Thoughts re the quality of old vs new movements...

Jul 14, 2020,06:02 AM
 

Been bouncing this around in my head for a few years.

Frequently we'll see a low to mid-tier Swiss watch from the 50s through the 70s and it will have say a 17j automatic, which I think seems low by modern standards?

Here's what I'm guessing (and I can't prove it), is that even basic pedestrian modern Swiss and Japanese movements are better designed and built than their counterparts from say 50 years ago?

Interested in everyone's thoughts, especially those of you with hands-on knowledge. Thanks!

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Better designed and built, pedestrian modern movements???

 
 By: amanico : July 14th, 2020-06:52
Better than those? Not so sure... The thing that improved a lot, for the movement' sake, is the quality of the oils. Best, Nicolas ...  

There has been some "survival of the fittest" effect

 
 By: mkvc : July 14th, 2020-08:00
as approaches that don't work get abandoned. Also, with automation, various approaches that have always worked but were expensive to implement can now be used in inexpensive movements. However, there is a down side: modern movements are made using materia...