On the wrist, how easy is it to spot a lower beat 21j second hand at 6bmp? Would you have to have it side by side to see the difference? Or is it that choppy that it can be spotted on the wrist at a few feet away. I am thinking about getting a 21j submariner as a beater and was wondering about this issue. Thanks!
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6 bpm vs. 8 bpm second hand
- Thread starter sawalke4
- Start date
It depends on how much experience you have and how far away you are viewing the watch from.
I can tell right away if I'm examining a watch from within, say 1 - 2 feet from my eyes. I have very good eye sight (significantly better than 20/20). I would imagine that most people don't even know the difference and wouldn't notice unless they had two different watches side by side.
If the watch is farther away than that, you can't tell.
I can tell right away if I'm examining a watch from within, say 1 - 2 feet from my eyes. I have very good eye sight (significantly better than 20/20). I would imagine that most people don't even know the difference and wouldn't notice unless they had two different watches side by side.
If the watch is farther away than that, you can't tell.
Most people will never be able to tell unless they know what runs at 6bpm vs 8bpm. I can see/tell the difference between my cheap Sub rep @6, my Gen 2220.80 SMP @7, and a Gen Sub @8.
I have a coworker who's husband has a Gen Sub, and she could tell the difference between his sub and my SMP, but she had to look at it from about 8" away.
I have a coworker who's husband has a Gen Sub, and she could tell the difference between his sub and my SMP, but she had to look at it from about 8" away.
My brother saw my 6 tick sub and noticed its ticking (had it up to his face though) ... I then told him a Gen Rolex beats at 8 ticks a second and mine is at 6. What blew his mind though was that rolex's "tick" at all. Makes sense... anybody who has heard anything about Rolex watches it's a "smooth" sweeping seconds hand.
Then I had the same sub at a bar with my friends. I took it off and handed it to them. My friend said, "holy shit this is real! It has a sweeping seconds hand."....... We are talking about my fantasy Submariner from fakey... not at all accurate.
The point? Don't look into it that much.... I like Swiss/clone ETA's because the rotor sound in a21j's annoy me.
Then I had the same sub at a bar with my friends. I took it off and handed it to them. My friend said, "holy shit this is real! It has a sweeping seconds hand."....... We are talking about my fantasy Submariner from fakey... not at all accurate.
The point? Don't look into it that much.... I like Swiss/clone ETA's because the rotor sound in a21j's annoy me.
Another point I will add is that even amongst three 8bph movements, you will still see differences in the sweep. I have a 4816 (21J movement 2813 with 8bph instead), a Swiss ETA 2824 and 2893 side by side.... the 2893 wins by a long shot, the 2824 is still somewhat more jerky then the 2893, but slightly improved when compare to the the 4813
I also have some vintage 6bph gen Rolex in my box that seems to run very smooth, as though they are 8bph watches.... so although the spec might be the same, you really can not judge the movement by the specs alone.
Typically, larger the watch ( = longer hand size), the jerks are more pronounced. I have quite a few 21J subs, they are 40mm across running 2813 21J. And they are pretty jerky when sitting next to other 8bph watches.... but by itself they seems just fine. 99.9% of the population either dont care and wont be able to tell
I also have some vintage 6bph gen Rolex in my box that seems to run very smooth, as though they are 8bph watches.... so although the spec might be the same, you really can not judge the movement by the specs alone.
Typically, larger the watch ( = longer hand size), the jerks are more pronounced. I have quite a few 21J subs, they are 40mm across running 2813 21J. And they are pretty jerky when sitting next to other 8bph watches.... but by itself they seems just fine. 99.9% of the population either dont care and wont be able to tell
Good point. My 36mm vintage Rolex rep had an extremely smooth sweep. Dial size does make a difference.
Just got my second sub in (1 asian eta clone & 1 21j asian) and I can barely tell the difference.
I agree, its not easily quantified, but some with the same specs are smoother than others...
Personally I can tell 6 from 8 easily when they are net to each other, or when I hold it close and stare at it. On my wrist from a few feet away, maybe, but I always know what it is before I look, so maybe not and I just see what I know is there.
On someone else's wrist, there is no way I could tell without grabbing their arm, holding it still, and staring. (My eyesight is ok, but far from perfect...)
On small subdials, no way for me...
+1
I definitely don't mind the 6 beats as much as the sound of the rotor when it spins.
And the longer the hands the more visible the ticks will be, not necessarily the dial. For example the PAM's... frickin' looks smooth cause the hands are so small even though dial is large.
I definitely don't mind the 6 beats as much as the sound of the rotor when it spins.
And the longer the hands the more visible the ticks will be, not necessarily the dial. For example the PAM's... frickin' looks smooth cause the hands are so small even though dial is large.
Yep... the hands lenght is everything...
A 28.8 kbph movement looks more "choppy" on a 47mm flieger with its looooonnnng seconds hand than a 21.6 kbph movement in a 40mm sub, itself looking more choppy than a 18 kbph on a PAM with the minuscule seconds hand...
But, to me, unless you have a clear reference of similar size, it's hard to tell... particularly since some movements have more "stutter" than others, for the same frequency (I'm thinking of some Myiotas... ) and some movements are more homogeneous in their ticks (like the ETA 2893-2)
A 28.8 kbph movement looks more "choppy" on a 47mm flieger with its looooonnnng seconds hand than a 21.6 kbph movement in a 40mm sub, itself looking more choppy than a 18 kbph on a PAM with the minuscule seconds hand...
But, to me, unless you have a clear reference of similar size, it's hard to tell... particularly since some movements have more "stutter" than others, for the same frequency (I'm thinking of some Myiotas... ) and some movements are more homogeneous in their ticks (like the ETA 2893-2)