Timepieces

[NYCfixie]

I'll take the other side. Nothing wrong with "spoiling" a good kid. I disagree with the sentiments about buying oneself or getting as a gift from parents. I bot my first Rolex when I was 22. I flipped it into a different one a couple of years later and sold that one too. I can guarantee that if my old man had the means to buy me one it would still be on my wrist today.

I plan to let both my boys pick a watch from my collection when they graduate from college. And I hope they will pass them forward to their kids. I know heirlooms are a different conversation but heirlooms have to start somewhere. Why not start with a gift to your well deserving son??

Because helicopters parents of old have turned into a worse version today known as snowplow parents who do everything for their kids and then these same kids have no coping skills when things get difficult. And as the OP already suggested, odds are the kid is going to make significantly more income than his parents so he could easily afford it for himself.

***** this is not a statement about the OP but rather a generalized statement about society (which make not make it any better).

[funcrusher]

Because helicopters parents of old have turned into a worse version today known as snowplow parents who do everything for their kids and then these same kids have no coping skills when things get difficult. And as the OP already suggested, odds are the kid is going to make significantly more income than his parents so he could easily afford it for himself.

***** this is not a statement about the OP but rather a generalized statement about society (which make not make it any better).

Dude...do you even have kids? For starters, don't take parenting advice from strangers on a fukin bike forum. And certainly not from someone without kids. I would certainly take bike advice from some members here (well not yours...your seven with mid reach blah blah blah makes my eyes rain)

I wasn't making a generalized statement. I didn't say every parent should buy rolexes for their kids. OP's kid sounds like a good egg and I was simply supporting the gesture.

[AngryScientist]

President's Day! (OK a day late...)

It's long, but good article to browse on the watches of the US Presidents.


Historical Perspectives: Your Complete Guide To The Watches Of United States Presidents (Updated Yet Again) - HODINKEE

[Blue Jays]

An athletic friend of mine arrived at a group run with a gigantic analog G-Shock with virtually no cluttering subdials.
Casio must be listening! I did not get a chance to learn the specifics model number, yet that was very good to see. :-)

[dgaddis]

An athletic friend of mine arrived at a group run with a gigantic analog G-Shock with virtually no cluttering subdials.
Casio must be listening! I did not get a chance to learn the specifics model number, yet that was very good to see. :-)

Possibly a GA-2100, which does have subdials and other stuff, but is pretty unobtrusive.

Robot Check

[Blue Jays]

That is a good one you referenced, @dgaddis. Very nice. I love that nice simplicity.
Hers was big. Maybe 47mm or possibly bigger. Watch had twin prongs on the strap.
I am going to have to scour the Casio website to see if I can find it (or similar) models.

[AngryScientist]

haha, good luck!

been there.

there are SO many models of g-shocks that it can be maddening to find which one you've got in mind.

[GonaSovereign]

Possibly a GA-2100, which does have subdials and other stuff, but is pretty unobtrusive.

Robot Check

That's the Casio "Royal Oak." It's kind of neat.
Neater than the actual fake Royal Oak....which I admit is a little bit neat, too.

[bbattle]

The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is the real deal, with a deadly serious price to match:

Audemars Piguet - Watch Browser

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only $20,400

[Blue Jays]

"...The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is the real deal..."

That is a sweet watch. A prolific collector of this fantastic brand is Arnold Schwarzenegger. He has many of them.

[funcrusher]

Possibly a GA-2100, which does have subdials and other stuff, but is pretty unobtrusive.

Robot Check

The MSRP on that watch is $99! The markups are stupid right. Supposedly ramping production again in March with wider availability in May. Casio did launch some new color variants the other day, but I'm holding out for the stealth black

[dgaddis]

Well, the deed is done, the titanium is ground down, and I now have a quick adjust clasp on my Oceanus. Did all the work with a Work Sharp knife sharpener (it's basically a tiny belt sander) and used a dremel to trim back some material on the clasp bracket. I did it Friday night after everyone else in the house was in the bed and I could work as slowly as needed with no distractions...did NOT want to screw this up. Put on some tunes and went slow slow slow. Took about 1hr 45mins. Only thing needed now is a shorter spring bar to connect the modified bracelet link to the modified clasp bracket, and it should be here today, I ordered it last week.

Super happy with how this turned out.

The new clasp has three positions on it, with a total adjustment range of about 2/3rds of a link (guessing, I haven't measured it). The one on my Citizen is a ratcheting mechanism, so to tighten it you just push the bracelet into the clasp, you don't need to hit the buttons, you only use the buttons to release it. The Oceanus clasp doesn't ratchet, so you have to use the buttons to tighten or loosen it, I imagine it'll be a bit more fiddly to do on the fly than the Citizen.

New clasp with some measurements.


New clasp on the left, stock piece on the right.


Stock piece.


New piece - it's got more curve to it.


To make sure I kept everything centered I worked one side at a time, on this piece that meant removing 1mm on each side.


Both sides done, with the stock collar in place. I filled it down too.


Snug as a bug in a rug.


I rounded off the corners on the underside too to make sure it's comfortable.


On the other side I modified the bracelet link, took 1/2mm off each side right at the spring bar.


My bracelet is apparently a hair thicker than the bracelet the new clasp is designed around, so I had to modify this bracket too (this is what the modified link in the previous picture connects to). This is mostly stock, I had already it it with the dremel just a a bit and then remembered I forgot to get a pic.


And here it is done-ish. I cleaned it up a bit after I took this pic. But it's funtionally good as seen here.


So, that's it, now just waiting on that spring bar to get here.

[dashDustin]

Laco Frankfurt GMT

– Windup Watch Shop

Laco Frankfurt GMT...totally doing it for me. I'm on a grey/ orange kick lately.

[NYCfixie]

Laco Frankfurt GMT

– Windup Watch Shop

Laco Frankfurt GMT...totally doing it for me. I'm on a grey/ orange kick lately.

It's nice but the 43mm size (and the unnecessary extra crown and movable 24hr rehaut) kill it for me. make it 40mm and print the 24 hour scale on the dial and call it done.

[dashDustin]

It's nice but the 43mm size (and the unnecessary extra crown and movable 24hr rehaut) kill it for me.

i'm torn on the size. my IWC Mark XVIII at 40mm felt really small. but i know it's not. the Pelagos at 42mm feels monstrous. but i know it's not. i think case thickness alters my perception of size quite a bit.

[NYCfixie]

i'm torn on the size. my IWC Mark XVIII at 40mm felt really small. but i know it's not. the Pelagos at 42mm feels monstrous. but i know it's not. i think case thickness alters my perception of size quite a bit.

Watch sizing similar to tire size is a funny thing. And, I agree about case thickness altering perception of size.

My original 40mm Explorer II 16570 felt smaller than its stated size but my 42mm Explorer II 216570 feels bigger than its stated size. Although, at only 12.5mm thick even the new one isn't as big as some perceive it to be (me included). Meaning, the 42mm would feel and wear much bigger but the "thin" case size makes it just right.

Another interesting data point is the new gold/steel Sea Dweller. When I tried it on, I assumed it would be a monster at 43mm but in fact it did not wear big. It is because the case is not that thick and Rolex made the bracelet width wider, where it meets the case, so it is not as top heavy as the previous generation Sea Dweller.

[Blue Jays]

I think my preference for watch case size increases to directly match the aging of my eyes. LOL!

[NYCfixie]

I think my preference for watch case size increases to directly match the aging of my eyes. LOL!

Again, I agree in that for me it is watches with cyclops so I can actually read the date.

The 42mm Explorer II has a different movement than the earlier 40mm version and the current GMT Master II which results in a bigger dial and bigger date window. Pair that with a cyclops and I should be good with the upcoming mid-century mark and thereafter.

[dgaddis]

Spring bar is in, and the clasp swap is complete! I need to take a link out of the bracelet, but the clasp swap is complete.

Wide open.


As tight as it goes. There's also a spot in the middle.


Score.

[NYCfixie]

Last chance if a VSaloner wants this before it goes to eBay. The few, with the less expensive Seiko movement, that have sold on eBay have gone for $100 over the Kickstarter price. I have the more expensive selita movement (better movement and also thinner watch) and just want to get my money out of it so I would sell to a VSaloner at my cost (Kickstarter early bird pricing).

PM if interested.

The Hamtun Kraken H2 finally arrived on Saturday.
- It looks great.
- It wears well.
- It's titanium.
- It has a 60 click ball bearing bezel action (most watches are 120 and use a cheaper click spring).
- It comes with a very nice 2 watch leather pouch.
- Mine has the upgraded swiss Selita sw200 movement (and slimmer case) which was an added cost (about $125US).
- Mine has the included, on kickstarter only, rubber strap with titanium clasp ($45US extra on the sold out Indiegogo listing)
- It's for sale (if someone wants it on VSalon before it goes to eBay for much more money) in the brand new, un-adjusted, no links removed or touched, with plastic and stickers still on it state.

I waited so long for it that I am unfortunately already over it. I have just under $500 into it due to the upgraded movement. If you view the Kickstarter campaign you will learn that this was one of the most, if not the most, successful watch campaigns ever. Even the Indiegogo listing (after kickstarter) has sold out and it was listed for $515 (not including extra rubber strap at $45). Again, not trying to make a profit here but rather trying to do something nice for another VSaloner before it goes to eBay. PM if interested.



*****Sticker is still on the face of the watch which is why some dust is showing. The dust is on the sticker and not inside the crystal and/or on the dial.