quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
On todays Grand Tour post we have my first and only Grand Seiko, the "Historical 62GS" model SBGR095G. This was a Limited Edition and certainly was a splendid execution of everything that Grand Seiko is all about. Turns out I personally don't like what Grand Seiko is all about. In real life, it felt cold and shrill. The angular and mirror bright Zaratsu polishing is impeccable. And yet, angular and mirror bright Zaratsu polishing just wasn't my bag. The size was great at 37.6mm

In ways that are hard to articulate, they are very Japanese. I have one HAQ Grand Seiko, and I like it. They are beautifully executed, and you generally get more for your money than with a Swiss watch in terms of accuracy and finish. But you'll never mistake them for a Swiss watch, no matter what movement is in them.

I've eyed this Ball for some time, and decided that I needed a dressy watch for no reason whatsoever. Arrived today!

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
While it wasn't a vintage cal. 321, it was a fine example of a tritium-dial hesalite-crystal Omega Speedmaster Professional, and.... I let it go. I'm in the process of rectifying that error now.

I think I know this watch ......

quote:

Originally posted by jjtnova:
I think I know this watch ......

Yeah Buddy! You done good on that one. Tritium dials have appreciated nicely.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
They are beautifully executed, and you generally get more for your money than with a Swiss watch in terms of accuracy and finish. But you'll never mistake them for a Swiss watch, no matter what movement is in them.

So true on all accounts. They'd been trying to push themselves up-market at what has become a very terrible time for that pricing pressure. I predict 50-60% off their (newly raised) prices, and many of them seeping out the back door to the greys because nobody is buying them.

This was a return of sorts since I'd had the silver dial variant of this watch. I fell for the blue dial. At that time and since then, GO has been wringing every dollar out of this design by dropping in different dials. I had this one for a few months and then traded it off for something truly vintage.

Glashütte Original Senator Sixties.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:

quote:

Originally posted by jjtnova:
I think I know this watch ......

Yeah Buddy! You done good on that one. Tritium dials have appreciated nicely.

Funny, I haven’t thought about that component at all, a wise man once told me to “own the watch don’t let it own you”. I wear it a lot, esp on Tuesdays....

There she is!
Probably my favorite watch in this thread.

Googled & they're not quite as bad ($) as I was expecting. Still far out of my budget though.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
There she is!
Probably my favorite watch in this thread.

I was thinkin' that might be the one you were talking about!

quote:

Originally posted by jjtnova:
Funny, I haven’t thought about that component at all ...

That's because you didn't have to work an acquisition deal on one this week! Unlike me.... Haha!

With that one, it's "Own the watch, and CONTINUE to own the watch", that is the killer move. Well played!

After reading the Hodinkee article, I couldn't help but buy a Seiko SNKL23. Yeah, it's another non-hacking 7S26, but at 38mm, I just had to see if it could be made to deliver as well as their photos showed. The size was great at 38mm, but in the end, no. It felt like a $75 watch.

The Value Proposition A Seventy-Five Dollar Watch That Looks Like A Million Bucks

NGD!!!! (New Glycine Day). Well new to me. This 1995 Combat Auto is in surprisingly good shape for its age.



Met a little buddy at the park today and had to get his pic too.

New watch days are great, and I love white on black/black on white hand to dials. Congrats, and nice Gatto!

Something about the modern vibe of this one, combined with the fact that it was über cheap.

The Braun is a modern production inexpensive quartz watch that harkens back to mid-century designs from Dieter Rams. Dieter was a German industrial designer who created a great catalog of work in what could generally be called the style of Bauhaus.

As a waypoint, this watch marks the half-way point in this tour of "Every watch I've ever owned". My friends know, I tend to favor all things mid-century and this mid-century designer influenced watch with a 37mm case was an impulse buy. The Alba Riki Watanabe with its wintery dial, cantilevered indices and the cutaway hour hand were just too much for me to resist.


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If you're interested, I've gathered up a bit of info on the designer, Riki Watanabe:

Riki Watanabe had been called the Charles Eames of Japan. Born in Shirogane, Tokyo in 1911, Watanabe obtained a degree in woodworking in 1936. After graduation he moved to Gunnma prefecture where he met, and consequently studied under, Bruno Taut, a German architect who had fled to Japan to escape the Nazi regime. Throughout the 1930s Watanabe absorbed the many principles of the modernist movements like Bauhaus and, in particular, Le Corbusier.

Watanabe was involved in the establishment of many of Japan's groundbreaking organizations, from the Japan Design Committee to the Japan Industrial Design Association. He was also responsible for the interiors of many famous buildings including the Tokyo Hilton (currently Capital Tokyo), Keio Plaza Hotel and Prince Hotel. One of his greatest skills was creating beautiful furniture using cheap, affordable materials as resources were scarce after World War II.

Besides interior and furniture design, Watanabe has also designed clocks and watches. His 1972 design, Hibiya Dai-Ichi Life Insurance Company's pole clock is defined as one of Watanabe's major works. Watanabe is considered to be one of the pioneers of post-war Japanese design.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
Something about the modern vibe of this one, combined with the fact that it was über cheap.

The Braun is a modern production inexpensive quartz watch that harkens back to mid-century designs from Dieter Rams. Dieter was a German industrial designer who created a great catalog of work in what could generally be called the style of Bauhaus.

From Bauhaus To Our House

Is modding a semi rare newer Seiko Nemo (as if such a thing really exists) a bad idea? I’m tempted to toss a coin edge bezel and stainless Tudor BB style bezel insert on it. Hmmm I suppose I could always undo the modifications if I ever wanted to sell it. Right?

Go for it.

Heuer Carrera 1964 Re-Edition model CS 3112. This little chronograph was quite faithful to the original Carrera, including its vintage inspired scale at only 36mm and 13mm thick. Powered by the manual wound Lemania 1873.

I'm not usually one for gold, but that Heuer is gorgeous