Holy horology Batman, I think I found my next watch - Page 11

Aktungbby · 06-21-24, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

A watch however I do see myself, like the paintings on my walls. And I enjoy it. ...but the design stuns me until today.

In English: "It sings to my wrist!"

Skybird · 06-22-24, 05:59 AM

Deal done

, though not with the Fins but with a Swiss guy (the Fins first agreed, and then broke off contact. Nice. This is exactly the kind of behavior I keep records on in my memory).

With customs and fees and delivery, the price will equal the orginally listed price by Seiko.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

In English: "It sings to my wrist!"

It does.

Or ion their poetic advertising prose: it's lights breaks through the last darkness of the night like the first sunbeams in the morning.

Advertising guys. Crazy people, always on dope 24/7.

Its a dress watch. I need business suits now, I have none.

Or I frame it and hang it up the wall.

Skybird · 06-27-24, 06:06 AM

From a gentleman in Switzerland. Pics do not do it justice, the colours and reflections constantly change between subtle and spectacular, bright and dark, like is always the case with the Akebono pattern in these Sharp Edged Presage Seikos. I love these watches, from the face pattern and colours to the form of the case and the quality of the heavy braclet. Thats why I have now four of these, three standard in red, gree and purple, and a GMT in blue. When I think "men's watches", I think of these.

The black steel bracelet brings the dial to shine. Maybe the dial purple-gold would not work if it were a simple grey steel, but with this Darth Vader appearance it looks - well, surprisingly sporty, I did not expect that, thought of it as a 100% dress watch. It isn't. The gold is not overdone, its rose-gold and toned down a very bit in colour, sometimes its almost silver. Its perfect. A highlight in my little collection. But it certainly catches more attention than my other Sharp Edge watches.

The callibre of these watches however is mediocre, its robust, but difficult to callibrate, the watches leave factory with way to much lack of precision for this price class (1000 for Sharp Edges, 1450-1600 for GMTs). Thats what one needs to know with modern Seiko Automatics: you pay mostly for design and looks and brand name, not for the callibre. The design often is superior, market-leading. The mechanical and with some of their watch lines the crystal quality is not up to the demanded prices. Thats why Seiko's reputation is in a slide, since years. To me, its obviously worth it, I am about the colours and reflections. But I can perfectly understand if somebody says that for these prices he demands also better mechanical quality. I think especially of the normal Presage Cocktail Times, costing around 450-600 coins - often showing failing QC and offering not even Sapphire crystals. But with the four Sharp Edge watches I now have (and these have Sapphi glass), all was and is well, I just had to callibrate two of them, and that was a PITA. They are the reason why I learned how to callibrate, and how to use a timegrapher. The procedure is simple, but hitting the right spot is difficult, is trial and error and works worse than with other callibres, even with timegraphers. They also loose their callibration over time, I must redo it once per year. Personally, I am satisfied with anythign form -10 to +10 secs per day (mind you, I talk automatics, not quartz). I get them to even half those values, but for Seiko they already do fine with -15 to +25 secs per day - that is unacceptable for this price range of 1000-1600 Euros.

Still, this Darth Vader edition is a fantastic aquisition!

The Swiss gentleman even took the effort to cross the border and send it via German DHL, this way he saved me over 220 coins in customs, VAT and logistics fees. The watch is practically new, not much worn, less than one year old, I got it 20% below Seiko's listed price. Its a limited edition and practically no longer available as "factory-new". Japanese watch makers do limited editions inflationary, to push prices and because Japanese seem to love to own items of limited editions, it gives them a sense of owning exclusiveness but at affordable costs, so was the explanation I once red. Seiko almost abuses this, they constantly release "limited editions". This black watch was produced 2000 times. Not that exclusive at all, I would say.

I own another limited item, the red Blood Moon Sharp Edge, my favourite watch. It too looks fantastic and does magic to the colour "red". LINK

Jimbuna · 06-27-24, 06:48 AM

Nice looking watch that Marc

Below is my daily use Seiko 7T92

Much humbler than yours

Skybird · 06-27-24, 07:15 AM

It shows that while I turn old, you turn younger again!

I mean I had interest in these more technically looking watches when i was young, but back then then I could not afford them, not to mention: "collect" watches. I call them, for myself, "cockpit-watches".

Aktungbby · 06-27-24, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

I call them, for myself, "cockpit-watches".

...well naturally, when worn on the left wrist!

In addition to my battered Seiko 150 meter SCUBA diver

...My wife gave me an electric Seiko kept powered by wrist movement or and ultrasound recharger; it keeps meticulous time and I use it to set my other timepieces.

Skybird · 06-27-24, 10:06 AM

Thats some cool looking design (the second, silver one), as if from some black-white scifi series from the 50s or 60s! There was a series in Germany from that time, "Raumpatrouille". The watch could have come from that.

mapuc · 06-27-24, 12:16 PM

The pictures you have posted among your comments made me remember all these fancy wrist watch 007 had in some of his movies like
"The Spy who Loved Me" and Moonraker.
You can buy these watches, however without the thing Bond used them for.

Markus

Skybird · 07-30-24, 10:28 AM

Damn...!

I am lucky, its only available in Thailand and Japan.

Say what you want about the QC desaster and mediocre callibres 4R and 6R and price policy by Seiko - when it comes to dials and design, Seiko - and Grand Seiko - are second to none. I am hopelessly vulnerable to their colopurful, reflecting treats, like a lil' kid... I curse the day I set my eyes first time ever on a Seiko.

Citizen pulled some good stunts recently, too, I have three of theirs, two quartz and one automatic. Actually its four, when I also count one old watch from 25 years ago. Their new Titanium watches really are of top class design. It seems they learned a lesson or two from Grand Seiko there.

For some, watches are about functionality, and precision. To me, its more, almost exclusively, the looks I fall victim too. Thank good its just watches, not girls. In the end and summa summarum watches are the cheaper hobby.

Platapus · 07-31-24, 04:03 PM

Eye catching watch

Skybird · 07-31-24, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

Eye catching watch

Isn't it...!?

I struggling with my inner demons...

em2nought · 07-31-24, 05:09 PM

It's been a long time since I owned a watch. I guess there should be one in a prepper's gear. What would be a decent yet inexpensive watch if you wanted it for your prepper gear?

Skybird · 07-31-24, 05:33 PM

Probably a quartz with solar cell. I would choose Citizen for that, nobody has more experience with that technologiy than Citizen, they were the first bringing it to the market back in the 80s. But it is EMP-vulnerable. Keep it in a Faraday cage, and feed it the needed light. These needs vary, depending on watch model and used battery cell. Its said their rechargable cell batteries can last up to 15-20 years.

If you talk about end-of-days scenarios, also two or three simple but well-maintained, well-runnign automatics that are tweaked to run with good preicison. Three watches: so that you can estimate the accumulating error. Cheap: so that you can buy three (different models).

I have two Citizen Solar Quartz's. LINK. The green one is a Promaster, quite robust, and has 20 bar and a Sapphire, and a sturdy case. They both run sufficiently precise, lose a second or two per month.

I would also prep with lets say two simple 80s-style Casio LCD watches for 20 bucks each, and a can full of battery cells for them. Maybe this is the best - annd cheapest - advice in my post.

Really, not one but two or more watches. One electric for precision, the other an automatic for EMP-immunity.

Well. Prepper's worries.

Other people kill time by solving crossword puzzles.

P.S. It does not hurt to know how to mount and read a solar watch on the ground. Combined with compasses, solar watches in form of necklace miniatures also work.

em2nought · 07-31-24, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

Probably a quartz with solar cell. I would choose Citizen for that, nobody has more experience with that technologiy than Citizen, they were the first bringing it to the market back in the 80s. But it is EMP-vulnerable. Keep it in a Faraday cage, and feed it the needed light. These needs vary, depending on watch model and used battery cell. Its said their rechargable cell batteries can last up to 15-20 years.

If you talk about end-of-days scenarios, also two or three simple but well-maintained, well-runnign automatics that are tweaked to run with good preicison. Three watches: so that you can estimate the accumulating error. Cheap: so that you can buy three (different models).

I have two Citizen Solar Quartz's. LINK. The green one is a Promaster, quite robust, and has 20 bar and a Sapphire, and a sturdy case. They both run sufficiently precise, lose a second or two per month.

I would also prep with lets say two simple 80s-style Casio LCD watches for 20 bucks each, and a can full of battery cells for them. Maybe this is the best - annd cheapest - advice in my post.

Really, not one but two or more watches. One electric for precision, the other an automatic for EMP-immunity.

Well. Prepper's worries.

Other people kill time by solving crossword puzzles.

P.S. It does not hurt to know how to mount and read a solar watch on the ground. Combined with compasses, solar watches in form of necklace miniatures also work.

Thanks for the very thorough reply and recommendations. I think of prepping as something useful in case of Great Depression 2.0 or like events also not just doomsday events.

Sean C · 08-01-24, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by em2nought

It's been a long time since I owned a watch.

If you start wearing one again, be prepared for people to ask you for the time a lot. Even though most people these days own a smartphone and/or smart watch, I still get asked what time it is more than you would think. Go figure. Thankfully, my watch has a fairly large and easily readable [analogue] dial, so most [older] people can see it for themselves.

I asked someone for the time once. His response was: "Time for you to get a watch."

That has been my go-to response for a while now. (When I sense that it won't be taken as rude, of course.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by em2nought

I guess there should be one in a prepper's gear. What would be a decent yet inexpensive watch if you wanted it for your prepper gear?

Easy. Casio F91W. U.S.$23 brand new. Great watch, proven over decades & cheap. Buy two ... or three or four. Or two and a shed-load of spare batteries. Or go with a solar G-shock. Can't go wrong with either of those, IMHO.

06-27-24, 06:06 AM	#153
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,688 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	From a gentleman in Switzerland. Pics do not do it justice, the colours and reflections constantly change between subtle and spectacular, bright and dark, like is always the case with the Akebono pattern in these Sharp Edged Presage Seikos. I love these watches, from the face pattern and colours to the form of the case and the quality of the heavy braclet. Thats why I have now four of these, three standard in red, gree and purple, and a GMT in blue. When I think "men's watches", I think of these. The black steel bracelet brings the dial to shine. Maybe the dial purple-gold would not work if it were a simple grey steel, but with this Darth Vader appearance it looks - well, surprisingly sporty, I did not expect that, thought of it as a 100% dress watch. It isn't. The gold is not overdone, its rose-gold and toned down a very bit in colour, sometimes its almost silver. Its perfect. A highlight in my little collection. But it certainly catches more attention than my other Sharp Edge watches. The callibre of these watches however is mediocre, its robust, but difficult to callibrate, the watches leave factory with way to much lack of precision for this price class (1000 for Sharp Edges, 1450-1600 for GMTs). Thats what one needs to know with modern Seiko Automatics: you pay mostly for design and looks and brand name, not for the callibre. The design often is superior, market-leading. The mechanical and with some of their watch lines the crystal quality is not up to the demanded prices. Thats why Seiko's reputation is in a slide, since years. To me, its obviously worth it, I am about the colours and reflections. But I can perfectly understand if somebody says that for these prices he demands also better mechanical quality. I think especially of the normal Presage Cocktail Times, costing around 450-600 coins - often showing failing QC and offering not even Sapphire crystals. But with the four Sharp Edge watches I now have (and these have Sapphi glass), all was and is well, I just had to callibrate two of them, and that was a PITA. They are the reason why I learned how to callibrate, and how to use a timegrapher. The procedure is simple, but hitting the right spot is difficult, is trial and error and works worse than with other callibres, even with timegraphers. They also loose their callibration over time, I must redo it once per year. Personally, I am satisfied with anythign form -10 to +10 secs per day (mind you, I talk automatics, not quartz). I get them to even half those values, but for Seiko they already do fine with -15 to +25 secs per day - that is unacceptable for this price range of 1000-1600 Euros. Still, this Darth Vader edition is a fantastic aquisition! The Swiss gentleman even took the effort to cross the border and send it via German DHL, this way he saved me over 220 coins in customs, VAT and logistics fees. The watch is practically new, not much worn, less than one year old, I got it 20% below Seiko's listed price. Its a limited edition and practically no longer available as "factory-new". Japanese watch makers do limited editions inflationary, to push prices and because Japanese seem to love to own items of limited editions, it gives them a sense of owning exclusiveness but at affordable costs, so was the explanation I once red. Seiko almost abuses this, they constantly release "limited editions". This black watch was produced 2000 times. Not that exclusive at all, I would say. I own another limited item, the red Blood Moon Sharp Edge, my favourite watch. It too looks fantastic and does magic to the colour "red". LINK __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert. Last edited by Skybird; 06-27-24 at 07:29 AM.

06-27-24, 06:48 AM	#154
Jimbuna Chief of the Boat Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 250 metres below the surface Posts: 190,770 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 13	Nice looking watch that Marc Below is my daily use Seiko 7T92 Much humbler than yours __________________ Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something. Oh my God, not again!!

06-27-24, 07:15 AM	#155
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,688 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	It shows that while I turn old, you turn younger again! I mean I had interest in these more technically looking watches when i was young, but back then then I could not afford them, not to mention: "collect" watches. I call them, for myself, "cockpit-watches". __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

06-27-24, 10:06 AM	#157
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,688 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Thats some cool looking design (the second, silver one), as if from some black-white scifi series from the 50s or 60s! There was a series in Germany from that time, "Raumpatrouille". The watch could have come from that. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

06-27-24, 12:16 PM	#158
mapuc CINC Pacific Fleet Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 20,543 Downloads: 37 Uploads: 0	The pictures you have posted among your comments made me remember all these fancy wrist watch 007 had in some of his movies like "The Spy who Loved Me" and Moonraker. You can buy these watches, however without the thing Bond used them for. Markus __________________ My little lovely female cat

07-30-24, 10:28 AM	#159
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,688 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Damn...! I am lucky, its only available in Thailand and Japan. Say what you want about the QC desaster and mediocre callibres 4R and 6R and price policy by Seiko - when it comes to dials and design, Seiko - and Grand Seiko - are second to none. I am hopelessly vulnerable to their colopurful, reflecting treats, like a lil' kid... I curse the day I set my eyes first time ever on a Seiko. Citizen pulled some good stunts recently, too, I have three of theirs, two quartz and one automatic. Actually its four, when I also count one old watch from 25 years ago. Their new Titanium watches really are of top class design. It seems they learned a lesson or two from Grand Seiko there. For some, watches are about functionality, and precision. To me, its more, almost exclusively, the looks I fall victim too. Thank good its just watches, not girls. In the end and summa summarum watches are the cheaper hobby. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

07-31-24, 04:03 PM	#160
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,386 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	Eye catching watch __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

07-31-24, 05:09 PM	#162
em2nought Ocean Warrior Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 3,485 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	It's been a long time since I owned a watch. I guess there should be one in a prepper's gear. What would be a decent yet inexpensive watch if you wanted it for your prepper gear? __________________ em2nought is ecstatic garbage!

07-31-24, 05:33 PM	#163
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,688 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Probably a quartz with solar cell. I would choose Citizen for that, nobody has more experience with that technologiy than Citizen, they were the first bringing it to the market back in the 80s. But it is EMP-vulnerable. Keep it in a Faraday cage, and feed it the needed light. These needs vary, depending on watch model and used battery cell. Its said their rechargable cell batteries can last up to 15-20 years. If you talk about end-of-days scenarios, also two or three simple but well-maintained, well-runnign automatics that are tweaked to run with good preicison. Three watches: so that you can estimate the accumulating error. Cheap: so that you can buy three (different models). I have two Citizen Solar Quartz's. LINK. The green one is a Promaster, quite robust, and has 20 bar and a Sapphire, and a sturdy case. They both run sufficiently precise, lose a second or two per month. I would also prep with lets say two simple 80s-style Casio LCD watches for 20 bucks each, and a can full of battery cells for them. Maybe this is the best - annd cheapest - advice in my post. Really, not one but two or more watches. One electric for precision, the other an automatic for EMP-immunity. Well. Prepper's worries. Other people kill time by solving crossword puzzles. P.S. It does not hurt to know how to mount and read a solar watch on the ground. Combined with compasses, solar watches in form of necklace miniatures also work. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert. Last edited by Skybird; 07-31-24 at 06:04 PM.