Post by Knight Watchman on Nov 22, 2006 20:28:11 GMT -5
How critical can one be of a Jump Hour that sells for $61.99? 
If you are a WIS like me, probably unfairly critical.
Accuracy? On the wrist, accuracy varies between 5 and 9 seconds/day. When left crown up as in the picture below, this watch gains about 18 to 20 seconds per day; no worse than most of my sub-$150 Seiko's before any re-adjustment, and certainly nothing to complain about in a $62 watch that is not even fully broken in.
This watch has a pierced spade style minute hand, and an hour wheel that snaps precisely into place at the start of the new hour. The silk screening on the pattered dial is very clean and crisp, even when viewed with a 5X loop.
The case finish is almost on par with a Seiko 5 or Orient, and far better than any sub-$100 Russian watch I have seen. Still, when holding the polished lugs up to the light, the edges of the lugs on a Seiko 5 are a bit better defined and contain less ripples in the polished surface.
The leather strap with SS deployment is a bit stiff, and not nearly as comfortable as an aftermarket strap available for between $20 & $40, but once again, this is a luxury strap compared to any strap that I have ever received on a sub-$100 Russian watch.
As far as crowns go, style is a personal preference, but this crown is very easy to grip and turn. And of course, this automatic is hand windable.
Looking through the display back, this Chinese movement is quite nice to look at, even nicer than the completely undecorated movement in my two Orient Beasts. Upon further examination, I noticed that the "cotes de geneve" stripes are not real; meaning that they were not produced by actually passing a spinning milling bit up and down across the plates. These "cotes de Bejing" stripes are clearly a part of the mold that cast them, just like in my Sea-Gull 1963. Is this a bad thing? Certainly not in a watch at this price point! Still, the rotor is finished silky smooth, and one has to look deep down to the furthest plates down at the bottom of the movement to see any unfinished and scratched metal surfaces. This is not a Patek, or even an Orient Star, but yet the level of finish, and lack of obvious rough edges or debris on any of the upper plates or bridges tells me that China has come a long way since my $30 pocket watch from Wal-Mart, one which even had a China-man's hair inside.
Am I too critical? One can surely find fault with almost any watch, but try finding a better Jump Hour anywhere else at this price! This is a great watch for the money!
If you are a WIS like me, probably unfairly critical.
Accuracy? On the wrist, accuracy varies between 5 and 9 seconds/day. When left crown up as in the picture below, this watch gains about 18 to 20 seconds per day; no worse than most of my sub-$150 Seiko's before any re-adjustment, and certainly nothing to complain about in a $62 watch that is not even fully broken in.
This watch has a pierced spade style minute hand, and an hour wheel that snaps precisely into place at the start of the new hour. The silk screening on the pattered dial is very clean and crisp, even when viewed with a 5X loop.
The case finish is almost on par with a Seiko 5 or Orient, and far better than any sub-$100 Russian watch I have seen. Still, when holding the polished lugs up to the light, the edges of the lugs on a Seiko 5 are a bit better defined and contain less ripples in the polished surface.
The leather strap with SS deployment is a bit stiff, and not nearly as comfortable as an aftermarket strap available for between $20 & $40, but once again, this is a luxury strap compared to any strap that I have ever received on a sub-$100 Russian watch.
As far as crowns go, style is a personal preference, but this crown is very easy to grip and turn. And of course, this automatic is hand windable.
Looking through the display back, this Chinese movement is quite nice to look at, even nicer than the completely undecorated movement in my two Orient Beasts. Upon further examination, I noticed that the "cotes de geneve" stripes are not real; meaning that they were not produced by actually passing a spinning milling bit up and down across the plates. These "cotes de Bejing" stripes are clearly a part of the mold that cast them, just like in my Sea-Gull 1963. Is this a bad thing? Certainly not in a watch at this price point! Still, the rotor is finished silky smooth, and one has to look deep down to the furthest plates down at the bottom of the movement to see any unfinished and scratched metal surfaces. This is not a Patek, or even an Orient Star, but yet the level of finish, and lack of obvious rough edges or debris on any of the upper plates or bridges tells me that China has come a long way since my $30 pocket watch from Wal-Mart, one which even had a China-man's hair inside.
Am I too critical? One can surely find fault with almost any watch, but try finding a better Jump Hour anywhere else at this price! This is a great watch for the money!
