Watch size and Accuracy

May 19, 2010,13:23 PM
 

I was wondering if someone could share thoughts on the issue. Can a watch be too small or too big to maintain time well.
Is there a critical size beyond which a movement will not work well.
Many thanks

  login to reply

Comments: view entire thread

 

Brings back memories of Watchrap...

 
 By: Velociphile - No longer in the building : May 19th, 2010-13:46
...No time now forgive me. I hope to return to this soon. In a nutshell, bigger allows more room for more energy storage (spring), larger heavier balance wheel etc. If this energy advantage is released over a normal duration (e.g. 50h) through a higher in... 

Bigger is better

 
 By: nickd : May 20th, 2010-00:38
As Velocophile says, bigger means more space for larger main springs and bigger balances. Bigger balance means more inertia which means more immunity to shock and more stability of oscillation (higher Q). Locking/unlocking forces can be higher which also ... 

Can anybody beat Rolex...?

 
 By: Velociphile - No longer in the building : May 20th, 2010-07:58
Being the geeky sort I created a little spreadsheet calculating the power of the oscillating balance and the energy store in the spring. As usual the old Rolex calibres are in the lead (based on my limited data set of balance wheel intertias - yes, I coll... 

not me, not me!

 
 By: amerix : May 20th, 2010-08:25
I even propose that 1 + 1 will never add up to exactly 2. Because the numbers themselves wear out !!! Entropiously yours )) amerix

Only part of the story

 
 By: nickd : May 20th, 2010-12:08
I suspect that inertia is only part of the story. It gives you a lot of advantages in a watch that will be shaken and stirred, but there are other factors that come from having a physically larger movement to play with. In precisions clocks, one of the ke... 

smaller and faster

 
 By: amerix : May 20th, 2010-08:07
with regards to the beat rate will even it out and make the accuracy of the movement less prone to being influenced by spontaneous shocks and wrist movements. That much being said, I love large balances and a slower rate of 18,000 to 21,600 bps because I ...