Messages: 28 Location: Rhode Island
Registered: May 2004
Re: this one says "Regatta" on the dial?
Mon, 04 November 2019 23:07
Very nice watch! But I have no idea, from looking, why it says "regatta." A regatta is, of course, a series of sailboat races. There are a few different ways to start a sailboat race, but the most common is a 5 minute start sequence. At 5 minutes before a race start, the race organisers will blow a horn, which is technically the "warning" that starts a 5 minute countdown. Then one minute later, with 4 minutes to go, another horn. At 1 minute to go there is a long horn and finally at zero another horn.
So what you see in a regatta watch are interesting complications relating to this sequence. You'll often see 5 dots that change color as the timer counts down, or maybe a small hand that counts down from 5 minutes. Some watches will make the sounds at the correct time. A very useful feature is a sync button, so if you hear the 5 minute horn and start your timer a few seconds late, you can "sync it down" at the 4 minute signal.
To complicate it a bit further, these sequences are often rolling, so the start for once class of boat is the warning for the next (boats are usually divided into classes based upon their design, and usually the fastest boats start first). This is why you'll see regatta watches that countdown from 10 or 15 minutes. Also, there are other start sequence types, that can be 3 or 6 minutes long.
Mechanical watches that do this are, in my opinion, pretty cool. The Yachtmaster II, I believe, even makes the sounds in a mechanical movement. I don't know why the original Rolex Yachtmaster is a yacht watch, but the II is awesome.
Of course making a quartz watch do these things is easier, and there are of course dedicated start watches for about $80 that people wear, since getting it banged up is not a big deal. But there are still some nice regatta watches that are quartz. I finally decided to start looking for one and I thought I would ask and see what people have that I might consider. Sadly the Yachtmaster II is a bit (okay, a lot) outside my price range.
Probably more than anyone wanted to know about boat racing, but if you have a regatta watch but don't sail, well now you know why it does what it does and you have a better chance at impressing the ladies at the bar :-)
- kej1