Cam vs column wheel.

blufinz52

At the risk of beating a dead horse, does the 'feel' of the activation of the start/stop between the two mechanisms substantially affect the elapsed time of an event. In the real world, these chronographs are used for mundane reasons, such as timing a boiling egg for 4 minutes. Will there be an observable difference between the two? My guess is no.

Archer

Too late - you have beat the thing to a pulp...

Again, IMO the cam is better when you are trying to get the start of timing something to coincide as closely as possible to the real world event you are timing. We all value different things, so if this makes no difference to you, then you do you...

blufinz52

So one's not more accurate than the other, but one feels better when activating the start action. Got it. 👍

Archer

blufinz52

Whether using a 321 or 861/1861 movement, timing an event for what people use it for will have the same result. One is not more accurate than the other. If there is something that requires extreme precision, I doubt a Speedmaster or any other chronograph would be used.

Spare me the condescending replies...'you do you' faceplant emoji, etc. It's often your go to.

blufinz52

Spare me the condescending replies...'you do you' faceplant emoji, etc. It's often your go to.

Archer

I reply in kind. So you do you...

M'Bob

No, not accurate.

If you get impatient with those who have much lesser knowledge than you do about these matters, and you feel you have to be condescending when they’re trying to understand a subtlety, maybe better not to respond?

Archer

Agreed - the crisp snap of the pushers on cam actuated chronographs is actually better for accurately timing something, IMO.

Archer

I made it clear from the start that the issue of the pusher feel was just my opinion.



People can be free to disagree with that all they want - we can even agree to disagree. What happened here is that someone disagreed, asked questions for clarification, which I tried to explain the best I could. I was then told that basically none of that mattered and that I was being condescending.

M'Bob

Again, inaccurate. By posting the emoji, you flipped the discussion from the topic, to the personal.

Archer

Thanks - I'm out.

M'Bob

The wife know?

Hey, lighten up. Everyone around here appreciates your insights, contributions, and information. They have been invaluable over the years, and your participation has enriched the hobby for many on this forum.

But: no one wants to feel belittled or talked down to if they ask for clarification on something that is second nature to you, but might be confusing to the rest of us.

Archer

Going to be honest here - to be told that I'm being "impatient" when I've just spent an hour hunting down photos and composing a detailed reply to your questions, is a bit galling to say the least. I always do what I can to back up everything that I post of a technical nature, and trust me it can be very time consuming to do so, often involving taking photos and editing them to make a reply as I did in another thread today.

There was no impatience in my replies on the pusher feel - in fact I went back several times to try to clarify my views. If someone wants to argue with me about my opinion on something, then ignore my replies and say none of it matters when you are boiling an egg, well fυck that - life is way too short for that shit. Yes, THAT I certainly get impatient with...not because of a lack of understanding...

I really do hope that when a new version of the site software is done, it will include an ignore feature.

Archer

Going to be honest here - to be told that I'm being "impatient" when I've just spent an hour hunting down photos and composing a detailed reply to your questions, is a bit galling to say the least. I always do what I can to back up everything that I post of a technical nature, and trust me it can be very time consuming to do so, often involving taking photos and editing them to make a reply as I did in another thread today.

There was no impatience in my replies on the pusher feel - in fact I went back several times to try to clarify my views. If someone wants to argue with me about my opinion on something, then ignore my replies and say none of it matters when you are boiling an egg, well fυck that - life is way too short for that shit. Yes, THAT I certainly get impatient with...not because of a lack of understanding...

I really do hope that when a new version of the site software is done, it will include an ignore feature.

blufinz52

Al, I can't let this fly. I wasn't arguing your opinion that the cam feels crisper than a column wheel. I was trying to understand this comment you made: "Agreed - the crisp snap of the pushers on cam actuated chronographs is actually better for accurately timing something, IMO." You kept saying it feels better, which I acknowledged, but you never addressed how it's more accurate. If you're saying it's more accurate because of the initial snap of a cam when timing an event, then I was trying to ascertain how accurate. If you're timing an event for 4 minutes, do you really think a cam will be more accurate? If so, by how much? A half second?

Never mind answering. I'll just take your reply that "the crisp snap of the pushers on cam actuated chronographs is actually better for accurately timing something, IMO." I still don't understand how the crisp snap would make more than the tiniest of difference, one that is completely negligible for the uses for the average person. IMO

Archer

I didn't think you would let it go...

I don't think it's that complicated at all, but I'll do my best to explain it the best I can. When you use a chronograph and are "pretensioning" the pusher by taking up the slack, I know when I get to that spot on the cam, that I can very quickly complete the press of the pusher to start or stop the chronograph. That spot is very predictable where I can press to without activating the chronograph. It allows me to sync the start of the chronograph with the event I'm trying to time very accurately (I used to use mechanical stopwatches doing time studies, and I use my 861 Speedmaster now for timing things in my work).

It is less so on the 321 because of the way the column wheel rotates and the levers drop in to allow things to move. If I'm pressing it might go slightly before I expect, or slightly after. How much I can press before it activates is not as clearly defined.

Now, you can argue all you want that it doesn't make a difference when timing an egg, or timing a parking meter or whatever, but that wasn't my point.

Archer

I didn't think you would let it go...

I don't think it's that complicated at all, but I'll do my best to explain

M'Bob

Can’t just answer a question without the subtle little jabs, huh?

Let me clear: no one likes either your subtextual, or overtly demeaning or condescending attitude. If it’s that stressful and aggravating for you to repeatedly deal with an issue another member is grappling with and doesn’t understand in the time frame or way you deem acceptable, rather than belittle them, DON’T RESPOND.

Just like you find it frustrating that others can’t absorb simple technical constructs, some of us are equally perplexed why a ostensibly smart guy can’t figure out how to keep his posts more gracious.

blufinz52

Thanks for the reply. I understood your point and of course it's a valid point. My point is that I don't think it makes a difference for what we use the chronograph for. So now we understand each other. 👍

Archer

I'm far from the only one here who gets frustrated and shows it. I don't typically call out others for it and tell them not to post though - I will leave that to you