Watches N+1…

@johnners

The case is fine (also ti on ti engineer strap). I think darn near indestructible. Just the movement that’s chucked a wobbly.

Anyway, just had an email from Matt who says warranty is 12 months but he’s happy to extend it if I send the watch in for repair.

Hope the process doesn’t take too long.

[johnnystorm]

johnnystorm

Full Member

Any watch over a £15 job from Argos is being bought for reasons other than utility (actual deep sea divers, etc. excluded) so if you have to ask someone else if it’s worth it, then it probably isn’t as you aren’t that smitten with it.

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I’d say, in this thread, you’re unlikely to find a huge following of people who agree with you.

Do you ride a $100 Argos bike? :p

Any watch over a £15 job from Argos is being bought for reasons other than utility (actual deep sea divers, etc. excluded) so if you have to ask someone else if it’s worth it, then it probably isn’t as you aren’t that smitten with it.

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I’d say, in this thread, you’re unlikely to find a huge following of people who agree with you.

Do you ride a $100 Argos bike? :p

Of course I don’t ride a £100 Argos bike because it patently wouldn’t perform as well as one that costs 10x the price. 😉

I was beaten to the post by someone with the same advice. If you don’t really love it, don’t buy it. 😀

I’m paralysed by indecision on a luxury watch. I know I’m the kind of person that will lust after something specific for years then the instant I have it I’ll debate whether I really wanted it or if something else would have been a better fit.

I would probably be better off buying second hand so I could sell if I wanted to change without taking much of a hit, but it doesn’t feel as special for a first luxury watch.

@airvent, I bought my first luxury watch second hand back in about 2002. I had the same dilemma as you.

I now wouldn’t buy shop price. I tend to buy one new luxury watch a year, always used or heavily discounted.

It’s entirely your decision, but I really wouldn’t let the fact that it’s used put you off. My simple logic is that I’m letting someone else pay the brand tax and I get it at the correct value…..(I know even then I’m paying brand tax, but I’ve never lost money on my purchases so it works for me)

What is it that you have your eye on?

Of course I don’t ride a £100 Argos bike because it patently wouldn’t perform as well as one that costs 10x the price. 😉

And a $10 divers watch isn’t going to perform as well as a $1000 dive watch, is it? But it’ll tell the time until you’re 50m under the water, probs when you kind of need it working, not filling with water heheh

I see your point. But I disagree.

@w00dster thanks for the thoughts. I’ve had my eye on a Black Bay 58 for a few years now, albeit off and on. The fact there are so many variations also intimidates me!

A good choice Airvent. I have a BB58, I did actually pay full price for that a few years ago when they were a bit more difficult to buy. One of the chaps from this thread had been offered it from his local AD, he in turn let me know it was available and I went down to Eastbourne to collect it. Obviously I’m biased, but I prefer the original version. I’d definitely be happy buying one second hand.

Nice. I think I’d buy with the bracelet but probably spend most of the time wearing it with a leather band which seems to compliment it well considering it’s a dive style watch.

If you’re going in the water with it surely a Rubber strap is better?    If the Pelagos was quick release it’d be a slam dunk for me as it comes with both but you need a spring bar tool to change them.     Or go nato, in my case with the extra bits trimmed off, this (for monochromatic colour reference as per the Pelagos) being my weekend watch for some time now:

If I was buying a posh beater now I’d be with you, Tudors seem to be at the “ not too expensive yet luxury” watch level in the main.   I’d also consider longine and Tags new Aquaracer though.    Having said that, the Slim Turtle above was £660 for a pretty much and arguably comparable spec to a steel pelagos* albeit I wouldn’t wear the turtle to office, defo the Tudor on a bracelet though.

* depends how well your 6r runs 🙂

I’m struck with two luxury beaters on the YouTube circuit currently; Adrian Barkers battered nato shod Explorer two and Andrej’s (brave beaters) mono Pelagos on a dark gray canvas strap.

I’ve got a BB58.   I’d wanted one for ages and then when I got it I stuck it in a drawer and hardly ever wear it.  I wear a Certina DS Podium every day and never take it off for showering, swimming etc.  Keeps good time and looks good.  Plus, it’s less bulky and lighter than the Tudor.  I think I might sell the Tudor if anyone’s interested.

I’ve got the Pelagos FXD MN which has become my daily, it’s a proper tool watch and I don’t mind using it as so, I’ve got much cheaper watches that I baby, the Pely however, I don’t much care if it picks up knocks and bangs.  I wear it most of the time on natos, but trimmed to be through pass.

I was within striking distance of a light dial Explorer 2 at Goldsmiths yesterday.  I was trying it on, in a back to back with the Explorer 40 and no date Sub that I’m on the waiting list for and I liked it much more than I should have.  When the salesperson was hinting that there might be one in the safe.  I said I’d take it if there was, she went off to sort it out but the Rolex manager veto’d it as I wasn’t on the list for that particular model.  Snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, but my savings live to fight another day!

@airvent to the thread ^^^^

I’ve got the Pelagos FXD MN which has become my daily, it’s a proper tool watch and I don’t mind using it as so, I’ve got much cheaper watches that I baby, the Pely however, I don’t much care if it picks up knocks and bangs.  I wear it most of the time on natos, but trimmed to be through pass.

Im strongly considering a Seiko sell off for this MO, which is the slim turtle for me currently.  Not the FXD, but a mono Pelagos 39 would be the 5th of my six watch keepers.  I’d keep the Arnie for a grab and go beater.

I’ve decided 39 and smaller are too dainty for me and I’m mainly phasing them out of my collection.  I tried the 39 pely and it just felt a bit lost on my wrist, the full fat was too much, hence the FXD.

Edit – duplicate.

What’s your wrist size BS?  Mine 16.5cm, the Turtle up there is a 41 but wears smaller.   I get away with big watches with mid-short lug length due to having virtually no “knuckle” on my wrist bone so my watches wear high on my wrist with a larger case shapes filling the awkward gap, hence why the Arnie, Samurai, SMP and Panerai aka 42-44 work for me despite a slender wrist.

I might have to go to the AD then and try the Pelagos, although paying all that for just a brand name to replace the same USP as the Turtle – mine also gets wet, sees shed time etc – seems a bit overbearing.  As on previous pages though I always feel like “Seiko” somehow equates to “not reputable” but that probably just brand ego.

Edit, anyway looking to seeing air vents outcome.

What’s your wrist size BS?

more like 190cm (7.5”)

Thanks guys, I’m not quite ready to buy just yet though, I have a little more cash to save first so it’ll be mid next year I think.

It wont be getting babied, but equally no interest in a rubber strap as I’ve no interest wearing it in the water. That’s what the Garmin is for!

I have the white dialled Explorer II, got to admit back in 2001 when I bought it I loved the look of it, but now really not a fan. I don’t think they’ve aged particularly well. (Shockingly bad photo as I was on a booze cruise and that pic is from a very old camera phone)

A fairly plain black leather strap would set that Explorer off nicely.

Here’s the Adrian Barker look, a grey NATO:

I like that look.  In a couple of more recent other watch reviews he’s mentioned it after it got smashed on a rock and the close ups -even of the repaired watch – show quite a bit of patina, with which makes it suite the nato even more IMHO.

BB58 here, wanted one since they came out, ticked every box except that it was a tad big (all my watches are 34/36) but figured I’d never really notice 3mm. And I didn’t, until the BB54 came out. If I try one on, the 58 will have to go.

Stealth watch alert!

Would anybody like a Fenix5plus Sapphire and Titanium 47mm for £40? They are about £100 on ebay.

Cheap because the charging pins are worn on the back and you need to regularly clean them with a cotton bud and contact cleaner to get the watch to charge or sync, just found that a wipe every now and then solves the problem when it’s finicky charging. Front bezel is Titanium, back is Stainless Steel. Battery is still very good and holds a multiday charge.

I am including a USB lead and right angled USBC to Garmin charge mount that does charge and sync with Garmin express, I have just done this with the same kit to check. Comes with an original Garmin strap.

Message me for more pics or details.

@w00dster Let me know if you’re open to selling that Explorer!

So the Helm got sent back to get looked at. Helm extended the warranty. Cost $28 to ship it, then I added on insurance so nearly $50 to send just the watch back (no strap) so hopefully back in one piece, this side of Christmas!

I said seeing as they have been kind enough to extend the warranty for me, I’d cover shipping back to me, but they said no worries, they’ll cover it.

nearly $50 to send just the watch back

It’s unfortunate (and unusual) that it broke but that sounds like a bargain for a fix. You could have maybe got a repair locally but I don’t think it’d have been cheaper than that and they’d probably just have swapped out the movement which would have been a fair bit pricier. I’m pretty sure Helm will pressure test it too so that’ll be reassuring for those tricky 300m dives round the office.

I think Helm have behaved decently and done the right thing, no doubt. Tbh though the warranty should be at least 2 years in any case but all in all a result.

No comments re the launch of the Erebus GMT?     It’s ok, but there are a gazillion and cheaper – you need to account for import tax – nh34 GMT’s out there.   E.g. there’s some Sumo GMTs for sale for £350, San Martin UK have explorer 2 homages for £120 and Baltany for £200.

That Erebus looks like a Chinese Pelagos with a GMT hand. Not keen!

I had them as a Sinn rip-off with those hands.  🙂

They kinda fall into a why bother price range for me – not cheap enough to be a real beater, not good enough to be a best watch then add in not particularly stylish or inventive.

Yeah I can see that now too.

Also not sure if it’s just me but the photos on that web link are terrible quality, not great when your target market is watch geeks who will be looking closely at every little detail they can see.

Agree with Kilo’s summary, I’m on the list for a Farer World Timer now, I don’t see a reason to step off for an Erebus!

The preview photos are low res, if you click on them you get higher res.

I’m also not fussed about it and feel like it’s slightly overpriced. In my head it’s nothing better than a good Ali express watch which you can get loads cheaper. I may be wrong on that and I appreciate he can’t compete on scale to with some of those companies but unfortunately that’s who he’s up against

im suprised they are so expensive given the owners MO of ‘tight scotsman who wont spend a penny he dont need to’

This seems like the place to ask…

I have a Seiko 5 that is about 5 years old. It used to keep great time, only really noticing it had lost any time after maybe 5 days or so. Now I’m having to wind it forward a couple of minutes every day or so (I’ll check more accurately soon).

If I got it serviced would it likely improve, how accurate is acceptable for an automatic? I know I could nearly get a new one for the price of a service, but that’s not the point.

It looks like this

Accuracy should be -20 to +40 seconds a day for a Seiko 5. There’s no real point in servicing a cheap watch, a new movement will be cheaper. If you send it away for a service that’s what they’ll do.

I think that’s a SNK361K1 with a 7S26 caliber. You could upgrade it to a NH36, movements on ebayt are about £35.

I am no expert and there are some on here who really know their beans.

I should be marking the tests in front of me this Sat morning, but this is way more appealing right now…

Losing significant time suddenly is possibly a magnetism issue.

Try moving a good “Scouts” compass over watch, does it move around a bit?

If so, there are plenty of cheap devices (<£20) which solve the issue.

Couple of minutes a day is not good, unless you have a Rollie 32** in which case, get to the back of the queue.

Edit: Agree about the no point servicing, just not cost effective.

Erebus watches appear to be the sum of their parts. They’ve been designed by putting together “best bits” from other watches or to fix niggles from experience. They don’t have a wow factor for me.

I’m not keen on the Erebus GMT but tbh any GMT leaves me cold. I don’t want the function so I’m happier with the iteration without the superfluous hand.

I think the Ascent is quite a handsome piece though.

any love for Moon swatches?