WaterProof?

The term "waterproof" comes up in the subject of watches from time to time.Some people market "waterproof watches" being able to never get wet. This is not the case however, as no watch is water proof. There is a big difference between water resistant, which is the actual term and water proof. Think of it this way; would you rather a shirt that is fire resistant, or fire proof? Proof in this sense means that under any conditions, water cannot get in. Resistant means that it will resist water until certain conditions are met.

The big conditional factor in water resistance is pressure. As the depth of water increases, the pressure the water has increases. This is because more water is affecting the object.In a watch, gaskets are used to keep water out. these gaskets are rubber or plastic in nature and are usually lubricated to add to the water resistance. Once a certain water pressure is reached, the water will force itself pass the gaskets. There are a few vulnerable gaskets, The crystal, the crown and the back.

For Crystals, UV adhesive is usually used to fix watch crystals to the watch. Hypo cement may also be used to help in the water proofing.For backs, A gasket is almost always added. Some watches have screw on backs which also help water resistance. The crown will sometime have a small gasket to prevent dust and water from getting in, but not always. Watches with screw down crowns are more water resistant than those without.

If a watch just says "water resistant" it usually means that you can do everyday tasks such as washing dishes or sweating a little. Most watches say "water resistant till x feet", meaning that the watch has been tested to be water resistant until the listed depth.

The classification for watch water resistance is listed "ISO 6425 ".The minimum to pass this listing will appear as under  "diver's 100m"

Currently, the most water resistant mechanical watch is the CX Swiss military 20,000 feet diving watch. As the name suggests, it can remain water resistant for a total of 20,000 feet under the water (also known as 3.79 miles)

Basic Watch Types

The modern watch comes in various shapes, sizes and styles. But, did you know there are different types of watches as well? This blog post will cover the basic types of watches you can encounter, as well as the ins and outs of each type.


Battery Operated
Battery operated watches are the most common type of watch that will be encountered in today's market. This watch is also known as a quartz watch, as the watch keeps time by using an electronic oscillator (a circuit that produces a periodic impulse) that is regulated by a quartz crystal. These watches require periodic battery replacements to keep running. Quartz movements do not have any moving parts in them.

Solar
Solar watches are similar to quartz watches in that they use a quartz movement to operate, but differ in that they do not use a battery. Using the face of the watch, the watch gathers light from the sun/ other light sources and stores the energy in a capacitor. Two common kinds of Solar watches are Citizen and Seiko. The downside to these watches is they cannot be stored for long periods of time. if stored for too long without sunlight, the capacitor will die and must be replaced. The capacitor needs a minimum charge inorder to keep running.


Automatic Watch
Automatic Watches use an all mechanical movement. using the movement of the persons wrist, a weight winds up the watch, allowing it to run properly. Automatic watches do not require batteries, as the power is to run the watch is store by mechanical means. Automatic watches do require periodic servicing however due to the moving parts becoming damaged or the oil that lubricates the movement thickening up and turning into grease.Servicing should be done every 2 to 8 years depending on the type of movement it is. Automatic watches often

Automatic Quartz Watch (Kinetic)
Kinetic Watches combine the recharging method of automatic watches with elements from a quartz watch. Instead of storing the energy in a spring, the energy is converted from movement to electric with a generator and stored in a rechargeable capacitor. These watches often have quartz-style movements instead of mechanical components. The main aim of the watch is to provide the ease of maintenance and use that quartz movements provide, without the environmental impact of batteries.Much like the solar capacitors, if the capacitor goes for too long without a charge, it will die.

Mechanical Watch
Instead of using a weight to wind the movement, Mechanical watches must be wound up with the stem and crown. Much like there automatic counterparts, the energy is stored in a mainspring for the watch to run on. These watch movements are considered the most traditional out of all of the possible movements, being one of the oldest. This movement is also found in pocket watches. Much like there automatic counterparts, mechanical watches must be serviced in order for the moving parts to function properly.

How do I set my watch?

Setting your wristwatch is sometimes a bit harder than it seems. Each watch is different from the next, so what works for setting one watch may not work for setting another. This handy guide will cover the basics for many watches, so you do not have to keep remembering that your watch is an hour ahead or behind! If you are ever unsure of anything in this guide, consult the user's manual of your watch. Always take your watch off to change the time, as doing so on your wrist puts added pressure on the stem, and may result in breaking the stem. For this guide, here is some basic watch terminology

Crown- The fixture that is usually located on the right side of the watch face. This is the fixture we will be focusing on to change the time.

Stem- This connects the crown to the movement of the watch. when the crown is turned, this translates that motion to the watch movement.

Pull-out crowns
    These watches have simple push and pull crowns. To tell if your watch is a push or pull crown, simply pull on the crown gently with your hands. If the Crown moves out, then it is a pull-out crown.
     If the watch has a date window
             In this case, the crown will have 3 positions. Position 1 is when the crown is pushed all the way in and the time is moving. Position 2 is when the crown is halfway out. Position 3 is when the crown is all the way out. In this position, the watch should not be running. To change the normal time (hour and minute) pull the crown to position 3 and  turn the crown. Move the minute hand forward (moving backwards may put wear or damage certain watches. It is always better to move the time forward than backward, as it is the natural way the hands move.) To set the date, move the crown to position 2 (the crown halfway out of the watch) The date wheel for most watches only moves forward, so there is only one direction that can change the date. Once finished, just push the crown back in.
     If the watch does not have a date
              In this case, the watch crown will only have two positions. Position one will be closed, and position 2 will be open. to set the watch, pull out the crown and move the hands forward (moving backwards may put wear or damage certain watches. it is always better to move the time forward than backward, as it is the natural way the hands move.)
     If the watch is a chronograph
              The chronograph functions of the watch are controlled with the additional buttons on the watch. these usually are push buttons, but also may be screw in (to prevent water from getting in). There are many different chronograph functions, including but not limited to 1/10 second, 1/2 second, second, minute,hour, day, date. The chronographs purpose is  to act as a stopwatch.
Screw in crowns
     A screw in crown is a crown that screws into the watch to keep water out. The name may be a little misleading, you do not need a screwdriver to undo these. The name refers to the fact that the crown has threading on it that allows it to be screwed down. To change the time on a watch that the crown screws in, take the watch off your wrist and turn the crown counter-clockwise. Once it reaches the end of the threading, the stem will be able to be pulled out fully. Follow the instructions above depending on how your watch is formatted. Once done, push the crown in and turn it clockwise until the crown is tight.
Digital
     Digital/lcd watches are usually require holding down the mode or set button, or using a certain combination of buttons. when in doubt, consult your owners guide about the watch or look online using the model. the most common way to set a lcd display watch is to hold the set button for 5 seconds, which will put the watch into the setting mode (the numbers will be blinking in most cases.) use the other buttons on the sides of the watch to switch between the hour, minutes and seconds, date, etc. once you are finished with setting any of the functions, press the set button again to make the time stop blinking.

There are many more watches that have different ways to set them. If you have problems setting your watch, leave a comment!

Does pulling the crown out of a watch help save battery life?

        This is a simple question that is asked of quartz watches very often. Does pulling the stem out of quartz watches extend the battery life in the watch? There are many sides to this debate, some claiming that certain manuals recommend it, others refuting this point.
         Mechanically speaking, the crown in a quartz movement  stops the hands from running, and allows them to be adjusted. Some movements actually disengage the battery from the movement, making it so the movement is not drawing power, while others just disconnect the hands from the movement, the battery still functioning in the watch, but the hands not engaged. There are even some kinds of watches that actually drain more battery when the hands are disengaged, due to the movement not having to pull the weight of the hands.
         Now, while there may be some slight benefits to pulling the crown out of some watches, but they are very slight. By leaving the crown open, you also make a place that humidity,dust and moisture may get into the watch. On top of this, the shelf life of the average watch battery is not the greatest. If you wanted to store the watch for a long time, the best option would be to take the battery fully out, which also protects you from the batteries swelling or leaking with age.

Clock History Part 4

         Horology evolved as humanity itself evolved, as the need to sail and navigate became a stronger means of trade and exploration. The ability to tell time was vital, as you could not tell how far along on navigation charts, or any map without knowing your speed and time. Speed was easy to tell. Using a knotted rope,  a weight ,and a hour glass  you could figure out how fast you were going at sea (this was called a "chip log" and very quickly became a standard instrument aboard ships). Throwing the weight overboard and starting the hourglass, the amount of knots that were unraveled from the weight would tell how fast the ship was going. This is where the navel speed "knots" came from.
          This was half of the equation for navigation. to accurately get a bearing on where you were at sea, you needed to know the time. The standard pendulum clock would not work, as the constant motion of the ship would jar and move the clock, making it inaccurate. Ship clocks had to be accurate enough that they couldn't gain or lose 10 seconds a day. In 1714, the British government offered a large prize for anyone that could solve this dilemma. The prize (which in modern day terms was about 20,000 pounds) was claimed by John Harrison in 1761. Harrison spent his life improving the device he made, which could accurately keep time at sea by a margin of plus or minus 5 seconds over the course of 10 weeks. The device, known as a Marine chronometer had weighted balances to account for the rocking of the ship, as well as the use of bearings to reduce friction.

Clock History Part 3

           As time went on the escapement became more complex. It began to use additional parts such as balance wheels or pendulums. A balance wheel is a tiny wheel with a hair spring that moves back and forth to keep the escapement in rhythm. a balance wheel uses the same principle as a pendulum swinging back and forth. Both of these objects replaced water, forming the first mechanical clocks. The balance wheel came before the pendulum .The benefit of a pendulum was that it was a  harmonic oscillator; the time being kept by the movement of the pendulum back and forth.
          Mechanical spring clocks, meaning the use of a main spring was used as a form of power came around the 15th century. A main spring is a strip of  metal that stores energy for the clock to run. when compressed, it forms a tightly wound spiral. the reason this stores energy is simple, the mainspring acting like a bucket of water, the water being energy for the clock, and the mainspring being the bucket to hold the water.
        It was also around this time that clock making began to flourish. horology grew more widespread around the world as trade and a need to keep time grew more and more prevalent.

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