Watch thread
Comments
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I quite like Swatch watches and the fact they cut through the status BS. You get students to millionaires wearing them, they're fun and functional. The same applies to smart watches now really as people go for the functionality and not the swagger.0
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The watches I treasure all have sentiment rather than direct value. I have a fairly standard Seiko 7N42 I was gifted by my wife for my 21st. I have my grandads old Sekonda wind up that I still wear regularly. The highest value I will have is my dad's Seiko 6117 navigator from the 70s. I've wanted it since I was a kid, and isn't particularly special to anyone but me
I also looked to get a replacement battery in a Casio Ediface Orange EFM-502-1A4V and they wanted £60. It's now dead in a drawer.1 -
The Swatch Group is the world's largest watch company and employs about 36,000 people in 50 countries. The group owns the Swatch product line and other brands, including Blancpain, Breguet, Certina, ETA, Glashütte Original, Hamilton, Harry Winston, Longines, Mido, Omega, Rado, and Tissot.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swatch_Group#:~:text=The Swatch Group is the,Omega, Rado, and Tissot.
Now that's some swagger.0 -
I've got an SKX009, a Glycine Airman reissue and a Seagull 1963. None of them were very expensive - I think the SKX has appreciated a lot since I bought it because they are classic and they've stopped making them, but I'd never sell it because it has a lot of sentimental value.rick_chasey said:
I don't think anyone is especially like that in this thread tbf. Most people cut their taste to their means. I'm as interested in £80 casios as I am in £800 vintage dress watches (though there are some very nice £2000 versions)First.Aspect said:For a lot of people, it seems to be a status symbol. Look at me, my watch cost a 4 figure sum.
I have a Garmin and a Holtzkern. The latter is a Citizen watch in another case. Didn't cost very much, looks interesting and no-one else has one.
But I can't say ya ya my bonus was good this year.
I find a lot of the expensive watches, rolexes etc, just too big and samey for me so I'll probably never partake.
I've also got the Casio Royale - the Casio world timer that looks like the Bond digital watch with the radar screen. That was 20 quid or something but it's well cool.0 -
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They get great reviews amongst the YouTube fraternity. I think there's some questions over whether you're getting a genuine one when ordering from the likes of AliExpress etc.rick_chasey said:Seagulls are super popular on TikTok!
Most I've spent on a watch was around £200 or so, but it's easy to get sucked into spending cash on more and more. I have about 4 and I think I only wear 2 of them regularly, even less so since I bought a smartwatch. Tend to only wear them for weddings etc. now. I've got a Seiko SNK model, Citizen Divemaster, Orient Mako (original with the day/date pusher at 2 o' clock) and a San Martin 62MAS which get rave reviews online but is essentially a Seiko copy. Only other watch I'd consider buying now would be a Seiko SKX0070 -
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"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0
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Nothing wrong with a Seiko or G Shock. Neither are prestigious they just work and some of them look good. I wouldn't buy the blue one in Rick's picture above, but I can see the appeal. Swatch come in such a huge variety, some are very collectable and worth big money. I like them because they are cheap and cheerful. Or they were, seem rather expensive for a cheap watch now. The Omega/Swatch colab is a strange one, some friends thought it would devalue the Omega brand. But it doesn't seem to have done. Hard to buy even though they aren't limited allegedly. Problem being you can only buy them through a Swatch shop. Used they are fetching many times the new price. But you can buy a knock off for about £20.
I nearly always wear a watch, I don't need one, but I like them.1 -
I always wear a watch at work, as I like to judge the lesson length well so I can get everything in that I & pupil want to, and it's so easy to glance down at an analogue watch and see the 'shape' of the time.0
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I got my Seagull 1963 in Singapore in a little watch shop I had to go miles out if my way to find...feelgoodlost said:
They get great reviews amongst the YouTube fraternity. I think there's some questions over whether you're getting a genuine one when ordering from the likes of AliExpress etc.rick_chasey said:Seagulls are super popular on TikTok!
Most I've spent on a watch was around £200 or so, but it's easy to get sucked into spending cash on more and more. I have about 4 and I think I only wear 2 of them regularly, even less so since I bought a smartwatch. Tend to only wear them for weddings etc. now. I've got a Seiko SNK model, Citizen Divemaster, Orient Mako (original with the day/date pusher at 2 o' clock) and a San Martin 62MAS which get rave reviews online but is essentially a Seiko copy. Only other watch I'd consider buying now would be a Seiko SKX007
I didn't mention, I also have a 1936 Ingersoll Mickey Mouse pocket watch that belonged to my grandad which is where my appreciation for watches comes from. I think that's the most valuable watch I own now as it seems to have gone up a frightening amount since I inherited it perhaps 15 years ago.
Re appreciation of the Seikos - I paid £150 for mine but I see them going for £300+ these days.1 -
Just remembered that my gran had a 17th-century solid silver pocket watch with an amazing spring mechanism that looked like a mini helter-skelter with the minutest bike chain wrapped around it to power the escapement. Sold in a London auction for about £700 in early 70's, described in the catalogue as being in 'distressed condition' (probably as I'd played with it a bit, not really knowing how old it was). Wish I had photos, or could remember more details. I just remember looking inside in awe at the miniature engineering,
EDIT - it was this kind of thing, from memory - £700 in 1970 would be about £13k now, and the one in the photo went at Bonhams recently for £4500, so I guess Gran's watch must have been quite nice... I've a vague memory if it being called "important" or something.
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My first serious watch was a Seiko SKX. Quite like the brand and the appearance of Seiko on the wrists of plenty rugged movie characters adds to their appeal for saps like me.bobmcstuff said:
I got my Seagull 1963 in Singapore in a little watch shop I had to go miles out if my way to find...feelgoodlost said:
They get great reviews amongst the YouTube fraternity. I think there's some questions over whether you're getting a genuine one when ordering from the likes of AliExpress etc.rick_chasey said:Seagulls are super popular on TikTok!
Most I've spent on a watch was around £200 or so, but it's easy to get sucked into spending cash on more and more. I have about 4 and I think I only wear 2 of them regularly, even less so since I bought a smartwatch. Tend to only wear them for weddings etc. now. I've got a Seiko SNK model, Citizen Divemaster, Orient Mako (original with the day/date pusher at 2 o' clock) and a San Martin 62MAS which get rave reviews online but is essentially a Seiko copy. Only other watch I'd consider buying now would be a Seiko SKX007
I didn't mention, I also have a 1936 Ingersoll Mickey Mouse pocket watch that belonged to my grandad which is where my appreciation for watches comes from. I think that's the most valuable watch I own now as it seems to have gone up a frightening amount since I inherited it perhaps 15 years ago.
Re appreciation of the Seikos - I paid £150 for mine but I see them going for £300+ these days.
Some of the Grand Seiko’s are beautiful but approaching £6,000 is getting in to Rolex territory and they don’t hold value nearly as well.Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי0 -
They do decent looking copies of the submariner too.feelgoodlost said:
They get great reviews amongst the YouTube fraternity. I think there's some questions over whether you're getting a genuine one when ordering from the likes of AliExpress etc.rick_chasey said:Seagulls are super popular on TikTok!
Most I've spent on a watch was around £200 or so, but it's easy to get sucked into spending cash on more and more. I have about 4 and I think I only wear 2 of them regularly, even less so since I bought a smartwatch. Tend to only wear them for weddings etc. now. I've got a Seiko SNK model, Citizen Divemaster, Orient Mako (original with the day/date pusher at 2 o' clock) and a San Martin 62MAS which get rave reviews online but is essentially a Seiko copy. Only other watch I'd consider buying now would be a Seiko SKX007Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי0 -
Yeah, I've seen those. I do think they're a genuine brand in their own right and don't really fit into the homage category. The build quality is incredible for the price.seanoconn said:
They do decent looking copies of the submariner too.feelgoodlost said:
They get great reviews amongst the YouTube fraternity. I think there's some questions over whether you're getting a genuine one when ordering from the likes of AliExpress etc.rick_chasey said:Seagulls are super popular on TikTok!
Most I've spent on a watch was around £200 or so, but it's easy to get sucked into spending cash on more and more. I have about 4 and I think I only wear 2 of them regularly, even less so since I bought a smartwatch. Tend to only wear them for weddings etc. now. I've got a Seiko SNK model, Citizen Divemaster, Orient Mako (original with the day/date pusher at 2 o' clock) and a San Martin 62MAS which get rave reviews online but is essentially a Seiko copy. Only other watch I'd consider buying now would be a Seiko SKX0070 -
The quality looks good but when every watch in their collection is a copy of Omega, Rolex, Tudor etc. apart from the logo, they are most definitely in the homage category 😃feelgoodlost said:
Yeah, I've seen those. I do think they're a genuine brand in their own right and don't really fit into the homage category. The build quality is incredible for the price.seanoconn said:
They do decent looking copies of the submariner too.feelgoodlost said:
They get great reviews amongst the YouTube fraternity. I think there's some questions over whether you're getting a genuine one when ordering from the likes of AliExpress etc.rick_chasey said:Seagulls are super popular on TikTok!
Most I've spent on a watch was around £200 or so, but it's easy to get sucked into spending cash on more and more. I have about 4 and I think I only wear 2 of them regularly, even less so since I bought a smartwatch. Tend to only wear them for weddings etc. now. I've got a Seiko SNK model, Citizen Divemaster, Orient Mako (original with the day/date pusher at 2 o' clock) and a San Martin 62MAS which get rave reviews online but is essentially a Seiko copy. Only other watch I'd consider buying now would be a Seiko SKX007Pinno, מלך אידיוט וחרא מכונאי0 -
If anyone likes the Rolex Sub style but don't want to pay stupid grey market prices or suck up to authorised dealers and wait donkeys years for 'the call', then Steinhart do good homages for a very reasonable price. Something like this:
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
Good call, Seiko is an underrated brand IMO.seanoconn said:
My first serious watch was a Seiko SKX. Quite like the brand and the appearance of Seiko on the wrists of plenty rugged movie characters adds to their appeal for saps like me.bobmcstuff said:
I got my Seagull 1963 in Singapore in a little watch shop I had to go miles out if my way to find...feelgoodlost said:
They get great reviews amongst the YouTube fraternity. I think there's some questions over whether you're getting a genuine one when ordering from the likes of AliExpress etc.rick_chasey said:Seagulls are super popular on TikTok!
Most I've spent on a watch was around £200 or so, but it's easy to get sucked into spending cash on more and more. I have about 4 and I think I only wear 2 of them regularly, even less so since I bought a smartwatch. Tend to only wear them for weddings etc. now. I've got a Seiko SNK model, Citizen Divemaster, Orient Mako (original with the day/date pusher at 2 o' clock) and a San Martin 62MAS which get rave reviews online but is essentially a Seiko copy. Only other watch I'd consider buying now would be a Seiko SKX007
I didn't mention, I also have a 1936 Ingersoll Mickey Mouse pocket watch that belonged to my grandad which is where my appreciation for watches comes from. I think that's the most valuable watch I own now as it seems to have gone up a frightening amount since I inherited it perhaps 15 years ago.
Re appreciation of the Seikos - I paid £150 for mine but I see them going for £300+ these days.
Some of the Grand Seiko’s are beautiful but approaching £6,000 is getting in to Rolex territory and they don’t hold value nearly as well.
Some of the higher end Prospex models are very good and have the Spring Drive movement (I like the smooth sweep on the second hand) but without the Grand Seiko price tag.
"I spent most of my money on birds, booze and fast cars: the rest of it I just squandered." [George Best]0 -
I don't really understand the homage type watches. A lot, if not all, of the desirability of the original is associated with the brand and perception of quality, right? And on the very precise details of appearance?
Surely an homage type watch lacks most or all of this? And stands on the basis of what it looks like, which is often neither terribly up to date, is necessarily derivative and often not all that attractive?0 -
Depends on what is important to you and why you like the watch. If the brand is what floats your boat, so be it. For most, especially the majority on here it seems, the brand is not the most important thing.First.Aspect said:I don't really understand the homage type watches. A lot, if not all, of the desirability of the original is associated with the brand and perception of quality, right? And on the very precise details of appearance?
Surely an homage type watch lacks most or all of this? And stands on the basis of what it looks like, which is often neither terribly up to date, is necessarily derivative and often not all that attractive?1 -
Exactly. If the build quality is decent, then it's about the design and whether the movement is up to scratch. A lot of people love watches but can't afford to splurge £'s on one.veronese68 said:
Depends on what is important to you and why you like the watch. If the brand is what floats your boat, so be it. For most, especially the majority on here it seems, the brand is not the most important thing.First.Aspect said:I don't really understand the homage type watches. A lot, if not all, of the desirability of the original is associated with the brand and perception of quality, right? And on the very precise details of appearance?
Surely an homage type watch lacks most or all of this? And stands on the basis of what it looks like, which is often neither terribly up to date, is necessarily derivative and often not all that attractive?1 -
My BIL just bought a fake rolex (not a good one - I think once it' needs a service it's done) and I have a mate who in the past owned a pretty expensive fake rolex, cost him £500 and he bought it off a watchmaker who has agreed to service it etc.
Seemed a lot of faff to me and I never really understood the point. My mate's view was he likes the look, he'd own a proper one if he could, but for a bit of extra faff no-one will know the difference.0 -
The trouble bought me a book a while ago called 'The Watch and the Man' or something. It's a coffee table type book with pictures of watches and the back stories from the owners, often it's a personal thing like how the watch was given to them by a relative for an occasion or something. Often quite interesting, to me at any rate. The story of the Seiko watches was quite interesting, I can't remember the exact details but the Swiss used to have a competition for who was making the most accurate watch. The first time Seiko entered they did pretty badly, after a couple of years they came third. The Swiss stopped holding the competition.0
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" It's jewellery. It's not that complicated. "rick_chasey said:My BIL just bought a fake rolex (not a good one - I think once it' needs a service it's done) and I have a mate who in the past owned a pretty expensive fake rolex, cost him £500 and he bought it off a watchmaker who has agreed to service it etc.
Seemed a lot of faff to me and I never really understood the point. My mate's view was he likes the look, he'd own a proper one if he could, but for a bit of extra faff no-one will know the difference.0 -
Fakes exist in all sorts of jewellery.TheBigBean said:
" It's jewellery. It's not that complicated. "rick_chasey said:My BIL just bought a fake rolex (not a good one - I think once it' needs a service it's done) and I have a mate who in the past owned a pretty expensive fake rolex, cost him £500 and he bought it off a watchmaker who has agreed to service it etc.
Seemed a lot of faff to me and I never really understood the point. My mate's view was he likes the look, he'd own a proper one if he could, but for a bit of extra faff no-one will know the difference.0 -
You seemed confused that it was only the look that mattered to him as opposed to its functionality.rick_chasey said:
Fakes exist in all sorts of jewellery.TheBigBean said:
" It's jewellery. It's not that complicated. "rick_chasey said:My BIL just bought a fake rolex (not a good one - I think once it' needs a service it's done) and I have a mate who in the past owned a pretty expensive fake rolex, cost him £500 and he bought it off a watchmaker who has agreed to service it etc.
Seemed a lot of faff to me and I never really understood the point. My mate's view was he likes the look, he'd own a proper one if he could, but for a bit of extra faff no-one will know the difference.0 -
I'm quite keen to take possession of my grandfather's old wall clock, but it no longer works. Do you people who like old watches pay regular fortunes for servicing and repairs?0
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Yes, basically.TheBigBean said:I'm quite keen to take possession of my grandfather's old wall clock, but it no longer works. Do you people who like old watches pay regular fortunes for servicing and repairs?
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Well look, I think the value or not of a fake versus the real one, when on normal inspection they're indistinguishable, is an interesting question, and gets to the heart of what intrinsic value these things have.TheBigBean said:
You seemed confused that it was only the look that mattered to him as opposed to its functionality.rick_chasey said:
Fakes exist in all sorts of jewellery.TheBigBean said:
" It's jewellery. It's not that complicated. "rick_chasey said:My BIL just bought a fake rolex (not a good one - I think once it' needs a service it's done) and I have a mate who in the past owned a pretty expensive fake rolex, cost him £500 and he bought it off a watchmaker who has agreed to service it etc.
Seemed a lot of faff to me and I never really understood the point. My mate's view was he likes the look, he'd own a proper one if he could, but for a bit of extra faff no-one will know the difference.
Does the fact it's a fake take some of the enjoyment off it? Does it even matter? I think they're interesting questions.
Not understanding or wanting to understand why a watch which is less accurate is vastly more expensive; that's just inverse snobbery.1 -
Does require regular work, annoyingly. Large, old wall clocks are notoriously bad. Worth getting it looked over up front.TheBigBean said:I'm quite keen to take possession of my grandfather's old wall clock, but it no longer works. Do you people who like old watches pay regular fortunes for servicing and repairs?
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