Who Watches the Watchmen (Our Chit Chat Thread)

banie01 · 22-11-2021 3:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118179817#Comment_118179817

The P&P lads are spot on timewise. I'd guessed the 22nd as the end of the 14 day window.

Received an email today to confirm my payment A/c and that once confirmed, funds would be sent today.

I'm going to miss the VC, but I must say very impressed both with the service offered by the lads in Belfast from initial chat, to pick up and ultimate sale, but even more so with the price achieved and the speed of transaction.

Wibbs · 22-11-2021 6:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118202525#Comment_118202525

Looks real enough to me Fitz. 50's/60"s Omega with a crown replacement. Looks like a ladies size? Though if it's above 34mm probably not. Is the caseback gold as well, or is the main watch case plated? It's hard to tell from the piccies.

IrishPlayer · 22-11-2021 8:42pm

Arrived in the post today

I'm now an associate member of the British Horological Institute! 🙂 Really looking forward to attending the courses next year. Also with returning to Birmingham this Sunday for the watch fair, loads to look forward to and will be sure to do post updates along the way.

IrishPlayer · 22-11-2021 10:43pm

Also one for Wibbs, was looking through the sales section of Watchuseek and came across a vintage Lip diver [Link] €300 a good price for one?

banie01 · 22-11-2021 11:00pm

Has anyone bought from Watchmaster? I know they have a "black Friday" offer on at the moment but, anyone any experience of pitching them an offer?

eljono · 22-11-2021 11:10pm

Yeah I've bought a couple of watches from WF and they were open to negotiation.

unkel · 22-11-2021 11:30pm

Yes you can negotiate. Particularly if you try sell them your watch first (wait for their cash offer) and then show interest in a trade up to one of their watches. Which one you interested in, post a link and we will have a guess how much they'll let it go for 😂

banie01 · 22-11-2021 11:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118208589#Comment_118208589

I have nothing for sale at the mo, so it'll be straight cash.

This is what I'm looking at.

https://www.watchmaster.com/en/omega/seamaster-300m-co-axial/2535-80-00/k1i2xbztry?reference_code=MJ9VLOGLUR

unkel · 23-11-2021 12:15am

That's not Watchfinder though, is it?

Edit, my bad, I thought you were asking about Watchfinder. I have no experience with Watchmaster, but they look to have a similar business model, so you can always ask for discount or offer below asking price. Wait till close to the end of the month, might help (if salesperson needs to up their revenue for commission reasons)

eljono · 23-11-2021 12:16am

Apologies, I thought you were asking about Watchfinder, but from clicking on that link I see you were taking about Watchmaster 😬

Nice looking watch and price seems pretty decent?

893bet · 23-11-2021 7:44am

Are watch master a more consignment based model? So it will vary from watch to watch interms of what may be acceptable.

banie01 · 23-11-2021 9:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118208802#Comment_118208802

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118208813#Comment_118208813

Lads, you have given me some hope that at least I'm not going insane 🤣 The actual amount of times I am finding myself needing to check myself that something I've read actually says what my brain has registered it as or expected it to be? Has grown exponentially over the last few months.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118209185#Comment_118209185

I know they do a lot of sales that way alright. Their stock on Chrono24 has a make a price suggestion option, but on their own site there isn't such an option.

I've thrown them an email making an offer anyway. I'll let the thread know how it goes. They have a €150 off code on the price tier it's at, but I'm hoping with the 150 off and buying direct via Chrono24 with their 6% or so 😉

That a deal can be done.

Fitz II · 23-11-2021 9:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118207264#Comment_118207264

Its a 36mm, defo gold plated on the case and back, light watch.

banie01 · 23-11-2021 9:50am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118209370#Comment_118209370

That's at very best sharp practice and is IMO far closer to actual fraud than some horror stories I've seen.

How could they possibly be certain it wasn't stolen and worse? How could they stand over a matched set, when the serial is illegible.

Wibbs · 23-11-2021 10:31am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118209346#Comment_118209346

So definitely a bloke's watch(of the time). Interesting that the caseback is golden Fitz. 9 times out of 10 a plated case would get a steel caseback* and a golden caseback usually means actual gold, certainly with Swiss watches. American casemakers were more likely to have plated(gold filled to make it sound fancier) casebacks. I wonder was it cased in the US and originally sold there? With US tax and import laws up to the late 60's a lot of Swiss brands were cased in the US by local makers to get around the penalties.

At this kinda period I'd not go by weight to judge. The watches were much smaller and "solid" gold dress cases were thin, whereas today precious metal cases are much bigger and thicker so you can feel the heft more as a selling point. I've a 40's Longines in solid 14Kt and a strong gust of wind would carry it away. 50's Patek calatravas are surprisingly light in the hand if you're used to more current stuff.

It would be interesting to see the movement and inside the caseback. It's got a pretty hefty "waterproof" screwdown back, whereas most dress watches at the time would have been press fit.

*much of this was down to a plated case wearing, exposing the nickle or whatever and causing rashes in some. Not good for return biz. 😁

Fitz II · 23-11-2021 11:19am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118209563#Comment_118209563

Wibbs if you are interested in the watch shoot me a PM and I will send it to you. Defo American origin from the story behind it. I have no great us of it and you would get more enjoyment than me out of it....

Wibbs · 23-11-2021 12:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118209816#Comment_118209816

Ah Fitz that's extremely sound of you. 😊👍️ I reckon a certain chap hereabouts by the name of Irishplayer might be the far better choice, him heading down the watchmaker route and all. He'd stand an actual chance of getting it running again. TBH though I've had some minor success with mechanical stuff, for some reason I've had way more success with wacky early leccy stuff. Probably because I'm daft enough to try. 😁

Wibbs · 23-11-2021 12:24pm

PS I'd like to see you wear it Fitz. Just to imagine your face at "WTF is this tiny feckin thing on my wrist. Man size my arse". 😁

IrishPlayer · 23-11-2021 10:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118202525#Comment_118202525

I believe that is an Omega Bumper from the 1950s. Found a post on Watchuseek [Link] . Going by the post, it gets it's name from the interesting design of the movement instead of a rotor, there's a weight that swings to wind the watch, and at the end of each rotation, "bumps" against a spring.

The case back should have some markings with more info

Time · 24-11-2021 1:05am

I'd never heard of that type movement before, has anyone any idea of the logic behind not having a full rotor?

Wibbs · 24-11-2021 11:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118208334#Comment_118208334

Sorry I missed this IP. I would say 300 quid is a bit steep for one of those. Though it is in very good condition. Used ones tend to look rough as from what I recall these are chrome plated brass cases. The bracelet being a replacement. These would have come on a rubber strap. I've seen them go for 200 in ebay auctions. The LIP of this designer period that get the money are almost always the electronic or quartz types, the mechanical not so much at all(though early pre electronic LIP Nautic divers get a premium) and the quirkier looking the better as far as that segment of the market goes.

Wibbs · 24-11-2021 11:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118214041#Comment_118214041

The bumper type of automatic is the earliest(in wristwatches) pioneered by Harwood back in the 20's. Afterwards Rolex came along with the full rotor kind. Maybe some went with the bumper type because of copyright, likely held by Rolex for a time? Rolex didn't invent the automatic, but did develop the full rotor type which is more efficient and the most commonly used since and today. They didn't invent the screwdown crown either, but bought an existing patent and improved the clutch design. When Rolex did innovate which was rarely enough, they kinda did an Apple computers. That is took an existing idea and design and noticeably improved and promoted it. They did the same with the date window(Mimo/GP invention) by adding a day and popularised the GMT(Longines invention) beyond what was a tiny niche.

unkel · 24-11-2021 12:21pm

I remember the story alright about Jobs steeling the mouse idea from HP I think? And of course Apple didn't invent the smart phone.

So Rolex is like Apple? 😮

F me, gotta dump them all now 😂

banie01 · 24-11-2021 12:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118215150#Comment_118215150

If memory serves the mouse (and a couple of other innovations integral to the paperless office) was a Xerox development?

Wibbs · 24-11-2021 2:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118215150#Comment_118215150

😂 Yeah kinda. In the sense that Apple and Steve Jobs were incredibly good at spotting a future trend and bringing different innovations together, tweaking them to make it better and promoting it brilliantly. Rolex and Hans Wilsdorf certainly did that. Jobs and Wilsdorf were true giants of spotting and creating trends and driving buyer demand. Where they differ is that Apple were far more actually innovative than Rolex ever were. As I've said before it would be hard to name a mainstream Swiss brand who innovated less than Rolex. Omega and Longines(and Seiko on the Japanese front) would be so far ahead of them Rolex would need the services of the Hubble telescope to see them, but neither are within an asses roar of the public perception of Rolex. Save for bringing together previous outside innovations like screwdown backs, fronts and crowns and later an automatic movement into the first Rolex Oysters of the 1920's and setting a trend for "Waterproof" watches*(which was very clever), they've done remarkably little since. One exception would be their inhouse Oysterquartz movement of the 1970's which was way ahead in innovation and quality compared to their mechanical movements up until quite recently.

What is remarkable is that Rolex is the "luxury" watch brand of the world and the vast majority of their fans and the general public would believe they were the bees knees in quality and innovation. The Pride and Pinion lad in between effin and blinding and willy jokes again claimed in a recent vid that Rolex invented the waterproof watch and as a "watch expert" he should know that's bollocks. Then again, bollocks sells... That's a helluva trick to pull off and Rolex did and continue to do so.

*though in reality it wasn't that much of a trend until the 1960's. The vast majority of watches sold up till then weren't nor claimed to be waterproof. It seems it was a fair way down the list for the casual buying market. The whole outdoor sport and scuba diving thing changed that. Though there had been a brief rumbling of that in the 1920's.

emo72 · 24-11-2021 3:19pm

Hi lads, I have a sumo that's had a few dings and looks a bit sorry, I'm looking to get it polished up and upgraded to a sapphire crystal. Anyone know anywhere that would do it?

eljono · 29-11-2021 11:18am

I've had my head turned recently by the Tudor Pelagos and wondering if anyone on the forum has one? I'd love to get a look at one and try it on to see if it fits well or not.

The 2012 model I think would suit better from a size POV being 1mm less thick than the newer version, however the latest model has the in-house chronometer caliber with the 70-hour power reserve which is quite appealing.

For the Limerick folk, do you know if Keane's stock Tudor? I don't remember seeing any models on display last time I was there, but I think that was pre-covid so may have changed since then.

893bet · 29-11-2021 12:21pm

They def stock them in Cork so assume have a selection in the Limerick branch.

Pablo_Flox · 29-11-2021 12:51pm

@Lex Luthor I was poking around some old threads and I see that you used to have a Stowa Ikarus. Do you still have it? I would be interested in your thoughts after a few years of ownership.

I am having a good luck at them!

Private Snafu · 29-11-2021 5:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118238578#Comment_118238578

Cork only AFAIK

banie01 · 29-11-2021 8:29pm

Have a deal done on an Omega 2535.80 buying from Germany on Chrono24. Full kit with a recent service at €3150 with a warranty.

I had been looking at Japanese and US watches but the VAT brought them past anything available in the EU.

If anyone here has a blue rubber Aquaterra strap they want shot of? Let me know. I want to try it out on the GMT 😉

Edit

I actually completely forgot about my 3% cashback! Bonus for me and €94.5 in CRO back my way 😁 My wife has threatened to put it away until Xmas tho 😲

IrishPlayer · 29-11-2021 8:42pm

Didn't end up buying any watches at the fair, I did however buy an eye loop and got a very special gift from John Bentley , a NOS Bell-matic dial that is unique model not having a jewel count

The weather made for an interesting trip home, flight was delayed by over 2 hours waiting to be de-iced

Wibbs · 29-11-2021 11:37pm

That dial is a cracking find IP. 👍🏻🙂

scwazrh · 30-11-2021 10:27pm

Does anyone here have a black bay 58 ? I’m considering picking one up but see a lot of people seem to move them very quick so looking for some real world ownership opinions as opposed to the bark and jack “best watch in the world “ reviews that YouTube is full of

Cyrus · 30-11-2021 11:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118248053#Comment_118248053

It's ok, nice watch ruined by the bracelet for me personally.

Time · 30-11-2021 11:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118248053#Comment_118248053

I have one. I'm not a fan of the bracelet either, so i have both the leather and the Nato style strap. Its my day to day watch i'd wear when i'm not off. It's comfortable, fairly classically styled so you can dress it up or down, has stood up to scratches remarkably well, and the build quality is very solid on it. What it isn't is very interesting, but it's not trying to be either. Happy to show you mine if you're around Dublin.

Cyrus · 01-12-2021 10:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118248053#Comment_118248053

sorry one other thing id add, i cant think of a scenario where if i had a sub and a BB58 that i would pick the BB save for the fact i owned it and felt guilty about not wearing, i know you have a sub (or two), i think you will be underwhelmed.

893bet · 01-12-2021 10:45am

i have only handled in an AD briefly but also had the “nice solid watch but Meh it ain’t gonna budge another watch off my wrist” feeling.

But in a world where a speedmaster is 4K plus etc and a sub is above retail then the bb58 at 2600 ish second hand is exceptional value.

scwazrh · 01-12-2021 11:20am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118248484#Comment_118248484

That’s very decent of you , thank you @Time If I decide to move on one I’ll take you up on your offer before purchasing.

scwazrh · 01-12-2021 11:28am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118249488#Comment_118249488

Yes , I’m not sure how much wear it would get but as @893bet says they seem great value for money.

I have a Tudor gmt which is a good solid watch and is pushing me towards another Tudor.Also like the idea of a smaller 39mm watch .

Fitz II · 03-12-2021 3:03pm

Looks like we have a speculator in Cork, bought a couple of Mings (think mingers is the plural?) and flogging them over retail. He will probably get somebody to buy them too, market dysfunction continues.

https://www.adverts.ie/dress/ming-27-01-dress-watch/25476095

https://www.adverts.ie/dress/ming-17-06-copper-dress-watch/25476135

893bet · 03-12-2021 4:34pm

I like the 27.01

893bet · 04-12-2021 11:25am

I have still not decided if Gringa is the most annoying watch YouTuber…..or the most annoying YouTuber in general. But I enjoyed the below a little.

(wannabe indie crew here)

https://youtu.be/vqnqVVa6chc

Cyclingtourist · 04-12-2021 11:55am

'a little' pretty much sums her up for me. The concept is good but the execution just doesn't do it.

893bet · 07-12-2021 12:56pm

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/06/patek-philippe-brings-back-the-holy-grail-of-watches-for-170-lucky-buyers.html

Million quid each I would suspect these will go for on the second market.

unkel · 07-12-2021 1:04pm

Patek following Rolex LOL. I'm no fan of the Nautilus but that colour makes it kinda cool 😂

893bet · 07-12-2021 2:04pm

I think it looks hideous personally. Very cheap. Maybe it looks amazing in the flesh.

unkel · 07-12-2021 2:24pm

You said the same about the turquoise OP. And now look which is the most valuable colour of the lot? I guess the market disagrees with you!

893bet · 07-12-2021 2:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118284051#Comment_118284051

Value doesn’t impact my likes or dislikes. Them OPs still look cheap. But there is no accounting for bad taste.

My tastes are at odds to the majority of the market indeed.

Cyclingtourist · 07-12-2021 2:29pm

Looks a bit girlie.

Love the language 'Patek gifting LVMH' .

Who Watches the Watchmen (Our Chit Chat Thread)

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