http://www.time.gov/widget.html
This is a link to NIST.

Thank you Richard.

Thanks Richard! I never knew about this. I've just been using my cell phone, and can't get them down to the second. Brad

Mark,

Sounds to me like you get reinvigorated every day on your commute to and from work.

My first car was a 50 Plymouth. It was Dad's work car and he made fork over $60 before it became mine.

Just did a search on IHC185 and found Lin's string on how to add a link to a post. Never knew how to until now. I simply use 'Ctrl c' and 'Ctrl v'. Let's see how it works:

My favorite NIST link to get the correct time: http://www.time.gov/

Just click on your timezone and a very nice large time display comes up including the error from the actual time. Usually .2 or .3 seconds on a high speed Internet connection.

Then right click and click on 'Add to favorites'. Then it is easy to go back to this page the next time.

Requires JAVA be installed on your computer. Get the free download here: http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp

Beautiful! It worked!

Don't forget to highlight the URL of the page you want to post the link to up in the address bar before depressing 'Ctrl c'.

I should also have said depress 'Ctrl v' to add the link to your post.

This is a site I have used for some time, and I like it.
http://time.is/
Regards, Krister.

Good one! Now I also know how accurate my computer clack is.

"Revigorated"? That's one way of putting it, Joe.

I have to give hand signals, as the car doesn't have turn signals, so the drivers window stays down rain or shine, winter or summer, and the heater is a joke, so it's just a means of transportation and not comfort, that's for sure.

Oh, and if you want to call the atomic clock, the number is 303-499-7111. I used to have to call that number every day to check our time when I worked at Goodyear Atomic, as I was a crypto operator, and we did everything by zulu, so our clocks had to be set to the atomic clock every morning. This was pre-PC. I still know that number by heart, and occasionally call it when I'm not near another standard time source.

Regards! Mark

Mark,

How well I remember! I eventually got a 53 Plymouth and it had turn signals. That was getting uptown!

I've wondered on occasion what would happen to if I drove around today using hand signals. Probably get pulled over and told not to drive until I got turn signals installed. I instruct Defensive Driving classes and the Nebraska Drivers manual does not even show how to use hand signals like it used to.

Before the Internet I always had a shortwave radio to tune in WWV to get the correct time. Clocks always seemed to be set 5 min fast (even my wife does that - drives me up the wall), and when I was running down to the wire, I would end up showing up for work a couple of minutes late, when actually I wasn't.

A lot of people used to use the local radio station to get the time which was always fast.

Think about it Mark, when the 50 Plymouth was new it may have had an electric car clock, which was not very accurate, and for sure stopped working after a year or two. The only dependable source of time a person had to get to work or church or an appointment on time was their watch. By 1950 it probably was a wristwatch, but a watch a person carried none the less, which was their only source of dependable time. That is how important carrying or wearing a timepiece was. We are preserving that.

I graduated from high school in 1962. I worked full time all summer after graduation and had an extra 50 bucks cash in my pocket. I went to the jeweler and bought my first good brand new wristwatch, a 17 jewel Rodania with Incabloc. A couple of months later I was in basic training at Lackland AFB. My recruiter didn't say I would need a watch in basic, but when I got there I found out my watch was absolutely indispensible. There was not a single clock anywhere in the barracks area except in the orderly room. To this day I am thankful I had the foresight to buy that watch.

After basic and tech school at Keesler, I ended up on the mountain top on the coast of Oregon at a Radar site and we used ZULU time and crypto. A good friend of mine at the time on the mountain top was a crypto operator and his name was Mark Cross. He drove a VW then.

Actually, the 50 Plymouth only had two 'extras' you could order with the car....a radio...and heater. Yes, heater. It wasn't standard.

Mine has both, and neither work.

Fortunately, I drive country roads to work, but still have to use hand signals when I'm turning off the main roads. Most folks still know what I'm doing as a lot of farming goes on around here and tractor drivers use them.....but kids either wave or give the universal hand gesture of 'disproval' thinking I'm doing the same to them, especially when I'm giving a right hand turn signal!



To drag this kicking and screaming back to topic, I'm pleasantly surprised I figured out the time keeping varibles on my old 11j Illinois.

It hates to be hung on a watch hook in pendent up position when not in use. It keeps fine time in my pocket, but keeps great time when at 'rest' dial up.

So far with this knowledge I haven't had to adjust the time for 3 days, so I think I'm onto what position the errors occur in.

Knowing that, I won't have to tweek it all the time.

The 15j Elgin is still my 'go-to' KW, but this one isn't going to be regulated to the watchbox as often now, me knowing what I know now.

Another Mark Cross working in crypto! Sure a small world....though I never drove a VW.

Regards! Mark

Mark,

My friend's name was Mark Cole, not Cross. Lota years and lota water under the bridge.

In actual practice, I don't sweat it if my carry watch is a minute or less off. I just want it to take a longer time to get there, rather than a shorter time.

Joe

Speaking of heaters. First car I ever owned was a 1947 Plymouth. It was 12 years old when I got it. The car came from Florida with no heater, and I drove it that way for 3 years in Illinois. Had to keep the windows rolled down so the frost wouldn't build up on the windshield. Otherwise, couldn't see where I was going.

I just put my Hamilton 954P movement in a case. It has been sitting waiting on me patiently to dress it up for a while. I put it in a case and it has been running for 26 hours and has lost 12 seconds. Considering it has not been serviced by me and it is just how I bought it and I have no idea when it was last serviced I think that is pretty dang good. So that is roughly a minute and a half a week. I don't think I will try and tweak it just yet. I will service it first and then see how it does.

Yep, definitely service that beauty before you run it anymore.

Understood, Dave. I've driven my Plymouth daily for over 8 years now, and I, too, roll with the windows down when the temps are in the teens. Makes for an interesting drive, let me tell you! NOW I understand the concept of the 'car coat' lengh jacket!

Regards! Mark

quote:

It hates to be hung on a watch hook in pendent up position when not in use.

I have noticed that if a watch is hanging on a hook and have the ability to swing freely, it will gain time. The reason for that I'm not sure of, but I think it's because some of the power from the mainspring is used up in swinging the whole watch. That will give less power to the balance wheel and the amplitude goes down which makes it go faster.

Regards, Krister.

Yep, that's a fact....but mine is LOSING 2 minutes a day hanging on a hook, so that's not the case with mine.

Regards! Mark

Krister,

The reason that a watch hanging on a hook gains time is because of a phenomenom called 'reduced mass'. A watch movement and case will rotate in the opposite direction of the balance wheel, thus effectively shortening the swing arc of the balance wheel and allowing the watch to gain time. In other words, the hairspring is pushing or pulling the balance wheel in one direction and the movement and case in the opposite direction.

So, to reduce the amount the case and movement 'recoil' they need added mass (weight) in addition to their own. Carry the watch in your pocket and your body becomes the added weight. Lay it on a table with a non-slick surface and the table becomes the added weight etc., etc.

It is exactly the same effect as the recoil of a gun, thus you can say your watch is 'recoiling' in your pocket all the time.

Joe

I carry a 15j Elgin, grade 315. In the morning after I manage to stand up I set back down to put my pants on and then I pull out the watch and wind it. Usually it's within 1 to 1.5 min off so I also set it. As long as it runs for up to 36 hours I have to wind it so might as well set it too. If you want quartz quality and pricing go to Wall-Mart. I'll keep my old Elgin. It's fun.....It's kind of like the old 55 Chevy I had versus my Honda. If the Chevy broke down I could fix it in the parking lot but if the Honda breaks down, call a tow truck. Low jewel 7-15 may be considered an inexpensive unit but they are the work horses of the industry.

For what it's worth, I grade the time keeping ability of my watches as follows:
RR, Railroad Grade less than 30 sec. error in 7 days
E, Excellent less than 1 min. error in 7 days
G, Good less than 2 min. error in 7 days
F, Fair less than 4 min. error in 7 days
P, Poor over 4 min. error in 7 days
(It's easy for me to remember because the allowable error doubles in each category)

It's interesting to me because it coincides, more or less, with the contributors' sense of accuracy.

I keep 3 or 4 of them going at a time. They just run, face up, on my end table. I enjoy winding them, checking them, admiring them, and re-seting them when they get more than a couple of minutes off.

Thanks Joe. I wasn't too far off then, was I?

Regards, Krister.

Krister,

You are not far off, except that it is the little spring, not the big one. The little devil!

Joe

Ah! I apparently was a whole gear train off. That explains why a sluggish moving balance will create a bigger swing to the watch and not the opposite.

Regards, Krister.

Kister,

Same gear train, the big spring is at one end, the little spring at the other end.

Joe

A side note.....I haven't carried my 11j Illinois KW for the past two days, but have done my usual daily winding and left it laying on its back dial up the whole time.

I noted last night before going to bed that it was still holding dead on time, and commented about the fact to my wife...who said, 'oh, good, that works fine for you. You now have a watch you can wear to bed...." and then she turned out the light.

I'm surrounded by comedians.



Regards! Mark

Received this Hampden from our own Mr.Dave Abbe recently and thought I would share it with you....

The watch is a Hampden Springfield Mdl. 2, Grade 34, 18 size and 15 jewel movement made in 1883, and is housed in a 3 ounce coin silver case....

The database that I have access to says that this one is a Gilt finished movement, however, this one, in hand is not a Gilt finish, it is Nickel....

I have made this one my carry watch for the time being....It has been in my pocket for about 8 days and has lost 34 sec. in that time period....about 3 sec. a day, on average....

In Dave's auction description he said that he had replaced the stem and crown, installed a new Roller Jewel, New Hair Spring, Polished the Train Plate and fully serviced, all in June, 2012....

Well, my friends, Dave did one whale of a job with this one, it is very nice and I just wanted everyone to see it....

Thank you David for doing such a fine job....

Regards,

Jerry

Here's the dial view....

One with all the case covers open....

Nice work Dave and nice watch Jerry.