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Mechanical Watch (2022)

ciechanow.ski

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Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#141

Post by Double_a_92 »

fellerts wrote: post #32

This blog is what got me into the fabulous hobby of watch repairing. Well, this blog and Marshall's awesome repair videos over at Wristwatch Revival: https://www.youtube.com/@WristwatchRevival Watch repairing is a very rewarding hobby. It requires copious amounts of patience, but there's something fundamentally satisfying about disassembling something to its individual components, cleaning them and reassembling them…

> These things are designed to be taken apart

This is so true. I used to repair phones and other gadgets before starting with watch repair... and I was kinda scared to take apart something filigree like a watch because it surely would never go back togheter properly.

But no, everything goes back togheter fine without having to apply any kind of force. If it doesn't it's 99% my fault. E.g. even tiny screwholes are slightly tapered so the screws kinda fall in there automatically.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#142

Post by Double_a_92 »

shostack wrote: post #126
fellerts wrote: post #32

This blog is what got me into the fabulous hobby of watch repairing. Well, this blog and Marshall's awesome repair videos over at Wristwatch Revival: https://www.youtube.com/@WristwatchRevival Watch repairing is a very rewarding hobby. It requires copious amounts of patience, but there's something fundamentally satisfying about disassembling something to its individual components, cleaning them and reassembling them…

I wish there was a good beginner level entry point with a kit or something. But most of what I saw was "you need to build your own tools and then you can start" and that's too high a barrier for me. Is there by chance a simulator of this on Steam if a good beginner hobby kit doesn't exist?

A set of small screwdrivers (at least one 0.8mm and one 1.2mm or so), pointy tweezers and a movement holder should be all you need to try the hobby out.

The screwdrivers and tweezers should be of good quality though, at least get the ones that cost 3-4$ each from China.

And you don't even need a mechanical watch. Cheap quartz watches also have tiny interesting parts in them that you can try to disassemble and reassemble.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#143

Post by Double_a_92 »

mianos wrote: post #119
tomchuk wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very relaxing. Until impossibly small $15 Incabloc springs start flying around the room. I'm convinced these sublimate into a vapor the moment they fly out of view of your loupe.

Not relaxing to me, like the YouTube videos. It is difficult and frustrating. It is very easy to wreck things like brass threads. Often lots of things are seized up on anything more than a few years old. Fun all the same.

If screws seem seized up make sure that your screwdrivers tips are properly shaped.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#144

Post by saiya-jin »

fellerts wrote: post #32

This blog is what got me into the fabulous hobby of watch repairing. Well, this blog and Marshall's awesome repair videos over at Wristwatch Revival: https://www.youtube.com/@WristwatchRevival Watch repairing is a very rewarding hobby. It requires copious amounts of patience, but there's something fundamentally satisfying about disassembling something to its individual components, cleaning them and reassembling them…

Watches are pretty amazing, a mechanical engineering marvel crammed into tiny compartment that can easily keep working for 100 years with minimal upkeep, very sturdy, looking great at almost any design era and helping with time. I never got the lure of 'smart' watches of these days, they all look like plastic toys for kids including most expensive ones, definitely when compared to good mechanical watches. Also in formal environment its one of few 'jewelry' items that are always allowed along with wedding ring, anything else may raise eyebrows and give negative points depending on location/company.

I've seen people's OCD around me or similar issues getting worse with arrival of smart watches and nearly constant interruptions from notifications. Yet those folks don't turn them off even if I mention visible degradation on their part, I guess then they would end up with charging-needy expensive-yet-soon-obsolete gadget without much else (sport monitoring is cool for some folks, again I simply don't get the desire for constant measurements and comparisons - for me it takes away most of the fun that sports should be in first place, I focus on being challenged at my current level, not chasing some meaningless numbers).

I guess if one is 'free' from such things the described effect is less bad, but why the heck would I ever wanted to be notified instantly on my hand when something happens? Peace of mind and clear focus are rare and precious things these days, and this destroys it for few seconds of dopamine kick.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#145

Post by redbell »

This is the type of content that never gets old.

The original post [1] was ranking #4 as the highest-upvoted story on Hacker News before it got kicked to #5 last August by Bram Moolenaar's death announcement [2], then to #6 after Altman's saga ranked #3 a few weeks ago.

Over all, this story is classified as #1 in creative content that is not in the genre of news or announcements.

_____________________________

1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31261533

2. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37011324

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#146

Post by gwbas1c »

ghostganz wrote: post #15
gwbas1c wrote: post #13

My favorite watch ever was a self-winding mechanical Swatch. I suspect they (Swatch) acquired the company that made it. Disappointingly, when the pins that held the band on started to slip, there was no good way to repair it. I've since switched to a smart watch, but I keep getting tempted to go back. I generally use my smart watch as a very gentle alarm, and for fitness tracking. I just don't want to be the geek who…

A self-winding watch needs to be worn for hours each day to not run out of power. A manual-wind watch will be a better choice for a night-only mechanical watch.

I took off my self winding watch at night and it worked fine.

> night-only mechanical watch

I said that I was thinking of only wearing a smartwatch at night, because I really like the gentle alarm in the morning.

What I didn't say was that I use a smartwatch for tracking my sleep patterns.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#148

Post by aredox »

panopticon wrote: post #129
aredox wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also the only timekeeping device that will still work after three days away from an electric plug, and the only one you would wear all you life . 1 second/day is 10 PPM. Reaching that accuracy with only mechanical means in a device small and robust enough to be worn on the body is something to admire, not to fault for its limits.

> It's also the only timekeeping device that will still work after three days away from an electric plug I get your point, but I can easily get >2 weeks out of my Garmin Fenix or over a month if I put it in battery saving mode.

It won't do that in 5 years, let alone 10. You'll be unlikely to find a replacement battery, too.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#149

Post by bpesquet »

naremu wrote: post #133
bpesquet wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The PineTime is still an electronic gadget that you won't use for very long. My watch takes 15 seconds to rewind each day, and 5 seconds to be time adjusted by one minute twice a week. Service is every 5 years, the last one cost me 88 €. It gets more valuable each year, and I plan to bequeath it to my son in a (hopefully) very distant future. To each his own, I guess.

Rewind? As in a non-automatic mechanical? Admittedly, all the mechanical watch issues I've read tend to be pertaining to the automatic variety.

Yes, it's manual. I have no experience with automatic ones.

Admittedly, it is a rather pricey model (Omega Speedmaster). I bought it second hand for 1500 € a few years ago. Unfortunately, prices have since skyrocketed for many emblematic watches like this one.

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