Watches! What do y'all have on your wrists?

[GXAlan]

In at least one of his novels, William Gibson explored how products originally designed for military purposes become cutting-edge fashion. And Gibson wasn't the only one to notice:
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/military-style-invades-fashion/index.html

For me, this is simply a nice wristwatch at a bargain price, and the use of the red star imagery in a luxury product is the sort of irony I like.

There is military fashion and then there is the whole, Union vs Confederacy, Allies vs Nazi’s. The 1963 People’s Republic of China military watch has certain connotations which some care or don’t care about.

The Seagull is interesting because it has a solid movement, that is genuinely licensed and has lineage to the Swiss watch world.

Venus 175 Family

And the chronograph is a column wheel design which is more expensive to make but has a better tactile feel. The original Omega speedmaster was a column wheel design but after, they switched to a different design with a less satisfactory feel.

I guess, @Angsty, the best way is to think of history, appearance, function, and reliability as how people pick watches. Nothing really beats a quartz for accuracy and even “high accuracy” quartz is far beyond the threshold of audibility real world performance need.

If you go with a mechanical watch, it’s like having tubes. It’s cool to appreciate the anachronism, and within a mechanical watch, you have the looks, but for the movement, there is complexities for complexity sake, then reliability and accuracy, and then brand heritage and legacy.

It’s cool to have an original map of your hometown even if you don’t need that map. It’s cool to have a watch from a company like Vacheron Constantin or Breguet for being a part of history.

The nice thing about watches is that you really can measure its performance!

 

[Frank Dernie]

Some people like Glashutte Original watches which are East German inspired. Those are pretty sophisticated in their mechanisms but they aren’t as precise as a Rolex or Tudor (among mechanical movements).

The Glashutte area of Germany was a watchmaking specialist area before WW2 and just happened to end up in East Germany and watch making and technician training continued there until the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Businesses subsequently expanded into the world market to exploit local expertise.

The most upmarket of them is A. Lange and Sohne, with Glasshutte Original, Nomos, Moritz Grossmann and others.

I have been a fan of watch movements for over 50 years. Rolex is a good quality mass produced movement of good design and high budget marketing. Tudor are part of Rolex using lower quality also mass produced movements.

Glasshutte Original are amongst the most exquisitely hand made mechanical movements on any watch IME and are about the least expensive way to aquire that level of quality, because they aren't that famous and don't have the world leading marketing commitment of Rolex. They are by far the best VFM I have come across with the added benefit few people will know what it is and you won't get mugged in the street for it.

IWC, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Omega (traditional and co-axial), Glashutte Original, Ulysse Nardin all are precise enough for every day use on my wrist and beautifully made.

Watches like Christopher Ward using good quality mass produced swiss movements in nicely designed cases are good value IME too.

 

[TonyJZX]

I’m new to watches, but why would anyone outside of China want to commemorate its military in 1963?

this is an amazingly provincial and american attitude - amazingly close minded

i quite like vostok and the komandirskie and that whole line of watches - do i care for the whole Soviet war machine back then? but the AK47, the t34, the whole slew of Sukhoi and MiG aircraft, that stuff is really cool.

I also quite like the Luger, the P38, the FW190, the MG42, the Panther, the Tiger tanks

I also quite like the whole story behind the 1963 Seagull - how China needed a chronograph for their MiG21 pilots to time courses so they bought the Venus (?) machinery to produce this inhouse.

And so I like the provenance behind the whole thing.

That doesnt mean I back whatever idealogy that propelled the use of these things.

 

[EJ3]

There is military fashion and then there is the whole, Union vs Confederacy, Allies vs Nazi’s. The 1963 People’s Republic of China military watch has certain connotations which some care or don’t care about.

The Seagull is interesting because it has a solid movement, that is genuinely licensed and has lineage to the Swiss watch world.

Venus 175 Family

And the chronograph is a column wheel design which is more expensive to make but has a better tactile feel. The original Omega speedmaster was a column wheel design but after, they switched to a different design with a less satisfactory feel.

I guess, @Angsty, the best way is to think of history, appearance, function, and reliability as how people pick watches. Nothing really beats a quartz for accuracy and even “high accuracy” quartz is far beyond the threshold of audibility real world performance need.

If you go with a mechanical watch, it’s like having tubes. It’s cool to appreciate the anachronism, and within a mechanical watch, you have the looks, but for the movement, there is complexities for complexity sake, then reliability and accuracy, and then brand heritage and legacy.

It’s cool to have an original map of your hometown even if you don’t need that map. It’s cool to have a watch from a company like Vacheron Constantin or Breguet for being a part of history.

The nice thing about watches is that you really can measure its performance!

I, probably, like most, would think that only folks with a keen interest in the military history of various countries would be interested in having this.

 

[A Surfer]

I, probably, like most, would think that only folks with a keen interest in the military history of various countries would be interested in having this.

While I like military history generally, I actually find the aesthetic look of this watch pretty nice. For a reasonable amount I would probably add it into my collection.

 

[EJ3]

While I like military history generally, I actually find the aesthetic look of this watch pretty nice. For a reasonable amount I would probably add it into my collection.

Of course, there are all sorts of reasons one might want a particular watch.
The only one I have is an Enicar (Racine spelled backwards). They are a (started by 2 brothers) SWISS watch factory that originated at some point in the late 1800's. The one took the RACINE name & handled what is considered to be the Western 1/2 of the world. The other spelled it backwards (Enicar) and handled what is considered to be the Eastern 1/2 of the world.
I once had a friend in Saipan that I was drinking with look at me and asked me if I had ever been to China, to which I replied "yes" He then asked me if my wife was Chinese, to which I replied "yes".
He said "Do you want to know how I know these things"? Naturally I said "Yes".
Then he told me that he had gone to boarding school in Switzerland and that I was wearing a Swiss watch that was distributed in the Eastern part of the world and that the rest was just lucky guesses as to which country and who might have bought it for me.
At the time that my wife bought it for me: in our 2 years of dating & about a year into our marriage, she had never seen me wearing a watch, as I did not use one at work and saw no reason to have one otherwise, so I just did not (& had not for 10 or more years) own a watch.
So the sole reason I own it is my wife brought it home to me as a gift because (as she gently explained to me) that sometimes we go places with certain people (us being small business owners) in situations where having a nice watch just looks better.
And, even today, I have no other watches.

 

[Tremolo]

i quite like vostok and the komandirskie and that whole line of watches

I love old military watches too, the ones from warsaw pact:

and the ones from the NATO side:

and I swear I am a pacifist

 

[EJ3]

Casio W-59B-3AVEF

Sits on my wrist. Shows the time. Doesn't fall apart. Perfect for my needs

all the important things and can get wet without any adverse effects: what's not to like? Me thinks a perfect watch (aside from needing a battery occasionally [& even I, tending to be away from cities more than many]) can usually get access to batteries {something that I have in my traveling kit that doesn't take much space & is fine with not being used for a number of years}.

 

[Grotti]

And now for something completely different... I chose a Botta Tres Tri-Titan Quarz 40mm for daily use:

It's a very light watch (only 24.1g without the straps) and only about 6.3 mm high: a perfect and very comfortable wearing dress watch for every day use. And it is a three hand watch: the second hand is the small open circle in the middle ;o).

Botta design is especially known for the model "UNO" which is a one-hand watch. They produce mechanical watches too, but ( with one exception) only in 44mm diameter which is a bit to much for my wrist.

Außergewöhnliche Armbanduhren Made in Germany von BOTTA

Seit 1986 steht BOTTA für intelligente, außergewöhnliche Armbanduhren Made in Germany. Einzeiger- und Mehrzeiger-Uhren direkt vom Hersteller.

www.botta-design.de

 

[Leporello]

And now for something completely different... I chose a Botta Tres Tri-Titan Quarz 40mm for daily use:

View attachment 382342

It's a very light watch (only 24.1g without the straps) and only about 6.3 mm high: a perfect and very comfortable wearing dress watch for every day use. And it is a three hand watch: the second hand is the small open circle in the middle ;o).

Botta design is especially known for the model "UNO" which is a one-hand watch. They produce mechanical watches too, but ( with one exception) only in 44mm diameter which is a bit to much for my wrist.

Außergewöhnliche Armbanduhren Made in Germany von BOTTA

Seit 1986 steht BOTTA für intelligente, außergewöhnliche Armbanduhren Made in Germany. Einzeiger- und Mehrzeiger-Uhren direkt vom Hersteller.

www.botta-design.de

Very nice. For once, a stylish men's watch not reeking of silly testosterone and/or old money kitsch.

 

[EJ3]

Very nice. For once, a stylish men's watch not reeking of silly testosterone and/or old money kitsch.

I like THIN (like my RACINE that I almost never know it is there except for when I look at it).

 

[maxxevv]

The Glashutte area of Germany was a watchmaking specialist area before WW2 and just happened to end up in East Germany and watch making and technician training continued there until the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Businesses subsequently expanded into the world market to exploit local expertise.

The most upmarket of them is A. Lange and Sohne, with Glasshutte Original, Nomos, Moritz Grossmann and others.

I have been a fan of watch movements for over 50 years. Rolex is a good quality mass produced movement of good design and high budget marketing. Tudor are part of Rolex using lower quality also mass produced movements.

Glasshutte Original are amongst the most exquisitely hand made mechanical movements on any watch IME and are about the least expensive way to aquire that level of quality, because they aren't that famous and don't have the world leading marketing commitment of Rolex. They are by far the best VFM I have come across with the added benefit few people will know what it is and you won't get mugged in the street for it.

IWC, Audemars Piguet, Vacheron Constantin, Omega (traditional and co-axial), Glashutte Original, Ulysse Nardin all are precise enough for every day use on my wrist and beautifully made.

Watches like Christopher Ward using good quality mass produced swiss movements in nicely designed cases are good value IME too.

Was about to say the same thing about G.O.

Very similarly, Grand Seiko.

 

[Joe Smith]

this is an amazingly provincial and american attitude - amazingly close minded

i quite like vostok and the komandirskie and that whole line of watches - do i care for the whole Soviet war machine back then? but the AK47, the t34, the whole slew of Sukhoi and MiG aircraft, that stuff is really cool.

I also quite like the Luger, the P38, the FW190, the MG42, the Panther, the Tiger tanks

I also quite like the whole story behind the 1963 Seagull - how China needed a chronograph for their MiG21 pilots to time courses so they bought the Venus (?) machinery to produce this inhouse.

And so I like the provenance behind the whole thing.

That doesnt mean I back whatever idealogy that propelled the use of these things.

I really like the Russian Vostok Amphibian watches, have a couple.

My affection does not go beyond the watches, however.

 

[EJ3]

this is an amazingly provincial and american attitude - amazingly close minded

i quite like vostok and the komandirskie and that whole line of watches - do i care for the whole Soviet war machine back then? but the AK47, the t34, the whole slew of Sukhoi and MiG aircraft, that stuff is really cool.

I also quite like the Luger, the P38, the FW190, the MG42, the Panther, the Tiger tanks

I also quite like the whole story behind the 1963 Seagull - how China needed a chronograph for their MiG21 pilots to time courses so they bought the Venus (?) machinery to produce this inhouse.

And so I like the provenance behind the whole thing.

That doesnt mean I back whatever idealogy that propelled the use of these things.

Funny, I am Austrian, grew up in both the USA & Europe, have a wife from mainland China,
we have homes in the USA, Salzburg, Austria and China.
But I was wondering the same thing as Angsty.

Apparently you are the epitome of ignorance in explaining why you like something.
A perfect example of the POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK.
Your uncalled for commentary is quite insulting.

 

[Karu]

Glasshutte Original are amongst the most exquisitely hand made mechanical movements on any watch IME and are about the least expensive way to aquire that level of quality, because they aren't that famous and don't have the world leading marketing commitment of Rolex. They are by far the best VFM I have come across with the added benefit few people will know what it is and you won't get mugged in the street for it.

Would that apply to also vintage watches say from the 60s? Or only for the more current models?

 

[NullPointer]

After dabbling in affordables for a decade or so, I was hit by a wave of antifrugality and went entry-level high-end:

View attachment 370031

Outstanding! I have the same one, love it, also PanoInverse and PanoMaticInverse. Such an underrated brand.

 

[GXAlan]

Would that apply to also vintage watches say from the 60s? Or only for the more current models?

Vintage watches are beautiful and can be a great deal for the money. Depend on your daily life, magnetizing the watch can be a bigger deal today compared to back in the 60’s. Watches run fast when magnetized and might go and extra 5-10 seconds per day which is a lot or a little depending on your perspective.

 

[Karu]

I see the watches more as useful jewellery so 10 seconds a day is no issue. I would love a senator excellence but I am not willing to pay that much for a watch. So I have been looking at some vintage GUB 69.1 watches.

 

[Tim Link]

I've got a Breitling Colt Ocean that my father gave me. It's been a very robust watch. Lately it's running fast. I looked it up and saw it advertised as a women's watch, but in their ad they have a guy wearing it, or a woman with a very hairy arm. I pretty much wear it 24/7. It's a bit heavy, and I'm left handed, so I was hoping the extra weight would strengthen my right arm. Doesn't seem to be heavy enough for that. My nephews and nieces love to turn the bezel.

Funny story about this watch. It's moderately expensive, and toward the end of his life my dad thought I might want to sell it, because I wasn't in to watches, and needed some money at the time. That was my plan, but after wearing it I decided I really did want to keep and wear this watch after all. I'd never had a watch of this quality before. I made sure my mother and sister understood that Dad had given me the watch to sell but that I was choosing to wear it rather than sell it, and that it was an exceptionally nice watch (by our standards.) I showed it to them on multiple occasions, repeating the story of how this was a nicer watch than any other dad had ever bought, and that perhaps my nephew might want to have it at some point. A year later when my dad passed away, my sister was going through his things and found the box to this watch. She looked up the watch on line and saw the price, and became panicked that it was missing from the box. Her and my mother were wondering if I had seen this watch! I realized then what a poor communicator I am, how I don't stop to notice if what I'm saying is going in one ear and out the other. I fail to see the glazed over look in their eyes as they nod and say "how interesting."

 

[Frank Dernie]

Would that apply to also vintage watches say from the 60s? Or only for the more current models?

I have no experience of the Soviet era production, sorry.