Prague Trip

IrishPlayer

Just back from Prague after a fantastic trip.Started on Monday evening,stayed at the Grand Majestic Hotel and was walking along trying to fix my phone,something wrong with network and hotel WIFI was not working either.Stumbled on the first watch shop,

Clock Gallery

http://clockgallery.cz/

Pictures

https://imgur.com/a/Wzed148

Really great shop,friendly guy that works there that seems to know his stuff and i was telling him about my Bell-Matic and he pointed out a picture of a Japanese Seiko designer from the 70s who visited the shop and suggested he might have helped in the design of it



Guy on the right designer,far left owner.

Next shop,

Old Clocks Prague

https://www.antique.watch/

Pictures

https://imgur.com/a/ryW49Aj

Best shop,loved the old advertising which he would not sell:D

Went to National Technical Museum Prague

http://www.ntm.cz/en/en-expozice/mereni-casu

Pictures

https://imgur.com/a/RWg7V2N

A MUST visit,increadible place not just watches,transport,World War 2 and loads more.

Took a very interesting trip to Mladá Boleslav to visit the Skoda Museum and Aeronautical Museum Methodius Vlach

Pictures

https://imgur.com/a/Jn4tqaf

My interest in aviation and watches combined:D great collection of pilots watches... a sign of things to come:)

Last and most exciting morning Friday,6am start:P,after breakfast planned to mop up by visiting city hall to look at some vintage lift,that ended up not in operation:rolleyes:,a visit to the Prague Astronomical Clock



Found the next shop

KingdomOfClock Prague

http://www.kingdomofclock.com/

Pictures

https://imgur.com/a/kGUv41Z

Was there before it opened,owner pulled up after its opening time of 9am:rolleyes:,more high end watches,some really cool pieces.

On way back to Old Clocks stumbled on another shop just across from it

Antik Maisel Prague

https://www.antik-diamond.com/

Pictures

https://imgur.com/a/VHPkvwo

It was now comming up to 11am,still closed owner from the shop came out cleaning and i asked her if it was going to open,said maybe 11am not to confident:rolleyes:.

Suddenly shudder starts going up,looked inside to see if they entered from the back, a college girl came from behind asking me was i looking to go in,i was thinking she was another customer,when i noticed she had the control for the shutter.

Hurried in picked out the watches,she calculated the prices to euro and i worte down on the paper,Desperately trying to sign into Boards.ie and post the pictures.I knew i was not going with the Roamer,could not believe when she called out the price for 2,knew i was safe going with it but wanted to know about the other 2 ,Doxa.All 5 Watches including mine was telling me i was running out of time:pac:,kept refreshing hoping for a reply.Finally decided could not wait and went with 2,paid by card €194.01:cool:.

She had come from class,works there part time,not to hurried opening on time as not many people usually do be there especially not lining up well beforehand.Asked her about the watch and she rang the owner who told me what Wibbs had already.


Left the shop,pulled out the phone to check the way back,Taxi calling,was already at the hotel:eek:

So began the run across the centre of Prague:D

Got my case,in the taxi and checked for a reply..... Success picked the correct one

Never made it to

Bric a Brac Antiques Prague

https://m.facebook.com/Bric-a-Brac-Antiques-Prague-1748111342129210/

Also found these 2 shops

Pictures

https://imgur.com/a/LsUrEf3

Other pictures from trip

https://imgur.com/a/CRg3sbU

National Technical Museum Prague

https://imgur.com/a/fpwZDUX
https://imgur.com/a/FzUyoVS

Aeronautical Museum Methodius Vlach Mladá Boleslav

https://imgur.com/a/XLsUZEk

World War 2 related including trip to Theresienstadt concentration camp-Saints Cyril Methodius Church

https://imgur.com/a/UCqkOzi

Amazing week trip,totally recommend Prague,especially if interested in World War 2 and definitely watches.

Want to end it by saying a HUGE THANK YOU to Wibbs,im completely useless and would of gotten screwed over without the help.

Spent many a time reading stories on forms about how they got hold of watches and always try to picture the events,really lucky to be able to share my own little story and is a massive difference than clicking Buy It Now on a screen.



Thanks All,

Keith.

Wibbs

Nice! I'd heard Prague was a great place for all sorts of vintage watches, but your experience brings that to life. I defo prefer yours to the Roamer. Way better value too.

I'd say this was a pretty penny. Very rare to see.

IrishPlayer

:(

Went to wind the watch,made sure it was completely unwound,turned the crown to the right till i felt resistance and stopped.Pulled out the crown and both the stem and crown came out. :eek:

Being my first time having a watch like this,kept thinking i did something wrong.Took a trip to Crystal Jewelers in Blanchardstown.

Real friendly,said it needed a service and a bolt was worn.Also mentioned the movement had been made from 2 different movements.

€100 for a service,hardest part would be to locate the bolt.

Could of been much worse as was wearing it through the airport and if it fell out there.Just relieved it was not something i did wrong.

Still absolutely love the watch,the history of it,the mad crown,and my little adventure to get it and will get it serviced either by Crystal Jewelers or if any other recommendations.

Great excuses to get some movement pictures:P:D

Wibbs

These things happen IP, all part of the journey. Oh and I've pulled a crown out, more than once... On the two movements part, yeah it's possible, but I've seen similar differences in colour on plates where the numbers matched. In the past some cheap "services" involved dropping the whole movements into what appeared to be quite harsh cleaning solutions and sometimes different part's finishes discoloured at different rates.

Wibbs

By the by IP and for future ref if it ever comes up again, the here's the crown/stem release screw in question.



Though funny enough I've never had a worn one, at least none that didn't just need more tightening. I have had wear in a stem and other parts of the keyless works, the gubbins that allows you to wind and set the watch through one crown(before that watches had other solutions including a second key), but rarely enough even in really old watches. considering the daily stress of winding(or setting) it's amazing that they can last for so many decades.

IrishPlayer

Wibbs wrote: »

I'd say this was a pretty penny. Very rare to see.

€13,000 if I remember correct, I could be way off. Along with the Heuer Stopwatches he took out to show me,not listed on site and said been not for sale.

Also showed him a picture of the Roamer, said the same prices,€300 to €400.He had one similar about 5 years ago, "Cheap Watches", deals more with Omega,IWC etc...

Showed him pictures of Omega mariner,Memomatic and the marine constellation chronometer,never heard of them :rolleyes:

He wasn't too impressed by my little Seiko :D

Wibbs

He'd be dreaming at that money.

IrishPlayer

Apologize for bumping this,just wanted to add another shop i missed,credit goes to a User on mwrforum.

Malostranské náměstí 5/28, Prague, Czech Republic, 11800

http://www.antique-katrak.cz/index.php

Also another Timekeeper in Prague,passed this on the way to the National Technical Museum,had no idea what it was.

The Metronome,



Replaced a Stalin tribute overlooking the City



Credit goes to a User on Watchuseek for sharing it with me. More info [Link]

Unfortunately it no longer works going by TripAdvisor reviews [Link].Also lots of graffiti/rubbish around it,pity as some great views



Also not watch related,but wanted to mention The Communism Museum and Tour was something I was planning to visit,unfortunately not enough time. Looks great,tour includes a trip to a nuclear Bunker.

https://www.prague-communism-tour.com/

Prague is also great for food,great value too. Here is some of the food I had
https://imgur.com/a/ij0Dfbw