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Bit late to the party but here are my two Seiko's, a SKX007K with a Hirsch Robby sail cloth strap and my favorite, a Prospex Black Turtle.
Nope, can't see them!
I'll try again
nope, me neither
I can't get it to work either. Watches look nice - if you open them in a new tab...
well, I'll just use the technical issue excuse for now, let me find another hosting site. Not sure why it wont show but will in a new tab
Aah, google drive. That's the reason. It's a signing in thing I think. I still use Imgur, but postimage is popular.
ignore, failed again
if its ggogle drive its not o bad, if its google photos (and the 2 no longer sync) its more pain. they need to be in a shared album. or you pick up the sharing link and use someting like
https://ctrlq.org/google/photos/?_ga=2.70868752.1677659797.1570106248-970252963.1570106245
to turn th sharing link into an embed code. that seems to work here (for me) but not on some websites...annoying!!!
Lets give it one more go
I only had the 007 for about 2 months then managed to get a black turtle, have worn it every day for about 18 months now, love it, although it seems large, its very comfortable. I do like that new Seiko Green Sumo though.
Nice. Love an SKX
Thought I'd just add some pictures of my recently modded amphibia:
Very much a work in progress but it's looking a bit more distinctive than it did when I started with it...
That's cool. Any pictures of it before?
Right folks, some advice.
As you can tell from my Casio, I've no taste...
18th birthday present, £100-150 maximum for a nice dressier watch (he has roughty-tufty Timex already).
That said, I know he will end up wearing it lots - and is tough on kit.
He likes slightly plainer face, leather strap (maybe NATO type thing), ideally fewer face numbers or wording but would have chronograph (maybe)
So maybe this without hour numbers:
Or this (never heard of Wagstaff watches).
He liked a green Seiko too.
MOAB - that Seiko is an Snda57. Theres a few on here with those (me, CFH) and they are good “military” watches available in quartz or as a mechanical.
@nicko74 I have a well used, but functional and solid Seamaster clasp, micro adjustments etc. if you need it. I'm out of the country at the moment, but can check suitability etc when I get back.
Currently admiring the Rolex specimens available here 😂
@matt_outandabout I've got a quartz Seiko like that redundant in my drawer. If your lad likes it he can have it, not for a birthday present or anything, I was thinking of offering it up on here anyway because I'm unlikely to use it again. Needs a new battery, but in quite decent nick.
He liked a green Seiko too
How about a green Seiko chronograph? I've got one of these, the dial has a lovely green sunburst - I'm a sucker for a green watch!
JL are after £219 but I'd rather go ebay at <£140 or Creation Watches for £98 myself. If you're hit for Duty you're still quids in vs JL.
I'd give the Wagstaff a swerve myself, you'd be much better off trawling AliExpress for something admittedly Chinese rather than something somebody's just overprinted and added a mark-up to.
if you like green and like seiko then have a look at the alpinist, they are bringing out some new ones soon.
This is my dad's old service watch that he was issued with in the mid-60s due to the fact that hecompeted in the army as a rally driver.
It lay dead in a drawer for 25 years (long story) until a few months ago when I decided to have it looked at - turned out that all it needed was a strip and clean, a new crystal plus a bit of paint on the bezel. I now have it on a rally strap in tribute and at 37mm diameter it fits my skinny wrists perfectly.
I've just ordered a G-Shock I've been wanting for some time - and I guarantee 99% of you will hate it, but I don't care 😉
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48946094408_63db0d6d9a_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48946094408_63db0d6d9a_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2hzcwBs ]2019-10-23_11-31-32[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/85252658@N05/ ]davetheblade[/url], on Flickr
This is my dad’s old service watch that he was issued with in the mid-60s
Can't see anything LS!
Hmm, odd, it's showing on my screen! Will try again...
Ah yes, you've sort of fixed it, but I see a blurred image with a whopping big Photobucket watermark over it. What exactly is it? Looks quite nice.
That’s cool. Any pictures of it before?
This is what it looked like a bit under a year ago:
'KGB' Dial, horrid cheap strap, but I liked that hidden lugs and pillow retro case shape, It's an old Amphibia I got for ~£25 and it's been chopped about a bit since.
Anyway, great cheap, mechanical watches for modding and not having to worry about breaking the things...
Oh I give up - it's a Lator chronograph!
LS - that is rather ace.
200m too. And Incabloc protection. Cool.
This is a very pleasant thread to browse.
I wasn't that fussed initially, but the enthusiasm has won me over.
Always loved cheap Casios and have a few.
Couple of cheap Timex too.
Ironically, the one I save for special occasions is the cheapest, the F91-W, because the current straps are rubbish.
Couple of G Shocks which I love - metal cased versions appeal for their naffness 🙂.
Am wary of mechanicals - Seiko 5's haven't lasted me long in the past, so I've avoided them ever since. The Alpinist appeals so much, another fan of green.
Might dip my toe in with a Bambino.
A nice, quality quartz/dilithium crystal/whatever diver would be lovely, the more understated the better.
Say £250?
Any pointers more than welcome and I'll reread the thread, must be something up there. 🙂
....
@johnners that’s the one we saw – he likes that…
He's a man of excellent taste! Seriously though, it looks better in the flesh, the sunburst on the dial and sub dials is lovely. It's quite "glittery", there's a fair bit of gold colour on the hands and indices but I think it looks good against the green, and it dresses up well with a leather strap or down with a MN or NATO. I'd budget for a strap if I were you - I've never used the strap that came with it so maybe it breaks in OK but it's rather plasticky and stiff out of the box. And less than a ton at Creation is a bargain, I paid £130-ish at Amazon last year and thought I'd done pretty well.
Rusty, not quartz, they're auto's, but have a look at the Orient Ray's and Mako's on Creation Watches. About the right price and great watches for the moment.
A nice, quality quartz/dilithium crystal/whatever diver would be lovely, the more understated the better.
Say £250?
I agree with lunge, if you fancy risking an automatic there's a lot of value in the lower end Orient diver's watches. The Kamasu is worth a look and with sapphire is a little quality bump up from the Mako, and they even do a green one! Willowswatches on ebay are punting them out for under £200, I think theirs might even have a green bezel rather than the black one on the US website pic.
I like that Lator, LS. Definitely looks nicer outside of a sock drawer!
I'm still very tempted by an Alpinist, not seen one in the flesh but everyone seems to love the green face.
I’m still very tempted by an Alpinist
Not helped any by lack of natural light but here's mine, I've just put it on a Parnis jubilee. It's not too bad a fit but the clasp is an abomination. Unfortunately it's got a spring bar one side and the other's screw-in so a bit tricky to replace.
Oh my that g-shock is special. How big is it? It looks massive!
Cb200, of that a Cellini?
This has been a cracker thread! Always liked the Seikos so inspired by this thread I got this one today from eBay. Its lovely...circa 1987.
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@johnners - not usually my style of watch, but I love the retro 30’s-50’s style of the Alpinist, very tasteful indeed!
@penguinni - nice diver! Love the face, very clear indices and hands.
What model is that, I’m not that au fait with all their divers, they do have a habit of dropping models, like the SP045RK, or having a variety of different faces and hands on one case and movement.
@CountZero. - thank you...Im very pleased with it. Its a Seiko 6309-729A Diver but has been restored/modded a bit with replacement hands, face and strap.
I got this one today from eBay
That 6309 looks immaculate, is it NOS? Very classic Seiko styling too, only the 150m limit really gives away it's an older model.
edit - answered above!
Oh my that g-shock is special. How big is it? It looks massive!
Official factory provided measurements provided by Casio 55.8 mm × 51.7 mm × 14.4 mm and a weight of 123 grams
It's pared down by a mm or two in each plane from previous years
Is that a 4205 midsize? Certainly looks like it.
I have one on a thick leather strap as a tool or holiday watch when I don’t want to wear my IWC
Think I've definately completed my watch bore journey. Flew into Majorcca today, when packing couldn't decide on the Seiko diver watch with the nylon strap - casual holiday style or Tag with the GMT function - world traveller style.
Brought both. 🙄 Seiko for the day. Tag for the evening.
😀 It's an important part of planning the holiday!
Been wearing the Speedy a bit more again. More than happy with my daily rotation
Love the Explorer plyphon!
Was looking at getting a Speedy moonwatch but my head has been turned by the old Broad Arrow with the Ivory face and blue indices
Lovely - both classics
More than happy with my daily rotation
I hear you, brother.
You are talking my language with those watches Johannes. I have the same Casio but with the round indices rather than Arabic numerals.
I also have a couple of old Sekondas in my vintage Russian collection.
I also have a couple of old Sekondas
Mine's from the 80s IIRC, USSR on the dial. Tiny wee things by today's standards, aren't they?
Mine’s from the 80s IIRC, USSR on the dial. Tiny wee things by today’s standards, aren’t they?
They are. Mine are both 36mm case diameter. That's my sweet spot size. I have a selection of Raketas, Vostoks, Poljots and Pobedas. I love them.
I tend to get them on ebay looking a bit battered and scratched for £10-£20, but as the crystal's are acrylic, a polish with poly watch really takes out scratches. Remove the movement and put the case and bracelet if it has one in a hydrosonic bath. It's quite satisfying seeing the muck drop off them.
My daily watch for work is an inexpensive Casio F91-W.
I did splurge recently to dip my toe into the Swiss market and bought a used Tissot Visodate. It looks nice but feels huge compared to all the other watches I have.
in central london today - is charing cross road still the best place to look for used watches? any specific shop recommendations ? would love to find a nice reasonably priced Speedmaster but im not hopeful!
Creation have a blue Mako III on at £128. It’s the last one so would somebody buy it before I succumb please. It’s lovely.
Creation have a blue Mako III on at £128. It’s the last one so would somebody buy it before I succumb please. It’s lovely.
They've got the red and black one for the same price too. Must. Not. Treat. Myself...
They’ve got the red and black one for the same price too. Must. Not. Treat. Myself…
Red bezel and black face? Nah, you want one of these...
Anybody have a love for the"anadigi?"
Here's one of mine.
[img] 
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Stevemorg, sorry this is probably too late, but Strand has some places worth a look but prices are high. Hatton garden had plenty of jewellers with lots of watches in Windows, or Burlington arcade for silly prices on unobtainable Rolex watches.
thanks - saw a couple of overpriced “vintage” (1980s!) speedmasters - new drom Hacket or an AD is looking a better option
Are you looking for anything in particular?
A "normal" (whatever that is - I'm pretty confused with all the models) Full size moon watch - auto or manual, hesalite, bracelet - Hackett are doing new for £3250 so I'm not sure why a mid 80s one - auto, Hesalite is going for £4k. I love the look of the watch and, owning a quartz Seamaster maybe I'm not a purist so I'm not sure why some are so much more than others (I get Sapphire instead of Hesalite) but thats about all I can cope with!
I don't know speedmasters that well but with any desirable watch, there are rarer versions that only ran for a short while and these are the more valuable. It can be a tiny change. the speedy ultraman is the example i know, made for about 18 months in about 1980, the only difference is an orange second hand IIRC. That makes it worth more...
If I see a speedy that might fit the bill I'll try and remember to let you know.
Cheers
As above -
There have been many tiny (and sometime large) design iterations of the Speedmaster over the years. Anything from movement types, to rear engraving, to slight iterations of the bezel, to what materials the printing was done with..
On sapphire vs hesalite - it's not as simple as sapphire being always more expensive. Hesalite was the original specification used by NASA for the Apollo missions, so carries a lot of prestige within the Speedmaster world as being the original, or closer to it.
I can't comment on the rest of the watch without a link to the exact watch. Though admittedly my knowledge isn't great, but there are looooads of vintage Speedie forums/sites out there.
I love my speedy, it's a really, really cool watch.
It's worth adding, the 'Moonwatch' only comes in a manual wind. There are plenty of Speedmasters that are automatic (and have the awesome Omega co-axial movement if modern) but they are not moonwatches.
Rotors don't wind in space.
Plyphon,
Thanks - I think I was aware that Moonwatches are all manual - I think I’m seeing Speedmasters that look similar but aren’t moonwatches
This is the one I saw - nice watch but I don’t know what makes it worth £4K (If it is!)
The only differences between that one and brand new is that the lume is tritium, 861 movement and a short S dial. Collectors like tritium as it changes colour to a creamy yellow or brown over time but the luminosity has long since died. The 861 vs 1861 movement in the later ones are both exactly the same except the 861 is copper plated and the 1861 is rhodium plated. The short S dial refers to the Speedmaster logo but looking at that one vs the three year old one I have I'm struggling to see the difference. No bracelet on that one either and it would have originaly been fitted with a 1450. The 1450 is probably the most desirable Speedmaster bracelet and you'll need to find another £2k if you want to complete the set.
I'm more of a vintage watch guy rather than latest and greatest but apart from some tiny details like listed above it's the same watch they released in 1969, so rather than paying another 1k+ for something with a tritium dial I opted for an almost new watch in mint condition. I could've saved a few hundred by buying something 10-15 years old with the marks to prove it and possibly in need of a service but that didn't make sense to me, plus I wanted the big stupid box with all the accessories and the latest screw link bracelet.
I'll leave it then!
Just to gauge interest and get a steer on price, I'm considering selling my year 2000 Omega Speedmaster. It's the reduced version, automatic in good order with all boxes and papers including the original purchase receipt.
It is in need of a service as it currently doesn't run.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Ebay auction listed as spares or repairs might get you more than expected, otherwise get it serviced and it'll be worth around £1.5k.
neilnevill
Member
Rotors don’t wind in space.
Ha, literally never thought of this. Genius!
Fudd - thanks for that. I think a new one from an AD or Hackett is a better buy (for me) than the one I linked to - I suppose I'm still hoping to find a later used one for @£2.5K
Rotors don’t wind in space.
The rotor in an automatic watch should in fact theoretically work more efficiently in zero gravity. It is not the weight of the rotor that actually winds the mainspring it is it's inertia. If there is sufficient movement of the wrist to spin the rotor then it should, in fact, spin more freely without the effect of gravity to slow it down.
The NASA omegas were indeed all hand wind though. The most commonly used watch in space is the Casio G-Shock so nice as Speedmasters are get one of them if you want a space watch 😝
William Pogue famously wore a Seiko 6139 in space and that watch is an auto with no handwinding function.
Ebikegum, reduced? You mean the 36mm case? It's worth a few hundred less than the 42mm. Which is daft imv,36mm is a good size. I paid £1050 to a dealer for one that we thought ran fine (turned out it didn't and needed a service) back in January.
Billy err that depends. Yes inertia will swing the rotor relative to the case as the watch moves in the right ways but surely gravity doesn't affect that. The presence of gravity adds another, significant, winding affect as slow movement where inertia wouldn't overcome friction, still leads to rotor movement relative to the case as gravity pulls on the rotor. So while the rotor imparts some winding in space, it's less than down here, and I assume not enough unless astronauts move a lot.
I sold a Speedmaster automatic 38mm on here a couple of years ago for £900-odd. It was working well, excellent nick with original box etc. However, it was one of the ones with a silver bezel, so possibly worth less?
Neil - Lots of automatic watches have been worn in space. Sinn, Bulova, Fortis and famously the first one, worn by Col. William Pogue, a Seiko 6139. (Which as Fudd rightly says ONLY winds automatically) Col. Pogues Seiko worked just fine for the duration of his 84 day Skylab mission.
From this article:
http://www.horologii.com/2012/02/pogue-seiko/
Col. Pogue also confirmed that the self-winding mechanism worked fine in zero gravity, saying: “I don’t remember having to use any extra arm motions to back up the self-winding feature
So the statement
Rotors don’t wind in space.
Is incorrect.
The reason NASA chose the hand wound Speedmaster for Apollo is not because they thought an automatic watch would not work but because they required a watch with a chronograph function. All other watches of the period with this function failed environmental tests that the Speedmaster passed. No automatically wound chronographs were tested. They weren't commercially available until 1969 when the automatically wound chronograph movement was released (some dispute as to whether it was Seiko or the Heuer, Breitling and Hamilton collaboration "project 99" that was first)
Thanks, I've learnt something.
That's the beauty of being a watch nerd (like me!) There's always something interesting to learn (that is of absolutely no interest to anyone who isn't a watch nerd 😂)
Thanks is due to you also - all this talk of space watches has caused me to dig out my NASA certified Casio G-9000 (currently £55 on Amazon if anyone wants a mudproof watch for biking AND occasional space missions) from the watch box to wear for the first time in ages ⌚👍