Do you still wear traditional watches?

[LionTeeth]

Mechanical watches used to be tools, but in the age of smart watches they are (just) jewellery. Hence I wear mine only for special occasions, but still enjoy them when I do.

This is the worst take. And you're not the only one to make it. Mechanical or quartz watches are still tools. Make them with reliable materials and it's a reliable tool you keep with you no matter what comes your way in a day you can still rely on it to keep you on time on track. The just jewelry crowd seems to not understand this.

That said I think smartwatches are the natural progression of mechanical ones. Just the next leap in tech of time and date keeping on your wrist.

I wear both. Mostly my automatics and Bulova Precisionists

 

[aleksiz]

I recently bought a new mechanical watch, one that was on my list for several years and was now available at a store in the city where my daughter studies. Never thought I would still buy a mechanical watch. For me it is mainly jewelry, I love the look of it. For the moment I do not miss my AWU2/Garmin, I now use the latter during exercising (mainly running) only.

 

[the future]

This is the worst take.

Only because you took it the wrong way, I guess.

And you're not the only one to make it. Mechanical or quartz watches are still tools.

Yes, of course. But regarding the tool aspect, they are just hopelessly inferior, which is exactly the reason that smart watches are so popular. But sure, if the functionality of a mechanical watch is sufficient for someone, it is still a good (and good-looking) tool to tell the time (plus maybe the function(s) of a (few) complication(s)).

 

[Mity]

This is the worst take. And you're not the only one to make it. Mechanical or quartz watches are still tools. Make them with reliable materials and it's a reliable tool you keep with you no matter what comes your way in a day you can still rely on it to keep you on time on track. The just jewelry crowd seems to not understand this.

That said I think smartwatches are the natural progression of mechanical ones. Just the next leap in tech of time and date keeping on your wrist.

I wear both. Mostly my automatics and Bulova Precisionists

Disagree. Even a Rolex or Grand Seiko can lose 5 seconds a day. That's a shame given how much they cost. A smartwatch (even a cheap one) is always accurate without any intervention at all. A smartwatch is simply superior in terms of functionality.

In terms of style, smartwatches are not as charming.

 

[LionTeeth]

Disagree. Even a Rolex or Grand Seiko can lose 5 seconds a day. That's a shame given how much they cost. A smartwatch (even a cheap one) is always accurate without any intervention at all. A smartwatch is simply superior in terms of functionality.

In terms of style, smartwatches are not as charming.

Correct. I never said traditional watches were better, I even literally said I think smartwatches are the evolution of mechanical ones. I was replying to the guy that said they're just jewelry, not tools anymore.

Also as an aside I think Rolex purchases are foolish and ridiculous. But even if your watch loses 5 seconds a day. 5 seconds. Is it really that impactful lol I set my watch every morning. I don't think even the president would be thrown off handy by a five second discrepancy in his timekeeping.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Yes, I still wear a "traditional" watch, (an Omega that I bought 16 years ago and wear daily, before that, I had an excellent Tissot), and will never buy, let alone wear, an Apple watch.

 

[Mity]

Correct. I never said traditional watches were better, I even literally said I think smartwatches are the evolution of mechanical ones. I was replying to the guy that said they're just jewelry, not tools anymore.

Also as an aside I think Rolex purchases are foolish and ridiculous. But even if your watch loses 5 seconds a day. 5 seconds. Is it really that impactful lol I set my watch every morning. I don't think even the president would be thrown off handy by a five second discrepancy in his timekeeping.

Rolex watches lose 5 seconds/day but most people don't have a Rolex. A $300 Seiko can lose a few seconds every hour which ends up being up to 30 seconds/day or a few minutes by the end of a work week. I think that's unreasonable. You can still wear a Rolex for social validation / fashion but you can't with a "regular" mechanical watch. So, I think unless you wear it for luxury or fashion, it's not a practical tool anymore relative to a smartwatch.

The only downsides to smartwatches I can think of is battery life and irrelevance within a relatively short time frame.

 

[Howard2k]

Correct. I never said traditional watches were better, I even literally said I think smartwatches are the evolution of mechanical ones. I was replying to the guy that said they're just jewelry, not tools anymore.

Also as an aside I think Rolex purchases are foolish and ridiculous. But even if your watch loses 5 seconds a day. 5 seconds. Is it really that impactful lol I set my watch every morning. I don't think even the president would be thrown off handy by a five second discrepancy in his timekeeping.

As investments some people have made some good money with Rolex watches, over time (ha!).

In your example you're trading the inconvenience of charging for the inconvenience of setting the time. Both can be a PITA to be fair. There is no perfect device.

 

[th0masp]

The only downsides to smartwatches I can think of is battery life and irrelevance within a relatively short time frame.

Not to forget: entirely unsuited as jewellery.

 

[LionTeeth]

Rolex watches lose 5 seconds/day but most people don't have a Rolex. A $300 Seiko can lose a few seconds every hour which ends up being up to 30 seconds/day or a few minutes by the end of a work week. I think that's unreasonable. You can still wear a Rolex for social validation / fashion but you can't with a "regular" mechanical watch. So, I think unless you wear it for luxury or fashion, it's not a practical tool anymore relative to a smartwatch.

The only downsides to smartwatches I can think of is battery life and irrelevance within a relatively short time frame.

Ok I can tell you are not really into watches. A few seconds an HOUR means your watch is malfunctioning. I get the point you're making but come on now lol 😂

 

[Mity]

Not to forget: entirely unsuited as jewellery.

I wonder how many footballers and Arab sheiks bought this: https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/2/...dition-gold-2015-obsolete-unsupported-beyonce

 

[LionTeeth]

As investments some people have made some good money with Rolex watches, over time (ha!).

In your example you're trading the inconvenience of charging for the inconvenience of setting the time. Both can be a PITA to be fair. There is no perfect device.

Absolutely. I don't know why everyone is misunderstanding my point lol I simply said mechanical watches are not "just jewelry". They're still valid tools. Robust materials, accurate time keeping. Date, timer etc. lume for night viewing

I own Garmin Apple Watch and traditional watches and love them all. I just disagree with the notion that non smartwatches are just jewelry now and their function does not matter. That's it.

 

[Mity]

Ok I can tell you are not really into watches. A few seconds an HOUR means your watch is malfunctioning. I get the point you're making but come on now lol 😂

You are correct that I'm not a watch person. I honestly have not worn my Seiko in over 10 years so I don't know what it loses now. But that's not uncommon.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Watches/comments/10a6bbo/seiko_5_seiko_5_srpg29_losing_10_seconds_per_day

Q: [Seiko 5] Seiko 5 SRPG29 losing 10 seconds per day​

A: That's normal​

 

[LionTeeth]

You are correct that I'm not a watch person. I honestly have not worn my Seiko in over 10 years so I don't know what it loses now. But that's not uncommon.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Watches/comments/10a6bbo/seiko_5_seiko_5_srpg29_losing_10_seconds_per_day

Q: [Seiko 5] Seiko 5 SRPG29 losing 10 seconds per day​

A: That's normal​

You said per hour in your latest post I replied to, not per day. Per day that's pretty bad but I mean it's only ten seconds.

 

[Mity]

You said per hour in your latest post I replied to, not per day. Per day that's pretty bad but I mean it's only ten seconds.

My mistake. But there are other posts that confirm per hour.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Watches/comments/8m1usk/question_how_normal_is_it_for_automatic_watches

My question is, after about 2 days of constant use (Not when I'm asleep obviously), I notice the watch will be ~1-2 minutes behind. It's even worse if I don't wear the watch for 24 hours, even though it's suppose to have a 'battery' life of ~40 hours.​

The accuracy is supposed to be -35/+45 sec per day for this movement, which I must say is a lot for a watch in this price range.​

 

[th0masp]

I wonder how many footballers and Arab sheiks bought this: https://www.theverge.com/2023/10/2/...dition-gold-2015-obsolete-unsupported-beyonce

Well I mean they can afford to buy just about anything trendy and then decide what to do with it. The first version of the AW wasn't seen as all that great though, was it? So for people who don't have to keep track of their spending I can only imagine that it was given away very quickly or ended up forgotten at the bottom of some drawer.

Speaking of drawers - this is is from a shot of Arnold Schwarzeneggers watch collection:

It's from a video I can't find right now on Youtube where he shows you that he just stores all his wrist watches in the drawer of some cabinet. Just tosses them in there and grabs a fresh one when he feels like wearing something different.
I imagine the Apple watch in this case might be found squeezed between the drawer and the back of the cabinet.

 

[Mity]

Well I mean they can afford to buy just about anything trendy and then decide what to do with it. The first version of the AW wasn't seen as all that great though, was it? So for people who don't have to keep track of their spending I can only imagine that it was given away very quickly or ended up forgotten at the bottom of some drawer.

Speaking of drawers - this is is from a shot of Arnold Schwarzeneggers watch collection:
View attachment 2573556

It's from a video I can't find right now on Youtube where he shows you that he just stores all his wrist watches in the drawer of some cabinet. Just tosses them in there and grabs a fresh one when he feels like wearing something different.
I imagine the Apple watch in this case might be found squeezed between the drawer and the back of the cabinet.

Ahh ... it's 10:33

 

[BSG75]

Ok I can tell you are not really into watches. A few seconds an HOUR means your watch is malfunctioning. I get the point you're making but come on now lol 😂

I think most Seikos with the 4R movements run +/- 20 to 40 seconds per day. That's considered in spec. Of course, they can be regulated to keep better time. On the other hand, there are Citizen watches that are accurate to +/- five seconds per year! The Citizen is high accuracy quartz and not mechanical.

 

[Mity]

Do you guys know anything about the Citizen Tsuki-yomi A-T Atomic Timekeeping
https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/product/BY1018-55X.html

I imagine if you live in a large urban area, you will always have accurate time. Are there any coverage gaps?

And there's satellite time keeping?
https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/product/CC4076-65A.html

These are really cool since they're a hybrid of traditional and smart.

 

[BSG75]

I have a Seiko Astron which is solar powered and uses GPS timekeeping for 38 (I believe) timezones worldwide. Seiko claims the watch is accurate to 1 second every 100,000 years as long at receives a GPS signal. Outside of the Apple Watch, it's one of the ultimate "set it and forget it" timepieces out there.

 

[Howard2k]

Do you guys know anything about the Citizen Tsuki-yomi A-T Atomic Timekeeping
https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/product/BY1018-55X.html

I imagine if you live in a large urban area, you will always have accurate time. Are there any coverage gaps?

And there's satellite time keeping?
https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/product/CC4076-65A.html

These are really cool since they're a hybrid of traditional and smart.

I have a few watches that have atomic time keeping with radio sync. Last time I looked they tend to have coverage for the majority of the planet, but it will be affected by buildings, weather etc. None of mine will reliably sync inside my bedroom, but they will sync while on my balcony, for example.

 

[estabya]

Do you guys know anything about the Citizen Tsuki-yomi A-T Atomic Timekeeping
https://www.citizenwatch.com/us/en/product/BY1018-55X.html

I own this watch. I have had no issues with syncing as long as I'm outside or near a window and the watch isn't moving.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Rolex watches lose 5 seconds/day but most people don't have a Rolex. A $300 Seiko can lose a few seconds every hour which ends up being up to 30 seconds/day or a few minutes by the end of a work week. I think that's unreasonable. You can still wear a Rolex for social validation / fashion but you can't with a "regular" mechanical watch. So, I think unless you wear it for luxury or fashion, it's not a practical tool anymore relative to a smartwatch.

Neither luxury, nor fashion, merely (marked) personal preference.

I loathe smart watches; and , while my Omega will still work well, look well, and age well, - it can be worn in half a century's time and will still work well and look well - which is more than can be said for the crude utility of a smart watch.

The only downsides to smartwatches I can think of is battery life and irrelevance within a relatively short time frame.

And the fact that they do not age well, nor last long.

A smart watch worn today will not work - and cannot be worn on your wrist - in ten years' time, let alone fifty.

 

[jz0309]

Neither luxury, nor fashion, merely (marked) personal preference.

I loathe smart watches; and , while my Omega will still work well, look well, and age well, - it can be worn in half a century's time and will still work well and look well - which is more than can be said for the crude utility of a smart watch.

And the fact that they do not age well, nor last long.

A smart watch worn today will not work - and cannot be worn on your wrist - in ten years' time, let alone fifty.

A smartwatch is not anything like a traditional watch, it is a computer worn on the wrist like a watch, if offers compute features as well as health features, and just like any electronic device, it has a finite lifespan.
Whatever people prefer to wear on their wrist including nothing - there is a place for all of these

 

[Scepticalscribe]

A smartwatch is not anything like a traditional watch,

Agreed.

it is a computer worn on the wrist like a watch,

An excellent description and definition.

However, some of us don't want "a computer worn on the wrist", rather, we simply want an elegant timepiece that tells us the time.

if offers compute features as well as health features, and just like any electronic device, it has a finite lifespan.

Indeed.

Whatever people prefer to wear on their wrist including nothing - there is a place for all of these

Fair enough.

However, this tolerance should go both ways.

Those who prefer to wear a computer on their wrist should keep their disdain for those of us who prefer to wear a standard wrist watch to themselves, rather than announcing it loudly (and repeatedly) when extolling the advantages of the device that they prefer.