| Author | Message | ||
     Ft_bstrd |
I have two passions, motorcycles and watches. Both are mechanical and intriguing. Buells are especially so. I got to thinking, what is it about both Buells and mechanical watches that intrigue me? Buells are utilizing a base powerplant that hasn't changed much in 50 years. It has been refined, but the basic function is the same. There are other bikes with much more modern powerplant designs than the Buell. Other designs are more powerful, more refined and run smoother and quieter. Mechanical watches are very similar. Quartz watches are more modern, run quieter, are more accurate, and are less expensive. Mechanical watches are "old tech", require servicing periodically, and are not as accurate. But there is just something about mechanical watches that trips my trigger. How can you look upon a watch movement and not find the elegance in it?  The movement pictured above is one of mine. In the late '60s early '70s, a battle was being waged. Prior to that time, there had been self winding mechanical watches but there had never been a self winding chronograph (watch with stop watch function). Three groups were in the hunt, a Japanese conglomerate, Heuer/Breitling, and Zenith. All three had "powerplants" that were being designed. The Japanese group and Zenith decided to build a movement from scratch. The Heuer/Breitling group decided to take an existing movement and add a chronograph function to it. Their design decision proved to be the right one, as the Heuer/Breitling model was the first to make it to fruition. The original movement was the Caliber 11. It was a 17,000 beat per hour 17 jewel movement created by "stacking" two movements together. The Caliber 12 pictured above was a further refinement of that movement increasing the beats per hour from 17,000 to 19,000. The higher the beats per minute, the greater the accuracy (Think slicing seconds into segments. The greater the number of segments, the greater the accuracy attainable.). Here's the watch front:  (Message edited by ft_bstrd on December 03, 2006) (Message edited by ft_bstrd on December 03, 2006) | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Zenith, the other competitor in the race to manufacture the first automatic (self winding) watch first demonstrated their watch at the international watch show. They claim that unless you actually demonstrated at the show, you hadn't crossed the finish line. The Heuer/Breitling group had released their movement months ahead of the show. Zenith claimed that they had won the race and so named their movement El Primero, the first. Their chronograph movement carries this name to this day. I always laugh when I see it, because I know it isn't the "first".  This next part of the saga is significant for Sean, a Rolex fan. Up until about three years ago, the movements inside of the Daytona, Rolex's chronograph were manufactured by Zenith. Zenith supplied the El Primero movement to Rolex as Rolex lacked the ability to manufacture an accurate chronograph movement in house. | ||
| Buellshyter |
Antikythera mechanism | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Here on BadWeb there are endless threads regarding lubrication. Which ones are best, last longest, best protection, etc. The same is true for watches. Originally, watches were lubricated with either vegetable oils or animal oils. The disadvantage of those oils was that they would actually go rancid inside the watch. They would also become thick to the point that they became solid, stopping the watch. This clumping was actually a good thing in that when the lubricant clumped, it stopped the watch letting the wearer know it was time to clean, service, and relubricate the watch. As watches increase in beats per minute, the lubricants were unable to keep up with the needs of the watch. Just as in motorcycle engines, the higher the revs, the greater the heat. Our Buell engines have a sub 7000 redline whereas an R1 may have a 16,000 redline (yeah, I know it "says" 17,000). At 16,000 RPMs, traditional lubricants break down and turn to sludge. Watches are the same. As the beats per hour approached 28,800, the internal friction increased to the point that the vegetable and animal derived lubricants were unable to continue to lubricate. The result? Same as in your engine, bearing damage leading to damage to larger parts. The other problem was frequent and almost immediate "clumping". Think of it as watch sludge. In a watch, "Jewels" are used as bearings. Watch makers use synthetic rubies as bearings. When you arrange two rubies point to point (or point to socket), they are able to rotate without breaking down. Sometimes the bearings are arrange ruby to metal. In order to keep the friction low enough to prevent to breakdown of the parts, lubrication is used. What happened above 28,800 beats per hour was that the lubricants cooked off. Watch makers switched to synthetic lubricants (just like our bikes!). The advantage of these new lubricants was that they were able to survive the higher revolutions as not cook off as quickly. Although, they still are not able to survive speeds above 36,000 beats per hour. The disadvantage of these synthetics is that they don't "clump". Owners of watches who fail to have their watches serviced frequently every 2-3 years, will find that their watches have cooked off all the synthetic lubricant. The result is that the wearer is running a watch that is completely unlubricated. When the watch does begin to lose time, the owner will find that upon servicing many of the bearing points will need to be replaced as there is significant wear and damage. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
I don't think I've ever known a "watch freak".  Not that there is anything wrong with that. (as i look down at my beat up $6 POS) | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Antikythera mechanism Funny you should bring that up. I found a really cool watch yesterday:  What makes this watch unique is that it mechanically tracks the sunrise and sunset times based on the day of the month. DO YOU REALIZE HOW DIFFICULT THAT IS USING GEARS, SPRINGS, AND ROTORS? I also found a watch that tracks Lunar Phase, Month, Date, and Year. I believe it also tracks leap years. For $42,000, I would expect it to.  | ||
| Djkaplan |
I have a Longines pocket watch with a crystal on the back so you can see the jeweled movement. Not my watch but kinda similar...  It's more of a novelty than a watch because it's so fancy... and I can't keep pulling a pocket watch to find out what time it is. I do enjoy being able to see the movement, though. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Watch freak? Oh yeah, you could say that. I have been since I was 5. You don't need to spend a ridiculous amount of money to get something collectible and unique. For less than $500, you can get a good dependable heirloom mechanical watch. It is more than a Timex? Sure, but a Timex is disposable. Here's an example:  1970's era automatic Omega. Great shape and very rare. Yours for $475. In 20 years, this watch will be even more rare and will probably be worth more than 3 times it's current value. Plus, you get to wear a watch no one else has. Kinda like riding a Buell! I hope to have several mechanical watches to pass down to my kids. I hope those watches will be passed down to their kids. I may buy a watch for $1,000 that is worth $4,000 when I pass it to my son and it be worth $10,000 when it's passed to my grandchild. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Dj, Nice piece. What I think is beautiful about a watch like that is that it was built in the late 1800's early 1900's and it still works and keeps time. You don't see craftsmanship like that much any more. Just like you don't see craftsmanship in say a GSXR like you do in an XB. Without the plastic, the GSXR is FUGLY! The naked beauty of the Buell is a sight to behold! | ||
| Buellshyter |
I have a Bulova Accuquartz - 14kt case | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I have a Bulova Accuquartz - 14kt case Like this?  The Accutrons used the famed "tuning fork" that vibrated at 360 times per second. I believe yours uses quartz instead. Does yours hum? | ||
| Lake_bueller |
I'm kinda digging this new Tag Heuer V4  | ||
| Buellshyter |
No, doesnt look like that. I believe it's from the 60's or 70's. It has a diamond chip at the 9 o'clock position and a gold band. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I actually had that one as my screen saver. It is the most original to be introduced in quite a while. It is one that to me most closely resembles automotive/motorcycle design. Have you seen the new Caliber 360? It is designed to be the most accurate mechanical watch. It will beat at 360,000 beats per hour effectively dividing every second into 100 beats. What will be interesting is to see how they manage lubrication and friction. The Omega Co-Axial movement effectively cheated in that it divided the movement into two parts. In effect they created a 36,000 BPH watch with the movement and friction of an 18,000 BPH movement. For the new Tag/Heuer movement, they will have to create some sort of 10 times multiplier in order to do what the Omega movement does. It will be interesting to see. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
No, doesnt look like that. I believe it's from the 60's or 70's. It has a diamond chip at the 9 o'clock position and a gold band. Same watch. It just looks different from the back.  | ||
| Buellshyter |
Yes, that's what it looks like except for the band which is gold and is marked Hong Kong | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Bands are like tires. They get replaced with wear. It's the main body that is important. | ||
| Buellshyter |
How does one remove the back cover? | ||
| Spiderman |
here's mine  | ||
| Zynthaxx |
FT_bstrd - I really appreciate seeing somebody fanatic about something. It gives a completely new insight into the subject.  | ||
| Interex2050 |
Mechanical watches are quite fantastic, they are more "living" then their quartz alternatives... What makes the automatics so wonderful is that you depend upon it and it depends upon you, without you it would just stop. Its a wonderful mutual relationship... Personally I fancy Fortis watches as they are so bloody robust.  They also have a very straightforward "utilitarian" layout, just a quick glance is needed to determine the time.  Not to mention compared to other makes they are rather inexpensive. | ||
| Jackbequick |
"I got to thinking, what is it about both Buells and mechanical watches that intrigue me?" Well, your watch is your fine timepiece and your Buell is your piece for having a fine time. So the next time you glance at the timepiece and find you have an hour to spare, crank up the Buell and have a fine time. One of the time honored lubricants for watches and clocks and other fine mechanisms was sperm whale oil or (also called fine spermaceti). Sperm whale oil is illegal to sell now because of the endangered species act and jojuba oil is considered a suitable replacement. Don't take lightly the perils of trading in sperm whale oil should you have or find some: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2004/jun 04/noaa04-r150.html As late as the early or mid 1960's sperm oil could be purchased from a number of sources, including gunsmith supply houses. My Dad much preferred it for a lube for guns in places like the sear and safety and camming surfaces inside the bolt body. It was much less affected by cold weather. He always had a one pint metal can of sperm oil on his workbench, he used to buy it from Brownells's. I remember it was nearly clear and odorless. Jack | ||
| Rocketman |
I've liked timepieces since I was a kid too, so this is a great thread. I even get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see a cool speedo or rev counter. Am I sick? The tech stuff is something I've never cared to study so it's good to read it here. And just for the record Ft, I'm no Rolex fan. That's not my kind of watch. Here is my TAG.  Rocket | ||
| Rocketman |
Jeez, I just noticed the bezel isn't at the top. Just what I was saying the other day. So I've a question now I've finally found an on hand expert, lol. No reference is made to this in the manual and I've not seen it explained anywhere. Nor have I been given an answer from those few jeweler types I've met over the years. So what is the Tachymeter and how does it work? And how is one suppose to use the rotating bezel? Rocket | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Ask and ye shall receive: http://www.time4watches.com/1.%20Bradley%20article s/how_to_use_a_tachymeter.htm Anyone know why the bezel only rotates counter clockwise? | ||
| Ds_tiger |
REF: Ft_Bstrd > "Just like you don't see craftsmanship in say a GSXR like you do in an XB. Without the plastic, the GSXR is FUGLY! " Dood I 100% completely disagree I am not a watch guy, so I do no intention of stealing this thread However- as you appreciate intricate small inner working of watches, and the visceral beauty of an air cooled good-looker like our Buell/ Sportster engines... I absolutely love the look of a purpose built 160 rear wheel HP factory stock motor- to wit> Deep sump oil pickup, massive oil and radiator - to cool 160 horses at full trot, broad beam, clean finished frame spars with an adjustable swingarm pivot, ETC ETC- I think you are selling mechanical beauty short by saying the Buell has "craftmanship" over/better than a "GSX-R" My 3 and a half cent worth   | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Tiger, It may have been a bad example. My point is this. A naked bike is supposed to have the inner workings seen. As a result, there is a certain attention granted to the aesthetic. A GSXR is not meant to have its inner workings seen. I'm pretty sure that this was never meant to be seen:  Whereas, this is a thing of beauty:  There's just no way to polish a quartz movement and make it attractive. Silica just don't shine like a nice machine turned mechanical movement with hand engraved scroll work. | ||
| Ds_tiger |
OK | ||
| Rocketman |
That is so simple, and incredibly clever. You are the only person I have ever known that understood how a Tachymeter works. Thanks Ft B. Today was a good day. Make that great! I learnt something. Rocket | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
My work here is done! |
