Watch Thread

I got it to work by leaving it in the sun for a week, and replacing the band.

 

Lol. @spwath did. Then sold it to me and helped me sort out getting it setup properly. I will likely replace the case gasket as part of it was sticking out of the back when I got it. Don't plan on swimming with it, but I can get pretty wild while washing my hands.

 

Sounds like I should stick to battery power/Digital watches. At least you got it to work and send it off. Call it the cheap SBAF Citizen I guess.

Old Port in Portland should still be rocking in late Oct. Things start to close down here and there by I guess Nov and Dec? If you are into drinking, you need to find the speak easy. Maybe see if you want to meet up with @JoshMorr, he lives in the area.

I don't miss NYC except for the food. Too many crazies for my taste.

 

If I ever sell the Citizen it will be here, and I might engrave the 3 of our SBAF names on the back before doing so.

 

So how do I set about finding the speakeasy? Is that a particular bar or a type of bar?

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

https://mainetoday.com/eat-drink/bar-guide/lincolns-drinks-5-pop-can-find/

Here's the place, I love it. Google it around so you can find it. Hint: It's in a building where you walk downstairs to a basement. A dresser is the key.

 

Nice - thanks!

 

In NYC again and had a chance today to try on a piece from De Bethune. All I can say is - holy cow! This watch is literally the most comfortable thing I've ever had on my wrist. It's crazy light because of the all titanium construction and the spring loaded lugs hug the wrist super well. It's just such an obvious solution to spread out stress from the strap and provide slack for the buckle, I can slide the watch up or down my wrist and the amount of tension is always perfect.

I'm sold and sold. Finishing quality here is close to Lange, not quite there but for such a small brand I can give them a pass. I guess a preowned one isn't entirely out of question, and a new piece with discounts is technically doable, in a raid-my-bank-account sense. But it's still terribly financially irresponsible, and I'm not sure if my lifestyle really has any compatibility with the "billionaire trekkie" vibe of the brand.

Well, a man can dream...

 

Go Swatch. I love this watch for what it is and costs. I still think Swatch did it better than any other watch manufacturer. No sapphire crystal, no exotic materials but an execution that is too exceptional to ignore once you wind it up. I wear it every day after work...

 

Anyone have experience or opinions on Tisell? I like the looks of this one: http://shop2.tisellkr.cafe24.com/pr...-date-automatic/34/?cate_no=1&display_group=3 Domed sapphire and a snazzy dial. Thought about getting an Orient Bambino, but really want a sapphire crystal pre installed as these cocktail time watches don't have the simple pop out crystals as found on something like my Seiko SNZG.

As a side note, it is overwhelming to discover the seemingly thousands of recent microbrands that are buying off the shelf components and putting them together at various price points or through Kickstarter. I guess it lowers the cost of acquisition, but hard to tell which ones will be better than their Aliexpress counterparts.

 

Added a double domed sapphire crystal with purple AR from Crystaltimes to my SNGZ15J1. Don't know if it comes across in the picture, but it look so much nicer and more expensive now. Bought a cheap crystal press from Amazon and practiced on an old Chinese knockoff I bought years ago. The caseback was the tightest I have ever come across. I was worried I'd have to actually take it to a jeweler until I saw a tip online to ice the back. A few minutes with some whiskey stones and the back came right off. The crystal gasket looked good and I re-lubed the case gasket, so hopefully I retain at least some of the water resistance. I will get a dive watch before I go snorkeling again so I just need this to survive rain and washing hands/dishes.

 

I love watches. I used to collect antique watches but sadly sold off all of them except one. I'll post a picture of the one I kept sometime soon. I'm not rich so i don't wear $1k + watches but I do have a small collection of watches that caught my fancy. I can post up a few right now i think if I can find the pictures.





This one here is the one I wear for work, so I tend to always have it on.


I have more watches so will post them up later.

 

When a watch costs more than (around) 200 Dollars/Euros retail and it is not a tool watch by design I expect a sapphire crystal, many watch buyers do. Seiko tended to forget that for too long and now there is a after-market modification industry to improve watches that should have been better made. The new Seiko 5 line is showing improvement.

Thing is, as much as I appreciated the mineral crystal (hardlex) for beater watches for a little bit more than a stock SKX007/009/013 you could easily get a similar watch (especially from Europe) with a sapphire crystal.

My Seiko 7002 (150m water resistant!) is lovely but I will go for a sapphire crystal if possible, new gaskets and a new/fixed bezel because it was properly worn by its previous owner. (Skip the SKX, get the 200m water resistant 7002 for almost nothing and fix it up, still less than a retail SKX which is too expensive with that 7S26 when even a Vostok Scubadude can have manual wind. Seriously Seiko...)

 

Unfortunately, rectifying the crystal situation opened up a whole new world of obsession. I have more watch tools on the way as well as a cheapish Seiko 5 that I am going to try changing the dial and hands on (and of course a sapphire crystal). There are so many parts available at Crystaltimes that I might build a dive watch from scratch eventually.

 

I've been down that rabbit hole... as my 6 modded seiko's and 4 modded vostok's can testify... While the vostok's still look like vostok's, the seiko's bear little resemblance to their humble beginnings (other than the case).

 

I have walked down this same path and now have a modest collection of Bergeon tools. Invest in quality tools and they will repay you over time. I'm able to replace batteries, gaskets, and straps, but I haven't had the courage to attempt to reassemble a movement yet.

 

Just got this in after 1 month shipping from Japan

 

For better or worse, I am starting out with cheap tools from Amazon. So far, I have changed the battery on a quartz watch, regulated my two Seikos, and swapped a crystal. I am a bit nervous about removing hands for a dial change and maybe wish I splurged on a nice tool, but we will find out this weekend.