Watch Thread

Discussion in 'Geek Cave: Computers, Tablets, HT, Phones, Games' started by Shem, Sep 28, 2015.

  1. mscott58

    mscott58 Friend

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  2. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    put a Citizen Eco Drive Pro Master Diver in my cart at Amazon at $89. But then took it out. Super freaking deal though.
     
  3. WhiteNoise

    WhiteNoise Facebook Friend

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    Daughter picked me up a watch for my birthday recently. Nothing special but a cool little time piece.

    [​IMG]
     
  4. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Really cool! Having seen this, if I finally ever get a ZMF headphone, I will try to get a matching watch. Seriously.

    I too have a new one, though I bought it for myself as an early Christmas gift:
    The Casio Royale
    [​IMG]
    For less than $20, I get nostalgia from childhood, James Bond homage (can't afford Omegas or Rolexes), and a functional, lightweight daily beater. I might be more out of the box pleased with this watch than any of the ones that I modded for significantly more money.
     
  5. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Postponed the Casio G-Shock 5510 to fund a new tattoo. I am eyeing a cheap classic though.

    [​IMG]

    This one is cool too...

    [​IMG]
     
  6. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Saw one of these the other day. Not my picture.
    [​IMG]

    New Grand Seikos in the last year or two have been very impressive but very subtle and quiet about it. Bunch of little things like how insane the polishing is, etc.
     
  7. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    The Seasons collection is one of the best things to happen to GS, I adore all of the dial work they put in, simply inspiring stuff and I'm amazed by how they keep delivering on fantastic dial finishes that are also unique.

    The Eichi II is something that intrigues me as an exercise in absolute minimalism that puts all other watches (Journe, Laurent Ferrier included) to shame while simultaneously being the pinnacle of watch finishing and the human touch. Sadly it's not something I'm willing to commit to without seeing a physical watch, and I would probably never see one unless I paid for one myself.

    So yeah, the thing holding me back from Grand Seiko is the possibility of getting the best Grand Seiko...I suspect I'll pull the trigger on a blue snowflake someday though. The Eichi is too good for this world.
     
  8. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Their "spring drive" Snowflake is a timeless classic if you ask me. Grand Seiko certainly knows how to surpass Rolex.

    [​IMG]

    It is a watch to strive for.
     
  9. FallingObjects

    FallingObjects Pay It Forward

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    Between the Snowflake and their new "Taisetsu" from the seasons collection, I really have torn opinions on which one I want to save up for!

    [​IMG]

    I've been to a couple of dealers around town just window shopping and trying the watches on. Classy move by the sales rep to just hand me a magnifying glass and say "Here" when I asked to try on the Snowflake.
     
  10. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Really thinking about getting this watch, Balticus Stardust. Has cool AP royal oak vibes, but still is its own unique thing with that cool dial. The only thing is the cheap Miyota movement that doesn't have hacking, seems a bit of a cheap movement for a $600 new watch. I would get it used for $450 though...
    [​IMG]
     
  11. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    Definitely like that sparkly star field dial, especially that it has lume. The one I got for my Seiko is missing that. (Hmm. They have the Hokusai Wave dial as well. Wonder if Lucius Atelier found inspiration here or the other way around). It does seem like they should have sprung for a better movement. Margins should still have been strong based on their pricing. Really hard to assign a good value to the billion microbrands out there now.
     
  12. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Yeah, it does have some nice lume. Ill see if I can get it for cheaper, I just made an offer on one on ebay.
     
  13. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

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    Make sure you can accept the flaws of the movement.

    I would rather have the ETA 2824 or NH35 even in basic form above something similar to a 7S26. If an automatic watch is more than 150 Dollars/Euros it has to be able to beat the Vostok Amphibia(n) for me.

    If a few Russians can make a decent beater movement with manual wind for little money, the Japanese and Swiss have no reason to lag behind.

    Thing is, the Swatch Group's Sistem 51 movements strike that balance and then more. But hey, if you are not a member of the Swatch Group access is difficult. That basic automatic movement is durable, has manual wind and is rather pleasing to the eye i.m.h.o.
     
  14. spwath

    spwath Hijinks master cum laudle

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    Well I bought it for $400. Still has hand winding, and keeps good time, so good enough for me
     
  15. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    I think that the new seasons collection is the new case with shorter L2L. I found that it wore a lot better than the old snowflake design, something to consider if you're thinking about new vs. used.
     
  16. allegro

    allegro Friend

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    I don't get the Seiko appeal, even Grand Seikos. The bands are a pain to remove links to resize. If I was spending over $5000 on a watch I would go Rolex. Timeless and decent resale value. The one Rolex I owned was a gold Midsize President with the hidden clasp bracelet. Links used screws, a snap to resize and when I decided to stop wearing a year's rent on my wrist I sold it for more than I paid for it.
     
  17. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    Some Rolex model have held their value well for the past 10 years. That's it. The quartz crises hit them just as hard and resale picked up only because of the recent surge in demand of steel sports watches. There's no evidence that this is a long term thing and precious metal Rolex's have never had the resale potential of their steel counterparts.

    What you get with GS is absolutely top-notch dial finishing that is easily on par with watches 2-3x the price, a movement that well exceeds even the latest Rolex model in accuracy (the updated Snowflake is +-1SPD), and a perfect second hand sweep. Downside is the bracelet, as you mentioned, and their watches run fairly large especially if you want a diver or chrono. But Seiko uses pins because the titanium on the bracelet is too soft to take screws. Steel GS models do use screws although the bits might be hard to track down in the US.

    I also think that people shouldn't think about watches as investments period. If you worry about resale value that's just saying that the watch is too much risk for you and you're taking on unnecessary risk and should probably consider a cheaper watch. All of the watches I buy, I expect them to depreciate to exactly zero dollars in value. Anything more from resale is a plus.

    [​IMG]

    (Not mine, but a personal favorite re: finishing)
     
  18. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    So at the beginning of the year, I had a single watch that I hadn't worn in several years and decided to read this thread. With the addition of an early Christmas gift from my GF, my collection now looks like this:
    [​IMG]
    My original watch on the left with a new band. Three modded Seikos and my Casio Royale. The Starking on the far right is a surprisingly nice watch given the $49 price tag. In many ways nicer than any of the Seikos I bought out of the box. Stainless steel case and bracelet with solid endlinks, sapphire crystal, and a 28,800bph movement that hacks, hand winds, is within +/- 10sec a day with a just confirmed 36 hour power reserve. Nice weight and finishing. Very close to a couple Tissots I recently tried out at a watch store. Perfect for business and board meetings (though will get a leather strap since the SS band is a little blingy for my tastes).

    I now have a watch for every occasion I encounter in daily life and am quite pleased. Thanks for the inspiration and help!
     
  19. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Seasons greetings and happy holidays to everyone at SBAF, but particularly to the watch nerds!

    [​IMG]

    The shirt was my from my mom for Christmas, so of course I wore it first thing!
     
  20. Boops

    Boops Friend

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    Wow these dial finishes are gorgeous (and I’m not even that into watches).
     

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