quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
JHE888, yeah I got her one of the white MOP ocean 39s before Steinhart changed them and added the gaudy gold. I wish I had bought two of them. The watch looks incredible on a quality blue NATO strap. I see them occasionally on the fleabay and they all sell for more than the original price from Steinie.

I’d wear it. The watch is gorgeous. My wife doesn’t dislike her Steinie she just doesn’t like that she has to wear it to keep it going. I tried to explain to her this is why it is superior to quartz and how it has character but she just wasn’t buying it. The eco drive made sense for her as a daily watch. Now the Steinie is her special event/beach/boating/diving watch.

You could have just bought her a watch winder, problem solved . But, knowing you, any excuse to buy one more watch .

JHE888, if she ever decides to sell it you can consider yourself #1 in line. Though I doubt she will part with it. Yesterday she mentioned that she likes the eco drive quite a bit because it’s lighter than the Steinhart but she said it’s just not quite as beautiful as the Steinie.

Realistically the only way I see her ditching it is if I can ever convince her to upgrade to a white dial Omega Seamaster planet ocean 39.5mm which is going to be one hell of a hard sell.

But I will still attempt to try and convince her that Omega watches (especially that one) are worth the steep cost of entry.



Tooky13, Guilty as charged. There is just something about wearing a different watch every single day that I fine alluring. They are all so special and unique in their own ways. I sometimes dream about only owning one watch but I have not yet found the perfect watch. The quest carries on.

If Hamilton made a Valjoux 7750 powered day/date chrono version of the older Khaki King Scuba reference H645450 I could go down to only owning one watch and being completely content.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: stickman428,

I thought a rather good photo for my crummy iPhone 12 mini.

This little 35mm watch has perfect proportions. The manual wound movement actually fills the case rather than being far undersized like many of the small-seconds modern watches. Which also means the seconds sub-dial sits in the right position on the dial. The hands meet the indices perfectly. The thin case is perfectly proportioned to the overall scale.

Despite being (I believe) their least expensive watch, it delivers.

It’s beautiful. I can’t wait for 35-37mm thin case watches to come back into style. That size to me is just perfect.

I love the dial. You are right it’s balanced, quite aesthetically pleasing and that shade of white catches the eye while not being at all obnoxious. Is that a blue anti reflective coating?

You’ve got some amazing watches.

Thanks!

The dial is actually very light silver. Not sure about the crystal. I do have a few great watches, but to be clear, this long thread is full of my watches that are now long gone. I only have a small handful now. Still more than I need or deserve, but that's the gist of my madness.

ALS - strictly top of the line.

Every watch in their line is finished to exactly the same level of excellence.

I have my eye on the Odysseus.

Never going to get one, but I can dream.

rOgue & Snapping Twig, You guys have impeccable taste when it comes to watches so I figure maybe you will have some insight to offer on this subject. What is your opinion of Mühle-Glashütte? They have a model (Seebattailon GMT) that may end up being the replacement for my Seamaster. It’s size originally made me hesitant but then I thought about how it’s smaller than one of my favorite Tissot divers that I wear quite a bit.

I think my micro brand watch phase is nearing the end of its acquisition phase. There are more watches going out than coming in these days. I suppose after a while you figure out what you like the most and the newness and variety that micro brands offer slowly loses its appeal.

I am no longer an Omega watch owner but that may change in the future.


And now for something completely different. My Seiko collection as small and humble as it is has become nearly complete in my view. I held the latest spring drive Titanium diver that has the Grand Seiko movement but regular Seiko branding. I loved the sweep of the spring drive movement but the titanium case and bracelet made for a super light watch, almost too light. The $5,000+ price tag was a major turn off. Only the most hardcore watch enthusiasts would recognize it for what it was. My ultimate Seiko had lost a bit of its luster once I got to hold one out in the wild ehh I mean at my local AD. . Having purchased a recent grail watch made by Seiko I found myself wondering if my Seiko collection was complete.

Then I got an email from Strapcode showing their new golden bracelets for the golden turtle. I generally do not like all gold watches at all but something about the turtle extravagantly encased in gaudy gold finish speaks to me. I’m not sure I could pull it off but for some ridiculous reason I find the big pimping gold turtle incredibly alluring.

My approach to watches over a few decades has varied a lot. I've done some micros. They're fun. I've done some elevated-ETAs like this MG as well. What I've found is that above a certain tier of watch, if you're careful, you can buy it, wear it, enjoy it, and break even on resale when you decide to move on. And with a few of my better pieces, I turned a tidy profit.

That's just not the case for the most part, when you buy more "value" watches. Yes, I'll admit that at that level, the losses are fairly tame. But if you're cycling through 4 or 6 watches a year, which I was often doing, it adds up. So while TCO is not the point of what we do. Why wouldn't I rather have "better stuff" (if you will) for free, or paying me?

I realize that not everyone can just go buy stuff at a higher dollar value. I couldn't either at first. Where I'm at now was built on decades of turnover, consistent added investments, and a fair amount of luck.

So in short, I'm in the nope camp on the MG. I'd find a pre-owned Squale 1521 for a utility watch with that vibe. In fact, I am still often tempted by Squale 1521. But then again, if you totally love the MG, there's nothing inherently wrong with it in my eyes. It's cool.

This Squale 50 was ultimately gifted to my son when he went off to college. A very sharp LE they did in collaboration with an annoying YouTuber, who, as it turns out, knew exactly where to take that watch to make is spectactular.

Swiss watches get a lot of attention. Being of German ancestry I like the idea of owning a quality German made watch.

This quote from worn and wound does a good job explaining why Mühle Glashütte popped up on my radar.

“One of the things that sets Mühle Glashütte’s sport watches apart is that some of their designs are driven by collaborations with military/government groups with specific needs. A perfect example of this is with their S.A.R. Rescue Timer, which was designed with the needs and desires of Germany’s S.A.R. teams, who needed a watch built like none other. The end result is a truly unique and robust timepiece that can more than stand day-to-day wear.”


I don’t see it being a good watch for resale at a later time but I have not and will not ever sell the one German made watch I own currently. So I suppose that aspect is not factoring in too much as I contemplate whether or not to scoop one up. The lugs and potential lack of bracelet options is my biggest concern. Specifically the question I find myself worried about with the Seebattailon GMT is, how would I put this thing on mesh with those thick screw bars?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: stickman428,

Thanks for the thought!

I'm afraid I don't deserve it however.

Happy accident is what I'm thinking.

Germany makes some real nice stuff!

That said, my motivations are foundational and basic.

Looks - can you look at it and grow into it instead of out of it?

Once you establish that, what's in it? Can you get it serviced? Will it last?

MG, OG, many other high quality pieces don't stimulate the Mk I A I eyeball for me, so I've looked and appreciated without wanting.

F P Journe is butt ugly to my eye for instance.
I'm a big fan of the UN Maxi Marine of old as a replacement for Rolex, but for the ETA inside.

I took a big leap with my Sinn. Had to wrap my mind around the 7750, but I justified it because I am a huge Seiko fan and the 7750 is more than equal to the pedestrian 7S26, 4R35, 6R15 that worked so well for me.

Micro brands all have a theme IMO. Almost there but for...

Seiko does this also. Great design, then a couple things too much and ruins the look.

Bought my daughter an MOP Steinhart like yours - because of yours. She likes it which is a good thing, but I am not a fan of Selita. Good value watch FWIW.

I laugh when I think of the fact that ALS is part of the Swatch group. Who'da thought?!

Blancpain 50 Fathoms is such a classic! GS two tone GMT blue - beautiful! Spring drive, arguably a most outstanding movement, but what's with the charge meter on the dial?! Missed it by THAT much. Put it on the back guys.

Doxa, beautiful watches if you like 70's styling. Beads of rice bracelets. Mmmm. Have to admit, I like the turquoise and yellow dials. One edition of the Sharkhunter with the bubble crystal is outstanding IMO.

Buy the watch that makes you smile or as we used to say on TURF - smiles at you.

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
A very sharp LE they did in collaboration with an annoying YouTuber...

I know who you're referencing. That guy is the NutnFancy of the Youtube watch channel world. But you're right, that Squale is excellent.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Swiss watches get a lot of attention. Being of German ancestry I like the idea of owning a quality German made watch.

I too am of German ancestry. Of course, the ETA is Swiss...'ish. And the rest of the parts,.. we can leave to our imagination. I suspect it is assembled in Germany though. One would hope. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

There was some discussion a while back about the dangers of hand winding ETA and Sellita movements. This picture illustrates exactly why that process is fraught with peril.

Note the brownish-gold wheel on the left. This is the ratchet wheel attached to the barrel arbor and the mainspring thru the barrel bridge. It is made out of a metal roughly the strength of American cheese.

Move just to the right and note the silver wheel. This is the crown wheel driven by the winding pinion below the barrel bridge. Note the meshing (or lack thereof) between the ratchet wheel and crown wheel.

This is common to many of the ETA movements and all of the Sellita movements. Eventually, the ratchet wheel will shed some teeth rendering hand winding useless.

Than real question is Why did they do this?

Answer: $$$





RMD

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
Thanks!

The dial is actually very light silver. Not sure about the crystal. I do have a few great watches, but to be clear, this long thread is full of my watches that are now long gone. I only have a small handful now. Still more than I need or deserve, but that's the gist of my madness.

That is a lovely, classically proportioned dressy watch.

quote:

I put mine on a very dark (almost black) green leather strap. There is a picture in this thread somewhere. It is a little pimp, but I like it. I got the gold one for a lowish price. I don't think it was their best seller.

posted by vthoky,

quote:

I'm enjoying the Seiko nicknames... who assigns these? Is that something Seiko gets started and lets run, or is it something that comes about from the Seiko fan community?

This is a very good question. I’m not sure how I missed it but I just found it when I went back in this thread to look for the new link to imbed YouTube videos.

I believe the names are assigned by the Seiko community and maybe large vendors. Someone on a Seiko group once asked about the origin of the nicknames. That conversation went south pretty fast since the person really just wanted to bitch about how the names didn’t resemble the watches.

The names make sense. No one (except those with a photographic memory) is going to remember the reference numbers for Seiko’s various watches. There are just too many of them. Having a nickname for a particular case shape/model of watch makes it much easier to differentiate and identify the various models. Some of the nicknames are easy to figure out others are a bit more challenging. I think the more difficult nicknames where the origin of the name and how it relates to that watch can cause some people to get emotional/pissy or maybe that’s just the nature of social media. I found myself being fussed at over nicknames I didn’t create and while attempting to educate an emotional fool on the origin of the name.

I suppose I should have expected to have been punished for doing the idiots homework and helping answer their question. Toxicity and social media are inseparable.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: stickman428,

quote:

Originally posted by P220 Smudge:

quote:

Originally posted by r0gue:
A very sharp LE they did in collaboration with an annoying YouTuber...

I know who you're referencing. That guy is the NutnFancy of the Youtube watch channel world. But you're right, that Squale is excellent.

TGV.

I am pretty sure Seiko doesn't generate the nicknames. In fact, I am as sure as I can be without being actually sure.

I think they come from common usage. Perhaps individuals or retailers start using them and then they catch on.

That's all it is.

As you know if you habitually check this thread, you'll recall I had sent my Rolex to Dallas to be serviced.

This post has nothing to do with the bracelet, for which I've not yet decided if I am sending it to Japan, but does about my Submariners accuracy.

It has been 54 days since I picked it up and set it to the atomic clock. So far I am running slow a mere 3 seconds.

This watch usually lost a few minutes per month and I am amazed at how well it is running.

Did I get lucky with whomever it was who serviced my watch at Rolex, or, is that normal time keeping after a full service?

quote:

Originally posted by h2oys:
As you know if you habitually check this thread, you'll recall I had sent my Rolex to Dallas to be serviced.

This post has nothing to do with the bracelet, for which I've not yet decided if I am sending it to Japan, but does about my Submariners accuracy.

It has been 54 days since I picked it up and set it to the atomic clock. So far I am running slow a mere 3 seconds.

This watch usually lost a few minutes per month and I am amazed at how well it is running.

Did I get lucky with whomever it was who serviced my watch at Rolex, or, is that normal time keeping after a full service?

Many poo-poo Rolexes as not being good time keepers. This is not true. Modern Rolexes are very very good mechanical watches. Three seconds in 54 days is extraordinary, but a Rolex should be off no more than about 5 seconds a day, and are often better. In short, you have been lucky, and maybe also had a good service tech. But it is probably mostly luck to be less than 0.1 seconds a day.

If yours was just two or three minutes off after a month of continuous running, it was already well within COSC standards for chronometers and was an excellent mechanical watch.

Five seconds a day is very good for a mechanical watch. If you need more accuracy than that, you need quartz. It is just the nature of mechanical watches.

Edit: I forgot to mention that my Explorer I was within about 1 to 1.5 seconds a day when it was new. I haven't monitored it in the last few years, but 1.5 seconds is good enough to exceed the standard, and be slightly pleasantly surprising.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jhe888,