The great 992B Challenge

[Dano4734]

Lets do a wind off 992B's only - for a week. Anyone else in. I was going to add this to the other thread but for some reason I can't find the other thread. I am getting old .. LOL

Any 992B model ... any year .. how about it

Dan

 

[doug sinclair]

Nothing to do with age! There has been enough activity on the MB that the previous thread is now on page 2. I'm in with my carry 992B which I have run continually now for two weeks, doing microscopic adjustments on it. We should wait to start the challenge until we see who all is interested.

 

[Dano4734]

agree doug

 

[Bratdaddy@mac.com]

What are the parameters, length of run, accuracy, the whole enchilada? Sounds like fun, I'm doing the same thing with Riverside's right now.

 

[Dano4734]

Well we wind them up, carry them around or lay them down and report how they did at the end of the week ... pretty simple. Set it at the start and don't reset until it is finished ... we have had a lot of fun with the others we did

Thanks so much
Dan

 

[doug sinclair]

I have been wearing, carrying, and adjusting my 992B since the end of the last challenge. Right now it is dead on after having set it today. It was out 4 seconds in 15 days when I re-set it today. (I also "tweaked" the regulator a microscopic amount). So I'm up to speed any time others in the challenge are ready to start. This one will be carried, and lying on its back when not worn.

 

[bkerr]

Oh my, I have a couple of these that may make it to the run off (no pund intended). But, who or what would be the standard reference?

I do not have a pinwheel regulator, yet!

 

[Dano4734]

Bk
we normally test them against US official time from the web. I will set mine to the exact Naval time and then report the difference at the end of the week. Doug, I got three of them, it will be fun to see how they all stack up including the recent steel cased one that I got back from the watchmaker.

since we use US official time, you can start whenever you want. I will start tonight if that is ok with everyone else. Run it for a week then report

 

[Titanic1912]

Mr. O'Connell et al:

I would like to play; i. e., participate in this event. I will not be able to start maintaining records until Wednesday, 7 December 2011. I recently secured a couple of 992Bs--one which has a 4C serial number. Unfortunately, these two watches haven't been regulated to the 30-second/week standard.

Thanks,

Curtis Hartin

 

[Dano4734]

sure Curtis join in on the 7th ...

 

[Brad Maisto]

I'll join in on the fun. I just set my 992B, serial number C423,092 to two seconds ahead of my Computer clock (Sony Vaio that I hope makes it through this week long challenge. My 992B will be sitting next to my favorite night-time lounging position in its home made "Reproduction" sales box. My 992B is housed in a nice Model A YGF case.
Brad Maisto, Indiana Chapter 18 President

 

[gruesome]

Sadly, I don't have a 992B (yet), but in reply to the last message: each day my computer clock is often one or even almost two seconds off when it gets resynchronized to the time server (according to the macbook system log).

 

[doug sinclair]

My carry 992B S# C342345 was set Sunday at 00:00 hrs and is 1 second slow Tuesday morning. I don't know when the "official" start time for this challenge is, but if an official start time is announced, I may choose to re-set at that time. Best uf luck to all in the challenge (but I hope to beat you all ).

Doug

 

[Vic Kuring]

I'm in on this one as well. I am entering the 992B I ran during a previous challenge that showed a gain of about 1 minute that week, which was right after I serviced it. I've since made some adjustments so I think it should perform with greater accuracy. Time will tell

Ser # C460702

Starting Tuesday, Dec 7th 6:00pm PST and per the naval clock.

 

[doug sinclair]

My 992B C 342345 is dead on after 48 hours. It was carried today, and picked up 1 second in 12 hours.

 

[Dano4734]

two of mine are losing about 2 -3 secs a day. One just died .. stopped running, got to get it back to the watch guy. Everything looks good but for some reason it stopped ticking

 

[doug sinclair]

Since 00:00 hours MST on Sunday, and as of 09:00 hours MST on Thursday, my carry 992 B, S # C342345 is performing very well. My eye isn't quick enough to make absolutely certain, but it appears to be within one second- fast! It is carried for 12 hours plus, each day, and runs face up when not in my pocket. Homely as a hedge fence- stainless steel case, melamine dial, but not bad for a 60-year old watch!

 

[Dano4734]

My third 992B blew a roller Jewel ... yeeek always something ... other two are averaging 3 secs a day fast

 

[doug sinclair]

Disturbing news about my wear 992 B, S# 342345. Yesterday, I reported that it was likely less than 1 second fast since Sunday at 00:00 hrs. My eye wasn't quick enough to absolutely confirm that it was one FULL second fast. Well, it has dropped that miniscule gain and this morning, it is dead on. Dead on, at least as far as my eye is able to tell! I can't fathom this erratic performance!

 

[Brad Maisto]

Not great news on my 992B, first off I did not wind it enough and it stopped during the second day. So i restarted and it was running about 30 seconds fast over the past 48 hours. So just now I turned the adjusting screw a couple turns as the needle was pointing more towards the "Slow" side. I'll repost back in a couple of days.
Brad Maisto

 

[doug sinclair]

With 36 hours to go, S # 342345 is 2 seconds fast! All I have done is to wind it and carry it each day. On another topic, my 950B from a previous test is now 11 seconds fast in one month or so. So it appears as though the 992B is keeping better time.

 

[John Cash]

thats amazing and very impressive!!!!!!! I have a 992b movement that i recently acquired that i am going ot get fixed (a fairly low serial number 18226) and a nice number 11 case to put it in.........so now i have high hopes it will keep impressive time also!!!!!!!!! they are nice movements arent they!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! go american technology of the past!!!!!!!!!

 

[doug sinclair]

With 88 minutes to go until 00:00 hrs Sunday Dec 11, (MST), my carry 992B has gained 5 seconds during the week of the challenge! Truth to tell, I know it can be caused to lose one second a day in the crown down position, so I could have forced the watch to be dead on by selectively parking it at night. But I haven't bothered. I wanted to see what it could do un-assisted. That's pretty good, I think. That would be 30 seconds in about 6 weeks! That's about 4 1/2 minutes per year. At this rate (assuming I didn't forget to wind it, or if no parts failed), it should be within 45 minutes in 10 years! Not good time keeping for the most accurate modern timekeepers, but pretty good for a 60-year old watch! It has been extremely stable, and I suspect I could improve on 5 seconds per week!

 

[John Cash]

wow.....impressive.......

 

[Vic Kuring]

My week is up and this time my 992B faired far better. In the week that it's been carried the watch shows a gain of about 9sec as of 9pm PST Naval time, 171hrs of constant runtime.

 

[Titanic1912]

Don et al:

At below is information concerning the 992B Challenge. I started at approximately 2100 hrs, 7 December and stopped at approximatley 2100 hrs, 14 Decemer 2011.

Owner Watch Carry/Static Rate(Sec)/7 Days Rate(Sec)/Day​

C. Hartin 992B Yes/Yes +8.5 +1.21
(1954-1955)

" " /Yes +27 +3.85
(1956-1957)

" " /Yes +9.5 +1.35
(1951)

" " /Yes -3.5 -0.5
(1961 or 1967)

" " /Yes -10.5 -1.5
(1942-1943)

" " Yes/Yes +21 +3.0
(1948)

" " /Yes -13 -1.85
(1970)

I'm not familiar enough with this message board to keep the information from being scrambled.

Thanks, Curtis

 

[doug sinclair]

I know the challenge ended 5 days ago at which time S # 342345 (my carry 992B) gained 5 seconds during the challenge. But out of interest I checked it again at 10:00 hrs MST on Friday (today), and it has dropped a bit of time and is DEAD ON! Twelve days since it was last set, and I have done nothing to it to "fudge" the numbers. It has been worn about 16 hours per day, spending 8 hours running face up. I made some long term predictions about the time keeping of this watch based on 5 seconds in 7 days. At this rate, the accuracy performance will be vastly better than I estimated. So now it is a matter of compulsion that I wear it daily for a long period of time to find out just what it is capable of! Anyone for 5 seconds per month! Quartz watches for accuracy? BAH!

 

[Dano4734]

Wonderful Doug, I just got my steel cased 992B back today. Had a roller Jewel go off track ... running perfect now, can't wait to see how it does over the next week ... My Amish friend said it is dead on now. See how it goes

 

[Dano4734]

Dead on today Doug ... I am thrilled ... I guess my roller jeweled thingy just fell out of place. charged me nothing to repair it, timed and clean ... but he is a friend. Love this steel cased one with the porcelain dial. I am carrying it daily

 

[psfred]

Guess I'm going to have to get around to fixing my father's -- he bought it new when he graduated from college, I think (maybe before, at least I don't ever remember him not having it), steel case with a melamine dial from the late 40's.

My brother dropped it some years back and broke the pivots off the staff, and I'm having trouble with the roller on the new staff, it just drops right down and spins. I bought a complete but disassembled balance, I'll try that roller and see what happens, otherwise I'll have to find a proper staff that the roller fits on.

Peter

 

[Donovan Martin]

I got into this challenge a little late but 992B serial C519334 was dead on after two weeks until today. I didn't wear it yesterday or today and it is and -3ish seconds behind from when I checked it Thursday. It was dead on then after exactly two weeks. I'll carry it again starting tomorrow and for the rest of remainder of my challenge period.
This one is in a #15 case with the red stamp on the inside back.
Anyone ever figure out what the red stamp signified? Mine is K-7-M. I've got another that is just one letter and number.

 

[Dano4734]

Awesome Donovan,
and I wish I knew what that meant also

 

[doug sinclair]

Sunday, 17:45 hrs, almost two weeks since the start of the challenge, and S# C 342345 is now 1 second fast! Maximum error at any time since the start was 5 seconds fast. It has gained one second in the past two days!

 

[doug sinclair]

I might be accused of being obsessive about the performance of my 992B carry watch, S # 342345, but it has now been 16 1/2 days since last re-set, and this morning (Wednesday), it remains one second fast from last check! Unchanged since last Sunday evening.

 

[Donovan Martin]

I'm not sure what is going on with C519334 but after being dead on like I stated previously it is now 20 seconds slow. If I'm going to participate in a challenge like this I'd better learn how to adjust a watch or something!

 

[doug sinclair]

Nineteenth day and S # 342345 is dead on! I doubt it has ever been as accurate for as long, ever before! Maximum variation at one point was + 5 seconds in the first week (of the challenge). But over the second week it dropped back gradually, and has been hovering between dead on and one second fast for almost one week!

 

[Dano4734]

The one my Amish friend just fixed Doug is doing the same thing. These were such amazing watches ... I could not be happier with all three of mine now

 

[doug sinclair]

S # 342345 has dropped one second since Dec. 18, and today is dead on as it has been now for several days. Now all I have to do is to remember to keep it wound!

 

[doug sinclair]

S # 342345 is still dead on, today, 23 days since the start of the challenge! It hasn't varied since Dec. 19! It was 5 seconds fast at the end of the first week of the challenge, has dropped back those 5 seconds over the the next 12 days, and hasn't varied from dead on in the last 8 days! If I were reading this about a watch that isn't mine, I'd find this hard to believe! But the evidence is right here in my pocket as I type this. I bought this watch about 3 years ago at which time it needed a staff and a new stainless steel hinge pin for the bow. I did the work and cleaned it at the time which is why I chose it for the month long challenge during which it would not have won a prize. But I kept running it and adjusting it so it was ready for the 992B challenge.

 

[doug sinclair]

Twenty four days in about 7 hours, and 1 second slow!

 

[doug sinclair]

Thirty days since last set and 2 seconds fast! Is it because I seldom run a pocket watch for this long that I have never observed such accuracy? Or is it perhaps because I have never observed accuracy so closely. Maximum variation was 5 seconds the first week!

 

[Dano4734]

wow did you tune that thing Doug ... that was a bit of master work on your part ... how wonderful to see these old watches running like they came from the factory ... really presses my buttons for sure

 

[doug sinclair]

S # C 342345 was set to time and had a tiny regulator adjustment at the unofficial start of the 992B contest, on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011. Today is Sunday Jan 8, 2012. That's 5 full weeks since the unofficial start of the test. Without touching the watch except to wear it and wind it, this evening (Sunday), it is 12 seconds fast! It was five seconds fast one week ago, so it is picking up 1 second per day, currently.

 

[doug sinclair]

S # 342345 is 20 seconds fast sice Dec. 4! Six weeks!

 

[Dano4734]

My doc buddy said his 7000 Rolex loses 2 minutes a week LOL I told him to buy a hamilton 992b for 300 bucks

 

[doug sinclair]

As of Jan 17, S # 342345 had gained 20 seconds since last set on Dec 4. As of today (Jan 25) it is still 20 seconds fast. Seems to have settled in to quite a constant rate.

 

[doug sinclair]

February 4. Two months now, and 17 seconds fast! Dropped 3 seconds since 1/25/12.

 

[Titanic1912]

Mr. Sinclair et al:

I wouldn't put too much stock in this but one of my 992Bs (made either 1961 or 1967?) for the last 60 days (5 December through 3 Feburary 2012) has lost 0.5 second. If I did the math correctly that works out to -0.0083 second per day. I haven't adjusted the watch. For the sake of transparency, the watch gained as much as 8 seconds and lost as much as 13 seconds over the course of 60 days. Also, I haven't worn the watch-just kept it in the face-up position. I checked the time of the watch against the atomic clock at station WWV. I hope this helps.

Thanks,

Curtis Hartin

 

[doug sinclair]

I anticipate this one will be within one minute in one year! It was 12 seconds fast on Jan 8, just short of one month ago. This one is worn daily, running face up when not worn.

 

[RON in PA]

Doug, are you sure that someone didn't slip a quartz movement into your 992B. Great job of regulating and adjusting.