NavList:

   

Reply

Hack was the term for something to do routine work, especially a
horse, but my father born in 1927 would apply it anything such as a
vehicle used for routine rather than special purposes.
It was also used for a writer or journalist who similarly did routine work.

So it is entirely consistent that a hack watch was just that, the
watch for routine use while the chronometer was more special.

Bill

On 22 September 2017 at 19:43, Peter Monta  wrote:
> In watchmaking I believe "hack" means to stop the balance (the
> hairspring-and-wheel resonator that keeps time in mechanical watches) by
> some external means.  A watch with a hack feature might include a small
> button on the case which, when pressed, would (gently!) force a braking pad
> against the balance wheel, stopping it.  Releasing the button and giving the
> watch a flick (imparting some rotation to the balance to get it running
> again) can start the watch with sub-second precision.  Care must be taken
> not to flick too hard to avoid damaging parts of the escapement.
>
> I don't know how the hack feature is implemented on a wristwatch when
> pulling out the stem.  Does the balance actually stop, or is the seconds
> hand merely decoupled from the still-running train?
>
> It sounds to me like the navigational use of "hack" in "hack watch" is
> unrelated.  In particular, you probably don't want to hack a hack watch.
> Hacking is crude---generally you want the watch to run continuously for best
> performance.  Chronometers would never be hacked, and even hacking a deck
> watch strikes me as poor practice.
>
> Cheers,
> Peter
>
> 



--
Professor of Applied Mathematics
University of Manchester
http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/bl

   

Reply