Watch advice

Neil

alexh said:

https://www.timefactors.com/prs29new.htm

These are excellent.

All of Eddie's watches are brilliant value for money. 

dindude

Not feeling the Time Factors at all - I can almost smell the musty draws they look to be found in from here - only thing more old fashioned is the website!

Budgie

Steinhart make excellent value watches. I have a couple and both have been faultless.

https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/

stickyfiddle

Budgie said:

Steinhart make excellent value watches. I have a couple and both have been faultless.

https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/

That's a good shout. Their Submariner-alikes have always appealed

Neil

dindude said:

Not feeling the Time Factors at all - I can almost smell the musty draws they look to be found in from here - only thing more old fashioned is the website!

Not found, newly manufactured for a discerning customer base.

menamestom

stickyfiddle said:

Hamilton is good. Go for automatic (if self-winding) rather than quartz. It'll never stop if you wear it at least every other day.

I like the Khaki Field range a lot for that budget - not too big, and can easily be dressed up or down easily. 

Having now looked at pretty much every watch manufacturer I think Hamilton tick the boxes for me, definitely have a Khaki Field on my wish list now, probably the 38mm Automatic with black or brown strap.

I've ordered a HMT manual wind to tide me over until I can afford one, at £11 there's not much to lose!

historyisjunk

I'm not really big on watches, but a nice one has something very pleasing about it, like an old Jielde light, or an Imperial 66 typewriter & numerous other "stuff".  @Neil , those reproduction Smiths watches are the business, I don't need one & wouldn't really want to pay that, but it's nice to know someone still makes things like that.

Also just had a look at HMT watches, @menamestom. Never heard of them before, they look excellent! Like a Royal Enfield of watches. If I didn't have a watch I'd get one of them. Hope you like yours.

PS Sorry for diversion.

menamestom

Well the HMT has arrived.  Strap is a bit dodgy, but seems to keep reasonable time.  Reading on forums it might be a bitsa, places in India put together new HMT watches from old parts with new faces and straps, but it cost £11 delivered whatever it is and I quite like it until I can afford a Hamilton.

cj73

stickyfiddle said:

dindude said:

That looks nice, why go auto instead of quartz out of interest.

Because a good auto is bomb proof. No battery, no winding needed unless you leave it off your wrist for more than a couple of days. Just no hassle, basically. And the knowledge of all the clever engineering keeping it going.

They also have a much nicer sweep of the second hand, rather than the once-a-second tick of a quartz.

but if you regain consciousness in a dark dungeon and your watch has stopped how do you know when dinner will be served

Clecko

The parts do wear out on an auto, though. Last service on my watch was £500...

historyisjunk

@menamestom I really like that. And for £11... THink the first watch I had to buy, when the one I got from my late grandfather packed in was £14, it was a Sekonda & I thought it was good value at the time, maybe about 1990. I doubt it had 17 jewels & that looks much better.

Neil

menamestom said:

Well the HMT has arrived.  Strap is a bit dodgy, but seems to keep reasonable time.  Reading on forums it might be a bitsa, places in India put together new HMT watches from old parts with new faces and straps, but it cost £11 delivered whatever it is and I quite like it until I can afford a Hamilton.

I've seen those Pilots before. I bought about a dozen in a job lot years ago with spurious military markings. There are bound to be millions of HMT's (Hindustan machine tools) watches still around so may not be a bitsa.

Cheap but sturdy time pieces and at a price you cannot complain about.

Certainly better than an anonymous quartz.

Neil

Clecko said:

The parts do wear out on an auto, though. Last service on my watch was £500...

Rolex at Rolex HQ?

You can certainly get a mechanical serviced for much less than that at an independent, probably circa £150.

Parts rarely wear out. A mainspring can snap if it's overwound, maybe rotor bearing on a Rolex. 

A service generally consists of completely dismantling the movement, putting in a cleaning bath, reassembling and oiling. That will make most watches run like new.

I've got plenty of watches from the 50's/60's with all original parts.  

rsvmark

Neil said:

Clecko said:

The parts do wear out on an auto, though. Last service on my watch was £500...

Rolex at Rolex HQ?

You can certainly get a mechanical serviced for much less than that at an independent, probably circa £150.

Parts rarely wear out. A mainspring can snap if it's overwound, maybe rotor bearing on a Rolex. 

A service generally consists of completely dismantling the movement, putting in a cleaning bath, reassembling and oiling. That will make most watches run like new.

I've got plenty of watches from the 50's/60's with all original parts.  

Really? I got mine done at an independent, moreover a self proclaimed omega expert. £350 wasted. First it was slow (5min per week) now its fast (5 min per 3-4 days) so that was bollocks. Be careful who you go to. 

meltedbuzzbox

Neil said:

Clecko said:

The parts do wear out on an auto, though. Last service on my watch was £500...

Rolex at Rolex HQ?

You can certainly get a mechanical serviced for much less than that at an independent, probably circa £150.

Parts rarely wear out. A mainspring can snap if it's overwound, maybe rotor bearing on a Rolex. 

A service generally consists of completely dismantling the movement, putting in a cleaning bath, reassembling and oiling. That will make most watches run like new.

I've got plenty of watches from the 50's/60's with all original parts.  

I think an Omega is generally £300 to service before parts so £500 on a Rolex is nought 

Johnnyseven

How often should you get an automatic watch serviced? TAG reckon every year or something stupid, but realistically how often would be sensible?

Neil

Johnnyseven said:

How often should you get an automatic watch serviced? TAG reckon every year or something stupid, but realistically how often would be sensible?

Every five years from most manufacturers but to be honest ten years has always been fine in my book unless the timing goes a bit haywire previously.

Of course if you buy a second hand watch without a service history probably worth getting it serviced right away. 

Neil

rsvmark said:

Neil said:

Clecko said:

The parts do wear out on an auto, though. Last service on my watch was £500...

Rolex at Rolex HQ?

You can certainly get a mechanical serviced for much less than that at an independent, probably circa £150.

Parts rarely wear out. A mainspring can snap if it's overwound, maybe rotor bearing on a Rolex. 

A service generally consists of completely dismantling the movement, putting in a cleaning bath, reassembling and oiling. That will make most watches run like new.

I've got plenty of watches from the 50's/60's with all original parts.  

Really? I got mine done at an independent, moreover a self proclaimed omega expert. £350 wasted. First it was slow (5min per week) now its fast (5 min per 3-4 days) so that was bollocks. Be careful who you go to. 

  

Watching who you trust with your valuable watch is always the criterion.

stickyfiddle

If anyone's looking for further inspiration, Jonh Mayer's done another good video with his mates at Hodinkee. Probably a good couple of million's worth on that table...

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/talking-watches-2-john-mayer


https://player.vimeo.com/video/326665372