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Post pics of your watches ***Please NO QUOTING PHOTOS***
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭
Join Date:Posts: 59003
I'm liking her style already. Large, quirky dial and a mad colour.Kintarō Hattori wrote: »
My little one loves wearing my watches in the evening before she heads to bed. Naturally I don't let her near the good ones and let her wear/throw about some crappy fashion ones that I had been given a while back from someone.
We were walking in the shopping centre this afternoon when she saw a huge display of watches in a jewelers. Her face lit up in pure joy. I asked her if she wanted her own watch. She isn't talking yet but indicated with excitement that she did. So we went into the shop and asked an assistant if they had a watch that would fit (she's a few weeks away from being two).
Naturally it won't be left on all the time owing to small parts and instead will be worn with supervision. Apologies for crappy pics... you can imagine it was difficult to get a photo. Hopefully it's the first of many.
All these watch companies that go on about a 1000 fathoms depth rating, 10000 G rating, cleared for space travel and all that stuff robust watches. The true test would be give an example to herself and if it survived five minutes with a two year old, then it's a truly robust watch. 
Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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I'm liking her style already. Large, quirky dial and a mad colour. All these watch companies that go on about a 1000 fathoms depth rating, 10000 G rating, cleared for space travel and all that stuff robust watches. The true test would be give an example to herself and if it survived five minutes with a two year old, then it's a truly robust watch.
So true Wibbs, they are amazingly destructive in a way we just can't fathom!0 -
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Tis a beauty mate!
Cheers, I love it. More than I thought I would. She then doubles down and gets me this three months later for my 40th..
I'm not into the rubber straps that come with them. I love the orange nato with the pvd, but the grey/orange zulu with the blue isn't doing it for me and will be replaced with a tan nato once I find the right one.0 -
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59003
Nice citizen TL. I'm liking the crown guard.
I always loved the oul Squale. I hear you on rubber straps P, could never get on with them myself. Always noticed them on my wrist.
Me. Earlier. Fiddling about with my WW2 German airforce issued watches with Glashutte Urofa movements. Long story. But mostly cos I'm weird.
Judging by the date on the backs of the dials of the ones I have(and I have two others not pictured. See above: Cos I'm weird). they were mostly made in 1943 and by the same dial printer, though slight there is some variability, same with the cases. Nice watches these and historic and all that. As Germany was running outa hard cash to pay off the Swiss they went local. Though I've always been surprised they didn't go local in the first place, what with the extreme nationalism going on at the time. And the serious wealth and depth of German watchmaking expertise and producers. Maybe a quid pro quo with the Swiss on other financial matters? Anyway local they went and used a square movement meant for "Tank" style watches adapted to a round case. This made them larger at 35mm than their other mainstream issued pieces like the various Swiss made DH watches for the army, navy and airforce(32-34mm).
Price wise at auction these run between 5-700 quid for working examples, 200 odd for non working. Dealers want more like a 1000. Outfits like Hodinkee likely double that. For the Navy/KM versions with the pale dials add 40% or so. They're more scarce than the DH watches which are easy to find.
Actually, that's one thing one can say about Rolex that for a change isn't a fan inflated myth, of which there are many: They made a decision to never supply watches or timing gear to the Axis forces in WW2 and did so very early on when the outcome wasn't nearly so clear. They also supplied watches through the Red Cross to POW's of the Allied powers. All of the other Swiss marques worked both sides until money ran out for the Germans or the tide of war was going against them. Some like Girard Perregaux in the form of their co brand Mimo destroyed what they could find of German issued watches after the war to distance themselves from it. The rest stayed quite. Others like IWC held their breath for decades, but were and remain happy to produce their "Big Pilot" which is designed around a German RLM design for navigator watches(B-Uhr). Don't tend to read about that connection in their glossy brochures mind you... Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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What did I get in the post this morning? :cool:
Had been looking for a proper turquoise Isofrane for a long time, but couldn't justify paying the full whack of USD178 they wanted for one. Got this one on eBay for €80 shipped
Great timing as with today's summery weather, the steel bracelet had just become too tight this morning0 -
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59003
Carrying on from my previous theme of German military issued watches, this time from the late 60's.
Heuer 1550 SG "Bundeswehr" flyback two register chronograph(on an 1960's Expandro bracelet).
Only this one is unusual as it's not an issued example. It has no BUND/NATO issue code on the caseback. It's unusual because officially these weren't available through the normal Heuer outlets and weren't in catalogues. You'd have to be "in the know" to source one. I read of a German aircrew chap who admired the pilot's watches and wangled a non BUND stamped one through a local jeweller. The Yugoslav Air Force got a few, as did the Norwegian Air Force. They were tested to high positive and negative G, shaking tests and magnetic fields. I've always been surprised they were never considered by NASA as they were tested way more than other chronographs of the time(and a few of the stopwatches they used were Heuer). Then again the "Moon watch" test was last minute and cobbled together and they tested less than eight watches that they bought over the counter from local jewellery shops.
They were originally a Leonidas product and when Heuer bought them out started production of their own. Interestingly in his autobiography Jack Heuer makes no mention of them. Odd given they are a well known, even "iconic" military issued chronograph, which you'd think they'd want to promote even today, even fire out a reissue. They would also have netted his company a steady flow of cash, when they were regularly in need of it. Nada on their website either last time I looked.
This example is unusual for another reason; it's a very early one. Serial number 616(I've only seen one lower). I've seen these with serials in the tens of thousands. I suspect many were cases swapped out as part of the BUND servicing dept for the watches(they also replaced hands, dials, bezels etc). Heuer's records were appallingly bad so serials give little clue. Sinn were one of the companies that serviced them and when the German government started to phase them out in the early 90's they sold them off through Sinn. Some come with Sinn marked dials, others with the tritium lume replaced by luminova.
The one in the above Sinn ad is one that has the non Tritium dial and larger Heuer logo. You'll notice mine has the smaller logo and a teeny tiny "T" above the 6 for "Tritium". Some come with a red encircled (3H) and they're sought after, but in my humble best avoided as there are too many and too many variances and are likely later additions, maybe even from last week...
Price wise; these used to be quite "cheap" for a vintage Heuer chrono, especially for a military issued one. These days they're around the 4000 5-6000 quid mark. :eek: Though as I say in my humble avoid the red (3H) ones and the ones that look like new. They likely are, or mostly made from spare parts. Though the trade and collectors don't like to hear that...
Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59003
Just copped I'm wearing my army surplus Bundeswehr shirt in that above shot.
No M, it was originally a Leonidas design(based on a general European design for pilots chronos going back to the 40's. Large, two register, rotating bezel, flyback. Hanharts, Type 20/21's etc).Is that based on an Autavia? I was at the Heuer Haslinger auction a few years ago (principally NOS). Don’t recall seeing any military watches.
They supplied them to helicopter pilots of the Italian Air Force as well as the Germans and a couple of others. Heuer are silent on the matter, but some have mused they bought out Leonidas specifically to get the steady cash from their military contracts. Cash they needed as they were regularly on the brink of going under. Especially as they were pretty niche and took ages to break the US market(and did so on the back of selling watches with tokens that came with cigarettes). Other than helping with the first automatic chronographs(though Seiko might debate that) and funny enough some innovation with digital chronographs, they were not an innovative company and relied on bought in movements for the vast majority of their stuff. TBH I never rated classic Heuer as a brand, except for their industrial design. Kudos there. They've innovated far more since TAG took them over. One thing's for sure, they didn't continue to produce any other Leonidas design of which there were many.
I'm not so surprised there were no military watches at the auction M. Like I say they have a decidedly odd blank spot with this model. It should be one they'd shout about with the history etc and mil watches being big sellers. Maybe they no longer have the rights to make it again? Or because it was never their design in the first place? Though that never stopped Breguet(IMHO overpriced tat with an invented history) or others. They will service them, though at a truly laughable cost. At one point their "service" would have bought one and a spares donor. Even today it's something daft like two thousand euro. Eh... g'way to feck you gougers.
Slightly better shot of it earlier today when I was out and about in the oul jalopy.
It's a large watch at 43 mm minus crown. Though wears smaller even on my call Bob Geldof, he's in trouble, skinny wrist. Mine's in need of TLC as there's an issue with the crown, but funds are tight at the moment so I very rarely wear it sadly.
Plus knowing what it's now "worth" now would have me nervous. I dunno how you Rolex, Patek, Omega and the like guys do it TBH. Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59003
NSX R wheel on an Integra R. Old watches and an old car. Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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NSX R wheel on an Integra R. Old watches and an old car.
Integra Type R?
A thinking man's performance machine.
Very nice.
And as for that Heuer, just gorgeous. I had no idea there was the military connection there, but have always had a soft sport for the brand from its motorsport heritage.0 -
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59003
From what I recall the only military issued/contract watches Heuer ever sold were the above chronos, which was an existing contract they bought into and of all things a digital Chronosplit in the late 70's again for the German forces. They're daftly rare though.Lorddrakul wrote: »And as for that Heuer, just gorgeous. I had no idea there was the military connection there, but have always had a soft sport for the brand from its motorsport heritage.
The BUND chrono is an odd one out for them and not built like any other Heuers. Very old case design(from the 30's IIRC), an attempt to improve water resistance in chronograph watch cases, whereby the entire movement, back case, dial, crystal and crown/pushers is held into the main case by four small screws. Here's what's left when the main body of the watch is removed.
I always admired Heuer's industrial design which was very good. The watches as watches, less so. Not near(IMHO) the quality of similar watches from Longines or Omega and the like. Quality definitely went up when TAG took over.Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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:) 
This discussion has been closed.
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