Re: [Leica] wristwatches

[John Coan <jcoan@alumni.duke.edu>]

Dennis,

You are very perceptive!  The adjustment for time zone is the only thing
you can set.  On the wall clocks, there is a rotary switch on the back. 
On the watches, you push in the crown (which is an electrical switch
only) and hold it in until the correct time zone is indicated by the
hands.  When in operation, a push on that button causes the second hand
to rapidly turn and stop on today's date.  Cool!

The only thing I do not like about my watch is the band.  The case is
plastic (guess why?), which is OK, but the lugs that the leather band
attach to are funny shaped.  I tried to fit a cheap metal expansion
bracelet on it and it stuck up funny.  I prefer a metal bracelet to a
leather band because it is faster to take on and off.

And regarding the wall clocks, there is one little irritant.  On the
first one I received the second hand didn't stop precisely on the hash
marks. Call me anal retentive, but this bothered me.  The unit is sealed
so I couldn't adjust it myself.  However, the arctime.com people
cheerfully exchanged it with a second example that was OK.  It seems if
you are peddling precision you should be more careful in your
manufacturing quality control (Hey, this in on topic for the Leica
group.).  A second wall clock I bought for a gift was also OK as
received.  The wall clocks are only $80.

Finally, placement of the clocks in the house is a consideration.  They
work best near a west facing window if you are on the East Coast.  They
might not work in a metal building, or deep in the interior of a large
wooden frame building.  

It is not essential that they receive the time signal 24/7 either.  In
normal operation, they check for the time signal every night at 2 am. 
Getting a good signal every 3-4 days is sufficient for accuracy.  The
way this works is that the underlying quartz mechanism is accurate, and
the time signal (after initial setting) serves to set the clock *and*
refine the accuracy.  

In other words, the clock is smart enough to adjust its speed based on
the correction it receives.  For example, after it initially sets itself
it will make its first time check at 2 am the next night.  If it is a
quarter second slow, for example, the clock will adjust the time *and*
speed up a little bit.

John

Dennis Painter wrote:
> 
> If it set itself to the time zone, then, I'd be impressed ;-)
> 
> gps, someday it will be in everything. imagine a toaster that knows
> where it is ;-) what you want it toasted right too!!!
> 
> John Coan wrote:
> >
> > Rolex makes a big deal about the "chronometer" certification, but anyone
> > who actually owns one will tell you that compared to today's cheap
> > quartz watches they aren't very accurate.  At least mine isn't.  Still,
> > they are a marvel of beauty and craftsmanship and salesmanship and hype
> > and certainly an icon.
> >
> > If I want accuracy in a watch I wear my Zeit model.  An incredible
> > modern marvel, this relatively cheap watch is more accurate than any
> > quartz watch.  It has a built in radio receiver that picks up the time
> > signal from WWVB, the longwave station of the National Institute of
> > Standards and Technology.  Those of you with shortwave receivers are
> > probably familiar with WWV transmissions.  Same thing, only these are in
> > digital code.  The watch sets itself every evening and is accurate
> > throughout the day to a fraction of a second.  In fact, the watch sets
> > itself when you first put in a battery.  And when daylight savings time
> > comes and goes it adjusts by itself.  There is no way to set it
> > manually.
> >
> > Which is better?  If you are worried about getting to a date on time the
> > plus or minus 3 minutes of the Rolex is satisfactory.  But, if you want
> > to be able to switch your TV to the evening news precisely when it
> > starts on the hour, the Zeit will do it for you.  The Zeit, as one might
> > expect from the name, is made in Germany.