Timex Is Making Watches in America Again • Hacker News Board

Re: Timex Is Making Watches in America Again

#101

Post by criddell » Wed, May 01, 2019, 7:40 PM UTC

laken wrote: post #100

criddell wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> mechanical watches are still better at measuring time What do you mean by that? In what way are they better at measuring time?

Quartz watches "tick" only once per second. Mechanical watches move generally 6ish times a second, causing a perpetual movement. This makes them better for measuring things in fractions of seconds than a quartz movement.

> only once per second

That isn't generally true.

Here's an analog quartz chronograph that has 1/10 second dial: https://youtu.be/mPP3EeWdJsA?t=97

If you are talking about a sweep second hand, there are plenty of quartz movements that do that.

If you go for digital quartz, you can get 1/100 second accuracy in a $10 watch.

The longer you time something, the worse the mechanical watch is going to be. Most of them gain or lose several seconds every day.

Zenith is the only manufacturer that I know does significantly better than this, but that particular movement is pretty rare and extraordinarily expensive.

Re: Timex Is Making Watches in America Again

#102

Post by mikeash » Wed, May 01, 2019, 10:11 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #21

mikeash wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Conspiracy theory: deliberately fail in order to demonstrate that “Made in America” doesn’t work so they’ll get less criticism about manufacturing elsewhere. More realistic: fleece suckers who think “Made in America” make it worth spending $500 for a $50 watch.

Or, you know, taking advantage of some tax breaks and benefits. It's not like factory jobs are for other races and countries, and Americans should just sit back and solely devote themselves to pure ideas and entrepreneurship. > More realistic: fleece suckers who think “Made in America” make it worth spending $500 for a $50 watch. Most $500 watches are worth way less, even $50, so nothing special about this (regardles…

Plenty of great stuff is made in the US. I’d rather we focus on making things we’re good at, rather than taking random stuff, slapping “Made in America” on it, and hoping someone is willing to pay a premium for that text.

Re: Timex Is Making Watches in America Again

#103

Post by coldtea » Thu, May 02, 2019, 9:43 AM UTC

mikeash wrote: post #102

coldtea wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or, you know, taking advantage of some tax breaks and benefits. It's not like factory jobs are for other races and countries, and Americans should just sit back and solely devote themselves to pure ideas and entrepreneurship. > More realistic: fleece suckers who think “Made in America” make it worth spending $500 for a $50 watch. Most $500 watches are worth way less, even $50, so nothing special about this (regardles…

Plenty of great stuff is made in the US. I’d rather we focus on making things we’re good at, rather than taking random stuff, slapping “Made in America” on it, and hoping someone is willing to pay a premium for that text.

>I’d rather we focus on making things we’re good at, rather than taking random stuff, slapping “Made in America” on it, and hoping someone is willing to pay a premium for that text.

Why not make everything you can make? Would there be a problem is the US manufactured CPUs and phones as opposed to sending them to be made in China/Korea/Taiwan/etc?

To outsource externalities (e.g. environmental costs)? Or to stifle any labor demands (by moving your production to wherever you like any time they are raised somewhere)?