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Post pics of your watches ***Please NO QUOTING PHOTOS***
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Two pics today.
The first is a BN0191, which was posted in the bargains thread. I was scuba diving this evening and it works a treat a 20 metres.
The second is a Seikomatic P from July '68 . It's a birth year and month watch for my brother. It handwinds,hacks and has a quickset date via a coaxial button in the crown. 5106A movement, marketed to the mid business tier between 67 and 69. It has an unusual sintered bezel.
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭
Join Date:Posts: 59003
The Citizen is cool and a great watch within, but I am so loving the Seikomatic.
And I like that it's a Seiko auto of this vintage that you can handwind. 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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Deep Thought wrote: »Am looking for something from 1966, it’s hard to judge what’s the best from that time
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59003
What ZF suggests. Good call in my humble. Very of the era and a real innovation in timekeeping, one of the biggest other than quartz in the 20th century. And they hum.And on ebay this chap from Bulgaria always has nice pieces and at sensible money and the lad services them too. He usually has a few 66's in stock. 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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As an aside, the chap I bought the watch from is an enthusiast. As we were exchanging emails he included a pic of what he was wearing as he headed to the post office with the parcel.
I like it, it's a Ralf tech WRV. Not my watch but I'll share here.
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OK ecoli I removed the space and made them URLs, they're links to pics rather than the pics themselves.Loving the Grand Seiko.
Thank you very much.
The Grand Seiko's are very special watches. I've found it impossible not to just wear the Snowflake Monday - Friday but I love the SBGX063 as well. The 9F Quartz movement is really special.micks_address wrote: »Is the first one a snowflake?
Yes. An SBGA211, differing visually from the first edition by the removal of 'Seiko' from the deal at 12 o'clock. It's a subjective preference but I prefer the cleaner dial. I had no problem with the Seiko branding on Grand Seiko's. I'm a big Seiko fan and I like that also have a Grand Seiko with the old-school Seiko branding.Ecoli3136 - you have a lovely collection and welcome to the forum
Thank you very much.Ecoli3136 - How does the omega compare to the Snowflake ? I haven't got to hold both at the same time yet and wonder if the GS quality is as superior as Ive heard?
I think if you've handled the Snowflake and the AT 2500 you are probably well placed to form a view - they are very different watches in almost every way.
In my view the Snowflake is superior on every objective standard aside from the bracelet, which is excellent on the Aquaterra. It's tough to compare it objectively with the Snowflake because the Titanium construction means the Snowflake bracelet 'feels' less substantial. It's an incredibly light watch - it's really quite startling when you pick it up for the first time. But the Snowflake bracelet is still tight and well fitted, and while the clasp is nothing special it is not a weak point. I suppose you could feel a little let-down that there is no micro-adjustment on a modern bracelet at this price point.
The Aquaterra has a fabulous dial and there is nothing to complain about in terms of the indices/hands. However there are macro shots of the Grand Seiko finish to hands/indices versus Omega and Rolex which show that Grand Seiko have the clear advantage here.
In the third picture I posted, taken on my phone, I'm wearing a blue shirt with a twill pattern. If you look at the hands of the watch, you can see the patern of the shirt reflected along the edged bevel of the hour and minute hands. Pretty extraordinary finish.
Link to that pic with a space h ttps://imgur.com/a/vvFC8YK
The Aquaterra case is very nice - smaller and more slimline than the larger Snowflake. It has great finishes, combining brushed/polish. The Snowflake case is finished with what they call Zaratsu polishing and relies on the subtle curves/facets to really shine. It's very beautiful but different to the style of the Omega.
The movements are apples and oranges. The 2500 co-axial is great, and has some horological significance in terms of the escapament. The Spring Drive Calibre 9r65 is extraordinary in its own right.
But look, the Snowflake would obviously be more than twice the price of the Aquaterra so I'm not sure it's a fair comparison.
But that is some collection Ecoli, thought I was on instagram for a minute
Thanks I was very happy to share it with fellow enthusiasts. These are what I have kept over the years, starting with the Omega AT about 12/13 years ago. I still have too many but I really like each of them and would struggle to let one go now. I'm not adding any more though, at least for the foreseeable future.
Although, I have always loved Reversos. Strange to say when I tried some on the day I bought the Snowflake they just didn't grab me. In fairness the Snowflake had been a long term objective and that's what I left with. I could see myself revisiting them, maybe for my 50th.0 -
Join Date:Posts: 20125
This vintage Longines arrived today - it's from the late 60's. It's in pretty good condition, and wears large enough for a vintage.
I wasn't 100% sure about it when I opened it, but it's starting to click with me I think.
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This weekend, I shall be mostly wearing the OP 39 on a grey Nato strap.
On a related note, the idea of looking for a birth year watch (1971) has peaked my interest - seems to offer lots of opportunity for some serious nerdy research. Both my current watches have black dials (this one and a SKX007) so something champagne or silver might be good. Suggestions welcome.
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My trench watch arrived back from having some maintenance done on it.
The hairspring was repaired, it had poise adjustment of the balance wheel and the hands re-lumed.
The lume is a lovely match to the numbers on the dial.
Now I just need to work out how to get the bonklip bracelet off without damaging it or the watch.0 -
Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59003
That's a bloody beauty HeF. With lots of history. It would be my humble that if you're into wristwatches it would be a good plan to at least once get and wear an original of the species. They're very cool.
Oh man he did a nice job on that and included balance poising work? Sweet. It should run very strong and accurately. Contrary to ebay sellers and many on forums these watches when fitted with quality 15 jewel movements can run very accurately. And movements fitted in Borgel cases like yours with their extra dust and damp protection tend to be in better nick than those in clip back type cases. Now they don't have shock protection which is their Achilles heel. Back in the day watchmakers were well practiced at replacing balance staffs and jewels because pre shock protection it was an issue, but in my experience over a couple of decades wearing trench watches(and other early non shock protected watches), some as daily drivers, they're pretty bloody robust IMHO. Recently on another forum a watchmaker chap who I would very much respect in general claimed that they required a service every six months if they were to be worn daily, which IMHO is a load of bollocks. If like yours they're in a good state to start with. Rough and rusty examples of which there are many are pretty delicate to be fair.
Personally I like the Bonklip.
That said you should recoup some of your costs if you put it up on ebay and/or you want to put a different strap on it. I've installed and removed them before. Actually threw a couple away in the bad old days. :eek: I found - and your mileage may differ - that by levering the clamps where they connect to the lugs did the trick. Something wide like a knife blade as a lever is the way to go. Major caveat though. In my examples they were all steel fixed lugs. Your beauty is silver and that's a much softer metal. They were designed to be fitted once and left that way, so great care etc.. I suspect you will be faced with the choice to leave it, or bugger up the bracelet instead of your watch lugs. 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
And speaking of the above Trench wristlets and my daily for many a year and wearing of late much more... Earlier today. Same year as yours IIRC? 1916? Great minds think alike and that.
Sadly not nearly as cool as a black dialled Borgel.
Including "lume" I sourced in a arts and crafts shop back in the nineties and very inexpertly globbed on, cos I knew even less back then. One of these days I'm gonna redo it right. On the reliability front: that old yoke is one of my longest owned old watches, got it in the early 90's. It's been all over with me, in all sorts of places and situations and it suffered a fair few clatters in its time. I avoided water, so left it at home the I went fishing, but otherwise was my constant companion for many years. The last time it was serviced was in 2006. These days it runs around ten seconds fast per day wound and dial up left on my bedside locker. On the wrist I would only really think of resetting it for winter/summer time changes. It's had a few crystals in its day and before the internet it suffered through lady's watch straps which were the only ones that would fit and it got a new mainspring in the late 90's, but that's about it. TBH I love this oul thing. 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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With the onset(ish) of summer, decided to get off the metal and leather. Added two natos for the LLD and a nice Zulu for my Steinhart Aviation, which i'll post when I get a pic. Pretty happy with the lot, except maybe the beige is a wee bit darker than I'd hoped on one of the natos....
Also got a free travel springbar removal tool, which was grand!
Yes, pics are atrocious - sorry!
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,074 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59003
French Yema Superman from the 80's.
The French "submariner" as it were. First came out in the early 60's with a quirky bezel lock held fast by the screw down crown. If you're buying one make sure it has that clamp as it's often lost over time and are a nightmare to source and expensive with it(100 quid just for the clamp kinda thing). For its depth rating it's far less bulky than say others of a similar rating. Very thick acrylic crystal though.
Yema were around from just after the second world war, many of their watches were cheap and cheerful and often wonderfully quirky in only the way French design can be, but they had some standouts like the Superman, Skindiver and various chronographs aimed at yachting, rallying and the like. They even had a "space watch" in the form of the analogue digital Spationaute which went up in the shuttle with a couple of French astronauts back in the 80's. Here's a current ebay listing for a NOS one. OK not pocket money, but for a NOS "space watch" with all the trimmings including the original manuals and blue "space" strap not bad in my humble.
Like LIP, Mortima and other French marques the quartz/digital period hit them hard, though unlike the Swiss the French did try to compete on the digital front. By the mid 80's Yema were in trouble and had some outside investment, at one point from Seiko(which is the period mine hails from. The early ones have a blue tint to the bezel rather than black), but faded away by the 90's.
Yema, like LIP are back in a small way and their main heritage model is a near millimetre perfect reissue of the above. Only in mechanical/automatic and using an in house designed movement to boot, which is impressive at that price point.
Vintage ones used to be dirt cheap, but interest grew a few years back and the 60/70's examples can regularly go for well over the 1000 mark, 80's mechanicals around the 6-800 mark, even the quartz(which had better movements than the mechanicals) are around the 500 quid mark.
One thing always interested me was how they were able to copyright and register the trademark "Superman" back in the 60's. I presume because the comic character publishers hadn't nailed down the rights in France? From very early on they had either © and/or (r) beside the name on the dial, which is something you don't tend to see on watch dial names.
Mine has tritium lume, but isn't marked down as such. The French seemed to have different laws around that. It must be a strong mix, because with the dial out of the case it gets a fair reaction from a radiation detector(Tritium is way safer than radium as it's not a gamma emitter so the nasty stuff gets stopped by the crystal and case). The phosphors are pretty unreactive to light, but in complete blackness you can just make out the very faintest of glows. Though tritium has a half life of 12 something years, it means half of it is still there at 12 years, so there's some left active even after longer.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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