@@PocketWatchTime That is absolutely true and they have a dialogue with makers like us because we work with you the owners and all that feedback is important.
There is absolutely no need to glorify or mistify Japanese companies just because they are Japanese companies. They are responsible for plenty of low quality out there. Seiko in particular have the worst quality control in the industry and they also have the worst movement line in the industry (6R) of any serious brand. You have to go to the worst and most mass produced Chinese crap to match Seikos efforts to ruin their own reputation.
@@Heliconwatches Of course it is. But as a customer, the last thing you want is to bring your brand new watch back in for a service - or service it yourself. That is the "Seiko experience" for so many of us. And I'm saying that as a die hard Seiko fan who is disgusted by their lack of care in recent years.
@@kresimirpleic Mysticism is inherent for any overpriced hobby. 😁 The story of hard-working Swiss people working in their farm houses on watch movements during the winter or a hard-working skilled Japanese watchmaker who’s been taught as a child that skill and perfection are the proper way seems a similar story to me. I’ve had very few bad encounters with either countries movements.
Great video Jonathan. Not wearing a watch can definitely cause problems with the movement and the problem can even get worse when the weather conditions are harmful to watches, sun exposure, humidity and even the use of a low quality oil is bad, so much to comment on here...... 🏃🏻♂️ Right now I'm going to turn some crowns and shake watches.😂
@@timex.vintagemx thank you for adding to the discussion, you will notice that one of the images I included was the ‘lubrication’ notes for the movement we use. Each watch will use a series of specific oils and greases and it’s important these are applied in the right way. Additionally lots of factors can affect your watch, showering is one to avoid, not because of the water but the soap with can, over time, break down seals and gaskets.
Hi Lance and thank you for your kind comments. We completely agree, so much focus is given the aesthetic and not the actual performative aspects of this particular area of horological engineering. Thank you for a wonderful idea for a future video, we’ve actually just returned from our case maker and the choice of materials is now bewildering. I’ll start working on some ideas now.
Great information! I have paid attention to your remarks and found very few sellers that bring this up. This will help me be even more selective than I already am. 😊 Thanks!
@@henryszubielski8601 Thank you so much for commenting and the kind words, I am delighted that so many of you are interested….I hope you will find the next videos as informative, please do like and subscribe.
@@henryszubielski8601 Man I owned and wore a few for some years, I can say that it does the job perfectly at keeping the time. For the price nothing to say except that "feel" you know everytime you move your hand feeling the rotor spin in the watch , making it's rounds with that weird gadget sound. I got some watches with the exhibition glass case on the back (Boldr and Baltic) Singaporean and French micro brands and the movement is not very pretty to look at. I mean if you only look for the price but still something relatable that does the job go for it. But not way you will be able to make an utilitary or elegant with that movement that's all. Then if we only look at the price and title get the "ORIENT Crystal 21 Jewels" it's under 100.- CHF Swiss Francs, an automatic IN-HOUSE mechanical movement going even harder than the nh35... But then again, you cannot look at the mechanism, everytime you move your hand fast il will make a sound and you will feel the rotor moving in the watch same as the nh35. I got Rolexes I got cheap NH35 and I love them all, just not for the same things at all. It's stupid to try to reassure yourself by thinking what you buy is so much superior that the other categories. 😂
I totally agree, it's not uncommon for me as a watchmaker to get COSC time keeping out of old well built movement from the 1950/60 like tissot 784 or certina 25-65, it's all about know how, right olis, propper cleaning ect. And of course a good movement. Good video, keep it up.
@@CoolWatchesOnly Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words, and I have of course subscribed back to your channel. Lots more interesting videos to come, but I’d love to hear your suggestions!
@@WrongTimeWatch Well a well serviced movement should in theory last for generations, but the care and servicing will take a role in this. Thanks for the kind words.
This technology is so mature that most bog standard NHs run close to, or better than, cosc category 2 and almost every Miyota 9 series i have meets cat 1. Gone are the days when the only accurate mechanical movement cost more than a car.
@@gregtolley3455 We have to do a video one day on the Miyota and Seiko movements that were chronometer certified by a small brand to prove a point! Thanks for the comment.
@@Heliconwatches I thought the same before buying some ! Got the Japanese and even Malaysian versions. Now that I have owned and wore a few for some years, I can say that it does the job perfectly at keeping the time. For the price nothing to say except that "feel" you know everytime you move your hand feeling the rotor spin in the watch , making it's rounds with that weird gadget sound. I got some watches with the exhibition glass case on the back (Boldr and Baltic) Singaporean and French micro brands and the movement is not very pretty to look at. I mean if you only look for the price but still something relatable that does the job go for it. But not way you will be able to make an utilitary or elegant with that movement that's all. Then if we only look at the price and title get the "ORIENT Crystal 21 Jewels" it's under 100.- CHF Swiss Francs, an automatic IN-HOUSE mechanical movement going even harder than the nh35... But then again, you cannot look at the mechanism, everytime you move your hand fast il will make a sound and you will feel the rotor moving in the watch same as the nh35.
@@Heliconwatches Man I still love my less expensive watches all of them the Cheap Orient and Seikos or any micro brand that I chose either the design, quality, movement ect... It's just that I don't like to LIE to myself and reassure myself by saying it's perfect or even something amazing. In the end like everything it isn't perfect and it got some real low points too. Then mixing everything up, with that kind of movement you won't get a real luxury watch EVEN not an high end watch. Just a very BASIC watch that's the truth I am not saying I love more the Rolex or AP they got also some great low points but they are completely different form a cheap movement. Comparing these two objects is just nonsense they aren't even aiming at the same, one is a basic watch, feel and look the other one an expensive, refined with a beautiful tick and look.. I LOVE them all 😂❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 I f***** love watches
Yup I never worry about my Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean sitting unworn for periods of time as part of my collection. I have never serviced it in 10 years. Runs just perfectly. The service thing is a huge scam IMHO
The same for some of my chronometer grade watches, like Paul Picot Plongeur and Eterna - Matic Kontiki. Both vintage, both unused for 20 years or more, both keeping COSC time. Aynway, one day they will need some hands on, and they should be very good in it, for sure. But they were kept stored in their boxes, far from humidity and other possible enemies... I'm sure in some cases the naked caliber can have worst fortune.
There is of course a huge difference between storing "naked" movements and a movement inside a 300 m waterproof case. The latter is a clean environment and just as much any moisture is kept out, any volatile contents of the lubricants are kept inside, thus greatly preventing them from drying out.
Well shared, this is only known by us few watchmakers. We are all about the movement here, complication and such, not colored or material dials and stones. Thought for the future for you? How about covering the case materials, everyone wants precious metals yet as machinist the stainless steel is the toughest one and messiest one even more then titanium unless it is grade 5 to machine in our experiences. I will subscribe today and follow your journey, nice to be here. Lance.
@@ChrisSmith-fu7fo Hi Chris, thanks for the idea, if you think people would be interested? Personally I’d love to take you on a journey from concept, to design, prototyping, production, testing, assembly and more.
@@davidcrandall4958 Yes they should. To be a ‘chronometer’ the movement should have gone through rigorous testing and on completion be issued with a certificate for that particular movement.
I recently bought used Citizen Signature Collection NB0040-58A watch. It has a 9010 caliber. I think the caliber is based on the Miyota 9015. When you claimed that Japanese movements has more uniform quality grades than Swiss, do you think my 9010 caliber would be better than a 9015 ( as my watch is certainly not just a regular Citizen product) ?
@@newtonlee7849 I think we have to be careful here, what I said is that Japanese manufacturers don’t sell different grades of the same movement, and all manufacturers I mentioned are experienced and make fantastic movements. You have to remember that Citizen own Miyota and make some incredible watches with bespoke specifications in their own right. Have a look at the Quartz Citizen 0100! Thanks for commenting and do let me know if you have other ideas for video subjects.
Leaving finishing versions aside, I always assumed most swiss movements basically used "binning" much like CPUs and GPUs do. Where a batch are made, and either a select one, or each individual movement is tested and if it meets elabore standards, it is sold as that movement class. If it does not, but meets top, it is top. If it fails to meet top but meets standard specs, then it is sold as standard grade.
@@Conundrum191 What a great comment, thank you so much. I didn’t know such a process existed CPUs and GPUs. What you are saying sounds highly plausible.
Mechanical movements are an incredibly mature and extremely simple technology by modern engineering standards. There is no reason for them to be expensive.
@@andrewdunbar5335 omg come one I owned and wore a few for some years, I can say that it does the job perfectly at keeping the time. For the price nothing to say except that "feel" you know everytime you move your hand feeling the rotor spin in the watch , making it's rounds with that weird gadget sound. I got some watches with the exhibition glass case on the back (Boldr and Baltic) Singaporean and French micro brands and the movement is not very pretty to look at. I mean if you only look for the price but still something relatable that does the job go for it. But not way you will be able to make an utilitary or elegant with that movement that's all. Then if we only look at the price and title get the "ORIENT Crystal 21 Jewels" it's under 100.- CHF Swiss Francs, an automatic IN-HOUSE mechanical movement going even harder than the nh35... But then again, you cannot look at the mechanism, everytime you move your hand fast il will make a sound and you will feel the rotor moving in the watch same as the nh35. I still love them all they are just very different not even the same object
You said exactly what i was thinking, they just keep re inventing the wheel. When I started getting into watches, most good swiss brands used the ETA 2824, a reliable high beat movement , now everyone has in house movements and prices have tripled, I could care less about the power reserve.
I had a Raymond Weill Automatic watch with an ETA 2834 movement (I think). Loved that watch, my first modern mechanical watch. It was stolen in a burglary 2 years ago. Loved that watch.
@@petergaskin1811 all my watches are hidden in a fire resistant box. As in very hidden. Have a contractor install a bespoke hidden compartment somewhere in your house. Use a fireproof box of sorts to put watches in.
@@mauriziograndi1750 Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words and support. I am just trying to share some of my experiences and hear what you all have to say!
Great video for us to learn about the other side of the curtain. Also I’d love to win the giveaway as an expat I like to support UK brands by sharing wrist shots on my socials.
I prefer Japanese movements. Swiss movements are good, and they can be finished to a higher degree, but a large part of the price you pay is for the "Swiss Made" aspect, whereas while Japanese movements are cheaper and not as highly regarded, they are often just as good as some of the most popular Swiss movements, if not better. I think there is a lot of bias among watch enthusiasts who don't really know much about the watches themselves, but see "Swiss Made" as an automatic upgrade, ironically, Swiss watches were actually the cheap foreign watches 100 years ago, it was America that was the powerhouse of the watchmaking industry and they were the best watchmakers in those days. I think that they actually introduced laws which forced manufacturers to label where the watches were made on the dial, in order to encourage people to buy the more expensive and better made American watches, rather than the cheaper Swiss watches.
I think you are not completely right, for example Seiko's 6R35 is a crap movement, and they put it in their 1000+ € watches, and if you get a Swiss watch for around 700 € you can get Sellita or ETA which are so much better they don't even compare. BTW the whole watch industry is full of bullsh1t, Swiss, German, Japan, whatever.
@@robi1kenobi Obviously there are exceptions, I am not sure what is going on with the 6R35, but I am mainly referring to the NH35, the Miyota 8 series and the Miyota 9 series, the latter being the most equivalent to the ETA 2824 and all its clones / derivatives. The ETA 2824 and its clone, the Sellita SW200, are probably the most popular Swiss movements ever, but they have a built in design flaw; the handwind function. Many people go to handwind their automatiic watches and find that the gear teeth shear off, or that the rotor starts spinning as they wind the watch, meaning that it is in need of a service. Winding is unnecessary with an automatic watch but it's an issue that I haven't found any Japanese movements to suffer.
@@Murtagh653 This is an "overly loving" issue, which makes it very sad. and I've done it myself. People who have even the faintest idea of mechanics, and pretty much none of watches, may still know it's a good idea to keep things running. And in a general mechanic way, that is a VERY wise attitude. If you run a Ford Model A fromthe 1930's every while, it will work perfectly today, 100 years later, without any special service at all! (Unless you ran it very, very long distances, and wore down bearings and pistons / cylinders. But those are minor things to fix, actually!) A lot of - sadly - people will kill a watch by overwinding it. Then it just sits in a drawer. The olis dry and size up. And then the watch becomes deemed "broken", and end get thrown away.😐 I'm really unhappy having thrown away some Soviet mechanical watches, now that I understand things better. maybee they would never perform really well, but I feel they were a heritage of some sorts, and could possibly have been tuned enough to be usable. (I threw them away, because they were off some 6 minutes a day. I was 20 years old, and just measured that as pure crap, comparing to a Rolex +-3 minutes a month. (If you get it perfectly running.)
Well I've regulated a dirt cheap Russian Vostok to a consistent + 3 per day and one of my 7S26 Seiko's has been running at + 5 out of the box since I bought it three years ago. I don't think there's any mystique about it. It's the time taken setting up at the factory that determines accuracy, or in the case of the aforementioned Seiko, pure luck
@@AndySmith4501 Le locle isn't a Powermatic and reducing the "silicon spring" to an entire plastic movement just shows how much you know about watches😂...👌🏾💀 I am just tired of all the people saying the same crap on the internet because they never got their hands on prestigious models so just try to reassure themselves by saying OF IT DOES THE SAME JOB THEN THE OTHER EXPENSIVE BRANDS ARE STEALING US. 😂 Nope stop lying to yourself the ETA don't make that noise and you feel the rotor spinning and doing it's circles ont the watch. ahahahahaha with an NH35 you get a basic watch that DOES the job but feels and sound crap, the exhibition glass backcase forget it the movement looks very bad. DON'T MIX EVERYTHING UP KID TO REASSURE YOURSELF 😂😂😂👌🏾
Ok new to watches I was an aircraft mechanic then mechanical engineer so I just heard you say that if you store a movement unused for too long otherwise it will need cleaning lubrication etc. I am going to need to help with this comment, are there rubber gaskets in a watch and does the lubrication used on movements have very low viscosity and is dust getting into the sealed case requiring cleaning? I am envisioning a mechanical movement as a bunch of metal parts with high viscous lubricants housed in a sealed case that most likely gets stored in a temperature controlled interior environment. How is letting it sit bad for it and why does need no lubrication? I have not opened nor seen a movement in person but this makes no sense to me, if it stops moving I see needing to get it moving again but cleaning, lubricating, etc. these are absolutely baffling me?
What I wonder about are all the brands like Oris and Christopher Ward that rely so heavily on the Sellita SW-200-1 and how they deal with the absolute ton of issues that movement has. I've had nearly 10 watches with that movement, including Tudors with it, and every single one had _some_ issue related to hand or automatic winding. It frankly boggles my mind that brands continue to use it and that amongst collectors it has a pretty sterling reputation considering all of the instances I've personally had, and then the dozens I've heard of from other collectors. If I were a brand, I'd avoid that movement like the plague and use Miyotas or LJPs instead and speaking for myself, an SW-200 is now an instant pass for me. I will not buy another.
@@Nefville Thank you taking the time and trouble to comment. We have sold tens of thousands of watches during our time in the industry and we do look carefully at our reliability data. We do think the bi-directional ‘Magic lever’ system on the Seiko works so well.
I have eta movements 50 to 60 year's old still working strong and fine just give them a service don't get cort up in in house movements there's nothing wrong with eta or Japanese movements if there was lots of watch manufacturers wouldn't use them but they do
if you want an accurate watch, buy a quartz watch...or a Casio wave. My chinese quartz watch loses one second a month and cost me 20 dollars...my casio wva m650d is synchronized with the atomic clock....
@@BorislavElenkov Now that’s a really interesting comment. Raketa, Slava, so many interesting elements of watchmaking history. I have a really interesting Sekonda parts catalogue from the 70’s which has some very interesting movements. Hopefully one day I can learn more.
The old Glashutte factories were in East Germany. When the wall came down the Soviets stripped the factory of all it's machines and everything and it's all now in Vostoks factory. Vostok have a Komanderski design 560536 that is very similar too Glashutte SeaQ, in very basic looks, and their movements are top notch, 31 Jewel low beat chuggers that are almost indestructable and run forever and are very stable and can be regulated to very high accuracy.
@@gregkollaeg2365 absolutely true Greg, thanks for pointing that out, I always look for cars that have been actually used ‘stored’ cars always need work!
@@neilpiper9889 well spotted, I think the Chinese industry is worthy of a video on it’s own, as you will see I’ve just returned from Asia and there is so much to discuss, not just Seagull, but other makers like Peacock. Please subscribe, it’s amazing to have your views.
Are there any brands of watch that you will not service? And what about quartz watches? I hav a really ni Bering watch that my wife bought for me when we first met, and it never ran right. We got a replacement and that had the same problem. It lost time like you wouldn't believe! Hours per day!
@@Fizeeek We don’t service other watch brands, just our own, we are an independent watch brand, but even quartz watches have a number of moving parts that need service, especially high end quartz movements.
Very interesting 👍🏻 Would you say it’s better to leave a watch on a winder than letting it run down? I probably wear it (Omega seamaster) every couple of weeks or so.
@@laikatravels Now that’s a great question, personally I don’t see any harm in leaving the watch on a winder, but I do think the actual task of unscrewing the crown and setting the time is good practice. I think wearing your watch or rotating the watches you wear is a great choice. To enjoy wearing your watch, even if it is not a lot of the time is still a good choice.
I am guessing that you use Japanese movements vs Swiss because of price point. If a customer wants Japanese movements, why not full monty and go grand seiko. What does your watch offer compared to a top line Japanese?
@@baba98052 Two reasons, Grand Seiko don’t supply movements alone, and would you pay let’s say £5,000 plus for my watches? We want our watches to be 100% reliable, I’ve sold literally ten of thousands of watches on the last decade and what I want for Helicon customers is the best quality and reliability I can achieve. That dictates our movement choice.
Great video but it leaves me confused. My Rolex GMT Master II has been on my wrist every day for 11 years - I still have it, never serviced and it runs perfectly. I hear stories all the time that someone has a Seiko worn here and there - still Running perfectly for decades. My Seamaster is at least 15 years old - I rarely wear it / put it on a few weeks ago and it ran flawlessly for the week I had it on. Then is see this video that says service needed every few years, oils dry up - my experience doesn’t match the people that say these watches need service. Confused.
@@DavidV4444 Thanks for the comment David, If I had two very expensive watches like that I would service them, but the choice is yours, just remember that servicing is more than the movement, it’s seals and gaskets too.
I think you have been on the lucky side! I have a "Deutsche Uhrenfabrik" ca 1920's. Now that was my grandfather's "reserve" watch - he didn't use it, as his favourite was an antique enamel decorated, with hourly chimes. However, it was always kept running, even though it was just sitting in a desk drawer by my grandfather, an later my father. Embarrasingly, me, the third owner, has not kept it running, and so I've had to service it twice. Because it had been sitting in a safe, unwound and not running, for years. Same thing with a Breitling early quartz movement watch. I unfortunately decided not to wear a watch for some 15 years, and suddenly the watch wouldn't work! However, the Swiss trained watchmaker did some swift resisitation with air cleaning and oiling, and the watch came back to life! That episode nearly stopped my heart working as well, as I love that watch. Morale is, oils age and get thick, unless you add movement, friction and that small amount of heat that follows. So, yes, you might get lucky, and things might run acceptable, even after years of sleep. But keeping things running, is a better bet! And then giving service is much overrated. Every 15-20 years is good enough - perhaps even overdoing it - if you keep things running. In fact, perhaps you will only do one "mid life" service of your watch - in your own lifetime!
modern synthetic oils dont dry up. The Omega will be fine if rarely worn all thous years, but, I'd have the Rollie looked at if its been worn every day for more than 10 years. It will be fine, but you don't want somthing major to happen inside it, they are high beat movements and you want to have it checked.
I bought this popular video watch from MAMACOO , which was originally priced at a few thousand dollars, but now it's only $380! It's really suitable to pick up feces!
a Swiss watch needs a service about every 3 years and a Watch from Japan every 10 years I think that's telling us something but I just can not put my finger on it ;-} .
@@PapaC-o9b That did make me laugh, thank you for commenting. The Seiko Magic Lever automatic winding system has just 3 components…..sometimes simple is great.
@@Heliconwatches I'm a big fan of the ETA 255.461 which was the base for the Omega Cal. 1538, 6 jewels Used in the Seamaster 300M Bond watch amongst others
@@scottbaxendale323 I like the sound of that, my grandfather’s old workshop was just by Hitchcock’s original Gainsborough Studios in East London (demolished for apartments and and a supermarket now!) maybe I got it from that !
PLEASE lose the tele-prompter style! It is highly annoying! The trick about reading a tele-prompter, is not to read it so obviously! There was a time, when people, like newscasters in the 70s, read scripts and news from a piece of paper on their desks, and THAT was honest, it was simple, and it worked, and it was not annoying, unlike this eye-flinging tele-prompt stuff is! You lost me immediately!
Japanese movements deserve more respect. The country won’t settle for low quality… Everything is high quality. Thanks for the video.
@@PocketWatchTime That is absolutely true and they have a dialogue with makers like us because we work with you the owners and all that feedback is important.
There is absolutely no need to glorify or mistify Japanese companies just because they are Japanese companies. They are responsible for plenty of low quality out there. Seiko in particular have the worst quality control in the industry and they also have the worst movement line in the industry (6R) of any serious brand. You have to go to the worst and most mass produced Chinese crap to match Seikos efforts to ruin their own reputation.
@@kresimirpleic that’s not our experience, but as I’ve explained in the video, the skill of the watchmaker is everything.
@@Heliconwatches Of course it is. But as a customer, the last thing you want is to bring your brand new watch back in for a service - or service it yourself. That is the "Seiko experience" for so many of us. And I'm saying that as a die hard Seiko fan who is disgusted by their lack of care in recent years.
@@kresimirpleic Mysticism is inherent for any overpriced hobby. 😁 The story of hard-working Swiss people working in their farm houses on watch movements during the winter or a hard-working skilled Japanese watchmaker who’s been taught as a child that skill and perfection are the proper way seems a similar story to me. I’ve had very few bad encounters with either countries movements.
Yes, please do continue to dive into the industry!
@@markgallistel9456 Thank you for commenting, do let me know any other areas of watchmaking you think would be good to cover.
A very good info. Hoping for more this kind of video.
@@SuperExadidas Thank you, we will keep them coming!
perfectly clear ,right on purpose.The key point is to get in touch the honest professional. With many respect ,I bit difficult to catch one up.
Please keep the videos coming! 👏
@@BobbyJ2002 Absolutely and will do, if you have any ideas please do let me know.
Great video Jonathan. Not wearing a watch can definitely cause problems with the movement and the problem can even get worse when the weather conditions are harmful to watches, sun exposure, humidity and even the use of a low quality oil is bad, so much to comment on here...... 🏃🏻♂️ Right now I'm going to turn some crowns and shake watches.😂
@@timex.vintagemx thank you for adding to the discussion, you will notice that one of the images I included was the ‘lubrication’ notes for the movement we use. Each watch will use a series of specific oils and greases and it’s important these are applied in the right way. Additionally lots of factors can affect your watch, showering is one to avoid, not because of the water but the soap with can, over time, break down seals and gaskets.
@@Heliconwatches Exactly.
@@Heliconwatches
There are 2 things you should never do while wearing a watch:
1) Shower
2) Make love
Hi Lance and thank you for your kind comments. We completely agree, so much focus is given the aesthetic and not the actual performative aspects of this particular area of horological engineering. Thank you for a wonderful idea for a future video, we’ve actually just returned from our case maker and the choice of materials is now bewildering. I’ll start working on some ideas now.
Please consider a Teleprompter, Contest is great 👍 make the Video fantastic 🔝🤩
Extremely informative, please continue ❤
@@anthonyharrison8584 Thank you, open to any suggestions
That’s very kind, I’d love to hear your suggestions for any more videos.
Great information!
I have paid attention to your remarks and found very few sellers that bring this up. This will help me be even more selective than I already am. 😊
Thanks!
@@henryszubielski8601 Thank you so much for commenting and the kind words, I am delighted that so many of you are interested….I hope you will find the next videos as informative, please do like and subscribe.
@@henryszubielski8601 Man I owned and wore a few for some years, I can say that it does the job perfectly at keeping the time. For the price nothing to say except that "feel" you know everytime you move your hand feeling the rotor spin in the watch , making it's rounds with that weird gadget sound.
I got some watches with the exhibition glass case on the back (Boldr and Baltic) Singaporean and French micro brands and the movement is not very pretty to look at. I mean if you only look for the price but still something relatable that does the job go for it.
But not way you will be able to make an utilitary or elegant with that movement that's all. Then if we only look at the price and title get the "ORIENT Crystal 21 Jewels" it's under 100.- CHF Swiss Francs, an automatic IN-HOUSE mechanical movement going even harder than the nh35... But then again, you cannot look at the mechanism, everytime you move your hand fast il will make a sound and you will feel the rotor moving in the watch same as the nh35.
I got Rolexes I got cheap NH35 and I love them all, just not for the same things at all. It's stupid to try to reassure yourself by thinking what you buy is so much superior that the other categories. 😂
I totally agree, it's not uncommon for me as a watchmaker to get COSC time keeping out of old well built movement from the 1950/60 like tissot 784 or certina 25-65, it's all about know how, right olis, propper cleaning ect.
And of course a good movement.
Good video, keep it up.
@@WannabRockStarZ We absolutely agree, and yes a good vintage moved well cared for is something to treasure.
THE NH35 FEELS LIKE A TOY I OREFER WAY MORE THE DESIGN AND FEEL OF THE POWERMATIC 80 FOR EXAMPLE OR LE LOCLE TISSOT ❤
Great video man, super informative, instant sub 👌👌
@@CoolWatchesOnly Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words, and I have of course subscribed back to your channel. Lots more interesting videos to come, but I’d love to hear your suggestions!
Good information, thanks for sharing. I did not consider rhat the movements would have a shelf life.
@@WrongTimeWatch Well a well serviced movement should in theory last for generations, but the care and servicing will take a role in this. Thanks for the kind words.
Thanks for sharing, look forward to seeing more
@@mccloryjim Thank you Jim, I am open to ideas on videos so do let me know.
This technology is so mature that most bog standard NHs run close to, or better than, cosc category 2 and almost every Miyota 9 series i have meets cat 1. Gone are the days when the only accurate mechanical movement cost more than a car.
@@gregtolley3455 We have to do a video one day on the Miyota and Seiko movements that were chronometer certified by a small brand to prove a point! Thanks for the comment.
THE NH35 FEELS LIKE A TOY I OREFER WAY MORE THE DESIGN AND FEEL OF THE POWERMATIC 80 FOR EXAMPLE OR LE LOCLE TISSOT ❤
@@Azzamilano If you have found what works for you, amazing. However the Seiko is not a toy. I personally think the NH35 is genius.
@@Heliconwatches I thought the same before buying some ! Got the Japanese and even Malaysian versions. Now that I have owned and wore a few for some years, I can say that it does the job perfectly at keeping the time. For the price nothing to say except that "feel" you know everytime you move your hand feeling the rotor spin in the watch , making it's rounds with that weird gadget sound.
I got some watches with the exhibition glass case on the back (Boldr and Baltic) Singaporean and French micro brands and the movement is not very pretty to look at. I mean if you only look for the price but still something relatable that does the job go for it.
But not way you will be able to make an utilitary or elegant with that movement that's all. Then if we only look at the price and title get the "ORIENT Crystal 21 Jewels" it's under 100.- CHF Swiss Francs, an automatic IN-HOUSE mechanical movement going even harder than the nh35... But then again, you cannot look at the mechanism, everytime you move your hand fast il will make a sound and you will feel the rotor moving in the watch same as the nh35.
@@Heliconwatches Man I still love my less expensive watches all of them the Cheap Orient and Seikos or any micro brand that I chose either the design, quality, movement ect... It's just that I don't like to LIE to myself and reassure myself by saying it's perfect or even something amazing. In the end like everything it isn't perfect and it got some real low points too. Then mixing everything up, with that kind of movement you won't get a real luxury watch EVEN not an high end watch. Just a very BASIC watch that's the truth I am not saying I love more the Rolex or AP they got also some great low points but they are completely different form a cheap movement. Comparing these two objects is just nonsense they aren't even aiming at the same, one is a basic watch, feel and look the other one an expensive, refined with a beautiful tick and look.. I LOVE them all 😂❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥 I f***** love watches
My Omega Seamaster sat unused for 15 years, wound it and started wearing again and is running great.
Yup I never worry about my Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean sitting unworn for periods of time as part of my collection. I have never serviced it in 10 years. Runs just perfectly. The service thing is a huge scam IMHO
The same for some of my chronometer grade watches, like Paul Picot Plongeur and Eterna - Matic Kontiki. Both vintage, both unused for 20 years or more, both keeping COSC time. Aynway, one day they will need some hands on, and they should be very good in it, for sure. But they were kept stored in their boxes, far from humidity and other possible enemies... I'm sure in some cases the naked caliber can have worst fortune.
There is of course a huge difference between storing "naked" movements and a movement inside a 300 m waterproof case. The latter is a clean environment and just as much any moisture is kept out, any volatile contents of the lubricants are kept inside, thus greatly preventing them from drying out.
My Milos has not been used for 30 years ges what
Well shared, this is only known by us few watchmakers. We are all about the movement here, complication and such, not colored or material dials and stones. Thought for the future for you? How about covering the case materials, everyone wants precious metals yet as machinist the stainless steel is the toughest one and messiest one even more then titanium unless it is grade 5 to machine in our experiences. I will subscribe today and follow your journey, nice to be here. Lance.
The Swiss have been manufacturing watch movements with several grades since the pocket watch era.
@@rsr789 Absolutely
Be great to see how you make a Helicon watch.
@@ChrisSmith-fu7fo Hi Chris, thanks for the idea, if you think people would be interested? Personally I’d love to take you on a journey from concept, to design, prototyping, production, testing, assembly and more.
Much better idea...
I enjoyed the video sir and went on to check out your watch brand. The Master 62 Claret looks amazing.
@@megacab thank you it was one of our most complex dials and really does transform in the light. Wearing mine as I type.
Good video
@@frankmastromauro5630 Thanks Frank. Any ideas for new videos let me know.
Do chronometres still come with Chronometre certification certificates?
@@davidcrandall4958 Yes they should. To be a ‘chronometer’ the movement should have gone through rigorous testing and on completion be issued with a certificate for that particular movement.
Thank you, a good example is the Powermatic 80 Serie from ETA; C07.111, C07.111 COSC, C07.141, C07.661, C07.811 and C07.811 COSC.
@@frankwittwer3141 yes absolutely agree they offer such a lot, thank you for adding to the discussion.
I recently bought used Citizen Signature Collection NB0040-58A watch. It has a 9010 caliber. I think the caliber is based on the Miyota 9015. When you claimed that Japanese movements has more uniform quality grades than Swiss, do you think my 9010 caliber would be better than a 9015 ( as my watch is certainly not just a regular Citizen product) ?
@@newtonlee7849 I think we have to be careful here, what I said is that Japanese manufacturers don’t sell different grades of the same movement, and all manufacturers I mentioned are experienced and make fantastic movements. You have to remember that Citizen own Miyota and make some incredible watches with bespoke specifications in their own right. Have a look at the Quartz Citizen 0100! Thanks for commenting and do let me know if you have other ideas for video subjects.
Yess please when it comes to your deep dives.
@@thaumaturgeishere331 Thank you for your support, always interested to know what topics you’d like me to cover.
Leaving finishing versions aside, I always assumed most swiss movements basically used "binning" much like CPUs and GPUs do. Where a batch are made, and either a select one, or each individual movement is tested and if it meets elabore standards, it is sold as that movement class. If it does not, but meets top, it is top. If it fails to meet top but meets standard specs, then it is sold as standard grade.
@@Conundrum191 What a great comment, thank you so much. I didn’t know such a process existed CPUs and GPUs. What you are saying sounds highly plausible.
Mechanical movements are an incredibly mature and extremely simple technology by modern engineering standards. There is no reason for them to be expensive.
@@andrewdunbar5335 Thank you for commenting Andrew.
@@andrewdunbar5335 omg come one I owned and wore a few for some years, I can say that it does the job perfectly at keeping the time. For the price nothing to say except that "feel" you know everytime you move your hand feeling the rotor spin in the watch , making it's rounds with that weird gadget sound.
I got some watches with the exhibition glass case on the back (Boldr and Baltic) Singaporean and French micro brands and the movement is not very pretty to look at. I mean if you only look for the price but still something relatable that does the job go for it.
But not way you will be able to make an utilitary or elegant with that movement that's all. Then if we only look at the price and title get the "ORIENT Crystal 21 Jewels" it's under 100.- CHF Swiss Francs, an automatic IN-HOUSE mechanical movement going even harder than the nh35... But then again, you cannot look at the mechanism, everytime you move your hand fast il will make a sound and you will feel the rotor moving in the watch same as the nh35. I still love them all they are just very different not even the same object
You said exactly what i was thinking, they just keep re inventing the wheel. When I started getting into watches, most good swiss brands used the ETA 2824, a reliable high beat movement , now everyone has in house movements and prices have tripled, I could care less about the power reserve.
@@garmin1488 Just wear your watch, that’s our mantra.
Some build 300-400 part movements, over engineered that keep time no better than $50 Chinese, 70 part movements. Why? To justify the absurd prices!
I'd love to review some of your models. Cheers!
@@maverickwatchreviews Just drop us an email.
I always enjoy deep dives. Learn learn learn++.
@@rodg2335 thank you so much any suggestions for new videos would be much appreciated.
ETA is my choice. It's like small block Chevrolet of watch movements, reliable and affordable
@@Nakkisampyla We’ve been to ETA in Grenchen and of course it can trace its legacy all the way back to Eterna, a fabulous watch movement maker.
Manual wind sure is reliable.
I had a Raymond Weill Automatic watch with an ETA 2834 movement (I think). Loved that watch, my first modern mechanical watch. It was stolen in a burglary 2 years ago. Loved that watch.
@@petergaskin1811 all my watches are hidden in a fire resistant box. As in very hidden. Have a contractor install a bespoke hidden compartment somewhere in your house. Use a fireproof box of sorts to put watches in.
@@petergaskin1811Sorry to hear that 😞
Very interesting lecturing time spent here, thank you, I seldom like and subscribe outright like I did here.
@@mauriziograndi1750 Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words and support. I am just trying to share some of my experiences and hear what you all have to say!
Great video for us to learn about the other side of the curtain. Also I’d love to win the giveaway as an expat I like to support UK brands by sharing wrist shots on my socials.
Thank you so much, we have watches all over the World and we love to see all their adventures!
I prefer Japanese movements.
Swiss movements are good, and they can be finished to a higher degree, but a large part of the price you pay is for the "Swiss Made" aspect, whereas while Japanese movements are cheaper and not as highly regarded, they are often just as good as some of the most popular Swiss movements, if not better.
I think there is a lot of bias among watch enthusiasts who don't really know much about the watches themselves, but see "Swiss Made" as an automatic upgrade, ironically, Swiss watches were actually the cheap foreign watches 100 years ago, it was America that was the powerhouse of the watchmaking industry and they were the best watchmakers in those days. I think that they actually introduced laws which forced manufacturers to label where the watches were made on the dial, in order to encourage people to buy the more expensive and better made American watches, rather than the cheaper Swiss watches.
I think you are not completely right, for example Seiko's 6R35 is a crap movement, and they put it in their 1000+ € watches, and if you get a Swiss watch for around 700 € you can get Sellita or ETA which are so much better they don't even compare.
BTW the whole watch industry is full of bullsh1t, Swiss, German, Japan, whatever.
@@robi1kenobi Obviously there are exceptions, I am not sure what is going on with the 6R35, but I am mainly referring to the NH35, the Miyota 8 series and the Miyota 9 series, the latter being the most equivalent to the ETA 2824 and all its clones / derivatives.
The ETA 2824 and its clone, the Sellita SW200, are probably the most popular Swiss movements ever, but they have a built in design flaw; the handwind function. Many people go to handwind their automatiic watches and find that the gear teeth shear off, or that the rotor starts spinning as they wind the watch, meaning that it is in need of a service. Winding is unnecessary with an automatic watch but it's an issue that I haven't found any Japanese movements to suffer.
@@Murtagh653that especially happens in sellitas it’s called “helicoptering”.Happened to a glycine I had.
@@Murtagh653 This is an "overly loving" issue, which makes it very sad. and I've done it myself. People who have even the faintest idea of mechanics, and pretty much none of watches, may still know it's a good idea to keep things running. And in a general mechanic way, that is a VERY wise attitude. If you run a Ford Model A fromthe 1930's every while, it will work perfectly today, 100 years later, without any special service at all! (Unless you ran it very, very long distances, and wore down bearings and pistons / cylinders. But those are minor things to fix, actually!)
A lot of - sadly - people will kill a watch by overwinding it. Then it just sits in a drawer. The olis dry and size up. And then the watch becomes deemed "broken", and end get thrown away.😐
I'm really unhappy having thrown away some Soviet mechanical watches, now that I understand things better. maybee they would never perform really well, but I feel they were a heritage of some sorts, and could possibly have been tuned enough to be usable. (I threw them away, because they were off some 6 minutes a day. I was 20 years old, and just measured that as pure crap, comparing to a Rolex +-3 minutes a month. (If you get it perfectly running.)
Well I've regulated a dirt cheap Russian Vostok to a consistent + 3 per day and one of my 7S26 Seiko's has been running at + 5 out of the box since I bought it three years ago. I don't think there's any mystique about it. It's the time taken setting up at the factory that determines accuracy, or in the case of the aforementioned Seiko, pure luck
THE NH35 FEELS LIKE A TOY I OREFER WAY MORE THE DESIGN AND FEEL OF THE POWERMATIC 80 FOR EXAMPLE OR LE LOCLE TISSOT ❤
@@Azzamilano
Complete with plastic balance 🤣
@@AndySmith4501 😂😂😂👌🏾🔥
@@AndySmith4501 Le locle isn't a Powermatic and reducing the "silicon spring" to an entire plastic movement just shows how much you know about watches😂...👌🏾💀 I am just tired of all the people saying the same crap on the internet because they never got their hands on prestigious models so just try to reassure themselves by saying OF IT DOES THE SAME JOB THEN THE OTHER EXPENSIVE BRANDS ARE STEALING US. 😂 Nope stop lying to yourself the ETA don't make that noise and you feel the rotor spinning and doing it's circles ont the watch. ahahahahaha with an NH35 you get a basic watch that DOES the job but feels and sound crap, the exhibition glass backcase forget it the movement looks very bad. DON'T MIX EVERYTHING UP KID TO REASSURE YOURSELF 😂😂😂👌🏾
A lot of watches use the same movement or slightly different modifications of a movement. Tudor and Breitling share just to name one.
@@Jessikitty2020 Absolutely correct.
Thank you !
Ok new to watches I was an aircraft mechanic then mechanical engineer so I just heard you say that if you store a movement unused for too long otherwise it will need cleaning lubrication etc. I am going to need to help with this comment, are there rubber gaskets in a watch and does the lubrication used on movements have very low viscosity and is dust getting into the sealed case requiring cleaning? I am envisioning a mechanical movement as a bunch of metal parts with high viscous lubricants housed in a sealed case that most likely gets stored in a temperature controlled interior environment. How is letting it sit bad for it and why does need no lubrication? I have not opened nor seen a movement in person but this makes no sense to me, if it stops moving I see needing to get it moving again but cleaning, lubricating, etc. these are absolutely baffling me?
Good review
What I wonder about are all the brands like Oris and Christopher Ward that rely so heavily on the Sellita SW-200-1 and how they deal with the absolute ton of issues that movement has. I've had nearly 10 watches with that movement, including Tudors with it, and every single one had _some_ issue related to hand or automatic winding. It frankly boggles my mind that brands continue to use it and that amongst collectors it has a pretty sterling reputation considering all of the instances I've personally had, and then the dozens I've heard of from other collectors. If I were a brand, I'd avoid that movement like the plague and use Miyotas or LJPs instead and speaking for myself, an SW-200 is now an instant pass for me. I will not buy another.
@@Nefville Thank you taking the time and trouble to comment. We have sold tens of thousands of watches during our time in the industry and we do look carefully at our reliability data. We do think the bi-directional ‘Magic lever’ system on the Seiko works so well.
I pass on sellitas too
@@renehernandez6905 That’s a shame, I think they make good movements, as I said in the video, you need a good watchmaker to make a good watch.
You may be right,I just don’t want another watch “helicoptering”on me
I have eta movements 50 to 60 year's old still working strong and fine just give them a service don't get cort up in in house movements there's nothing wrong with eta or Japanese movements if there was lots of watch manufacturers wouldn't use them but they do
@@kurthill7030 Thanks for your words, we agree.
if you want an accurate watch, buy a quartz watch...or a Casio wave. My chinese quartz watch loses one second a month and cost me 20 dollars...my casio wva m650d is synchronized with the atomic clock....
What about USSR movements? I am interested of your "thinkin' about"!
@@BorislavElenkov Now that’s a really interesting comment. Raketa, Slava, so many interesting elements of watchmaking history. I have a really interesting Sekonda parts catalogue from the 70’s which has some very interesting movements. Hopefully one day I can learn more.
@@Heliconwatches I am from Bulgaria, and i have many whatches from USSR. They are robust! I will wait for your videos!
The old Glashutte factories were in East Germany. When the wall came down the Soviets stripped the factory of all it's machines and everything and it's all now in Vostoks factory. Vostok have a Komanderski design 560536 that is very similar too Glashutte SeaQ, in very basic looks, and their movements are top notch, 31 Jewel low beat chuggers that are almost indestructable and run forever and are very stable and can be regulated to very high accuracy.
Like an old car? No, like EVERY car!
@@gregkollaeg2365 absolutely true Greg, thanks for pointing that out, I always look for cars that have been actually used ‘stored’ cars always need work!
Why no mention of Seagull movements or Sea-gull watches
@@neilpiper9889 well spotted, I think the Chinese industry is worthy of a video on it’s own, as you will see I’ve just returned from Asia and there is so much to discuss, not just Seagull, but other makers like Peacock. Please subscribe, it’s amazing to have your views.
@@Heliconwatches I have a 33 jewel automatic watch on my wrist at the moment. Amazing timekeeping for so little money
@@neilpiper9889 sounds like a keeper!
Are there any brands of watch that you will not service?
And what about quartz watches? I hav a really ni Bering watch that my wife bought for me when we first met, and it never ran right. We got a replacement and that had the same problem. It lost time like you wouldn't believe! Hours per day!
@@Fizeeek We don’t service other watch brands, just our own, we are an independent watch brand, but even quartz watches have a number of moving parts that need service, especially high end quartz movements.
Very interesting 👍🏻 Would you say it’s better to leave a watch on a winder than letting it run down? I probably wear it (Omega seamaster) every couple of weeks or so.
@@laikatravels Now that’s a great question, personally I don’t see any harm in leaving the watch on a winder, but I do think the actual task of unscrewing the crown and setting the time is good practice. I think wearing your watch or rotating the watches you wear is a great choice. To enjoy wearing your watch, even if it is not a lot of the time is still a good choice.
Did you slip a big fart at 4:43?
@@kingofdice66 Squeeky chair, I’ll tighten those bolts!
Comment of 2024! :DDDDDDDDDD
Tighten your cheeks @@Heliconwatches
@@garylangford6755 there is a lot of hot air on the internet!
I shouldn’t laugh but this is funny 🤣
I am guessing that you use Japanese movements vs Swiss because of price point. If a customer wants Japanese movements, why not full monty and go grand seiko. What does your watch offer compared to a top line Japanese?
@@baba98052 Two reasons, Grand Seiko don’t supply movements alone, and would you pay let’s say £5,000 plus for my watches? We want our watches to be 100% reliable, I’ve sold literally ten of thousands of watches on the last decade and what I want for Helicon customers is the best quality and reliability I can achieve. That dictates our movement choice.
lol
Great video but it leaves me confused. My Rolex GMT Master II has been on my wrist every day for 11 years - I still have it, never serviced and it runs perfectly. I hear stories all the time that someone has a Seiko worn here and there - still
Running perfectly for decades. My Seamaster is at least 15 years old - I rarely wear it / put it on a few weeks ago and it ran flawlessly for the week I had it on. Then is see this video that says service needed every few years, oils dry up
- my experience doesn’t match the people that say these watches need service. Confused.
@@DavidV4444 Thanks for the comment David, If I had two very expensive watches like that I would service them, but the choice is yours, just remember that servicing is more than the movement, it’s seals and gaskets too.
I think you have been on the lucky side! I have a "Deutsche Uhrenfabrik" ca 1920's. Now that was my grandfather's "reserve" watch - he didn't use it, as his favourite was an antique enamel decorated, with hourly chimes. However, it was always kept running, even though it was just sitting in a desk drawer by my grandfather, an later my father.
Embarrasingly, me, the third owner, has not kept it running, and so I've had to service it twice. Because it had been sitting in a safe, unwound and not running, for years.
Same thing with a Breitling early quartz movement watch. I unfortunately decided not to wear a watch for some 15 years, and suddenly the watch wouldn't work! However, the Swiss trained watchmaker did some swift resisitation with air cleaning and oiling, and the watch came back to life! That episode nearly stopped my heart working as well, as I love that watch.
Morale is, oils age and get thick, unless you add movement, friction and that small amount of heat that follows. So, yes, you might get lucky, and things might run acceptable, even after years of sleep. But keeping things running, is a better bet! And then giving service is much overrated. Every 15-20 years is good enough - perhaps even overdoing it - if you keep things running. In fact, perhaps you will only do one "mid life" service of your watch - in your own lifetime!
@@andersgrassman6583 Absolutely prevention is better than cure, thank you for sharing your story with us.
modern synthetic oils dont dry up. The Omega will be fine if rarely worn all thous years, but, I'd have the Rollie looked at if its been worn every day for more than 10 years. It will be fine, but you don't want somthing major to happen inside it, they are high beat movements and you want to have it checked.
I bought this popular video watch from MAMACOO , which was originally priced at a few thousand dollars, but now it's only $380! It's really suitable to pick up feces!
a Swiss watch needs a service about every 3 years and a Watch from Japan every 10 years I think that's telling us something but I just can not put my finger on it ;-} .
@@PapaC-o9b That did make me laugh, thank you for commenting. The Seiko Magic Lever automatic winding system has just 3 components…..sometimes simple is great.
@@Heliconwatches yes it was tongue in cheek Ive about 50/50 Swiss/ Japan in my small collection.
Are you in a position to express an opinion about the quality and reliability of the Seiko NH34 movement?
@@Allabertina it does the job but feels cheap
@Azzamilano Thank you.
Amazing movements, for the price they are the best on the Planet.
High end Quartz is the best
@@the1beard Thanks for the comment, quartz movements are amazing and absolutely overlooked by many people. What are your favourite movements?
@@Heliconwatches
I'm a big fan of the ETA 255.461 which was the base for the Omega Cal. 1538, 6 jewels
Used in the Seamaster 300M Bond watch amongst others
@ Great movements, a high quality quartz movement needs to be built with care and attention and the science behind it is fascinating.
This guy sounds like Alfred Hitchcock.
@@scottbaxendale323 I like the sound of that, my grandfather’s old workshop was just by Hitchcock’s original Gainsborough Studios in East London (demolished for apartments and and a supermarket now!) maybe I got it from that !
I've learned so much from this video!
sarcasm 😒
Oisin needs to pay Ratso immediately
That was a long advert...
Thought the same as soon as I heard the movement supplier is based in Tokyo.
Wonder when the watches will go extinct considering everyone has a smartphone in this era.......
@@silverlover5817 Hopefully never, there is always a place for a great watch.
PLEASE lose the tele-prompter style! It is highly annoying!
The trick about reading a tele-prompter, is not to read it so obviously!
There was a time, when people, like newscasters in the 70s, read scripts and news from a piece of paper on their desks, and THAT was honest, it was simple, and it worked, and it was not annoying, unlike this eye-flinging tele-prompt stuff is!
You lost me immediately!
@@owenlaprath4135 Appreciate your frank and honest comments, hopefully with practice I will improve.
3:24 I don't believe this. It's the other way around: using/moving a mechanical watch shortens its lifespan.
digital.
As a broke boy and actual enthusiast who wants watch’s prices to crater, MAMACOO is a good choice.
4:44?^^