Random Poll: Which movement is better? Explain why in the comments.

Which movement is better? Explain WHY.
153 votes ·
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I voted for the 9015 because it's thinner, and high beat. I've never been bother by "rotor wobble", but a watch that's too thick is always annoying. 

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The better comparison would be the 8215, but let's compare these two. 

Miyota - thinner, higher beat rate

Harder to prove: The Miyota in my experience has tighter tolerances and holds a regulation better. Both are nothing to write home about in terms of accuracy regardless.

NH35A: Is almost to the point of a hard eye roll when we see it in just about every single KickStarter. It is usually the first corner cut among many in the watches it resides. Not saying all, but many. 

I have one modded Seiko with the NH36, but that was more of an experiment and it's fine, but at this point in my journey, I cannot see buying any watch with an NH35/36/38 regardless of the rest of the watch. I cannot say the same for the Miyota. 

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I can’t say I have any experience or opinion on the Miyota.  It may be fine.  The Seiko is in several Pagani watches I have and I’ve only had good experiences with it.  Actually, I liked it so much that it got me interested in buying a Seiko watch, which I since have.

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NH35 is the generic potato chip of The watch world. Cheap, easy to find and fulfills its purpose. But no pretty packaging, no special flavoring/no zest. 
 

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the Miyota choice is newer, high beat and thinner for the win. But anything from ETA or Selita would be the better choice with better specs

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AllTheWatches

The better comparison would be the 8215, but let's compare these two. 

Miyota - thinner, higher beat rate

Harder to prove: The Miyota in my experience has tighter tolerances and holds a regulation better. Both are nothing to write home about in terms of accuracy regardless.

NH35A: Is almost to the point of a hard eye roll when we see it in just about every single KickStarter. It is usually the first corner cut among many in the watches it resides. Not saying all, but many. 

I have one modded Seiko with the NH36, but that was more of an experiment and it's fine, but at this point in my journey, I cannot see buying any watch with an NH35/36/38 regardless of the rest of the watch. I cannot say the same for the Miyota. 

So which Seiko movement would be a grade above the NH35A? i.e., which Seiko movement would be more of a match for the Miyota?

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I have developed a new found respect for the nh35. Yes, a better comp to the miyota would be the seiko 6r35. But it all depends on your point if view. 

Technically, the Miyota is a better movement. And more accurate. But so want? My $10 quartz watch beats the pants off both and the Swiss movements. And servicing costs are higher. The nh35 has been known to go 15 yrs without a service. Other movements are usually within 5 yrs. 

And you don't service an nh35. Your replace it. That's another strength in my opinion. People disparage the nh35 because it's in so many watches. But that also means any local watchmaker can work on it. The ready supply makes it easy. 

And there's a reason why it's so common, beyond the price. It's a proven workhorse. The accuracy range is well known. And cheap to pay a watchmaker to regulate it. 

It's enabled hundreds of micro brands to launch. Meaning many watch enthusiasts have been able to enjoy new creative designs. 

So now, I'm happy to have it in my watches. 

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TwiceTollingClock

So which Seiko movement would be a grade above the NH35A? i.e., which Seiko movement would be more of a match for the Miyota?

The NH35 is basically the unbranded 4R35, meaning that the next level of Seiko movements are the 6R serie.

AFAIK Seiko doesn't really have a 1:1 equivalent to the 9XXX movements from Myiota. You need to get to a 6R2X to see the first 28,800 bps movement and they are not common.

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I chose NH35 because of it's low beat which means less wear and tear thus more longevity. Also NH35 is an insanely good workhorse movement which doesn't need any servicing and will run forever. 

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One of my NH35 movements was not clear about what position the crown was in, and it was really though to operate, there never seemed to be a clear click, then one day the date wheel setting broke. Another one quickly ended up outside of accuracy specification, drifting by a minute a day.

The 9015, and 9039 (no-date), have been very reliable. Although quite "light" to operate (too light). They do not give me as much confidence in them as a Sellita or ETA.

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ckim4watches

I have developed a new found respect for the nh35. Yes, a better comp to the miyota would be the seiko 6r35. But it all depends on your point if view. 

Technically, the Miyota is a better movement. And more accurate. But so want? My $10 quartz watch beats the pants off both and the Swiss movements. And servicing costs are higher. The nh35 has been known to go 15 yrs without a service. Other movements are usually within 5 yrs. 

And you don't service an nh35. Your replace it. That's another strength in my opinion. People disparage the nh35 because it's in so many watches. But that also means any local watchmaker can work on it. The ready supply makes it easy. 

And there's a reason why it's so common, beyond the price. It's a proven workhorse. The accuracy range is well known. And cheap to pay a watchmaker to regulate it. 

It's enabled hundreds of micro brands to launch. Meaning many watch enthusiasts have been able to enjoy new creative designs. 

So now, I'm happy to have it in my watches. 

That's the view I've taken with automatic movements. I had a watch with the Miyota 9015 but returned the watch due to non-movement issues. However, the rotor was incredibly loud! Plus I could feel the rotor spin whilst on the wrist. The latter I have never noticed with the 4R or NH movements. The former, I only slightly notice the noise but I have to make an effort to do so.

As for accuracy, not a massive difference between the two. Of course everyone's experience will differ (which is a problem for both really).

One day I might get a watch with a better automatic movement. But for now the Seiko movements do the job if I want to wear an automatic. Otherwise I'm increasingly wearing Quartz for the accuracy.

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An NH35 is about a third to a fourth of the price of a Miyota 9015, but these movements are hard to compare in other ways.

a) The NH35 is quite robust. I own about 15 of them, and have modded and probably abused them in all kinds of ways, even dropping an uncased movement on the floor. They are all still working fine. Everything about them is exceedingly well-documented.

b) The NH35 has a huge supply of parts, dials, hands, and cases. This is both a pro and a con, meaning you will easily find parts for repairs, but it is possible that the same parts are used in different watches, making watches using those parts appear less unique.

c) Whether you like hi-beat or not is largely a matter of taste, and it comes with trade-offs. The reduced thickness of the Miyota is what would really sell me, meaning the more dressier the watch, the more I would lean towards the Miyota.  

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My miyota winds in only one direction. The NH35 winds bidirectionally.

It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I can hear the rotor spinning around and it bothers me. Not a lot, but it is a factor worthy of note.

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I'd go with Miyota. I've had 2 seiko NH35s fail within 2 years of purchase. Maybe I got unlucky.

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Answering this question is akin to asking if Toyota or Honda is the better car manufacturer.

I would say the NH35 movement is the Corolla of the watch world - reliable but a bit boring; while the 9015 is like a Civic - reliable and a little sporty.

You really can’t go wrong with either and I think it’s good to have a collection that includes both movements. If I was forced to choose one, I’d go with the NH35 just because it’s so easy and inexpensive to replace if some does go wrong.

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LongmoorCopse

Answering this question is akin to asking if Toyota or Honda is the better car manufacturer.

I would say the NH35 movement is the Corolla of the watch world - reliable but a bit boring; while the 9015 is like a Civic - reliable and a little sporty.

You really can’t go wrong with either and I think it’s good to have a collection that includes both movements. If I was forced to choose one, I’d go with the NH35 just because it’s so easy and inexpensive to replace if some does go wrong.

The car analogy provided an extremely useful insight! 😎 I posted this poll not because I plan to buy watches with either movement (although I probably will, at some point.)

I posted it because I see these movements talked about quite a bit, and as a newbie, I know that they're reliable movements, but not much else. So I posted the poll to gather data. Based on what people say about them, I take notes on which movement is known for what features, etc.

This analogy was VERY helpful. Thank you! 😀

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I actually prefer the Miyota but voted for the Seiko. Why? It's robust, reliable and will last you longer with its lower beatrate.

The Miyota is thinner and is far more premium/accurate. I just wish it had a lower beatrate for a longer service life

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The 9015 has better specs overall. That being said I wouldn’t ignore a watch with an NH35 as I own many, beyond the mechanism I look to the case, dial and bracelet. If I like the rest I would be happy to buy either heart, if it’s the same watch with a choice, the 9015.