Keep the Rolex as it’s a potentially appreciating asset. Buy the ebike on 0% finance.

@dmorts, just wondering if you got round to purchasing an SKX? I’m in a similar predicament myself after being totally suckered in by this thread over the last few months.

If so, do you mind sharing where you bought from and whether it was a viable experience? I find it strange that the range was discontinued last year (so I understand) but there still seems to lots available brand new, even at a discount on creation.

I bought SKX second hand but they seem to hold their money well. I got what I paid back when I sold it as well

The new King Turtle has got my interest. The Save the Ocean one with the Manta Ray dial looks amazing but the prices of Seiko’s are rapidly climbing up market

Well I’ve finally gone N-1!

Sold my B&R 123 GMT to a friend. I never wore it much as I just use Garmin and very occasionally wear my Submariner 14060M.

Going to fund a new bike for the girlfriend….think that’s good use for the £!

@dan30237 I have an SKX007K1 on order from Creation Watches. They’ve provided a Royal Mail tracking number but this gives no information so far. It’s almost been 2 weeks, but there has been New Year inbetween and the Royal Mail are suffering delays because of Coronavirus.
I paid using PayPal just in case of any issues. Will probably look to chase it up next week with RM.

If there’s some issue and I don’t end up getting it, I think I’d be happy enough with a SRPE55

Which is what @RustyNissanPrairie has

Does anyone have a vintage Seiko chronograph? These two look great (sourcing, owning and servicing might be a different story)

Jumbo

Panda

I find it strange that the range was discontinued last year (so I understand) but there still seems to lots available brand new, even at a discount on creation.

Just one more watch Jody did a YouTube video the other week because he bought one. He said the prices might start to rise soonish as stock starts to reduce. They made millions though, that’s why they are still available.

The watches on here are all very nice, but…

This is what I wear most days

70 years old this year. (the watch, not me.)

That’s a nice old oyster perpetual, doesn’t look dated really. Fab

Tempted by an Islander pilot watch.

I’ve bought watches from Long Island Watches before and heard Mark, the owner, on various podcasts etc and he seems a nice enough guy but I can’t take to Islander watches for some reason.

Dont know why that image wont show

Link to image

@bigjohn – I have a similar looking Tudor Oyster Prince that was my grandfather’s. 1960s and is a lovely thing, with a really nice patina. The fact that it’s smaller than is trendy these days doesn’t bother me as I have tiny wrists. Nice watch!

Thought this might be of interest to some on here – £129

There’s a modded watches section on their website too

T Watches Pilot

Flieger with a date window is no from me. I’d want thermally blued hands as well but I’m fussy

Yes, I like to wear an understated watch, even if it’s worth more than my car. Just occasionally somebody will spot it for what it is. Mostly, people think it’s my first Ingersoll from big school.

Does anyone have a vintage Seiko chronograph? These two look great (sourcing, owning and servicing might be a different story)

Owned loads of 6138/9’s but now down to zero after recently selling my 6138 Panda. Buying is a minefield as there are so many fake dials etc out there. You can even buy a fake 6138 Bullhead kit with everything minus the genuine movement needed to complete (serial number starts with 6N on all of them from memory). When I was pondering the Panda I found a thread on WUS comparing a fake vs genuine dial but it was only after two pages that it transpired both dials were fake such is the quality of them these days.

Servicing isn’t a problem and plenty of watchmakers will work on them, but parts supply of one particular part, the centre chronograph wheel can be a big problem. This part has a spring clutch in it which can fail and Seiko stopped making spares over 30 years ago. If you can find a nos 6139 chrono wheel expect to pay around £100 and twice that for a 6138. if the watch only runs when the chrono is running then walk away. My Panda was a cheap non-runner from Ebay which needed a new chrono wheel. It took me over six months to find one and I had to take a £250 gamble on a complete movement.

They’re great watches if you can get a good one, but much due diligence is required.

@chipps i also have a Tudor oyster prince that belonged to my grandfather and has been passed down to my dad and now myself. Have you had it serviced at all? I know it’ll differ but looking at getting it done.

With regards to the Seiko Alpinists, what’re the big differences between the SARB017 (pre prospex) and the newer SPB117J1 (prospex)?

I did have it serviced when I got it first (in 1992 or something) – though not at a Rolex dealer. The winding stem had corroded, so the guy couldn’t replace it with a Rolex part, so I got a plain one instead, which worked fine. A few years ago I found out that ex-MTB journo, Paul Smith had got into Horology and delighted in buying ‘broken’ Rolexes and fixing them. He took my watch, serviced it and found a correct winder through one of his contacts, so I now have a complete watch.

I can highly recommend David McKane (in Northern Ireland, which might be an issue these days for expensive watch trafficking…) who is a mountain biker and classic Seiko fan. He’s done some great work on my watches in the past. DM for details.

I used to know a windsurfing mate who had a workshop in the jewellery quarter in Birmingham. There are several places there where you can get an excellent service at realistic prices.

but there are YouTube videos showing you how to regulate watches.

I did my Seiko SPORK because it was gaining quite a lot; my goldsmith mate had a go, but it just went the other way. I bought a caseback opener from Maplins and had a couple of goes, the second time I got it to about ten seconds a week, but more by luck than anything, the adjustment requires very tiny movements of the lever, literally a tiny fraction of a millimetre.
I need to have a go at one of my Heimdallr’s, it’s losing about three minutes a week, I reckon I can improve greatly on that, it’s just getting around to doing it.
Now I’ve had my Heimdallr Tuna fixed, thanks to a gentleman of this parish, I’m not wearing the MM300 tribute, so I’ll get it sorted out.

for all those with watches that have hard to find/replace parts – I have a local watchsmith who will make any missing parts from scratch. I had a Tudor 7928, a watch that many won’t go near because the movements are famously hard to service – many places wouldn’t touch it. He had it sorted and back to me within two weeks – highly recommended (at 1/3 of the cost that SHWR were quoting). He does a lot of very high-end watches and vintage clocks. He’s currently servicing a friend’s much beloved Oyster Perpetual.

Drop me a PM if you want his details.

With regards to the Seiko Alpinists, what’re the big differences between the SARB017 (pre prospex) and the newer SPB117J1 (prospex)?

The SSRB017 has a green face on a strap and the SPB117 is a black face on a bracelet, the more relevant comparison is the SPB121 which is a green face on a strap.

The Prospex has the 6R35 which give a (claimed) 20 hour bump in power reserve if the 6r15’s 50 hours isn’t enough for you. Other than that it has a display case back instead of the old metal with “Alpinist mountain” and a cyclops over white date wheel instead of the no cyclops and a black date wheel on the SARB017. I’ve not had hands on the new one but I’ve seen claims of a different diameter which seems a bit improbable, it looks like the exact same upper case to me though the watch is a touch thicker because of the display case. Also I don’t think the crown is signed on the new one.

The most significant difference IMO is the price hike – the SPB121 lists in the UK at least £300 more than what you would have paid for a new SARB017 though you should do better if you’re prepared to shop around or haggle, they’re in good supply now as far as I can tell. It’s still a pretty poor value proposition now but that’s the direction Seiko seem to be headed in general.

Sold my 666 Sea Dweller. Made a mad amount on it.

Youngest grandson is now blasting ahead of me on a YT capra CF Race

Much better use of the money lol.
Still have the other 2 Rolex tucked away but am cutting about in the Grand Seiko just now. Very classy and looks like it will wear well.

As an aside, all the Grand Seiko for sale (same model, mix or new and used) are all priced a fair bit higher than the price I paid for mine from Chisolm Hunter which bodes well for future values.

@johnners – Thanks for the advice. Really liked the older model (SARB017) but from the information you’ve provided and from what I’ve read elsewhere, the newer variant doesn’t seem as worth it. Still seem to be a few ‘new’ SARBs kicking around second hand so to speak.

There is nothing really special about the older SARBs apart from the online worship making everyone want one.It’s also the reason they are so faked. Be very careful if you buy one and look for full box and papers (original) and also look at the movement and the dial markers, they are giveaways. (squint 10 & 12)

I think the power reserve has went up on the new one as it uses a slightly better movement but it seems to be more about the face that makes them less desirable.

SARB 033 is the one to try and get in my opinion.

SARB035 with the cream dial is one I’d go for but both are beginning to go for silly money now

I think the power reserve has went up on the new one as it uses a slightly better movement but it seems to be more about the face that makes them less desirable.

On the 2 that are directly comparable there’s little difference. I prefer my black date wheel but the new white date wheel with cyclops is definitely a lot clearer. IMO the only significant difference is the price hike.

There is nothing really special about the older SARBs apart from the online worship making everyone want one…
…SARB 033 is the one to try and get in my opinion.

Well, if you want a SARB with a rep pumped up by online worship look no further!

I bought a caseback opener from Maplins and had a couple of goes, the second time I got it to about ten seconds a week, but more by luck than anything, the adjustment requires very tiny movements of the lever, literally a tiny fraction of a millimetre.

Same here. I have done two Vostoks. Arrived from Russia gaining 30-40s a day. Got them both down to under +15s a day. Took one try for the first and two for the second. You need to move it the tiniest possible amount. Then leave overnight to see how it has gone.

Happy with that sort of accuracy with cheap watches where I never set the second hand anyway and don’t wear for more than 2 days in a row.

There’s an interesting feature in Flipboard at the moment about military watches, here’s the link for anyone interested…

https://flipboard.com/@gearpatrol/the-ultimate-guide-to-military-watches-onrbkbpss9krdf87?from=share&utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=share

A sub-section of it lists 21 best military watches, and goes into some interesting backgrounds to them, very well worth the read.

https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a557312/best-military-watches-and-their-histories/

Any recommendations for a cheap, sort of field watch looking thing? Currently wear a Garmin every day and would like an analogue, simple watch instead. Looking at Timex Scout, so that sort of price, £50. Is it worth stumping up the £20-ish extra for the cheap automatic Seiko?

I’ve got a practically unworn Timex Mk1 alloy field watch you can have for £40 – great little watch to be fair but it is a bit small for my taste so rarely gets used. It’s the bronzey/green time only version as per…

For £50 quartz is the way to go. Timex is good, as is Lorus
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2535975

Personally if I was after a sub £50 field/military style quartz I’d either snap up that Timex (a coworker has one he wears on occasion) or I’d be skimming eBay for a used Eco drive of some sort perhaps…

Ta, using Amazon vouchers so will pass on that IvanDobsk, but that’s a very tempting price and looks good though.

No worries, wasn’t too keen on selling it really!

It it were me, I’d be looking at a Seiko 5 of some kind @colonelwax, something like this. It’s a couple of quid more but you’ll save that in the cost of batteries.

So that Seiko is £75, not much more than the £50 voucher. A Times and a battery or two 🙂 I’ve never had an automatic – so if I end up not wearing it for a week, obviously it’ll stop. But are they happy being left for a bit and then wound again? (sorry, total newb to interesting watches, had a succession of Casios and a Garmin!)

But are they happy being left for a bit and then wound again

Yeah, they’re fine. Mine often sit for a week or 2 withiout being used. Just give them a shake when you pick it up again, set the time and off you go.

@dan30237 The SKX007K1 arrived today from Creation Watches and all good so far. Use the Royal Mail delivery option if you go with them.

One thing to bear in mind with the SKX is that it doesn’t hand wind. So you have to wear it to keep it going.