Topic: Any watch collectors here?

[aquadorhj]

I recently replaced a battery in my Oakley D5 digital watch for gym, and jeweler messed up when putting the back plate back on so it died of water intake.

Ordered replacement on Ebay, and that got me thinking, do any of you fine gentlemen and ladies want to flaunt your fine taste in watch selection?

I love watches, anything from Timex to Patek, I think they represent the intricacy and meticulous engineering qualities that we auto enthusiast look for in cars in smaller scale.

So, anyone want to share what you are sporting on your wrist?
Any brand preference, and why?

I currently have DKNY blocky dress watch, Nautica Chronograph, Calibre, and said Oakley in my stable, and thinking of adding this Tissot

or this Seiko Titanium


to my modest collection.
What about you? any watch lovers?

[initial_D]

I don't collect watches, but do have over 30 watches. Favorite is a Girard Perregaux red  Ferrari watch. I used to match watches to what I wear, but no longer, and I hardly wear a watch nowdays. Still have the Timex Ironman watch I bought in Grade 9 for track and field training use, 20 years now. 

[Zoo]

Oh boy...


You are opening up a can of worms here... I do have a passion for horology and watches in particular. My collection is mainly vintage Seiko divers and some other oddities mixed in.

This is one of my favourites. This is Seiko's first diver -the 62MAS- produced from 1965-1968 until another model (6105-8000) came in. This example is from 1967 and has been fully restored:



I won't bore you with all of my other divers but I have pretty much every example of each Seiko diver up until the present day. I even have a couple of 6306 models which were JDM only.

I also have a nice 1948 Omega:
This one came out of the watchmaker's hands a few months ago.



This 1959 Bulova is pretty sweet as well. I got it in a watch lot that I bought a few years ago (I buy watch lots so that I have beaters to work on. I can change crystals, hands, gaskets, crowns etc). This watch was too nice to let lanquish:



One of my more interesting watches is this 1968 Seiko Bell-Matic which is like an alarm clock. You wind the crown to wind the alarm mechanism and then set the internal bezel for the time you want it to go off at. Pretty fun!


I actually moderate a smaller watch forum:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/564876/

Although it is Seiko themed lots of various watches are discussed there and pretty much everybody is friendly. If you want to drop by just say that "Zoodles" sent you!

[rrocket]

I want the Tissot MotoGP T-Race...or a T-Touch Titanium.



But the 1st watch on my list is a Nixon Rotolog in bamboo or Teak

[aquadorhj]

Zoo:
Wow, such a wonderful collection!!
Thanks for sharing.  The first Seiko you showed looks incredible with glowing arms.  And the Bulova isn't too shabby either.

rrocket: Dang, the Tissot you want was one of my finalists as well.  I'm currently leaning toward Seiko, but damn.. Tissot Racing series is so pretty..
I'm not too sure about Nixon at the moment..  they sure are unique looking though.  how much do they usually run, if you don't mind me asking?

[aquadorhj]

Any thoughts on this one?


I LOVE it..  tire thread band, come on!! This is almost like pack of spanner set bathed in engine oil..  so, enchantingly irresistable.

[rrocket]

^^^^The Tissot MotoGP goes for $350 USD or so.  Get the Limited Edition (with the 16 different back plates, one for each track), presentation helmet box and it goes up to $1250+. Ouch!



The Nixon is cheap for the quality...$175 USD.  The only reason I haven't pulled the trigger yet is there is no one local for me to test fit it, and I can't decide between Teak or Bamboo.

Import Queen wants the Tissot Danica Patrick Limited Edition.  Beautiful watch.  Mother of Pearl face, 58 diamonds.  $750 USD.

[rrocket]

Oh..you like the tire treads?

Check out the Lexus IS-F watch....tire tread band as well (though hard to see in this pic)

[random006]

I have a few watches but only two that I still wear.

Here is a photo of a Longines which is almost identical to mine only it is missing the date window:




Here is an image of my Tissot:

[random006]

A third watch I want to buy is one of the Movado line, only with a silver dial.  Here is an example:




There is a lovely "Museum" line version with a leather/lizard strap but I find those straps break after a while.

[Mr. Black]

I have this one:


It does the job. 

[safristi]

Random...that Longines is ACES....lose the Metal band tho'.......leather is nicer.....I have my Dad's  1950'ish Omega...but never wear it due to the gold band nickin' my wrist hairs......my fave watch was a simple 80's gold seiko given as a gift....20 good years......WOT TIME IS IT?.............

[random006]

Random...that Longines is ACES....lose the Metal band tho'.......leather is nicer.....I have my Dad's  1950'ish Omega...but never wear it due to the gold band nickin' my wrist hairs......my fave watch was a simple 80's gold seiko given as a gift....20 good years......WOT TIME IS IT?.............

Thanks, Saffy. 

Yes, the metal bands of the past would pull my at my wrist hairs mercilessly.  The new ones are fine, though.  Neither watch seems to catch the hair.

I also have a Seiko given as a gift by my parents.  It was a graduation/birthday gift back in 1984.  It is an analog / digital combo unit.  A large white dial face with a small LCD window at the bottom.  I've checked the caliber numbers but I can't find it online at the Seiko site. :-(  The buttons on it stop working easily so now I keep it merely as a memento.

[aquadorhj]

random: that longines is surely classic looking watch..  the more I look at it, the more it makes sense..  weird. 

well, I'm still not quite sure which watch to go with.. maybe I should get something with rectangular crown, instead of round this time..

[random006]

random: that longines is surely classic looking watch..  the more I look at it, the more it makes sense..  weird. 

well, I'm still not quite sure which watch to go with.. maybe I should get something with rectangular crown, instead of round this time..

In that case, look at RADO.  The RADO line has some stunning rectangular faces, including a few with some exotic materials in the band and face housing.  Mucho expensive, though.

Some pics from their website:  (http://www.rado.com)

[rrocket]

A bunch of Nixon's have that stylish, squarish design.

http://www.nixonnow.com/

[safristi]

Nixons............"I am NOT a CLOCK".....

[baumer00]

These are the three in my collection - all Tag Heuers, one is a 4000 series, one is a formula one and the other is a link

[Zoo]

Zoo:
Wow, such a wonderful collection!!
Thanks for sharing.  The first Seiko you showed looks incredible with glowing arms.  And the Bulova isn't too shabby either.

rrocket: Dang, the Tissot you want was one of my finalists as well.  I'm currently leaning toward Seiko, but damn.. Tissot Racing series is so pretty..
I'm not too sure about Nixon at the moment..  they sure are unique looking though.  how much do they usually run, if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks!

Just like restored cars a restored watch can be so cool. Here is one of my watches pre-resto and post resto:

And after the TLC:




Note the Kanji day wheel!
The fine details are what makes a great resto. The lume pip (the lume that blows in the rotational bezel) was a larger size back then (this is a 1979 diver). New replacement bezel inserts have the smaller lume pip that the newer watches have. The trick is to drill out the lume hold on the bezel insert and then re-lume it to match the relume of the hands and dial indices.


I even went so far as to source out the original strap for the watch even though the new straps look almost identical (the originals are slightly shorter, softer, and have different markings on them).

[rrocket]

^^^^Aren't those watches hard to wear while on a wooden block??