Who Watches the Watchmen (Our Chit Chat Thread)

Cyclingtourist

darragh o meara wrote: »

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but didn’t see the need to open a separate thread to ask.

Anyone know what the waiting time for a Tudor BB58’s typically run at? Have a significant birthday coming up and decided last year I’d treat myself to one, unfortunately with Covid I wasn’t able to get around to ordering one. Looked at second hand and there’s not enough of a saving for me to miss my chance to get in with a local watch dealer, have my eye on a SS Sub at some stage in the future and hoping a purchase might help me get somewhere on the list.

If you want a Rolex Sub and are just buying a BB58 to get on a 'list' then it's probably firstly a futile exercise and secondly the wrong reason to buy the BB.

If you really want a BB58 for its own sake then ask the Irish ADs if they are likely to be able to get you the one (I'm presuming you are looking for the black dial on bracelet)you want in say the next two months. Alternatively if you're willing to settle for one on a strap then you could try ordering one from Keanes who seem to have it in stock, at least I was able to get as far as checkout without being told it wasn't immediately available.
https://www.keanes.ie/tudor/

P.S. Vat rate reverts to 23% at midnight tonight AFAIK.

banie01

My Mrs picked me up a BB58 with no waitlist other than waiting for stock to arrive in ( 10days I think) in Keane's, Limerick before Christmas.
She won't discuss discount with me, as it was a present so I can't help there.

I'd be very much of the opinion that it's not a purchase that would get me up the list for a Rolex sub.

The BB58 wears big, in particular heightwise but it's a lovely watch and I'm happy to own 1.

redlead

Yeah if you want to get in with a dealer to get a SS sub you'd need to be buying a gold calatrava, not a BB58. Go for the BB anyway, it's a seriously good value watch.

Was just looking at Bark and Jack's latest video. Grand Seiko have gone next level. This is truly stunning.

https://youtu.be/AizAC-qBg28

Cyclingtourist

redlead wrote: »

Was just looking at Bark and Jack's latest video. Grand Seiko have gone next level. This is truly stunning.

Drinking Sake and talking watches. Plus selling B&J straps etc. In about every video.

I get it's an amazing movement but 80 hours power reserve and COSC type timekeeping is what I get with my Tissot Ballade.

redlead

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

I get it's an amazing movement but 80 hours power reserve and COSC type timekeeping is what I get with my Tissot Ballade.

80 hours power reserve with high beat at 36k is not what you get with a Tissot though. That level of power reserve in a high beat is some going (not that I care that much about power reserve being honest). That tissot powermatic is an impressive movement all the same. I think they putting them in some Hamiltons now too. The ballades are great value. I didn't know you were after getting one. You must have more watches than Weirs at this stage haha.

Cyclingtourist

redlead wrote: »

The ballades are great value. I didn't know you were after getting one. You must have more watches than Weirs at this stage haha.

I've had a Ballade since before I was posting on here. In fact I offered to sell it for a very reasonable price in the 'selling an swapping' thread about four months ago. I now have it on a new strap and despite it still being a bit too formal for my taste have decided it's a keeper.

micks_address

Hi folks,
I’m looking to get a wristband health/fitness tracker to wear along with my watch. Ideally something like a Fitbit wristband which I have but the battery annoys be as it only lasts 2 days. Is there anything out there with say a few weeks charge that has good iOS integration and doesn’t look like a watch? I actually did join the dark side for a few weeks and tried an Apple Watch which was cool but I couldn’t get used of it on one wrist with a mechanical watch on the other.

Cheers,
Mick

cnocbui

I believe there are solar powered fitness trackers. Garmin does one.

https://www.techradar.com/news/garmin-launches-solar-fitness-tracker-with-indefinite-battery-life

Ryath

I wear a first gen fitbit inspire HR on my right wrist as a tracker and watch on the left. I chose it as it was the smallest one I could find. It's basically a bracelet to me, I hardly ever look at the screen bar for the odd notification when I can't look at my phone. I get a genuine 5/6 days out of it and a quick 10minute charge while in the shower will get another couple of days.

Inspire HR 2 is supposed to have twice the battery life.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08DFGPTSK/ref=twister_B08G9WGR5D?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

banie01

micks_address wrote: »

Hi folks,
I’m looking to get a wristband health/fitness tracker to wear along with my watch. Ideally something like a Fitbit wristband which I have but the battery annoys be as it only lasts 2 days. Is there anything out there with say a few weeks charge that has good iOS integration and doesn’t look like a watch? I actually did join the dark side for a few weeks and tried an Apple Watch which was cool but I couldn’t get used of it on one wrist with a mechanical watch on the other.

Cheers,
Mick

I wear a Xiaomi miband5 on my right hand all the time.
Great activity and sleep tracking, call and messaging notifications and Spotify control from the watch, also does HRM.

Get over 2 weeks between charges and it recharges in @1hr.

All for @€;27 iirc.

Cienciano

Guy says why he bought a grand seiko quartz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYkzPl49ZLw

darragh o meara

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

If you want a Rolex Sub and are just buying a BB58 to get on a 'list' then it's probably firstly a futile exercise and secondly the wrong reason to buy the BB.

If you really want a BB58 for its own sake then ask the Irish ADs if they are likely to be able to get you the one (I'm presuming you are looking for the black dial on bracelet)you want in say the next two months. Alternatively if you're willing to settle for one on a strap then you could try ordering one from Keanes who seem to have it in stock, at least I was able to get as far as checkout without being told it wasn't immediately available.
https://www.keanes.ie/tudor/

P.S. Vat rate reverts to 23% at midnight tonight AFAIK.

The BB will be a keeper for sure. Have been fawning after one for a long time now and if I was honest I prefer them over the Sub.The Sub or GMT II if ever I get one will also be a keeper too. I’m planning on having a decent watch for each child to hand done and hopefully start a heirloom thing. I understand the dealers are fussy about who and where they sell their stock but if I’m not in I can’t win. It may stand to me with some other non Rolex purchase

At the moment the prices of the second hand BB’s isn’t too far off retail and to be honest for the sake of a few quid I’d prefer to buy from an AD and not risk an online purchase from adverts or the likes as there’s nowhere really to get them verified with current restrictions.

Unfortunately for the Rolex I probably will need to go down the grey route but it would break my heart to do it as it will be the most expensive watch I will own and I want as good a deal as I can get on it.

darragh o meara

micks_address wrote: »

Hi folks,
I’m looking to get a wristband health/fitness tracker to wear along with my watch. Ideally something like a Fitbit wristband which I have but the battery annoys be as it only lasts 2 days. Is there anything out there with say a few weeks charge that has good iOS integration and doesn’t look like a watch? I actually did join the dark side for a few weeks and tried an Apple Watch which was cool but I couldn’t get used of it on one wrist with a mechanical watch on the other.

Cheers,
Mick

Bought a Fitbit charge4 last week, might be worth checking out.

Got a good deal from Sam Mc Cauleys website at €129. They have the versa 2 there too for €149 which is the best price for both that I’ve found.

893bet

What’s RRP on bracelet for the bb58?

They seem to be available 2800-3k on second market. One on tz at the moment for 2.5 sterling.

Cienciano

Cienciano wrote: »

Guy says why he bought a grand seiko quartz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYkzPl49ZLw

Main problem with these is the amount of people who say they get one because they like that it flies under the radar and then spend the rest of their natural shouting about it.

Cyclingtourist

893bet wrote: »

What’s RRP on bracelet for the bb58?

They seem to be available 2800-3k on second market. One on tz at the moment for 2.5 sterling.

Depending on the vat rate around €3.5K.

Wibbs

ecoli3136 wrote: »

Main problem with these is the amount of people who say they get one because they like that it flies under the radar and then spend the rest of their natural shouting about it.

Generally and maybe it's just me, but I find that Seiko's GS quartz and springdrive are more visually appealing than their GS mechanicals. If I were in the market for a new top of the tree quartz I'd go for the Longines Conquest VHP instead of the Seiko.



I've actually seen a few of these in the wild. Do they have the electron microscope level of finishing? No, but on the wrist good luck in spotting the difference. And the movement has all sorts of cool features. You can even set the time and time zone from your smart phone. And they're significantly cheaper and you can get a chrono if that's your bag. The water resistance isn't huge, but as Thirdfox has correctly noted 50 metres ratings are beyond adequate for 99.9999% of people. On that note I watched One of Jenni Elles recent vids about a Seiko 5 and she liked it but poo poo'd the notion of 30 metres resistance as inadequate except for washing your hands. So that fallacy is strong out there. Though in the case of the Longines it's odd, because the mechanical Conquest which looks near identical has 200 metres IIRC.

Wibbs

Wibbs wrote: »

Generally and maybe it's just me, but I find that Seiko's GS quartz and springdrive are more visually appealing than their GS mechanicals. If I were in the market for a new top of the tree quartz I'd go for the Longines Conquest VHP instead .[/IMG]

I've actually seen a few of these in the wild. Do they have the electron microscope level of finishing? No, but on the wrist good luck in spotting the difference. And the movement has all sorts of cool features.

The perpetual calendar alone is notable.

And the movement is still thermo compensated +- 5 seconds per year.

Personally I prefer my SBGX063 but that Longines is such good value. Pure win if you like the looks (and I do like it JUST NOT AS MUCH AS MY GRAND SEIKO THAT FLIES UNDER THE RADAR DID YOU KNOW THEY'RE MADE BY SEIKO LOL BUT THEY'RE NOT LIKE YOUR SEIKO, OH NO, THEY COST MUCH MORE FOR A START, HEY WAIT COME BACK LET ME SHOW YOU THE FINISH).

My favourite thing about watches is r/WatchesCirclejerk.

Fitz II

redlead wrote: »

Yeah if you want to get in with a dealer to get a SS sub you'd need to be buying a gold calatrava, not a BB58. Go for the BB anyway, it's a seriously good value watch.

Was just looking at Bark and Jack's latest video. Grand Seiko have gone next level. This is truly stunning.

https://youtu.be/AizAC-qBg28[

Well well well. Not saying GS listen to grumpy old Fitz II but they have addressed a lot of the issues I have with GS:

1. Got rid of the sneeky quartz spring drive.
2. Toned dont the shiny shiny polishing.
3. Made it less thick and flattened the profile.
4. Made it out of stainless so its got some weight.

If they sort out the bracelet it would be a winner for me.

banie01

Wibbs wrote: »

Generally and maybe it's just me, but I find that Seiko's GS quartz and springdrive are more visually appealing than their GS mechanicals. If I were in the market for a new top of the tree quartz I'd go for the Longines Conquest VHP instead of the Seiko.


I

ecoli3136 wrote: »

The perpetual calendar alone is notable.

And the movement is still thermo compensated +- 5 seconds per year.

Theres another watch that I didn't know I wanted!
Have been seriously considering a GS in some flavour of GMT, honestly mainly for the finishing and the knowing nods:D
But seriously there is a GS gmt with the 9f quartz movement that has continually caught my eye and the Longines could well fill that want at a far more palatable cost.
I must take a look at the range and see if there is a model without the giant Arabic numerals!


But at 1/4 of the price and with a perpetual calendar!?
In a "known" swiss, with a barrage of strap options available too?
I'd nearly be a fool not to!

Fingers crossed for a short squeeze :P
GME and AMC may be adding some new watches to the stash yet :eek:

unkel

Fitz II wrote: »

Well well well. Not saying GS listen to grumpy old Fitz II but they have addressed a lot of the issues I have with GS:

1. Got rid of the sneeky quartz spring drive.
2. Toned dont the shiny shiny polishing.
3. Made it less thick and flattened the profile.
4. Made it out of stainless so its got some weight.

If they sort out the bracelet it would be a winner for me.

Guts of €10k though. I don't think they will sell many.

Fitz II

unkel wrote: »

Guts of €10k though. I don't think they will sell many.

No change there so.....:D Might be going for a bit of Veblen demand with the price increase.

Cyclingtourist

Maybe once wearing monocles (loupes) come back into fashion.

Oafley Jones

redlead wrote: »

Yeah if you want to get in with a dealer to get a SS sub you'd need to be buying a gold calatrava, not a BB58. Go for the BB anyway, it's a seriously good value watch.

Was just looking at Bark and Jack's latest video. Grand Seiko have gone next level. This is truly stunning.

https://youtu.be/AizAC-qBg28

What is it with GS and their inability to deliver good quality images of their watches. It's always these ****ty renders which do nothing for the watches. Particularly here, didn't like what I saw on the press release and then was completely turned around by that B&J video. Bracelet at 22mm is oddly wide though. I also can't see them shifting many at that price, justified as it may be.

Cienciano

Oafley Jones wrote: »

What is it with GS and their inability to deliver good quality images of their watches. It's always these ****ty renders which do nothing for the watches. Particularly here, didn't like what I saw on the press release and then was completely turned around by that B&J video. Bracelet at 22mm is oddly wide though. I also can't see them shifting many at that price, justified as it may be.

Seiko always have terrible photos. I always go to youtube or reddit to see a proper photo. Seiko stock photos are the worse, some random lad with a nokia cameraphone will do a better job.

That new GS birch is a nice dial, I'd like it with a spring drive without the power reserve on the front. Some people like as many features as possible on a watch, I'm the opposite. 3 hands max, don't want a poxy power reserve stinking up the dial.
Great to see some different looking dials though, the swirl dial is unreal.

funkyouup

https://youtu.be/Ti-GdfGbj4Y

He’s doing a Vostok next time.

redlead

funkyouup wrote: »

https://youtu.be/Ti-GdfGbj4Y

He’s doing a Vostok next time.

Thats basically porn for thirdfox.

cnocbui

Oafley Jones wrote: »

What is it with GS and their inability to deliver good quality images of their watches. It's always these ****ty renders which do nothing for the watches. Particularly here, didn't like what I saw on the press release and then was completely turned around by that B&J video. Bracelet at 22mm is oddly wide though. I also can't see them shifting many at that price, justified as it may be.

Absolutely spot on. The online photos of the Seiko Ti blue Samurai I just received, were so underwhelming I nearly didn't buy it. With not much effort, and being a total amateur, I think I captured the real look of the watch in photos, better than whoever Seiko used.

Thirdfox

redlead wrote: »

Thats basically porn for thirdfox.

Yeah had seen the video a few days ago - I think it was that video that lead to Scottish watches doing a post and then someone commenting on that post and water(resist)gate with Rikki and myself

Heh - imploding at 3000m (nicely overpressured to 300m before the mechanical stopped (though recovering once released from pressure))...

But the point being - for showering/swimming purposes you only "need" maybe the equivalent of 10m wr... and the 100m (non-diver non-ISO6425) watch withstood 2900ish m.

What I really want to see is them putting a cheapo (but not trash level) 30m watch in and demonstrating how many atms it can take (keeping in mind that 1-2atm is enough to go swimming with - despite what Seiko says )

^i.e. not testing the upper end - but testing the "good enough for swimming/showering/daily use" water resistance... but that would get less youtube views

edit: so what I actually really want to see are people who have tested their ultra expensive watches and confirmed that the seals are fine - to take them swimming etc. - my Octo Finissimo is likely to go for a dip just for fun - 3atm, non-screwdown crown - swimming??? Argghhh!?!?!?!? :pac: - maybe it could be a clickbaity viral youtube video after all - me swimming with 3ATM Pateks, Omegas, etc. (well ideally not me but some kind of bikini model to really get it popular )