• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

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

Blumlein 88

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
20,524
Likes
37,057
Odd thing. I'd always liked wearing a watch since maybe 5 years old. Wore one every day until I retired. Even got the proverbial retirement watch because it was something I'd really wear. After retiring I soon stopped wearing one. Don't need it to know the time these days. While it has its conveniences I've now not worn one for a few years, with an occasional exception. The watch I was given at retirement is a nice slightly dressy Citizen's Eco drive which loses 6 seconds a month. It is titanium so even though it has a large rather simple analog face it is delightfully light on your wrist.

I'd always had cheap windup watches growing up. Usually a cheap divers watch because they were mildly water resistant. I'd syncrhonize it every day. Learn how many seconds it gained or loss and adjust. During college had one of the TI digital watches with the tritium glowing dial. Was accurate to 1 second per month. It started killing the battery after 3 years. Had a Casio that was good with stopwatch as well as regular watch. Broken during a beach volleyball game. Was given a Seiko digital watch the following Christmas. Gained 3 seconds per month. I wore it daily for 33 years, still have it, still works and now and again gets worn. Batteries last almost precisely 11 years. So saving money on watches allowed me to spend on stereo gear. :)
 

Frank Dernie

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
6,445
Likes
15,781
Location
Oxfordshire
I used to have a Junghans MegaSolar watch until a year ago, when it stopped updating from the radio transmitter. Loved the look of it, and of course, it kept 'perfect' radio time. However, after only 18 years, Junghans couldn't repair it. Actually, they couldn't repair it at all, as it's sealed into the ceramic case. If it had failed during the warranty they would have given me a new one, but after 18 years, they would only sell me a new one for over £1000, which again was only guaranteed for 2 years and can't be repaired.

So I bought a Citizen Solar Radio watch which is guaranteed for 6 years and is claimed to be repairable thereafter.

I need split second accuracy as I use my watch to check the accuracy of the satellite switching for our local radio station, our other radio clocks and our Internet PC timing, so a simple quartz watch won't be accurate enough over a few weeks or months. I use Casio AQ-222 for gardening. and it's quite good enough for that.

S
I loved my Junghans mega solar watch but it stopped storing charge so only worked with the face pointing at a light source :(
I sent Junghans a message about repair and received no reply - now I know why.
I might have a go at taking it apart myself.
I have an older one in a metal case which still works but the leather strap which contains the aerial not needed in the ceramic ones is cracking and they don't seem to sell them any more.
 

AnalogSteph

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 6, 2018
Messages
3,336
Likes
3,278
Location
.de
Unlike a few posters here, I still have a few decades to go till retirement. I like my watches like most things technical - functional, precise and no-nonsense, and preferably not too expensive (used). I've picked up a number of more or less vintage quartz watches (generally in stainless steel with metal bands), the more jewels the merrier.

My current fave may be an '86 Seiko 5H23 quartz job w/ "Railroad Approved" watch face (first rate design IMHO). Gains about 15 seconds a month or so (crystal aging and all). I kind of don't like using it as my "daily driver" as it's kind of a collectible though.
An early-'80s Seiko 7122 (must be almost my age) also is pretty decent. These seem to suffer from gumming up quite a lot, but mine only seemed to need some persuasion to free up (got it not moving), and it's been running well since, barring a good 30 second gain a month. I'd like to get that adjusted (trimmer cap is present) but it's on the lower limit of my local watchmaker's gear. No-one has their quartz watch adjusted any more after trimmers went out of fashion 30 years ago (being enough of a trouble spot in themselves). Grrr...
A modern-day (~2012) Certina DS Podium w/ sapphire crystal is pretty OK, though I'm not the greatest fan of bright metallic reflecting hands and the typical rather reflective watch crystal surface (I prefer readability over bling). Modern quartz mov'ts also are a bit on the noisy side. Oh, and the band on this one is just a hint on the short side for me.
The underdog may be an off-brand job (possibly mailorder, seemingly GDR-built for export) from I guess the late '80s, with an UMF Ruhla 13-33 or -34 quartz mov't. Picked this up locally since I liked the "semi-diver" design with rather unique hands featuring quite a bit of lume, as I guess did the previous owner - it had received a new back as I guess the original was not inox, the rest of the back side shows severe pitting, and it has a bit of metallic smell to it. The band also is a bit too long even at minimum length, and power consumption apparently is more on late '70s level (spec is about 2 years of runtime)... but once I did convince myself to have a battery put in, I found that it keeps really good time. I didn't keep track of when I last set it, but it might be as good as 1-2 seconds a month.

The victims: A nice somewhat dressy '80s Roamer that I accidentally dropped in the ultrasonic like an idiot (kept really good time, too) - local watchmaker says mov't is totally EOL. :( An '80s Dugena Tresor w/ ETA mov't - oddball proprietary wrist band busted (I rather liked that one, even if it gained a second a day). My previous off-brand chrono job with an entry-level ETA chrono mov't (gift) that started to lose massive amounts of time when actually worn. (I don't like chronos anyway. I only used the stopwatch function every once in a blue moon but was missing a large seconds hand the rest of the time.)

Most of these I picked up in the 20..35€ plus shipping range (except the much newer Certina). I think it's a real bummer that you have to spend, I dunno, >250 for a new watch with what I'd consider a quality midrange quartz mov't these days... not to mention that vintage designs appeal to me rather more. I've seen a fair few '70s automatics that would've appealed to me in terms of design, but what am I supposed to be doing with a watch that is considered good when it's within +/-4 seconds a day? My first quartz watch 20+ years ago managed 11 seconds from one DST adjustment to the next, and I did rather appreciate that.
 
Last edited:

digitalfrost

Major Contributor
Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Messages
1,521
Likes
3,086
Location
Palatinate, Germany
I recently bought a box, so I can show of my collection easily:

aPROs44.jpg
 

MRC01

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 5, 2019
Messages
3,424
Likes
4,030
Location
Pacific Northwest
To me, the ideal wrist watch must be zero maintenance and as close to 100% reliable as possible. That simplicity and reliability is the only way a wrist watch can justify its existence and real estate on my wrist, instead of so many much more powerful & flexible devices that could be there.

It should always tell me the time and I should never have to wind it, change a battery, charge it, set it, replace a band, or worry about it getting wet, dropped, scratched, etc. Years ago, I used to program satellite receivers and every 1 second of time error is about 6 miles of location error. I don't do that anymore, but the addiction to accuracy remains. Not needing to set my watch means it must be as accurate as possible, which rules out mechanical watches: quartz only. Though I do like mechanical watches from an engineering perspective.

I have 2 watches that meet these constraints. One is a Citizen ecodrive AT8010-58E , the other is a Seiko kinetic autorelay 5J22-0A50. The Citizen sets itself from shortwave radio nightly. I've owned it for nearly 10 years now, I've never set it or replaced a battery, and the calendar & time is still correct within 100 milliseconds. I've owned the Seiko for over 20 years and never have replaced a battery or given it any maintenance. Still runs like new.
 
Last edited:

Ilkless

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 26, 2019
Messages
1,757
Likes
3,437
Location
Singapore
3psrwsqazpl11.jpg


Older pic, same watch: only difference is some added slack in the bracelet because I have a bad habit of fiddling with the deployant and mesh. Also a pretty bad chip due to a fall off an end table. Stowa Marine Automatic (special slim edition with ETA 2892 limited to 50), Staib Milanaise.
 
Last edited:

PierreV

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Nov 6, 2018
Messages
1,437
Likes
4,686
Can't resist. I am a cheap guy, and I don't treat them well...

1561908719894.png
 

digitalfrost

Major Contributor
Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Messages
1,521
Likes
3,086
Location
Palatinate, Germany
Any fans of smaller (sub-40mm) watches here? Being around big lawyers and bankers has given me an aversion to big Rolexes and Omegas.
Rolex watches being 40mm is one of the main reasons why I like them. There are not a lot of men's sports watches below 42mm, and Rolex is actually one of the manufactureres who makes small watches.

I don't understand why not more companies explore this market niche. You give me a good sports watch in 40mm for 2k and I'll buy a lot of them. But nobody makes those.
 

Thomas savage

Grand Contributor
The Watchman
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 24, 2016
Messages
10,260
Likes
16,298
Location
uk, taunton
Any fans of smaller (sub-40mm) watches here? Being around big lawyers and bankers has given me an aversion to big Rolexes and Omegas.

I don't have a proper watch yet, but I'd like to get one, if for no other reason than to be able to see the time (during meetings, etc.) without looking at my phone.
My Rolex oyster perpetual explorer is small, has to be as Iv got girl wrists. It's also plain looking and understated.

I bought it when I was in my early 20s as a kind of rite of passage when I started earning some reasonable money.
 

Frank Dernie

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
6,445
Likes
15,781
Location
Oxfordshire
Any fans of smaller (sub-40mm) watches here? Being around big lawyers and bankers has given me an aversion to big Rolexes and Omegas.

I don't have a proper watch yet, but I'd like to get one, if for no other reason than to be able to see the time (during meetings, etc.) without looking at my phone.
Big watches are a relatively new fashion.
I generally prefer smaller ones. Looking at the ones I have bought over the last 50 years most are small compared to recent releases (many of which have small movements so when the lardy fashion fades out the manufacturers can make their watches smaller again easily.
My Omega Speedmaster Professional was about as big as watches got in 1971 when I got it, it looks small nowadays though. My normal Jaeger LeCoultre reverso looks almost absurdly tiny nowadays but I still like it.
I am not fond of Rolex watches. I like interesting an nicely made movements. The Rolex movement is good but basic and mass produced in relatively huge numbers and the only case styling I like is the old chronograph one.
 

cjfrbw

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2018
Messages
410
Likes
472
Those are some beautiful watches. For 12 years, I used a $12 Casio Lithium. I can't justify wearing anything too expensive on my wrist.

However, reading this thread made me feel less guilty about my recent purchases.

I wear a watch when I surf. I had a $45 knobby Casio solar/radio that I liked, but something broke or came loose and I lost it in the surf. Before that, for a year I used a green Timex waterproof that I got at Goodwill for $3.
Splurged and bought a Suunto Ambit2 for $90 when on sale on ebay. I really like it, elevation, barometric GPS, pulse the works, but the buttons keep getting pushed off of the time window due to surfing forces, and then they stopped working. So, I just ordered a regular dial Seiko SSC095 quartz for $79. After ordering the Seiko, I found out how to re-boot the Suunto, and it works fine again, but still the inadvertent button pushing problem happens during surfing, plus the face is hard to read in certain lights.

I figure with the gazzilions of watches around that dividing the original retail price by three to five used is a fair target price for decent brands.

s-l1600-6.jpg
71e6P0JoL2L._SL1500_.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 61dG+fSqiOL._SL1100_.jpg
    61dG+fSqiOL._SL1100_.jpg
    92.7 KB · Views: 128
Last edited:

cjfrbw

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2018
Messages
410
Likes
472
Also got this tarnished old self winder from the 60's for $60. I like tarnished stuff. So, I went hog wild with watches lately, but am probably stocked up for the duration. It has a 'kanji symbol' option for the days, which I will probably use.
s-l1600-3.jpg
 

Attachments

  • s-l1600-4.jpg
    s-l1600-4.jpg
    114 KB · Views: 170
Last edited:

Ilkless

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 26, 2019
Messages
1,757
Likes
3,437
Location
Singapore
Been looking at Grand Seikos for a couple of years. The recent shifts in the GS line toward size and ostentation have disappointed me.

GS has wonderful dials, but 13+ mm thickness for a relatively dressy time-only watch is ridiculous. For comparison, my Stowa is a nice 9mm, which is thin and unobstrusive without feeling flimsy.
 

BDWoody

Chief Cat Herder
Moderator
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 9, 2019
Messages
6,948
Likes
22,625
Location
Mid-Atlantic, USA. (Maryland)
Top Bottom