Expected accuracy of a new watch

m4r10

Just bought a new watch recently and straight out of the box the watch runs about +17 sec/day. If it was something cheaper, I wouldn't think twice about that, but at over €1k, I suppose I should expect better. I sent watches for service when they started to lose/gain less time than this.

What would you do in that situation and what are your expectation of time keeping for a new watch?

Mredsnapper

You might find this link interesting
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f2/do-new-watches-need-bedding-period-re-accuracy-433386.html

Mredsnapper

Mredsnapper wrote: »

You might find this link interesting
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f2/do-new-watches-need-bedding-period-re-accuracy-433386.html

Also, the watch may be unregulated. If you purchased from an AD then you could try and get it regulated for free?

Pro Hoc Vice

m4r10 wrote: »

Just bought a new watch recently and straight out of the box the watch runs about +17 sec/day. If it was something cheaper, I wouldn't think twice about that, but at over €1k, I suppose I should expect better. I sent watches for service when they started to lose/gain less time than this.

What would you do in that situation and what are your expectation of time keeping for a new watch?

Is it an certified Official Chronometer, if so it should if mechanical fall in the -4/+6 seconds a day. Considering that that is the test for the supposed best watches +17 seconds per day while large may not be very unreasonable. Do you know what movement it is.

This page gives some advice http://www.prestigetime.com/page.php?accuracy

m4r10

It has an ETA 2893-2 movement and while it's not chronometer certified, it's an Elabore one, which should fall into +/-7 sec/day average rate, which is way worst than the worst case scenario in the http://www.prestigetime.com/page.php?accuracy.

As for the "bedding in" period, I'm not a believer in such, a watch is either keeping good time or is not, no amount of passed time will improve the time keeping of it. Unfortunately there's no AD for that watch, it was bought over the internet.

Pro Hoc Vice

m4r10 wrote: »

It has an ETA 2893-2 movement and while it's not chronometer certified, it's an Elabore one, which should fall into +/-7 sec/day average rate, which is way worst than the worst case scenario in the http://www.prestigetime.com/page.php?accuracy.

As for the "bedding in" period, I'm not a believer in such, a watch is either keeping good time or is not, no amount of passed time will improve the time keeping of it.

If it is always exactly 17 seconds fast all it may need is regulation.

m4r10

I'll see how it behaves over the next month or so, although I was wearing it for almost 2 weeks non-stop and it was constant at +17 sec/day. My biggest fear about taking somewhere locally to regulate it is the water resistance, and while I don't usually go scuba diving (like never!), I still wear my watches during wet activities.

Wibbs

Agreed with Infosys. If its running a constant +17 in daily use in different positions that's consistent. Very. Regulating it done right should make for a very accurate watch. Of course as you say M who do you bring it to and will they do it correctly.

Gavin1

If it is consistent at 17 sec/day that is good. This means it should be able to be regulated back. I would leave it for a few weeks and see how it goes. But depending on the watch it may be sent off to the manufacturer and this will take some time.

Welcome to the world of mechanical watches. I sent back a Zenith 4 times (over 6/7 months without it) and now I think it is reasonably right.

hi5

What's meant by the accuracy of a quality watch is the difference between the various positions, this could be as little as a few seconds a day.
Have it regulated back.

Nonoperational

What is the watch?

Frank Black

m4r10 wrote: »

As for the "bedding in" period, I'm not a believer in such, a watch is either keeping good time or is not, no amount of passed time will improve the time keeping of it. Unfortunately there's no AD for that watch, it was bought over the internet.

I don't know a lot about bedding in periods either, I can only speak from personal experience. I bought a mechanical chronograph watch a number of years ago. I was pretty disappointed with the time it kept - it would frequently lose over a minute a day. I sent it off to be serviced (through a recommendation on this forum) about a year ago. Got it back and while timekeeping was better, it still wasn't great (maybe 20-30s per day). Then about 3months after the service (and ever since) it suddenly started keeping great time, as in it might lose a couple of seconds a week.
I was always curious as to why this would happen - thought that maybe a piece of grit had got caught in the gears and then been dislodged.

Lex Luthor

My Steinhart OB1 has consistently lost 12 sec per day since I got it a yr ago. It just needs regulating but I never got around to getting it done or trying to do it myself.

I'd be more worried if it wasnt consistent but as you have it timed at +17sec/day it just needs regulating.

I have other mechanicals with similar movements that are almost bang on

m4r10

Thanks all, as I said I'll just wear it for a while more to make sure it's constant in losing time and meanwhile try to get someone capable to test it to the required pressure after regulating it.