It is rather shocking to see mechanical movements – no, not the human-robot kind of awkward and clumsy ones; I mean the mechanical watch movements – vanishing from men’s wish list faster than you can say “How?” The trend is going after more than you can handle in a wrist-wear; since mechanicals do not accommodate as much (not talking about the insanely high-priced Swiss marvels) as a quartz Fliegerwatch. I’m not against these utilitarian watches; heck, I LOVE them. Still, I can’t think of wearing one when I’m cleaning my hog or giving my dog a bath. I know, they are made to resist nature’s shocks and shakes; keep water out for another 100 years; still – and how much ever goosy it is – I can’t help that ticking at the back of my mind. This is not where I like my Citizen Eco-Drive; my Seiko Automatic Diver fits in here better.
You might ask “Why?” Do those small gears, jewels, miniature screws and paper-thin springs falter any less than the quartz crystal and the techno-assortments? Don’t mechanical watches require more frequent maintenance than their quartz cousins?
Not quite; some of the multifunctional quartzes are built even tougher. Yet, if they conk on duty, bringing those inexpensive mechanical wristwatches (provided it’s from a brand like Seiko; not Hamilton) back to life doesn’t feel like an ordeal. However, it’s not to say that non-mechanicals make you pay through your nose; some are as good. These, for example.
I already hear noises against the accuracy of mechanical watches, but hey, I think 99.9% is something I can gladly do with. Why? Because I like rubbing the gleaming metal a few more times. Even if my Seiko is lagging 5 seconds behind, it gives me 5 extra seconds to polish the shine for one-more-final-time. I think I can do with it running 1 minute and 27 seconds slow per day; I don’t need to get into the rat race for the kind of accuracy radio-control brings. I like wearing them to work, where every second counts. But then again, my Fridays are laid back even during work hours, so a mechanical doesn’t pose a very big problem. However, for formal invitations on a weekend, I’ll slap on a Hamilton. But for a boys’ night-out, I will always prefer some chunky toughness with lots of tech (even some I will need maybe once a year). That keeps the chest-thumping going. Besides, you need an alarm to remind you it’s time to go home.
