Wrist Clocks

[cbrstar]

I was actually a watchmaker until my motorcycle accident. So I've seen inside of just about every type of watch imaginable.

I remember back in the 90's my friend got one of the first Citizen Eco Drives in approx 1996 while in vacation down in America. At the time it cost his Father about $2000 US dollars! And I could be wrong but I think a Rolex was the same price at the time. But we were completely amazed by the EcoDrive. It was made of titanium which no one had really seen in person yet and the solar technology without seeing solar panels seemed like something from the Starship Enterprise.

A couple of years ago I found the exact same watch in a pawnshop for $20.:/ Despite having tons of watches I couldn't say no because of the nostalgia. But I ended up having to modify it to run on regular batteries as I couldn't seem to order the capacitor anymore.

[JD Spydo]

Hey I got a question to ask all you guys/gals who know your watches. My parents were two of the most tight-wadded, stingy, bargain basement people I ever knew in my life. They would drive you nuts with their "FIND THE CHEAPEST" philosophy pertaining to almost anything>> except watches. Both my parents always insisted on having Bulova watches. I don't think they are ranked very high anymore but at one time ( 60s & 70s especially) they were considered great time pieces.

OK with that said the Bulova company had a sister watch company known as "Accutron". And in the 60s & 70s Accutron was known for having some type of "tuning fork" technology instead of using a "mainspring". Do any of you guys know anything about Accutron's "tuning fork" technology? And are they still any good by comparison by today's standards in the watch industry?

[p_atrick]

Hey I got a question to ask all you guys/gals who know your watches. My parents were two of the most tight-wadded, stingy, bargain basement people I ever knew in my life. They would drive you nuts with their "FIND THE CHEAPEST" philosophy pertaining to almost anything>> except watches. Both my parents always insisted on having Bulova watches. I don't think they are ranked very high anymore but at one time ( 60s & 70s especially) they were considered great time pieces.

OK with that said the Bulova company had a sister watch company known as "Accutron". And in the 60s & 70s Accutron was known for having some type of "tuning fork" technology instead of using a "mainspring". Do any of you guys know anything about Accutron's "tuning fork" technology? And are they still any good by comparison by today's standards in the watch industry?

The Accutron is back. I think there is something to be said for a fine timepiece. We live in a world where many of the high tech stuff we rely on is disposable. They are amazing at what they do, but they all are destined for a landfill. A nice timepiece (yes, you need to get is serviced regularly) can last several generations. They are no less impressive than the latest iPhone from a technical point of view. Have you seen a tourbillion? The first one was made in the late 1800's. Now they have some that rotate on more than one axis. There are plenty of people who will argue that tourbillions are no longer needed for accurate time keeping, but they are mechanical marvels. Then you start to see some inventive stuff like Grand Seiko's Spring Drive. That is some amazing technology and it is very accurate (though not as accurate as quartz). Plus the continuous sweep is cool. I put the Accutron movement into the same category as the Spring Drive — an inventive take what a watch movement can be. They are cool because they are doing it their own way. I also like that they don't hide their tech behind the dial. Things get more interesting when you have a vintage watch, plus the watches you mention have a history to them. If you have a vintage Accutron, there are many, many people who would be jealous. Watches are a fun rabbit hole, but I only recently started to read more about them, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

[Mike Slayer]

The thing, I prolly like best about this MudMaster is that she syncs with the Atomic Clock in Denver, Co. every night. About as perfect time keeping as can be I reckon.

The radio controlled feature is one of my favorites. I wish the Citizen Promaster Tough had the radio controlled feature. My perfect watch would be in the field watch category but it would be more than just capable on land. It would work in the sky and sea perfectly as well.

I would use the Citizen Tough as the basis of my perfect watch.
Eco-Drive.
Radio Controlled.
Increase case size to 44-46mm.
Screw down crown.
Divers 300 meter water resistance rating.
Bi-directional bezel with Compass Points and Degrees.
Two piece case design. (No case back)
Green tritium vials on all 3 hands, Orange at 12/24 hour position and blue for the other 11 markers.
Day and Date window.
1-12 medium text dial with 13-24 small text
Seconds chapter ring.
Sapphire crystal with AR coating.

I might have missed a feature or three but that is basically my perfect watch for everything I do.

[MacLaren]

The thing, I prolly like best about this MudMaster is that she syncs with the Atomic Clock in Denver, Co. every night. About as perfect time keeping as can be I reckon.

The radio controlled feature is one of my favorites. I wish the Citizen Promaster Tough had the radio controlled feature. My perfect watch would be in the field watch category but it would be more than just capable on land. It would work in the sky and sea perfectly as well.

I would use the Citizen Tough as the basis of my perfect watch.
Eco-Drive.
Radio Controlled.
Increase case size to 44-46mm.
Screw down crown.
Divers 300 meter water resistance rating.
Bi-directional bezel with Compass Points and Degrees.
Two piece case design. (No case back)
Green tritium vials on all 3 hands, Orange at 12/24 hour position and blue for the other 11 markers.
Day and Date window.
1-12 medium text dial with 13-24 small text
Seconds chapter ring.
Sapphire crystal with AR coating.

I might have missed a feature or three but that is basically my perfect watch for everything I do.

Can't go wrong with either Citizen or Casio imo
Both, absolutely solid

[JD Spydo]

Hey I got a question to ask all you guys/gals who know your watches. My parents were two of the most tight-wadded, stingy, bargain basement people I ever knew in my life. They would drive you nuts with their "FIND THE CHEAPEST" philosophy pertaining to almost anything>> except watches. Both my parents always insisted on having Bulova watches. I don't think they are ranked very high anymore but at one time ( 60s & 70s especially) they were considered great time pieces.

OK with that said the Bulova company had a sister watch company known as "Accutron". And in the 60s & 70s Accutron was known for having some type of "tuning fork" technology instead of using a "mainspring". Do any of you guys know anything about Accutron's "tuning fork" technology? And are they still any good by comparison by today's standards in the watch industry?

The Accutron is back. I think there is something to be said for a fine timepiece. We live in a world where many of the high tech stuff we rely on is disposable. They are amazing at what they do, but they all are destined for a landfill.

Thank you for that rundown of information P_atrick :) I can clearly remember the TV commercials of the Accutron and their "tuning fork" technology back in the late 60s/early 70s. I always wanted one but they were so expensive compared to the plain jane TIMEX models that I just settled for second best at the time. And I did remember my parents telling me that Bulova owned ACCUTRON at the time.

And I can relate with our current "throwaway" approach of so many items in this present time. Take my fishing reel hobby of German made D.A.M. Quick reels and tackle. Most people wouldn't pay even the price they get for used D.A.M. Quick reels, rods and other Quick fishing tackle. So you could say that most of the most well recognized names like Zebco, Shakespear, and about a dozen more I could mention are simply "name only" in this present time. I probably have the same fascination for the technology that the QUICK company put into their fishing reels that so many of these Swiss companies put into their watches. Not to mention the fabulous improvements that Spyderco has made with everyday pocketknives ( fixed blades too ). The bottom line to all of this is "Superb Quality" which seems to be falling out of favor at this time unfortunately.

[cbrstar]

Hey I got a question to ask all you guys/gals who know your watches. My parents were two of the most tight-wadded, stingy, bargain basement people I ever knew in my life. They would drive you nuts with their "FIND THE CHEAPEST" philosophy pertaining to almost anything>> except watches. Both my parents always insisted on having Bulova watches. I don't think they are ranked very high anymore but at one time ( 60s & 70s especially) they were considered great time pieces.

OK with that said the Bulova company had a sister watch company known as "Accutron". And in the 60s & 70s Accutron was known for having some type of "tuning fork" technology instead of using a "mainspring". Do any of you guys know anything about Accutron's "tuning fork" technology? And are they still any good by comparison by today's standards in the watch industry?

I'm actually a bit of a Accutron fanatic. Back in the early 2000's when I was learning watch repair you could literally buy a bucket of Accutrons for pocket change. The reason is at the time no one wanted them because they were obsolete, you couldn't get batteries, there was no parts, and they needed special tools to fix. But the internet started connecting people to watchmakers who could fix them and the prices and collectability went straight up.

Accutrons were defiantly Bulova's flagship model and for good reason. If you look at a watch catalog from 1970 you will see they cost more then your avg Rolex or Omega.

There are two weak points on a mechanical watch for time keeping. One is the mainspring and the other is the escape wheel. As a mainspring winds down it loses power causing variations in time keeping. You might be thinking that batteries have a power curve to, but the old Mercury batteries though they had lower voltage they gave a constant power flow.

So we have to look what was going on. The first electric clock was invented all the way back in 1814! But in the 1930's the syncronous electric clock were sweeping across America and replacing mechanical clocks everywhere. I can't help but think that a lot of watch companies were saw this as the future and started working on electric wristwatches.

The first main commercially produced electric watch was the Hamilton 500. This used a 1.35v mercury battery to replace the mainspring but it still used a balance wheel. It was a big leap but still not perfect.

Well Bulova went a different route. They took another really old idea...The tuning fork. The first clock to use this was invented in 1856 by Louis F. Breguet. (Who was the Grandson of probably the worlds greatest Watchmaker. But then they added something new and exciting. The transistor!!! Now you had the best of both worlds. And at the time it was the most accurate watch money could buy. But they had some downsides for example the constant humming you can hear when it's quite.

Unfortunately when the quartz revolution came along in the 70's it ended up wiping out most Swiss/American brands. Companies like Bulova were behind in being able to offer cheap quartz watches like many of the Japanese brands like Seiko had. Eventually they were sold to Citizen in 1979. When that happened all the tooling etc for Accutrons were scrapped. And in the 80's mercury was banned for batteries. An Accutron will run on a 1.5v but they often gain time like crazy.
Now they are just so neat that they are collectible again.

[Mike Slayer]

Eventually they were sold to Citizen in 1979.

Bulova was sold to the Loews Corporation in 1979. Loews Corporation sold it to Citizen Holdings Corporation in 2008. I really like Bulova's Precisionist line. I really like the 96B175. Overall I love the history of different companies and how they have changed and evolved over time.

[Mike Slayer]

Can't go wrong with either Citizen or Casio imo
Both, absolutely solid

One G-shock I have always wanted was the GMWB5000GD-1. It reminded me of the first watches I had as a kid but it's in steel which is what I remember always wanting back then instead of the plastic ones I had at the time.

[MacLaren]

Can't go wrong with either Citizen or Casio imo
Both, absolutely solid

One G-shock I have always wanted was the GMWB5000GD-1. It reminded me of the first watches I had as a kid but it's in steel which is what I remember always wanting back then instead of the plastic ones I had at the time.

Yes. That has the classic Casio GShock look.
Nice!

[cbrstar]

Eventually they were sold to Citizen in 1979.

Bulova was sold to the Loews Corporation in 1979. Loews Corporation sold it to Citizen Holdings Corporation in 2008. I really like Bulova's Precisionist line. I really like the 96B175. Overall I love the history of different companies and how they have changed and evolved over time.

Yes you are correct. I got citizen cross wired with Loews.

[ChrisinHove]

I’ve never been into watches, and am never far from a phone, iPad or car, but this is a treasured timepiece of mine, dating from c1650-1680.

I have no interesting stories about it, but would sure like to hear about what it has seen over the centuries.

[Mike Slayer]

I’ve never been into watches, and am never far from a phone, iPad or car, but this is a treasured timepiece of mine, dating from c1650-1680.

I have no interesting stories about it, but would sure like to hear about what it has seen over the centuries.

It still counts since it tells time. Looking at the mechanics with the counter weights along with the skilled people that specialized in servicing them is fascinating.

[bearrowland]

I love G Shocks. This is my Mudman.

[MacLaren]

I love G Shocks. This is my Mudman. IMG_20201212_194429.jpg

Nice.

[bearrowland]

Thanks MacLaren! I have a couple more, but this one is my favorite.

[ladybug93]

i've recently been building a collection of watches. oddly, the fist of my collection was the citizen skyhawk as well. i've also been wanting to give it a facelift because it has a large chip in the crystal. still a great watch and running strong. i have another eco drive pilot watch that isn't radio controlled. i watched it on amazon and snagged it up for only $52! also pictured here is a casio protrek triple sensor watch that is also solar powered and radio controlled, and the infamous casio duro. all of these watches have a 22mm band width, so they've all had their original bands and bracelets removed in favor of nato straps that i can switch out. these watches range from $45-350 and i love them all equally. haha... i actually just placed an order for the silver casio royale, which was only $15 on amazon the other day. despite being my cheapest watch, it will be the only one in the collection to keep its bracelet, making it look fancier than all the others. i enjoy a little subtle irony.



if you haven't checked out the "knife and watch" thread on this forum, you definitely should.

[JD Spydo]

A very interesting 'sidebar" to all of this is a novelty aspect of watch collecting. A very good friend I went to high school with who unfortunately is no longer with us had a most unique watch collection. He had a collection of watches that the pictures of celebrities and persons of interest are on the front of them.

Two of his most unique watches had was the old Nixon vice president "SPIRO AGNEW" on the front ( a guy everyone hated at the time :D ). He also had a Muhammad Ali wristwatch and had one with Jethro Bodine's face on the front of it ( Max Baer Jr.) Beverly Hillbilly fame.

Of course he also had Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck watches as well. I asked him once where he got all those really unique watches and he would smile and wouldn't tell me. I'm willing to bet that the one with "Spiro Agnew's" face on it would be worth some money if any of his family still has it. He even had that one of Muhammad Ali before he won the HeavyWeight Championship again.

[JD Spydo]

I was actually a watchmaker until my motorcycle accident. So I've seen inside of just about every type of watch imaginable.

I remember back in the 90's my friend got one of the first Citizen Eco Drives in approx 1996 while in vacation down in America. At the time it cost his Father about $2000 US dollars! And I could be wrong but I think a Rolex was the same price at the time. But we were completely amazed by the EcoDrive. It was made of titanium which no one had really seen in person yet and the solar technology without seeing solar panels seemed like something from the Starship Enterprise.

A couple of years ago I found the exact same watch in a pawnshop for $20.:/ Despite having tons of watches I couldn't say no because of the nostalgia. But I ended up having to modify it to run on regular batteries as I couldn't seem to order the capacitor anymore.

Hey that's interesting cbrstar :) I heard that to work on those high dollar Swiss made watches people had to have specialized training for that and usually from the factory. Like I said in an earlier post I had heard that here in the Kansas City, Missouri USA Metro area ( a pretty big Metro Area) we only have two or maybe three factory authorized repair techs that can work on Rolex and other big name Swiss watches. Is that true maybe? Or is that something that my neighbor lady might have made up out of her head?

However I do know for a fact that there are only 3 Factory authorized Rolex dealers here in the KC Area. I had a guy who used to own a jewelry business here in this town I live in tell me that about a year ago. It's always interesting to find out the real truth.

[Donut]

Smart watches still count. Also I wouldn't say watches aren't terribly useful because they are very useful in the telling of time. Granted feature packed smart watches can be very handy and more useful but those extra features and format generally come with a compromise. They are generally less robust. I am not easy on my watches as can be seen in the pictures above but it's not because I am trying to be hard on them it just comes with the territory. Doing mechanic work, gunsmithing, different types of firearm training, bushcraft and survival training along with countless other endeavors watches especially get beat up over time. I have seen countless smart watches completely ruined during these activities. I still wouldn't mind having a smart watch for certain things though it just wouldn't be worn daily. I do find the tech and advancements in Smart watches very interesting. Think back to different Sci-Fi movies and others that you could make phone calls with your watch. We live in that time here and now. Pretty **** cool.

I think you're right. I work a desk job and I feel like I have a clock within sight 90% of my day. About 15 years ago one of my coworkers convinced me to start wearing a watch, my argument before that (I was probably 25 years old at the time) was that I could look at my phone any time I wanted to know what time it was. He was right, it isn't the same.

Someone must make a tough smart watch, but I don't know who it is. The Mi Band 4 was pretty tough, but not waterproof, the Mi Band 5 isn't bad and it's waterproof, but I got a scratch on it in the first couple of weeks. Haven't had any more scratches since, so maybe it's a fluke. The band, made of rubber, usually tears on me after almost a year, but bands are pretty easily available and cheap. _Maybe_ give one a try.