new Speedmaster calibre 321 owners - accuracy query

The Hack · May 17, 2023

I'm obviously not expecting COSC-spec timekeeping, but I was wondering what accuracy other owners are getting?

Mine seems to be running 20s fast per day, which is fine I suppose and I'm not going to try and get it serviced and regulated for that.

Just curious what others would accept? 😀

Canuck · May 17, 2023

New, or just new to you? If BRAND new, that sounds like more of an error than it should be. If new (to you), but pre-owned, a service might be considered. My 32-year old Speedmaster calibre 863 runs within half a minute in a month!

The Hack · May 17, 2023

New to me. It's a November 2020 watch. I'll live with it for now, as I don't want to send it away to Omega for 9/10 months!

Canuck
New, or just new to you? If BRAND new, that sounds like more of an error than it should be. If new (to you), but pre-owned, a service might be considered. My 32-year old Speedmaster calibre 863 runs within half a minute in a month!

Evitzee · May 17, 2023

My Ed White 321 is pretty much spot on if I alternate between crown up and crown down at night, it's an early 2021 watch.

The Hack · May 17, 2023

Do you wind it every morning?

Evitzee
My Ed White 321 is pretty much spot on if I alternate between crown up and crown down at night, it's an early 2021 watch.

Annapolis · May 17, 2023

Also, what reference-time are you using? I used to think one of my watches was several seconds off, but it turned out I was comparing it to an inferior source.

Raskolnikov · May 17, 2023

Try winding it on a different schedule. maybe 36 hours. If I wind my new321 every morning it starts to run fast. At the last end of the power reserve it runs slow -15seconds quickly. I Also have a feeling placement has influence like Evitzee says. Mine was running 10 seconds fast in the beginning, and later it was back again spot on time. In the last six months I had to adjust by 1 minute twice. It somehow finds its balance after a while and runs pretty accurate.

Evitzee · May 17, 2023

T The Hack
Do you wind it every morning?

Yes, when I put it on in the morning.

Archer · May 17, 2023

Omega specs call for the average daily rate, measured over only 3 positions, should fall between 0 and +12 seconds per day. The positional variation is allowed to be as much as 25 seconds at full wind, and 30 seconds 24 hours after full wind.

This is not generally going to be a stellar timekeeper given those tolerances...

The Hack · May 17, 2023

That's what I thought, thanks. I'll test it out over the next few weeks, but the time-keeping isn't the be-all and end-all for this watch, so I'm not going to stress too much. 😀

Archer
Omega specs call for the average daily rate, measured over only 3 positions, should fall between 0 and +12 seconds per day. The positional variation is allowed to be as much as 25 seconds at full wind, and 30 seconds 24 hours after full wind.

This is not generally going to be a stellar timekeeper given those tolerances...

The Hack · May 17, 2023

Thanks, I'll try that.

Space22
Try winding it on a different schedule. maybe 36 hours. If I wind my new321 every morning it starts to run fast. At the last end of the power reserve it runs slow -15seconds quickly. I Also have a feeling placement has influence like Evitzee says. Mine was running 10 seconds fast in the beginning, and later it was back again spot on time. In the last six months I had to adjust by 1 minute twice. It somehow finds its balance after a while and runs pretty accurate.

YandB · May 20, 2023

About +12spd for mine. Part of the charm

watchyouwant · May 20, 2023

??? All of you expect a quartz watch performance from a Speedmaster ? +/- zero? Why? Nothing better to do than keeping Tabs on your mechanical watch ? It's a Watch. A timekeeper. With allowed tolerances. Do you test the high speed performance of your Car and compare it to the factory data sheet ? Somehow I do not get that....

The Hack · May 20, 2023

No, of course no-one would expect quartz watch accuracy - but if a watch loses or gains (say) 30 seconds a day, that can become significant over the course of a week or month. A watch is a tool that needs to be able to show the correct time. I suppose one could just re-set the time every few days - but using your car analogy - if your car tyres were excessively wearing due to incorrect alignment - the correct thing to do would be to get the tracking and alignment set correctly - not to live with the poor handling and tyre wear. 😀

watchyouwant
??? All of you expect a quartz watch performance from a Speedmaster ? +/- zero? Why? Nothing better to do than keeping Tabs on your mechanical watch ? It's a Watch. A timekeeper. With allowed tolerances. Do you test the high speed performance of your Car and compare it to the factory data sheet ? Somehow I do not get that....

watchtinker · May 20, 2023

Archer
Omega specs call for the average daily rate, measured over only 3 positions, should fall between 0 and +12 seconds per day. The positional variation is allowed to be as much as 25 seconds at full wind, and 30 seconds 24 hours after full wind.

This is not generally going to be a stellar timekeeper given those tolerances...

Caliber 321 is a rather classic and basic chronograph movement, with a not very isochronic hairspring and regulator system. Given its characteristics (and its actual production cost) one cannot expect very good timekeeping performances.
In this respect, Omega has chosen to be very faithful to the original and in my experience the rate measurements are essentially the same of a good specimen from the Sixties.
A better quality of the hairspring and of the regulator system and some attention paid to an accurate poising of the balance wheel would have certainly helped, without affecting the ancient charm, but this has not been the case.,
Caliber 3861 perfoms much, much better principally on account of a free balance and a modern hairspring. But, rather obviously, at the price of a higher production cost.

Archer · May 20, 2023

watchtinker
Caliber 321 is a rather classic and basic chronograph movement, with a not very isochronic hairspring and regulator system. Given its characteristics (and its actual production cost) one cannot expect very good timekeeping performances.
In this respect, Omega has chosen to be very faithful to the original and in my experience the rate measurements are essentially the same of a good specimen from the Sixties.
A better quality of the hairspring and of the regulator system and some attention paid to an accurate poising of the balance wheel would have certainly helped, without affecting the ancient charm, but this has not been the case.,
Caliber 3861 perfoms much, much better principally on account of a free balance and a modern hairspring. But, rather obviously, at the price of a higher production cost.

Yes, it's a very standard, un-special movement, that has an outsized reputation mostly due to marketing and "space"...

KanakaTurks · May 20, 2023

Archer
Yes, it's a very standard, un-special movement, that has an outsized reputation mostly due to marketing and "space"...

If it's "a very standard and un-special movement," why does it cost so much? Does it have any antimagnetic properties or do we have to take it in every few months to get degaussed? Cheers!

Archer · May 20, 2023

kimo.lee
If it's "a very standard and un-special movement," why does it cost so much? Does it have any antimagnetic properties or do we have to take it in every few months to get degaussed? Cheers!

Because Omega decided it should cost a lot.

If it gets magnetized (it has no special anti-magnetic properties) you can either get it demagnetized, or by yourself a demagnetizer.

M'Bob · May 20, 2023

Archer
Omega specs call for the average daily rate, measured over only 3 positions, should fall between 0 and +12 seconds per day. The positional variation is allowed to be as much as 25 seconds at full wind, and 30 seconds 24 hours after full wind.

This is not generally going to be a stellar timekeeper given those tolerances...

It sure looks that way. Putting some numbers to it, at full wind:

Dial up (+) 17.5
Crown down 0
Crown left (-) 7.5

Delta ok, rate at 8.3 within spec. So not really impressive timekeeping.

STANDY · May 20, 2023

T The Hack
No, of course no-one would expect quartz watch accuracy - but if a watch loses or gains (say) 30 seconds a day, that can become significant over the course of a week or month. A watch is a tool that needs to be able to show the correct time. I suppose one could just re-set the time every few days - but using your car analogy - if your car tyres were excessively wearing due to incorrect alignment - the correct thing to do would be to get the tracking and alignment set correctly - not to live with the poor handling and tyre wear. 😀

You have to wind it every day, your a click away from setting it 😉

Have worn a Speedmaster for 10 years and never timed it or bothered. Check it with the TV news in the morning occasionally and always set it to correct time the once or twice a month it’s usuall 10:30 for several hours (forgotten to wind it 😉 due to change of shift or been awake since 1am on a work call out and scheduled has changed)

Luminox watch is my best time keeper

new Speedmaster calibre 321 owners - accuracy query

The Hack

Canuck

The Hack

Evitzee

The Hack

Annapolis

Raskolnikov

Evitzee

Archer

The Hack

The Hack

YandB

watchyouwant

The Hack

watchtinker

Archer

KanakaTurks

Archer

M'Bob

STANDY

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