Mr. Dazzle wrote: ↑Fri Jan 01, 2021 9:20 am
SKXs are tantalisingly cheap aren't they?
I've also been looking for a watch I can wear on the outside of my leathers. None of my bikes have a clock and for some reason that's something I really miss!
At those sort of prices I wouldn't mind exposing one to the outside world at high speed.
Just put a watch around the bars or on the dash so (a) you can see it easily and (b) its as not exposed to the elements. IanB of this parish used to have a fake Bell & Ross on his Ducati supersport. It was a white faced model to match the instruments on the Ducati
Harry wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 11:44 am
I did that on one of my bikes with a swatch, but the vibrations killed it.
British bike?
RD125LC
The watch was a pop swatch.
Wasn't something posted on the TRC watch thread about concern over a watch being damaged when being worn on a bike, possibly even with the manufacturer showing a rider in their advertising?
Wasn't something posted on the TRC watch thread about concern over a watch being damaged when being worn on a bike, possibly even with the manufacturer showing a rider in their advertising?
It was Zebby with his IWC that cost about the same as a terraced house in the north of England.
They said the vibrations from his bike might have buggered it. If you think about it, a mechanical watch is a delicate bit of kit.
But my pop swatch was digital and it knackered it fairly quickly, a few weeks of daily use IIRC.
High frequency vibrations are quite different to what you experience on a wrist aren't they? You also get quote a lot of isolation from being on a wrist vs. being adhered to a hard surface.
I bet you could ride with a quartz digital for 100 years and not have a problem, but gluing it to a buzzy engine might crack solder etc. in no time.
Kinda begs the question, how do they factory fit clocks and electronics doesn't it? "Not always successfully" would be my answer.
Mr. Dazzle wrote: ↑Sun Jan 03, 2021 8:49 am
High frequency vibrations are quite different to what you experience on a wrist aren't they? You also get quote a lot of isolation from being on a wrist vs. being adhered to a hard surface.
I bet you could ride with a quartz digital for 100 years and not have a problem, but gluing it to a buzzy engine might crack solder etc. in no time.
Kinda begs the question, how do they factory fit clocks and electronics doesn't it? "Not always successfully" would be my answer.
Cheapo Timex* for the win.
*Yes, I remembered what it was. Timex Indiglo thing. Analogue face and it spent maybe a year on the bike when I used it to go to and from work. I guess its possible the velcro helped dampen it down slightly but realistically who cares, it cost about 20 quid and lasted about a year on the bike.
Never did big miles doing that, maybe 5000 in a year.
After that sometimes in my back pocket cos I can't stand watchstraps and I bought a van.
I was given a bike clock, simple digital display, that clipped into a holder bolted onto the handlebars. That would have been on an older BMW twin. No problems. As D says, bikes are full of electronics, etc.
Vehicle electronics have quite in depth shock/vibration requirements....or at least, the proper OEM stuff does. Quite a lot of attention is paid to the effects of vibration etc. It's standard practice to put stuff on shaker tables for extended periods.
I was gonna say "watches probably don't" but in fact I would guess they do. It will just be a different set of inputs.
Mr. Dazzle wrote: ↑Sun Jan 03, 2021 9:47 am
Vehicle electronics have quite in depth shock/vibration requirements....or at least, the proper OEM stuff does. Quite a lot of attention is paid to the effects of vibration etc. It's standard practice to put stuff on shaker tables for extended periods.
I was gonna say "watches probably don't" but in fact I would guess they do. It will just be a different set of inputs.
Many mechanical watches have some shock protection for stuff like the jewelled bearings.
Think some versions call it Incabloc but I doubt it's aimed at high frequency vibration like bike engines.
....linear acceleration test (taking the watch from 1 to 7.25 g within 333 seconds), a vibration test (3 × 30 minute vibration between 5 and 2000 Hz with a minimum of 8.8 g impulse), and an acoustic noise test which blasted the watch with 130 dB from 40 to 10,000 Hz for 30 minutes....
Mr. Dazzle wrote: ↑Sun Jan 03, 2021 10:10 am
Heres a brief summary of what NASA did back in the 60s when looking for mechanical watches to use in space.
....linear acceleration test (taking the watch from 1 to 7.25 g within 333 seconds), a vibration test (3 × 30 minute vibration between 5 and 2000 Hz with a minimum of 8.8 g impulse), and an acoustic noise test which blasted the watch with 130 dB from 40 to 10,000 Hz for 30 minutes....
Exciting times (no pun intended).
No one knew if a watch could survive that kind of test, no one knew if they'd make it to the moon either.
In the same year Robin Knox Johnson was the first man to sail solo around the world, no one knew if a boat could do it.
These things were taking place in the days when anyone going off the beaten track were fairly dependant on a decent chronometer to help with navigation.
Nowadays we demand robustness and reliability as a given, but back then it was often a wing and a prayer.
Wasn't something posted on the TRC watch thread about concern over a watch being damaged when being worn on a bike, possibly even with the manufacturer showing a rider in their advertising?
It was Zebby with his IWC that cost about the same as a terraced house in the north of England.
They said the vibrations from his bike might have buggered it. If you think about it, a mechanical watch is a delicate bit of kit.
But my pop swatch was digital and it knackered it fairly quickly, a few weeks of daily use IIRC.
Would probably depend on the watch. My TAG 844 has been on my wrist for years (and lots of miles), it's only since I stupidly let a "local" jeweller poke around inside that its started playing up.
I haven't been wearing a watch much but yesterday I had to attend something and I put one on because I felt like it. I hadn't worn one for ages and I was very conscious that I was wearing something expensive, that particular one has gone up several grand in the time I've owned it ...
Once or twice I've needed to carry a few £1000s. It always made me nervous and I was glad to get where I was going and get rid of it. I can't imagine choosing to wear that sort of money on my wrist. I'd be a nervous wreck.
A pal here has several expensive watches. He never wore them coz the looky looky men sold perfect replicas for 20€.
His wife died a few months ago and now he's given them to his daughter in UK to sell for him.
He reckons about £60k which will allow him to fund a move to a better house.
Harry wrote: ↑Sun Jan 03, 2021 7:40 am
It was Zebby with his IWC that cost about the same as a terraced house in the north of England.
They said the vibrations from his bike might have buggered it. If you think about it, a mechanical watch is a delicate bit of kit.
But my pop swatch was digital and it knackered it fairly quickly, a few weeks of daily use IIRC.
I think most wearers of decent auto (or mechanical) watches are careful with shocks. I wouldn’t start hammering stuff wearing mine for instance, on the watch forums some don’t wear them when they’re golfing.
