The Watches Thread

[John]

I like it, but then I do own a Sinn with a metallic yellow dial

[jamcg]

[John]

I've received an email from Grand Seiko today with details of a watch they'd like me to buy, unfortunately my watch fund is severely depleted at the moment

Opinions?



https://www.grandseikoboutique.co.uk/pr ... 1f83004809

[Jobbo]

Typical CGI image - hard to tell how it would look in the flesh but it’s always better than CGI. Not sure I would like the faceted case though.

Opinions on the Rolex Land Dweller? 70s retro isn’t something Rolex should be doing, IMO, other than updates of their own back catalogue.

ETA: I’ve seen the Oysterquartz, and I don’t think that was Rolex’s finest hour or particularly original.

[John]

I'm not convinced on the bracelet integration of the Land Dweller, it reminds me too much of the Omega Constellation.

[Jobbo]

Integrated bracelets and flat cases like that are very generic.

[duncs500]

I've received an email from Grand Seiko today with details of a watch they'd like me to buy, unfortunately my watch fund is severely depleted at the moment

Opinions?

I usually love GS, but I'm not feeling this.

[mik]

Not a great fan of that GS.

It immediately made me think of 80’s film Demon Seed.

[Jobbo]

Now I've looked on a computer, what does 'Tentagraph' on the dial mean?

ETA: Oh FFS.... a movement with a frequency of ten beats per second, a power reserve of three days, and it is an automatic chronograph

[John]

Say that in an Alan Partridge voice

[Jobbo]

I'd expect anyone who worked for a Japanese watch company to have a basic knowledge of ancient Greek.

[RobYob]

I'm not really into watches but I have been investigating a Rolex found in a drawer of my parents house and it's a bit odd/sad/weird.

It's a 1921 ladies Rolex my grandmother bought for herself with money gifted from a great great uncle. Being a housekeeper married to a rural wool & skin buyer it was probably her most valuable possession.

It's not in bad condition (apart from the date and initials scratched heavy handedly on the back, undoubtedly by my grandfather) but not working so I thought it would be good to try and haven't it repaired to keep in the family.

Talking to a watch dealer he said there's no market for them so beyond scrap metal it has only sentimental value, but it is significant sentimental value as there is little else from my grandmother apart from photos.

So, was directed to the local horologist (what a word) who is bloke who clearly loves his job and had a workshop full of very cool tools and microscopes. He had a look at it, inhaled ominously and said "Sorry it's a blahblahblah (Regsburg?) and it isn't economical to fix it, even if I could fix it at 10x the value of the watch those movements are so delicate it could break the next time it was dropped"

I get the feeling this is why century old ladies Rolexs aren't collectable. But here's where I found an odd attitude.

I asked "Oh, that's a shame, what about rebuilding it with a modern movement?"

"Oh god no, no no no! That would be vandalism!"

"But it would be a functional watch again"

"No, no, no you can't do that"

"I would much rather a working watch for my daughter than it sit broken in a drawer for another half century"

"Sorry it isn't really done"

So yeah, restomodding of old Rolexs isn't a thing. Bit of a shame, I wonder what the next person to find it in a drawer will do, hopefully home micro metal printing will be viable by then.

[dinny_g]

That’s a real shame Rob. Don’t understand it to be honest but in my mind, it shouldn’t matter.

It doesn’t work? So what. It’s your grandmothers watch. She wore it. It touched the skin.

It’s almost more right that you keep it and cherish it broken

[duncs500]

So yeah, restomodding of old Rolexs isn't a thing. Bit of a shame, I wonder what the next person to find it in a drawer will do, hopefully home micro metal printing will be viable by then.

Seems to me like the perfect situation for a restomod! Maybe you can find someone online who's a bit more willing to be unconventional?

[Rich B]

That’s a real shame Rob. Don’t understand it to be honest but in my mind, it shouldn’t matter.

It doesn’t work? So what. It’s your grandmothers watch. She wore it. It touched the skin.

It’s almost more right that you keep it and cherish it broken

A broken watch sat in a drawer else’s no purpose whatsoever though, it would be forgotten in a year or two. Wearing the case, with a working mechanism seems the perfect solution.

But then i don’t get the fascination with mechanical movements.

[mik]

I assume it’s tiny - which isn’t in fashion at the moment for ladies - hence no market?

I am no expert, but guess there is possibly no current mechanical movement that would fit, so it would need to be quartz for a restomod…. Which does sound wrong?

Got a pic? Guys on the Chris Ward forum are incredibly knowledgeable and I am sure would offer help. Easy to join )or I can ask the Q if you prefer?).

I would have recommended my watch dude Simon Milek, but I couldn’t reach him recently and think he may have closed shop.

[DaveE]

I can see pros and cons to both options (replacement the movement to make it useable, and keeping it as it is, as an object with sentimental value)

Either way, what an amazing thing to find and to have now

[RobYob]

That’s a real shame Rob. Don’t understand it to be honest but in my mind, it shouldn’t matter.

It doesn’t work? So what. It’s your grandmothers watch. She wore it. It touched the skin.

It’s almost more right that you keep it and cherish it broken

You're right in part dinny, it has value beyond function, especially to descendants. But I'm pretty ingrained to "fix" things, so if I were to dream of handing it on to my kids someday what would I want to be giving them, the beauty and history or something... "alive".

I assume it’s tiny - which isn’t in fashion at the moment for ladies - hence no market?

I am no expert, but guess there is possibly no current mechanical movement that would fit, so it would need to be quartz for a restomod…. Which does sound wrong?

Got a pic? Guys on the Chris Ward forum are incredibly knowledgeable and I am sure would offer help. Easy to join )or I can ask the Q if you prefer?).

I would have recommended my watch dude Simon Milek, but I couldn’t reach him recently and think he may have closed shop.

It is very small, and if I were to speculate that's one of the reasons why these movements are so delicate. The horologist had a great chat about how they were the first "mass produced" movements but the tolerancing wasn't good enough so each is hand finished, unique and a complete pig to repair.

I agree I don't think a quartz movement would be the right thing, unless it was completely reversible, in which case, keep the original movement preserved with it.

He said the bracelet is a change itself and also in need of repair, the original likely had a simple fashionable ribbon.

If you would ask the question, that'd be really cool thanks.

[dinny_g]

Yeah whatever you decide to do has to be reversable...

[DaveE]

There's a few for sale online

"Lug width: 8mm"