Jump to content
When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
  • Current Donation Goals

Gen Vs Rep Sweeping


Bluray

Recommended Posts

Seiko made quartz clocks with 4 ticks a second. Can't name the model.

Since it's a clock I guess you'll answer "That doesn't count" but still.

No problems with batteries on a clock.

Now, if Steorn get their machine working in a watch, we can all have high-beat quartz!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Name the genuine Quartz watches with sweeping hands. There's your answer.

ps. a Spring Drive doesn't count. It's a $3000 precision movement from a company that sells decent Automatic movements for less than ETA.

Not the one you're thinking of (Miyota?) but JLC makes (made?) a sweeping "Mechaquartz." chrono.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that if there are hardly any sweeping quartz movements, and none that are remotely affordable, how on earth can anyone expect to see them crop up in cheap replicas.

Tissot and TAG would have them first, and the fact they don't means they must be completely unfeasible, what with the price of stepper motors and the drain on batteries.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
I'm still in awe of Tag's 360 chrono movement. 360,000 bph when the chrono is running.

Correction: the beat is 36,000 bph not 360,000.. if it beat that fast the friction would cause heat that would crack the spring and wear the gears very fast.

That's an El Primero movement. Tag was purchased by the same umbrella group that purchased Zenith. It's the same movement that was used on the Daytona subseconds @9. Except Rolex modified the escapement with their microstella and took the beat down to 28,800.

The reason some are jerkyer than others, for instance the Daytona Reps w subseconds @6, is a question of direct vs. indirect drive.

Most of today's watches are direct drive, meaning the gear that moves at that rate is the one attached directly to the hand.

In the case of the Daytona rep with Subseconds @ 6, there are a few gears that transition the beat, each one of them adding a little bit of play in the gearing, so the end result is jerky and irregular. This is not the watch ticking like that, but the second hand being indirectly driven by auxillary wheels adding in the little play between gears.

Old watches had indirect seconds. I think the Miyota autos have indirect seconds too, because if a certain spring is not tight on them, their second hand looks like it's crazy... it jerks.. then stops until the gears catch up then jumps back etc.

Regarding the quest for sweep seconds, it has been done! The Bulova Accutron and the Omega electric watches of the 60s and early 70s had electric (not quartz) movements.

In a quartz movement, we know a quartz crystal oscillates at exactly that 32727(?) Hz when current is run through it. Always. So a little stepping motor, sends power to the seconds hand at that rate, to 1 second.

The old electric watches had a tuning fork inside that was "excited" and the stepping motors were regulated by that. The approximate rate was 300Hz... their second hand is beautiful! It just sweeps.

Unfortunately they were expensive to maintain and if something attached to the tuning fork (dirt or debris) it would change the frequency and thus the accuracy.... so they left them for Quartz which are very simple to make now.

Edited by madmex
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 6 months later...

Hi All -*bump*ing the post as no one mentioned that the gen sweep motion can be seen on the Rolex website.

go to rolex.com and look up the ExplorerII, one of the slides (the slide for the data) shows a video of the ExplorerII giving the real time and sweeping away.

I hope that for the ppl who have never seen a gen rolex sweet, this will be informative and educational.

Regards,

Robb AKA Flamemax

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Great discussion here. I have a Seiko quartz watch with a chronograph that can measure in 1/5 second increments. It's pretty cool technology, fun to watch. It is not same as mechanical, but some of the Seikos are worth checking out. Also Citizen has some really cool designs. They don't get respect from some watch snobs, but I think the RWG crowd that enjoys the designs and technology will appreciate it.

Edited by World Traveller
Link to comment
Share on other sites

FYI, folks were asking about the 2892 and here is an interesting slant on that. The gen PO is built on a 2892 ebauche with an in house escapement - the coaxial "big teeth" one that uses less lubrication and has a 10 year service interval.

Because of that, the coxial escapement beats at 25.2K in the 2500c movement instead of 28.8 found in most ETA stock stuff and the 2500B found in other Omega's without the coax. This is for with production reasons, because at 28.8K, Omega can't use the larger balance wheel with that escapement. So in terms of sweep smoothness, ETA PO rep owners have a smoother sweeping watch than us gen owners.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How about a 43,200 bph Breguet 5347 double tourbillon, with each beating at 21,600? Yours for 300,000 Euros. :)

The new Jules Audemars uses a new AP escapement which (properly) beats at 43,200 bph (6 Hz) and requires no lubrication. 56 hours power reserve. Estimated retail $266,200 (approx 200,00 Euros)

ap11qo4.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 11 months later...
  • 3 years later...

Here is a video for you to have a look at.  It pertains to the original OPs question.  It is also the best demonstration of real versus fake I have seen.  The video's poster never reveals which is the rep or gen, he sort of leaves it for you to decide/question/doubt.

 

Edited by fuqhard
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone mentioned the Bulova Precisionist quartz sweep?

 

 

Fluid ;) I really don`t like the design though

 

16 bps/ 57,600 bph

 

 

http://youtu.be/jeFtcjhU5i4

 

 

 

http://youtu.be/tiarEZ1k0M4

Edited by ASCIWhite
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Has anyone mentioned the Bulova Precisionist quartz sweep?

 

 

Fluid ;) I really don`t like the design though

 

16 bps/ 57,600 bph

 

 

http://youtu.be/jeFtcjhU5i4

 

 

 

http://youtu.be/tiarEZ1k0M4

 

funny you posted these particular models.  My father in law owns BOTH of those and I actually like them now that I've seen them in person.  The crystal is curved and it is really quite stunning to look at.  The sweeping second hand is very smooth on these.  As I understand they move at 8 ticks per second.

Edited by fuqhard
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...
Please Sign In or Sign Up