# Time After Time-Clocks & Watches



## ReadyMom (Feb 25, 2011)

We need to keep track of time. What time to get home. What time to meet. They are the two that I'd want to keep track of, WTSHTF. Waking and sleeping will probably come 'naturally'.

So ... most of our clocks and watches are run by battery now. Have you found a wind-up alternative for them, yet?

I've been looking on line and they are not cheap. I'm having trouble finding any in our local stores. -k


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## power (May 7, 2011)

If SHTF ever happens what time it is will become unimportant.
To some people, me included, the time isn't important right now.
There are many windup clocks and watches available. I have several of both stuffed around in cabinets somewhere. Both can be found pretty cheap.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

I have a baby ben wind-up alarm clock ... Picked it up at a K-mart store for, I'm thinking 12 bucks ... When we first got it I had a hard time remembering to wind it. 

But I have worked that out now. lol


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## ReadyMom (Feb 25, 2011)

power said:


> If SHTF ever happens what time it is will become unimportant.
> To some people, me included, the time isn't important right now.
> There are many windup clocks and watches available. I have several of both stuffed around in cabinets somewhere. Both can be found pretty cheap.


Someone else posted this type of thought on another forum and the following was a response. The response falls more in line with the type of scenarios I was thinking about:



kevinthenurse said:


> I have to disagree with this, somewhat. A watch is pretty important survival tool. Don't get me wrong, telling general time by the sun is a good skill to have. But what about situations like overcast days, stormy days, and the months of darkness up in Alaska.
> 
> Distance can be measured and determined with a watch.
> Burn time monitoring
> ...


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

ReadyMom said:


> We need to keep track of time. What time to get home. What time to meet. They are the two that I'd want to keep track of, WTSHTF. Waking and sleeping will probably come 'naturally'.
> 
> So ... most of our clocks and watches are run by battery now. Have you found a wind-up alternative for them, yet?
> 
> I've been looking on line and they are not cheap. I'm having trouble finding any in our local stores. -k


We have a wall clock that's powered by AA batteries. I have about 50 now and expect to have 200 or so in the months ahead. I don't expect to need another clock. I haven't worn a watch in years.


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## catsraven (Jan 25, 2010)

I have a windup watch that I have had for years. Windup clocks are not hard to fined.


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)




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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

set your wind up clock by the bed and wind every morn or nite. we have a couple of pendulum clocks that you pull the weights on. And if the shtf why worry about the time left? we will be busy enjoying the fruits of our labors while others are searching for food warmth and shelter..


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## JustCliff (May 21, 2011)

I got a wind up pocket watch for Christmas. my daughters BF got it for me while he is stationed in Germany. It's really nice and keep time well. I got a wind up wrist watch for my birthday this year because everyone knows I have been looking for one.
my step Mom got it for me. I asked where she got it. From a catalog. Says she doesnt have that catalog now but will get one soon.

ETA: Vermont Country Store web site;
http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/products/clothing/mens-clothing/mens-accessories-and-gadgets/Mens-Wind-Up-Watch.html?evar3=search

Funny: I always set a new watch and leave it on the table so I can check it throughout the day and make sure it runs on time. The watch seemed to do fine but then It quit. I was bent a bit that my new watch was broke. I then remembered, Its a wind up! you forgot to wind it. DuH!!!!!! It works fine...


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I have a sundial.


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## JustCliff (May 21, 2011)

UncleJoe said:


> I have a sundial.


My wife got me that for my birthday. Figured I wouldn't have to do much I guess.:hmmm:


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Found my windup clock at a yard sale for $1. You can still find them at Dollar General or Fred's Discount, maybe even Wally world.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

"travel alarm clocks" are available in both battery and wind-up


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

ReadyMom said:


> We need to keep track of time. What time to get home. What time to meet. They are the two that I'd want to keep track of, WTSHTF. Waking and sleeping will probably come 'naturally'.
> 
> So ... most of our clocks and watches are run by battery now. Have you found a wind-up alternative for them, yet?
> 
> I've been looking on line and they are not cheap. I'm having trouble finding any in our local stores. -k


Build a sun dial,may as well go all out.


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## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

We've got a German cuckoo clock with the weights on it. It was a gift, so didn't cost us a dime, and it runs pretty close to good time (enough to know when an hour has passed to within a few seconds). The clock maker stated that as we run it, the spring will "normalize" and the clock will be more consistent, then we can tune it with a little key in the gears to get it spot on. All I would do in a fan event is remove the hammer to the gong so the darn thing isn't ringing every 15 minutes.


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

ReadyMom said:


> Someone else posted this type of thought on another forum and the following was a response. The response falls more in line with the type of scenarios I was thinking about:


Though I understand your thought process, I don't see most of your posters ideas being an issue. There are other ways to keep "time" if needed. I don't plan on leading any attacks on anyone and needing that sort of timing. Distance in a shtf may be somewhat important, and if using a compass then time will be needed.

Guess I just don't see keeping time (hour to hour) a big deal down the road if we're just trying to survive.

As far as spending any big $$ on a timepiece, I won't. I have a couple of wind-up clocks and a couple of selfwinding watches. That will be my "time" prep.

I have a month pole in my retreat yard. It shows me where the shadow is for the middle of any given month. Took 2 years to get it right. It'll keep me in the right month and that's for planting and livestock timing.

Jimmy


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Jimmy24 said:


> I don't see most of your posters ideas being an issue.


Not a huge issue.... my little LCD folding travel alarm clock has been going for 5 years with the same cheapy-chinese AAA battery that came with it. A very "low current draw" item.


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Jimmy it would be neccessary to have a clock to time the canning process of produce and meats. Or if you were baking bread or something.


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## power (May 7, 2011)

Clarice said:


> Jimmy it would be neccessary to have a clock to time the canning process of produce and meats. Or if you were baking bread or something.


My grandmother canned thousands of quarts of everything and baked thousands of loafs of bread and never looked at a clock.
A clock would be one of those things you got after you already had just about everything else you needed.


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## tugboats (Feb 15, 2009)

If I was on land time would not be that important. Go to bed when God turns the lights off and get up when He turns the lights on. Very simple.

When at sea (in a SHTF situation) an accurate chronometer (land lubbers...this is a clock) you can determine your relative position with a sextant. GPS, ADF and RDF will not be working. Yatchsmen prefer not to navigate by sound. i.e." crunch"......I just found shore.

A good time piece is almost as valuable as a sea worthy hull. We are all at the mercy of our own shortcomings. My shortcomings: Let me get my crew (family) back in as good of shape as when we left. 

For land a good clock is great. I have three we picked up at Wally World that wind up and ring like the end of the world is comming in the morning. This has saved me several times when the power has failed. I have only been late for work 6 times in 35 years. In my defense 4 of these times I had sick kids to deal with. The other two were just screw ups on my part.

I keep two in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. Yes, I have fallen back to sleep in the library.

If you want a wind up alarm clock get one. If you motor or sail by all means by a chronograph.


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## fat_frog (Oct 19, 2011)

*Solar-powered watch*

I know this thread is a few months old, but...

I have been using solar powered Casio G-Shock watch for last several years (I think).

Technology & Design - Water Resistant - Shock Resistant | Casio - G-Shock

It's a pretty tough watch... Only reason I had to replace it once was because my puppy decide to play it as a toy....


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## texican (Feb 15, 2010)

I haven't carried a time piece in 30 years...
I work for myself, so I start my work whenever and finish whenever. I wake, eat, sleep, whenever.
I 'can' tell the time within 20 minutes during the day, if the sun shines, and at night, if the stars are out... which for my purposes, is 'good enough'.


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## lefty (Sep 29, 2011)

I like the sound of a clock and time may have its uses after the SHTF. I have a grandfather clock a cousin made the body is made from a tree off the family farm, adn an old mantle clock that was my great great grandmothers both still run and keep accurate time. I wear a perpetual self winding and have a coupleof wind ups.


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## tac803 (Nov 21, 2010)

Interesting topic. If we're down to grazing on nuts and berries, I don't think it's going to matter much what time it is. The other thing that begs a question...what do you set your watch to? If the grid is down, then the atomic clock at the observatory isn't going to get fed into your computer. We could well wind up with a couple of hundred time zones, or be forced to meet at the village square once a week and synchronize watches. 

Wound or self winding clocks and watches are inherently less accurate than their quartz counterparts. I have a seiko V that is self winding, and varies about 30 seconds a month. Still not my first choice for critical time keeping, but close enough for jazz. If we ever get to the point that there are no more batteries for putting into watches, Im thinking that the exact time pretty much wont matter anymore.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

A sundial is a cool idea! Hmmm...another project to add to the list....let's see, oh here we go, page 27, here's where I write it down! Might take a while to get to it! ROTFL 

Seriously, we talked about it last spring. Wouldn't help if you were trying to coordinate a meeting time, but it would give you an idea of time while at home. 

We stopped wearing watches a few years ago when my husband retired. It takes an adjustment time. I felt disoriented through the day, wondering how much time I had left to get things done, or until I had to start dinner. It took a couple years to move totally to living according to our bodies. Now I don't even worry about it. We've even joked about leaving our clock the way it is when we "fall back" an hour this weekend. We have one battery-operated clock! (Though I guess I could go out to the car and look at it's clock! lol)

It would be good to plan for a way to know the time for the first months or years of TEOTWAWKI. I browsed ebay for wind-up watches and there are many available at what I consider decent prices (and that coming from the financially-challenged side of the spectrum here at our house!  )

fat_frog, thanks, I've been wanting to know more about solar watches!


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

Got a great wind up clock with the big bell on top at a yard sale for 2 bucks.


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## k0xxx (Oct 27, 2011)

If we ever get to a SHTF point, accurate time keeping could be quite important tactically.

I've got several wind up pocket watches, each family member has a wind up wrist watch and we have spares available (as well as a couple of Seiko self winding and solar powered backups available), and we have two vintage anniversary clocks that are windup. We bought them all cheaply off of eBay over the last few years.


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## byteshredder (Jun 19, 2011)

I agree with k0xxx, if an EMP takes out unprotected electronics, we will still need to track the passage of time. What if you have a shortwave radio protected in an ammo can you might pick up a rare news update at a certain time each day. You would want to save your batteries and not have the radio on all the time. 

As someone mentioned earlier, canning would be another good use for a watch. Taking a person heart rate pulse count is another good use for a timepiece.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160922190556?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

Just received two like the link initially I like the feel look and heft of the watch gonna wear one of em for a couple weeks and see if it is accurate and if any problems develope I'll report back. The vendor shows 7 left but aparently can get more as he was down to two after I bought mine but has gone back up to 7. I have him saved as I will likely get a couple more if I like them like to have about 4 or 5 in the prep stores. Anyway letting you all know these are there. He may have other styles available I didn't look at his whole store. Shipping was suprising fast only about 2 weeks. Yeah it's china or hong kong. So anyway get em if you wnat em or wait a couple weeks and I'll give an update on it.


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