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Mechanical Watch (2022)

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Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#131

Post by systemvoltage »

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…

Marshall’s channel is amazing. He is so humble and always curious about learning. It got me into watchmaking as well, primarily because his attitude of “If I can do it, so can you!”.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#132

Post by naremu »

nequo wrote: post #112
naremu wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>No dependencies on electricity and network connectivity, it's a self-contained and entirely autonomous piece of human engineering. This already veers straight back into the marketing territory that everyone in this thread remarks was an eye opener when they actually got a mechanical watch. I have a mild prepper tendency and I had to eventually kill my romantic views of mechanicals when I realized it just time drift…

I never heard about PineTime until now! Looks like a cool gadget. What has your experience been with it, apart from it being more accurate than a mechanical?

It's an interesting experience, I have github send me an email on the odd occasion the community developed "OS" gets an update. Then I download the zip file on my phone browser and upload the file on Gadgetbridge for the update.

I sometimes call it my "soviet in a good way" watch, it ended up becoming my "function over fashion" watch, which means almost all day every day wear for a few years now.

pros:

decent battery life (1-2 weeks, i turn off bluetooth and gps on my phone overnights which helps both devices)

"good enough" design (durable enough for all but swimming/showering)

easily replaced or modified (even takes standard watch bands)

flashlight, notifications and all traditional digital watch functions

multiple community "OS" options

cons:

community development can be slow, buggy

water droplets particularly from natural rain can trigger the touchscreen, not amazing if you bike in seattle or something

anemic hardware

The charger is cheap and isn't that quick but again, the pinetime kind of excels in knowing the difference between good and good enough, as I once heard an engineer say (about something else), and I rarely find myself bothered by it's lack of luxuries.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#133

Post by naremu »

bpesquet wrote: post #128
naremu wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>No dependencies on electricity and network connectivity, it's a self-contained and entirely autonomous piece of human engineering. This already veers straight back into the marketing territory that everyone in this thread remarks was an eye opener when they actually got a mechanical watch. I have a mild prepper tendency and I had to eventually kill my romantic views of mechanicals when I realized it just time drift…

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.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#134

Post by nequo »

naremu wrote: post #132
nequo wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never heard about PineTime until now! Looks like a cool gadget. What has your experience been with it, apart from it being more accurate than a mechanical?

It's an interesting experience, I have github send me an email on the odd occasion the community developed "OS" gets an update. Then I download the zip file on my phone browser and upload the file on Gadgetbridge for the update. I sometimes call it my "soviet in a good way" watch, it ended up becoming my "function over fashion" watch, which means almost all day every day wear for a few years now. pros: decent battery…

Thanks for sharing your pros and cons!

What do you think is the PineTime's biggest strength when compared with a mainstream smartwatch?

Have you found the watch to be hackable? Is there any sort of customization that you've done to it?

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#135

Post by naremu »

nequo wrote: post #134
naremu wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an interesting experience, I have github send me an email on the odd occasion the community developed "OS" gets an update. Then I download the zip file on my phone browser and upload the file on Gadgetbridge for the update. I sometimes call it my "soviet in a good way" watch, it ended up becoming my "function over fashion" watch, which means almost all day every day wear for a few years now. pros: decent battery…

Thanks for sharing your pros and cons! What do you think is the PineTime's biggest strength when compared with a mainstream smartwatch? Have you found the watch to be hackable? Is there any sort of customization that you've done to it?

>What do you think is the PineTime's biggest strength when compared with a mainstream smartwatch?

Frankly, I think the combination of price/replaceability and privacy are the only things unique (besides niche FOSS modding) to it among smart watches; and I like the open aspect of essentially every detail.

It makes it the only smart watch I've used that feels like it respects my dignity, frankly. A minor philosophical quibble but one I take stoic pleasure in. It is a tool, and technology that serves me, not another.

> Have you found the watch to be hackable? Is there any sort of customization that you've done to it?

I actually got it hoping I'd have the inclination to tinker with it, but my only idea that wasn't already being worked on by the default "OS" is a red flashlight mode, which with the IPS screen is a moot point anyways, since the black pixels when turned on make for a low-light flashlight anyways, heh. A hardware drawback that ironically makes it a more accessible tool in my experience.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#136

Post by solardev »

ce4 wrote: post #57
j4yav wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Espresso machines, as well, and vintage stereo equipment. I have really come to appreciate the zen of user-serviceable physical stuff.

I can relate - i took repairing espresso machines as a hobby since the pandemic. The parts are not complex at all and even 60+ years old E61-machines can be serviced easily (apart from not so cool stuff like asbestos as boiler insulation, leaded solder for boiler + fittings and mercury pressure switches). But even todays machines (depending on manufacturer and origin) are very serviceable. Especially italian made one…

During the pandemic, I tried to work on my Jura, a Swiss automatic espresso machine with an integrated hopper and grinder. Totally failed :(

It's a great machine (got it refurbed and it's lasted nearly a decade already), but not at all easy to take apart. It's a lot of electronics though.

I take it the manual ones are easier to service?

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#138

Post by kQq9oHeAz6wLLS »

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?

Bah, don't listen to 'em. Inexpensive set of jeweler's screwdrivers, and pair of precision tweezers, some sort of magnifying device, and a couple oils (use Liberty oil for the pivots, it's cheap but good enough to start). Cheap oiler tools off eBay or amazon. I have maybe $50 in tools.

Buy some cheap movements off eBay, and dive in. Yeah, you'll lose parts and break things but you'll learn a bunch.

I have a couple Westclox watches from the 60s that I bought for $10/each on eBay, and they both now run at +/- 2 seconds a day.

Re: Mechanical Watch (2022)

#139

Post by runeb »

steezy13 wrote: post #14

I have been torn between wearing mechanical watches and smart watches. I don't need/want/like notifications on my wrist, but I really enjoy the activity and heart rate tracking of the Apple Watch. I have been reluctantly wearing a Samsung Withings watch that looks mechanical but is actually smart, but a mediocre compromise (you need to wear it higher up the wrist than I usually do, and I don't believe it gives accura…

I wish I could buy an Apple Watch without screen, crown and button. Just a smart disc to record all my Health and activity data, worn under my wristwatch
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