Who Watches the Watchmen (Our Chit Chat Thread)

Lorddrakul · 03-02-2021 03:06PM

With reference to the above, if you go over and wear it home, surely you could work in a trip to the post office to post yourself the box and papers?

Fitz II · 03-02-2021 03:51PM

Lorddrakul wrote: »

With reference to the above, if you go over and wear it home, surely you could work in a trip to the post office to post yourself the box and papers?

Still risky, could come knocking looking for receipts on the watch, asking why you are buying a box and papers for a watch you dont have etc.....best to buy the box separately with a receipt for a tenner and send the papers by envelope.

Wibbs · 03-02-2021 03:52PM

Fitz II wrote: »

This "cheap flight" to the uk thing always amuses me.....get to airport costs money or parking, flights and breakfast, get to UK get to where the watch is, more money, get back, airport again lunch and back to dublin, get home. All costs money the flight usually being the least of it. Could cost 300-500 euro depending on what sort of a rush you are in. The value of a day off as well or a weekend day lost.

I've popped over to the UK a few times(not for watches) and it was pretty painless and cheap. At this end I'm not too far from the airport and 9 times outa 10 I'd get a lift off a mate(the last time I parked there for the guts of a day it was 20-30 quid IIRC?), depending where it was in the UK I'd likely be able to get similar over there, throw a few quid for go juice in their direction. I'd eat breakfast at home and would generally not eat again until the evenings and I'd enjoy the oul trip anyway. Driving to say Cork or Belfast wouldn't be that much cheaper and would involve more driving of course.

Now of course it would certainly depend on the savings involved, otherwise post it and be damned, or from now on just avoid UK sellers as a rule. They'll either have to drop their prices for overseas sales, or sterling takes a dive which could happen too, or the market over there will stay local and reduce in size.

Wibbs · 03-02-2021 03:55PM

Then again German dealers tend to be noticeably pricier than anywhere else in the EU and they're still chugging along so...

Fitz II · 03-02-2021 04:06PM

Wibbs wrote: »

I've popped over to the UK a few times(not for watches) and it was pretty painless and cheap. At this end I'm not too far from the airport and 9 times outa 10 I'd get a lift off a mate(the last time I parked there for the guts of a day it was 20-30 quid IIRC?), depending where it was in the UK I'd likely be able to get similar over there, throw a few quid for go juice in their direction. I'd eat breakfast at home and would generally not eat again until the evenings and I'd enjoy the oul trip anyway. Driving to say Cork or Belfast wouldn't be that much cheaper and would involve more driving of course.

Sounds like a great trip, you could thumb a ride I suppose, and pack a sandwich. This watch game sure is glamorous, and sellers generally dont mind taking time out of their day to drive to a seller and back.

Wibbs · 03-02-2021 04:43PM

Fitz II wrote: »

Sounds like a great trip, you could thumb a ride I suppose, and pack a sandwich.

And there's always the bus too. I'd draw the line at a bicycle mind you. Though I could put the squeeze on Cyclingtourist for a favour and put it to him as a challenge. There's a lad in Chester with a Submarine Trench watch. I'll time you.

This watch game sure is glamorous

Never really got the whole glamour thing in general tbh.

and sellers generally dont mind taking time out of their day to drive to a seller and back.

Which is fair enough.

Cyrus · 03-02-2021 04:46PM

Fitz II wrote: »

This "cheap flight" to the uk thing always amuses me.....get to airport costs money or parking, flights and breakfast, get to UK get to where the watch is, more money, get back, airport again lunch and back to dublin, get home. All costs money the flight usually being the least of it. Could cost 300-500 euro depending on what sort of a rush you are in. The value of a day off as well or a weekend day lost.

Sometimes better to just pay more for a watch that can be shipped easily. Ok for the right watch at the right price might be worthwhile, but for a lot of watches the cost savings are only imagined and it is risky.

some people place little or no value on their own time, which is fine of course, but im with you on this fitz.

893bet · 03-02-2021 04:50PM

Uk is finished for me unless it’s for something very special and high end.

Or else something bargaintastic. There will be no bargains though. As of it’s a bargain the seller will have a que and you having to arrange flights and faff around means you are end of that line.

There was a VC and a dornbluth that I would have been interested in this week on TZ. Not worth the hassle now.

Pablo_Flox · 03-02-2021 04:57PM

Has anyone been stung by customs for importing anything yet this year? I bought a watch from outside the EU in Jan and it didn't have any problems getting through, and have bought a bit of other stuff from the UK and everything has been fine. The most annoying thing has been delays, but I get the impression that customs are overloaded and can't keep up with the volume, so they are just looking at the occasional package.

Maybe I am wrong, but that has been my experience as a consumer so far.

Cyclingtourist · 03-02-2021 05:16PM

Got stung for €21 duty on a Vostok from Russia last month which came via UPS which I didn't mind so much, it was the additional €18 I was charged for what I'm not really sure, that pissed me off.

griffin100 · 03-02-2021 05:21PM

Wibbs wrote: »

I've popped over to the UK a few times(not for watches) and it was pretty painless and cheap. At this end I'm not too far from the airport and 9 times outa 10 I'd get a lift off a mate(the last time I parked there for the guts of a day it was 20-30 quid IIRC?), depending where it was in the UK I'd likely be able to get similar over there, throw a few quid for go juice in their direction. I'd eat breakfast at home and would generally not eat again until the evenings and I'd enjoy the oul trip anyway. Driving to say Cork or Belfast wouldn't be that much cheaper and would involve more driving of course.

Now of course it would certainly depend on the savings involved, otherwise post it and be damned, or from now on just avoid UK sellers as a rule. They'll either have to drop their prices for overseas sales, or sterling takes a dive which could happen too, or the market over there will stay local and reduce in size.

I've gone over a few times to pick up diamonds (loose and made up) and never had an issue. Cheap flight to London, meet close to airport, back home a a couple of hours. Not sure if I'd chance going through customs now though with loose diamonds or expensive unboxed jewellery in my jeans pocket!!

unkel · 03-02-2021 05:25PM

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

Got stung for €21 duty on a Vostok from Russia last month which came via UPS which I didn't mind so much, it was the additional €18 I was charged for what I'm not really sure, that pissed me off.

Yeah hate that too. Fair enough you pay the VAT, but the "admin" charge on top of that is mostly taking the p1ss.

And if delivered by An Post, they add insult to injury. The refuse to deliver it to your door. Instead they leave you a letter saying to come pick up at the local sorting office. Where you have to pay the VAT and duty and admin charge. And they take cash only, no change given. In 2021 :rolleyes:

James Bond Junior · 03-02-2021 05:40PM

Fly to London, hotel, food etc etc for a watch may be a false economy but I'd look at it this way. We go to London once a year, book in somewhere nice and have a few days exploring and enjoying life. Part of the trip invariably will be a trip into Harrods and Oxford St, for a browse, watches being one of the browsing destinations. Heading up west to buy a 2nd hand watch and rolling in a weekend away that you'd do anyway is most certainly not a false economy.

On another note, my wife has taken a liking to a constellation in rose gold and steel. She has expensive taste which is getting steadily more expensive!! Her 30th is coming up, I might get on the hunt.

Fitz II · 03-02-2021 06:46PM

Cyrus wrote: »

some people place little or no value on their own time, which is fine of course, but im with you on this fitz.

Anything worth traveling to get is now not worth traveling to get, either on the buyer or seller end.

IrishPlayer · 03-02-2021 06:57PM

Just finished off season 2 of Knight Rider

Season 2 Episode 24 Big Iron

Rolex GMT-Master 16753 worn by the character Frank Sanderson played by Stuart Whitman

Cyclingtourist · 03-02-2021 08:34PM

Another top class video from Oisín over at TTWC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDFYlrcoFZ4

Wibbs · 03-02-2021 09:06PM

The prices really show the diff between then and now. Concorde was undergoing test flights in 69/70. The average US wage was around 500 dollars a month. So the GMT Master in steel was half a months wages and in 18kt gold was under three months wages. Even if we doubled the price because of changes in buying power or any other factors, it would be still around one months or four and half months average wage respectively.

You see those Antique Roadshows and the like with usually ordinary enough lads with ordinary enough jobs showing up with Rolexes from the 60's and 70's and people ohh and aah at the prices they paid, which sound like not a lot, but were actually a chunk of change back then, the price of a two week package holiday for a family anyway. Still they weren't close to the new prices today. Now exceptions can be made for those sold through US military PX's as they were discounted by around 25% IIRC and a single bloke with bed and board paid for has a fair bit of disposable.

In Ireland today the average annual wage(IIRC) is 50,000(taking home what 35 odd?). So just over 4000 a month gross. We can ignore gold because it's gone up and down like a whoer's knickers and is around 1500 quid per ounce at the moment. It was I'd imagine a lot less in 1970. However you can't get a GMT in steel(Swedish or otherwise) for 2000, or 4000. What are they now new, if you can get one, around 10,000? So roughly five times the price. Now of course quality has gone up of course, but fivefold or more? Omega have increased about the same across their flagship models. Zenith ditto.

Wibbs · 03-02-2021 10:42PM

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

Another top class video from Oisín over at TTWC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDFYlrcoFZ4

It's so weird to see Venice so empty.

Gavin1 · 03-02-2021 10:47PM

Wibbs wrote: »

That particular OysterQuartz is one you really don't see very often at all. In my humble, though it doesn't get the love because of the battery bit, the OysterQuartz is one of the finest designed and executed movements Rolex have ever made in their history. It was certainly far superior in fit and finish compared to their contemporary movements and in the very top tier of quartz movements ever made.

I love these. I remember these from my first Rolex brochure from Weirs in the Ilac Centre around 1992.

Then I found one in 2009, the 17000, that was meant to be mint. It was a P-serial, so one of the last to be sold.

The issue with these is that the sharp angles are easily removed and the case is very unforgiving when badly polished and they look brutal.

The previous owner get this polished and it was badly done. This got to the point where I sent it off and got a new case and crystal at Rolex. It came back in great shape and now it is one of my favorites!!

They where very much sleeper Rolexes and the black sheep of the brand. There was rumours that it was designed by Gerald Genta. Also the production numbers were, again, rumoured to be about 25K during its production. This has to make it one of the rarest Rolexes out there.

Time · 04-02-2021 12:11AM

Gavin1 wrote: »

I love these. I remember these from my first Rolex brochure from Weirs in the Ilac Centre around 1992.

Then I found one in 2009, the 17000, that was meant to be mint. It was a P-serial, so one of the last to be sold.

The issue with these is that the sharp angles are easily removed and the case is very unforgiving when badly polished and they look brutal.

The previous owner get this polished and it was badly done. This got to the point where I sent it off and got a new case and crystal at Rolex. It came back in great shape and now it is one of my favorites!!

They where very much sleeper Rolexes and the black sheep of the brand. There was rumours that it was designed by Gerald Genta. Also the production numbers were, again, rumoured to be about 25K during its production. This has to make it one of the rarest Rolexes out there.

Theres a few guys who specialise in restoration who can add steel back into the case and make them as good as new.

https://www.instagram.com/lapinist_watchrestoration/?hl=en - This guy does absolutely amazing work, theres another guy in Austria i know of too thats just as good.

Wibbs · 04-02-2021 09:37AM

Time wrote: »

Theres a few guys who specialise in restoration who can add steel back into the case and make them as good as new.

https://www.instagram.com/lapinist_watchrestoration/?hl=en - This guy does absolutely amazing work, theres another guy in Austria i know of too thats just as good.

Wow. That's impressive alright. There was a guy on watchuseek IIRC who did that kinda thing as a hobby/sideline and his results were nothing short of gobsmacking. He was a Seiko guy too. I wonder if it's the same bloke?

Time · 04-02-2021 03:42PM

Wibbs wrote: »

Wow. That's impressive alright. There was a guy on watchuseek IIRC who did that kinda thing as a hobby/sideline and his results were nothing short of gobsmacking. He was a Seiko guy too. I wonder if it's the same bloke?

Could be, this guy also works with Gold which i imagine is much much harder - https://instagram.com/watchcaserestorations?igshid=7p5a5e5vjmsi

Again amazing results. Just goes to show that polishing on SS isn't really a big deal anymore.

Thirdfox · 04-02-2021 04:27PM

Might not be a big deal but I believe lasering steel back on is still rather expensive?

Why I want to move some people to tungsten - no scratches for life (unless you're playing with diamonds).

Wibbs · 04-02-2021 05:04PM

Tungsten is heavy mind you. Real boat anchor stuff, though some like that too. Titanium if treated to a hardened carbide layer is daftly tough and also lightweight. If you look at Longines and IWV Ti cased watches from the 1980's when it was briefly a thing, the cases and bracelets nearly always look brand new. A very much not babied example from 84.

Latterly I've read that titanium cases can be pretty delicate. Have manufacturers changed something in the process maybe?

Lorddrakul · 04-02-2021 05:12PM

I think a lot of people confuse strength and hardness when it comes to titanium.

Pure titanium is, gram for gram, stronger than steel, but it is not unless you get an alloy like with iridium, that you get super hardness.

Thirdfox · 04-02-2021 05:42PM

Lorddrakul wrote: »

I think a lot of people confuse strength and hardness when it comes to titanium.

Pure titanium is, gram for gram, stronger than steel, but it is not unless you get an alloy like with iridium, that you get super hardness.

It's a lovely material but exactly like LD says the strength doesn't come in the form of hardness (good for building airplanes, spaceships etc.)

Tungsten in the carbide form is hard - like moh 9.5 hard - but that comes at the expense of flexibility - it will shatter a lot easier and can be compared to ceramics - almost impossible to scratch, but just like with a ceramic case has to avoid being dropped. Ceramic is maybe 9(?) on the mohs scale, very light, very hard but very expensive to work with. Tungsten is better on the expense front.

Heavy like Wibbs said - almost as heavy as gold, though tungsten carbide in jewellery "steel" form is less dense. In its pure form it's used as the rotors for Sólás' microrotors

(instead of 24k gold or platinum) - also used as tank ammunition (for countries that don't use depleted uranium) - I'm not looking to build a watch from depleted uranium I can guarantee

Wibbs · 04-02-2021 06:32PM

Thirdfox wrote: »

I'm not looking to build a watch from depleted uranium I can guarantee

Want!

Thirdfox · 04-02-2021 09:27PM

Wibbs wrote: »

Want!

Ah Wibbs you can look into a kickstarter for that - I can guarantee you there would be nutters...ahem *enthusiastics* who would support something like that

Time · 04-02-2021 09:46PM

Thirdfox wrote: »

Might not be a big deal but I believe lasering steel back on is still rather expensive?

Why I want to move some people to tungsten - no scratches for life (unless you're playing with diamonds).

You're our resident manufacturer, is it a feasible thing to do? Or would it be impractical technically/financially

Wibbs · 04-02-2021 09:48PM

Time wrote: »

You're our resident manufacturer

Damn straight.

Who Watches the Watchmen (Our Chit Chat Thread)

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