Working around the NH34A / 4R34's accuracy window
How does one address the -20~+40 sec per day that's inherent with NH34A movements? I try to set the time as to the Atomic clock off time.gov and after 3-4 days, my watch is now ahead by roughly around 1m to 1 1/2s which is rather annoying to look at.
One workaround I have in mind is to set it to -20s vs. the time listed at time.gov, to anyone else who has done this, how has it worked out for you?
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Interested to see peoples take on this as I'm looking at buying an NH34 powered watch.
Interested to see peoples take on this as I'm looking at buying an NH34 powered watch.
It's going to be a prevalent issue for sure since a lot of microbrands have switched from Sellita 330 to NH34A entirely due to it's much more affordable cost.
It's also an issue that's prevalent with Seiko 5 GMTs since they use 4R34 which is essentially the same movement.
Take it to a watchmaker and get it regulated, can be easily regulated to +/-5 seconds within few minutes and for a small fee.
Out of curiosity, why not to regulate the watch? Is it not possible for NH34 movement?
My srpg39 runs +10sd after regulation, which seems to be reasonable.
Take it to a watchmaker and get it regulated, can be easily regulated to +/-5 seconds within few minutes and for a small fee.
I'll go ahead and do that, thank you for the heads up.
I’ve only timed my new Seiko SSK003 for a few days (4R34/NH34), and was getting around +6 sec/day. I agree with above, that a quick trip to a watch maker shop that can adjust regulation might be all you need.
I just regulate mine, though I appreciate not everyone is happy to do that. It's actually a fairly reliable movement after you do that, certainly doesn't drift as much as the 6r35 for example.
I have a bunch of Pagani Design homages that have the NH35. Most of them hold time much better than stated maximums. One has been around plus 4-5 sec/day. But given that these were $100 watches, I tend to accept the price/performance. Plus, I don’t usually keep them running. I might not wear them in a month or two. Watches at this price point aren’t part of my primary collection. They are inexpensive and a $100 watch that keeps reasonable time over a day or two owes me nothing. I’ll grab one that matches my outfit, wind, set the time and go. If it is off by 30 seconds over two days, it’s probably already back in the box anyway so I don’t care.
Take it to a watchmaker and get it regulated, can be easily regulated to +/-5 seconds within few minutes and for a small fee.
Good idea. I have a bunch of Pagani Design watches that have NH35s, and while they are all well within the stated range, why not have them adjusted? I don’t tend to wear them over many consecutive days. So, a few seconds a day isn’t a big deal for me. But I might bring them in and have them adjusted to see how close they can get.
My Seiko GMT is currently running well within COSC accuracy. Most Seiko movements I've had run much better than the stated specs. Any that are more than about 10 seconds off, I regulate myself, which isn't too difficult.
My experience of these movements is that you've got to be quite unlucky to get one running even close to factory parameters. - 5 to +10 is the norm for me. Don't forget to wear the watch regulary for at least a couple of months before regulating
My new Seiko GMT is running about 15-20 seconds per day slow. I’ve never had a watch regulated , about how much does it cost? Can anyone recommend a good watchmaker?
Edit…I don’t mind when it’s fast, but slow bothers me
My Orient Mako II runs +25 secs/day fast. It is a bit annoying, but don't tend to rotate the watch any more than a day or two every week or two, so tend not to let it annoy me too much! Hell, bought the thing pre-owned, so really isn't a biggie! LOL! 😉
Yes, have it regulated. I get my NH3x to run within +/- 5 seconds a day. Keep in mind that this works for the position in which you wear them the most, e.g. "dial-up" for desk work.
My new Seiko GMT is running about 15-20 seconds per day slow. I’ve never had a watch regulated , about how much does it cost? Can anyone recommend a good watchmaker?
Edit…I don’t mind when it’s fast, but slow bothers me
It usually costs like $20-30 outside depending on where you live.
If you bought it from an AD and they have a service person within their shop then they can do it for free usually under warranty for free.
If I am looking for solid accuracy and want to wear a mechanical watch, which I usually am on both counts, I’ll set my watch before I leave the house, daily if need be. I don’t mind the two minutes of setting the time on my watch at all.