Accuracy obsessives: are you okay with your watch gaining a few seconds a day - but does it drive you mad when it loses time (especially over spec)?

You paid a lot of money for your watch. If it is still under warranty and performing outside the published specification, take it in to be regulated!

I agree. I’d much rather watches gain time than lose time as it is easier to reset the time by just hacking the movement.

I don't mind if a watch gains +30-60 seconds a day, as I'm happy to be running earlier, than late. Then reset it when needs must. Losing any time is something I can't abide. It would lead to chronic anxiety.

Do you take your watch off at night? Have you tried leaving it in different positions on the bedside table? You can usually get a regulated watch to gain or lose a couple of seconds overnight employing a bit of ‘positional regulation’.

I may well do, although you know that to some on this community that will seem ridiculous 🤯

Obsessing over a second or 2 +/- on a watch that costs as much as a used Camry does seem crazy, when the watch needs a warranty repair for the lume falling out.

I have no experience with an AD but wouldn’t they just speed it up a tad to make the customer happy?

Thanks for that. Actually going by the Watch Accuracy Meter app, the Pelagos is a solid -2 with the dial facing up, like resting in the box. But placed on its side it's more like -5.

Yes I use "positional regulation" on my Mark XX. Plus 1 spd in the box, -2 or -3 spd on the wrist. I'm fine with that, especially since IWC don't promise any specific accuracy tolerance (which they should, but that's another matter!)

Any watch within 5 seconds a day is considered a highly accurate mechanical watch in my eyes. I have much bigger things to worry about than my watch being off by a few seconds a day.

My Tudor North Flag runs at a similar accuracy of -2 seconds per day. If I rest it at night dial up on a watch stand it gets a perfect accuracy of 0 seconds per day. Give it a shot, resting position does affect the movement. Any of my watches in the $4000+ range I expect better than COSC accuracy. Don’t worry about talking to the AD if you’re not happy, they want you to come back and buy more; so customer service at this level is usually excellent.

Yeah tell me about it! 😠 my Tudor Pelagos keeps better time than my Rolex Submariner ! And that’s superlative chronometer 😒

If you set it a minute fast then after 20 days it will be spot on and you can repeat. Truth is can't pull the crown and hack a watch without moving the minute hand at least a tiny bit so I end up moving the minute hand no matter what.

A watch should run within spec, but what they advertise is deceiving. There is usually a bigger number, the max deviation, which is how badly your watch is allowed to run if kept in one single position. So unless the watch violates that, it may not technically be out of spec. It's some nasty fine print for sure and I expect the makers to regulate it for free but if they are having a bad day, they might start arguing their case...

I sent my 2015 for its first service because it was running out of spec (+10) and now nearly a year later it's still running spot on.

I bought my Omega specifically for it's accuracy, so yeah, I'd be rather disappointed if it ran slow.

There are 86,400 seconds in one day. Even if a mechanical device is off by 30 seconds either way it's still pretty darn accurate.

And there's always quartz, radio controlled, GPS, bluetooth, solar for those insisting on precise time.

We all have much bigger things to worry about, of course! This is to do with a hobby, and an issue within that hobby some of us are obsessive about - because claims of great accuracy are key to the value (or at least marketing) propositions of many watches.

For instance, I will not pay big bucks for any watch that only says it'll keep to COSC parameters. If that's okay for you, that's fine. It's not for me.

If Rolex can promise plus/minus 2 spd and Omega METAS, and now Spirate (0 to plus 2 spd), why shouldn't I expect Tudor to keep to their parameters?

This may be a niche position, I understand. You are a bit more relaxed about it - good for you my friend!

Fair points! I don’t feel that way for the most part, but I completely understand where you’re coming from!

Nobody has mentioned that the point of +X/-0 is the same as for optimistic vehicle speedometers. If you're early, it's fine. If you're late it can be bad. If you're only going 53mph when the speedo indicates 55, no ticket!

Those pictures are not mine. Found them on the Internet

I also like my watches to have good accuracy and prefer fast to slow running. In perspective-3 seconds in 24 hours is still an extraordinary accomplishment for a small machine. And -2 is still inside manufactures spec but could be improved by a watchmaker. At -3 I would be in touch with Tudor to get it looked at under warranty and ask if they can regulate to the + side, which they should be able to do with that movement. In pursuit of accuracy I took the Spring Drive route and I am really impressed. +2 seconds a week! Love the look of the Pelagos, it is on my list…

Beyond price point…if it’s COSC then it should be in spec.

It is a mechanical thing, it will fail in some regard sooner or later. Spending more money won't negate this dynamic, unless you buy a movement that is substantially different than what you find in mid-level offerings.

A babied Tudor that's missing the mark - would bug me as well!

ug, more spring drives might be the way to go... 🤔

Weirdly my somewhat cheap watches do quite well: Alpinist, Zodiac, Kurono (it's a Miyota 9 series movement) all are +/- 2 seconds.

Spring drives are always decimals of a second 0.0, 0.1 etc. and need longer time frames to measure.

I buy Seiko watches, so my expectations on accuracy are very broad to say the least. I'm happy to be at +/- 20 sec or better haha.

Yes, Spring Drives are awesome, but though technically mechanical they are quartz/electronically regulated. So, I don't think it's fair to lump them into the same category as typically mechanical movements with balance springs.

That said, I'm more focused on reliability, not spec performance. Having lume fall out of my bezel would annoy me faaaar more than my watch not performing within spec for accuracy. I can adjust the time, but I can't recreate or fix a piece of the watch on the fly.

And what happens once the warranty period expires? Your watch will undoubtedly start to fall out of spec eventually. Do you plan on paying for it to be regulated or serviced constantly or in short intervals for the rest of its lifetime? Or would you just get a new watch every time the warranty expires?

Those reasons above are why I care more about it just working rather than working to a high degree of accuracy. I have not taken a watch to get serviced ever, and hope to never need it. I like workhorse movements. METAS, COSC, etc. is all fine and well, but it matters less to me than how easily a movement can be serviced or the operating history behind the design. So, I guess I'm on the opposite side of yourself!

The 2 most important regulation settings are face up and crown down being the same normal wearing and storage angles. They can regulate them better but accuracy = time spent= money. Being within warranty specs means it's your dime.

Wow 🤯

Definitely 1st world troubles.

Get a quartz, resolves the problem.

All my homade rolexes with seiko movements run at +2 or less. I regulate myself. This cost me $100 of parts.

I completely understand wanting good accuracy in a watch that expensive — especially since the BB58 or Pelagos 39 is my grail. Most of my watches are Swiss or Japanese. The Swiss generally run between 3 to 5 seconds per day (my Doxa is 5 spd slow, which I agree is annoying).

I only hope that when I do get my first luxury watch I don’t let this subtract from my enjoyment. My Sinn keeps +3 spd. I know Rolexes are +\- 1 spd. But o don’t think it’s a big deal if my one day Tudor is 3-ish. After all, it’s still amazingly accurate and you won’t have to set it until 30 days is almost up (I correct my watches when they reach one minute off).

I don’t know. It’s a good topic.

Exactly. Rolex used to include a note to this effect. -2spd is great, OP just enjoy the watch.

I am so glad I’m not the only one who feels this way oh my gosh!! I have sold watches before due to losing time. I can’t stand it!!! My Pelagos luckily runs about 0 to -1 occasionally. It’s arguably my most accurate watch.

I much prefer a watch to gain time as opposed to losing it. Some of my watches I have regulated myself due to my distaste of losing time. You are not alone in how you feel, and it’s a perfectly normal reaction with how much we pay for these little machines.

We do have to keep in mind, especially in the higher end, that these are hand made mechanisms that do have a certain level of human error in them, but I do wish more companies would regulate to gain as opposed to lose time.

Huh? It says COSC certified on the dial -4/+6, so -3 is within specs. Who said a Pelagos is -2/+4? Yeah I’d rather gain time than lose, like everyone else.

Does it have an ETA movement? I see “rotor self winding”, which just means automatic but they took it away for their watches with “in-house” Kenissi movements. Not implying that it’s bad, the ETA has longer, much longer track record of reliability and accuracy.

What is important to me is that the watch runs according to declared specs. If within have no problem if it is running fast or slow but prefer if it is gaining time.