# I want to buy a watch **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 6, 2002, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-watch/102226 "2002-04-06T23:24:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-watch/102226/21 "2002-04-16T08:14:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ralph124c \* > \*\*Stay AWAY from Russian-made watches, particularly the chronometer models. They are actually very old designs, and are made very cheaply. If you buy one and it breaks, throw it away-the cost of repair will easily exceed the cost of the watch. Mechanical watches can be highly accurate-but be aware that they are expensive to maintain-cleaning and oiling a mechanical chronometer can cost about $150.00. \*\* Sound advice. I guess the question is whether I’m willing to run the $100 risk, then. Although I can see myself getting annoyed with a watch that loses a minute per day! Max, glad to hear it’s all professional. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-watch/102226/22 "2002-04-16T12:38:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ralph124c \* > \*\*Stay AWAY from Russian-made watches, particularly the chronometer models. They are actually very old designs, and are made very cheaply. If you buy one and it breaks, throw it away-the cost of repair will easily exceed the cost of the watch. Mechanical watches can be highly accurate-but be aware that they are expensive to maintain-cleaning and oiling a mechanical chronometer can cost about $150.00. \*\* I think you are getting your terminology confused here. If Poljot made a **chronometer** , and I don’t see any evidence that they do, it would by definition be very accurate. > [@](#): > > _Chronometer_: > Watch which has undergone a series of precision tests in an official institute. The requirements are very severe: a few seconds per day in the most unfavourable temperature conditions (for mechanical watches) and positions that are ordinarily encountered. > > _Chronograph_ > Watch or other apparatus with two independent time systems: one indicates the time of day, and the other measures brief intervals of time. Counters registering seconds, minutes and even hours can be started and stopped as desired. It is therefore possible to measure the exact duration of a phenomenon. Not to be confused with the timer, the stopwatch and the chronometer. It is the chronograph which can normally be recognized by several inset faces. A chronometer is just an ordinary watch that shipped with an a official looking slip of paper verifying it’s accuracy. [sub][Definitions courtesy of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH](http://www.fhs.ch/english/Eglossar.htm)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2002, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-watch/102226/23 "2002-04-16T12:48:52Z")
A note on chonographs. Rolex makes a variety of watches. You can get a non-certified Submariner or a certified one. I believe the movements are the same, but one watch has undergone testing and the other hasn’t. So a non-chronograph can be just as accurate as a chronograph, but it’s not guaranteed to be. I think the limits are something like +/- 4 seconds per day, but I’m not sure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-buy-a-watch/102226.md?page=1)