Have you considered going back to a mechanical watch?

[Trufunk]

So, thanks to @The Cockney Rebel I paid a visit to my watch box, and organized them by size (largest to smallest).
After doing so, out of 10 or so mechanical watches, only two still have battery power.

Anyway, I have placed my AWU1 in the watchbox, and I am now wearing my Tissot. Tomorrow, if life spare, I will get a battery for my Diesel watch. If I continue to wear a mechanical watch for the next few weeks, I will consider batteries for the others...

Solar powered Rangeman for me. I also have some mechanical Seikos a Cocktail time and a Sumo

But feinding for an ultra2

 

[chanchowancho]

I've gotten really into watches in the last few years; I have a Tudor 1926 (41 mm), and a Hamilton Khaki Field Titanium (42 mm); I love them both -- they're both great "everyday" type watches, and I'd put the Tudor as more dressy. The Tudor 1926 comes in sizes down to 36 mm I believe, and Hamilton Khaki Field down to 38 mm. Soon getting a next one, likely a diver -- Tudor Black Bay 54 is very likely. Eventually planning a Rolex in the next years, and Grand Seiko too. It's certainly fun to collect these things, and they all tell stories for us in addition to keeping time. Cartiers are really cool too -- the Tank is always a classic but I agree the Santos looks great -- hope you get it soon!

Great little collection! I think what makes mechanical (I’m including quartz watches here) watches special is that even the most humble watches are built “for keeps”.

With a minimal amount of servicing (with enough knowledge and a few tools you can do it yourself) everything from a $100 Seiko 5, to your future Rolex, can outlast you, and a few of generations of your family.

It’s pretty rare in this day and age to be able to buy anything that will just “go” forever!

Plus there is something special about lying in bed with your hand near your pillow at night and hearing the sweet-sounding “pings” of the escapement, and knowing there’s a microscopic clockwork engine on your wrist!

 

[adib]

I’ve had a few watches over the years, but I’m not actually a watch wearer.

I do love my Apple Watch, but I’m in love with the SS & gold Santos De Cartier.

I’m on the verge of buying one, as I think it’s beautiful & is a very important watch: It was the first wrist watch ever made.

How about you?

No.

I've recently inherited mechanical watches. It turns out that these are worse timekeepers than quartz watches. Now those mechanical watches are just sitting there in a drawer.

 

[adib]

Great little collection! I think what makes mechanical (I’m including quartz watches here) watches special is that even the most humble watches are built “for keeps”.

With a minimal amount of servicing (with enough knowledge and a few tools you can do it yourself) everything from a $100 Seiko 5, to your future Rolex, can outlast you, and a few of generations of your family.

It’s pretty rare in this day and age to be able to buy anything that will just “go” forever!

Plus there is something special about lying in bed with your hand near your pillow at night and hearing the sweet-sounding “pings” of the escapement, and knowing there’s a microscopic clockwork engine on your wrist!

Quartz watches are electronic, not mechanical despite having watch hands and dials.

Mechanical watches are mechanical. They get their energy either by inertial generators or spring-winding. They keep their time usually using a mechanical marvel called tourbillon.

 

[Warped9]

I get that the whole vibe of this post is “old man yells at cloud” but it’s silly to say the Apple Watch is mostly a toy. For one thing, it’s pretty terrible as a toy, with functionality too limited for continued novelty. For another, there are tons of extremely useful features outside of notifications. Even something as simple as using it as my alarm each morning, where it vibrates on my wrist so it wakes me up but not my partner, is invaluable. There’s nothing about it that is truly essential which makes sense as it’s designed as a supplement to a phone, but it offers me a multitude of small quality of life improvements that add up to it being an extremely useful device to have on each day.

You had to slip that insult in there.

There are lots of new things to appreciate and not everything in the old days was great. I am interested in technology, but that doesn’t mean all its applications are worthwhile.

And I can easily afford an Apple Watch. But what I see is just a gimmicky thing to play around with.

When I was younger and digital watches were first being introduced I thought they looked cool and futuristic. As the years rolled by my view changed and now they look meh while a mechanical analog watch looks nice, understated and adult.

 

[Jim Lahey]

Going back to a digital watch it has cool old school vibes 😆 Personally can't stand mechanical watches.


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Casio digitals are too cool for school. I have a couple as well as my automatic mechanical. Don’t wear them much but they’re worth owning just for the nostalgia 👍

 

[Jim Lahey]

No.

I've recently inherited mechanical watches. It turns out that these are worse timekeepers than quartz watches. Now those mechanical watches are just sitting there in a drawer.

Yes my mechanical gains about two minutes per week. Fairly typical and doesn’t bother me but I can understand why it may aggravate some.

 

[chanchowancho]

Quartz watches are electronic, not mechanical despite having watch hands and dials.

Mechanical watches are mechanical. They get their energy either by inertial generators or spring-winding. They keep their time usually using a mechanical marvel called tourbillon.

There is a little more nuance than this - some mechanical watches, like the Seiko Spring drive (Mechanical mainspring and gear system with a quartz regulator) use a combination of the two technologies, and sit in both camps!

Mechanical watches do not usually keep their time using a tourbillion - those are extremely uncommon.

Either way, in the modern world, the average layperson refers to any analogue-faced watch as “mechanical”, so I felt obliged to go along with it 😊

 

[allenvanhellen]

I’d have a mechanical watch if it could somehow allow me to go without the (increasingly larger and heavier) iPhone. If it could have a partial display to make phone calls and view short messages, then I’d wear it. But I do also workout a lot, and that’s the other big reason I got the Watch.

 

[TracerAnalog]

I regularly wear a mechanical watch in stead of my Apple watch. I see mechanical (non-quartz!) watches as jewelry, whereas the Apple watch is a utility device. When I don’t wear the AW I do miss some of its functionality, primarily timers and reminders. Consequently I need my phone more often.

 

[Mcrumors David]

gold Santos De Cartier.

...basically looks like a digital watch🤭

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I do wear my mechanical watches from time to time and find it more special since my regular watch is an Apple Watch. If there is a special occasion or where I have to wear a suit at work, a mechanical watch is so much more appropriate and better looking.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Smart watches have absolut no style. Makes you look like a kid with a toy watch.

Interesting observation but one that I’m fine with. They are mass produced gadgets and many of us don’t buy them for style or for other peoples aesthetic aspirations. I use mine for fitness tracking, setting timers, reminders etc. If I want something stylist I wear a mechanical watch and I’m sure some will observe and think I look more of a man because of it, but who cares?

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Essentially a battle between die hard anything-that's-not-a-smartwatch fans and regular smartwatch users. Somehow people want to pay thousands on thousands for a collection of watches that only have time keeping functionality. I would have to think it's purely for aesthetics given that it's usually expensive watches of specific brands. Somehow Apple's Vision Pro makes a stronger argument for functionality.

People wear them for aesthetic value and because they appreciate the craftsmanship that has gone into the piece. It offers a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction to those who are into watches. It makes you feel good, which is why watch collecting is a very addictive hobby.

My Apple Watch is nearly 5 years old and is just a bland wearable with very useful features. It’s a different use case entirely.

 

[ofj]

No.

I've recently inherited mechanical watches. It turns out that these are worse timekeepers than quartz watches. Now those mechanical watches are just sitting there in a drawer.

If that's what you're aiming for, all the power to you - but you completely missed the point of a mechanical watch in the first place. A Rolex or Patek is not at all comparable to an Apple Watch or a quartz watch.

 

[ofj]

Yes my mechanical gains about two minutes per week. Fairly typical and doesn’t bother me but I can understand why it may aggravate some.

My Datejust 36 gains less than a second per day. It depends on the movement and how often you wear it.

 

[Spindel]

People wear them for aesthetic value and because they appreciate the craftsmanship that has gone into the piece. It offers a lot of enjoyment and satisfaction to those who are into watches. It makes you feel good, which is why watch collecting is a very addictive hobby.

My Apple Watch is nearly 5 years old and is just a bland wearable with very useful features. It’s a different use case entirely.

Err…

Seiko, Rolex, Omega and a bunch of other mechanical watch brands have basically no craftmanship. They are mass produced by automated machines as much as most things.

Sure there are brands that do have craftmanship (i e Vecheron Constantin (not all models mind you)). But they are few and far between the Rolexes and Omegas and other mass produced brands in Watch enthusiast forums.

I do appriciate the workings of the innards of mechanical watches, but they still just remain a toy/piece of jewlery compared to smart watches that are tools.

It’s just like in diving, no serious diver use a dive watch any more (like Rolex Submariner), they use more powerful tools like a dive computer.

 

[Tevosn]

No. A watch needs to do more than tell time in order for me to wear one.

 

[ofj]

Err…

Seiko, Rolex, Omega and a bunch of other mechanical watch brands have basically no craftmanship. They are mass produced by automated machines as much as most things.

Sure there are brands that do have craftmanship (i e Vecheron Constantin (not all models mind you)). But they are few and far between the Rolexes and Omegas and other mass produced brands in Watch enthusiast forums.

I do appriciate the workings of the innards of mechanical watches, but they still just remain a toy/piece of jewlery compared to smart watches that are tools.

It’s just like in diving, no serious diver use a dive watch any more (like Rolex Submariner), they use more powerful tools like a dive computer.

Seiko/Rolex/Omega doesn't have craftsmanship? Do you even know what you're talking about? the quality is pretty much one of the best out there. Mass production does NOT necessarily mean the quality is low. Read or watch a documentary on how their watches are produced in their factories in Switzerland.....As for Seiko, their Grand Seiko line has some of the best metal finishing in the industry, bar none. The build quality in general is something Apple cannot hope to ever compare to.

As for the toy aspect, sorry to break it to you - an Apple watch in many ways is also a toy. The iphone is enough for most people's needs. That doesn't mean that the watch doesn't provide a real-world benefit in daily life.

Finally regarding the diving - many professionals use the submariner/deep sea version. You should really read more before making blanket statements about mechanical watches in general.

 

[Spindel]

Seiko/Rolex/Omega doesn't have craftsmanship? Do you even know what you're talking about? the quality is pretty much one of the best out there. Mass production does NOT necessarily mean the quality is low. Read or watch a documentary on how their watches are produced in their factories in Switzerland.....As for Seiko, their Grand Seiko line has some of the best metal finishing in the industry, bar none. The build quality in general is something Apple cannot hope to ever compare to.

As for the toy aspect, sorry to break it to you - an Apple watch in many ways is also a toy. The iphone is enough for most people's needs. That doesn't mean that the watch doesn't provide a real-world benefit in daily life.

Finally regarding the diving - many professionals use the submariner/deep sea version. You should really read more before making blanket statements about mechanical watches in general.

A Mercedes E-class also has nice fit and finish, but it’s not craftmanship.

And sure lot’s of professional divers have Submariners and Deep Sea, they just don’t use/rely on them for diving.

 

[JBGoode]

.

 

[stanza.richi]

@The Cockney Rebel by all the reply, for sure Cartier Santos in SS & gold is a great timepiece. For sure is more like a jewel compared with AW and you could buy it and use it in special occasions, keep using your AW for daily activities 👍🏻

 

[xDKP]

I love my Apple Watch Ultra and use it as a part of my rotation - on days where I get my daily run in during the early morning, I often swap to my Speedmaster or Explorer for the office. I love the design and feel of the mechanical watches - while wearing them I miss the data and notifications so hard to win I guess

 

[Yrmmont]

I inherited a 80 year old Benrus watch. I now wear it daily!

 

[Nebulance]

My Datejust 36 gains less than a second per day. It depends on the movement and how often you wear it.

I'll add to this that my Tudor 1926 and Hamilton Khaki Field are about the same -- typically I notice 5 seconds ahead at most after a week. In the first few days after winding, I see no change; generally later in each watch's power cycle it'll start gaining (rarely I see them lag) time.