Author Topic: Wearing a watch  (Read 126694 times)

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #575 on: 10 February, 2021, 09:02:17 pm »
Over the last eleven years, the virus has eaten your soul, Wow: the virus of self-indulgent consumerist post-capitalism. It can't be long till you start burning rainforests in your Jaguar.  :demon:
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

fuzzy

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #576 on: 10 February, 2021, 10:34:03 pm »
To this very day, there is a Speedmaster out there waiting for me....

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
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Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #577 on: 10 February, 2021, 10:45:03 pm »
Over the last eleven years, the virus has eaten your soul, Wow: the virus of self-indulgent consumerist post-capitalism. It can't be long till you start burning rainforests in your Jaguar.  :demon:

Yes, I know. But at least with an automatic watch no one can accuse me of trashing the planet with lithium mining for the battery. I'm buying it to offset the electric car...
The loss of humanity I could live with.

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #578 on: 10 February, 2021, 11:22:23 pm »
Over the last eleven years, the virus has eaten your soul, Wow: the virus of self-indulgent consumerist post-capitalism. It can't be long till you start burning rainforests in your Jaguar.  :demon:

Yes, I know. But at least with an automatic watch no one can accuse me of trashing the planet with lithium mining for the battery. I'm buying it to offset the electric car...


You just need to move your hand in a regular, rhythmic pattern at least once per day, to keep things charged up....
Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #579 on: 11 February, 2021, 12:29:04 am »
I do like an automatic watch. With everything else being high tech, electronic, accurate way beyond what is needed, and soul-less, having something with cogs and springs that needs a little care and tweaking is a welcome change.

My daily wear one is a Seiko SKX007, bought second hand on here about a decade ago. Nowadays it's usually on a NATO strap; I have quite a few of them, with different colours and lengths so they can match my mood and what I'm wearing (or just have a clean one to hand when one is being washed). I'm happy for it to be within +/- 15 seconds or so, I've regulated it so that with my wear patterns I only have to check it against a radio clock or GPS locked NTP every couple of weeks.

It did stop working, so I took the opportunity to replace the 7s26 movement with an NH36. That's a slightly newer Seiko one intended for use by other manufacturers so branded SII (Seiko Instruments Inc). The big advantages over the 7s26 are it supports hacking  and manual winding. It's pretty much a drop-in replacement, but needs a slightly different stem, so whilst doing that I also replaced the screw down crown with one that has the S logo. I also moved the date disks over as the ones that came on the NH36 were aligned for a 3 o'clock crown so the day didn't quite line up in the dial's window. As they were off due to the movement change, I also changed the second hand for an orange Marine Master MM300 one to give a slight splash of colour with a little more contrast, but put the original SKX hour and minute hands back. There are a wide variety of hands available for the modding scene, but I didn't see any that I preferred.

It's not a flash watch, but I'm not worried to wear it and potentially damage or lose it - though I do wear a sacrificial Seiko 5 SNK807 if I'm doing more manual tasks or DIY.

Mr Larrington

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Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #580 on: 11 February, 2021, 12:34:18 am »
Sounds a bit like the proverbial axe of my grandfather :)
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Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #581 on: 11 February, 2021, 02:59:29 am »
My watches are essentially my make believe dressing up box. I have a pilots watch, dive watch, dress watch etc. My decision of what watch to wear is pretty much what would I like to pretend to be today (as I sit at my desk and reply to emails). I can't dress up like a diver, pilot or soldier (well actually I can now as I work from home during lockdown) but I can at least wear their watch. The majority of my watches are Japanese quartz, and some Japanese automatics.

The dive bezel, and stop watch functions are primarily used to time my cooking of instant noodles. I have never had to use the GMT hand of my GMT watch to work out the time, as I'm not a pilot and always stay at least a week whenever I change time zone.
I have a few radio sync watches that automatically sync with various atomic clocks around the world. These watches are normally used to check the accuracy of my non radio sync watches. I also have an electronic non quartz analogue watch where the accuracy is +/- a few seconds a year. The accuracy is fairly pointless as I'm still always a few minutes late for everything. My watch with moonphase complication should prove useful if anyone were to ask me in July roughly when did I think the Dunwich dynamo would be.

The only thing that regularly gets used, is the slide rule on my pilots watch. This is something that I fiddle with in meetings, normally doing multiplication or division, just to see if I can remember how to use a circular slide rule.

I wear my smart watch on one wrist, and a normal watch on the other. No one has ever noticed that I wear a watch on both wrists.

I was brainwashed into liking watches. Hong Kong was always the place in the world wear most Rolexs were sold, and all my holidays were to visit family in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong on the shopping streets you see Rolex dealers with the same frequency that you see betting shops in the UK. People didn't buy them as they really liked them, it was just done as a form of a saving, as they don't really depreciate and you can liquidate them easily if you ever need ready cash. For years Hong Kong was the main market for Tudor, Rolexes' "cheap" brand for people who can't afford a Rolex, but now I notice Tudor has come to the UK, and they want me to believe that multimillionaire David Beckham chooses to wear a Tudor watch as he likes it more than more expensive and prestigious watches.

I spent my first real wages  (summer job when I was 15) buying a Swiss watch. After a summer of working at KFC I had enough to buy a Tag Heuer Formula 1 chronograph. It looked great, but it was an unreliable piece of swiss quartz. It taught me a valuable lesson, don't buy expensive watches.

I love watches, I just know that I have better things to spend my money on than a luxury watch eg food, mortage etc

I will get myself a "good" watch as a present for myself for a milestone birthday a few years down the line, and then never wear it, never get it serviced, and just take it out of my drawer to look at a couple of times a year, before passing it on to my daughter in many many years time, who will not realise its value and then lose it in a house move. I have vowed not to get a Rolex, as it's my act of rebellion to all the marketing that Rolex have subjected me to. For a Rolex, you are paying for Swiss robots to cut and polish parts you never see, and technicians to certify that your watch is no way as accurate as a £10 quartz watch, but for something that is powered by a bent bit of metal, its accuracy is "superlative". You are actually paying someone to re orientate the watch every few hours, and fill in a form, so you get a certificate to confirm that upside down, your watch is as accurate as it is when it's the right way up. The trust that owns Rolex is a registered charity, so you never know what they do with their income, but a large part of their spend is paying top sportsmen to wear their watches, on the off chance that it persuades you to part with a vast sum of money, so you can then pretend to be as good as your sporting hero, as you are wearing a far cheaper version of the watch they got for free.

I've got my heart set on a Japanese high end watch, Grand Seiko, they're still the same size as watches were in the 90s, ie 37mm or smaller. They still have quartz options, where the accuracy is +/- 1 second a year. They are famous for Zaratsu polishing, where everything has a mirror finish. Although it sounds fancy, Zaratsu isn't the term for a fancy Japanese artisan technique. It's just the Japanese transliteration of the German brand of machine that they use to polish the metal. Imagine if Rolex had a watch that had a "Dremel" or "Black and Decker" polish finish (but pronounced in a Swiss accent). Grand Seiko are famous for their Spring drive watches, where the hands are powered by a spring, but it's regulated by the spring also powering a little generator to put a current through a quartz crystal which then regulates the hands with an electromagnet. This results in a very smooth sweep of the second hand, that literally no one will ever notice unless you point it out to them.

The reason watches got bigger in the 90s was Sylvester Stallone found an obscure Italian dive watch that looked ok on his massive wrist, it started a trend, and as a result every watch started to get bigger.



Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #582 on: 11 February, 2021, 08:00:08 am »
Sounds a bit like the proverbial axe of my grandfather :)

Close :-)
It does have the original case, back, crystal, bezel, dial, day/date wheels, and 2 out 3 hands.

robgul

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Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #583 on: 11 February, 2021, 08:07:20 am »
My 10 buck "rolex" bought from the guy on the corner of Wall & Pine, NYC in October 1990 has just had to have its third battery installed .. I'm losing money with all these new batteries  ;D

Rob

I haven't worn a watch (other than for 10 days in 2019 when I was driving the support truck for a cycle ride) since I went on holiday in July 2013 and the battery ran out on my Swiss Army watch - can't say I have missed a watch  . . .  although I was pleased to find my 60+ year old MuDu automatic watch a few months ago (the subject of another post on here).

My desk has a drawer with 4 other watches, all stopped, the "Rolex" referred to in my quote, a Swiss Army, a smart something my wife bought for me and a Timex "rugged style" thing together with the MuDu.

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #584 on: 11 February, 2021, 08:23:56 am »
My watches are essentially...<snip>

If this post had been written anonymously I still would have known it was you, Gerald  ;D

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #585 on: 11 February, 2021, 09:05:51 am »

I do like an automatic watch,,,, having something with cogs and springs that needs a little care and tweaking is a welcome change.

Two of my watches currently being serviced by https://watchguy.co.uk/:

https://watchguy.co.uk/cgi-bin/library?action=show_photos&wat_id=5016&tk_id=726898190

https://watchguy.co.uk/cgi-bin/library?action=show_photos&wat_id=5015&tk_id=634770962

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #586 on: 11 February, 2021, 09:10:51 am »
Over the last eleven years, the virus has eaten your soul, Wow: the virus of self-indulgent consumerist post-capitalism. It can't be long till you start burning rainforests in your Jaguar.  :demon:

Yes, I know. But at least with an automatic watch no one can accuse me of trashing the planet with lithium mining for the battery. I'm buying it to offset the electric car...
"A man who, beyond the age of 26, finds himself wearing a digital watch, can count himself a failure." M. Thatcher (alleged)  ;)
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #587 on: 11 February, 2021, 09:14:04 am »
My watches are essentially my make believe dressing up box. I have a pilots watch, dive watch, dress watch etc. My decision of what watch to wear is pretty much what would I like to pretend to be today (as I sit at my desk and reply to emails). I can't dress up like a diver, pilot or soldier (well actually I can now as I work from home during lockdown) but I can at least wear their watch.
https://youtu.be/JbsBEB15VNE
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #588 on: 11 February, 2021, 09:22:26 am »
I wear my smart watch on one wrist, and a normal watch on the other. No one has ever noticed that I wear a watch on both wrists.
Or they're just used to your little eccentricities...  ;)

Quote
I was brainwashed into liking watches. Hong Kong was always the place in the world wear most Rolexs were sold, and all my holidays were to visit family in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong on the shopping streets you see Rolex dealers with the same frequency that you see betting shops in the UK. People didn't buy them as they really liked them, it was just done as a form of a saving, as they don't really depreciate and you can liquidate them easily if you ever need ready cash. For years Hong Kong was the main market for Tudor, Rolexes' "cheap" brand for people who can't afford a Rolex, but now I notice Tudor has come to the UK, and they want me to believe that multimillionaire David Beckham chooses to wear a Tudor watch as he likes it more than more expensive and prestigious watches.
I'd seen Tudor and noticed the similarity to Rolex but didn't know they were the same manufacturer. Just assumed they were imitating the style!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #589 on: 11 February, 2021, 09:27:12 am »
I wear my smart watch on one wrist, and a normal watch on the other. No one has ever noticed that I wear a watch on both wrists.
Or they're just used to your little eccentricities...  ;)

Quote
I was brainwashed into liking watches. Hong Kong was always the place in the world wear most Rolexs were sold, and all my holidays were to visit family in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong on the shopping streets you see Rolex dealers with the same frequency that you see betting shops in the UK. People didn't buy them as they really liked them, it was just done as a form of a saving, as they don't really depreciate and you can liquidate them easily if you ever need ready cash. For years Hong Kong was the main market for Tudor, Rolexes' "cheap" brand for people who can't afford a Rolex, but now I notice Tudor has come to the UK, and they want me to believe that multimillionaire David Beckham chooses to wear a Tudor watch as he likes it more than more expensive and prestigious watches.
I'd seen Tudor and noticed the similarity to Rolex but didn't know they were the same manufacturer. Just assumed they were imitating the style!
In previous years Tudor used the same cases as Rolexes, but with an ETA2824-2 movement.

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #590 on: 11 February, 2021, 09:58:41 am »
Quote from: Hot Flatus
If this post had been written anonymously I still would have known it was you, Gerald  ;D

As someone who is: neurodiverse (now officially diagnosed) and a member of an ethnic minority (self reported) in the sea of white middle agedness that is YACF (not saying that's a bad thing, but it is a thing) I'd worry if my posts stopped being different/recognisable. If that ever happens my account has been hacked, or I've had a stroke  ;D

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #591 on: 11 February, 2021, 10:13:17 am »
I wear my smart watch on one wrist, and a normal watch on the other. No one has ever noticed that I wear a watch on both wrists.
Or they're just used to your little eccentricities...  ;)

Quote
I was brainwashed into liking watches. Hong Kong was always the place in the world wear most Rolexs were sold, and all my holidays were to visit family in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong on the shopping streets you see Rolex dealers with the same frequency that you see betting shops in the UK. People didn't buy them as they really liked them, it was just done as a form of a saving, as they don't really depreciate and you can liquidate them easily if you ever need ready cash. For years Hong Kong was the main market for Tudor, Rolexes' "cheap" brand for people who can't afford a Rolex, but now I notice Tudor has come to the UK, and they want me to believe that multimillionaire David Beckham chooses to wear a Tudor watch as he likes it more than more expensive and prestigious watches.
I'd seen Tudor and noticed the similarity to Rolex but didn't know they were the same manufacturer. Just assumed they were imitating the style!

My dad had a Tudor Oyster.  Also a TAG Heuer both 1950s,60s vintage and a Mont Blanc pen.  He was a senior civil servant, so quite in keeping. Elder brother, also a senior civil servant, seems to have taken them over. They'd have been wasted on me - I don't wear a watch, use biros and have never been a civil servant at any level.
Move Faster and Bake Things

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #592 on: 11 February, 2021, 08:05:40 pm »
The reason watches got bigger in the 90s was Sylvester Stallone found an obscure Italian dive watch that looked ok on his massive wrist, it started a trend, and as a result every watch started to get bigger.

Panerai.

Love the bit about Zaratsu  ;D

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #593 on: 26 February, 2021, 10:42:18 am »


A present for Gerald...
The loss of humanity I could live with.

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #594 on: 26 February, 2021, 12:08:08 pm »
What happens to it in June?

On a separate note, due to being over busy bashing things around at the moment, I am not wearing my automatic for sufficient time to keep it running. do people have experience of using watch winders? Any home brewed efforts?

Auntie Helen

  • 6 Wheels in Germany
Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #595 on: 26 February, 2021, 12:55:40 pm »
I have an Uhrenbeweger (watch wobbler) with 4 spaces and it has 3 automatic watches in it.

Works fine, mine still keeps time after about 3 years in there (I only wear it for special occasions, I wear an Apple Watch the rest of the time).

The thing is fairly quiet but I wouldn’t want it in the bedroom as I think its light noise would be disturbing.
My blog on cycling in Germany and eating German cake – http://www.auntiehelen.co.uk


Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
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Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #596 on: 26 February, 2021, 02:24:52 pm »
Do you have any knowledge of Stowa, based in the Schwarzwald, AH? Some of their watches are very attractive.
The loss of humanity I could live with.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #597 on: 26 February, 2021, 02:30:48 pm »
Apparently most watch winders don't effectively charge Seiko Kinetics, which need a slightly more violent movement to really spin the generator.  There are modified turbonutterbastard versions available.  Having said that, my cheap Lorus Kinetic has been working for 21 years without pause, and with only intermittent wear.

Really, if you want a quartz watch that charges itself, Citizen Eco-Drive (solar, but you can't see the cells) is simpler and solid-state.  However, Kinetic is kind of cool because it is so similar to an automatic mechanical watch.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

fuzzy

Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #598 on: 26 February, 2021, 02:34:49 pm »
Do you have any knowledge of Stowa, based in the Schwarzwald, AH? Some of their watches are very attractive.

You are a git Mr Bagger.
I followed that link and sooooo wish I hadn't.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Wearing a watch
« Reply #599 on: 26 February, 2021, 03:20:17 pm »
ECO drives need a proper charging if they have been allowed to run flat. You need to leave it in the sunlight for 24 hours
Now there's an excuse for that holiday to Finland in June.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.