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JayTimm
15
Jun 8, 2017
Really waiting for a Seiko diver watch with this movement...
m0arpheus
433
Jun 8, 2017
JayTimmAre there any that fit that spec? Like the seiko snzh57?
Flypanam
249
Jun 8, 2017
m0arpheusSNZH series have the 7s36 movement which is basically the old version of this movement. Still a very good workhorse movement, same bph, pretty much the same accuracy, either same number or one less jewel. The problem is the older movement does not have hacking seconds and does not hand wind. If you don't wear the watch at least every other day you'll either need an automatic winder or you'll be adjusting the time and date a lot.
m0arpheus
433
Jun 8, 2017
FlypanamI'm not familiar with watches and their terminology that's specific to how they work and what they're made of. What does movement mean and what do you mean about winding the watch? I would plan on wearing the watch constantly if I bought one, so what would I have to do to maintain its function?
Flypanam
249
Jun 8, 2017
m0arpheusMovement basically means what's inside the watch. Just like how different cars can have different engines, different watches have different movements which are what cause the hands to go around the face. Basically, a movement is what "drives" the watch. 7s36, 4r35 are just names for the different engines that Seiko uses to drive their watches. Similarly citizen/Miyota use 9015 or 8215, or swatch group watches use ETA 2824 and others, they're all just names of different watch internals by different companies. Some are newer, some have faster ticking rates, some have more features, etc.
Quartz watches use batteries to power the movement, which is great if you want a trouble-free watch that you don't always have to wear. The downsides of quartz are a few: they are not nearly as interesting or as prestigious. You won't see cool gears and other mechanisms if you open a quartz watch. They also tend to tick once per second, creating a disjointed movement. Finally, batteries run out and have to be replaced.
Automatic mechanical watches are a little different. They don't have batteries, but are powered by a spring. The spring must be wound up periodically, and can then power the watch for 40 or more hours in most automatic watches nowadays . This isnt nearly as long as a quartz battery lasts, but the plus side is there is never a battery to replace, and it can always be "recharged" through winding (by hand or automatically, which I'll get to in a second). Many mechanical Seikos, even the cheap ones, can easily last 10 years without any need to service the watch. The coolest part (for me) is that the seconds hand on a mechanical watch has a smooth sweeping, elegant motion as it travels from second to second (with as many as 8 to 10 mini "beats" in between each second in higher end watches) vs the jarring"tick tock" motion of a quartz watch. This is why many "nice" watches are mechanical/automatic.
Some watches are hand-wind only, those are non-automatic mechanicals. You have to wind the crown (the little nub on the side of the watch that also adjusts the time) every once in a while to keep the spring tense so it can slowly untense and provide power. This is what people did in the old days.
Most mechanical watches these days are automatic. These have a pendulum-like device built into the watch called a rotor, which automatically winds the spring as you move your hand about. As long as you wear the watch daily or every other day, it will literally never run out of power as the rotor keeps the spring wound.
Many automatics also have hand wind capability. If you don't feel like wearing the watch that day, just wind up the crown a few times and it'll stay powered.
The snzh series mentioned does not do that, however. It can't be wound up by hand . You need to be moving the watch around (either on your hand or by spinning it around in a watch winder) for it to keep functioning. If it stops, it's no big deal. Just an annoyance to have to set the date again.
An automatic watch that runs out of power is not broken at all. All you have to do to get it working again is to put it on your wrist and give it a few shakes so the pendulum can wind the spring a little. The only thing you need to do to keep the watch going indefinitely (until it needs an oiling or service after many years) is to keep it on your hand, in a winder, or to wind it up yourself if it has a hand winding capability. This SRPA watch has that ability while the snzh does not. Similarly, a quartz watch that stops is not broken either, but you need to replace the battery before it works again. You can't recharge the battery with motion like you can recharge a spring.
By "hacking" seconds, I mean that when you set the time on the watch (ie you pull out the crown and move the minute and hour hands), the second hand stops completely. This allows you very carefully and accurately set the time. With a non hacking seconds hand, it keeps moving even as you are setting the time so it will almost never be accurate down to the second.
I hope this helps!
ghafarmohammad
6
Jun 9, 2017
FlypanamThank you for the clear and thorough explanation!
JayTimm
15
Jun 9, 2017
FlypanamFantastic instruction. Very patient with the new guy too. Well done.