Comparison Seiko SRPG41K1 vs Victorinox 241886

The country of origin of the brand under which this watch brand is produced. Usually, the headquarters of the manufacturer is located in the same country. But production facilities may be located in another country, or even in several countries. Most of the brands under which modern watches are produced come from the following countries (in alphabetical order): Austria, England, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Korea, Russia, USA, France, Switzerland, Japan.

Note that in the modern world, the quality of a product is very weakly related to its country of origin (both claimed and actual). Much more it depends on how carefully one or another manufacturer controls the quality in their production. So when choosing, it makes sense to focus not so much on “nationality” as on the overall reputation of a particular brand.

Official mark used for watches made in Switzerland.

Switzerland is actually the "world capital" of watchmaking, products from this country are considered the standard of quality. However, not every watch brand officially registered in Switzerland has a production in this country. In order to distinguish “real Swiss watches” on the market, the Swiss Made label was introduced. To receive such a marking, the watch must meet several formal requirements at once, prescribed in the legislation of the country — namely:

— have a Swiss mechanism;
— this mechanism must be installed in Switzerland;
— there the clock must pass the final check.

In turn, the movement is considered Swiss if it is assembled and tested locally, and also contains at least 60% of Swiss components (by value, excluding the cost of assembly).

It is worth noting that there are loopholes in the “Swiss Made” law that allow not too scrupulous manufacturers to actually bypass the criteria specified in the law, formally fulfilling them. For example, most of the movement assembly work can be carried out at a factory in Asia, but if the last wheel is installed in Switzerland, the movement can already be considered assembled in Switzerland. So when buying a “Swiss Made” watch, it doesn’t hurt to clarify how carefully a particular brand follows official requirements. Nevertheless, in general, such watches are superior in quality to analogues from other countries (but how much...this difference corresponds to the difference in price is another question).

The number of stones provided in the design of the watch.

This parameter is relevant for models that have arrows and corresponding moving parts in the "stuffing" (wheels, gears, etc.). The stones in this case are, in fact, a specific kind of bearings used to fasten rotating parts. "Stones" are made from synthetic minerals (for example, artificial sapphires). They provide slightly less friction than traditional metal bearings, and most importantly, they are more reliable and less prone to wear, which accordingly affects the durability of the entire mechanism. However, it is worth noting here that these advantages are relevant mainly for mechanical watches (see “Mechanism type”), quartz models in this sense are not so demanding on bearings.

It is believed that the more stones, the better, but here it is worth considering the functionality of the device. So, for a watch with a central second hand, 16 jewels are considered sufficient, with a side one - 17, but if there are additional functions (calendar, days of the week, etc.), this number can increase accordingly. In addition, the presence of 40 or more stones is often not so much a real necessity as a publicity stunt.

A caliber can be described as the type of movement used in a watch. It is expensive and impractical to design a unique movement for each watch model, so most manufacturers often use the same movement in different watch models, sometimes with significantly different designs. The term "caliber" is due to the fact that initially the type of movement was designated by a number (in inch lines) corresponding to its largest size; however, today unique names or alphanumeric indices that are not directly related to sizes are widely used.

Knowing the name of the caliber on which the watch you are interested in is built, you can, if desired, find more detailed information about the mechanism and determine how its characteristics meet your requirements.

The amount of time that the watch is able to operate normally without winding the spring or changing/recharging the battery (for more details, see "Power source"). Modern mechanical watches (see “Movement type”) have a standard power reserve of 40+/-5 hours. However, this parameter is usually indicated for the simplest mode of operation, without the use of additional functions such as a chronograph(see “Functions / Capabilities” ), which also “eat up” the plant. Thus, such a watch is supposed to be wound every day, but nothing will happen if you miss the usual time and remember to wind it a few hours later than usual.

In turn, for quartz watches, the power reserve is often not indicated in the specifications. This is due to the fact that this parameter, firstly, is quite large compared to mechanical models (it would be measured in tens of days rather than hours), and secondly, it strongly depends on a number of external factors (for example, the quality of the next batteries). Therefore, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to reliably determine the power reserve in such cases.

Clock face background colour. Indicated for models with pointer or combination dials (see "Dial type"); in purely electronic models, usually, either a grey substrate (for conventional LCDs) or a dark base (for LEDs) is used.

The most popular in modern watches are black, white, silver and blue dials. However, in addition to this, other shades can be found on the market — in particular, beige, yellow, green, golden, brown, red, orange, pink, grey and purple. A special case are watches with chameleon glasses (see below).

Some models are available in several colour options, in such cases these options are listed separated by commas — for example, "white, red, silver." If the dial is painted simultaneously in 2 or 3 colours, they are indicated as a combination — for example, "white with red" or "white with yellow and red". And multi-coloured models include models in which more than 3 colours are used for the dial.

— Alarm clock. A classic alarm clock is an audible signal that works at a time specified by the user. It can be used not only for getting up, but also as a reminder of a particular event. Note that in mechanical models (see "Type of mechanism") this function is almost never found.

— Stopwatch. A traditional stopwatch is a function that allows you to measure time intervals with an accuracy of seconds, or even fractions of a second. In modern watches, you can find two types of stopwatches. The first is the solutions used in models with displays (in other words, in watches with electronic and combined dials). In such devices, the countdown of seconds is displayed on the screen and is accurate to a tenth or even a hundredth of a second; Also, such stopwatches can have various additional functions: counting intermediate results for control points or laps, saving the results of the last measurement, etc.
The second type of stopwatch found in the arrow dials is the arrow on the main axis, which can be started and stopped at the request of the user. This is a rather rare option — for the reason that most often such an arrow is used in combination with additional scales and is no longer a stopwatch, but a chronograph (see below). And in watches where there are no chronograph scales, a rather unusual format for the operation of such a hand can be provided: in normal mode, it works like a standard second,...and when the watch is switched to stopwatch mode, it moves to zero and stops before the countdown begins.

— Timer. Countdown function; at the end of the countdown, an audible signal sounds. This function is convenient in cases where you need to measure a strictly defined period of time — for example, when cooking in the kitchen: “starting” the timer for the desired period is much more convenient than counting the hour you need to set the alarm.

— Day of the week. Ability to display the day of the week on the watch face. It is found both in watches with displays and in purely analogue models — they use a mechanical indicator for 7 days.

— Day of the month. The ability to display the current day of the month on the clock face. It can be either a number on the display or a mechanical indicator in the form of a window with a number. Note that in the latter case, regular adjustment of the calendar is required: the mechanical pointer is designed for 31 days, and if there are less than 31 days in the past month, the displayed date will have to be “scrolled” forward.

— Month of the year. Ability to display the current month on the watch face. Usually, it is combined with an indicator of the day of the month, and often also the day of the week; thus, the presence of this pointer means that the watch is equipped with a full-fledged calendar. Most often, the display is responsible for this function, but there are also purely arrow models with similar equipment. The month indicator of the year is often synchronized with the day indicator — so that the watch itself determines how many days are in the current month and after which day you need to switch to the first number.

— World time. The ability to use the clock to determine the time in other time zones than the current one. The specific way in which such a function is implemented may vary. Thus, the most popular option in hand models (see "Dial type") is the presence of an additional dial, on which the time of the time zone of interest is set. This format is convenient in cases where you constantly have to deal with a certain region — for example, to communicate with relatives or business partners from a particular country. Another option is the indexes on the rotating bezel (see below), corresponding to the main time zones of the world; to determine the world time, you need to turn the bezel so that the current time zone is opposite the hour hand — then the remaining marks will be opposite those divisions of the dial that correspond to the time in these time zones. This format is convenient for frequent change of time zones — in particular, it is found in watches for sailors. And models with digital dials usually provide switching the screen between the current and additional time zone (zones).


— 12/24 hour time format. This feature is indicated only for watches with pointer dials (and certain pointer-electronic models, see "Dial type"). It means that in addition to the main 12-hour scale, the watch also has a small dial with 24-hour markings. It allows you to determine what time the main scale shows — before or after noon: for example, at 6 pm the main dial will indicate 6 o'clock, the additional one — at 18 o'clock. — for example, in the conditions of a polar day / night, or during a long stay underground.
As for watches with electronic dials, even the 12-hour format is supplemented with the note "AM" or "PM" ("am" and "pm" respectively); for example, 20:00 would be 8:00 PM. So in such models there is simply no need to provide special functions for determining the time of day.

— The phases of the moon. The presence of an indicator in the watch that displays the current phase of the moon. Many processes on Earth depend on the phases of the Moon (in particular, the general physical and mental state of people), a number of signs are associated with them — not always 100% reliable, but not having an unequivocal refutation. A separate category of watches with a lunar calendar — "fishing" and "seafaring" models; the latter may even provide a separate tide calendar.

— Chronograph. Analogue of a stopwatch used in watches with pointer dials (see "Dial type"). Such watches have several additional small scales, each of which performs its own function. For example, one of these scales can be responsible for counting minutes (up to half an hour), the second — for counting hours (up to 12 hours), the third is the usual second hand, and the hand for counting seconds is located on the central axis and remains stationary until the chronograph is turned on.

— Tachymeter. A device for measuring the speed of movement by the time during which the measured section was passed. The tachymeter most often has the form of an additional scale for a stopwatch, and to measure the speed, you need to measure the time it takes to pass the control section with a stopwatch and see what number on the tachymeter scale the stopped arrow points to. In this case, the measurement time should not exceed a minute (otherwise the arrow will go to the second circle, and the readings will be unreliable), and additional calculations may be required to determine the final result. However, anyway, it is much more convenient to use tachymeter data to determine speed than stopwatch readings.

— Slide rule. Built-in mechanical calculator for some simple mathematical calculations, primarily multiplication and division. Such a device can be useful, in particular, for calculating travel time, fuel consumption, transferring money from one currency to another, etc. In hours, a slide rule usually consists of two rings with divisions (hence the second name for this function is a calculator ring ). One of these rings is motionless, and the second rotates freely; combining the marks on both scales according to certain rules, the user gets the desired result. Note that the slide rule is not as accurate as an electronic calculator and is more difficult to handle; on the other hand, with a minimum skill, elementary calculations on it can be carried out much faster than on the same calculator.

— Compass. A traditional compass is a device for determining cardinal directions. The accuracy of built-in compasses is usually not high, but they can be very useful for simple tasks or as a last resort when other navigational devices are not available.

— Altimeter (altimeter). A device for measuring the current height of the terrain. Often combined with a barometer (see below), in such cases the difference in pressure between the reference level and the current location is used to measure altitude. Technically, in this way it is possible to measure the height both above sea level and relative to a certain place taken as a standard; actual altimeter capabilities vary by watch model. Watches with this function are designed primarily for climbers and mountain hikers.

— Thermometer. Thermometers in watches are usually designed to measure the temperature of the surrounding air. This feature is found mainly in advanced sports models. It can be useful both for a general assessment of the environment, and for specific tasks such as weather forecasting, calculating the current altitude, etc.

— Barometer. A device for measuring atmospheric pressure. Data from the barometer allows you to assess the weather conditions and their favorableness for a certain type of activity — in particular, fishing. In addition, they can be used to predict changes in the weather: for example, a sharp drop in pressure is often a sign of an approaching storm. Also, the operation of the altimeter (see above) is often based precisely on the readings of the barometer.

— Bluetooth. The Bluetooth wireless interface is designed to communicate between various electronic devices over relatively short distances — up to 10 m. In wristwatches, it is mainly used to communicate with a smartphone or other gadget. The functionality of such a connection may be different, but anyway, it is much narrower than in smartwatches. The most popular features include displaying notifications from Facebook and/or Twitter on the watch, using the watch as a remote control for music or video, as well as setting the world time (determining the time zone from data from an external device).

— GPS module. Built-in satellite navigation module that allows you to determine the current geographic coordinates of the device. How this data is used may vary depending on the watch model. So, in some models, data on time zones in different countries are sewn in, and based on the current coordinates, the device can determine the exact local time. Another option is to record the routes (tracks) traveled. Some watches use GPS data for altimeter operation (see related paragraph). Models with Bluetooth may provide the ability to work as an external sensor for a smartphone or other gadget (it is believed that the hand position of the sensor improves accuracy). But it is difficult to provide full-fledged navigation in traditional watches; wearable gadgets with such functionality usually refer to either smartwatches or specialized navigators.

— Synchronization by radio channel. This function allows the watch to receive special time radio signals. These signals are transmitted over a special dedicated channel several times a day, and the exact time data is received from atomic chronometers used in scientific institutes. The error of such chronometers is 1 second for several thousand or even millions of years; accordingly, the accuracy of the clock synchronized with them is almost absolute. At the same time, note that precise time radio signals are not available in all countries of the world — so before buying such a watch, it's ok to check whether they will work in your region.

— Chronometer. In this case, the designation "chronometer" is used for high-precision models that are certified by the Swiss Chronometer Certification Centre (COSC). To obtain such a certificate, a watch must pass a fairly rigorous test, checking not only for overall accuracy, but also for the ability to maintain it with changes in case position and ambient temperature. At the same time, it should be noted that in fact "chronometric" accuracy is required extremely rarely, and it affects the cost of watches quite noticeably. So compliance with the COSC requirements is not so much a practically significant moment as an indicator of the high class of watches and the status of their owner.

— Pedometer. Built-in counter of the number of steps taken by the user. This feature is found predominantly on sport touring models equipped with Bluetooth (see above) and digital or combination watch faces (see "Dial Type"). To count steps, usually, data from the built-in accelerometer is used, and the measurement results can at least be transmitted to a smartphone or other gadget, and in some models they can also be displayed on their own screen. However, it's ok to clarify the specific features of the functionality of a watch with a pedometer separately.

— Phone search. Feature exclusive to Bluetooth models (see above). In accordance with the name, it facilitates the search for a “lost” phone located in close proximity (for example, forgotten in one of the home rooms): just give a command from the clock and the device will “respond” with a sound signal. Usually, to use this function, you need to install a special application (other additional functions are usually implemented through it, if available — for example, a pedometer).

The material of the transparent coating covering the dial.

— Plastic. Transparent plastic (also known as "plexiglass", also known as "organic glass") is considered the simplest option and is found mainly in models of the initial and middle price range, mainly sports and tourist specialization. This material is lightweight, inexpensive, and also tolerates shocks and falls well: with a strong impact, it will crack rather than break, and plastic fragments are much safer than glass ones. These properties are indispensable for shockproof watches. On the other hand, plastic is very sensitive to scratches and tends to become cloudy quickly due to scratches; and in general it gets dirty more easily than glass.

— Mineral. Mineral in this case means ordinary, widespread glass — like the one used in windows. It favorably differs from plastic in high hardness: to scratch such material, you need to make considerable efforts. As a result, mineral glass varieties do not become cloudy and remain transparent for almost the entire life of the watch. Among the shortcomings, brittleness can be noted: upon impact, the glass surface can shatter into fragments. On the other hand, even for ordinary glass, such a blow should be quite strong; in addition, manufacturers often use various design solutions (“dial” recessed into the case, tempered glass, etc.) in order to reduce the ri...sk of such an accident to an absolute minimum. Thanks to all this, mineral glass has become widespread today in all types and price categories of watches.

— Sapphire. Glass made of artificially grown sapphire (transparent corundum — aluminium oxide). The main advantage of this material is the highest scratch resistance: such a surface can only be scratched with a diamond or a material similar in hardness to it. On the other hand, sapphire crystals are not cheap, but they do not withstand shocks well and are relatively unsuitable for "protected" watches. As a result, this material is found mainly in rather expensive models designed for everyday use (although there are exceptions).

The rotating bezel is a swivel ring around the dial, with marks applied to it (ring).

Usually the bezel scale is similar to the minute/second scale of the dial, it is marked from 0 to 60, most often with marks every 5 or every 10 minutes (seconds). In such cases, this function is a somewhat simplified analogue of the timer or stopwatch / chronograph used in watches with analogue dials. To work in the stopwatch mode, you need to align the zero on the bezel with the position of the second or minute hand (depending on how long the period needs to be detected), and at the end of the measurement, look at what division on the bezel this hand has reached. To work in the timer mode, zero on the rotary scale is set at the end of the countdown, and the user can only monitor whether the arrow has reached zero. Thus, you can turn the watch into a timer or stopwatch mode with just one turn of the ring — it's faster and more convenient than digging into the settings. Such features are appreciated, in particular, by scuba divers who use a timer to control air supplies; at the same time, in diving watches, the rotation mechanism is often made one-sided, so that the bezel cannot be accidentally turned in the direction of increasing the remaining time.

There are other types of rotating bezels — for example, in the form of a scale with cardinal points used in watches with a compass.