see them more often.

Ohh that's easy! But yeah. Not cheap
I do still have a vision about also getting the newest Mühle Glashütte as I really like it's design. But just as I think I'll soon order it then something else magically turns up. First the mid 90s Mühle and now the QM-20. The new Mühle Glashütte I can "always" order but if passing the QM-20 I'll probably never see one again. At least not in this outstanding mint condition.


I've recorded a little video of the beeping when doing a battery check as a little video is worth more than 1000 words.


If anyone knows the purpose of the beeping I'd be happy to know. I have a theory it's to help synchronizing (which of course is done manually) it with a radio time source. But knowing for sure is better than guessing

[Eeeb]

...
If anyone knows the purpose of the beeping I'd be happy to know. I have a theory it's to help synchronizing (which of course is done manually) it with a radio time source. But knowing for sure is better than guessing

Aural acuity in humans is fairly high. Humans can detect fairly small differences in the arrival time of sounds. It is evolutionary useful

Note the beep appears to occur exactly with the tick of the second hand. If you tune to an aural time signal like WWV on shortwave, you will get beeps on the second. If you hear only one beep, the clock and WWV are truly synchronized. And it is easy. Try it if you can. I've done it before.

[McAllan]

Aural acuity in humans is fairly high. Humans can detect fairly small differences in the arrival time of sounds. It is evolutionary useful

Note the beep appears to occur exactly with the tick of the second hand. If you tune to an aural time signal like WWV on shortwave, you will get beeps on the second. If you hear only one beep, the clock and WWV are truly synchronized. And it is easy. Try it if you can. I've done it before.

Affraid that's not possible where I live. I don't have any knowledge that a similar service is available here. At least not directly hear able. We have the DCF-77 and a few others less known but those are targeted for automatic reception of time code and all. That requires some decoding depending on what information you want to retrieve. If it's just a beep every second and indication of the start of a new minute then it should be relatively easy with a $5 receiver and a few logic IC's. More than that you probably want to mess with a µC

But thanks for info!

Yeah wondering how fine one can synchronize with ears. I believe I can make most watches/clock pretty spot on with eyesight too. Well below 1/10 sec (probably quite high estimate). Guess as long as you don't try synchronizing something visual from an audible source or wise verse then for all practical purposes that's good enough(*). For scientific use you couldn't dream of manual synchronizations anyway.
(*) When listening to a watch/clock it can sound spot on when looking at the master. But visually compared or audibly by each watch/clock at one ear then there's no doubt they're not totally in sync.

[Hans Moleman]

I had another suggestion about the beeps.
It usually takes a while between taking a celestial measurement and walking back to the clock.

You don't take the clock with you. It stays inside the chart room. The celestial measurement is done outside: You need to see the skies.

So, if the clock beeps, you can count along while you walk back to the clock and correct for the elapsed time spend while walking back.

That would only work if there was little noise though.

[Eeeb]

On good nights you may well be able to get WWV. They broadcast on a number of frequencies and use wonderful antennas and high power. The audio is often easier to receive than a good digital signal. Ask a short wave listener nearby! (You can find the dedicated ones by external antennas.)

[McAllan]

I had another suggestion about the beeps.
It usually takes a while between taking a celestial measurement and walking back to the clock.

You don't take the clock with you. It stays inside the chart room. The celestial measurement is done outside: You need to see the skies.

Yes but isn't that what's the deckwatch is for or is there something I've misunderstand?
I believe many even just used a stopwatch.

So, if the clock beeps, you can count along while you walk back to the clock and correct for the elapsed time spend while walking back.

That would only work if there was little noise though.

Thanks for suggestion.

Of course that can be used in an emergency where other possibilities are not available. Personally I believe the WWV theory the most plausible.
Also one must think about the time at which is was manufactured. 1985 although still many years from GPS and comon use of GPS. However an ocean of cheap quartz clocks and watches were available for use as a deckwatch synchronized with the master chronometer daily or so. Just guessing here but seems pretty plausible to me.