High-beat.Vs Low-beat Movements.

padi65 · Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 3:01 pm Post subject: High-beat.Vs Low-beat Movements.

The high-beat vs low-beat argument has been running as long as I've taken an interest in movements (I am talking about watches here) and opinions are still divided.

One of the more highly regarded chronograph movements is still the Zenith "El Primero" running at 36000 bph. So highly regarded it was used by Rolex in the Daytona for more than a decade, albeit slowed to 28800 bph. Rolex didn't stop using the Zenith because they had developed their own movement, they stopped using it because Zenith couldn't/wouldn't supply in greater quantity and Rolex HAD to make their own chronograph movement,instead of using others.The Zenith calibre 3019 was introduced in 1969 and I'm pretty sure if there were any problems with hi-beat movements, 37 bloody years is long enough for them to manifest themselves.

Ulysse Nardin marine chronometers have always been highly regarded but it is a little known fact that for years, they were fitted with a hi-beat (36000bps) version of the ETA 2824-2, UN calibre NB11QU. Zodiac produced at least four hi-beat movements from 1971-73, all with Albert/Shine ebauche, and fitted to the "SST" models. Longines experimented with calibres 430 to 433 from 1967 but when they introduced twin-barrel movements in 1975, chose to revert back to 28800 bph,and in these days Longines made some excellent in-house movements to rival the best of the other Swiss brands.

Changing the subject slightly, the Longines twin-barrel movements were something I wish had survived in current production,a brilliant movement,but expensive to make. Calibre 890, 892 & 893 had stacked twin barrels whereas calibres 990 to 994 had side-by-side barrels in a movement only 2.95mm thick. The power reserve of 44 hours was respectable in those days, but not particularly impressive for a twin-barrel movement, although I'm sure that if R & D had continued on this movement this would have been substantially improved.And today would have put many a modern movements to shame,from any manufacturer or brand.
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The clock of life is wound but once and no man has the power to tell just when the hands will stop.Now is the only time you actually own the time,so live, love, toil with goodwill, Place no faith in time, for the clock may soon be still for ever.

Tools · Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 3:24 pm Post subject:

Great info.........

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unclesallie · Old hand Status: Dan Joined: 01 Jan 2009 Posts: 135

interesting.
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First, Do No Harm

BigHat · Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:32 pm Post subject:

I have a Concord Impresario with that Zenith movement noted above. Zenith pulled the plug on them too in around 2001-2002 if I remember correctly.

Good post, but I thought you were going to discuss the impact of rest positions on rate results in high-beat watches.

Isn't it generally thought that even "slower" fast (high) beat watches in the current era aren't so "adjustable" based on how they rest at night or at least there aren't any assurances a resting position will equally impact watches the same way? In essence rendering obsolete the eternally circulated Rolex guide of how to gain or lose time?

Thoughts would be appreciated.