[geeks] Watch prescision

[Chris Byrne]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: geeks-bounces at sunhelp.org 
> [mailto:geeks-bounces at sunhelp.org] On Behalf Of James
> Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 09:04
>
> 
> Not long after the turn of the century (the last century) railroads 
> required a watch to keep within 5 seconds a week (or some 
> high value like 
> that). There were actual specifications for the watches that 
> Operations 
> Department personnel were allowed to carry. 21 Jewel, 5 
> seconds/week and 
> the lever used to actuate a time change must be concealed and 
> cannot be the 
> little winding knob (that thing has a name but I forget what 
> it is). Each 
> road set up their own standards, the one I quote is Boston & 
> Maine, 1932 
> Operations Department Trainman's Rulebook.
> _______________________________________________
> 

There is a whole (very large and active, possibly the most active
segment of the hobby) category of the horology hobby/trade dedicated
exclusively to "railroad" watches. The first of these watches started
appearing in the mid-late 19th century, and they persisted until 1975. 

Before these standards were introduced the average american watch (there
were no real wristwatches yet) was only precise to within about 5
minutes a day, and in the hostile environment of train travel
(vibration, g-loading, and large temp changes) precision could degrade
to the point of a minute or two an HOUR. 

The original standard for precision was 20-30 seconds a day. That
rapidly advanced until by the end of the "railroad watch" period the
watches were at the modern 20 seconds a month standard, which for a
mechanical watch is pretty damned good. At the time these were among the
most precise portable time pieces in the world, and served to make
america a watchmaking center for he first time. 

Some of these watches were made under contract and either distributed or
made available for purchase by employees. Some of them were simply put
on a list of watches accepted to meet those standards set forth by the
company. Often they would actually be imprinted somewhere with the
legend, "railroad", "Railroad Model" or "railroad watch".

Oh and there were no wristwatch railroad watches until the Bulova
Accutron movement came along, though Hamiltion tried to get its electric
movement listed. Up until the 1940's there were no wristwatch movements
precise enoguh, and afterwards... Well the railroad industry is a pretty
conservative and traditional one. They resisted the change to
wristwatches just as strongly as they resisted every other change.

Chris Byrne