cazalea
[Seiko Moderator]
20964
Shock absorbtion is provided by your arm, in many cases
the watches that I have serviced that seemed to have impact damage fall into these categories:
dropped on marble or tile floor by shaky-handed gentlemen in golf club locker room
bashed against table top by unbalanced uncle falling off ladder trying to straighten a picture in a stairwell
knocked to the floor by mistake of tipsy gentleman (Vacheron dress watch)
flung out into street by yet another accident-prone uncle (Rolex Datejust shot out of tennis shoe being whacked on telephone pole to clean off sand)
scarfed along concrete block wall by fireman with old lady over his shoulder in smoky corridor (Seiko diver) or bashed against Police Interceptor door while CHP officer was reaching for nightstick (Seiko diver)
general use and abuse by Navy Seals diving, repairing boats and fighting over possession of a case of brewskis
Movement beautiful, case trashed. Job Done. Rolex. Keeps on ticking ... wait, that was someone else's slogan.
The shock tests and viscous-coupling-type shock-absorbtion strategies are not really aimed at these neglect, abuse and accident cases. They're intended to improve watch performance under normal usage conditions - even if normal means climbing up a mountain or trekking through the desert sands.
Cheers
Cazalea
A question that was partially raised in a recent post was.
Why are some movements more robust than others? Is it the material that they are made from, is it the delicate nature of the assembly or the type of complication that the watch is designed for or maybe the shock system of one watch is better then another?...
That's a large topic.
I have a few thoughts on "robustness." First, some watches are designed to tighter tolerances than others. Those that can work with fairly loose tolerances will be able to take more abuse than those that depend on everything's being "just right." Certain ...
The Alexandrian solution to the problem of shock absorption . . .
. . . is offered by Glashütte Original in their Sport Evo Impact line . . . . . . which isolates the movement from the case by attaching it with elastic couplings which are depicted in the photo at the 2:00, 4:00, 8:00, and 10:00 positions. Can't say...
Here's another shock absorbing system
It's the one Jaeger LeCoultre use for Master Compressor Extreme series watches. JLC claims that this system, thanks to an air cushion, absorbs 50% of the energy transmitted by vibrations and shocks. Ciao!...
A few more thoughts...
Robustness covers a couple of different features, not all completely correlated. For example: Robustness could be resistance to serious damage caused by severe impact (dropping, etc). Shock-mounted movement; thick, deforming case, and large caliber would ...
Thanks to everyone for your thoughts..............
Tom, out of the examples that you gave, for me it would be the latter, though I don't fall over through tooooooooo much drink these days, although a week on Thursday maybe different!!!!!! I tend to agree with about Rolex & Seiko, although I am certain tha...
Just watch out for the lampposts...
...when you're heading home; they're murder on watches... Actually one vintage model came to mind: IWC's Yacht Club (1967-1975). Despite the milquetoast name, it came with rubber shock-absorbing movement mounts, real water resistance (100 m), and the grea...
I trashed a Seiko 5 long ago
when it hit a telephone pole walking home. I dunno what i did to it, but it started dropping 60 sec a day or so, not to mention the massive scratch in the crystal A
I really love the Yacht Club too
And thought I knew its main features. Your thoughts are very interesting for me and make this watch a more and more attractive model for me. I'd love to have one! Long ago, IWC auctioned a perfectly restored exemplary: I should have taken it! The October ...
Well, for shock absorption,
it seems the Wyler Geneve is one to contemplate. Dropped from both, the Eiffel Tower and the Seattle Space needle, and kept on ticking. It has an ETA 2984-2 movement housed in a sprung titanium case. The four screws act as shock absorbers. Tag Heuer's new...
Shock absorbtion is provided by your arm, in many cases
the watches that I have serviced that seemed to have impact damage fall into these categories: dropped on marble or tile floor by shaky-handed gentlemen in golf club locker room bashed against table top by unbalanced uncle falling off ladder trying to str...
Cazalea, what do you think about...
...riding every day with a sporty motorbike on shabby streets with a "Speedmaster Day Date" on the wrist? After a few months, I have noticed it loose time: there could be a connection between this fault and riding my bike? Thank you!
great thread, thanks Tony!
Really a good one Now I am worried about those Devon chipmakers and what they are wearing. None of their articles has reached Hamburg again. Velocity drop? Best, Amery
from the depths
As a reply to " have no concerns in say wearing a chronograph, while out running, but would it be a wise to wear a perpetual calendar performing the same activity?" I remember these lines from a "vaudeville" show, the lowest class of caberet entertainment...
Patent shock absorbing systems
I have read about certain watches having "Incabloc" shock absorber technology. Am I correct that this is something any brand can use, or is it specific to a certain brand? How does it work? Along the same lines, I have seen some Panerai models listed as h...