I do prefer a mechanical/ automatic watch, and that is because there is no electronic components in it, it is not traceable by google or any web/ wifi means. What is your reason?
It is a combination of the history of watchmaking and the marvel of a multitude of moving parts, springs, and gears that together can measure not only time, but the days, months, years, the phases of the moon, the power reserve, etc. The talents of watchmakers, artisans, who assemble mechanical timepieces and preserve the time honored means of creating masterpieces of art and time.
Welcome Hellen. They are a mechanical marvel, a tribute to the ingenuity of humankind- and a reminder that the ingenuity is centuries old- it's not new tech. Plus they are objet de art and the variety can truly suit any taste. We love pics here, show us some of your mechanical marvels.
I had the good fortune of visiting the flight deck of an A320 airliner while on a trip to England (pre 9-11), and noticed that the captain was wearing a mechanical Tag Heuer chronograph. I asked him “why mechanical, not quartz?” He told me because he likes having a watch that requires input from him. Quite unlike the plane he was flying that could take off, fly the route, and land, with him doing (almost) nothing.
I had a watch battery fail on a long international business trip. Thats when I jumped in. From pure pragmatism to a love of mechanical complexity and classic design. I fell hard.
Because mechanical watches work forever, free of charge, even in the apocalypse. Although most here would recommend a service every now and then...which has its price.
Welcome! Odd first post, with no introduction whatsoever, and on a forum targeted to one brand versus a much more general forum like WUS or Timezone. Please introduce yourself and tell a little about your watch interests -- we're are a friendly bunch (except to people who drop in for free appraisals-on-demand or to sell)
Odd 1st post indeed but welcome anyway. ... To me, a proper watch is either a mechanical or an automatic one. A quartz / electronic one is a device that tells time. Something that I will never pay a lot of money on.
Welcome to OF - and I don't really find it such an odd first post, especially if someone is new to or just learning about horology. Myself, I fall into a sort of hybrid group - I actually do like quartz watches (some) and feel they have their place - not one but two in my rota are quartz, and I'm totally fine with that. A quartz Seamaster is what got me into watches. So maybe I have a soft spot for'em - but I do draw the line at 'smart' watches. I love mechanical watches, however, because like many 'old' things I enjoy, from cars to watches, these bits of machinery are reliant upon the pieces inside them and my knowledge of how to use them, not the outside input of the world. It can be a perfect day or a hurricane might be hitting, but if my watch is wound and in good shape, I know what time it is - no wifi, no circuits, not etc etc. To me, that's important - maybe to some it's just old fashioned.
To me mechanical watches reflect this tactile nature that I like souch about this hobby. You could have the most aesthetically beautiful watch made, but if it feels like crap on the wrist then it's not for me. In a similar vein, a mechanical watch and the way it winds, sets, how the complications feel when using them; these are all little things about mechanical watches that build up to an experience with the watch. Additionally, as a primarily vintage collector I find there are more stories and history behind mechanical watches vs the quartz ones.
I enjoy my mechanical watches because it connects me back to my youth in the 1960s. Affordable quartz watches showed up in the mid 1970s. When I was a kid, I had a Timex watch that I would wind up every day. I am nostalgic for those days. It's probably why I own a 1965 car too. .
I'm a history teacher by profession, and I've always sought connections with the past. Put succinctly, I'd say I'm an analog guy living in a digital world.
A beautiful Mech/Auto watch combines the state-of-the-art engineering with an artisanal craftsmanship and puts it on your wrist in the size of a coin (or two). You won't have to open it up every 2 years or be afraid that a battery melted down inside and messed the whole movement up. It tells you a story that no electro-watch could ever tell. There are mech/auto watches that have been "sweeping seconds" through many major events of the last two century; from the WWI to WWII; from Kennedy's assassination to 9/11; and quite often, all of the above. If I ever buy any new electro, it would probably be a smart watch (praising smart technology) or a Solar-watch (praising renewable energy) rather than a typical pseudo calculator (to hell with wasting battery!).
I think it is important that a bunch of man made clockwork cogs, springs and wheels can follow the rotation of the earth without any electronics - Also marking our own mortality / time slipping away - just feels more human compared to a digital device and reaches back over the generations of discovery and innovation which have got us this far.... and George Daniels has us all set for Mars.... I do also own a G Shock and an iPhone …..so not a total luddite https://omegaforums.net/threads/is-it-time-to-know-what-time-is.91808/#post-1189309 https://watchesbysjx.com/2019/06/george-daniels-space-traveller-i-pocket-watch.html
I like the elegance and artistry of a mechanical watch. That is not to say there is not elegance and artistry in quartz clocks and watches, but I also prefer snail-mail to e-mail and talking to someone in person rather than via text.