5 ms·

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 oppo

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 1y 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 1y 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...
  - lttlrck 1y ago
    I have had a Kinetic since 1999; a millennium birthday present to myself. It's a bit of an oddity. The lithium-ion power cell needs to be replaced every 5-10 years, and it's relatively expensive part. It has more mechanical complexity than a quartz plus the same maintenance. But it works really well. It's a hybrid. I love it despite this, it's unusual looking and the quirkiness makes it fun to talk about.
    - JohnBooty 1y ago
      Is it easily user-replaceable? How expensive is it? I really appreciate your reply.

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 1y 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 1y 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...
- lttlrck 1y ago
  I have had a Kinetic since 1999; a millennium birthday present to myself. It's a bit of an oddity. The lithium-ion power cell needs to be replaced every 5-10 years, and it's relatively expensive part. It has more mechanical complexity than a quartz plus the same maintenance. But it works really well. It's a hybrid. I love it despite this, it's unusual looking and the quirkiness makes it fun to talk about.
  - JohnBooty 1y ago
    Is it easily user-replaceable? How expensive is it? I really appreciate your reply.