I have scratched and pitted two Rolex Sapphire crystals so far on my Explorer II. Working on my third. All the paint in the bezels are gone and it is scratched to hell. I love it. It is the toughest piece of equipment I have ever had. Going on 15 years. Only adjusted once. Need to do it again. Also been through three clasps.

Worth the money. Especially when people show you their Faulex and try to pawn it off as real. Show em the real deal and they quiet down real quick.

Matt

At work I like my Longines chronogragh. Purchased in 1943, worn by my dad in WWII, given to me when he passed. Built like a porsche. At hard play, G shock casio-beat to hell, no risk proposition. Works perfectly and far surpassed my lifetime expectancy. Otherwise, I do not wear a watch as it reminds me that time is passing by, and what do I care what time it is?

i'm looking for a supersides VDO style clock, about 8 inches in diameter...

wanna be like Flavor Flave and be down with it, but not in a vanilla rice kinda way...peace out ! :D

Tag Heuer have made a classic line of watches named the Carrera, Monza and the Florino! These are nice quality watches at a reasonable price!.
rgds Ben

http://www.bizrate.com/buy/products__cat_id--30020100,keyword--Tag%20Heuer%20Carrera.html

I used to be enamored with watches and cameras as a kid, but not now. I also discovered years ago that mechanical watches, both manual and automatic, do not keep accurate time on my wrist. On the dresser they do, but not on me. I have in fact looked at them and seen the second hand stop for a few seconds. While they're on my wrist.

Quartz watches keep incredibly accurate time. Mechanical watches can barely hope to match that performance under ideal conditions.

If I were to wear a watch, it would surely be a Mickey Mouse.

I do not wear a watch. I am fairly good at estimating the time, and I am very rarely out of sight of a timepiece. Everywhere I look there are clocks.

masraum, I also like the Fortis.


My regular is a Breitling Navitimer with a polished steel bracelet. An aeronautic timepiece that has been produced more or less unchanged for the last 50 years. It even has its own unofficial webpage
Edit: The bezel has a slide rule so you can calculate ETA and so forth. Very practical in a Porsche when you are doing 100mph on the autobahn on the way to The Ring. :D
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078438271.gif

I'm currently drooling over an IWC Portuguese Split Second (Rattrapante) hand wound. The split second has two second hands on top of each other, one stopping for interval times. All mechanical of cource. Its a big one as well, measuring a full 43 mm (1.7")
I love this watch.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078438637.jpg

Curt ( i think it was Curt) got me looking into Sinn rallye watches, and this lead me to a Sinn Wrist watch that I like a lot. This is actually not very expensive either, but nice looking.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078439053.jpg

Man this is really OT. I cant believe this thread has survived here :)

Omega Seamaster, Speedmaster and Heuer Monaco
- Will never own a quartz.
Quartz =Honda, Toyota etc.
Automatic = Porsche, Ferrari

You can only really appreciate an automatic watch when you look inside. Not only is it a finctional tool, it is also a work of art.
Just like our P-cars. It's what's under the skin that really counts.
No Rolex for me - Says too much.
Omega, only the people in the know appreciate it.
Heuer - Yes it's a TAG, but TAG ran the F1 Porsche.
-W

Best watch- in my opinion - is a Bulova Accutron (automatic). It is a fraction the cost of a Rolex or Omega, is a certified chronometer, waterproof to 100 M, never needs winding or battery replacement (selfwinding mechanism charges battery), and best of all, has a 25 year warranty (compared to 1 year for Rolex). Mine has a crystal back so you can see and watch the mechanism. It is an intricate work of art- like a Porsche.

Sorry, I just cant stop.....

Check out this latest Porsche Design watch. Look at the inside of the brace with tread pattern. Also the rotor is shaped like a BBS? wheel. The back of the case has glass so that you can look at the rotor and the mechanism. More Porsche Design watches

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078443284.jpg

Watch thread, cool, this is my other vice.

On my wrist now is an Omega Speedmaster Broad Arrow.

I dig mostly 50s to 70s, Omega, Rolex, IWC and old chronographs. Collection rotates all the time but here is a snap shot.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078444045.jpg

I bought a pair of "Ray-Ban's" in Battery Park ten years ago $10. Can't even lose those dumb things. Probably lost a half dozen good pair of sunglasses. Go figure.

I'd go out with my IWC Fliegerchrono any day over a crappy Quartz movement. But the true watch enthusiast (who would not even get into a CIS car) wouldn't choose automatic winding movements. It's more about the number of complications build into a movement that determines its price and quality. If it has an official Chronometer certification, all the better.

Unfortunately, even reputable companies like IWC, Rolex, and others start to use (modified) Valjoux movements.

ingo

My wife bought me a 40's era pink (rose) gold Bulova President tank watch when we got married 17 years ago. The watch was NOS and the shop had it in the back room since the 1940's and it was still in it's original box, absolutely beautiful. I had it appraised and then didn't feel comfortable wearing it every day, so I only wear it for special occasions. Some day, I'll give it to my son. My "every day" watch is a Citizen Stiletto Eco-Drive tank watch that never need winding, it's solar powered. My arms and wrists are very thin, so these big, heavy watches don't look good on me, as I'm a "pencil-neck geek"...

This thread started in 2002 and still lives without exile to the OT world. Amazing.

ischmitz
Cant agree with there. Autos are well regarded by enthisiasts, and embraced by houses like A.Lange and Sohn, Patek- in fact all the major manufactures. And the COSC cert is not worth a crumpet. Your IWC, ref 3706 Flieger, for example, a mofied Val 7750, will run much finer than that by IWC's own standards. Nice choice, I have one too.

Rolex dont use ETA or Valjour movements. They did put the Zenith column wheel chrono in the Daytona, and these are highly sought after by those who know about these things.

Stone 43, if you read this, get your dad's watch fixed. Many dont care for Rolex, me included, but I would treasure a watch with the history you describe. You simply cant buy that- IMHO its would be worth whatever the cost to have that watch made serviceable (id be tempted not to "restore" it, iemake like new) No new Sub could carry the persoanl history and characterof that watch. Please post a pic of it. Just MHO. If you truly dont want it, please PM me. :))


Edit: ischmitz, clarification- Rolex also make Tudor watches, and these have ETA movements.

stuart 87 carrera

So what is a "bad" movement (maybe not bad, but uninspiring) and what is good (without getting too expensive?

StuartJ--yup, I am still following this thread as watches are a passion of mine. I still have the old Rolex, sitting in box with other momentos. I should really get that thing fixed, just have to figure out where to start. It is truly a mess, I might just leave it be. Who knows.

Thrown-Hammer, I have news for you, real frogs don't wear Navy SEAL watches. Your G-Shock is much more on target.

Alf, I have a passion for old chronos as well. Currently have a Baume et Mercier 40's era 18K chrono (was my grandfather's). Just got it cleaned up and it is running great. Big 38.5mm.

Still on the hunt for a white faced Rolex Daytona. Still don't want to pay the price. Faux, no way.

I truly believe that there is some sort of connection between old Porsches and watches and other mechanical things. Although I own a digital, my favorite camera is my old-ass mechanical, metal case Nikon FE-2. My best shots from all over the world have come from this ancient, heavy pig (sounds like I am describing my cab) and I would not give it up for anything.

Quality never goes out of style.

I am not a huge watch fan but definitely appreciate them; just not enough hours in the day or dollars in the bank to get "serious".

Currently have 3 Omegas - a late 50's Seamaster automatic, fully restored late 60's Speedmaster Pro (moon watch; manual wind) and a mid-90's Seamaster Pro "James Bond" style. The latter has been worn almost daily for over 7 years now and still looks essentially brand new except for a little fading on the tips of the hands.

Ladies and gentlemen: this is truly an amazing website! As I've been a bit bored with all this 911 razzmatazz (flame, flame, flame away...) and stayed away a few weeks, here I just finished reading this "great watch thread". Amazing... Thing is, this site has a tendency to lead you to ... more... more... vices! Such as watches. I've never given them a thought, oh sure, looked at those $1500 Omega's but then, looking at the prices, fagette it...
My watch? I used to have a G-shock, huge horrible black plastic thing that hurt my wrist when I wore it for jogging distances, so it got attached to my rucksack and disappeared out of an airport luggage compartment... I now have a "Victorinox" (of Swiss knife fame) watch, but I keep it in my trouser pocket because I can't stand the feeling of a watch attached to my wrist. So be it...

I finally got tired of cheapies after having multiple sub-$100 Timex and similar watches eventually fall apart just from being on my wrist. I shot the lock off my wallet and bought a Heuer Black Coral, similar to the one in R22tech's photo but mostly in black. They were still in the product line for several years after the TAG acquisition but now are no longer available.

I've had it (inadvertently) on my wrist while hand-jamming on quartz granite and sandstone, so it has some scratches and I've worn the black off of the outer braclet faces. Not interested in a trolex or other such gucci toys, but I've considered getting a similar new TAG-Heuer in all stainless just so it will handle and hide the inevitable abuse better than the black finish.