Value watches

[WAYNO]

My Father in law once brought me a Rolex he bought in Mexicali.

It was gorgeous.

Must've been a factory second, as it only cost 20-bucks and it lasted less than two weeks.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Not a value watch, but some crazy shiz. A 3 dimensional tourbillion runs little pumps that push a liquid around the dial. That's what shows the minutes. Crazy.

HYT Watches

www.hytwatches.com

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Kee ripes… I had no idea they could make something like this. Amazing.

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/UIKzKD6ATKI?si=XuY7fHRIqHkifQL3

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/cWQy4TibYAQ?si=ooJYXNBn5cupYUzB

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/fHZ-_PLcPqw?si=-ISr9CyH3UYsuEBR

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/VruB4Pz-94A?si=bQMMZpQzcyDrGUrJ

View: https://youtube.com/shorts/xT9YIub4yV4?si=-GACf_52Oj9Kvt_0

 

[MannyGlocks]

Expensive watches are more 'jewelry' than watch...

You want something to tell time?

Just spend $50/75 bucks and you'll find something that'll accurate time (enough) and will last.

I spent $62.00 for a watch 10+ years ago...it still looks OK, and works just fine...

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Ordered a tritium watch to play with. Quartz, mineral crystal. Green?/Blue ? tritium on hands and hour markers. Orange on 12 o clock. $37

View: https://youtu.be/kuwI_vBO4Do?si=F_wysgTB68Unf0wn


Some colors

 

[raftman]

I keep it pretty utilitarian, have an Alba solar field watch. The brand isn't widely known here as it's a subsidiary of Seiko that I think is marketed only in Japan. The appeal is that it's supposedly able to last pretty much forever without maintenance or battery changes. According to the manual, a mere 24 minutes of direct sunlight is enough to keep it powered for like 10 months, obviously indoor lighting charges slower but after years of ownership I've never had to consciously expose the watch face to light to get it charge or anything. It just picks up enough light from the usual daily wear.

 

[made in china]

I'm thinking about getting the new Casio W221.... perfect for my farsightedness.....

 

[WAYNO]

I normally wear one of two Citizen Eco-Drive watches. They have been fantastic.

My favorite of the two, a Green Brycen, has been in the shop for three weeks for a crystal replacement. The new crystal is $135. And I have no idea why or how the crystal was so severely trashed. I've broken crystals over the years, but this one was just scratched horribly. This was not a cheap watch, and the crystal was supposed to be the best available, and scratch-free.


In the meantime, Amazon offers a brand, OLEF, which is quite cheap at $42 but it is as attractive as my Citizen.



I bought one, and received it today as a temporary replacement until my Citizen is fixed.
Gotta say, this cheap Amazon watch is...CHEAP. Sorry I bought it..

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Got the $11 planet ocean homage cheapee. It's not bad for what it is. I forgot how useful a rotating bezel is. It has mecha-quart movement so second hand beats like an automatic. The one thing these really cheap watches can't simulate is the look of steel. They always look "too shiny". Might be an interesting experiment to try to reduce shine just for giggles. If it gets ruined, oh darn… Strap is good quality. clasp is functional but thin and cheap feeling. Helium valve thingy is non functional. I like the look of the design so maybe a decent version is in my future. I'll beat on this one and see how long it lasts

 

[made in china]

Gold plated everything

 

[nammac]

I've had to retire my beloved Citizen Promaster Skyhawk A-T Blue Angels watch because I need to monitor heart rate and oxygen levels. So I secured a great deal on a Citizen CZ Smart watch (actually a hybrid, has physical hands and an electronic multi display watch face).

 

[Jeepsnguns]

I'm rough on watches, because I'm clumsy.
I tend to swing my arm into anything and everything that can possibly destroy my watch.
I used to buy Timex and Casio and within a few months the crystal face would be all scratched to bubblegum as if I was living in a war zone.
6 years ago I bit the bullet and bought a Seiko, the metal parts are getting scratched up but the crystal face is still pristine.
Money well spent in my opinion.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Did some experimenting on the finish of the orange watch. Idea was to knock down the shiny cheap look. Maybe techniques could apply to some gun finishing as well I don't know.

Used grey scotch bright pad and very firm horizontal only motion to add brushed look to sides:
Before:

After:

Used #0000 to remove a bit of shine almost everywhere else. Used 1500 grit on the teeth of the bezel but #220 would have worked better as they are still too shiny I think. End result is it looks totally different in real life now vs before. Whatever alloy they use looks cheap. Now it looks more like steel. Watch is somewhat heavy not light btw, but much less heavy than if it were steel imo. These are like a $99 heritage revolver. You can monkey with the finish etc and if something gets screwed up no big loss compared to something valuable.

 

[Oxygen Mask]

Never been a watch guy. I now wear a Samsung Smart watch with cellphone capabilities, it's awesome.
Here's an LCD watch I had in high school. Probably bought in 1976. Band is engraved with girlfriend's name...

 

[Oxygen Mask]

Examples of my tastes in watches over the years.
The Ironman was my favorite for years, but the need for large print drove me to the Expedition, which was my beater work watch until I retired. Now I rarely wear a watch.

 

[thorborg]

I have a St. Regis pocket watch I bought in the local 5& dime store in 1959 for $1.00 ( their called dollar watches at the time) It still works and keeps good time as long as you wind it every day. if you believe the internet its now worth 65 to 200 dollars depending on condition and mine is really good.
I bought another dollar watch about 1970 in Washington near the border before entering Canada as I had forgotten mine at home and paid $3.50 for it. it was a Westinghouse black front. it also is still working well. but again, via the internet, its only worth about 20 bucks today.

 

[WAYNO]

I have a St. Regis pocket watch I bought in the local 5& dime store in 1959 for $1.00 ( their called dollar watches at the time) It still works and keeps good time as long as you wind it every day. if you believe the internet its now worth 65 to 200 dollars depending on condition and mine is really good.
I bought another dollar watch about 1970 in Washington near the border before entering Canada as I had forgotten mine at home and paid $3.50 for it. it was a Westinghouse black front. it also is still working well. but again, via the internet, its only worth about 20 bucks today.

I have drawers and boxes full of nearly every watch I ever owned since I was a kid, including a bunch of pocket watches. And most of them work fine. My tastes and needs have changed and I will likely never again wear or use any of them.
Lots of stuff for my kids to give to the GoodWill some day.

 

[JedB]

Correctamundo. The pagani design one is a bit of an odd duck. Omega partnered with swatch and made a plastic "Alaska project" watch. pagani design took the idea and enhanced it by making all metal, upgraded the crystal to ar coated saphire and surprisingly even added saphire on the bezel which is pretty rare. I always beat up the bezel so I like that. They have several colors. I think swatch owns omega but not sure. The swatch-omega plastic one is gross to my eye.

Omega is part of the Swatch Group and only one of their brands.
ETA movements (used by a LOT of companies and micro-brands) are part of Swatch.

Swatch
Omega
Blancpain

Click here for a full list: https://www.swatchgroup.com/en/brands-companies#1
Watch brands up and down the marketing and cost spectrum. Harry Winston, Breguet and Blancpain are serious $$$.

The collaborations (Swatch + Omega and Swatch + Blancpain) is serving the same role that the Porsche 914 did. It's a step up car from Swatch --> Higher end (margin) brands.

Pagani (IMO) is patterning after the Omega, just at a really good price point if you like aesthetics and function.

The other two cartels in watches are Richemont and LVMH (Louis Vuitton Möet Hennesey)

Richemont Group:

Our Maisons | Richemont

Richemont is the owner of prestigious Maisons, recognised for their excellence in jewellery, watches, fashion and accessories. They are renowned for their distinctive heritage, craftsmanship and creativity.

www.richemont.com

Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, A-Lange & Sohn, Panerai, Vacheron Constantin, IWC and Piaget

LVMH

https://www.lvmh.com/en/our-maisons/watches-jewelry

Louis Vuitton
Tag Heuer
Hublot

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Omega is part of the Swatch Group and only one of their brands.
ETA movements (used by a LOT of companies and micro-brands) are part of Swatch.

Swatch
Omega
Blancpain

Click here for a full list: https://www.swatchgroup.com/en/brands-companies#1
Watch brands up and down the marketing and cost spectrum. Harry Winston, Breguet and Blancpain are serious $$$.

The collaborations (Swatch + Omega and Swatch + Blancpain) is serving the same role that the Porsche 914 did. It's a step up car from Swatch --> Higher end (margin) brands.

Pagani (IMO) is patterning after the Omega, just at a really good price point if you like aesthetics and function.

The other two cartels in watches are Richemont and LVMH (Louis Vuitton Möet Hennesey)

Richemont Group:

Our Maisons | Richemont

Richemont is the owner of prestigious Maisons, recognised for their excellence in jewellery, watches, fashion and accessories. They are renowned for their distinctive heritage, craftsmanship and creativity.

www.richemont.com

Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, A-Lange & Sohn, Panerai, Vacheron Constantin, IWC and Piaget

LVMH

https://www.lvmh.com/en/our-maisons/watches-jewelry

Louis Vuitton
Tag Heuer
Hublot

Wow awesome info!

A-Lange & Sohn = amazing. Not a fan of Hublot at all.

 

[Medic!]

For a long time I just destroyed watches. They all ended up in the trash.


Just a tool that kept me from getting an article 15.