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What is the point of a mechanical watch when there are far superior methods for timekeeping?

by pdog 8y ago

nodesocket 8y ago
I recently bought a mid-range automatic and switched from a lower-end quartz watch. While the quartz is absolutely less effort; you don't have to ever worry about winding it, there is something magical about the precision engineering of automatics. The second hand sweeping is really beautiful.
debatem1 8y ago
"why sing when you could yell and be heard much further?" People like beautiful things, and some machines do have a hypnotic kind of beauty.
amorroxic 8y ago
What's the point of a random comment on the internet when there are far more efficient ways to spend one's time?
spectramax 8y ago
You could rephrase and ask "What's the point of art in human society?"
soapdog 8y ago
why paint when you can take a photo? there is a lot of wisdom in art, and a lot that goes beyond just the aesthetical aspects of it. Mechanical timepieces are appealing to people for different reasons. Some enjoy the luxury aspect as it can be enjoyed as much as jewelery, others enjoys the engineering part of it as it can see as a wonderful machine, very precise and delicate, others like the little rituals involved, winding it up for non-automatics or looking at the inner workings by exposed complications, and others link it to memory as those timepieces pass through generations of their famillies. Time keeping is just part of it, not its whole.
faissaloo 8y ago
Status, and in some cases art, but mostly status.
- LyndsySimon 8y ago
  Satisfaction, too. I love watches, and usually wear a Vostok. It’s a very inexpensive Russian automatic (mechanical, self-winding). It was about $100, and certainly isn’t a “luxury” watch in the sense that a Patek would be - but I like wearing it, because of what it is. It’s hard to explain. It’s a piece of extremely precise engineering that almost feels organic in some ways. If I’m in a quiet place and calm I can almost feel it tick. I can feel the pendulum move to wind itself when I reach for something. In some small way it’s almost alive. I guess you could call that art.
vertline3 8y ago
I don't think you should be down voted, you asked a good question. I don't think everything has to have a "point".
Mikeb85 8y ago
What's the point of diamond rings, necklaces, earrings, etc...? A mechanical watch is jewellery, art, and as such also a status symbol.
jnurmine 8y ago
Aesthetics, the graspable ingenuity of the engine formed of mere gears and a spring. The artesanal dimension of the mechanical engine... That is attractive. Besides, no batteries to change, ever, so a mechanical watch is zombie apocalypse proof too, and more environmentally friendly. As for accuracy, yes, there are better sources of timing than mechanical or quartz crystal clocks. If one wanted achievable timing accuracy on the go, a GPS timing radio controlled clock would be the one to use. But would it be practical? Would it look nice? How much battery would it consume? And the most important question: would you need that kind of microsecond level accuracy?
throwawaymath 8y ago
You know how there are expensive chairs that look really nice, but which don't provide any benefits over a regular chair? Same idea. You don't buy a mechanical watch for maximal timekeeping utility. You buy it because you appreciate it as a form of art.
pera 8y ago
Similar to retrocomputing, mechanical watches can be a fun hobby, and there is an active and relatively big community dedicated to modding and finding rare vintage watches. Here are a few videos that may spark your interest: Building A Vostok Wristwatch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-JMoUoMtXo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-JMoUoMtXo How does a mechanical movement work?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYM4PpiTcEA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYM4PpiTcEA 9S Movement Manufacturing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0hR9jagpSM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0hR9jagpSM
craigsmansion 8y ago
As others already mentioned, there's hobby and beauty to them. But for an actual practical point where mechanical watches outshine their electronic counterparts: they can be insanely robust and reliable, as in, working for literal decades, basically non-stop, with generally 21600 mechanical movements per hour. And those are not specifically high-end ones. A decent quality 80$ watch from good stock will last a long time, and with proper maintenance potentially lifetimes.
tamasnet 8y ago
From the article: "A luxury watch is an expression, just like your car, or your house. It is an expression of your being."
teh_klev 8y ago
My daily, and only, wristwatch I wear is a stainless steel Seiko "5" self winding mechanical with a steel wristband. My parents bought me for my 16th birthday in 1983. I think it cost around GBP100.00 back then. These days the thing runs fast and slow sometimes by up to 20 mins over a week but I do have a rough idea what time it is (once a week I reset to actual time). For me that's fine, 99% of things in my life are not that time critical. With the exception of a replacement face glass (circa 1986, my Dad's fault :) ) and a replacement spring pin for the wristband clasp doodah, it's all original and has never been opened. If I do need to check the "real time", say for attending a meeting (not often), I just have a quick look at my phone or computer. The reason I keep wearing this inferior timekeeping piece is because I like it, like the simple design and enjoy it for sentimental reasons. For all my waking hours it's been through motorbike crashes, getting lost on a mountain, it went to one of my parent's funerals, signed my marriage certificate and then signed my divorce papers :) and much much more. It's more than just a less "superior" timepiece. I doubt a "superior" timekeeping piece by Apple or some such other technology company would last as long, acquire the patina my Seiko has and the patina of my life in terms of memories and experiences (this thing is now older than half my life now).

What is the point of a mechanical watch when there are far superior methods for timekeeping?

by pdog 8y ago

What is the point of a mechanical watch when there are far superior methods for timekeeping?

I recently bought a mid-range automatic and switched from a lower-end quartz watch. While the quartz is absolutely less effort; you don't have to ever worry about winding it, there is something magical about the precision engineering of automatics. The second hand sweeping is really beautiful.

debatem1 8y ago

"why sing when you could yell and be heard much further?" People like beautiful things, and some machines do have a hypnotic kind of beauty.

amorroxic 8y ago

What's the point of a random comment on the internet when there are far more efficient ways to spend one's time?

spectramax 8y ago

You could rephrase and ask "What's the point of art in human society?"

soapdog 8y ago

why paint when you can take a photo? there is a lot of wisdom in art, and a lot that goes beyond just the aesthetical aspects of it. Mechanical timepieces are appealing to people for different reasons. Some enjoy the luxury aspect as it can be enjoyed as much as jewelery, others enjoys the engineering part of it as it can see as a wonderful machine, very precise and delicate, others like the little rituals involved, winding it up for non-automatics or looking at the inner workings by exposed complications, and others link it to memory as those timepieces pass through generations of their famillies. Time keeping is just part of it, not its whole.

faissaloo 8y ago

Status, and in some cases art, but mostly status.

LyndsySimon 8y ago
Satisfaction, too. I love watches, and usually wear a Vostok. It’s a very inexpensive Russian automatic (mechanical, self-winding). It was about $100, and certainly isn’t a “luxury” watch in the sense that a Patek would be - but I like wearing it, because of what it is. It’s hard to explain. It’s a piece of extremely precise engineering that almost feels organic in some ways. If I’m in a quiet place and calm I can almost feel it tick. I can feel the pendulum move to wind itself when I reach for something. In some small way it’s almost alive. I guess you could call that art.

vertline3 8y ago

I don't think you should be down voted, you asked a good question. I don't think everything has to have a "point".

Mikeb85 8y ago

What's the point of diamond rings, necklaces, earrings, etc...? A mechanical watch is jewellery, art, and as such also a status symbol.

jnurmine 8y ago

Aesthetics, the graspable ingenuity of the engine formed of mere gears and a spring. The artesanal dimension of the mechanical engine... That is attractive. Besides, no batteries to change, ever, so a mechanical watch is zombie apocalypse proof too, and more environmentally friendly. As for accuracy, yes, there are better sources of timing than mechanical or quartz crystal clocks. If one wanted achievable timing accuracy on the go, a GPS timing radio controlled clock would be the one to use. But would it be practical? Would it look nice? How much battery would it consume? And the most important question: would you need that kind of microsecond level accuracy?

throwawaymath 8y ago

You know how there are expensive chairs that look really nice, but which don't provide any benefits over a regular chair? Same idea. You don't buy a mechanical watch for maximal timekeeping utility. You buy it because you appreciate it as a form of art.

pera 8y ago

Similar to retrocomputing, mechanical watches can be a fun hobby, and there is an active and relatively big community dedicated to modding and finding rare vintage watches. Here are a few videos that may spark your interest: Building A Vostok Wristwatch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-JMoUoMtXo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-JMoUoMtXo How does a mechanical movement work?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYM4PpiTcEA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYM4PpiTcEA 9S Movement Manufacturing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0hR9jagpSM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0hR9jagpSM

craigsmansion 8y ago

As others already mentioned, there's hobby and beauty to them. But for an actual practical point where mechanical watches outshine their electronic counterparts: they can be insanely robust and reliable, as in, working for literal decades, basically non-stop, with generally 21600 mechanical movements per hour. And those are not specifically high-end ones. A decent quality 80$ watch from good stock will last a long time, and with proper maintenance potentially lifetimes.

tamasnet 8y ago

From the article: "A luxury watch is an expression, just like your car, or your house. It is an expression of your being."

teh_klev 8y ago

My daily, and only, wristwatch I wear is a stainless steel Seiko "5" self winding mechanical with a steel wristband. My parents bought me for my 16th birthday in 1983. I think it cost around GBP100.00 back then. These days the thing runs fast and slow sometimes by up to 20 mins over a week but I do have a rough idea what time it is (once a week I reset to actual time). For me that's fine, 99% of things in my life are not that time critical. With the exception of a replacement face glass (circa 1986, my Dad's fault :) ) and a replacement spring pin for the wristband clasp doodah, it's all original and has never been opened. If I do need to check the "real time", say for attending a meeting (not often), I just have a quick look at my phone or computer. The reason I keep wearing this inferior timekeeping piece is because I like it, like the simple design and enjoy it for sentimental reasons. For all my waking hours it's been through motorbike crashes, getting lost on a mountain, it went to one of my parent's funerals, signed my marriage certificate and then signed my divorce papers :) and much much more. It's more than just a less "superior" timepiece. I doubt a "superior" timekeeping piece by Apple or some such other technology company would last as long, acquire the patina my Seiko has and the patina of my life in terms of memories and experiences (this thing is now older than half my life now).