I don't mean for the thread title to be entirely "click-bait"y, but I don't know how to briefly phrase what I want to ask, either.

Once upon a time, all watches were mechanical, obviously. As such, if you did a job that required using a watch, it was mechanical.
But mechanical watches were relatively priced. Certainly you wouldn't set out to break your watch, but it probably wouldn't be earth shattering to have to replace it.

The other day, I saw a receipt for a Rolex Submariner from the mid-to-late seventies, and the cost was somewhere in the high 200s, if I remember. The inflation calculator I use put that in the neighborhood of 1300 to 1400 USD.
That's about the cost of a new, grey market Oris Diver 65.

Most would say, "Why risk diving with a $1300 watch, when you can use a G Shock?" or whatever. But forty years ago, the gold standard, the Submariner, was the one to have - and to use. $300 was certainly nothing to sneeze at.

SO -

The question is:
None of us can be faulted for protecting our investments in watches, in terms of getting dings and scratches and such, but what about the guts?
A lot is made of the rugged specs of Subs, Seamasters, Speedmasters... But as the expectations of the end user have changed, have the movements changed appreciably, as well?
Are watch movements, in general, more or less fragile than they were 40, 50, or 60 years ago, due to the expectation of their having tighter tolerances for time keeping, bpm, etc...?
Irrespective of "protecting the investment" should I expect my watch to perform similarly, under similar circumstances, to Jacques Cousteau's or GI Joe in Vietnam?

I've been advised ( and I have ignored ) on forums and even by sellers, don't shoot while wearing mechanical watches. Don't play drums. Don't golf ( as if I ever would...). And by inference, don't do anything that would impart some dissipating kinetic energy to your wrist. Really?

I understand that repeatedly and unnecessarily doing such things can cause undue wear, and I'm likely to knock the thing out of its' +/-2 seconds per day eventually. As to the latter, my attitude is pretty relaxed. I don't think my ( MY ) watch is really out of whack as long as it's within 30 or so seconds a day. Maybe more for my real work* watch, a Deep Blue diver.

tl;dr -

Given a similar attitude to a wearer 40 to 60 years ago, are todays' sports/tool watches better, same, different, to a new sports/tool watch made 40 to 60 years ago? In terms of their overall ruggedness/ usability.

( old porn, just to give the post some color )


*Wearing anything north of a three or four hundred dollar watch in my work environment would be, as Brewer and Shipley would say, "One Toke Over The Line", for a number of reasons.

 

100% I would say better / more consistent - but the quality choices have always been able to take a bashing and survive (in most cases)
The anti-magnetic features, seals, anti-shock and production tolerances are all better so failure rate should be less?

Also raises the question what will future 'vintage' be like if materials and lume dont 'age' and patina ...
.

 

There is a difference between USE, and ABUSE! Some watches, by their very design, are meant for best wear. The last thing you put on after you get your tuxedo on. Take it off before the tuxedo comes off. Worn within their limitations, these watches can last a very long time. When you ask how “tough” are mechanical watches, I visualize your wearing it working on your car, rock climbing, doing masonry work, and otherwise smacking it around. Mechanical watches (or other types) can be worn during those activities, provided you are prepared to accept the cost of maintaining the watch, or writing it off when you “do a number” on it. Durable within reason? Certainly! But indestructible? Is there such a watch?

Now, I’ll put on my flak jacket while I await comments from the “full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes” school of “it was made to be worn so wear it” type of person.

 

If the idea of a thousand dollar trip to the shop is distressing to you, consider a nice G Shock. The most robust mechanical movements are made of fragile pieces. If you’re rough with them at all, factor a repair into your budget.

 

For sure!
And never minding that, consider:
Folks are babying them. Collecting, keeping them in safes, only wearing them in relatively safe environments, etc...
Like a good guitar. There was a time when you saved up to get a Les Paul or a Stratocaster, and when you finally got it ( probably used ), you took it out to play. Play with your friends, in bars, jamming, whatever*. They got scratched, dinged, burned with cigarettes and took the occasional drink of beer.
Now, folks get one, and after they rip any perceived QC issues five ways from Friday, they keep it in the case as an "investment". In a few years, there'll be as many pristine - I can't say used - "preowned" ones than are actually in production or on the showroom floor.
Same with good watches.
Future collectors will be spoiled for choices.

*I say this as someone who's not had but a few opportunities to play out, but I do a good bit of noodling, and I'm always happy to share the good fortunes of my purchases with friends who like to play. Cases are for transporting.

 

You rang sir?

Working on cars? Yes, mine and other peoples'-- I was a mechanic on international rallies in the 1970s.

Strapped to the steering wheel on a race circuit? Yes, but I never could remember to press the buttons.

Foredeck sail changing in a race across the North Sea? Yes, but normally under heavy-duty waterproofs.

Rock climbing? Only one weekend I can remember, most of my climbing was over by the time I got it.

Putting my hand inside computers? No, it is generally on a SS bracelet and 300Amps at 5Volts can kill you -- and those things cost many hundreds of thousands of Cowrie Shells. Modern PCs have too many sharp edges and I need my left wrist for an anti-static strap.


Takes a kicking and keeps tickickicking (typical loud Valjoux movement )

 

It's not distressing me in the least. My watches go where I go, and that was considered at the time of purchase, in all cases.
My question was one of comparison: old to new. How do they hold up?
I fully expect my watches to live up to "as advertised" standards with regular use, as advertised.

There are a LOT of old Subs out there ( far more than warrant the used price, if you ask me ), so they must be good watches. Resilient.
The question is, are new, similarly advertised watches as tough? If the consensus is that they are, then my faith is well placed, because there are plenty of old survivors out there.

I have all my watches inspected by a certified tech annually and sometimes more after strenuous use. My PO is in the shops right now for its' recommended service interval, even though it doesn't need it. I take good care of my stuff, as I would any tool or machine that I expect to be in good working order.

Analogously, I own a Jeep. I've added some supplemental lights and a winch. Everything else is bone stock ( upgraded gears and suspension are OEM off the lot ).
My thought is, if I can't do a particular thing in this Jeep, then I probably shouldn't be doing it.
And you know what? I have a friend with $12k in upgrades to his Jeep, and I've gone everywhere he's gone: Black Bear, Ophir, Engineer, Imogene, Moab, and so on.
I can do all these things because it's well maintained and used responsibly. But, it's used to do the things it's advertised to do.
Otherwise, why have one? There are a LOT cheaper, more eco friendly ways to get to the grocery store.

I'm absolutely not talking about abusing a watch, or even pushing it to its' limits, just to see.
Only asking, how do they stand up to "vintage" survivors that got worn as intended?

Since I'm not a collector, as such, once the money is spent, it's gone. I've only the watch ( or Jeep, or guitar ) to show for it. I don't mean that in a cavalier or abusive way. I think it's fair for me to want to say, "This is the watch I was wearing when I XXX'd...", right?

 

Yes. Sorry, I was speaking more philosophically than directly at you. I think we have common ground here where gear, be it wristwatches, automobiles, skis,.. should be well maintained and used as close to its limits as possible and let the marks of character and experience be recorded as they happen.

 

THIS!! This is what I want my watches to be. I can't think of another reason to own one, and yours is enviable on every level.
Looks smart and plays smart.
Very nice, indeed.

 

From various horror stories I've run across over the years breakage of the balance staff was and remains a problem for 19th and early 20th century pocket watches if dropped even a couple of inches to impact a table top.
Occasionally even later wristwatches could suffer a snapped balance staff.
You can figure the highest quality watches are going to have much better metallurgy and tempering of such parts.

 

With you on most of that - not sure about the jamming. Ryan Gosling like his watches / a fair few well chosen Omegas - but he takes a safer route / look like digital for the music.

On a different note Mr Newman was happy to use his daily beater when racing and that did not seem to hit the re-sale value :0)
.