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GottaB

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Pescado_Rojo

Pescado_Rojo 19413

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1 hour ago, Patricio Swayze said:

I might be thinking about another affordable watch. Because why not.

Hoping to find a diver that has a vintage look. Prefer automatic, but doesn’t have to be.I also prefer coin bezels. Wanting something like these Rotary and Ollech & Wajs watches. Suggestions?

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Budget? I've always thought the Doxa Skindiver was a cool vintage look diver. They run around $900 new, but I bet you could find one on the used market for much less.

Edit to add: There's also a Steinhart vintage diver that runs around $500 new that's pretty cool.

SteinhartOcean1VintageL_892d842f-a062-4b18800016_2.jpg?impolicy=hero&imwidth=700

Edited by Pescado_Rojo
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Rip76
Rip76

New toy comin’  

satyanash
satyanash

Got a nice birthday present! 38mm Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical (the gently modernized pre-2018 model with a date complication, as opposed to the newer no-date vintage one). Very thin and light at 9

noharleyyet
noharleyyet

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Pescado_Rojo

Pescado_Rojo 19413

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19 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Yikes hahaha. I don’t know, I just really dig those 60s-70s skin divers. But I am guessing it’s frowned upon to buy one and have it refurbished.

First of all, fuck the haters, it's your watch. 

Second, yea that Steinhart Bronze looks pretty bright but you can "Force" a decade's worth of patina on them in a couple hours. I think they look cool all darkened up with color changes and stuff. Some guys go overboard and they look like a 100 year old outdoor faucet or a Toyota battery terminal. I've been tempted to buy a cheaper piece like the Steinhart to play around with. I've seen pictures of Paneri and Tudors all covered in corrosion and I don't think I could do that to a really expensive one. 

Forced Patina tutorial

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satyanash

satyanash 14473

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Got a nice birthday present! 38mm Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical (the gently modernized pre-2018 model with a date complication, as opposed to the newer no-date vintage one). Very thin and light at 9.5mm, in-house H-50 movement (a modified ETA 2804 with a thinner hairspring, beat rate reduced to 3 Hz and the power reserve increased to 80 hours). Long-ish lug length of of 47mm, just about fits on my skinny wrist. Probably going to get a single-pass NATO or Perlon strap for it at some point, since there's a larger-than-normal gap between the drilled lug holes and the case.

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GhostOfTomJoad

GhostOfTomJoad 9323

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After 9 months I'm really digging the Citizen Orca I selected for a work appreciation gift. It's unique, a bit large (46mm) but wears smaller. The whale tail strap might not be for everyone. It's got a nice lume and is just a fun, casual wear that can also take quite a beating & not show it.b1b378bdcd395434f0c312d5fd58f0e0.jpg

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Edited by GhostOfTomJoad
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52-80

52-80 19147

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On 4/29/2023 at 9:07 PM, satyanash said:

Got a nice birthday present! 38mm Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical (the gently modernized pre-2018 model with a date complication, as opposed to the newer no-date vintage one). Very thin and light at 9.5mm, in-house H-50 movement (a modified ETA 2804 with a thinner hairspring, beat rate reduced to 3 Hz and the power reserve increased to 80 hours). Long-ish lug length of of 47mm, just about fits on my skinny wrist. Probably going to get a single-pass NATO or Perlon strap for it at some point, since there's a larger-than-normal gap between the drilled lug holes and the case.

20230426_100838.jpg

 

my man does it ever get warm wearing that knit sweater on your arm?

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satyanash

satyanash 14473

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Picked up another HMT - this time it's the HMT Kohinoor, an insanely popular model upon its original release in India in the 1970s. It was named after the Koh-i-Noor diamond that was discovered/mined by the Kakatiya dynasty in South India, then passed through the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, Afsharid dynasty, and Sikh Empire over centuries of wars and conquests before ending up atop the crown of the King of England. It has a lovely emerald green sunburst dial that doesn't quite come through in photographs. 36mm with a box acrylic crystal and an HMT 020 mechanical movement. Got it for Rs. 5400 (about $65).

I know most people here don't care about HMT watches, but for those that might, it's becoming harder and harder to get your hands on an authentic one (eBay and the like are filled with cheap, shoddy fakes). HMT's last factory closed in 2016 and no new parts/movements have been made since then. Had to do some digging to get my hands on this one.

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satyanash

satyanash 14473

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1 hour ago, Anwar Namtut said:

Anyone know anything about Lilienthal Berlin? The have some nice looking watches for reasonable prices. 

https://lilienthal-berlin.com/watches/

$300 for a quartz watch with mineral glass and just 50m of water resistance isn't an enticing value proposition.

For that money you could get an Orient Kamasu - automatic movement, sapphire crystal, and 200m of water resistance.

Or a Charlie Paris Concordia - mechaquartz movement, sapphire crystal, and 300m of water resistance.

Or a Seiko 5. Or a Citizen Promaster. Or a Seagull 1963. Etc., etc. If you're willing to take your chances with Amazon retailers, you could even snag an on-sale Tissot in that price range.

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gsoda3

gsoda3 3245

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Picked up another HMT - this time it's the HMT Kohinoor, an insanely popular model upon its original release in India in the 1970s. It was named after the Koh-i-Noor diamond that was discovered/mined by the Kakatiya dynasty in South India, then passed through the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal Empire, Afsharid dynasty, and Sikh Empire over centuries of wars and conquests before ending up atop the crown of the King of England. It has a lovely emerald green sunburst dial that doesn't quite come through in photographs. 36mm with a box acrylic crystal and an HMT 020 mechanical movement. Got it for Rs. 5400 (about $65).
I know most people here don't care about HMT watches, but for those that might, it's becoming harder and harder to get your hands on an authentic one (eBay and the like are filled with cheap, shoddy fakes). HMT's last factory closed in 2016 and no new parts/movements have been made since then. Had to do some digging to get my hands on this one.
oDKjQ4d.thumb.jpg.af072382ed647feaf233f46d4b2941d6.jpg
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Dvf8u1QU0AAJexv.jpg.07bf2b23728b2773840f945e347ffc4a.jpg
Interesting. Looks a lot like the Seiko alpinist. How do you tell which ones are genuine? There are several on ebay between $15 and $25.
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satyanash

satyanash 14473

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On 6/9/2023 at 10:15 AM, gsoda3 said:

Interesting. Looks a lot like the Seiko alpinist. How do you tell which ones are genuine? There are several on ebay between $15 and $25.

With some rare exceptions, the indices and HMT logo should always be applied. If they're painted-on, the watch is fake (or 'refurbished'). The fakes also look sloppy close-up (dirty hands, poorly-finished dials, badly-stamped casebacks, uneven text) and tend to use garish colors. There's no exact science to it unfortunately. I've seen plenty of HMT watches and even I'm sometimes unsure what's fake and what's real when looking at pictures online. In-person it's much easier to distinguish the fakes. This video gives a better explanation of what to look for.

Sites like eBay should be avoided altogether, if you're not in India you should stick to a seller you 100% trust or use a service like Shoppre as an intermediary to purchase from the official website (which doesn't ship outside India). If buying third-party, ensure the seller includes the box + papers. Standard caveats apply.

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HoustonHorn

HoustonHorn 1062

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No first hand experience. I think generally they look like knockoffs of more expensive watches but not in a good way - garrish and chintzy. Just my opinion. Looks good on you though.

It seems people who have them seem to like them. And I've been known to be wrong.

Are you looking for a Chronograph specifically?

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Patricio Swayze

Patricio Swayze 17058

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I’m still looking for that “perfect” retro skin diver watch.

In the meantime I might settle with. A Wolbrook Skindiver Automatic. Any of y’all have one? One small thing that is making me apprehensive is the lack of a date window. Their world timer version has one, but I don’t like the WT bezel. I contacted them about buying a separate bezel to swap it out, but Théodore over in France didn’t seem to like my plans.

Any thoughts on that watch?

I posted some up thread, but these are the kinds I really dig:

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Also, I came across this Timex automatic dive watch with Portuguese day window. I was really disappointed to see that it had sold already. Anyone have suggestions on finding others like that (in Portuguese)?

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satyanash

satyanash 14473

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On 6/28/2023 at 7:59 PM, Rip76 said:

Posting here again.

Anyone heard any feedback about Jack Mason watches?

Mid-tier Chinese microbrand. Watches are designed in Texas, built in Shenzhen with generic Miyota movements and oversized cases. They're a step above the overpriced dropship junk like Movado, MVMT, Daniel Wellington, etc. but at their price range you'd probably get more bang for your buck with a Citizen, Seiko, Orient, Casio, Timex or any number of other microbrands.

I will say that their Strat-o-Timer looks legit. USA-built with Miyota's new 9075 true GMT movement, 200m WR, only 13mm thick, good fit and finish at less than $1000. Good luck finding one, though.

23 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

I’m still looking for that “perfect” retro skin diver watch.

In the meantime I might settle with. A Wolbrook Skindiver Automatic. Any of y’all have one? One small thing that is making me apprehensive is the lack of a date window. Their world timer version has one, but I don’t like the WT bezel. I contacted them about buying a separate bezel to swap it out, but Théodore over in France didn’t seem to like my plans.

Any thoughts on that watch?

I posted some up thread, but these are the kinds I really dig

Also, I came across this Timex automatic dive watch with Portuguese day window. I was really disappointed to see that it had sold already. Anyone have suggestions on finding others like that (in Portuguese)?

That Dan Henry looks pretty good. Take a look at the Baltic Aquascaphe.

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Prepuce of Doom

Prepuce of Doom 21053

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4 hours ago, HoustonHorn said:

Just got a couple Nodus watches to photograph and they are very impressive and under $500.

The Sector Pilot and the Retrospect III. Definitely worth checking them out.fc830d83f315b98d3eff392f418d6595.jpga942a5c1e861108eda7fd0274db9aaa0.jpg
 

Thanks for posting these. I checked out their site, and I'm tempted by much of what I saw. 

https://www.noduswatches.com/

I'm making a mental note for when I next get the itch... 

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