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Wrist watches for astronomers?

Merlin66

By Merlin66
in The Astro Lounge

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Merlin66

Merlin66

Posted
Posted

I've used a Swiss Army watch for the last ten years or so ( after the Seiko died!!) it's OK, I mean when your outside in the dark and you want to check the time, the luminous hands and dots are visible just! You can't use the second hand - you can't see it!!!

Well the kids bought me one of those Timex Indiglo watches- date time water resistant to 30mtr etc.

This thing is great!

I can see the face, the second hand etc just with the push of a button. Makes things MUCH easier at night, yes, I know I could use a red light to illuminate a "normal" watch, but this one is soooo easy!

What other watches do the amateurs use?????

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ashenlight

ashenlight

Posted
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I don't really need to know the time when I'm out there much.. but lately I have been wrapping red cellophane around my mobile phone and setting the light to 'always on' so I can easily see what time it is (handy for when you realise you've spent the last hour fiddling with magnification on just one DSO) ... I went with the red cellophane after I made the mistake of unlocking my phone to see the time and ruining my night vision. Never again :icon_salut:

Amanda

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brianb

brianb

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Most of the time I wear an analogue dial quartz watch with a kinetic movement (saves worrying about flat battery) but when observing I usually wear a Casio radio controlled quartz watch with a digital display ... it's always accurate to the second (or better) and the time is easier to read accurately from a digital display. I do not use the built-in illumination as it's painfully bright.

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Beulah

Beulah

Posted
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Sorry to say, I haven't worn a watch for 15 years....look at it tooOOooooo often...and don't like constantly being reminded of the time!

(plus the fact I tend to bash 'em up because I do a lot of activities :icon_salut:)

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661-pete

661-pete

Posted
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Sorry to say, I haven't worn a watch for 15 years.
...just like my son, he steadfastly refuses to wear or even own a watch. Ask him how do you tell the time then, he answers, off his mobile phone, or his cycle-computer, whichever's more handy.

Me ... my watch is essential for the astroimaging, since I use it as the timer (I'm very primitive in my methods really, only have a manual cable-release). It's an elderly Casio digital, solar-powered (never runs flat!) with the usual set of functions, I use the interval timer with beep to time my exposures, works out quite well. I don't use the backlight much, if I want to see what the time is during imaging, I just step into the glare of the streetlights for a moment...

The watch has served me perfectly for the past 15 years or so, but the strap that comes with it is rubbish. I've had to replace it about ten times, each time I ask at the shop is there a metal band to fit it and they answer no, it has to be the casio strap, the only one that will fit, and yes sir, they are cr@p....

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Psychobilly

Psychobilly

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I was thinking of using a wrist mounted sundial but they aren't any good at night... :icon_salut:

I just let the GPS take the strain and have one of those MSF Radio locked projector clocks in the obs which projects a nice red time on the obs dome....

Peter...

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Jarndyce

Jarndyce

Posted
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I have an original Omega Constellation - pre moon-shot - the one with the gold observatory on the back....

...unfortunately, no illuminated dial. So it sounds flash, but isn't very helpful.

Currently use a Casio Waveceptor analogue - linked by radio to atomic clock. It's never wrong. Super accurate. Also solar powered so doesn't need batteries.

However, if you're outside in the dark for more than a couple of hours, it goes into sleep mode to conserve power. Then when you shine a light on it, it comes back to life and all the hands whizz round to where they should be. Weird!

As a footnote, it would be so much simpler if my goto mount had a backup battery and remembered the time and date....

Surely that's not too much to ask?

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