Talk to Me about Watches!

[Kira]

^^Vastly superior video. Thanks for turning me on to Monta.

Personally, the Invicta in post #36 is too conservative for me. John Wayne wore one in McQ, didn't he?

 

[thastinger]

What model of Rolex are you talking about???

I bought my current, Stainless Steel "Submariner" (https://www.rolex.com/en-us/watches/submariner/m126610ln-0001) in 1985 for $1050 and the same model sells, brand-new, for approximately $11K.

I think, one of the best things about owning a Rolex is knowing that you will, forever, be able to have it serviced. Forever.

Ed

Have the same one but bought it in 2000 for 3750. If you don't plan to pass them down they really don't cost you anything to wear as their price seems to keep up with inflation at least.

 

[Kira]

Are there parallels between Sales Prices of Used Premium Watches and an economic indicator roller-coaster graph?

 

[BobsArmory]

I think you will find (as I have) that the accuracy will be within 15 seconds at the most. Like I said, I have four chinese OLEVS and their accuracy is typically less than 6 seconds. With 0.1/.00 beat error and high amplitude. My friends 5 Sports is well under 10 seconds.

If I got a Seiko 5 Sports that was off 40seconds, I would send it back.

Why does the OP WANT a Rolex? Thats the question. And vanity is a perfectly fine answer,

I just bought a Seiko 5 limited edition and it's running -20 to -25 per day. Seiko won't touch it since it's in specs. Since it's not an everyday watch it might be OK but I might sell it and get something else. I haven't decided yet.

 

[KrisZ]

If you want accuracy and are the one that constantly synchronizes their watch with their phone, get a quartz.
Automatics accuracy, even the best ones, can be described as “good enough”.

Remember when TV stations would display a clock for few minutes so that people could synchronize their automatic watches to that time?

 

[UncleDave]

Are there parallels between Sales Prices of Used Premium Watches and an economic indicator roller-coaster graph?

Yes.

 

[UncleDave]

Have the same one but bought it in 2000 for 3750. If you don't plan to pass them down they really don't cost you anything to wear as their price seems to keep up with inflation at least.

mmmm sort of.

If you wear it, its going to require service, and the bracelet is going to experience wear.

 

[RaymondP]

I have eight watches and they're all Citizen Eco-Drives. No batteries or winders for me, thanks! Solar powered is where it's at.

Looking at a couple of these and curious. I wear my watch 24/7. If I wear it with long sleeves (so it is temporarily partially or completely covered), will it continue to operate? I have a Seiko Solar dress watch I received as a gift. Before wearing it I have to remember to place it in the window to charge. Sometimes it still does NOT work.

Is this an issue with all solar watches. Also seems they periodically need the rechargeable battery to be replaced. Appears the Citizens models I like are all Eco-Drive.

Thank you.

 

[KrisZ]

Looking at a couple of these and curious. I wear my watch 24/7. If I wear it with long sleeves (so it is temporarily partially or completely covered), will it continue to operate? I have a Seiko Solar dress watch I received as a gift. Before wearing it I have to remember to place it in the window to charge. Sometimes it still does NOT work.

Is this an issue with all solar watches. Also seems they periodically need the rechargeable battery to be replaced. Appears the Citizens models I like are all Eco-Drive.

Thank you.

I have a Citizen eco-drive that I got around 2008. I wore it everyday for several years and I never had an issue with the state of charge. Even during winter, with long sleeves and limited light exposure. It will charge with artificial light, not just sun.

I then stopped wearing it for good five years and it was completely dead. I took it out last year and after few hours sitting on a window sill, in full sun, it came back to life.

I wear it occasionally now, or expose it to sun once a month. Works fine.

Fully charged the battery is good for six months.
Citizen eco-drives are excellent in my, very limited experience.

 

[charbaby]

^^^ Yes, the Eco-Drive will operate under a shirt sleeve. As long as you leave it in some form of light source(just once in a while) it'll run everyday. You don't need to wear it everyday nor keep it in the light daily.

And once fully charged, it'll continue to run for up to 6 months in complete darkness. I sometimes don't wear my Eco-Drive(s) for weeks on end(while I wear other watches) and they're still holding good charge when I put one of them on.

 

[jalf]

If you want accuracy and are the one that constantly synchronizes their watch with their phone, get a quartz.
Automatics accuracy, even the best ones, can be described as “good enough”.

Remember when TV stations would display a clock for few minutes so that people could synchronize their automatic watches to that time?

Back around '90 wife and I took the kids to D.C. to see the sights. The Smithsonian had an atomic clock. I and every other nerd who wore a Timex Ironman digital watch or similar back then stood in front of the atomic clock pushing buttons on our wristwatches in order to achieve "atomic time." Wife still jokes about this. I still wear a Timex Ironman. Works well enough for me.

 

[mabinogeon]

Looking at a couple of these and curious. I wear my watch 24/7. If I wear it with long sleeves (so it is temporarily partially or completely covered), will it continue to operate? I have a Seiko Solar dress watch I received as a gift. Before wearing it I have to remember to place it in the window to charge. Sometimes it still does NOT work.

Is this an issue with all solar watches. Also seems they periodically need the rechargeable battery to be replaced. Appears the Citizens models I like are all Eco-Drive.

Thank you.

When they're in a low light environment, like a sleeve, the second hand ticking stops and rests at the 12 position. As soon as it sees light, the ticking picks back up. The watch maintains the correct time even when the second hand is at rest, so you don't have to worry about losing time.

They'll charge just fine under a lamp as well, doesn't need to be full sun.

I mentioned elsewhere that I keep mine in a glass top watch box on my dresser near a window and I've never once had to go out of my way to recharge one.

I've also never had to have a battery replaced. Here's a pic, the watch in the top right slot is around 20 years old and still going strong (not 100% sure on the age. The missus and I have been together for 18 years and I bought it before I knew her):

 

[gman2304]

I have around 20 watches and none were expensive. A few automatics, Seiko 5 and a Russian Vostok stem wind ‘ tank Kommander ‘ and a couple of solar watches but most are simple quartz. I do have a Bulova Accutron M7 battery powered tuning fork watch circa 1967. I love the sweep second hand and the hum of the tuning fork in the Accutron. I got my first watch when I was about 12 and the cheap bracelet band turned my wrist green but I haven’t been without a watch for the last 60 plus years.

 

[Astro14]

You can get decent quality watches from Citizen & Seiko. They make great quartz watches. If you want a mechanical auto winder stay away from their base models. Example: A base model Seiko 5 with a 4R36/NH35 movement has an official factory accuracy rating of +45/-35 seconds per day.

Rolex is a great mass produced watch. I think they make about 1.2 million watches per year. What people don't like about them is the Authorized Dealer game the fake waitlist, the "spend" on other products required before you can be allowed to buy the watch you really want, the relationship required before you are blessed with a Rolex. I'd love a Rolex Datejust with a Wimbeldon dial & fluted bezel but there is no way I'm going to spend $20,000 on jewelery before I'm considered for one.

I like higher end Seikos & Citizens. Lower end brands like Hamilton, Tissot. Mid Brands Like Longines, Oris, Sinn and higher end watches like Grand Seiko, Breitling, Omega. Tudors are really nice but they just seem plain to me. It's almost like Rolex is holding them back so they don't steal the spotlight from them.

But watches are very personal. What may be the holy grail for one might be ugly to another.

That is genuinely atrocious accuracy. I can see why you’re recommending to stay away.

My Breitling runs at +2 seconds/day. Well within the COSC of +6/-4 seconds/day.

I love mechanical watches as a piece of engineering and precision manufacture.

That said, what is it you’re looking for @BISCUT ?

A luxury piece? Good accuracy? Both?

I have a Navitimer because of the Aviation connection. It does have a slide rule built in, and yes, I know how to use a slide rule, as well as a chronograph. I wear it, on average, about 15 days/month. I use the Chrono - to time events, when I am doing flight examinations in the simulator. Exactly how the watch was intended to be used. I don’t see the point in having something if you don’t use it.

But a Swiss watch, like mine, is like my Swiss pen - a Montblanc - it writes well, it is a joy to use, it is a memento (of a lovely trip to Geneva with my wife). It is surprisingly inexpensive to buy ink, directly from Montblanc, by the way, and I use the pen on every flight. I bought it to use on every flight. Bold line, bright color, and great feel - I write down important details on paper and clip that note to the yoke. The pen isn’t just a luxury item - I use it all the time.

But if your only goal is to write - there are far cheaper options.

So it is with watches. Love my Breitling. It’s on my wrist as I type this.

But if the goal is simply to tell time, well, there are lots of great options, and I would go with a solar power Seiko. Here are my watches (minus the Breitling). Left to right, in the order of acquisition.

Battery powered Seiko. Titanium. Light. Easy to read. Second time zone set to Zulu. +/- 10 seconds/month.
Solar powered Seiko. Dress watch. Small. Understated. +/- 10 seconds/month
Solar powered Seiko. Chronograph. 42mm. Bought to see if I like a larger watch. +/- 10 seconds/month
Solar powered Seiko. Chronograph. Dive watch.. 42mm. A gift from my wife. +/- 10 seconds/month
Battery powered Filson. A collaboration between Shinola and Filson. A gift from my kids. +/- 10 seconds/month
Solar powered Seiko Astron. Titanium. GPS enabled. Knows the time zone of its location and sets itself. Accurate to GPS standards of roughly one billionth of a second. Second time zone, set to Zulu. My work watch.

I like them all. I enjoy wearing them all depending on the requirements of that day. You’ll note that I do actually keep them set within seconds - accuracy matters to me. The far right Seiko is the standard. The others vary by up to 5 seconds off. Pretty good. The far left Seiko was my work (pilot) watch, but is now my “working” watch - on cars, in my shop, etc. It’s had the crystal replaced a couple of times because I keep scratching it, but the scratches and wear are from honest use over decades.

So, I fully support the idea of multiple watches and I fully support buying something nice for yourself. As long as you will use and enjoy it.

Just choose something that has meaning to you and that you really like. Don’t buy a watch because you think it’s a great deal - it has to be more than that.

 

[Astro14]

I just bought a Seiko 5 limited edition and it's running -20 to -25 per day. Seiko won't touch it since it's in specs. Since it's not an everyday watch it might be OK but I might sell it and get something else. I haven't decided yet.

I could not live with that kind of inaccuracy. My work world requires far greater accuracy. I would be resetting that thing daily, and that would really annoy me.

 

[Astro14]

One more anecdote - when she graduated from college, and was heading off to medical school, I gave my oldest daughter a titanium solar power Seiko “Railroad” watch. A simple, attractive watch that told time and was very light on her wrist.

Her initial take on it was, “Dad, I have my phone for telling time”.

But later on, during residency, when she had on gloves, and was dealing with patients, she started wearing it. One doesn’t want to grab your phone with bodily fluids on your gloves, but the Seiko was available at a glance. The Titanium is corrosion/stain resistant and very light. She wears it much more now.

Just like pilots in the early days of aviation, where gloves prevented the use of other timepieces, the wristwatch is useable with gloves, when you are busy with multiple tasks.

 

[charbaby]

mabinogeon​

Nice Eco-Drive collection BTW!
I have the same Citizen Avion as in the lower left corner of your watch box. However, I've since changed the band to a darker strap as the OE was just too thick for the keepers and broke both of them. And I happened to have the brown one in my stash of watch parts & straps.

Ooops! I’d better change the date to today. What’s the matter with me?

 

[Passport1]

I use this internet site to syncronize my watches.

https://time.is/

 

[Silverado12]

This and my Black Bay 68 are my daily watches. This Omega Seamaster is my favorite. I bought it about 2 1/2 years ago and it’s accurate to +1-3 seconds a day, depending on how long I wear it. It actually gains time a little faster when the mainspring winds down. I use the rotating bezel all the time when grilling, etc.

 

[KrisZ]

I could not live with that kind of inaccuracy. My work world requires far greater accuracy. I would be resetting that thing daily, and that would really annoy me.

You have to remember that it's an entry level Seiko 5 watch, with a pretty cheap movement that's not COSC certified. Normally they're more accurate than +-25 sec/day, but sometimes you get one that's near the spec limit.