Holy horology Batman, I think I found my next watch

[Platapus]

Lately I have been getting the itch for another watch. I am especially interested in one of the newer watches that receives updates from GPS instead of from WWVB (which may be going away)

The Seiko Astron and the Citizen Satellite wave were interesting and I was leaning toward the Citizen.. then I found Trume.



BTY, that's probably a life size image as this is a BIG watch

It is made by Epson which is owned by the same company that owns Seiko. It is a JDM watch but there are international sales.

https://www.ablogtowatch.com/epson-t...-analog-watch/

This watch comes in two basic groups of models. The first comes with a rather silly external sensor pack that connects to the watch by Bluetooth. Not interested in that one. The one I am interested in is is the TR-mb7001 non bluetooth model.

This analog watch has some pretty interesting and unique functions for an analog watch.

-GPS time sync
-Chronograph
-Titanium case with 100m WR
-Altimeter way cool on an analog watch but probably not very practical
-Compass which is way cool on an analog watch and probably very practical
-Barometer, which like the altimeter is cool but not all that practical
-Two point way point tracker. Allows you to set a base location and then from a second location it will tell you the distance and the LOS direction. This I think is the coolest function. Don't see that on an analog watch!
- 11 entry log of some of these functions. Can't imagine ever using that, but a cool feature.
- A nice, to me, uncluttered dial as compared to the Astron and the Satellite wave.

All this for a slightly unreasonable price of about $2,200 which is expensive but not that out of the line compared to the Seiko and Citizen and they don't have these features.

If you spring for the Bluetooth model you get all these features plus

- UV level sensor
- Temperature sensor
- Pedometer
- Calorie burning calculator

None of these really interests me and besides I can't take a bluetooth device to work.

Because this is a JDM watch, there is little advertisement here in the US.

I am doing some serious horological drooling here. Getting the itch bad.

[JU_88]

Is it actually the size of kitchen clock like it is on my screen
If so, remind me not to pick fight with you
Joking aside - very nice!

[Mr Quatro]

Nice watch Platapus a little too expensive for me (that's a down payment on a car)

I like this one more to my speed and only $34.95 includes free shipping



https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...358539011&th=1

[Commander Wallace]

A man was moving and carrying his grandfather clock to the moving truck at the curb and ran into a man on the sidewalk. They both fell to the sidewalk. The guy who was carrying the clock yelled, " why don't you watch where you are walking. "


The man who was run over yelled back, " why don't you wear a wrist watch like everyone else. "


The watch looks like a great watch but how well does it keep time ? I would consider the Invicta Rolex style watch for 100.00 dollars or the Seiko diver watch for about 250.00 dollars.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Commander Wallace

A man was moving and carrying his grandfather clock to the moving truck at the curb and ran into a man on the sidewalk. They both fell to the sidewalk. The guy who was carrying the clock yelled, " why don't you watch where you are walking. "


The man who was run over yelled back, " why don't you wear a wrist watch like everyone else. "


The watch looks like a great watch but how well does it keep time ? I would consider the Invicta Rolex style watch for 100.00 dollars or the Seiko diver watch for about 250.00 dollars.

Hey Commander! a Croton will suffice for your Rolex knock-off! A nice Japanese automatic movement I got mine at Big 5 for $50 and the local Rolex dealer is even impressed! Plus you can hand it over to a highend bling-bandit on the mean streets without much ado! My dive watch is my wife's Seiko 150 meter groom gift to me of 38 years; worn in all oceans of the planet. Note the crown at the four o'clock position to reduce the risk of rock hits at depth. All real dive watches should hav this imho! I had watch serviced by Seiko to guarantee the watertightness when I noticed it slowing in the mid nineties; it still loses 5 minutes a week- even on the auto winder; <essential equipment $900+-- and the rotating bezel saves lives when computing air consumption 100 feet down hunting ferocious 40 lb+ lingcod in their Monterey wall cave hidouts....at night with a red lamp.

 

While guarding eggs, unique to the west coast: 5 feet (1.5 m), 70 pounds (32 kg); females are larger than males. lingcod have been known to attack humans. A lingcod's coloration makes this ambush predator well camouflaged in its rocky hideaway. Lingcod rely on surprise to capture prey—and on their large mouths, which have 18 sharp teeth to hold their catch securely. Their small, pointed teeth are interspersed with large, fanglike teeth. Like most bottom dwellers, lingcod are solitary fish and usually stray only a short distance from their rocky home base.

I kept the scratched crystal as patina from long use is a factor of the watches value.
My skin is allergic to the rubber band so I got a Walmart stainless steel bracelet capable of going over a neoprene suit sleeve...big, easy to read.... and still seeing heavy action on the high seas BBY!

[mapuc]

Someone mentioned Casio digital with same type of stuff like this Trume watch.

Chronograph
-Titanium case with 100m WR
-Altimeter
-Compass
-Barometer
-Temperature sensor

I like Casio so I would like to know a little more about this Casio.

Markus

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by JU_88

Is it actually the size of kitchen clock like it is on my screen

Not quite, but close. The diameter of the face is about 50mm That's a large watch. With the metal bracelet it is tipping the scales at 135 grams which is a Quarter Pounder!

My Seamaster, no tiny watch in itself, is a measly 40mm. But it is a chunky 141 grams so the Trueme is bigger but lighter. Mechanical watches have heavy stuff inside of them.

[Sean C]

Originally Posted by Platapus

-Chronograph
-Titanium case with 100m WR
-Altimeter
-Compass
-Barometer
-Temperature sensor

I have a Casio digital with all of the above features. I wore it daily for a few years and I still really like it. It also has a relatively large case, but - being made of titanium - it is still one of the lightest watches I own. I never actually used any of these features*, but I did enjoy playing around with them from time to time. Just keep in mind that, if the Trume is similar to the Casio, the altimeter works by measuring barometric pressure - so it needs to be calibrated based on the current local conditions. Otherwise, it really only shows the difference in altitude between locations, as opposed to accurate absolute ASL altitude.


The compass is also sensitive to interference from any nearby magnetic material. (As is any magnetic compass.) So you need to be aware of any potential sources of interference. This includes large deposits of iron in the surrounding area. You will also need to be aware of the magnetic declination in the area you intend to use the compass. (My Casio has the option of manually correcting for declination.) The compass could be re-calibrated fairly easily by the user, though.



I have also been interested lately in watches which update via GPS. The potential shutdown of WWVB being the primary reason. (I own several watches which use this signal.) However, I think it is ultimately unlikely that the station will be shut down, given that most [if not all] radio updated clocks in the U.S. use this signal. Also, one thing I have discovered is that receiving the GPS signal seems to be a big drain on the battery. My Casio is solar powered (and still going strong after several years), so I never had to worry about the battery.


I must say though: the Trume is a very smart looking watch. And if it makes you happy ... go for it. I love all of my watches - for different reasons - but still, I love them just the same.

Originally Posted by Commander Wallace

The watch looks like a great watch but how well does it keep time ?

This was my primary reason for buying the watch I currently wear: a Bulova Precisionist. When it was first introduced, Bulova claimed an accuracy of ± 10 seconds per year. They later backed off of that statement a little - changing it to something like "seconds per year" (i.e. less than a minute). Careful observation of my own Precisionist indicates a constant rate of about +0.2017 seconds per day ... or about +1m13s per year. Still pretty good if you ask me. And keep in mind this is without radio or GPS updates.


*I did use the barometer - rather successfully - to get an idea of the weather in the near future.

[Sean C]

Oh ... one more thing: also keep in mind that if you want to measure the temperature of the air where you are - you will have to take the watch off and leave it sitting for some time before taking the reading. Otherwise, you will be taking the temperature of your wrist ... which is not very useful.

[Jimbuna]

Nice looking watch but I guess I'll stick with the one my wife gave me for Christmas (Seiko 7T92).

[Onkel Neal]

Nice watch, Plat. That's some crazy good tech and quality. I also like the black face model. Wouldn't do for me, though, it would get all beat up and I would end up hanging myself.


Does it light up in the dark like a Timex Indiglo where you can read it?






I like the idea of a Trume, though. I can see where it would be handy. Say I got into a heated discussion with someone, I could pull back my sleeve and show the watch, they would fall to their knees in submission. Nice!

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

I like the idea of a Trume, though. I can see where it would be handy. Say I got into a heated discussion with someone, I could pull back my sleeve and show the watch, they would fall to their knees in submission. Nice!

Unfortunately, you would have to get in to the habit of wearing the Trume on alternate wrists. That way both arms get a workout!

But seriously, the only practical use of this watch is being able to walk in to a horology meeting, push a button and then tell all the people who have multi-thousand dollar mechanical watches:

"Hey dudes, just for your information, this IS the correct time, Bye!"

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Nathaniel B.

Oh ... one more thing: also keep in mind that if you want to measure the temperature of the air where you are - you will have to take the watch off and leave it sitting for some time before taking the reading. Otherwise, you will be taking the temperature of your wrist ... which is not very useful.

That's why the temperature function is only available with the bluetooth models that come with that rather silly external sensor pack.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Nathaniel B.

I have a Casio digital with all of the above features.

The Casio G-Shock line is probably the best value watch if you are looking for function. I just don't care for how a lot of the Casio hybrid watches look, but that's just a personal preference. The MTG is a nice one too.

If it were not for the looks, I would have no issue buying some of the Casio's. They are very good watches.

Concerning the Bulova Percisionist, They are using a quartz frequency that is about 8 times faster than more traditional quartz watches. Faster frequency means that individual variations are more easily "averaged" out. It is a less expensive way to get close to the thermally compensated quartz watches in the HAQ (High accuracy Quartz) family of watches.

HAQs are more accurate, but also more expensive. Longenes VHP will run you about $800 and that is about as cheap as you can get for HAQ's of any quality.

Watch accuracy is a constant leapfrog of technology.

The best mechanical watch for tens of thousands of dollars can be less accurate than the worst quartz watch for a few dollars.

But what does accuracy really mean?

Accuracy only applies when compared to an external source. What people generally consider accuracy is actually variance. How many seconds does the watch vary from day to day.

The terms are often used interchangeably but they are, in fact, different concepts.

Your best mechanical chronometers will have a variance of -2/+2 seconds per day when new. A traditional quartz watch will have a variance of about -15/+15 seconds a month. Temperature has the biggest effect on the variance of quartz movements. HAQ's use a thermal compensator to mitigate the variances due to temperature changes.

Higher end quartz movements (Sometimes referred to as "culled and cooked") have a variance of about -5/+5 seconds a month.

HAQ have a variance of about -10/+10 seconds a year. The Longenes VHP claims -5/+5 seconds a year and testing seems to support this.

The practical aspect of variance is how long can your watch operate between synchronization to another source (time signal for example) and therefore remain "accurate".

All watches are accurate just after synchronization

If you could sync a watch every second, any cheap watch on the market would be accurate. But syncing that often is difficult and counter productive.

The advent of the radio and GPS updated watch is to make it easier to sync the watch. That's what that technology does for you.

Something to keep in mind. A radio or GPS watch is not more accurate than any other quartz watch. It is just that a radio or GPS watch is easier to sync more often. If you manually sync a mechanical or quartz watch as often as a radio or GPS watch, the relative accuracy will be about the same, depending on the quality of the quartz or mechanical movement.

Manually syncing a watch is .. ahem.. time consuming and not alway convenient.

For example, the Seiko Astron uses a traditional quartz movement and has a variance of -15/+15 seconds a month
The Citizen Satellite wave watch uses a "cooked" quartz movement and has a variance of -5/+5 seconds a month.

That means that if, for some reason, both watches are synced at the same time on the first of the month only, by the end of the month, the Astron has the potential of being less accurate than the Satellite wave.

But of course the whole idea of a GPS watch is to be able to either automatically sync or manually sync to the GPS signal quickly and easily.

Some of the GPS watches can update the time only in about 3-6 seconds which is pretty quick and easy. You can sync your watch every time you walk from your car to your building....I can't imagine why, but you could.

After syncing, both watches will have the same accuracy. As long as each watch can sync every few days, the differences in the variance between the two watches will be insignificant.

Trapped in an endless staff meeting, and both of these expensive GPS watches will be just as accurate at more traditional and less expensive watches.

(TLDRBHCPIAPJAJWSU*) Variance only effects how often you need to sync your watch in order to keep it accurate enough for your purposes.

Radio and GPS watches are not more accurate but are more easily synced.


*TLDRBHCPIAPJAJWSU - Too long Didn't Read Because Holy Crap Platapus Is a Pompous Jerk And Just Won't Shut Up!

[Sean C]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Accuracy only applies when compared to an external source. What people generally consider accuracy is actually variance. How many seconds does the watch vary from day to day.

The terms are often used interchangeably but they are, in fact, different concepts.

I find this very interesting. I'm no horology expert, by any means - but I have never heard the term "variance" used in connection with timekeepers of any sort. The term I have heard used in this sense is "rate" - usually in connection with a ship's chronometer. The "rate" of a ship's chronometer (i.e. the amount of seconds fast or slow per unit of time) is usually determined every three years or so (the recommended interval of time between adjustments) by a qualified individual and then recorded and reported to the user of the chronometer so that they may make the necessary adjustments to their observations.


In my experience, the "accuracy" of a chronometer refers to the consistency of its "rate". In other words, when the Board of Longitude was looking for an "accurate" timepiece (or some other solution to the longitude problem), they weren't necessarily looking for a chronometer that would always show the correct Greenwich time. What they were looking for was a timepiece that could be corrected by a known [and stable] rate - such that the actual time at Greenwich could be determined by applying the necessary correction. A very difficult problem when considering that the only technology available at the time was mechanical and subjected to the pitching and rolling of a ship. This highlights the genius of John Harrison and his designs.



But, of course, this is all just semantics. What really matters is that we all understand that what we mean when we are using these terms. A much more common confusion occurs when discussing "accuracy" vs. "precision".


This leads me to an odd side note about my current everyday watch - the Bulova Precisionist. Bulova [at one time] was well known for their "Accutron" watch. This watch used a tuning fork instead of a balance wheel to regulate the timekeeping. It was a revolutionary technology at the time which made the Accutron more - well ... accurate than the average watch. The technology was so iconic that Bulova adopted the tuning fork as their logo.



Fast forward to today and we have the "Precisionist". This watch uses a three-pronged quartz crystal to achieve a more stable "rate" (or variance) than the average watch. And for the first runs, Bulova included the tuning fork logo on these watches - even though these watches did not use the same tuning fork technology as the Accutron watches. But now, in a well publicized move, Bulova has decided to remove the tuning fork logo from all of its watches except for the Accutron series - which presumably still uses this technology.


However, my Precisionist still bears the tuning fork logo at the top of the uppermost sub-dial (where the word "Bulova" appears in my picture) whereas the "Bulova" designation resides at the bottom of said sub-dial. Perhaps this is why I was able to purchase the watch at 60% off the recommended retail price at JacobTime.com. Or maybe not ... IDK.


Anyway ... cheers!


-Nathaniel