I would like a vintage Seiko SUS 4S15 “Military” but I doubt I can afford one.

Some very nice return of Seiko SUS collecton.

One day I will get a Grand Seiko Hi-Beat.

Or some cheap Orient Star.

Interesting articles chewkw. There’s a quartz one on eBay for less than £200 delivered, looks in quite nice condition in the photos.

Clicky.

I’ve been lurking on this thread for ever – love to see N+1! Haven’t really had much to contribute, but I was reflecting a bit on the post by @kryton57 shopping for n+1 a short while ago, and being a bit bummed out.

I have a bunch of watches, I mostly these days wear Garmin fennix tracking things but have a wee collection of mechanical and quartz too. At the top of the pile is a 1998 Rolex GMT master II, which is now worth so much I hardly every wear it. On the back of @kryton57’s thoughts I ordered a San Martin Tudor BB copy, for I think a total bargain (~ four tanks of diesel for my VW van).

I opted for the Chinese copy of the Tudor movement rather than the more expensive generic Swiss caliber. While it was on order I was inspired to resurrect a 1996 Seiko Kinetic diver which means a lot to me, and I was well chuffed to get it running agin, but the San Martin has completely blown me away. Makes my 25 year old Rolex seem a bit lacking, and it is running at an astonishing +2 a day. This thing is very very good. Anyway just thought you guys might like to know …

Nice piece @cojacal. If I had a ’98 GMT Master 2 I’d be wearing that though! Or rather, if I didn’t dare wearing it, better to sell it. My best mate has a 2008 116710LN. Last summer he’d stopped wearing it as it was running badly and he was nervous. I told him to get it properly serviced, and he opted for the full polish as well. Result, he’s back in love with it and wearing it daily!

Nice piece @cojacal.

Indeed. This – and a recommendation from my cycling coach that I change tack slightly and acceptably lower results in different races – has got me thinking philosophically. We aren’t all on the same rung of life’s ladder so maybe if I want a piece with Snowlflake hands it doesn’t need to cost me several thousand pounds. I’ll go and have a lot at San Martin, knowing the Aliexpress Sale starts tomorrow….

Good call! Sounds like happiness is your way again

Ha, what timing!

Good call! Sounds like happiness is your way again

Well maybe not, maybe I’m being too impatient.

Oh dear!

I could go half way and buy a GS Lite aka a Sharp edge GMT….

Seiko Presage Watch Sharp Edged GMT

Strap changing question:

My instinct appears to have pins 22mm long and 2.5mm diameter with the little spring loaded bits at the ends being about 1.5mm diameter. My new strap only has holes in it for ~1.8mm pins which will presumably have thinner ends. Are the pins just going to rattle about?

Is there a solution I’m not seeing?

Shouldn’t do. Seiko tend to use fat bars, but the ends are the same I believe.

Anyone own a San Martin or bought direct from them or Aliexpress?  Fancy a cheap beater but having an internal debate about whether a Chinese homage at £300 is actually a cheap beater

Nearly new stuff at WatchGecko. Some interesting, some less so.

Nearly New Watches

@Kryton57, how about a Grand Seiko Heritage Collection SBGX261.
I know it’s not a GMT, but it’s a really smart looking watch. Chrono24 has a nice one for £1200. The Chrono24 links never seem to work but I’m sure you’ll find it.

Or a Grand Seiko Sport Collection
GMT SBGN003 39mm 2021 Box and Papers on Chrono 24 for £2200.

I’d personally prefer a Grand Seiko myself.

Thanks for those tips Woodster, I’ll have a look.

I need to be more patient and wait for the Watch I get a feeling about – not just a twitching wallet over objects.

Will have to pause now anyway because Mrs K just lost her job. With the above para in mind I think it’s a sign… 🙂

Got to try on a Black Bay Ceramic yesterday at my AD. It’s a bit of a grail watch for me, but was a real disappointment on the wrist. Slight too big, but (in my view) far too thick. I think that Tudor has taken on board the criticism that some of the 41mm Black Bays look a bit too slab sided, so made the sides thinner and made space for the movement by making quite a domed case back. This has the effect that the watch felt very perched on the wrist (kind of held off the wrist by the thick case back). Really hoping that they do a Black Bay 58 Ceramic which could be my perfect watch (I currently wear, and love, a Black Bay 58 blue which I would have sold for the Ceramic).

After much procrastination I decided against the Breitling Superocean and went for a Tudor Black Bay GMT instead.

Just a bit more versatile I think:

It is definitely chunky for a 41mm (particularly in height as mentioned above) but looks quite small on my wrist I think. I am used to much bigger watches mind you.

Looks very good on you Robz, my wrists are too skinny for it though

I walked pass the shopping mall this afternoon and saw some 2nd hand Rolex with price tag of £32k++. How much!!! I had to stop to double check the price tag again. Crikey!

Okay I’ve had my Seiko Prospex LX SNR035 for a couple of weeks, time to share my thoughts.

Seiko position the LX as the top of the line Seiko. Its a Grand Seiko just doesn’t say ‘Grand’. its got the hallmark spring drive movement, its got the hallmark Zaratsu polished case. But….
I had my doubts on this as its seems a mishmash of design ideas. its DLC coated which kinda hides the zaratsu polish. Now DLC is a hard coating and it should resist the scratches but its not impervious to them. in fact this has some marks on it, and look on ebay you’ll see others that are beaten up. there lies the problem. in time a worn and beaten DLC can look cool but …well….why pay for zaratsu and then DLC? a bare metal zaratsu would scratch, but could be refinished, re zaratsu’d by seiko, but a DLC finished case can’t, or at least it would costa fortune! its like seiko are saying…’Roll up boys! look at our amazing mirror polishing, its beautiful!….honest its there…look hard…under the dlc…see how the dlc shines? yes thats the zaratsu, goo isn’t it?! Enjoy!…..while you can asit won’t last.’ Hmm
okay mish mash aside, some pros and cons.
Its nearly a grand seiko…but its not. its not got an amazing dial. the dial has a slight shimmer and th applied indices are very…black zaratsu….but well its no snowflake. Other than that though it is very good….you don’t get spring drive ANYWHERE ELSE! and my word…that smoothly sweeping second hand is indeed mesmeric. I can even enjoy the power regulator as it shows off the spring drive inside.

Its Titanium. and unlike my Pelagos this watch is LIGHT, very light. I’m used to big chunks of metal like my Planet Ocean and Bronze C60 trident so TBH it feels too light, plastic-y and cheap. The feel of the crown and the feel of the friction 24 hours bezel are a little cheap too so overall it doesn’t feel like £5k of watch. The lightness can be a pro too though, and I am getting used to it.

its stealthy…even the dial and hands….which means its not the most legible. its not bad…the hour and minute are fine so reading the time is fine, but the second hand is virtually invisible bsr the lume and its rectum, and the gmt hand is only visible by the pointer at its tip. the 24 hour markings on he bezel, and those on the chapter ring (it gives the time in 3 time zones) are faint too. i feel I need my reading glasses to read this watch more than my others.

The seiko OEM croc leather strap is thin flexible and very comfy. I generally avoid leather straps as they don’t last on sport watches that get sweaty, swam with and showered with. its nice though.

There is black, and there’s black. This DLC…isn’t quite black. not to my eyes. its avery dark chocolate brown. its warm, deeply warm and beautiful, not cold black. I’ve ordered a brown sail cloth and a couple of cheap chunky brown straps to , i hope, bring out the brown.

Its BIG.. its 45 mm. but it fits my 16cm wrist. I was confident it would as its the same size and shape as the sumo i had. seiko do big very well, with heavily chamfered undercut sides and firmly curved down lugs, the watch hugs the wrist perfectly and combined with the light weight and comfy strap make for a very comfy watch.

Visually its not as big as you think.. don’t get me wrong, no 45mm watch with this thickness doesn’t have presence, but its dlc stealth hides its size. That and the seiko badge make it an excellent stealthy, under the radar luxury watch that I’d happily wear anywhere.

Overall…I would not buy this new and pay £5k for it. I’d save £500 more and get a Grand Seiko SBGE 275 or 277 Hotaka peaks. they are same size, evolution cases, stainless steel abd with fantastic dials and beautiful sapphire bezels. I don’t consider this LX a ‘Grand Seiko’ However I paid a lot less. £2100. at that price I consider it just a high end prospex like a MM300 and compared to a watch like that it P155es all over them. I’ll keep it. Or at least I’ll keep it unless I were to get a stonking deal on a SBGE275/277 or such like.

I really like the look of that Seiko but can’t help but think that it would look better on a rubber or nato strap. The leather looks almost too dressy for the size of it. Perhaps it’s just the angle of the photo.

Speaking of Seiko I have an SKX007j en route that I am going to tinker with (or pay someone to tinker with).

Tend to agree with that. It is a huge great unsubtle sports watch and dlc’d out to tool up the look to eleven … Then stuck on an expensive croc leather strap! Ok in person if doesn’t seem quite so bad, but it’s another mush Mish of design ideas that just feels wrong. If I didn’t find rubber sweaty I’d have it on a rubber, but I’m going for my usual sailcloth, ie a NATO look without the thickness of extra strap beneath the case. A couple of the brown leather straps I ordered are also at the beaten or brutish end of the scale too not dressy, so I think they will suit much better. The wife seems to like the croc though 🙄

I like your Tudor much more than the breitling, good choice. Is it really 41mm? It looks almost as big as my seiko.

@neilnevill

How about these? Less bulk than a Nato, nice deployment and look nice in the flesh.

20mm or 22mm only though.

ZULUDIVER OctoPod

Perhaps this one with a black buckle?

ZULUDIVER OctoPod Watch Strap – Oman

Look up mithical watch straps on eBay, the premium canvas sailcloth, and the vintage cracked leather, both in brown

Very nice Robz. Have the same watch and switch between the bracelet and a Vanguard fitted rubber strap

Do you people wear these watches in public? Here in France they’ve become a target for thieves that’s enough of a trend to make the national news headlines.

https://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/vols-de-montres-de-luxe-a-paris-le-malfaiteur-usait-dune-technique-magique-pour-detrousser-ses-victimes-17-09-2022-ADA5RGOGZRBUXPAUDSEUOG4ONU.php

https://www.tf1info.fr/justice-faits-divers/video-le-fleau-des-vols-de-montres-a-l-arrache-2229193.html

https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/vol-de-montres-de-luxe-a-nice-1666616371

https://www.ladepeche.fr/2022/10/18/montauban-on-lui-vole-sa-rolex-de-plus-de-10-000-euros-au-poignet-10746174.php

Yes I wear my watches anywhere, cycling, in the office, Central London, Croydon, wherever. I’m fairly aware of them though, they are under a cuff if I’m at all concerned. There have been a lot of violent muggings for Rolex, patek, ap, VC watches though, it’s not just France.

I have a Breitling Transocean for daily wear and an Omega DeVille for ‘occasions’.

Do you people wear these watches in public? Here in France they’ve become a target for thieves that’s enough of a trend to make the national news headlines

It’s cool. I don’t live in France, unfortunately…

I would really love to live in France!

Wear mine in public, in France (Aix-en-Provence). And my Rolex is pretty tame in comparison to the watches a lot of folk have in that region.

Never felt threatened or the need to hide any of my watches.
However my expensive watches don’t stay in the house. They are in a bank security box….which is a pain but it’s safe.

@neilnevill that’s a very nice looking seiko. Always fancied a spring drive. The dlc coating looks so different to my dlc seiko special which is super stealthy black, I’m sure yours is black – but it really doesn’t look black in the pic. Quite cool finish though. You got it for a good price too.

Might be the picture angle, but the croc strap doesn’t suit the watch IMVHO. Seiko have the seichu straps that might work ?

Do you people wear these watches in public? Here in France they’ve become a target for thieves that’s enough of a trend to make the national news headlines.

I’ve only ever felt wary a couple of times and that was in Rome at two “tourist traps”, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. I was wearing my Aqua Terra and at each place the guys plaguing tourists with roses and tat souvenirs seemed to take an interest in it. Several of them asked me what time it was, looking at my wrist, clearly hoping to get a better look at it.

I’m occasionally conscious that my Planet Ocean might attract attention, so it spends time under my cuff in crowded places.

Do you people wear these watches in public?

Yes, why own one otherwise.
The only places I’ve ever purposefully not are Rio and Durban and that was us following specific tourist advice about anything expensive at all being on show .

Quite possibly the only expensive ‘fashion’ watch I’d consider buying has popped up on eBay today…. A Hamilton x-01

The last watch I spent that kinda money on was a Garmin though……

Question is what do I sell to enable me to purchase it 😂

That x-01 is quite a “challenging “ look!

That x-01 is quite a “challenging “ look!

For something that was designed in the 60’s for a film set in 2001 it’s spot on though….

Thanks walowiz. My wife thinks it’s black, in some light I think it’s black, but there are many many shades of black aren’t there and to me this is a brown. I like it all the more for that, I think black is cold but this dark brown is a warm shade.

Just looked up the seichu straps, wow, but no I can’t bring myself to pay that sort of money for a NATO. I’ve also become a firm fan of two piece straps again as all my watches are big, and they help a watch head sit better on the wrist. I still like a NATO though. I think this thing could be a strap monster skin to a panerai. With the watch head stealth it can wear pretty much any strap from stealth to vibrant probably. So currently I’m ordering various cheap straps to try different looks. I actually really fancy a sailcloth in faded brown and frayed to f***.

As for wearing expensive watches. They are easy to spot once you are in to them and around London I see a lot. Stood in the queue for my zaki zaki falafel wrap on strutton ground off Victoria the other day, spot a women in a Cartier, a guy in a new Starbucks submariner, and a couple of other expensive watches. My Planet Ocean was cheap by comparison. Go on a busy tube and look at the wrists of those holding the rails it’s unusual to not spot at least one luxury watch, at New white Hart lane the other day guy at the bar reaching out to pick up his pint had a datejust, guy in the seat behind me had a milguass. Basically yes there are muggings, but it’s not like everyone in an expensive watch will get mugged, luxury watch ownership is far more common than you might think.

at New white Hart lane the other day guy at the bar reaching out to pick up his pint had a datejust, guy in the seat behind me had a milguass. Basically yes there are muggings,

To be fair those you mentioned are getting mugged paying to watch Spuds. 😉

Ironically the daily beater I wear to work is the only one I’d be upset to lose as it was my dad’s. Don’t think muggers target 2000’s Seiko chronos though!

My “posh” watches tend to go under the radar as they’re thirty-odd millimetre, usually on natos. I don’t have the funds nor the cojones to wear a big shiny two-tone diver on a bracelet, but if I did, I would probably keep it in a safe and wear a Chinese rep around town!

TBH those articles that Edukator linked – you could substiture “watches” for “MTBs” and it would still make depressingly familiar reading.

My friend has inherited her grandfather’s Rolex Oyster Date 1550. Dates from the 70 I think. Watch keeps time and winds but the date wheel doesn’t advance either in normal operation or with the crown. Don’t know much about the insides of these, but something a watchmaker could fix or the domain of sending it Rolex. She’s not mad into watches and most probably wouldn’t be keen on the money Rolex will ask