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I unfortunately I have quite an expensive taste in watches, so I can seldom afford to buy them. I've just seen one I really like for £60!
The other unfortunate thing is that, (according to Just One More Watch Jody) they are only worth about twenty quid.
Yeah, but the rainbow colours!
Bought a Flightmaster back in the day as my first 'proper' watch (cheap as chips from a local auction). Sold it about 4 years later and regretted it ever since.
Managed to find this a few months back;
911 ST 145.036 from 1973. According to extract, sold in Switzerland originally - clearly well travelled as I bought it in Mexico. The case has been polished (and was a bargain because of it), but that aside, it's in original condition - showing it's age with fading dial, patina all round. But it's a daily wear, keeps time well and for such a lump, is remarkably comfortable on the wrist.
I like @woffle. It looks like a biggun though! Whats the case size?
It's hefty - single block of steel - 52mm in length, 46mm with the crowns, 43mm without, and 15mm thick. Around 140g without the strap. Doesn't seem so excessive now but it was VERY oversized for 1969 when it was released.
That being said, the hidden lugs means it wears surprisingly well. It was designed to be functional - it's a tool watch, deliberately oversized for pilots to be able to tell the time instantly. They had a dig at Rolex in the marketing - "a Pilot’s watch that has rather more than a revolving bezel,"
The other Omega beast of a watch is the Speedmaster 125;
They have a wierd backstory related to the supposed limited number sold vs. the number clearly on the market - it's a solidly made watch with a really nice movement.
I had one but sold it on pretty quickly. It was wildly impractical and kept on getting banged up on things - it wore every millimeter of it's huge case and integrated strap. I think which accounts for the fact that they are remarkably common on the usual used-watch sites / dealers, with prices being relatively depressed given it's supposed rarity and the quality of movement etc - they're not a watch that can be easily worn.
In comparison, Flightmaster prices are all over the shop but seem to be slowly on the up.
Gave my old Ti Seamaster a bit of TLC at the weekend. Took it off the tatty looking bracelet, gave it a good clean and repainted the bezel markers.
I've had this for around 20 years and it's been all over with me, including a good few years working offshore, so it's not been molly coddled. Sadly, I'd loaned it to my dad a few years ago and he was wearing it when he passed away, so it holds a lot of sentimental value.
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Looking great, and a wonderful piece to have to remember your dad. My dad passed away recently and his only watch was a fake quartz Rado with a big chip in the not-ceramic case. I'll keep it to remember him by, but will never wear it.
How did you repaint the bezel? Looks like a very neat job.
How did you repaint the bezel? Looks like a very neat job.
Tamiya acrylic paint and a very fine brush. Let it dry and wiped off any excess paint with nail varnish remover and cotton buds.
How did you repaint the bezel? Looks like a very neat job.
A trick with filling in recessed numerals and markers on a smooth surface like that is to just fill in with paint, letting it go over the edges, and let the paint dry a bit, then find some very smooth cloth, like a bit of old tee shirt or bed sheet, cut a bit off and wrap around something like a rectangular pencil rubber/eraser, making sure it’s perfectly flat, put a small amount of appropriate solvent or thinner on the cloth and carefully run it around the bezel, keeping it nice and flat to the surface. I used to fill in the etched rail lines on the painted steel tiles used on railway signalling boards at Westinghouse Brake & Signal in Chippenham. I had a stack of sheets of white paper, with white spirit splashed on, I’d paint the tracks with black enamel, making sure the etched lines were full, then press onto the paper and swipe across. Once the black was dry, I’d paint carefully the colours of the tracks inside the black lines with a square ended signwriters brush, ‘cos that was my job, a signwriter in the paint shop.
Useful little trick to know, I’ve used it a few times over the years to add some colours or brighten up engraved lettering that’s faded or chipped.
@countzero you are pretty much bang on but you don't want to fill the recess. The paint sits in the recess if that makes sense. You want some depth rather than the paint filling the recess. You definitely don't want the paint sitting flush with the surface.
I've painted the draft lines on vessels using the same technique (on a much different scale).
Have just ordered one of these on black leather. Not sure about a 39mm case, but how much difference can 1mm make! Will report when it arrives
https://www.christopherward.com/sport-new/c63-sealander-gmt/C63-39AGM3-S00K0-B0.html
Evenin' all,
I've been watching (punaroo) this thread for a few months now, admiring your wrist candy. If all goes well I'm off to Greece for work tomorrow morning, and this is my selection for my month away. GS SBGN005 for crossing timezones (ok, one, but it's the principle). 214270 for everyday and a hopeful dash up Mt Olympus. The G-Shock for running. And the Pelagos in case I accidentally fall in the Aegean during a work trip...
Cheers,
G
That's quite the travelling collection. Is it insured? Replacement would sting if it got nicked.
@tthew, no, not insured, abroad or at home. My watches (n~20) are either with me or in a safe at work. My office is locked. And then the whole facility has a few dozen massive guys with all the gunzzzz. Seriously though, this is a trip to Greece, mostly staying with friends as I move around. If I was going somewhere dodgy it'd probably be just one or no nice watches. Cheers.
Currently wearing my pelagos smurf, fantastic watch. Since pelagos is Greek for open sea, surely that is the only one you need for your trip
Heimdallr have some new ‘homage’ watches at the moment, one is interesting, it’s an SKX with a black PVD coating, and a full-lumed face, so effectively an homage to the first TAG Heuer sports dive watch, the Series 1000 ‘Night Diver’ which I’ve got. But significantly cheaper! Looks good, having a full-lumed face with black indices isn’t common, and looks that bit different to most sports/dive/tool watches.
https://heimdallrwatch.com/store/PVD-Black-Full-lume-SKX-p342266207
Any recommendations for a tough but cheap “Casio?”
I kind of wanted a gshock for kicking around but it’s use case kinda clashes with my Garmin instinct and at around £100 too expensive a duplicate, so I started think “tough solar” and got fixated on owning a solar watch.
Yet, I could buy classic/retro such as a Casino Royale very cheaply and change the battery myself after 10 years if I needed to. F91 is a bit small for me, so...? What cheap digital with a little history?
Casio Watch CA-53WF-1BEF, actually as you’re in sales, CA-506G-9AEF more blingy 😉
So you can write boobies on the screen obviously or make a diver that will go down to 900 meters below sea level
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.php?330958-The-Little-Watch-That-Could
Lol, I am actually looking at the black resin calculator, thinking about the Casino Royale for me and the Calc for Jnr. He can't take it for school, but its kind of justifying one for my collection in a transparent attempt to convince Mrs K its not for me...
But a gold one? Clashes with the Beemer a bit... 😉
DW-290
Heimdallr have some new ‘homage’ watches at the moment, one is interesting, it’s an SKX with a black PVD coating, and a full-lumed face, so effectively an homage to the first TAG Heuer sports dive watch, the Series 1000 ‘Night Diver’ which I’ve got. But significantly cheaper! Looks good, having a full-lumed face with black indices isn’t common, and looks that bit different to most sports/dive/tool watches.
https://heimdallrwatch.com/store/PVD-Black-Full-lume-SKX-p342266207/blockquote >
Wonder if it will be a badly made as my Sea Shepard Homage ?
After smacking my Arnie against the car bonnet - luckily no damage - I got all precious. So welcome to my shed/gardening/mechanics/lounge/bed watch;
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Alarm I won't use
Solar
52 Cities I'll never look at
Stopwatch I won't use
Day/date
Light as a feather
Shit plastic strap
All for.... £26! (AQ-S810W-1A2VEF)
Does anybody have s 2013/14 ish omega catalogue? I'd like to know the list price back then on a 23153422202001. (red gold aqua Terra day date)
Wonder if it will be a badly made as my Sea Shepard Homage ?
Who knows, but I have no issues with either of mine, other than me stupidly breaking the date change by forgetting you shouldn’t change the date between 21.00 and 04.30, but that’s my fault. Otherwise neither of mine are badly made, especially considering how cheap they are, I wear them virtually all the time, currently wearing my SKX007 MM300 ‘Homage’, otherwise I wear my sandblast Tuna, which was the one I broke, and a kind gentleman on here fixed it with a new movement, and swapped the face and hands for MM300-style ones, and I fitted a fully lumed ceramic bezel insert, and I love both of them.
There are photos on previous pages.
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This arrived the other day!
Sinn 556i rs.
Can’t remember if I’ve posted this before, but can’t be bothered to go back through 90 pages so posting again anyway...
CWC squaddie issue watch, RE wristband in honour of the old man. Case is broad arrow marked and dated 1998...
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After smacking my Arnie against the car bonnet – luckily no damage – I got all precious. So welcome to my shed/gardening/mechanics/lounge/bed watch;
How dare they put ILLUMINATOR in big letters when all you get is a piss-poor 6mm of orange glow?
Still good value. I bought one a few years back as my "holiday" watch.
Hadn't ever considered Certina watches until the other day - but this Certina DS Action Diver is really nice...
https://www.certina.com/gb/watch/ds-action-diver/c0324071104100
I've got a Certina DS Podium automatic. Nice watch, excellent value. Certina are a bit 'under the radar' aren't they?
Certina DS Action Diver
That's an excellent watch for the money. Looks good and new swatch group powermatic 80hr automatic movement.
Went to change the strap on the bellmatics to discover an endlink is missing.
FFS.
Sinn is a handsome watch! Lovely
Wish I hadn't seen it 😉 (the Certina that is) although the Sinn is nice.
Sinn is very nice - I had a Yobokies homage, which I sold on here, so is the CWC, Polywatch it?
I've found that this Anus watch is really light (Ti) accurate (Mutiband radio) and would pass through LumeWars a couple of rounds. Been my 24/7 watch for a number of weeks now. Looks huge in image on my dainty wrists, but only 39mm and thin.
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Anus watch
Before I google that, I assume theirs a spelling mistake somewhere? On the light thin Casio front, I found the Casio Lineage last week, I'm very tempted, Sapphire, solar, thin, light, ani digi....
...but I'm desparetly trying to stop buying watches lol...
CASIO OCEANUS OCW-S100-1AJF Made in Japan
It's a sleeper of a watch.
Casio are making some really nice watches at the moment...but I keep coming back to this
I've just been offered a new job so wondering if I should treat myself....
What's there to wonder about?!
Looks good
Like the look of that, I'm a big fan of a non fussy face with a bit of colour, dream watch is a Speedmaster MK2 for this reason but that Yema could tide me over till I'm 50
The Yema looks good if you’re a Wacky Races fan.
I keep looking at the Navygraf, as the owner of an original fifty year old Rallygraf Super, which I’m a bit wary about wearing these days, as it’s not even close to water resistant, and a service and mainspring a couple of years or so ago cost me £460 I really don’t want to risk it, recently saw one going for £4100…
…the Navygraf I’ve seen for about £450-ish.
In-house movement, too, which is good. They used to use Valjoux, along with Breitling and many others over the years.
In-house movement, too, which is good.
I've seen this a lot as I've looked into watches. That an in-house movement is more desirable. Is this just a purity thing? Because on a practical level you might struggle to find someone to service a movement from a smaller watch maker.
For the Yema, I have seen people say it's actually just an Eta clone
Bang on.
Well yeah, Rolex do in-house movements, so other makers aspire to that kind of cachet
However, so do Vostok. 😁
Because on a practical level you might struggle to find someone to service a movement from a smaller watch maker.
As has been shown on this thread and others, finding anyone who can service a watch these days is difficult, but as most quality watches get sent back to the manufacturers should servicing be required, which is often only necessary every ten years or so, (my Yema didn’t get a service for fifty years!), then sending it back to Yema in France shouldn’t be an issue.
In-house movements do carry a certain cashet, just because so many brands use ETA, Seiko, Seagull, etc so it sets a brand apart, especially one like Yema who were a French maker, with a history, so obviously keen to recreate that.
Mine has a Valjoux movement, which seems to be almost the equivalent to an ETA for the period, 60’s into the 70’s, it pops up all over the place, but I think Yema are really trying to re-establish themselves as a major watch brand with something a bit different to offer, because they really lost their way for a long period, becoming a ‘fashion’ brand for Seiko during the 80’s. Mario Andretti the racing driver wore a Rallygraf, but his was the standard version with two complications, mine is the Super, with three, which I much prefer aesthetically.
There’s even a version where the white surround to the smaller dials is a wood-effect Formica, which really is a thing of the 60’s!
However, so do Vostok
Isn't Vostoks amphibia movement one of the more easily serviced in the world? It’s certainly agricutural, but then again they rarely break.
New watch day!
Seiko King Turtle “Save the ocean”. Dial is lovely. It is 45mm but wears smaller due to the cushion case. It’s certainly not a big as the photo suggests
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Isn’t Vostoks amphibia movement one of the more easily serviced in the world? It’s certainly agricutural, but then again they rarely break.
I've managed a few minor repairs on them, so yeah fairly easily serviced for a proper watch maker I'd imagine.
Reliable - if they work at all. On the Facebook Vostok group there are quite a lot of reports of watches DoA recently. Suspicion is factory quality has gone downhill in the last couple of years. Normally I'd be sceptical because everyone reports a failure but how many thousands work fine with no reports? except I had a brand new movement for a Komanderskie that didn't run out of the box. It's a bit of a lottery because they mostly come straight from Russian sources then the purchase cost and time shipping back and forth takes barely makes it worth bothering with if they fail early.
Nice watch, I know what you mean about the cushion case. I've got a Pantor which is a similar shape and it's the comfiest watch I've got.
For the Yema, I have seen people say it’s actually just an Eta clone
Yep. Over 1m spent on r&d according to the website and they've come up with a 2824 clone with a modification to the auto-winding.
OMFG this is lovely:
£500 - tempted. It'd complement my Samurai Save The Ocean
OMFG this is lovely:
That's rather nice, but then I do like a Monster. And £500 isn't too bad given the direction of travel for Seiko pricing these days.
href="https://www.60clicks.com/ultimate-seiko-monster-collectors-guide/#">If you like that, check out some of these LE bad boys!
edit - not sure how I cocked that link up but it sort of works so meh!
The only downside will be the bracelet. The clasp on mine is pressed metal and a bit cheap and rattly. Will either change the clasp or change the whole bracelet for a Strapcode
Decided to save £440 and get a Crafter Blue strap for my SRPC93!
Yep. Over 1m spent on r&d according to the website and they’ve come up with a 2824 clone with a modification to the auto-winding.
Turns out it's quite hard - another company's experience
Whats peoples view on homages such as Tissell, Loreo or Pagani? All asian cheap tat, or a decent watch with a few obvious flaws - would you wear one?
I'm really taken by the looks of the Pagani 007 homage on a mesh:
But really, I'm looking for a another reputable mid range "bracelet" watch thats not a Seiko. Any recommendations?
What’s mid-range? Maybe a Magrette on one of their bracelets?
I'd quite like something green, and with a bit of history. Maybe a visodate or similar like this:
I’ve been surprised at just how good my Yema really is (39mm Superman Bronze GMT - posted earlier in the thread). I just don’t wear any of my other watches now, and am enjoying watching the slow change in colour from when I originally got it.
Accuracy wise, it runs slightly fast (but within spec). My Tudor BB GMT is bang on, but has the sticky date issue so is going back for repair soon.
I still haven't bothered to list my green sumo if there anything interest. The Tissot looks fine! I've a white dial visodate, it's lovely but my least worn...I just like sports watches too much.
Just pulled my planet Ocean out for the first time in ages.... Bloody gorgeous.
another new version of the Alpinist is due which looks lush. And there’s a green version
I like that a lot, and prefer the look of the green one to the SARB017. I always thought the extra crown on the SARB017 unbalanced the look of the thing.
Green seems to be the current in colour. One thing I'll say after having one, they are nice but it's a colour that somehow doesn't do 'smart' or at least no where near as well as black, blue or white. As a weekend or summer fun watch, fine, and in that case I reckon the brighter the better.
I know you main criteria was not a Seiko, but another new version of the Alpinist is due which looks lush. And there’s a green version. Linky
Thanks, that looks very nice. I prefer that with the brown/grey dial and I do agree with you on the green, because last nice I was looking back & forth at the Tissot Green/Blue/Brown watches.
I don't agree about the "green doesn't do smart thing". Blue is a bit of a safe colour choice, and black or white are usually the dullest and most conservative picks from a range unless there's something interesting in the dial texture or something. Mind you, I don't really have "smart" watches and I'm a big fan of green so what do I know?
Anyone looking for a Rolex currently?
You'll look a long time
I treated my Samurai StO to a Crafter Blue strap. Not the cheapest at £62 but the quality and fit are amazing. It really sets off the watch.
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It's my only watch of any significance, but boy do I still love it - especially in the sun 🙂
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Aware I've posted it before, but not for a few years, and it's sunny so what the heck; It's gorgeous! (Happily will fight anyone that disagrees 😀)
This retro-style chronograph turned up on Flipboard the other day, and it’s described a having an ETA Valjoux 7750 movement, which confused me slightly. Is Valjoux a style of movement, or have ETA bought the Valjoux company? It’s OK-looking, but not really something I’d buy.
https://iwmagazine.com/detroit-watch-launches-retro-style-racing-chronographs/
I have a watch on now with an ETA Valjoux chronograph movement.
The movement was made by ETA and it’s a 7754 if I recall.
Valjoux made the 7750 (non-chrono) but not that many I think before getting bought out by ETA decades back.
I think all 7754 movements are actually ETA but often referred to as Valjoux ‘cos it sounds better.
https://calibercorner.com/eta-valjoux-caliber-7750/
ETA bought the rights to Valjoux’s caliber designs decades ago. Valjoux is ETA, pure and simple, which is no bad thing. As for in house being considered superior the reality was that many smaller watch manufacturers were forced to develop their own in house movements when The Swiss Watch Company who own ETA declared that they would only supply replacement parts to authorised repairers, forcing manufacturers to develop their own movements, you have to ask what you’d prefer in your watch, a tried and tested movement or one that was developed out of necessity.
I do wonder about the legitimacy of some of these 'ETA' movement claims considering ETA no longer supply to independents...
Well the ETA 7754 went out of production last year. My guess is that there are a good number of the movements in distributors or wholesalers stock effectively beyond ETA’s control.
I treated my Samurai StO to a Crafter Blue strap. Not the cheapest at £62 but the quality and fit are amazing.
I like the fit of mine too but find the keepers aren't snug enough so they move letting the end free. Ended up gluing one in place.
The Barton silicone straps get round that issue by having a square plug on the inside of one of the keepers that mates with a hole at the end of the strap. Super value for money at less than £20 but then they don't have that custom fit.