Impressed by inexpensive mechanical watches...
In early August, I picked up the Timex MK1 Mechanical for an excellent price of $85. It is an homage to a 1981 Timex produced for a very short time for the U.S. Marine Corps and uses an era-appropriate Seagull ST6 movement introduced in 1975 (which is much preferable to the pin-lever movements used by Timex in that period). When it first arrived, it was keeping time about +7.5 spd, which is apparently good for this movement (many online reports of +/- 20-40 spd with this movement in the Marlin reissue)... after a few weeks it was + 5 spd, and it has now has settled in at a still-respectable +10 spd. An Invicta 1953 that I picked up in April (Seiko NH35 for $88) is keeping time at +5 spd on the wrist and -3 spd stored 12-up, so I haven't had to adjust the time since June (I've used "positional regulation" to keep it within a couple of seconds of atomic time).
These are my first mechanical watches since the Cub Scouts in the late 1960's (I think my official "Cub Scout" watch was accurate to about +/- 90 spd ... I've been wearing very accurate quartz watches for the 50 years since), and I still wear an Apple Watch for heath/sleep tracking. But overall, I'm VERY impressed with the accuracy of sub-$100 mechanical watches in 2022.
Glad you’ve taken an interest in mechanical watches. Quartz is brilliant in its way, but there’s something about a mechanical movement, about knowing there’s a tiny machine made by people (or at least designed by them) in there taking care of business that’s very satisfying. And honestly, we all need hobbies, things that aren’t important in and of themselves, to focus on and enjoy. I guess stamp collecting would have been fine too, but I think you’ll find watches much more interesting and satisfying. Cheers.
Glad you’ve taken an interest in mechanical watches. Quartz is brilliant in its way, but there’s something about a mechanical movement, about knowing there’s a tiny machine made by people (or at least designed by them) in there taking care of business that’s very satisfying. And honestly, we all need hobbies, things that aren’t important in and of themselves, to focus on and enjoy. I guess stamp collecting would have been fine too, but I think you’ll find watches much more interesting and satisfying. Cheers.
I've had a Seiko Mecaquartz for about 10 years and find the combination of quartz with a mechanical chronograph to be fascinating. A Casio Duro in February rekindled the interest in analog watches and punches WAY above its price.
Also, I'm a patent attorney with a degree in mechanical engineering and have appreciated the harnessing of the piezoelectric effect for quartz watches for years as well.
It's a marvel how we can get great watches at low prices!