Watch and Timepiece Appreciation Thread

[ccap41]

22 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

Omega Speedmaster, an absolute icon in the watch world. One day, I'll get myself one. 

[Drew Dowdell]

Do we need a watch appreciation thread?

[Drew Dowdell]

And voila! A Watch and Timepiece thread (I like clocks too, so both can go in here.)

[David]

Here are the two watches my wife has bought me. The Gold Bulova was bought for me in 1991, sales receipt shows she paid $544. Second watch is the gun metal grey with gold accent Accutron that was bought in 1997 for $799 according to the receipt. 

[oldshurst442]

You beat me to it!!!   

I would have dunnit If it werent for me looking for dumb ass Mustang logos on google...

Ill start reposting the watches I done with an explanation of why I like the watch or how it caught my eye and the reason why I posted it with that particular car.

 

On 5/8/2021 at 12:28 AM, oldshurst442 said:

 

 

I wanted to do classic high end watches in that post with pics of what it was like to be rich in the 1980s.  Old money. Not 1980s boorish nouveau riche.  Although I did post a Callaway Vette and Countache.  I didnt want an 80s gold Rolex Presidential.  I did want that classic Rolex chronograph and the iconic Cartier Tank.     

Edited August 23 by oldshurst442

[David]

@oldshurst442 Funny part is the Gold Bulova watch was when I was in Sales and the Gun Metal Grey watch was when I transitioned to Engineering. Proper representation of my two career paths. LOL

[oldshurst442]

The first watch to go to the moon.  

 

 

And the second

 

And the reissues in the 2020s

 

Need I say more? 

[oldshurst442]

Just now, David said:

@oldshurst442 Funny part is the Gold Bulova watch was when I was in Sales and the Gun Metal Grey watch was when I transitioned to Engineering. Proper representation of my two career paths. LOL

 

Awesome personal history and tie-in with your watches!!!

 

The Accutron (let alobe Bulova itself) has some serious history behind it.     Bulova is a SERIOUSLY UNDERATED watchmaker.  Bulovas are the world's most accurate time pieces and watch snobs usually dont acknowledge that. 

    Bulova would be my favorite watchmaker.    

 

[ccap41]

5 hours ago, Drew Dowdell said:

And voila! A Watch and Timepiece thread (I like clocks too, so both can go in here.)

I haven't' gotten into nice clocks yet but I would like to. Watches are higher on the list though hahaha. 

3 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

And the reissues in the 2020s

 

Need I say more? 

I hadn't realized Bulova had a watch go to the moon as well.

Omega is on a completely different level than Bulova though. 

[ccap41]

3 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

 

This Rolex is amazing. I don't know anything about it but it looks GREAT! 

It looks similar to the Breitling Navitimer (although it came first). I dig that look but those watches are to big for my wrist. There's so much information that they need to be larger but they're too big for me. 

[oldshurst442]

@ccap41

 That Rolex is a very rare piece.  Only a handful were made.  It was made in the '40s.  If my memory serves me right.  

I like Rolex and Breitling.  But all their models are too big for my wrist too.  I like Rolex not because they are expensive high end pieces.  I like Rolex because originally they were sturdy everyday work watches.  And the older ones were elegant.  I got to say, today's Rolex is gaudi.  A gold Presidential Rolex and Rolexes of that style worked well in the 1980s.  Not so much now.  At least not in my eyes.  

I said I like Breitling.  But I, of my 50 year old self mindset, find that Breitling is too busy.  

The busiest I want my watch to get would be that Omega Speedmaster.   

The biggest I would want my watch to be would be 40mm.   I do have smallish wrists.  

 

 

[David]

1 hour ago, oldshurst442 said:

@ccap41

 That Rolex is a very rare piece.  Only a handful were made.  It was made in the '40s.  If my memory serves me right.  

I like Rolex and Breitling.  But all their models are too big for my wrist too.  I like Rolex not because they are expensive high end pieces.  I like Rolex because originally they were sturdy everyday work watches.  And the older ones were elegant.  I got to say, today's Rolex is gaudi.  A gold Presidential Rolex and Rolexes of that style worked well in the 1980s.  Not so much now.  At least not in my eyes.  

I said I like Breitling.  But I, of my 50 year old self mindset, find that Breitling is too busy.  

The busiest I want my watch to get would be that Omega Speedmaster.   

The biggest I would want my watch to be would be 40mm.   I do have smallish wrists.  

 

 

Ahh, Olds is a Petite man!  

[ccap41]

14 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

The biggest I would want my watch to be would be 40mm.   I do have smallish wrists.

36mm - 40mm is the sweet spot for me. I'm sure some 41-42mm cases would be fine as well because each case shape and lug to lug differences can make smaller cases fit larger or larger cases fit smaller so I don't want to draw a line in the sand at a specific number without trying it on. 

 

14 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

That Rolex is a very rare piece.  Only a handful were made.  It was made in the '40s.  If my memory serves me right. 

Well, it's certainly a beautiful piece! 

 

14 hours ago, oldshurst442 said:

I like Rolex and Breitling.  But all their models are too big for my wrist too.  I like Rolex not because they are expensive high end pieces.  I like Rolex because originally they were sturdy everyday work watches.  And the older ones were elegant.  I got to say, today's Rolex is gaudi.  A gold Presidential Rolex and Rolexes of that style worked well in the 1980s.  Not so much now.  At least not in my eyes.  

Breitlings are "okay" to me.  Some I like more than others but in that price range, I'm going with comparable Omegas or Tudors. I'm a huge Tudor fan and I'd really like to get my hands on a Black Bay 58 blue within the next couple years. 

SOME Rolex are gaudy but absolutely not all of them. It's only gaudy if that's what you're choosing. There's nothing gaudy about a stainless Submariner or most of their Datejusts. 

[Drew Dowdell]

I don't have much knowledge of watches and don't really care about pedigree.  I'll never buy a watch just because of the name brand.  I tend to like them in two styles.  I like either a classic, minimalist, Deco style, or as a skeleton style.  I always prefer an automatic and don't really shop outside of that category ever. One thing I've never liked is metal watch bands. I find they snag on my arm hair or just about anything else that's around.

My favorite watch I've had for about 6-8 years now is a Sturhling Bridge Automatic.  They still produce the bridge model, but no longer as an automatic. I'll get a picture of it when I'm home.

This Stauer Dashtronic is one I've admired for a while and not sure why I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet.

[David]

56 minutes ago, Drew Dowdell said:

I don't have much knowledge of watches and don't really care about pedigree.  I'll never buy a watch just because of the name brand.  I tend to like them in two styles.  I like either a classic, minimalist, Deco style, or as a skeleton style.  I always prefer an automatic and don't really shop outside of that category ever. One thing I've never liked is metal watch bands. I find they snag on my arm hair or just about anything else that's around.

My favorite watch I've had for about 6-8 years now is a Sturhling Bridge Automatic.  They still produce the bridge model, but no longer as an automatic. I'll get a picture of it when I'm home.

This Stauer Dashtronic is one I've admired for a while and not sure why I haven't pulled the trigger on it yet.

Very clean, easy to read. Nice watch!

Course with my habit of never wearing jewelry let alone a watch, I doubt I will ever buy one since my phone has it all. 

Read multiple writeups that the watch market is a dying industry, be interesting to see where it is in 20 to 30 years.

[Drew Dowdell]

1 minute ago, David said:

Very clean, easy to read. Nice watch!

Course with my habit of never wearing jewelry let alone a watch, I doubt I will ever buy one since my phone has it all. 

Read multiple writeups that the watch market is a dying industry, be interesting to see where it is in 20 to 30 years.

I don't think it will be dead, but I think it will be more specialized.  My daily wear watch is my Apple watch because I track health stats with it. I have to aggressively remove apps that send too many notifications to it.

[ccap41]

43 minutes ago, David said:

Read multiple writeups that the watch market is a dying industry, be interesting to see where it is in 20 to 30 years.

It seems to be booming. Rolex and other luxury brands are producing record numbers of time pieces a year. 

People will always want jewelry and luxury watches are no different than diamonds for women. 

[Drew Dowdell]

3 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

It seems to be booming. Rolex and other luxury brands are producing record numbers of time pieces a year. 

People will always want jewelry and luxury watches are no different than diamonds for women. 

This.

I think the cheap market might be dead, because once people have a smartwatch they'll wear that over the $45 one they got at Target.

But when I don't wear my Apple watch, I wear one of my automatics because I'm dressing up more formally or trying to look snazzy for something. Apple watches aren't ugly, but they're no longer special or interesting.

[oldshurst442]

Watches in terms of telling time is dead.

Watches in terms of fashion is heading in an upwards direction.  

Smart watches actually started this trend.  Because it made fashionable people aware that a watch, a real watch, could be a nice thing to wear to showcase.  

Timex reissued their iconic Marlin...

Casio reissued ALL their classic stuff from the 70s and 80s. 

 

Casio even went the route of product placement in movies.

 

not as work watches as how the G-Shock originally was, but as a cool accessory that could take a beating while you save the world. 

The Apple watch and watches of that kind replaced the work watch. The Timex if you will.  But Casio and Timex countered with their cheap offerings and made them fashionable...

And this is where the high end watches also got a second boost in sales.  As an accesory.

 

And this is where I can explain the next watch I posted in the beautiful car appreciation thread. 

 

 

I had a similar watch as a teenager.  I cant remember if it was a Casio or a Timex.  I paired that Casio up with a Delorean.    

Apparently it was also in a movie...

I just posted it because of memory of me having a similar watch as a teen.   Timex or Casio...no difference. 

[oldshurst442]

I dont want to pretend that Im a horology expert.  I am not.  I dibble dabble in information and history here and there.  

But Im passionate enough to at least talk about watches.  

 

I posted this watch.  

 

I know nothing about it.   I came across it and was inspired  when I was googling what kind of watch The Bandit was wearing.

 

Its a personalized Timex.  The band is an indigenous motif band.   Love the band.  

 

And I had seen the movie American Made with Tom Cruise and remembered a thick leather band watch he wore in the movie.

Its a Nemesis.  And I know nothing about it either.

 

 

 So I continued googling to find other watches with thick and big bands similar to either .  I didnt want to post the Timex Bandit watch because I had already posted tons of Trans Ams ad nauseum so I wanted to do something different.  Although I LOVE that band and I might just post it in homage to Burt Reynolds anyway. 

 I didnt like the Nemesis watch.  

I eventually came across that Citizen.   LOVED it IMMEDIATELY.   I thought it was the best looking of all of them. 

Edited August 25 by oldshurst442

[oldshurst442]

On 8/23/2023 at 11:56 PM, David said:

Ahh, Olds is a Petite man!  

Yes I am.

But... although not as huge muscled as you, I did do weights back in the day.   I still got my chest and leg muscles in full force.  My calves are still well defined.   Ive lost my quads definition but all the leg muscles are still rock hard. 

My biceps and triceps need work.  I barely got my V around the shoulders where the biceps and tricpes begin. If I flex, the V and triceps are visible. Barely.  But they are there.   

*SIGH*        the bicep and tricep muscles are pathetically dormant though. 

Never had abs.  I had a flat stomach then, not so much now, but at least Ive lost weight and the stomach is kinda flat again.

Too much work to have abs so I never concentrated on them.  Playing sports I figured, abs are not important.  I trained for strength and speed.  Not for bulk and definition.   But I have small wrists.  I have a small to medium body frame.  Im only 5 foot 6 and a half to 3 quarters tall after all.   (to be exact...LOL)   Not quite 5'7'' but definetaly taller than shorty 5.6''  

[Drew Dowdell]

Here's my Sturhling Bar Automatic, my favorite watch, I mentioned yesterday

[Drew Dowdell]

2 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Yes I am.

But... although not as huge muscled as you, I did do weights back in the day.   I still got my chest and leg muscles in full force.  My calves are still well defined.   Ive lost my quads definition but all the leg muscles are still rock hard. 

My biceps and triceps need work.  I barely got my V around the shoulders where the biceps and tricpes begin. If I flex, the V and triceps are visible. Barely.  But they are there.   

*SIGH*        the bicep and tricep muscles are pathetically dormant though. 

Never had abs.  I had a flat stomach then, not so much now, but at least Ive lost weight and the stomach is kinda flat again.

Too much work to have abs so I never concentrated on them.  Playing sports I figured, abs are not important.  I trained for strength and speed.  Not for bulk and definition.   But I have small wrists.  I have a small to medium body frame.  Im only 5 foot 6 and a half to 3 quarters tall after all.   (to be exact...LOL)   Not quite 5'7'' but definetaly taller than shorty 5.6''  

lol, we might need a fitness thread too.  I have never been built, I was always the trim/cut swimmers build right up until 2020 when the pandemic, a very sedentary job, and my 40s conspired together to build a dad bod and I gained 35 lbs, none of it muscle.  In mid-July, work started a weight loss challenge where participants can win up to $500... so that made cookies really not worth it. At 5-weeks in, I'm down 17.4 lbs on a strict diet + swimming laps 3 times a week. The goal for the contest is being down 25 lbs by October 2nd, and shockingly, I'm in 5th place.  After the contest is over, I'm going to keep it going and I'm aiming for 35 lbs down by November 7th, my birthday. I might aim for 50lbs down by Christmas with the goal of a swimmers body by then.

[oldshurst442]

I like all kinds of watches.  

Pedigree is somewhat important, but not a factor.   I DO want a watch from a legit watchmaker, not from these so called fashion watch corps such as Armani, Diesel, Guess, Hugo Boss, Gucci, Michael Kors...    GaaAWD DO I HATE MICHAEL KOR WATCHES!!!

I like simplistic watches.  I like complicated watches with all kinds of complications on the dial.  I wouldnt wear a too busy one, but I like 'em none the less.

I like cheap legit watches like a Casio or Timex or even Swatch but nothing that you buy from a Walmart/Target/Dollar Store  turn-a-rack display and the watch is made in China/Taiwan.   

I prefer the mid-level watches like an Omega, Seiko, Bulova, Citizen, Longines, Tissot... 

I like the horology engineering in the very high end watches like a Rolex, Piguet, IWC, A. Lange and Sohne, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, etc  

Noting that several brands have been bought by other brands and are part of a bigger umbrella now-a-days. 

I like military face style watches like a Hamilton.  I like the naked face look.  I like the really wierd styled high end stuff too.  

I like automatics and I like quartzes.  I like digital.  I even like smart watches although Id NEVER consider buying one.  

I like round and I like square and rectangle.   Leather straps or metal.  Gold too.  But not plastic nor tissue. 

I like classic styled watches like the Longines watches classic original and reissue I posted in the car thread.

 

I like a gaudy diamond encrusted  18k Gold  Rolex Presidential. Id wear one too if I was a Russian Oligarch kissin' Putin's ass...   Or a Wallstreet weenie boy bilking billions from like minded @$$h8le$...   Or If I was a New York Yankee or Dallas Cowboys owner.   Same style of shytty arrogance.   Did I just paint the Steinbrenners and the Joneses like murderous, cantakerous theives?    I guess I did...   

 

These are my personal watches.   The far right one was my dad's.  Its a Waltham.  I have no information on it.   I tried fixing it last year.  Cost me 200 CDN bucks.  Stopped working again 3 months later.  I guess its too old.  But I LOVE it.    Its a 21 jewel self winding automatic.    

The other 2 are Bulova Quartzes.     The one of the left is solar.  Its titanium and its a 36mm I think.  Cost me around 500 CDN at the time.  The one in the middle is 40mm but not that expensive.  My wife bought for me as a XMAs gift and it was on sale for 160 CDN.   

 

I would want to upgrade to the reissue of a Bulova Jetstar.  I really really like Bulova's Precisionist mouvement.  Its a less expensive Grand Seiko style quartz movement and even more precise.   I like an automatic for its horology engineering, and I LOVE the sweeping second hand.  But I love a battery powered watch in that I dont have to wind it up...   I had LOTS of hand wounding watches as a kid.   When I got my hands on a quartz watch in the 80s, and I had several digital ones at that as well, I never looked back.  Kinda like a manual transmission versus an automatic one.   I dont like a manual transmission either...

Roughly $500 versus $5000.  But yeah...the Grand Seiko is classy and awesome non-the less.

 

 

 

This GS is simply gorgeous!

 

 

Edited August 25 by oldshurst442

[ccap41]

9 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

I prefer the mid-level watches like an Omega

I have to disagree here. Omega is muuuuch more of a Rolex/Tudor/Breitling/Cartier competitor here 

 

13 minutes ago, oldshurst442 said:

Roughly $500 versus $5000.  But yeah...the Grand Seiko is classy and awesome non-the less.

Speaking of GS, one of my dream watches is a "snowflake" Grand Seiko. I finally got to see one in person about a month ago.  Boy-o-boy is it a beautiful piece! 

(not the one I saw in person FYI)