Forum menu
mrsheen! well done!
do you know anything about them?
I'm a historian by education but just did a search of the letter numbers online.
This might be a good place to start albeit a different watch?:
https://mb.nawcc.org/threads/ww2-german-timer-u-jagd.31389/
Reddit thread too:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ww2/comments/gdp0i4/ww2_german_stopwatch_my_british_grandpa_took_off/?utm_source=amp&utm_medium=&utm_content=comments_view_all
Cheers.! It seems mine is not a Junghanns, the triangle mark on the dial is maker Hermann Bark, Kiel. Kiel being the home of the u-boat fleet.
Correction, circle in triangle means its a Dugena made stopwatch, used for timing torpedoes. In decent condition it could be a few/high hundreds quid, in its .....patina'd condition it'll be less I guess!
in its …..patina’d condition it’ll be less I guess!
Conversely, collectors often prefer a watch to be in untouched original condition, but it’s always difficult to judge these things.
Personally, I’d at least see if I could find someone who could reset the Crystal in its correct position, and clean all the tape residue off.
yeah I am trying to find out a bit more about it and will then make a decision but may get it serviced. However it has no sentimental value so its likely that any action will be chosen according to cost and payback. It was working yesterday but today its not, and I cannot open the back either.
Cookeaa, I have just noticed that your gshock with the negative display has dd/mm. Whereas the other has mm/dd. Is the option of dd/mm specific to that watch? I’d like to be able to set my gshock the same, but I don’t think it’s possible.
Anyone fancy the idea of competitive watch buying? Suggestion politely ignored because it's rubbish, or just missed because of neilneville's spectacular stopwatch?
It's an interesting idea but not for me, I'd only buy something I thought was cool and if I thought it was cool I'd want to keep it!
I saw it but was distracted by my 'spectacular'? no... intriguing and baffling and apparently quality but not that uncommon stopwatch.
it might be fun, we need some limits though
tthew - could be interesting but you need to set a price cap and require proof of purchase for your suggestion to be viable.
Cookeaa, I have just noticed that your gshock with the negative display has dd/mm. Whereas the other has mm/dd. Is the option of dd/mm specific to that watch? I’d like to be able to set my gshock the same, but I don’t think it’s possible.
Yep it's a GW-B5600 and you can change date display and I think language via the app.
Anyone fancy the idea of competitive watch buying? Suggestion politely ignored because it’s rubbish, or just missed because of neilneville’s spectacular stopwatch?
It's an interesting idea but I think you'd have to set a sensible budget limit (personally I'd not want to give away a watch that I'd spent more than ~£20 on, or indeed receive one) and maybe have a loose brief. Maybe it's got to be an up-front opt in thing just to stop people backing out later. Perhaps the best option would be names in a hat secret santa style, no posting images or details once you've bought it, instead send it straight on to the random recipient, who then has to post an image and a mini review...
Although as Ivan points out if I bought something I liked, I'd probably want to hold on to it...
Competitive watch buying - well I thought about £20 to £30, but it depends how generous you want to be/how desperate you are to win!
if I bought something I liked, I’d probably want to hold on to it…
Ah that's the rub! Risk/reward or whatever. I'm sure we'll all try to buy something interesting, that's kind of the point. You MAY be unlucky, that's the part of the game, (but you can't win if you're not willing to swap at the end)
edit -
Perhaps the best option would be names in a hat secret santa style, no posting images or details once you’ve bought it, instead send it straight on to the random recipient, who then has to post an image and a mini review…
Yep, that's a good suggestion, I like that!
70s Seiko SQ are a great value proposition. Picked this up for about £50 as the blue dial is a bit rarer but £30 should get a good example with a white face (e.g.). Mine's only 33mm so should feel tiny but wears really well.
I am trying to find a nice small all day/every day watch for under £50, preferably with date. That Seiko is absolutely spot on for what I would like. Any pointers where I could pick something simialr up for that sort of money?
I'd be up for the competitive watch buying if we set the limit at £30, and we can do it Secret Santa stylee. Any way we can do it so literally no-one knows who bought for who?
eBay, 'Seiko SQ'. There's loads of them - set up a saved search and keep an eye on it for a few weeks and you'll get a good idea for values. There's two general styles, the ones with the more Gothic applied 'SQ' logo and another that's a bit more Comic Sans. Some on bracelets, some on straps. Not much to go wrong with really.
Tissot Seastars can also be great VFM, both autos and quartz for less than a ton.
Or Seiko 5, cos then it's an automatic with day/date too. Tonnes of styles available, some lovely stuff for under £50
Update on my stop watch, I was wrong on the maker, circle inside triangle is Dugena. The M denotes naval issue. The N/G denotes Nordelph Group, which makes it an earlier example.
I've had the back open, nothing much to see.
I've had the bezel off but realized it's slightly dented and the crystal pops in from the front, which it doesn't want to do. I can see this was dropped in its past, bezel dented and crystal popped, not needed it was put away and forgotten.
Oh and it runs bang on for a minut against my sumo but I can't wind it. Hmmm.
Advice from my friendly local watch guy was bung on eBay as is. Repair of dial very costly, and his guy won't service it incase it needs a part. I'm still trying to work out where it came from. Have recalled dad's uncle was a bomber crew flight engineer, shot down and killed over France just after d-day. We have his medals and bits and although this watch wasn't with them could RAF have used so Dugena stop watches? But then the M and N/G throw a spanner in our being issued to him....so still no wiser.
Has the competitive watch buying idea fizzled?
I'd still be up for it, but this being ostensibly a bike forum shouldn't we combine it with some sort of bicycle related angle?
I like the idea of a recipient receiving a set of over elaborate geo-cache type instructions, spending them halfway across the country that they have to cycle to for their "prize"...
When they finally get round to it six months later they can fish a knackered vostok and a picture of a stranger giving them the finger out of an old biscuit tin.
Has the competitive watch buying idea fizzled?
No, but I've been busy the last few days. I'll post the 'official' rules later based on suggestions above and put a call out to confirm who's in.
I like the idea of a recipient receiving a set of over elaborate geo-cache type instructions, spending them halfway across the country that they have to cycle to for their “prize”…
When they finally get round to it six months later they can fish a knackered vostok and a picture of a stranger giving them the finger out of an old biscuit tin.
🤣🤣 I don't THINK I'll use that suggestion, but it entertained me nonetheless. I've never been fingered from a biscuit tin.
Right, here we go, the official Multi-coloured STW Watch Swap.
(one for the kids there)
Rule one applies*
Anyone who is playing buys the best watch they can for between £20 and £30.
Any age, style, type of watch but it must tell the time, (so no stopwatches or mechanical pedometers however cool they are). Must be working and not completely wrecked.
You don't get to keep the watch you buy, you send it off to another player who will be randomly allocated by HAL-9000 and their name and address supplied to you by PM.
You will receive another watch in the post from your associate Horologist.
When that arrives, post up some pictures of the watch, tell us about it and what you think of it.
If you recognise the watch as the one you posted, you don't have to confess it was you that sent it, (saves embarrassment if the recipient hates it) but you can of you wish.
Once all watches are swapped, each player will vote for their favorite, (maybe favorites 2 if there's enough players) and HAL-9000 will collate the scores and declare the winning watch.
Watches should be supplied to the recipient by the end of August 2020, that should be enough time to find and get a watch sent even from abroad and with slow post if you get it from eBay.
Watches can be sourced from anywhere, charity or 'antique' (junk) shops, the internets, Hatton Garden safety deposit boxes etc.
You need to let me know your name and address (probably that's best by PM) as soon as you can to join in.
GO!
If you have any other or better suggestions, happy to have them.
*Yeah, that rule one.
I'm going to the pub now. See you later.
Tempted by the watch swap.
Maybe have a deadline every month or whatever frequency for people to opt in so you'd have definite numbers?
Sod it, for £20 I’m in. PM sent.
... deadline every month...
Just going to do it once for now!
Only one PM from IHN so far, two other players so far, thanks for the PM's (which I'll reply to in a bit) I'll maybe send out a few of my own to try and drum up some interest. 👍
D'Oh! how stupid am I? I couldn't wind the stopwatch as...it was fully wound. I set it going Friday afternoon and put it back in the drawer. left it until late last night when it had stopped after running for either 18 minutes 10 seconds or 18+30, or 18+60, or... anyway it then wound fine. So I wound it andset it going again, which needed a gentle shake to start it off. Still running some 14 hours later.
Through MWR forum I'm in contact with a collector of them.
Right, after a bikepacking overnighter last week I've decided I "need" a new watch for such occasions. I had been thinking of an Instinct Solar but given Garmin's ongoing issues I might give that a miss.
So the criteria are:
Tough - quartz not auto
Waterproof - 100m minimum
Legible - not g-shock
Sub £200 so I can lose it in a tent - not 100% set in stone, not even 50% set in stone tbh.
Analog - not Casio FW91
42mm+ -
I've got a couple of contenders in mind but let's see what the STW watch fam comes up with...
Casio SGW-100, not a G-Shock or a Pro-trek so less bulky:
200m water resistant, has a much bigger, more legible display and good backlight, has a few other G-shock features, world time, stopwatch, timer, multiple alarms, mineral glass, also includes a pointless compass and thermometer.
48mm dia/13mm thick but doesn't wear that big.
Can be had for just £35... It's one of my prefered knock about watches.
Whoops missed your Analogue requirement.
Timex expedition?
They come in a few different flavours standard or chronograph mostly as field watches, can be had in 40 and 42mm with a good 'indiglo' backlight...
Right, after a bikepacking overnighter last week I’ve decided I “need” a new watch for such occasions.
There's this MRW-200H, currently on Amazon for <£20. I've got one and love it but TBH that's not a great deal, they've been <£15 for about a year until recently they went down to a tenner for a couple of weeks before doubling in price to a mighty £20. I can't vouch for the toughness because I've not battered mine, and the lume's piss-poor but it's still a little beauty. So light you won't know you're wearing it.
If you want something lumpier with a bit of wrist presence there's this Phoibos for a ton. Or make me an offer for mine, I'm just not wearing it so it's a bit spare in the collection at the moment. Again though, the lume's not great if that's important to you.
I've also got a Casio SGW-100 as recommended by cookeaa ^^. Obviously not analogue if you're firm on that but a good backlight, and who doesn't want a built in thermometer so you can keep an eye on the temperature in the immediate vicinity of your wrist?
Other than that, get yourself on to Aliexpress and marvel at what a 100 quid's worth of low environmental standards and worker's rights can get you.
edit - I've just remembered you're bit of an Orient afficionado - what about the Kamasu? Great lume, sapphire and 200m WR for well under £200 so fits all your requirements.
@cookea - Timex is a good shout but I already have a Mk1 field watch, great little thing to be fair but the tick is ridiculously loud and the lume is pretty basic although it does have indiglo which is mega. It's also very low-profile, literally and metaphorically, which is nice, nothing too expensive looking if I'm somewhere unsavoury. It is a touch small though which is why I'm looking elsewhere. A lot of their other field watches have a 24hr subdial which clutters things up a bit.
@johnners - I remember seeing that Casio and thought would be worth a look but again, the 24hr dial looks a bit busy for what I want and ideally I'm after some decent lume, tritium etc for in tent wrist checks (not a euphemism) so that rules out the Phoibos as well - although that style was a bit blingy for scrabbling around in the dirt in anyway.
I'd prefer to stay away from an automatic for this and stick with quartz for durability, more from the constant vibrations of being on the bike than impact etc. But yes, I have been eyeing up the Orients!
Yeah, definitely forget the MRW and the PX002 if you're going to want to know the time more than an hour after either of them has seen good daylight and of course the Kamasu isn't quartz so not totally friendly for occasional wear. Your £200 max budget isn't going to make any shortlist all that short but go on Ivan, what's in the running so far?
So, in the lead currently is the trusty Citizen eco-drive diver BN0150-28E. With discount I can get this for approx £150 so very tempting.
I also like the Elliott Brown Halton, I've got a Canford already and like the finishing etc so the Halton should be of a similar quality. Having said that the company seems to have gone a bit OTT with some of its military marketing, plus it's a bit over my budget!
Hmmm, no idea where the links/images have gone - they were in the text field but nothing was showing.
The Holton looks nice but as you say they've trowelled on the military stuff a bit and to be frank, (tightwad that I am) well North of £400 to case a Ronda 715 movement is a piss take. The solid strap bars are a nice touch though. The Citizen would do the job and obvs the ISO Diver's certification will come in handy if you get a bit of rain while you're bikepacking.
We have 5 'haute horologists' for the watch-swap so far. @mrsheen @cookeaa @frankconway @neilnevill you all expressed vague interest, come join us. It'll only cost you a few quid and hopefully you'll get something nice, or at least surprise that you'd maybe not have bought yourself.
Send me a PM if you're in.
Can I suggest that when we're assigned our lucky recipients, we're just given the address and not the STW moniker? Just to keep it properly blind, like.
Then again, I hope you all like f-91s 😉
Count me in, I may have already found a fleabay delight for someone...
Yep, you were already on the list Lunge. Thanks cookeaa, can you PM me your address.
Can I suggest that when we’re assigned our lucky recipients, we’re just given the address and not the STW moniker? Just to keep it properly blind, like.
I can do, but you're going to know who it went to when the pictures go up. You may never know who sent yours though unless they confess after a glowing review.
Or can we do shady looking Railway station handovers with code names and pass phrases?
My code name will be "Strawberry Falcon"
I'll be wearing a Hawaiian shirt and different coloured shoes.
The Pass phrase is "Can you direct me to platform seven?"
The response is "I've never been good at Riddles"
Ivan I’d be buying the Instinct solar. Don’t be put off by the Garmin hack, it’s happened to most organisations in the world and very likely the one you bank with, so they are not the first and won’t be the last. Besides, now that it’s happened, they’ll be all the stronger for it.
It’s a great watch and very tough, although If £200 is your limit then just get the prior non solar version which still has 14 days of battery for smart watch /hr Use.
Yeah, on paper the Instinct/solar is the one I should get but the Garmin shenanigans are a bit off-putting, not because of the hack itself but more because its a reminder that it's a piece of "technology" and as such will probably be (perceived as) outdated in a couple of years.
On the other hand something like the citizen is going to seem the same in 10 years as it is today.
That's a fair point. I must admit my marmite G shock (GST-B200G-2AER) keeps coming out to play, because it plays a dual role of looking ok and being tough and solar. The instinct though is more informative and tent-usable for bike days - easier to set alarms, understand sunset/sunrise, be alerted to phone messages when your phone is on the bottom of a bag.
If you only want to tell the time and have it never run out, a solar citizen/seiko/G is definitely the way to go. There a shop with a discount Arnie re-release although £375, I've consider selling the G Shock and buying that.
Happy new watch day to me
[img] 
[/img]