Digital Clocks

[MartinW 0]

Why is it, that many years ago, when MartinW was just a boy, quartz movements were super accurate?

I remember the first Sinclair digital watches, everyone was amazed that this tiny piece of silicon vibrating at such an incredibly fast and precise rate was all ther was at the heart of the movement.

Watch and clockmakers all over the world had their heads in their hands blubbering over the traditional skills that would be lost. :dance:

And yes, the quartz movements were all they were made out to be, very accurate indeed. :yes:

So why is it that every digital/quartz clock in my house is rubbish???

My microwave clock gains minutes in no time at all, my mobile phone clock runs fast, my cooker clock has failed completely, my car clock seems to run at a different rate to the rest of the universe and my video is, as I type ten minutes fast. :sadblinky:

Have the manufacturers decided not to bother producing accurate quartz movements any more, preferring to knock them out dirt-cheap?

My father who used to repair old clocks and watches would turn in his grave. :sadblinky:

The only clock I can really rely on in my home is the clock in Katy's room. Actually it's not a clock at all, it's a radio receiver. It's a big LCD panel that picks up the radio broadcasts from the atomic clock in Rugby, accurate to within billionths of a second, never wrong. :yes:

I'm not sure how any one will respond to this weird post but there you go, It's just got on my nerves today that they don't bother to make them as good as they did when the technology was new. You would think the technology would improve not deteriorate.

[mutley 4,498]

Have you just been watching Cockwise with John Cleese? You will have to change your name to Brian Stimpson. :dance:

Sunday will be an ideal time to get them all corrected Uncle Martin.

I guess cheap components are to blame, I used to synchronise all my clocks to military precision but I'm a bit more laid back now so a minute here, a minute there. :yes:

[MartinW 0]

Have you just been watching Cockwise with John Cleese?

Never watched it Mut.

so a minute here, a minute there

Ten minutes here, ten minutes there more like for mine.

Lukily it doesn't set off my old OCD probs. :dance:

[allardjd 1,853]

Once you retire, these things get a lot less important. :dance:

I read a great quote once. A man with a watch always knows the time. A man with TWO watches is never sure.

John

[Craig Davo 0]

Cockwise

Did you mean Clockwise :blush :mrhappy:

[mutley 4,498]

Yes I did Craig, I'm surprised no-one has picked up on this before :mrhappy:

[MartinW 0]

Mutley you dirty old dog, the use of a dirty word on the forum is unforgivable, no Pedigree Chum for you tonight.

In your basket this instant. :roll:

[mutley 4,498]

I thought I had banned you :roll: