Kinetic Versus Automatic??

[Gylen]

Ok, been looking at getting myself a cheap diver's off www.chronograph.com and am being confused by the terminology.

In the drop down menus which allow you to refine your search, the 'movement' menu offers:

Automatic
Quartz
Quartz-Kinetic
Quartz-Solar
None
Spring Drive

I like the look of these:

http://www.chronograph.com/store/mli_viewItem.asp?...

http://www.chronograph.com/store/mli_viewItem.asp?...

But can't work out the difference between Automatic and Kinetic. What I want is a diver's watch that looks like the two above that is powered by my body movement and features a wetsuit extension clasp. Can anyone explain the difference between these terms and whether both of the above watches will do what is required??

Many thanks,

Gylen

[Moose.]

Kinetic is Seiko's system of using your body's movement to charge up a small battery inside the watch via a tiny generator. This then drives a standard quartz mechanism.

An automatic watch uses your body's movement to wind up a spring inside the watch which then drives the mechanism to tell the time. There is no electronics at all in an automatic/mechanical watch.

Edit to add: Both those watches are powered by your body's movement. Of the two I always favour automatics even though they're less accurate. Just something more satisfying knowing there's no batteries/electronics involved. Also automatics sweep rather than tick

Edited by Moose. on Tuesday 16th October 12:37

[Wadeski]

Gylen said:

Ok, been looking at getting myself a cheap diver's off www.chronograph.com and am being confused by the terminology.

In the drop down menus which allow you to refine your search, the 'movement' menu offers:

Automatic
Quartz
Quartz-Kinetic
Quartz-Solar
None
Spring Drive

But can't work out the difference between Automatic and Kinetic. What I want is a diver's watch that looks like the two above that is powered by my body movement and features a wetsuit extension clasp. Can anyone explain the difference between these terms and whether both of the above watches will do what is required??

Many thanks,

Gylen

Basics:

Mechanical watches use gears, escapements, and mechanical bits and bobs desgined to move with a high degree of regularity to measure time.

Quartz watches are regulated by a piece of piezo (sp?) electric quartz. As a rough explanation, when you run a current through a piece of certain types of quartz they vibrate at an incredibly constant frequency. Detect that vibration, and you can time a watch by it.

The differences come in how you provide POWER to either timing method.

Automatic watches are mechanical - they use the bodies motion to wind up the spring that drives the mechanical watch. At its simplest, its like a ratchet. movement causes it to go one way, keeping teh spring tight.

Quartz watches are usually battery powered. A battery is a fine source of power but eventually needs changing. It is also a more "mass-produced" item than some of the other options, and many people like the handmade nature and the intricacy of other methods.

Kinetic is Seikos term for a technology which uses body movement (like an automatic) to provide power to a Quartz time keeping mechanism.

Solar is similar - Quartz powered by a solar powered panel on the face of the watch rather than by a battery.

Spring drive is very fancy and unique to Seiko. Its their flagship mechanism at the moment, which uses a kinetic quartz not to dictate the time, but to make sure an automatic movment works at a very high level of accuracy. It does this by takin a LITTLE bit of power from the spring and just slowing down or speeding up the glide wheel in the mechanism. Its perhaps a little pointless, but then again so are most fancy watch mechanisms

btw, if your looking at a Seiko divers, look at one of these:
http://www.chronograph.com/store/mli_viewItem.asp?...

its a lot of watch for the money. Automatic movement, built like a tank.

Edited by Wadeski on Tuesday 16th October 23:40

[Gylen]

Thanks for the detailed replies guys - that all makes sense now! And you're right, that watch looks fantastic for the money...shall keep you posted.

Thanks again,

Gylen

[johnfm]

Have seen the range of low cost automatics, will be buying one for my son adn daughter this Christmas.

Seiko or Citizen?

Best place in the UK to buy Seiko or citizen automatics?

[tertius]

johnfm said:

Have seen the range of low cost automatics, will be buying one for my son adn daughter this Christmas.

Seiko or Citizen?

Best place in the UK to buy Seiko or citizen automatics?

Seiko all the way.

try www.rltwatches.co.uk or www.timefactors.com

[Wadeski]

i didnt want to give an opinion as i probably sound like a seiko stuck record :P

For Seiko, ebay shops are also good, you can get the nice Premier Kinetic line at a big discount off high street.

huguchi-inc and seiya-japan are good for Japanese market imports (they get a better choice of automatics with the Prospex and Alpinist ranges).

[Ecurie Ecosse]

I have had a Seiko Kinetic divers for about 12 years now. It is the 150m, which was replaced by the 200m model.

It has taken loads of abuse in that time, and still looks like new.

It cost me £300 in 1995, but they do look a lot cheaper now on the website above.

[johnfm]

I want an automatic Seiko - one for my 11 year old daughter, the other for my 10 year old son. What is the smallest diameter automatic diving watch Seiko make?

[Wadeski]

I would definitely look at a ladies diver or at least a JDM model. Although most watches would be big for an 11 year old girl unless its a kids model?

the Japanese have smaller wrists and therefore, smaller watches.

UK market divers watches tend to be pretty chunky.

Its not a divers, but the JDM Automatic Alpinist range are small and light.

[kiwisr]

Wadeski said:

Its not a divers, but the JDM Automatic Alpinist range are small and light.

Very nice watches too, I have one of those myself and it's one of my all-time favourites.

[johnfm]

the diving watch is for the boy - my daughter will get a small, day/date thing...

[Gylen]

Just to update you all - found this in my stocking on Christmas day:
http://www.chronograph.com/store/mli_viewItem.asp?...

Wadeski, I had a look at the one you suggested but given I already have one of these:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www....fficial%26sa%3DN

I fancied getting one bit more different looking...Really pleased with it and the extending clasp fits over my wetsuit - happy me!

Cheers for all the replies,

Gylen

[Rollin]

That's really nice.

[Wadeski]

very smart

[clonmult]

I was browsing sqiggly for their refurb swatches, loved the look of the Swatch Black Motion :

http://www.squiggly.com/swatch/p/product/i/1542/co...

Okay, Swatch aren't exactly the greatest names in watches, but I got one of these for christmas, and it does look (and feel) a lot nicer than I could have expected.