Recommend a timegrapher

[El Cascarrabias]

I'm looking at this MTG 1000 from AceTimer but the price seems incredibly low. Concerns me since I've never dealt with this company. Amazon carries what looks like the same instrument marketed by different companies for $150+.

Is this a decent instrument?

Any other suggestions?

[keepitsimple]

I have one of these - I think they are sold under various names, but probably these cheapest ones are basically all the same.

Decent instrument ? A professional watch maker, would probably want one that has many more features than this provides to do thorough problem diagnosis quickly or get through a lot of watches.

If you're an amateur who just wants to check how your watches are running - and especially check how the watch is running after that expensive service you just paid for - then they are fine. If you're brave enough to touch up the regulation on your own watches, then they are really an essential tool.

They only give timings to the nearest second per/24 hours. They will time co-axial movements, but won't give you proper amplitude readings for them. They won't time quartz watches - well, actually you can fiddle with them to get some sort of readings, but nothing very useful.

They don't have gain controls, so occasionally you get a watch that they can't read properly. They can't be calibrated - most seem to have a calibration port, but no way to do it that I have found.

Against all of that, they are a tiny fraction of the price you would pay for a fully featured professional model. Many of the old timer watchmakers may still be using antiquated stuff that is probably nowhere near as good as these.

You run the risk of being OCD about the performance of your watches. You may also find that watches you own that you think run beautifully (such as those that you hear about running to within a second a week) just may not be so good when analysed by one of these

For the price they are good. Watchguy.co.uk (Christian) has a great reputation in the UK, and he started out using one a few years ago. I am sure he has much more sophisticated stuff now in his latest workshop, but his opinion is helpful.

You can see his youtube video here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcCKrioYKMo

[El Cascarrabias]

Well, written thoughtful response.

Thanks!

[keepitsimple]

You are very welcome.

If you get one, come back and let us know.

[KarlS]

Personally spend a bit more and get a Lepsi.

[keepitsimple]

Originally Posted by KarlS

Personally spend a bit more and get a Lepsi.

I guess it depends on why you want a watch timer and what you will use it for.

The Lepsi is quite neat - if a tad over-priced for what you get - and would probably be quite good for checking out at least the DU performance of a watch.

However, if you want to do a comprehensive check or do any work on a watch - typically regulate it - then you need a holder/microphone that will secure the watch in all 6 positions. A simple "lay on" microphone would be very frustrating to use.

If I were looking for a Pc/App based solution like the Lepsi software, then there are several around. Some of them free and seem well featured, although I don't know how accurate they are. You would probably need to calibrate the Pc/soundcard frequency, but there are free progs./apps to do that too.

Watch-o-scope looks interesting, but I haven't used it. I might give it a go sometime, and see how it and the timegrapher match up.

[gerrya]

Can the MTG 1000 be used for something larger than a watch, I have a couple aircraft clocks that I could use it on. Can the sensor be rested on the back of the clock and still work?

[blue16613]

Originally Posted by El Cascarrabias

I'm looking at this MTG 1000 from AceTimer but the price seems incredibly low. Concerns me since I've never dealt with this company. Amazon carries what looks like the same instrument marketed by different companies for $150+.

Is this a decent instrument?

Any other suggestions?

All of the "1000" models are made by Weishi and are absolutely identical in spite of the fact that their pricing is sometimes hundreds of dollars apart. The AceTimer model is the same one that you can pay twice the price for elsewhere.

It's not much to pay for something you will enjoy using and, if you are like me, teach you even more about mechanical watches.

My only warning is that they are scratch monsters and will severely mar the highly polished surface of your watch head unless you protect it carefully. Another member recommended using a thin polishing cloth and I found that worked great.

Ace offers a one year warranty on the unit. So does Otto Frei. Most of the others are sold by overseas marketers with no apparent warranty and a trip through customs along the way. Needless to say, I recommend one of the US soil based sellers!

[keepitsimple]

Originally Posted by gerrya

Can the MTG 1000 be used for something larger than a watch, I have a couple aircraft clocks that I could use it on. Can the sensor be rested on the back of the clock and still work?

Provided it can pick up the beats through the case, I don't see why it would not work, provided you can arrange a good contact between the clock and the microphone. With a watch, the sliding watch holders are sprung inwards to hold the watch securely against the sensor.

One consideration is that on the version I have, when the watch holders are fully opened, the gap between them is 50mm ( a tad under 2") so anything with a case deeper than that would be an issue.

That microphone setup seems to be common to most of the low end models (and a few higher end ones too) so I'm guessing that is the one you would get too.

[SearChart]

Don't know if the cheaper ones are any good, I'm currently working with a Witschi watch expert G4 and the thing is amazing.