[Weezy]

Fellow Freeks,
Is it true that the sweep of the seconds hand on a spring drive is the ‘smoothest’ out there?
Haven’t seen one in person yet and wanted to know your thoughts.

I love dive watches and if the above is true, then SBGA029 may become the grail watch that I will save for.

I don’t mind the fact that it is considered a hybrid (not a pure automatic watch).

Other than the SBGA029 and the 600M, are there any other Seiko SD dive watches out there that I missed?

 

[Myke]

the spring drive second hand is the smoothest out there hypnotizing and 72 hour power reserve which powers up quick on the wrist here is mine

 

[bapackerfan]

Can't speak from experience, but from all that I've read and seen on-line, the Spring Drive is all that it's advertised to be.

Yes, it's a hybrid, and BOY what a hybrid it is! SUPER accurate and PERFECTLY smooth on the second hand sweep. Seems like it's certainly worth every dollar you may spend on it in the future.

 

[Pallet Spoon]

36000 beats per hour as opposed to 28,800 or 21,600 for many purely mechanical autos.

 

[Weezy]

Sweet!
What about serviceability relative to say a Rolex submariner ... More or less frequent?

 

[jason_recliner]

It's actually way more than 36,000. That's just a hi-beat. I can't remember the exact frequency, but it's something like 24 Hz. The 'ticks' are completely imperceptible.

 

[bracky72]

Actually there are no ticks at all. It's completely smooth.

 

[jason_recliner]

No, the beats are so rapid that they are imperceptible.

 

[slowmotion]

Sweet!
What about serviceability relative to say a Rolex submariner ... More or less frequent?

I am going to use the "Fewer moving parts = less to cause a problem" logic on this one. I am sure someone with actual real worls experience will chime in. As far as serviceability goes. That is a different animal. Hopefully someone can answer that question too

 

[FunkDaLicious]

Check out the video I reposted from Seiko here: http://www.watchfreeks.com/showthread.php?p=1838426

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[FunkDaLicious]

I'm almost certain it is a true sweep, not a super high beat.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

 

[cabfrank]

That watch causes a visceral reaction in me. I have to go back several times to look at it. Seriously, amazing.

the spring drive second hand is the smoothest out there hypnotizing and 72 hour power reserve which powers up quick on the wrist here is mine

 

[Weezy]

Check out the video I reposted from Seiko here: http://www.watchfreeks.com/showthread.php?p=1838426

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Thanks for the awesome video!
Interesting to read the thread too ... the perception seems that it does not need servicing?

 

[FunkDaLicious]

Thanks for the awesome video!
Interesting to read the thread too ... the perception seems that it does not need servicing?

I have a hard time believing it will never need servicing. I do not own one, and am far from an expert; however, it still has mechanical components that require lubrication that will degrade over time, and friction that can wear out parts. Plus the waterproofing gaskets degrade over time as well and will need replacing. Now, given that there isn't the impact factor with the pallet fork of a lever escapement it may need servicing less often. Even quartz watches need servicing on occasion.

 

[jason_recliner]

I'm almost certain it is a true sweep, not a super high beat.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

Incorrect. It beats at something crazy like 100 x per second.

 

[bracky72]

It truly does sweep continuously without beat. If you research how it works you would understand how it does this.

 

[Chazman1946]

Bulova Precisionist movements have a beat rate of 57,600 BPH, I don't know if this beats the Spring Drive but it is pretty smooth.

 

[bracky72]

Have you ever seen the slo-mo guys youtube channel? They film all sorts of stuff in incredible slow motion. I would love to see a spring drives second hand filmed in such a way.

 

[spanky1]

Bulova UHF Technology

http://www.bulova.com/en-US/cat/uhf

 

[bracky72]

Those ultra high frequency watches are awesome. But a springdrive is driven without steps. It's powered by the constant force of the mainspring with the time being metered by a clutch or brake.