The Watch Fanatic Thread

[KeysPhoneWallet 807]

Got this sweet watch today at Costco

[Celery Man 20931]

I’m way overdue to service my speedy, and while it may just be new baby fatigue making me forget to wind it I think it’s finally getting a little weird. What’s the prevailing wisdom - send it to omega? There’s a local shop that I think is fairly competent, they serviced my seiko pogue and I think did a good job. But the omega worth a fair bit more.

[bluto 4912]

Inherited this guy today, needs a new strap and servicing. original receipt $1600 in 1980

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2732]

That’s a beaut.

[satyanash 14473]

On 2/17/2024 at 1:47 AM, 52-80 said:

GS SBGA129
KS SPB281J1 

dirty secret is im starting to prefer the KS for its case design and smaller size. also sorta want a vintage KS that has the gold colored coin on the back. newer one is in silver/steel

How's the accuracy/precision on your KS? The re-release in 37 mm had me drooling the second I laid eyes on it, but the 6r31 movement in a $1.5K watch gave me pause.

[NWBuck 8552]

On 2/17/2024 at 4:16 PM, KeysPhoneWallet said:

Got this sweet watch today at Costco

[52-80 19147]

7 hours ago, satyanash said:

How's the accuracy/precision on your KS? The re-release in 37 mm had me drooling the second I laid eyes on it, but the 6r31 movement in a $1.5K watch gave me pause.

I no longer track daily +/-, but I wore it for a month straight and I don't think it went +/- 2 minutes from reference.  It's rare to get something in this case size and the bracelet is great too

[dieucla98 2942]

On 2/17/2024 at 9:25 PM, bluto said:

Inherited this guy today, needs a new strap and servicing. original receipt $1600 in 1980

There are services that will refurb the strap and get rid of the slack. I think it ends up slightly cheaper and you get to keep the original.

[satyanash 14473]

On 2/17/2024 at 7:16 PM, KeysPhoneWallet said:

Got this sweet watch today at Costco

That's pretty cool. Not often you see a world time watch that can track Kathmandu time (GMT+5:45). Even the Casio 5235 and Citizen H149 radio-controlled world time movements in the Oceanus and Attesa lines only cover the half-hour offset zones.

[HoustonHorn 1062]

Really digging this Vertex. This is a loaner but has me thinking.

[Goofyboy 3269]

Used my golf watch again. It’s a fun toy.

[ITHorn 800]

On 2/19/2024 at 11:49 AM, dieucla98 said:

There are services that will refurb the strap and get rid of the slack. I think it ends up slightly cheaper and you get to keep the original.

I can personally vouch for Rolliworks. The wait is a bit longer than most but I haven’t seen anything like the restoration that comes out of that place. They did a bracelet on a 1601 Datejust I inherited and it way exceeded my expectations. I’ve got photos floating around somewhere i’ll post as a reference. 
 

https://www.rolliworks.com
 

 

[HoustonHorn 1062]

Another great looking watch. Not cheap enough for the affordable watches thread but not terribly expensive. Sphaera Desk Diver. 

[dieucla98 2942]

5 minutes ago, HoustonHorn said:

Another great looking watch. Not cheap enough for the affordable watches thread but not terribly expensive. Sphaera Desk Diver. 

Looks like a tank, love the colors, metals, and screws. If they had used a different font for the numerals, I'd be sold. I'd just look at that and think it's "G o'clock", which sounds like a rap lyric.

[HoustonHorn 1062]

Looks like a tank, love the colors, metals, and screws. If they had used a different font for the numerals, I'd be sold. I'd just look at that and think it's "G o'clock", which sounds like a rap lyric.

I'm kind of in love with it. The sandblasted case, the circular brushed bezel with the screws. Really domed bezel. Fat lugs. I like the font and the sandwich dial has lots of lume. I see the G instead of the 6, but that doesn't bother me because it's a unique font. It's a great looking watch in person. Under $1500, although I went with the acrylic crystal instead of the sapphire because I prefer it. I think sapphire adds a couple hundred dollars.

Seriously though, and it isn't at the same price point and closing in on 3k, this Vertex M100A is one of the best watches I've come across. Everything about it is excellent.

The 3D like blows anything else out of the water. I toned down the brightness on the second photo because it was too bright.

This one isn't mine but it's definitely one I've added to my list for the future.

[Mr. Drummond 2198]

Oh hai 

[Prepuce of Doom 21053]

The "condom" remaining on the bracelet is a little Rocko-esque, but nice watch otherwise! 

[Mr. Drummond 2198]

Ha that was still at the store.  Condom off now lol  Don’t want to be accused of being rocko, unless you want to see my corvette and W2

Edited March 1 by Mr. Drummond

[HoustonHorn 1062]

Very nice!

[dieucla98 2942]

36 minutes ago, Mr. Drummond said:

Ha that was still at the store.  Condom off now lol  Don’t want to be accused of being rocko, unless you want to see my corvette and W2

Wow. The most humble of humble brags I've seen in quite a while.

[Brodarious Hamm Sandwich 126]

Oh hai 

[noharleyyet 2838]

 

[The Royal We 3067]

On 3/1/2024 at 8:13 AM, Mr. Drummond said:

That's an amazing lineup.

[The Royal We 3067]

John Mayer announced a partnership with AP and they let him design a Royal Oak. It looks pretty amazing to me.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/hands-on-john-mayer-audemars-piguet-royal-oak

[utxmike05 1828]

Anyone been eyeing the new white dial Speedmaster that Omega released last Tuesday?  It's the one Daniel Craig was caught wearing last year.  It's a limited release right now, and supposed to be a regular in the lineup later. Three strap options, the rubber strap has a moon surface texture on the inside.

I have a 40th anniversary Speedy, my only Speedy...my forever Speedy.  But this one is calling me too....he applied omega logo and indices are hot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 11 by utxmike05

[huge 3793]

It’s hot shit.

I don’t want to buy one.

But I want to wear one from time to time.

[Pescado_Rojo 19413]

That 12:00 marker looks like a cock and balls, but I like the watch

[52-80 19147]

The black on white looks hawt

[satyanash 14473]

Recently visited the National Watch and Clock Museum in Lancaster, PA. I definitely recommend a visit to anyone who's in the area. They have a very large exhibit on vintage clocks, pocket watches and wristwatches, with a specific focus on Hamilton and RGM Watches since both were founded in Lancaster. Took some nice photos while I was there.

Starting off with the Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical I wore to the museum (it felt appropriate). Rest of the photos are spoiler-ed below.

Spoiler

A 1971 Omega Speedmaster Mark II Professional. Made famous as the watch first worn on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (if you hadn't had that hammered into your head already by Omega's numerous marketing campaigns). This watch had the Lemania-based calibre 861 movement, which ditched the column wheel in favour of a cam system. This watch was designed as the successor to the original Professional, and has a more 'modern' design as well as a mineral crystal.

A 37mm 1970 Seiko Bell-matic. This was the world's first automatic alarm watch, with a 17-jewel self-winding Seikosha 4006A movement. While the base movement is automatic, the rotor does not charge the alarm; as such, the alarm must be mechanically hand-wound. The crown at 2:00 operates the alarm, and also provides a quick-set date function.

The very first Bulova Accutron ever released in 1960. This was the world's first purely electronic watch, in that it used a tuning fork instead of a balance wheel. The goal of the project was to create a watch with significantly better accuracy than the existing mechanical and electric watches on the market, and the ±1 min./month accuracy was considered revolutionary at the time. This was an exhibition model without a dial released to dealers to display how the movement worked; after the exhibition model proved to be more popular than the models with dials, it was sold as the "Spaceview".

The 1957 Hamilton Pacer, one of the world's first electric watches. This watch was the product of over 10 years of R&D by Hamilton, and debuted with an exorbitant price of $200. The watch had no mainspring whatsoever - the large balance wheel directly powers the gears and hands. The large wire coil atop the balance is an electromagnet in which a magnetic field is induced by means of a battery-supplied current that keeps the wheel swinging. Hamilton had to rush the watch to market to compete with Bulova and Elgin (the latter had already released their Grade 725 electric watch), and unfortunately it suffered from technical problems as a result.

The venerable 1982 Hamilton military watch. Designed to military specification MIL-W-46374B, this 33mm watch was standard issue to U.S. infantrymen for three years, until the revised 1986 MIL-W-46374D specification called for watches with more accurate quartz movements. The 'H3' symbol on the dial indicates the use of tritium in the luminescent paint on the hands. The movement is a hand wound, 7-jewel Du Rowe 7420, designed to be cheap and rugged.

A 1970 Hamilton FAPD-5101 Type 1 Navigator pilot's watch. These watches were issued to members of the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. At 36mm this was a very large watch for its time (the added size made the dial more legible in low-light flying conditions). The movement is a 17-jewel manual winding Calibre 684, with anti-magnetic properties, that was only ever designed for this watch.

A 1953 Patek Philippe Calatrava with a 36mm screw-back case. One of the most timeless dress watches out there, IMO. 

A 1940 Hamilton WWII diving watch (right) and a 1970 Benrus field watch (left). The Benrus was issued to pilots and navigators during the Vietnam War, and had a 17-jewel Benrus cal. DR 2F2 movement with hacking and shock protection (based on the ETA 2372). Benrus supplied millions of watches to the U.S. military during the Korean and Vietnam wars. The Hamilton is a 34mm diver's mil-spec watch with a 987S 17-jewel hacking movement, tritium numerals and a waterproof case. The crown has a screw cap cover to prevent accidental dislodging underwater.

A 1937 Hamilton limited edition art-deco watch with an enamel bezel and a 17-jewel 987-E manual winding movement. This watch was gifted to Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, and was one of 35 made to commemorate the New York Yankees' 1936 World Series victory. The watch is plated in 14k yellow gold.

A 1920 Ingersoll Model 25 nickel-plated watch with radium Arabic numerals. Ingersoll sold watches produced by the Waterbury Watch Co. in Connecticut during the First World War, repurposing their 'Midget' pocket watch line into wristwatches. The Radiolite watch line was one of their first to use radium luminescent paint, which was invaluable in low-light conditions within tanks and airplane cockpits.

A 1915 World War I military watch. Produced by the Era Watch Company in Switzerland. One of the earliest mass-produced Swiss wristwatches with a very basic 1-jewel, 5 bps manual winding movement and soldered-on wire lugs. Just 32 mm in diameter, this watch was actually considered quite large for its time.

"Soldiers of the United States, the people of the British Isles welcome you on your way to take your stand beside the Armies of many Nations now fighting in the Old World the great battle for human freedom. The Allies will gain more heart and spirit in your company. I wish that I could shake the hand of each one of you & bid you God speed on your mission." -- King George V, April 1918

A 1916 Tissot 34mm manual-winding watch fitted with an "Army Wrist-Watch Protector", a shrapnel guard made of nickel that protected the watch glass from impacts while still allowing the time to be read. Marked T.H.F. Tissot & Fils, Locle, Signal Corps, USA."  The case has soldered fixed wire lugs to attach the strap. The movement is detached lever, jeweled, and runs at 5 bps.

A 1912 World War I Gallet nurse’s watch. Switzerland was neutral during the Great War and likely supplied these watches to both sides. The large sweep seconds hand is for measuring a patient's pulse.

The first two pocket watches ever produced by Hamilton Watch Co. for the railroad industry in 1893. Both are 18 size 17-jewel pocket watches.

An 1814 Breguet quarter-repeater pocket watch once owned by Queen Caroline Bonaparte Murat, the sister of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

A 1655 Pierre Rou coach watch. In the seventeenth century watchmakers sold special clocks designed for traveling. These coach watches remained popular until the advent of railroads, and were hung by their pendants from hooks in coaches. This watch had an alarm function and a silver dial. The decoration on the dial was created by hammering and pressing the metal on the reverse side.

 

Edited March 26 by satyanash

[speed817 19255]

Anybody get a Snoopy Moonswatch yet?  

[HoustonHorn 1062]

Very cool from the museum! RGM is pretty badass as well.

[randomhorn 1728]

On 3/26/2024 at 11:58 AM, satyanash said:

A 1971 Omega Speedmaster Mark II Professional. Made famous as the watch first worn on the moon by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin (if you hadn't had that hammered into your head already by Omega's numerous marketing campaigns). This watch had the Lemania-based calibre 861 movement, which ditched the column wheel in favour of a cam system. This watch was designed as the successor to the original Professional, and has a more 'modern' design as well as a mineral crystal.

 

The Apollo astronauts most certainly did not wear 1971 Speedmaster Mark II's on the Moon in 1969.

Neil and Buzz both wore Speedmaster Professional ref 105.012. Only Buzz wore his on the surface. Michael Collins wore ref 145.012.

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/chronograph-armstrong-apollo-11/nasm_A19731247000
https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/chronograph-collins-apollo-11/nasm_A19900272000
https://www.fratellowatches.com/astronaut-michael-collins-omega-speedmaster-professional-145-012/
You can see Buzz wearing his here: https://airandspace.si.edu/explore/stories/buzz-aldrin
And the cal 861 was not worn on the Moon https://www.fratellowatches.com/52-years-ago-today-the-omega-speedmaster-became-the-moonwatch/

Which is to say, you should go back to the museum and wreck the place for being wrong

[randomhorn 1728]

My latest acquisition. Speedmaster Mark III c. 1973. It’s by no means a small watch, but it still wears surprisingly well imo. It has that 70’s funk, chunk, and heft but isn’t gaudy like the 50+mm watches that were popular a few years ago

https://www.fratellowatches.com/speedy-tuesday-omega-speedmaster-professional-mark-iii-176-002/

[satyanash 14473]

On 3/28/2024 at 4:21 PM, HoustonHorn said:

Very cool from the museum! RGM is pretty badass as well.

Yeah, RGM has a location right down the road in Mount Joy, near the old Hamilton Watch Factory that closed down when Hamilton shifted operations to Switzerland.

The museum has some cool exhibits, including a large model of a watch movement for kids to play around with, an exhibit on old Japanese pocket watches (in traditional Asian watches the dial rotates as well as the hands), and an exhibit on James Bond's watches that was unfortunately undergoing renovation when we were there. They also have a large pocket watch collection, as well as a fully reproduced 19th century watch shop.

They also used to have an intricate handmade wooden clock, but some idiot destroyed it.

 

[HoustonHorn 1062]

Yeah, RGM has a location right down the road in Mount Joy, near the old Hamilton Watch Factory that closed down when Hamilton shifted operations to Switzerland.
The museum has some cool exhibits, including a large model of a watch movement for kids to play around with, an exhibit on old Japanese pocket watches (in traditional Asian watches the dial rotates as well as the hands), and an exhibit on James Bond's watches that was unfortunately undergoing renovation when we were there. They also have a large pocket watch collection, as well as a fully reproduced 19th century watch shop.
They also used to have an intricate handmade wooden clock, but some idiot destroyed it.
 

Very cool. They took one is their guilloche machines to WatchTime and demonstrated how it worked. Amazing stuff. I would like to get one someday.

[Superhero 8827]

On 3/3/2024 at 2:27 PM, noharleyyet said:

 

IMO, this best describes my thought on Breitling watch dials.

 

[ITHorn 800]

Have been on "wait list" for a no date Submariner for a while now. The new Tudor Black Bay Monochrome looks like it might scratch that itch at less than half the price. 

[52-80 19147]

On 4/9/2024 at 5:09 AM, Superhero said:

IMO, this best describes my thought on Breitling watch dials.

 

how i feel reading a breitling dial:

 

 

12 hours ago, ITHorn said:

Have been on "wait list" for a no date Submariner for a while now. The new Tudor Black Bay Monochrome looks like it might scratch that itch at less than half the price. 

 

nice thing about tudor imo for the submarine-style is that you get much more options with case size and dial colors

[Superhero 8827]

9 hours ago, 52-80 said:

how i feel reading a breitling dial:

 

Yeah, except you can close "windows" on Jarvis. 

[ITHorn 800]

Picked up the new BB41 Monochrome tonight. Very satisfied and feels like a ton of watch for the $$. 
 

[Bevo&Pevo 5120]

Stumbled across this on Reddit.

 

[AUinHsv 579]

That would be a hard pass for me

[HoustonHorn 1062]

Stumbled across this on Reddit.
 

If you're interested in an Arcanaut, I know those guys personally. Just hung out with them a few weeks ago. They will show you the dials that are working on and you can pick one out. They have some that are linear and then some that are ripple milled and are 3D looking.

One of the main guys is James Thompson who is known as Black Badger. He is kind of a mad scientist and works on some crazy lume shit for some super high end brands.

[HoustonHorn 1062]

For vintage car people, there a relatively new brand Treiber Timepieces, that designs watches based on old classics. The first watch was based on the '57 Bel Air. They are about to have a Kickstarter for their second watch based on the 300SL Gullwing.

The dials recreate the speedometer, but the case and lug design is asymmetrical and mirrors the eyebrow arches over the wheels. The crown replicates the radio knobs.

Very cool watches.

[huge 3793]

Had to take 2 watches to see if Zadok can repair them or it’s send off for full service and bend right over.

Fingers crossed.

[Bogeywon 2519]

[huge 3793]

On 4/30/2024 at 11:03 AM, huge said:

Had to take 2 watches to see if Zadok can repair them or it’s send off for full service and bend right over.

Fingers crossed.

Diagnosis - full service which they quote as $1648.

Might as well send it to Omega, they quoted me $750 to start.

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

On 4/30/2024 at 10:57 AM, HoustonHorn said:

For vintage car people, there a relatively new brand Treiber Timepieces, that designs watches based on old classics. The first watch was based on the '57 Bel Air. They are about to have a Kickstarter for their second watch based on the 300SL Gullwing.

The dials recreate the speedometer, but the case and lug design is asymmetrical and mirrors the eyebrow arches over the wheels. The crown replicates the radio knobs.

Very cool watches.

Those pics are very very nice.

[HoustonHorn 1062]

Those pics are very very nice.

Thank you. it's a really well executed watch. Treiber does a fantastic job with the design and his integration of the features and elements of the cars is really unlike anything else I've ever seen. There are a strawberry red and a white as well. These are prototypes I had to send back because he is at a watch show in San Francisco this weekend. Hopefully I'll get one or two back to get additional shots.

I hope this gets funded on Kickstarter because I'd really like to have one. I own the first one based on the'57 Bel Air and it's fantastic.

[Mrs Whiggins 13050]

I would love to buy the white dial Treiber for my husband but he would kill me. I prefer the pale blue/green dial for the aesthetic and the cool factor but again, that would be a no go. It's a shame as we could afford for him to have a nicer watch than his daily but he is the 'if it's not broke why fix it' type and I respect it. But, yeah, it's a beautiful watch and I'd love to spoil him with it. (actually compared to some of the other watches I like and would like to buy for him, the Treiber is not that expensive really).