Anybody into watches?

[Gress]

I am not your usual watch collector, but I admit I have quite a few. Like with some other hobbies, I am mostly driven by technological achievements in watch making being this a progress of mechanical mechanism or electronics.

I would appreciate if you post your watch stories and pics.

Let me start with the oldest one I have. This watch life in the family begins in 1945 brought home from a Berlin shop by my G.Father. He later on gave it to me during my middle school years. It stayed with me since then and I admit it did not have an easy life with me. I remember during a skirmish with my school best friend it's acrylic glass broke and it sustain more negligence over the years since then. It saw it all and never failed me albeit not being services properly.
Here is how it looked. Still running as a champ.


Finally, when I came to sanity I decided to repair it bringing it back to it's original condition as much as possible. Here is how it looks now and still happily running




Here it is preserved better than the port

 

[Gress]

Then it was Quartz time.
Loved this Casio 2315 AQ-150W watch I got from my Uncle. This was the most accurate watch I experienced back then. It has been opened and studied with the oscilloscope / signal generator etc.


Then it was solar powered tech


and then to 1st "connected" watch - Timex Datalink. The revolutionary watch getting all the contacts, etc. data from your Windows NT computer through CRT monitor strobes with a Timex exe (i.e. Timex App in these days lingo)


Finally to Quartz Solar Radio Controlled Digital / Analog - Have few of them and love them all

 

[Gress]

But look at this watch cladogram

 

[Gress]

I feel I needed to have few mechanical watches and I fall for the Rolex Turn-o-graph. 1st watch with rotating bezel (and the date I did not have with my mechanical watches before). In mid 1950s this watch was adopted by the US Airforce Thunderbirds and the watch often called Thunderbird.

 

[Gress]

Nice!
Mine is currently Casio GW-5000

 

[ampeep]

Our friend got a Chinese Cartier copy for my wife - was really nice but fragile so it didn't last. She's really tough on her watches - even G-Shocks don't last very long.

After the copy broke she went to a Cartier store - everyone ignored her cuz she was wearing t-shirt & shorts. One salesman helped her to buy the real deal.

Few months later, was playing golf with some standbys. One guy worked at Cartier so asked if my wife got her watch through him. He DID sell her the watch! That was over 10 years ago - she wears it most every day.

 

[Gress]

Our friend got a Cartier copy for my wife - was really nice but fragile so it didn't last. She's really tough on her watches - even G-Shocks don't last very long.

After the copy broke she went to a Cartier store - everyone ignored her cuz she was wearing t-shirt & shorts. One salesman helped her to buy the real deal.

Few months later, was playing golf with some standbys. One guy worked at Cartier so asked if my wife got her watch through him. He DID sell her the watch! That was over 10 years ago - she wears it most every day.

Ha, nice story!

 

[merlin666]

My dad was into tinkering and repairing watches, and also into jewelery. So in his collection there was also a nice Swiss Oris watch, and I told him that it was probably his best. As I said good bye to him the last time I saw him alive, pretty much 20 years ago this month, he gave it to me as a gift. As I was using it over the years I noticed that it was not functioning perfectly so had it cleaned and repaired. That cost several times more than most people would pay for a new watch. But it was worth it to me.

 

[Gress]

I have few more watches to talk about.
The next one which fascinated me was Moon phase AP 25594 caliber 2324/2825. The movement is rhodium-plated, constructed with a shock absorber mechanism, 38 jewels, a straight-line lever escapement, and a monometallic balance. It includes a self-compensating flat balance spring, and a 21K gold rotor segment. Adjusted in 6 positions. 28800 vph. Plus a module on top for day/date/moonphase complications resulted in 45 jewels total.

 

[Gress]

My dad was into tinkering and repairing watches, and also into jewelery. So in his collection there was also a nice Swiss Oris watch, and I told him that it was probably his best. As I said good bye to him the last time I saw him alive, pretty much 20 years ago this month, he gave it to me as a gift. As I was using it over the years I noticed that it was not functioning perfectly so had it cleaned and repaired. That cost several times more than most people would pay for a new watch. But it was worth it to me.

Would love to see a pic or two!

 

[Gress]

And one day came the Spring Drive. I highly respect Seiko for all the innovations they did and for the Spring Drive (as I am sure you know) the main achievement of this new technology was not the quartz movement, but rather the mechanical energy powering the quartz. No other company did anything like that.
It took Seiko more than 20 years to come from an idea to production. Main challenges they overcame were:
・To secure the precision of the spring within ranges of low torque and high torque
・To develop a low-loss generator to secure the duration
・To develop an IC capable of being driven by low power
・To develop a highly efficient automatic winding mechanism

If one is interested in the history and technology behind a watch, then the SD is undoubtedly one to have in a collection.

It took me a while to get the JDM only SBGA273, as although I like Grand Seiko dial designs esp. Snow flake, I prefer simpler, but IMO superior black dial and more importantly the lume hands (which are rare for the Spring drive models).

The mirror-like hand polish of the case is something the Grand Seikos are well-known for. They call it Zaratsu.

 

[Hoopoe]

You know your watches based on the collection. I like the UG (nicely restored) and the Turn-o-Graph, but that AP, even though it’s not my style and I’d never wear it, is next level.

You’d need a Moore Bettah to go with that collection

 

[Gress]

You know your watches based on the collection. I like the UG (nicely restored) and the Turn-o-Graph, but that AP, even though it’s not my style and I’d never wear it, is next level.

You’d need a Moore Bettah to go with that collection

Haha, thanks.

There are ppl with 10x number of watches and perhaps 100x more $$ into them than me. Remember, some of them are quite old and back then did not cost their current prices.

 

[Gress]

And one more, the Citizen 0100 movement model AQ6020-53X. It has pretty much stopped my watch rotation.
I wear it everyday for slightly over 3 years now.

Think of Horology..
as it applies to watches, is often referred to as "the art of making mechanical watches". On the other hand, coming from "horology" dictionary definition, it is the science of measuring the time and the result of this is an instrument for measuring the time.

There should be no doubt that Citizen 0100 movement being the most accurate self-contained watch in the World with +/- 1 sec per year is truly an instrument developed with the science of measuring the time. And if you set up a goal of +/- 1 SPY accuracy you'd dismiss mechanical movements from the get go, as simply no mechanical movement can possibly touch this precision. This is not to say that developing a quartz watch which would be that accurate was an easy task. There are many enemies to the watch precision of even the best of the best quartz movements like temperature changes, gravity, mechanical shocks etc. to name a few. And this Citizen movement design targeted them all with AT-cut crystal which vibrates at 8.4 MHz frequency and smart position management and shock reaction control. That means that if you set the watch accurately today it will still be within a minute accurate in 59 years from now.

The watch uses an in-house movement that is INDIVIDUALLY calibrated to meet the accuracy specifications for every particular watch and tested to deliver. Mechanically the movement uses backlash suppression mechanism and high-precision LIGA process for all gearing. The electronics is no less amazing and provides smart algorithms to keep the watch precision as committed by specs while utilizing solar panel and the battery which is not required to be replaced.

Citizen AQ60xx design is extraordinary with it's simplicity and artistic features to communicate what this watch truly is.

Beyond design, the execution of the watch mechanism, the case and the bracelet is as good as any other watch on the market even in 10X of this Citizen price bracket.


I bought this AQ6020-53x (1 of 200 pcs made) new out of Japan on 2/3/21. The watch came on 2/17/21 and was spot-on (running .2sec late) and I did not touch it and still have not beyond dealing with DST (i.e. hour hand).

The watch barely leaves my wrist and after 3 years it cosmetically looks new. The super Ti body and bracelet hold really well.

After 36 month from the day it came it is running exactly 3 seconds late now. Taking into account that it came running .2sec late the watch is 2.8sec late in 3 years i.e. meeting the spec of 1sec/year accuracy.






I also wanted to show today's closeup pics so you can see how the watch holds on with daily use. And I do not baby it. Just wear it and forget.

 

[TerryM]

I feel I needed to have few mechanical watches and I fall for the Rolex Turn-o-graph....

View attachment 166722

I've always liked Rolex's date magnifier. One of the few that would work for my aging eyesight. (nice steering wheel, too)
I don't have a Rolex but my Nivada Grenchen Spider Antarctic has a good date magnifier.



My daily driver is a plain Antarctic. Rarely wear any others, and the battle scars show it.


And my running watch is a Withings rechargeable with heart rate monitor.

 

[Hoopoe]

That “plain” Antarctic looks super cool!

 

[Gress]

Nevada Grenchen Spider Antarctic

I need the date magnifier too. That's why I do not mind going without these days.

You have one nice collection. IIRC (will check in a minute) the Nivada Antarctic watches were on the wrists of the US expedition to the South Pole.

 

[Gress]

Here goes:

 

[Pissodes]

I've always liked Rolex's date magnifier. One of the few that would work for my aging eyesight. (nice steering wheel, too)
I don't have a Rolex but my Nivada Grenchen Spider Antarctic has a good date magnifier.

View attachment 166744

I love that blue NG Spider! I bought the first release (silver dial) when it came out but had to send it back for a minor repair. Unfortunately they sent me a different watch back and the cyclops was misaligned over the date aperture. Sent that back too. I know I'll end up getting another at some point. Maybe I'll set a Recon alert. How is the Soprod in yours running? Any issues?

 

[TerryM]

^^ Yep, modeled after the polar expedition version, anyway. Love those prices - $185 for 18k gold!

Mine are from the new Nivada Grenchen with modern movements. (Guess they bought the rights to the NG name and designs.

Also have a few more:
A Zenith was my daily before the Antarctica


Quirky Enicar


Le Gran Nautoscaph