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Neil how much are you looking for the sumo?
I'll pm you
@Saccades - thank you for that, that’s useful info. There are two reasons for considering the 6R15, first there’s the improved power reserve, along with it being hackable, the second is that the watch is one I bought with money left me by my mum, so it has a sentimental value, but also the value of the SRP045K1 is going up due to the scarcity of the watch - it was only produced for about 20 months, wasn’t really a big hit, but collectors are now starting to appreciate it, and so is the value starting to appreciate, so I felt it might be worth spending a bit on a good Seiko calibre, I only paid about £250 for the watch, NOS, but they seem to be going for two to three times that.
It’s a very solid watch, if it’s got the original bracelet, it’s certainly noticeable on the wrist!
I know all about the spork (Inc yours from this and the original thread), it's been an appreciated model for quite some time, yobokies even did an skx007 mod version.
The NH15 is the same seiko movement as you have without the "SEIKO" branding on the rotor.
What you do, depends on your budget and sentimentality tbh.
At £220 for a new 6r15 it's worth getting your movement serviced rather than a new movement. This would by my option if it was from my mum.
If you want the same performance on a bit of a budget, £70 quid without the Seiko name (the spork doesn't have a display case back so only you would know) but made by Seiko gets a NH15 dropped in and have the original movement to get serviced in the future. This would be my option funds are tight at the mo. You could swap the rotors over (it's easy, even I did it once to sputter coat a rotor in gold) but as there is no display back there is no point.
If you are on a budget, get a nh35 dropped in. I'd rather not wear the watch and save up than do this tbh as jewellers costs are probably the greater chunk of the bill.
Or leave it 20 years like my dad's skx031 and then do something when it's ground to a paste.
Must have £25k of watches upstairs and am currently kicking about in a Citizen Eco Drive lol.
Plain military style watch and it really rocks.
Cost me £60 on the plane back from Gran Canaria haha.
@bullet you’ve been sucked in haven’t you? Isn’t that the 3rd in recent times? 😀
The reason I’m thinking of changing is I have seen another watch with a brighter green dial though that just made me go, ‘ wow!’
Do tell...
I think green dialled watches are my current favourite, with the Minase Horizon being at the top of the list.
But others I really like are the Hanhart Pioneer II limited edition, Seiko Presage SARX071, Millecheon Monarch and then right at the relative budget end of the scale, the Geckota G-01 green dial.
There's a few others too, mostly divers and infact the Boldr above comes in a nice green too.
Anyone here own a Tissot T-touch solar? It appeals to the inner geek in me, which, lets face it, is why watches hold such appeal anyway. Would be buying second hand, although they do seem to hold their value quite well. Worried it may look too big, and also it may go 'kaboom'. Anyone have any experience with one?
Thanks.
@Kryton57 - yep, proper watch geek now. Was the Speedmaster Moonwatch last year, the Steinhart for Xmas and now the Boldr 😀 Still get caught looking at Bremont's now but that may be a step too far!
I blame everyone on this thread 😉
Haha johnners! If you must know it's something rare that popped up on tz-uk sales corner and may be gone by now anyway. A limited edition JDM (one of 2018) modern 62mas. If it had been available when I first was hunting I may have got it then but it had sold out. It was a difficult choice anyway, although the 62mas has a brighter green dial that really appeals and is more my normal size then the 45 mm sumo, the sumo has a green bezel and the 6r35 movement. Hopefully Saccades will correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the 6r35 is the same as the 6r15 in the 62mas, but with a 70 hour per reserve, so it'll go a weekend unworn. However any fear the sumo was too big was misplaced and it's my most comfortable watch to wear!
A limited edition JDM (one of 2018) modern 62mas
Ah, I think I know the one. SBDC059/SPB081, an absolute beauty. One a limited release of 1000 and JDM, the other an international release of 2018. Other than that I don't know what the difference is and I've seen neither in the flesh. Both 6r15 with 50 hour reserve.
Yep, except I think it's 2018 for the JDM .. Not sure though
@Saccades - thanks, I’ll probably go for the NH15 version, I’m not so sentimental about the movement, those can and do go wrong, and fixing one like my SPORK has is clearly a non-starter. I did fork out £460 to have my fifty year old Yema fixed and serviced, but that’s now worth close on £4k, so worth it.
Having the SPORK’s movement serviced wouldn’t fix my reasons for wanting to change it, the ability to hack it - you can, with a bit of effort, ‘hold’ the second-hand while resetting the time, but it’s such a faff, compared to the movements in my two Heimdallr watches. Having that facility would encourage me to start wearing it a lot more as well.
Having the SPORK’s movement serviced wouldn’t fix my reasons for wanting to change it, the ability to hack it
It's nice to have but tbh I don't really get the big deal with hacking unless you're dealing with a COSC certified watch. The worst you'll be setting it is 30 seconds out and that's no big deal for an ordinary mechanical. If it tends to lose a few seconds set it ahead, if it gains set it behind. I've an Orient that gains about 15 seconds a day, it's a waste of time worrying about setting that bugger to the second!
@johnners - yes, I know it’s a minor irritant, but being able to hand-wind is useful, and I found another irritating feature of the SPORK’s movement this morning when I dug it out to wear having not done so for over a year, and that’s the date change! With the more modern movements like in my Heimdallr watches, if the watch has been sat unused for a while, changing the date just involves pulling out the winder one click, then winding backwards, takes a few seconds; with the SPORK, it had stopped on the 17th, and you have to wind forwards continuously to change the date every twenty-four hours, which took several minutes.
But it’s not just that, honestly, the movement won’t be improved by an expensive service, and I’ve always felt that the watch is so well made, it’s under-served by the movement Seiko put in it, it really deserves a much better calibre, and if it can be done for £70, which is a lot less than a service, then I consider it worth every penny.
I may have cracked
Woah there Count Zero.
The NE15 is a direct like for like swap with the 6R15, it just doesn't have the Seiko branding
It does not have hacking.
To get a better movement with hacking you are looking at the (divers?) 8L35 and maybe Rob at monsterwatches can get you one but you'll pay through the nose.
I'm not familiar with the 6R35 to know if that has hacking, but again as a Seiko branded movement it's going to cost you.
I don't think you need hacking unless you can get the movement to cosc standards (and it stays there).
I've never really understood the fuss about hacking, likewise sapphire crystals and ceramic bezels. Not only am I not fussed if a watch doesn't have them, in some watches I'd specifically prefer them not to have them.
6r35 in my sumo hacks
Stevet1
My other half has a Tissot t touch solar that he got whilst coming through GVA after a ski trip. I left him alone to go for drinks with a friend in the BA lounge and when we met up again he'd bought that watch !
Anyway, he's had it for about 8 years and it most definitely has not gone kaboom. It's not as big as some of his watches (Brietling Chrono Avenger), it's not bulky and it is fairly lightweight. The functions appeal to his geeky side (he's got a big inner geek) and it's the watch he takes when we go skiing as it's got an altimeter and that's handy when ski touring.
The original watch strap died which is a shame but he replaced and it looks great. Feel free to message if you want any more information.
with the SPORK, it had stopped on the 17th, and you have to wind forwards continuously to change the date every twenty-four hours, which took several minutes
Well that does sound like a right Kommandirskie-level PITA. Surely it's broken though? I've a couple of 7s26 movements in an SKX779 and a SNK805, both with day/date and they can be advanced on the first click out. Even my old 70s 7005-8042 will do that.
Anyway CZ, broken or whatever, hacking or not, I'm definitely with you that £70 or so is a bargain if it puts a watch you love back on your wrist more regularly.
Woah there Count Zero.
The NE15 is a direct like for like swap with the 6R15, it just doesn’t have the Seiko branding
It does not have hacking.
Are you sure about that? The 6r15 in my Alpinist hacks.
Thanks sprootlet, appreciate the review. You're not helping though as I'd just about decided to be sensible and leave it. I have Suunto Observer Ti already which is another ABC watch, but the Tissot is just... well.. cooler.
It was late and beery when I answered - no tbh, my Seiko movements are mainly 7s and 4r
I was going off count zero saying no hacking on his spork and wanted him to be aware that it was a like for like.
The 4r15 calibre is non-hacking, and date adjustment is by winding the hands forward - I checked the date adjustment against online references to that movement.
Putting a 6r15 or NE15 would actually bring the SRP045K up to a Prospex standard, quality-wise, and they retail around £750, so even going for a 6r15 would bring my total outlay up to £475ish, and considering just how much gets spent modding SKX007’s and the overall quality of the spork and the short time it was available, I honestly think it would actually be worth it; they were only in production for 22 months, from 2009 into 2011.
One reviewer has been checking serial numbers, his earliest was May 2009, 95xxxx, latest February 2011, 12xxxx; mine is 960xxx, so early/mid 2010, or thereabouts.
Seeing as I’m highly unlikely to ever part with it, and value/scarcity equation means it’s unlikely to ever really drop in value anyway.
The 4r15 and 6r15 do both have a 50 hour power reserve, which is nice to have as well...
😁
The SPORK has a one piece crown and stem and you might need to change this to work with the new movement. I'm not sure if there are any aftermarket or alternative crowns for a SPORK so something to look into before buying a new movement for it.
If I wanted to build my own watch, well assemble really, where would I start?
I’m thinking dress watch, stainless case, white dial, simple, refined, bit of lume, only time needed, date ok.
I assume I need case (with crystal, crown and back), movement, hands, dial, tools to assemble it - anything else?
Any recommendations where to look?
Would I be better modifying a watch that’s similar to what I’m after?
How bad a mess am I likely to make? (I can index gears and set brake callipers 😉)
This is not quite my style but I really like it
San Martin Diver Watch 6200 Retro Water Ghost https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0Zi6Rp
@igm - there are a few options for kit builds which would probably be the best place to start, you'd at least know the parts "should" fit together even if it doesn't seem like it when you're doing it plus you get the correct tools etc as well for when you want to go off-piste with your own builds.
I've often fancied it but I'm cackhanded at the best of times let alone with something small and fiddly.
If I wanted to build my own watch, well assemble really, where would I start?
If it were me I'd start with either a Seiko SKX 007/009 or a Vostock Komanderskie/Amphibia. You've got a massive range of mod parts for both and both are relatively inexpensive if you really bugger something up, but robust so it's fairly unlikely anyway. And of course you start with everything you need the right size so you can measure stuff to ensure you are buying compatible bits.
There are loads of modding video's on YouTube and definitely at least one longer film about buying all the bits to make from scratch if you really want to go that way.
I’m thinking dress watch, stainless case, white dial, simple, refined, bit of lume, only time needed, date ok.
If it were me I’d start with either a Seiko SKX 007/009 or a Vostock Komanderskie/Amphibia
Now that's what I call a challenging modding project!
Now that’s what I call a challenging modding project!
Ha - I skimmed past that bit, but you can get plain chamfered bezels for the Vostok's that make them look much less diver-y.
@igm, I've mulled over the same idea before, once you've fiddled with and modded a couple of watches (probably the best place to start really) you do start considering the idea of designing and making your own somehow, there's a huge variety of movements so you could start off with something cheaper and go from there...
I'd say it's probably useful look at all the parts you can get from somewhere like cousins, that gives you an idea of what you'd need, and watch a few of the watchmaking tutorial type videos you can find on YT, many are long and somewhat dull TBH, but then you probably need to be aware of just what's involved.
Lot's of people probably run out of ability and/or patience before they get as far as doing a movement swap, so designing and assembling a watch is probably more of a commitment than you might initially appreciate...
Hmmm.
Might get one of those kits and take it from there.
Took an iPhone 4 apart for a screen swap and most of it worked afterwards.
I should be ok.
All, can I pick your brains.....
Got a SKX031 which is in fair condition, however second hand fell off after I dropped it, doh!!
Two trains of though:
1. Get it repaired and possibly modded, new movement, dial, hands etc. Any recommendations?
2. Buy a new watch, much like the SKX031, again any recommendations?
I like the size and fit of the 031 as a guide, thanks.
Evening all,
Thanks to this thread, unbeknown to me, it seems that I have Omega Seamaster 2254 shaped hole that needs filling!
Not having ever bought a 2nd hand watch, I’m not quite sure how to go about getting one and what I should be asking...
For example
What years was the watch made?
Can I check the serial number myself?
Should I be concerned about the service history
Is getting a 15 year watch an issue?
What else should I be asking/thinking about and any recommendations for a reputable seller.
Thanks for your help...
There's one in tz-uk sales corner now, priced at £2550.
That may not help, if you aren't a member you can't get access for ages.
Find a dealer you trust. Service history, or rather when it was last serviced, gives confidence. If it's not been serviced for say... Over 5 years, then budget for a service.
Oh and 15 year old watch, not an issue. It'll be good for another 100.
Not sure where the serial number is, think it might be in the case near) on a lug but visible on that. Some watches (eg Rolex) have it between the lugs so you need to remove the bracelet/strap.
Thanks Neil. Tz-Uk seems unlikely in the short term, having just seen the conditions...!
Appreciate the reassurance of the age of the watch.
Anyone know trusted dealers in the south east?
Got a SKX031 which is in fair condition, however second hand fell off after I dropped it, doh!!
If it's otherwise working it should just be a matter of unscrewing the back, popping out the crown, dropping out the movement and carefully replacing the second hand. No point doing any more if you don't have to. All of that will be easily found on YouTube though the only bit that isn't necessarily obvious is pushing the wee lever that holds the crown in. And make sure you replace the second hand pointing to 12 with the minute hand hitting an index or everyone will point and laugh.
If you're really after a new watch (and why not?) then it's hard to recommend any replacement in particular because there's just so much around that looks similar to yours but if I was particularly after an affordable Seiko around 40mm the SRPE61K1 is a handsome watch. No rotating bezel so not diver-y looking but most of the Seiko 5 dive style watches are 42mm which you might find a bit bigger than you're used to.
I can recommend Paul at Tempus Watch Mods. My SKX007 is less than a year old and was losing about 2-3 minutes a week. I contacted him to ask about a movement upgrade and he actually dissuaded me from upgrading the movement, saying that although 20 seconds a day is within spec for the 7S26 movement he could almost certainly regulate it to be more accurate.
I sent the watch off and asked him to replace the bezel insert with a ceramic one as close to original as possible, and fit a flat sapphire to it too - I wanted a functional upgrade but didn't want it to look significantly different.
He did a superb job. The watch is now keeping great time, it's lost 15 seconds in the last two weeks (which I do understand is better than can usually be expected) and the new bezel and sapphire look great without dramatically altering the watch's aesthetic, in my opinion:
@johnners & Pierre, thanks. Watch needs a new bezel as mines a bit scuffed, I may attempt myself and buy a watch repair kit from the 'bay.
The Timefactors website opened for orders this afternoon and I’ve gone for a Baby Dreadnought. Hopefully it won’t be too small...
Was thinking about selling my 2254 now I’ve moved on to an IWC. Has been my daily wearer for last 6 years so isn’t mint with a few battle scars but would polish up. Prob due a service but would price to reflect this. Has the box and manual. Can send some pics at the weekend if you like?
Not really the type of thing that this thread goes for but I'm selling a brand new in box and unworn, never even turned on Wahoo smart watch for £250 on the classifieds if anyone's after something gadgety to go with their actual watches?