New watch

Snap

oh yeah, on the seinhart and time keeping - there are many grades of swiss watch calibre - ranging from highly accurate (as in seconds per year) to not so. A mid range calibre should beplenty accurate enough.

I have a Zenith, with the El Primero movement, first released in 1969. Massively accurate, was the most accurate watch movement in the world at the time, not far off today.

Better, these things actually make money over time too. I have a Breitling Navitimer that is now worth about double what it originally cost. And it looks friggin ace too, ;p

Neil

Snap said:

oh yeah, on the seinhart and time keeping - there are many grades of swiss watch calibre - ranging from highly accurate (as in seconds per year) to not so. A mid range calibre should beplenty accurate enough.

I have a Zenith, with the El Primero movement, first released in 1969. Massively accurate, was the most accurate watch movement in the world at the time, not far off today.

Better, these things actually make money over time too. I have a Breitling Navitimer that is now worth about double what it originally cost. And it looks friggin ace too, ;p

Wise words @Snap

Re the El Primero, lovely. I had the Movado version. 

36000 bph!

chillidoggy

randomhandclaps said:

chillidoggy said:

Oi, Neil, you seen my new Rolex Yachtmaster 2, bro? No? I dun post a selfie of it for you, man. I love wearing it cos it piss off them uptight wankers at the Benefits when I'm picking up me Giro, see there faces, it's well funny! And you should see the looks I get from all the classy chav-birds. Mate, it's well cool! They can't help gawking at me bling when I'm having a pint or ten of Wife-Beater in the Mechanical Elephant. Fuck them battery watches, you is getting more gash with them Rolex, innit.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee189/chillidoggy/imagejpg1_zps2d51e040.jpg

Did you buy that as a distraction when you had your elephant man elbow thing going on? 

Nah.

My wife bought it for me as a birthday present. And strangely it did nothing to divert my attention from the agonising leg injury I sustained when I fell off my speedboat, whilst on my way to the 4-bedroomed villa, either. Shit, I could have been wearing a cheap-shit, battery-powered one and you know what? It wouldn't have made any difference. Which only serves to demonstrate how pathetic people who wear Rolex watches are, eh?

FX_Munkee

Yes, well, your quartz might be more accurate than my automatic but when the bomb drops and the EMP takes out your pathetic quartz movement, we'll see who you come running to to find out what the time is!

Neil

BTW @chillidoggy  

I forgot to compliment you on your YMII.

Very nice and nice unusual movement to boot. 

Snap

It seems to me that people who can afford to buy, and do buy expensive things are often lambasted by people who can't afford to buy said things. They are also then accused of being show offs for buying them.

THe truly wealthy people I've met over the years are nothing like that. The people who ARE like that are often just simply crass - gpt a bit of money (or a large credit card facility) and are of the midhled belief that showy material things make them more appealing as people.

That;s very different to buying something you believe to be special, nice, well made etc.

After all, why doesn't everybody just buy a 3 year old Skoda, instead of any other car? If its a question of function and value, then surely the argument on which car to buy is solved??

No, you spend your money on what you choose, and what you like and enjoy.

Is a £700 mexican strat a couple of grand worse than an American? Course not, but the American, is for most, nicer to have and own than the Mex, for lots of soft and almost intangible reasons. It certainly won't play and sound 2 grand better.

Or will it? To the buyer? You cant quantify these things IMO. It's a question of choice and judgement, and is, as such, very personal.

Are all people who own Bentleys brash show offs? I dunno. How could you? MAybe the majority just like a fine hand built high teck motor with a hell of a history, drives like a dream and is all round very special. MOre to the point, what's it got to do with anyone anyway??

RaymondLin

Snap said:

Raymond Lin, that's you're opinion. One I and any other watch enthusiast would disagree with. You can apply your arguments to just about most expensive things.

I've got several expensive watches. I couldnt' give a shite what anyone thinks about them. I have them cos I like them, everything about them. I don't need to show off to anyone, the sort of person who would be impressed by a flash wathc isn't the sort of person I want to know tbh. I'd like to think there's more to me than that.

I would say your take on watches is refreshing to see. I repeat that I don't see anything wrong owning expensive watches.  What baffles me the most is when I speak to people who have Rolex, Omega and comment how nice it is, they are nice.  All they say is "yeah, I love it, great watch, always wanted one".  It is only on forums where I get reasons like the ones above given.  I have never heard anyone said in real life say "Yea, I love it, so when I die my son can have it and when he die his son can have it."    That to be is an weird reason to buy a watch, almost as to justify to one self having spent so much on it and feels guilty so using it as an heirloom justifies it.  

re: service costs, look up the official service charges for Rolex.  I am not quoting what you can get done in your local corner shop watchmaker. 

 

Re Hamilton, it's part of the SWATCH group, I know Tissot and the like, uses ETA movement, probably very similar to the one in my Steinhart even.  It's a nice watch.

 

Look, I repeat again, I have nothing against the nice watches, or even the price.  I just find some of the reasons people come out with utterly ridiculous.

p.s. I have 3 PRS     

RaymondLin

FX_Munkee said:

Yes, well, your quartz might be more accurate than my automatic but when the bomb drops and the EMP takes out your pathetic quartz movement, we'll see who you come running to to find out what the time is!

Lol, if an atomic bomb goes off, the last thing to worry about is a watch. My family is what I care about, it's a watch, a hunk of metal. Think you missed my point, nothing against mechanical watches, I have 3, I am wearing one now.

Snap

HAmilton make a good low price watch, good value, thouogh personally I'd probably go for something different. Bit of heritage to the brand as well. Alpina is another good "cheaper" one too.

Service costs - yep, they are on the face of it expensive, but when you look into the work done, by highly qualified people, it's cheaper than what an accountant or lawyer would charge. If you can get the same work done, to the same standard, by a local watchsmith, do it.

YEars ago I had a problem with the ocsillator on a Breitling. I got it repaired by a watchsmith for £28. Breitling wanted about 200. However, the watch in question is a diving watch, with a helium filled escape valve and is waterproof to 1000m. Breitling would have regassed it and resealed it in the price. If i was a diver, that would have been a factor, as I'm not, it wasn't!

The service on the Navitimer was £320. However, in that price is any replacement parts, and a full strip down and clean, recalibrate, by a qualified horologist. Something I'd have done every 10 years or so. Cheaper than servicing a car.

and you are right, some people, maybe a lot, get them cos they feel its a status symbol or a rite of passage that they need to have. So what though?

anyway, you can't say anything, what with your 3 PRS's!!

You know, I have a real growing hankering for a PRS. It's getting worse with each day. It started again the other week when I went to the local guiatr shop and they had a rack full, I got all dithery and that. Had to walk away, before I knew it, my hand had got my wallet in it and I was on my way......

RaymondLin

I was going to get a jazz master open heart last year, so close of getting one.

You should get a PRS...

chillidoggy

Neil said:

BTW @chillidoggy  

I forgot to compliment you on your YMII.

Very nice and nice unusual movement to boot. 

That'll be down to the leg injury.

randomhandclaps

chillidoggy said:

Which only serves to demonstrate how pathetic people who wear Rolex watches are, eh?

I think 'pathetic' is a bit harsh good sir.  I would say calamitous and accident prone is probably fairer.

Handsome_Chris

chillidoggy;395770" said:

>How do you think @Chillidoggy knows when the time to fill his sails with wind so to cross the start line in his sailing race, or 'regatta' as I believe the french call it.;Yachtmaster II indeed, I bet Chilli isn't even a Day Skipper (RYA reference).







Really Chris! 40 years in the marine world, me. And champion two years on the trot at my sailing club. I didn't get that by not knowing when to start the race!

Ah but do you know when to finish it, @Chillidoggy?

chillidoggy

Yes. It's generally when my boat crosses the finish line, and a loud report from the cannon is heard as confirmation of finish.

Neil

RaymondLin said:

 

 

Re Hamilton, it's part of the SWATCH group, I know Tissot and the like, uses ETA movement, probably very similar to the one in my Steinhart even.  It's a nice watch.

 

Again you show your ignorance.

When that Hamilton was made (1960's) there was no Swatch group. 

It doesn't have an ETA movement but a Buren Grand Prix. ETA at the time was used by Eterna (the inventors and various cheaper watch firms.)

FYI Buren were bought by Hamilton largely for their movement making capability, in fact Buren built the first micro rotor movement that was incorporated into the first(?) Swiss  automatic chronograph.

It was quite a feat to make an ultra thin auto and for information and possible forum interest I post a pic of a vintage Hamilton micro rotor I own, the Intra-Matic.

joneve

PORN! That is well fit. And I'm not usually a lover of ultra thin dress watches. 

Snap

yes it is.That's v nice.

The world of watches is like any other interest: there's a shitload of stuff to know and discover, and too many people half arse their way into it, don't research enough, and buy something too obviuous, and probably not the best value (for their pocket).

This is why so many people buy the Rolex Submariner - cos they want a Rolex, and then go for the obvious. Whereas IMO an Explorer II or a Seadweller is far nicer, and less obvious/common. Something different appeals to me more.

If you get something obvious, it won't hold its value as well, as there's lots of them about. And IMO it requires less thought and imagination in the first place. The hunting down, research etc is for me, the best part of it all.

IWC, they make some of my favourite watches. They did a St Exupery limited edition, my Dad has one. It's lovely. I think he paid about £3500 for it 12 years ago. I was in Lucerne recently, and they had one in a shop  - £9000! Really nice watch.

I also like Panerais. Nice styling.

Snap

Neil said:

Re the El Primero, lovely. I had the Movado version. 

36000 bph!

nice nice nice. Yes, on the bph: that just amazes me, that something purely kinetic can work so precisely and so constantly. All from springs, cogs and rotors. It is quite stunning the more you think about it.

I have the Chronomaster, white face. From about 10 years ago. Thing is, the strap is on it's way out, that's going to be a few quid.....

RaymondLin

Neil said:

RaymondLin said:

 

 

Re Hamilton, it's part of the SWATCH group, I know Tissot and the like, uses ETA movement, probably very similar to the one in my Steinhart even.  It's a nice watch.

 

Again you show your ignorance.

When that Hamilton was made (1960's) there was no Swatch group. 

It doesn't have an ETA movement but a Buren Grand Prix. ETA at the time was used by Eterna (the inventors and various cheaper watch firms.)

FYI Buren were bought by Hamilton largely for their movement making capability, in fact Buren built the first micro rotor movement that was incorporated into the first(?) Swiss  automatic chronograph.

It was quite a feat to make an ultra thin auto and for information and possible forum interest I post a pic of a vintage Hamilton micro rotor I own, the Intra-Matic.

I wasn't referring to Hamilton back in the day, I mean now, you misunderstood me and Hamilton DO use ETA movement these days.  It is not ignorance, and perhaps I should be more specific.  When I said Hamilton, i meant the brand, in existence today, not that watch specifically.

joneve

Since everyone else is posting photos of their watches...seems like a good excuse for a gratuitous shot of the Seamaster! (albeit taken with a shit phone camera )

As I said earlier, I've wanted one of these ever since I owned my first watch, and the wife got me one for my 30th birthday because she is awesome. 

Front:

Rear: