Thread: What types of watches do you like?

Gentlemen, let us keep the wine and Scotch in those threads.
This thread should focus on watches.
Carry on.

Otto
Moderator

For everday timekeeping, I wear a Seiko quartz that my mother gave me for my birthday about 20 years ago. But I also have a couple of mechanical heirlooms that I really love to use, also from my mother's side of the family. One is a slim rectangular Longines wristwatch that was my grandfather's; my mother remembered seeing her father wear it when she was a little girl. Working with my local jeweler, I found one company in Dyersburg, TN that did the complete cleaning and mechanical repairs, while another company completely restored the dialface--under a micrsoscope, took the numbers and pips off, cleaned and renewed the color on the dialface, replaced the cleaned numbers and pips, and laminated it. It looks brand new. I contacted Longines with the serial number of the movement, and they reported that the movement and dialface were invoiced to their NYC rep in June of 1940.

I also have HIS father's pocket watch, which I've had completely restored and which keeps perfect time. It's a Waltham size 14 with 11 jewels, and was given to my great-grandfather in 1892. What's unusual about that watch is that the name of the manufacturer, American Watch Works, doesn't appear anywhere on the face on on the movement plate. Instead, both are inscribed, "Samuel G. Parker, Dyersburg, TN." Samuel Parker was a prominent jeweler there in the mid- to late 1800s. I contacted the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors through their forum, and the members there were quickly able to track down the details. I've also since heard from a couple of Mr. Parker's descendants, which is pretty cool. I enjoy wearing this watch when my wife and I attend Victorian balls and similar events.

Originally Posted by Durhampiper

For everday timekeeping, I wear a Seiko quartz that my mother gave me for my birthday about 20 years ago. But I also have a couple of mechanical heirlooms that I really love to use, also from my mother's side of the family. One is a slim rectangular Longines wristwatch that was my grandfather's; my mother remembered seeing her father wear it when she was a little girl. Working with my local jeweler, I found one company in Dyersburg, TN that did the complete cleaning and mechanical repairs, while another company completely restored the dialface--under a micrsoscope, took the numbers and pips off, cleaned and renewed the color on the dialface, replaced the cleaned numbers and pips, and laminated it. It looks brand new. I contacted Longines with the serial number of the movement, and they reported that the movement and dialface were invoiced to their NYC rep in June of 1940.

I also have HIS father's pocket watch, which I've had completely restored and which keeps perfect time. It's a Waltham size 14 with 11 jewels, and was given to my great-grandfather in 1892. What's unusual about that watch is that the name of the manufacturer, American Watch Works, doesn't appear anywhere on the face on on the movement plate. Instead, both are inscribed, "Samuel G. Parker, Dyersburg, TN." Samuel Parker was a prominent jeweler there in the mid- to late 1800s. I contacted the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors through their forum, and the members there were quickly able to track down the details. I've also since heard from a couple of Mr. Parker's descendants, which is pretty cool. I enjoy wearing this watch when my wife and I attend Victorian balls and similar events.

That was really very common to make watches for a specific jeweler and put his name on the face and on the movt. Somewhere on the mvmt though Waltham or AWWC will be present. Waltham had many names going back to it's founding in the 1850s but by the 1890s Waltham was pretty much what they used vis American waltham and American watch Company.

Originally Posted by Costabro

Why do I get the feeling this thread isn't quite as welcoming as some of the others?

I didn't mean anything by it, I just thought he spotted fakes from the picture, and if he did then that was a really nice catch.

Here is my Automatic Raymond Weil Freelancer.
This was what I got for my 21st. used all the money I got from my birthday and then saved the rest myself to get it

So, what do you all think about in-house mvmts or in house watches in general? Do you think it makes a watch more desirable and ups the quality factor? Most will tell you yes.

Before you answer that question consider a few facts. Though many deride all the outfits that use ETA mvmts as being pedestrian and just mass produced items and point to Rolex as a true in-house manufacture the fact is Rolex sells more watches than all the other Swiss manufacturers combined (quality watches I'm talking here). So they in fact make more mvmts than ETA does and it was Rolex that pioneered the use of unskilled and semi-skilled workers to assemble their mvmts with the workers doing the same basic tasks over and over and true skilled workers only inspecting and working on the sub assemblies and final inspection. Also Seiko is the most complete in-house manufacture in the world. There is very little in a Seiko watch they don't produce limited to some components in the quartz models. Certainly there are watch outfits where a master watchmaker assembles an in-house mvmt piece by piece and hand adjusts the watch after assembly but most here could never afford such a watch. Also there are companies where they have differing assembly lines like Seiko for instance where most of their watches are assembled by robots with human hands not touching the piece and other watches like their Grand Seiko lines where one watchmaker assembles each piece.

I have a pretty nice collection of vintage watches, but for some reason, the second I put a Sinn U1 on my wrist five years ago, I've had a hard time wearing anything else.

During my early twenties, digital watches fascinated me; the more complex the display the better. Nowadays, I much prefer analog displays. My current favourite in my collection is this...

It's a Ricoh automatic, apparently at least 40 years old.

G shock for weekends
Timex quartz for banging around
Seiko marinemaster 600 for dress (as dressy as you can be with a divers watch)
Omega bond seamaster is in the near future as well as a nice citizen ecodrive japan version nighthawk

I love watches!!!

Andy

I am with Deegree - the older I get, the simpler I like em. And now after reading this thread for the past couple of weeks, I am getting a hankering for another .

I think I am in the mood for a German - a German with a full Lume face!!

I wanted this one so badly - it's "cheap," beautiful, automatic and German:



But alas it's 42x13! Anything over 40 just looks huge to me... sigh. It's too bad as the one I think I'll end up getting is about $430... which is twice the amount of the Laco. The Aristo:



I'll have to wait till the end of the month which is payday, so we'll see what happens but as Andy said so succinctly... I love watches .