Watches N+1…

@cb200 thanks for that – I saw it late, but it looks almost perfect!

@derek_starship
this is where my ll blue seatbelt nato came from and George has colour edged ones, slightly cheaper.

Edged Seatbelt NATO Watch Strap

I’ve a 20% off code too if you want it.

excuse the slightly dark photos, poor lighting. How does this one look? watch sitting nicely under the cuff

not perfect fit to the case but pretty close.

its blue btw, a fairly good match to the watch but a little duller

comfy, so far, and nice buckle, although a bit shiny shiny

and no 2.8mm of nylon beneath the watch so yes, it sits lower

its not a crafter B, its that sort of thing though a cheap ebay version. £5.99 I think. Unfortunately there isn’t a red, but I could try the neon orange!

Wife says she prefers the sapphire blue seatbelt nato though. I could end up with a needle and thread making that a normal strap. we shall see.

one thing I’ve noticed already, there’s a lot of thickness down at the buckle

Derek, it’s an Aero-Ballistic (wut?) from Armilla. Better website pics, a flying keeper and what looks like nicer hardware but otherwise pretty similar to the George’s Straps ones Neil linked.

excuse the slightly dark photos, poor lighting

Yes, I’m afraid I’m not getting much idea of colour from those.

Anyone got experience of IWC? Got a small bonus coming and massively hankering after one of these Pilot!

Personal experience no.

Iwc is a good brand but the styling of recent watches is shocking and the brand is a little out of favour as a result imv. The big pilot and pilot mk 15, 16, 17 it whatever it is now is a classic fleiger, iwc being one of the original suppliers to the Luftwaffe and thus having history (stowa and laco also have that authenticity at a much lower price).

Styling aside, they are a top brand making a high quality product.

I look the look of that IWC. For me (money no object) I’d go for a 7-day one though, so I could rotate watches more easily. Oris also has a few good-looking pilot watches if you fancy that sort of thing

Thought you might like to see the SKX007 that I bought off CountZero. The standard ‘rubber’ strap, (lets be fair, hard plastic) is awful, it’s like the watch version of crappy reflector pedals you get on an expensive bike as a holding position. Two piece original Bond nylon strap suits it much better I think. Thanks Count, I’m over the moon with it.

edit – as someone may ask, strap is from this WatchBandit range.

Help.

I’ve just seen a Save the Ocean Great white shark chrono.

I think i need to change my pants.

@tthew, that James Bond two-piece looks terrific, it really sets it off! Great choice!

@neilnevill – thanks for posting the link for that seatbelt NATO, I wasn’t aware of that material being used, and I saw one in black with orange edging elsewhere, but not in a 22mm, the one you linked to looks the mutts, just the thing for my Tuna.
Cheers 👍🏼

iwc being one of the original suppliers to the Luftwaffe and thus having history (stowa and laco also have that authenticity at a much lower price).

You are forgetting that IWC made for the MOD and that is a huge part of their story. (They were one of the dirty dozen manufacturers)
I have a UTC spitfire and it does seem a bit odd to have a watch called that with ‘DIE FLEIGERUHR’ on the back.

Not forgetting, I just didn’t know!

I like iwc although the recent stuff….no. I go through phases of thinking a fleiger is such a classic that I would like one, and when in these phases I’ve done a little reading but only looked cursorily at stowa, laco and iwc. I think if I decided to buy it would likely be a stowa or laco, just because they aren’t so expensive and I doubt I’d wear it loads…. And that thought is why I then think I shouldn’t get one.

To whoever was thinking of a orange po homage, Christopher ward do one. Don’t buy at full price though, wait. I hear they have pretty significant sales regularly.

I’ve just seen a white dialed aqua Terra that has turned my head….I shouldn’t…. Not so soon after the Tudor. It is nice though.

I’m tempted (this week) with one of the Parnis GMT in black with the black/grey ceramic bezel. Stunning value – sapphire, ceramic, auto. $75 usd and free delivery from AliExpress

Kryton – Parnis do some similar to the Seiko you mentioned above. There’s a really nice one with orange bezel, black dial and green circular surrounds to the complications. It’s kinda pretty

That Parnis looks lush, under £80 too. Could be an impromptu purchase that.

That Parnis looks lush, under £80 too.

You should find one under £60 shipped quite easily. A few quid more if you go via ebay. I just bought a jubilee strap for £30 but now I’m thinking I should have chucked another £30 in and picked up a GMT for its jubilee instead and got a spare head out of the deal.

The Parnis range is huge too. Some cracking looking pieces.

Website is also showing 15% off too. Under 60 quid delivered ain’t bad at all.

This one?

Sapphire and Mechanical – nice, yet Hybrid….  but for £85 derived its good.

My problem is I’ve fallen for the Seiko “Story”.  I love the fact theres a history and a “name” behind the watch design.

those Parnis are just knock-offs where they stopped short of being a proper fake by putting Parnis instead of Rolex on the dial.
wouldn’t surprise me if the fakes out there are the same watches with the ‘correct’ names on them.

earl_brutus

Subscriber
Anyone got experience of IWC? Got a small bonus coming and massively hankering after one of these Pilot!

Nice watch but silly expensive considering it has a standard ETA 7750 inside. Brands such as Stowa or Archimede do very similar watches with the same movement but much cheaper. That particular watch has had the case refinished if the ad is to be believed and also the ‘mechanism recalibrated’ but being a five year old watch it’s going to need serviced soon.

Nice watch but silly expensive considering it has a standard ETA 7750 inside

no it doesn’t. that would suggest it has at the cheapest available version of the movement (made by the chinese). the reality is the base design of the well proven Valjoux 7750 is being used my numerous manufactures in many different guises, its the most popular movement for a reason.
you are buying an IWC not an ETA. you could have an unbranded pilots watch with a similar movement or an IWC (or any other proper brand in between)
watches are not a rational purchase, if they were we would just use our phone to tell the time.

The Valjoux 7750 was launched in the early 70s I think and was only made for a few years. Stocks lasted a bit longer of course.
It was relaunched in 1985ish by which time Valjoux was in the group that became Swatch along with ETA.
I think all post 1985 Valjoux 7750 movements are ETA produced but I could be wrong.

Sapphire and Mechanical – nice, yet Hybrid…. but for £85 derived its good

No, I’d say the value isn’t there in that particular piece, given that you can pick up an actual Seiko chronograph starting at £79.99 from Amazon UK. IMO the SKS627 is nice looking for a chrono, while I do see the appeal I’m not really a fan of all that Flightmaster-type slide rule clutter.

PS I have a Valjoux 7754 (7750 GMT) in my wrist now. Pretty certain it’s ETA produced.

MrSmith

Member
Nice watch but silly expensive considering it has a standard ETA 7750 inside

no it doesn’t. that would suggest it has at the cheapest available version of the movement (made by the chinese). the reality is the base design of the well proven Valjoux 7750 is being used my numerous manufactures in many different guises, its the most popular movement for a reason.
you are buying an IWC not an ETA. you could have an unbranded pilots watch with a similar movement or an IWC (or any other proper brand in between)
watches are not a rational purchase, if they were we would just use our phone to tell the time.

I wasn’t implying that IWC use Chinese clone 7750’s, hence me saying ETA 7750.

There are different grades of 7750 – some have blued screws and higher level finishing, but the only difference between an off the shelf £350 7750 and what IWC use is the IWC logo on the rotor, something which is done by ETA before delivery to IWC. IWC will tell you it’s a modified 7750 and in certain models it is, just not in this one unless you class a decorated rotor as a modified movement.

igm

Subscriber
The Valjoux 7750 was launched in the early 70s I think and was only made for a few years. Stocks lasted a bit longer of course.
It was relaunched in 1985ish by which time Valjoux was in the group that became Swatch along with ETA.
I think all post 1985 Valjoux 7750 movements are ETA produced but I could be wrong.

Correctamundo, ETA and no longer Valjoux since Swatch Group swallowed them up. The only 7750’s not produced by ETA are the Chinese knock offs.

As said all parnis watches are hommages, Rolex gmt, the chrono above is the Rolex Daytona, the militare watches are Panerai hommages and so on. It’s a but naughty to copy others design work, but it’s not the same as faking. You buy a parnis knowing it’s a parnis.

I’m not sure how good parnis are, are the movements ETA, sellita or seagull? Also not sure what the case and bracelet quality is…. Has anyone got experience of them?

the SKS627 is nice looking for a chrono,

Well, YMMV applies here, to me that looks like a reverse Panda and I don’t like it.   I still desire the Prospex GWS over all of them

that looks like a reverse Panda and I don’t like it

Sure, maybe if you squint and if your panda is cocking its head 90 degrees. It still doesn’t make that Parnis particularly good value though.

I still desire the Prospex GWS over all of them

YMMV was never truer, to me a dive chrono has too much of the frankenwatch about it. Too cluttered to be properly dive-y, too dive-y to have that “Golden Age Of Wireless” thing that’s the main appeal of a chrono for me.

neilnevill

Member
As said all parnis watches are hommages, Rolex gmt, the chrono above is the Rolex Daytona, the militare watches are Panerai hommages and so on. It’s a but naughty to copy others design work, but it’s not the same as faking. You buy a parnis knowing it’s a parnis.

I’m not sure how good parnis are, are the movements ETA, sellita or seagull? Also not sure what the case and bracelet quality is…. Has anyone got experience of them?

I’ve never handled a Parnis but assume the movements are Chinese. Definitely not Swiss at that price. I’d argue that some of them are more than “a bit naughty” and borderline fakes as Marina Militare is a Panerai trademark, as is the crown lock design.

I’ve never handled a Parnis but assume the movements are Chinese.

A lot will be but they use Seiko quartz movements and Miyota mechanicals in some of their watches. I’ve no experience of Parnis specifically but I’ve got a Loreo subby and a Corgeut Type A. The Loreo is a little bit rough in parts, the QC definitely shows signs of being down to a price point but the Corgeut is very well finished with a Miyota movement that’s within a second a day, which is just as well since it doesn’t hack so small corrections are a bit problematic. Both watches under £60, both have sapphire crystal.

Yeah ok, is naughty. They aren’t fake though.

I just googled and it seems parnis is Chinese and some watches (the mini fiddy homage I quite like) get seagulls. I’ve heard they can be good…or not.

My Samurai Save the Ocean on edged NATO. Thanks to Johnners.

I think it looks bloody lovely.

Can anyone explain the appeal of a Nato strap, especially on an expensive or ‘classy’ watch? They must be horribly bulky, for one thing. Is it anything to do with playing at soldiers/divers?

No.  And not necessarily bulky as there’s various ways of attaching them to the watch.  The are lighter, quieter, more flexible and more interchangeable than a metal bracelet.

Sometimes I like a bracelet, sometimes not.

I think it looks bloody lovely

I think you’re absolutely correct, that’s a great pairing. The blue doesn’t match the face or bezel but complements it really nicely, the surprise for me though is how well the grey edging picks up the brushed stainless steel.