Citizen Titanium Dive Watch
Looking For A Wrist Watch?
Hints to help you find the most appropriate wrist watch for youThere are too many brands of wrist watches in the market. When it comes to choose one to buy, most of the people get confused between the features and don't know how to pick up the right watch, so they end up by buying the best-looking watch. This article highlights the basic mechanisms of different watches movements and gives hints for those who are confused.
Introduction
Wrist watches are worn for many reasons: timekeeping, appearance, alarm, as well as other 'functions' that some people look for. Most of the watches in the world are manufactured in one of three continents: Asia, Europe or North America. However, the best two countries that are well known for watches technology and quality are Switzerland and Japan. There are also some very luxurious brands that are made in England, Germany, USA, France and Italy. Until now, there are only two types of time scaling in the world of watches: the Quartz and the Mechanical. From the time-view point of view, watches can generally be divided to the two most common categories: Analogue (hands are used to point the current time) and Digital (an electronic digital screen shows the required data/time). Other rare patterns of time-view include E-ink (flexible screens similar to the LCDs) and the mechanically rotating satellites (as those in Opus and Urwerk brands) In every quartz watch, an electric current oscillates a quartz in a very high frequency, which doesn't change for any constant duration of time. So, in every quartz watch there must be a battery which generates this direct electric current. However, this battery can fall under one of five main categories:Types of batteries in Quartz watches
1- A battery that is not rechargeable and needs to be changed when, or before, it is empty of power. This is the most common type of batteries in all watch brands since Seiko started to mass-produce the Quartz watch in the early 70's. Any watch in the world that is marketed as Quartz should have this kind of battery. 2- A "battery" (actually a capacitor) that is recharged continuously by wrist movement. Examples include Seiko Kinetic and its many subtypes. 3- A "battery" (actually a solar cell) that is recharged continously by sun rays (solar energy.) Examples include the Citizen Eco-Drive and the light powered Orient as well as the luxury branch of Casio, namely Oceanus. 4- A lithium ion battery that is recharged when needed, by alternating electric current (AC) via a recharger (as we recharge cell phones.) Some of the Suunto watches work by this way. 5- Some batteries get recharged from the difference of temperatures between the wearer's skin and the environment. This is called Thermocompensation. In mechanical watches, the energy for moving the hands and other functions is received from either manual winding or the motion a perpetual rotor which continously generates power for the watch, for a limited period of time depending on the torque stored in the main spring. In terms of precision and multi-functionality, it is known that the Quartz watches are much more precise than the mechanical watches and contain more functions. The range of time inaccuracy of quartz watches as officially stated by the well-known brands is only +/- 15 seconds per month. In fact, quartz watches are even more accurate than announced by their producers.Atomic watches
Some quartz brands, like Casio, make watches that connect to certain radio waves, coming from a source in Colorado, USA, or other places in Japan and Europe, and adjust the time daily so there is no possibility of inaccuracy at all. The Casio wave ceptor model even adjusts itself for the day light saving time (summer time.) However this function doesn't work well far away from the radio wave sources (maybe 2000 miles.) In terms of prestige and collectors appeal, the mechanical watches are still highly owned for their values. They need to be made of excellent qualities to ensure the most possible accurate time keeping, hence they are usually more expensive. Some of the very famous mechanical watches brands include Omega, Orient, Rolex, Seiko, Brietling, IWC and many others. In general, the re-sale values of mechanical watches are much better than those of quartz, even if produced by the same watchmaking company. It should be clear that Seiko Kinetic and Citizen EcoDrive are not "automatic" watches as many people think. However, they virtually don't need batteries because their so called "batteries" are continuously recharged. So they have the two advantages of the quartz and mechanical: Precision and virtually No-Battery-Change. (As a side note, the older kinetics need capacitor change every few years)The Functions of a Watch
Some of us look for the multi-functionality of the watch. Functions are extra jobs that a watch can achieve other than timekeeping. These include: 1-Alarm (can be more than one) 2- Calendar (date, and sometimes date and month) 3- Perpetual Calendar (that means that the watch calculates this exact year's calendar, because as we know some years are leap years, i.e. February is 29 days) so it doesn't need re-adjustment and you don't get into troubles if you missed this. In mechanical movement, perpetual calendar is considered one of the major complications. However in quartz movements, it is not highly appreciated, just because it is an electronic function and not a craftsmanship. 4- Chronograph (this means it can work as stop-watch or countdown timer with high precision e.g. 1/10, 1/100 or even 1/1000 of a second.) Some chronographs calculate the average speed based on the lap distance and taken time. They don't calculate the real speed of a moving person, don't get deceived. 5- World Time Zones 6- Thermometer (i.e. measuring temperatures) 7- Altimeter (i.e. measuring altitudes) 8- Compass (i.e. measuring the magnetic north of the earth) 9- Barometer (i.e. measuring the air pressure) 10- Water resistance (especially for divers) 11- Water depth calculation 12- Global Positioning System (GPS.) e.g. Garmin Forerunner 13- Flash USB memory 14- Bluetooth (e.g. Fossil) 15- Heart rate monitoring (e.g. Suunto) 16- Vibrations, so that for blind people they can know the time easily. (e.g. Tissot Silen-T) 17- Touch screen for choosing functions (e.g. Tissot T-Touch) 18- Power reserve/Battery charge indicator 19- Contacts and tasks organizer (e.g. some Casio models) 20- Shock resistance (Casio G-shock and baby G) 21- Radio connection for time adjustment (e.g. Casio wave ceptor) 22- MP4/MP3 Player 23- Tachymeter 24- Minute repeater: the watch can tell the time whenever you want. This is done by producing special sounds for hours, quarters and minutes, so that you can know the time without looking at the hands. 25- Many other functions can be found in the digital watches. Alas! Most of the extra functions you won't see in Automatic watches, and this is due to the energy generation issue. But on the other hand, the more the functions a watch has, the less the time needed to change its battery. The average duration for battery change in most multifunction sophisticated watches is 1-2 years, with the exception of Seiko Kinetic, Citizen EcoDrive and similar solar timepieces.What is the Tourbillon?
This mechanical unit is a part of the very expensive wrist watches (tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per watch.) It was designed originally by the french watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet in the 18th century. It is extremely complex in its structure and mechanism of action. Its weight may not exceed 0.8 gram, while it may handle 130-140 metallic parts! Its main function is to eliminate the effect of the earth gravity on the accuracy of the mechanical watch. Despite its reputation as being very complex and only made by few watchmakers around the world, many professors in the watchmaking science doubted its success in timing precision. My advice: forget about the Tourbillon if you are a middle-class or an ordinary rich person. This kind of watches need a very rich person to buy them, and even though they are not worthy.. this is my opinion.The Spring Drive from Seiko
A revolutionary invention in the world of watches, that just came lately, although under investigations since 1977, is the Spring Drive from Seiko. This technology is simply a "quartz-regulated mechanical" combination. There is no electric saving part in it, and it works exactly as a mechanical watch from the movement point of view. However, the "regulation" of the motor energy that comes out from the spring is done via a tri-synchronizer (that contains a quartz crystal.) I didn't see this watch personally, but it appears to me for now, the best idea in the world of watches so far. It's pretty expensive (3000-7000 USD.) Its luxurious version, Credor Spring Drive, may reach up to 150, 000 USD for a single timepiece. You are not allowed to buy one unless Credor checks you through an application and then may or may not agree!The strap versus the bracelet
It is an old, big and endless debate! As a summary: If you wear the watch in a hot and wet weather, avoid leather! Although leather gives the watch a special value, and although it is more comfortable in cold and dry weather, but the metal is known to be more practical and more long-lasting. Rubber and cloth bracelets are used in diving and sports watches. The metal can be titanium (light and strong), stainless-steel, gold. The best leather used is that of the crocodile.It's a personal decision!
So, at the end, as most of the basic watch facts are clarified, you can decide which watch to buy, based on your career, hobbies, age and the functions you need in your watch. If you want a pure automatic watch and you are concerned about the price: look for an Orient or a Seiko. If you are not concerned about the price: look for an Omega, Rolex, Credor, Brietling, Cartier, Panerai, Tag Heuer, and many other brands. The IWC, Vacheron-Constantin, Blancpain, Urwerk are manufactured mainly for the very rich. If you want a multifunction watch with hands and with mid-range price: look for Tissot T-Touch. However if the price is a big issue: look for your watch in the Casio brand. If you want a sophisticated multifunction digital watch: I'd say go for Suunto. If the battery replacement is a thing you don't like, and you want a precise timekeeping function for more than few days at the same time: your favorite watch will be either Seiko Kinetic, Citizen EcoDrive, Light-Powered Orient, or Oceanus solar.Dive Watch | Guide to a Dive Watch
26 May 2010 at 3:01am
Next page: Dragonfly Helicopter
