4 ms·

Is the fancy new escapement better than a crystal oscillator?

LeoPanthera 2y ago
No, but it’s also not supposed to be. It’s probably impossible for any mechanical movement to be as accurate as a quartz crystal.
Enginerrrd 2y ago
Do you mean like a quartz timer? Almost certainly not, but that's not really the point for mechanical watches. Quartz oscillating frequency is like 32k Hz. Good luck getting anything mechanical to operate at those frequencies.
- Animats 2y ago
  There was the Bulova Accutron,[1] which used a 360 Hz tuning fork. This was the most accurate watch in the 1960s. Here's high frame rate video of the mechanism.[2] It's an electrically powered tuning fork ratcheting a toothed wheel forward. This is backwards from an escapement clock or watch. Worked fine, used by astronauts, made obsolete by quartz watches. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulova https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulova [2] https://youtu.be/CPS7aNCAwAA?t=194 https://youtu.be/CPS7aNCAwAA?t=194
- xeonmc 2y ago
  The gyroscope in your phone is (microelectro)mechanical. Considering that the Rolex in question are using MEMS-based techniques, they might as well go all the way and make an entire movement out of MEMS designs.
awkward 2y ago
For accuracy? It's probably a little worse than quartz. The escapement will have a longer overall lifespan, and may need servicing every couple decades, as opposed to a new battery every couple years.
- ginko 2y ago
  >The escapement will have a longer overall lifespan, and may need servicing every couple decades, as opposed to a new battery every couple years. My Citizen Ecodrive needed the first capacitor change after 17 years of daily wear. Literally zero service to the watch before that. Also I really really don't buy that this mechanical movement won't need service every couple years like pretty much any mechanical watch out there. Where do you take the decades part from?
  - awkward 2y ago
    I may just know a much lazier segment of mechanical watch owners.
  - section_me 2y ago
    Probably the ruby that the spinning parts sit between and only need to be relubricated occasionally. I'm just going of what I've seen on service videos.
  - mperham 2y ago
    For their newest models, Rolex recommends service once per decade. FWIW, my five year old GMT is running noticeably worse than new in 2020.
- boznz 2y ago
  I am surprised we cannot use the self-winding or normal wind-up mechanics for power generation to charge a battery to supplement solar, but I expect the experiments have already been done and it was either not cost effective or just did not give out enough power to be useful.
  - JohnBooty 2y ago
    It's been done and it works quite well from what I've read! I am not sure that Seiko still makes them, but you can still find some new ones for sale. Always wanted to get one of these since they're quite unique. https://www.seikowatches.com/us-en/customerservice/knowledge/kinetic-knowledge https://www.seikowatches.com/us-en/customerservice/knowledge... https://www.jomashop.com/seiko-kinetic-watch-ska791.html https://www.jomashop.com/seiko-kinetic-watch-ska791.html Unfortunately, Seiko's "Kinetic" movements don't seem to have ever been a big hit, so I don't know if it's something people actually wanted. Ultimately I think the "problem" is that regular solar watches work so damn well, and that most quartz buyers have no interest in "unique" movements. I mean, I do, but I'm the minority. And I still never bought one...
criddell 2y ago
I’d say so, yes.
nailer 2y ago
No, but: https://chrono24.app/rolex/rolex-datejust-oysterquartz-ref-17014-anno-1981-blue-dial---jubilee---serviced--id39465946.htm https://chrono24.app/rolex/rolex-datejust-oysterquartz-ref-1... Super accurate thermally compensated quartz.

No, but it’s also not supposed to be. It’s probably impossible for any mechanical movement to be as accurate as a quartz crystal.

Enginerrrd 2y ago

Do you mean like a quartz timer? Almost certainly not, but that's not really the point for mechanical watches. Quartz oscillating frequency is like 32k Hz. Good luck getting anything mechanical to operate at those frequencies.

Animats 2y ago
There was the Bulova Accutron,[1] which used a 360 Hz tuning fork. This was the most accurate watch in the 1960s. Here's high frame rate video of the mechanism.[2] It's an electrically powered tuning fork ratcheting a toothed wheel forward. This is backwards from an escapement clock or watch. Worked fine, used by astronauts, made obsolete by quartz watches. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulova https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulova [2] https://youtu.be/CPS7aNCAwAA?t=194 https://youtu.be/CPS7aNCAwAA?t=194
xeonmc 2y ago
The gyroscope in your phone is (microelectro)mechanical. Considering that the Rolex in question are using MEMS-based techniques, they might as well go all the way and make an entire movement out of MEMS designs.

awkward 2y ago

For accuracy? It's probably a little worse than quartz. The escapement will have a longer overall lifespan, and may need servicing every couple decades, as opposed to a new battery every couple years.

ginko 2y ago
>The escapement will have a longer overall lifespan, and may need servicing every couple decades, as opposed to a new battery every couple years. My Citizen Ecodrive needed the first capacitor change after 17 years of daily wear. Literally zero service to the watch before that. Also I really really don't buy that this mechanical movement won't need service every couple years like pretty much any mechanical watch out there. Where do you take the decades part from?
- awkward 2y ago
  I may just know a much lazier segment of mechanical watch owners.
- section_me 2y ago
  Probably the ruby that the spinning parts sit between and only need to be relubricated occasionally. I'm just going of what I've seen on service videos.
- mperham 2y ago
  For their newest models, Rolex recommends service once per decade. FWIW, my five year old GMT is running noticeably worse than new in 2020.
boznz 2y ago
I am surprised we cannot use the self-winding or normal wind-up mechanics for power generation to charge a battery to supplement solar, but I expect the experiments have already been done and it was either not cost effective or just did not give out enough power to be useful.
- JohnBooty 2y ago
  It's been done and it works quite well from what I've read! I am not sure that Seiko still makes them, but you can still find some new ones for sale. Always wanted to get one of these since they're quite unique. https://www.seikowatches.com/us-en/customerservice/knowledge/kinetic-knowledge https://www.seikowatches.com/us-en/customerservice/knowledge... https://www.jomashop.com/seiko-kinetic-watch-ska791.html https://www.jomashop.com/seiko-kinetic-watch-ska791.html Unfortunately, Seiko's "Kinetic" movements don't seem to have ever been a big hit, so I don't know if it's something people actually wanted. Ultimately I think the "problem" is that regular solar watches work so damn well, and that most quartz buyers have no interest in "unique" movements. I mean, I do, but I'm the minority. And I still never bought one...

criddell 2y ago

I’d say so, yes.

nailer 2y ago

No, but: https://chrono24.app/rolex/rolex-datejust-oysterquartz-ref-17014-anno-1981-blue-dial---jubilee---serviced--id39465946.htm https://chrono24.app/rolex/rolex-datejust-oysterquartz-ref-1... Super accurate thermally compensated quartz.