Who Watches the Watchmen (Our Chit Chat Thread)

James Bond Junior

Jude13 wrote: »

You used to see quite a few of the Omani armed forces/Kanjar/ROP Rolex's for sale in the jeweler's on the first floor of the Sabco centre (I have only seen the insignias on the face, never handled one to look at the case at the back), this may have been the jeweler's you went to? Anyway when I first visited there many moons ago you could pick a second hand sub or Daytona there with the insignia's or either the royal guard, RAFO or ROP for a song.

We had a few old timers on the rugby club committee who were either RAFO or army officers when SQ came to power (have a read of the feathermen, one gents is part of that book though if you speak to people who have been in Muscat for 20 odd years they will know exactly ho I am talking about). They had an array of 'gifted' watches with some lovely insignia (also some Brits with Omani passports which was rarer than the watches). A few sold them on and usually in the sabco centre. Wish I had bought one, though at the time I didn't realise Oman would play such a big part in my life.

In other news I got a call from and AD for the new sub, I am mulling it over at the moment. It is not a grail watch but something tells me never to turn it down, the AD may also think that I am not keen on future watches.

*Don't be fooled by an 'Omani' door / coffee table unless you see it come off the hinges. Even in the market in Nizwa they are made in Pakistan or China

Yes the Sabco centre is where we went. Ah, I'm not to bothered about the provenance of an Omani door, it would be just to have one as an ornamental piece. A pal has a coffee table and it is a very bad copy, nevermind HUGE!

Jude13

I think I had a very similar coffee table though I go the door from Rustaq. Weighed a ton and I hated the glass top on it. But do regret selling it.

The thing with the sub is I know unworn they sell for over retail but how about worn? I will still make my money back should I sell in a year or so and its not beaten up?

Cyclingtourist

Fitz II wrote: »

Paul Sheerhan do Tudor and Breretons do Omega so loads of choice around the area. Sheerhans usually have the hard to get Tudor available quickly without needing a long purchase history. Omega is all in stock mostly.

Yes, I tried Sheerin's and the experience couldn't have been more different to what I experienced in Weir's. Definitely going back to Sheerin if and when I decide to buy.

Cyrus

Jude13 wrote: »

I think I had a very similar coffee table though I go the door from Rustaq. Weighed a ton and I hated the glass top on it. But do regret selling it.

The thing with the sub is I know unworn they sell for over retail but how about worn? I will still make my money back should I sell in a year or so and its not beaten up?

at the moment yes, in a years time who knows

James Bond Junior

Tried on a yellow gold and steel datejust with champagne dial today. So glad I did, it really did not suit me.

This is it

Hi all,

I've a one4all voucher burning a hole in my pocket. By chance I spotted a Bulova Precisionist 96b257 in the window of a jewellers this evening who happens to accept them. Any thoughts on it? Priced at €329. I really like it, nice dial, lovely sweeping seconds hand. Not a huge fan of the minute and hour hands but I'd get over it...

njburke

I have a Bulova Snorkel, its 262khz UHF quartz. It's very accurate for an autonomous quartz, it'll live up to it's name. The sweep is nice, makes it a bit different from a regular quartz. Go for it, if you like the design and won't regret the hands.

46 Long

The Bulova 96b230 UHF would be my choice if I were in the market for one. Discontinued now but I've seen them on ebay for €150ish.

david

This is it wrote: »

Hi all,

I've a one4all voucher burning a hole in my pocket. By chance I spotted a Bulova Precisionist 96b257 in the window of a jewellers this evening who happens to accept them. Any thoughts on it? Priced at €329. I really like it, nice dial, lovely sweeping seconds hand. Not a huge fan of the minute and hour hands but I'd get over it...

Buy what you love! For me if one factor is a bit meh (the hands), I'll pass straight away. The choice and range of watches is too big to settle for anything less.



If I get One4All's, I'll liquidate it in the local grocer's and throw the equivalent cash into my luxury/watch fund

46 Long

46 Long wrote: »

The Bulova 96b230 UHF would be my choice if I were in the market for one. Discontinued now but I've seen them on ebay for €150ish.

That's a lovely looking watch.

46 Long

^ Agreed. Great looking dial. Big though, at 42mm and that cushion case seems like it would wear pretty large on the wrist. Screw down crown, sweeping second hand and supposedly accurate to within 10 seconds a year.

micks_address

hi folks - anyone been in touch with neil milliken watches recently? I'm having trouble getting neil on whatsapp or email and he was usually pretty rapid responding. im due my seiko mod back from him a few weeks now and its been radio silence which is a bit unusual

cheers,
mick

banie01

I don't know how I'll get on with it
But, tis something new to practice with and I can mess around with luminescence on some 3D printer and other bits I do.

Have a stock of a couple dials to practice on and plan on at least seeing how much practice might take to make perfect or rather passable :P

Also if anyone is interested?
I have a few Huangzhou 6460 movements that came my way in an effort to learn how to disassemble-assemble that's on hold now thanks to retinopathy.
Free to a good home if anyone wants them.

hitemfrank

I'll happily take a movement to learn the basics on

banie01

hitemfrank wrote: »

I'll happily take a movement to learn the basics on

Fire me on a PM with your address and I'll stick one in the post you.
Happy X-mas

Cienciano

I want to get a leather strap with a deployment clasp. Seems hard to find. Is it standard to buy the strap and clasp separately and combine them?

banie01

Cienciano wrote: »

I want to get a leather strap with a deployment clasp. Seems hard to find. Is it standard to buy the strap and clasp separately and combine them?

I've seen lots of deployant on leather on AliExpress and more again on the C&B and the likes.
But for most branded/boutique watches I think it's usually a case of either buying a branded deployment buckle and swapping it between straps or buying the complete strap and buckle.

Now my experience in that is nil, so take that as you like and perhaps wait on 1 of the more horologically experienced lads to chime in.

Cyclingtourist

Cienciano wrote: »

I want to get a leather strap with a deployment clasp. Seems hard to find. Is it standard to buy the strap and clasp separately and combine them?

Was reading this 'watch expert' yesterday who says it's 'deployant' not 'deployment', so should we all be using deployant clasps?

unkel

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

Was reading this 'watch expert' yesterday who says it's 'deployant' not 'deployment', so should we all be using deployant clasps?

I'm all for the deployment of deployant clasps!

46 Long

Thanks to whoever it was that posted the tip about requesting the Sinn catalogue. Was expecting a short brochure but the postman came knocking this morning with a lovely hard-cover book with stunning photography covering all of their models, the technology they use and a section at the end detailing the watches they make for military/police/firefighters etc.

dakar

Nice piece in the New Yorker.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/20/confessions-of-a-watch-geek

david

Merry Christmas to you all guys - what a year! All the best to you and yours.

Something a little bit different, a family heirloom. A black marble mantel clock, I'm guessing from the early 20th century. The dial is signed E Johnson Ltd. Dublin. It came as part of a lot (of spurious origin) with a 19th century French Oak Chaise Longue, allegedly from the estate of William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl of Fitzwilliam, Coollattin Co. Wicklow.



I have no idea if it has any monetary/historical value but has huge sentimental value to me. One of my earliest childhood memories is winding this clock and advancing the hands just to hear the glorious chime.

The last time the clock was wound was approx 1998, running very fast (3 hours per day). The movement looks reasonably oiled, original and untouched.

I know absolutely nothing about vintage timepieces and would love to get this restored to it's former glory. If anyone knows of an (Irish) horologist who would glance over this and give an opinion, please let me know! Any history of E Johnson Ltd Dublin would be most welcome!

Have a fantastic Christmas guys - looking forward to a great 2021

Thirdfox

david wrote: »

Merry Christmas to you all guys - what a year! All the best to you and yours.

Something a little bit different, a family heirloom. A black marble mantel clock, I'm guessing from the early 20th century. The dial is signed E Johnson Ltd. Dublin. It came as part of a lot (of spurious origin) with a 19th century French Oak Chaise Longue, allegedly from the estate of William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl of Fitzwilliam, Coollattin Co. Wicklow.

I have no idea if it has any monetary/historical value but has huge sentimental value to me. One of my earliest childhood memories is winding this clock and advancing the hands just to hear the glorious chime.

The last time the clock was wound was approx 1998, running very fast (3 hours per day). The movement looks reasonably oiled, original and untouched.

I know absolutely nothing about vintage timepieces and would love to get this restored to it's former glory. If anyone knows of an (Irish) horologist who would glance over this and give an opinion, please let me know! Any history of E Johnson Ltd Dublin would be most welcome!

Have a fantastic Christmas guys - looking forward to a great 2021

Alan Tully in Galway - I'm trying to get him on board for Sólás Irish servicing and his main issue is that he might be too busy with his own work (always a good sign). I've used him for personal work too to try him out and he's been very professional.

Latest instagram post of his shows his clock/pocket watch servicing:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJLYbALHJAv/?igshid=uznbxmo6qnf1

http://www.tullywatchrepair.com/about-us/

James Bond Junior

My Seamaster is running SUPER fast. As in it has gained 2 hours since yesterday. I was playing golf yesterday and had a magnetic marker on my glove. Reckon I have magnetised it, how do I fix that?

Fitz II

James Bond Junior wrote: »

My Seamaster is running SUPER fast. As in it has gained 2 hours since yesterday. I was playing golf yesterday and had a magnetic marker on my glove. Reckon I have magnetised it, how do I fix that?

You can demagnetise, but its unlikely that a small magnet could do that, you are surrounded by stronger magnets all the time. Golf however is a serious impact sport for the watch, easy loose regulation. Best best is a watchmaker for a service. You can buy demagnetisers on amazon and ebay if you want to try that first.

Cyclingtourist

david wrote: »

Merry Christmas to you all guys - what a year! All the best to you and yours.

Something a little bit different, a family heirloom. A black marble mantel clock, I'm guessing from the early 20th century. The dial is signed E Johnson Ltd. Dublin. It came as part of a lot (of spurious origin) with a 19th century French Oak Chaise Longue, allegedly from the estate of William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam, 7th Earl of Fitzwilliam, Coollattin Co. Wicklow.

Nice mantle clock. Reminds me of when I dabbled in antique dealing. These slate clock cases are common from the late 19th to early 20th centuries but yours is particularly nice and having a Dublin retailer's name on the dial is a plus.
You could try lengthening the pendulum but it probably needs a service. There's a guy in Patrick's Street who specialises in old clocks.

James Bond Junior

Fitz II wrote: »

You can demagnetise, but its unlikely that a small magnet could do that, you are surrounded by stronger magnets all the time. Golf however is a serious impact sport for the watch, easy loose regulation. Best best is a watchmaker for a service. You can buy demagnetisers on amazon and ebay if you want to try that first.

Ugh. Only got it serviced in March.

fulladapipes

I've bought a couple of bracelets and straps with deoloyant ciao from a guy in London called VildBoyz (his real name is Michael). You'll find him on Etsy. His straps are not the cheapest but amazing quality.

Cienciano wrote: »

I want to get a leather strap with a deployment clasp. Seems hard to find. Is it standard to buy the strap and clasp separately and combine them?

Alanstrainor

Back in March I decided I wanted a new watch, and started throwing bits of money into a vault on Revolut. And in the last weeks my goal was reached. I didn't jump on it straight away as I thought I might when I started saving. But last night, I placed my order for a Sinn 556 I RS with the stainless steel two-link bracelet. It's a watch I've really wanted for a long time, and now that the order has been placed it almost feels surreal. I'm sure it will feel much more real when it arrives of course, but for now I'm left refreshing my gmail for a dispatch notification from Sinn.

Happy Christmas to all; it's been an incredibly strange one, but sometimes hobbies and interests likes these offer a moment of escape here and there. And there's no better forum to share it with.

And of course, here's a link to the grail watch that's now on order:

Sinn 556 I RS

micks_address

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Back in March I decided I wanted a new watch, and started throwing bits of money into a vault on Revolut. And in the last weeks my goal was reached. I didn't jump on it straight away as I thought I might when I started saving. But last night, I placed my order for a Sinn 556 I RS with the stainless steel two-link bracelet. It's a watch I've really wanted for a long time, and now that the order has been placed it almost feels surreal. I'm sure it will feel much more real when it arrives of course, but for now I'm left refreshing my gmail for a dispatch notification from Sinn.

Happy Christmas to all; it's been an incredibly strange one, but sometimes hobbies and interests likes these offer a moment of escape here and there. And there's no better forum to share it with.

And of course, here's a link to the grail watch that's now on order:

Sinn 556 I RS

Where did you order from Alan? Enjoy. I haven’t taken off my 556a rs since I got it apart from sleeping.