[time-nuts] NERC/TEC test

[William H. Fite]

Oh, Chuck!  You have no soul.  [?]  People collect and use Accutrons for the
same reason that people collect and use manual Omega Speedmaster
Professionals.  And the same reason that some of us keep old shipboard
chronometers (mine was built by Thomas Bassnet a little over 250 years ago)
and other vintage timepieces.  We pay a mint to have them cleaned and
lubricated and we understand that their inaccuracy is not a fault but a
measure of where the technology was when they were built.

Those cranky, noisy, inaccurate old devices that you scorn took explorers
across the oceans and to the moon and back.  They are not to be lightly
dismissed.

Most Accutrons run perfectly on 1.55v Ag2O cells and those that don't are
very easily modified to do so.  There are a number of highly capable
watchmakers who can restore and maintain them though some 214 parts are
becoming scarce.  A number of hacks, too, of course.

I also like automatic movements and am wearing an Omega Seamaster right this
minute.

The hum when you lay it on the dresser is part of it.

You can send me all the Accutrons that are doing drawer duty at your house.

Bill



On Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 9:34 AM, Chuck Harris <cfharris at erols.com> wrote:

> There are plenty of Accutrons out there, but I think most owners have long
> since
> relegated theirs to drawer duty.  The short battery life (9 months), loud
> hum,
> lack of mercury cells, and poor performance on silver oxide cells did them
> in.
>
> It isn't that they cannot be adjusted to work with silver oxide cells, they
> can, but who will do it for you?  There are no service centers left, and
> only
> a handful of watchmakers that will work on them.
>
> I much prefer automatic watches.   If I cannot have an automatic, I would
> then
> prefer a quartz watch... most of the modern quartz watches will go 5 years
> on
> a cell, and keep way better time than the Accutron ever did, and are silent
> when
> you place them on your bedstand.
>
> -Chuck Harris
>
>
> William H. Fite wrote:
>
>> BTW, how many of us have running Accutrons?  I surely can't be the only
>> one.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 8:56 AM, William H. Fite<omniryx at gmail.com>
>>  wrote:
>>
>> In fact, that was exactly what Accutron watch technicians were taught to
>>> do.  They deliberately set the watches to run slow (~4 seconds per day, I
>>> think, but someone may correct me on that) because, when worn, slight
>>> bumps
>>> and jars would stimulate the tuning fork to vibrate slightly faster for a
>>> fraction of a second and/or the index wheel to advance two notches per
>>> impulse rather than one.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 10:59 PM, Hal Murray<hmurray at megapathdsl.net**
>>> >wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> IThis reminds me of the story (from time-nuts) of how to calibrate a
>>>> pocket
>>>>
>>>> watch.  The recipe was roughly:
>>>>
>>>>  Take watch to shop.
>>>>  Shop puts watch in stable environment.
>>>>  Shop adjusts watch to tick corectly.
>>>>  Shop gives watch to customer.
>>>>  Customer uses watch as "normal" for a week.
>>>>  Customer brings watch back to shop.
>>>>  Shop mis-adjusts watch to match customers usage patterns.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> These are my opinions, not necessarily my employer's.  I hate spam.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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