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Comment by tintt | Hacker News Reader

Mechanical watch is a mesmerizing device. Makes you wonder though, why there was so little progress around mechanical technology (not only watch specific) lately? My car can talk to me, steer, retain speed by following other vehicles, but the most amazing mechanical innovation it has is a frustratingly slow, whining seat memory function. It’s not only boring, it also relies on a century old tech. Watch are the same, auto wound mechanism was introduced 98 years ago, was slightly improved 60 years ago, still is expensive to produce and maintain, still has reliability issues.

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    but the most amazing mechanical innovation it has
    is a frustratingly slow, whining seat memory function

What do we mean by "lately?" The humble old internal combustion engine has made some really impressive progress in the past several decades.

Engines are roughly 2X better now in the categories that matter: power output, fuel efficiency, and expected lifetime. Some of the fuel efficiency gains have of course been canceled out by increased overall vehicle weight, so it's easy to overlook how much more efficient the engines themselves are.

In 1986, a Ford Mustang GT had a 5.0L V8 that produced 200HP.

In 2021, a Ford Mustang GT has a 5.0L V8 that produces 460HP.

A 2021 base model Ford Mustang has an engine that produces 310HP from only 2.3L of displacement.

(Not that Ford is special in this regard; I just picked the Mustang because they've produced a 5.0L V8 for most of the brand's lifetime and it's fun to compare a 1986 5.0L engine versus a 2021 5.0L engine...)

Excellent point! Combustion engine did see a fair bit of progress.

A 1.6 V6 Formula 1 engine with turbo and hybrid components produces around 1000HP.

That's all you need to know about the progress in engines.

Seiko's "spring drive" is a pretty cool innovation, though it's not purely mechanical.

I think at the very core of the issue is that mechanical watches are really art pieces at this point. Quartz watches are just cheaper and more reliable. So, if you wanting a watch for the pure utility of it all that's what you should be going for.

>Quartz watches are just cheaper and more reliable.

And more accurate. Better in every measurable way, honestly. Which just makes me love mechanicals even more.

For the most part I agree with you. I think the popular watch companies (Omega, Rolex, etc.) are resting on their laurels, but perhaps in part because that's what their consumers want. I credit Zenith and Seiko with making their more recent advances accessible to wider audiences. However, most innovation in mechanical watches, unfortunately, is currently too expensive or niche for wide diffusion. Check out companies like MB&F, Urwerk, HYT, and Ressence to see what's being done.

They aren't resting, they are proactively building on that legacy they had. In fact, Omega suffered a lot because they tried going too deep with their quartz models.

Because a mechanical watch is inferior old technology and exists for non practical reasons. A quartz watch is better in essentially every single way. It is the technical progression beyond a mechanical watch.

I'm not saying the mechanical watch is bad because obviously people like them for historical and emotional reasons but there is basically no reason practically to use them.

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