Timepieces

[MisterDangerPants]

Do it. Wears a bit larger than it's 38mm advertised size given the lug spacing. Totally a NATO strap watch that just begs to rotate through a dozen straps. Only complaint is the lume is pretty butt.

It's definitely on my radar, but I just picked up this, a Maratac Mid Central Second Pilot Automatic (2017).



Missed the boat when then were introduced last year so happy to finally have one on my wrist. Really love the design, especially the crown at 4 o'clock. No date. No branding. One of only 50 produced. At 39mm it's a bit larger than my go-to 36mm but I'll get used to it. It came with the original Maratac Zulu strap (which I actually like) but I'm going to replace that with a Hirsh or Isofrane rubber strap.

[NYCfixie]

I was invited to a Rolex event at a local jeweler and was able to try this on....

2018 Rolex GMT-Master II
Stainless steel, 40mm, new movement, 70 hour power reserve (previous one was 48 hours)

Thankfully it was a non-working sample otherwise I may have purchased it on the spot (and had to fight off 50 other people who also wanted it). I never liked the jubilee bracelet but it works really well on this timepiece. The watch wears really well on the wrist.

Attachment 108362

[choke]

I've had the Grand Seiko for a month now....and I'm just as enamored with it as I was the first day I put it on my wrist, if not more so. It does have a downside though....I think that the spring drive aspect has ruined me for most other watches. The spring drive second hand is so smooth and flowing that when I put on a normal mechanical watch I immediately notice the small jumps that the second hand makes. The effect lessens the longer I have the normal watch on but it never really goes away. It is not nearly as noticeable on a watch that has a seconds subdial since the hand is short.

I don't usually check my watches for accuracy but since that is one of the benefits of spring drive I did with this one; over the course of 30 days the watch gained 11 seconds.

[dpcompt]

Time to sell your Rolex watches and fund a new Daytona...

1977 Stainless/Gold Datejust @ $700 (2018 value of $700 in 1977 dollars = $2965).
2018 Stainless/Gold Datejust @ $10,500

1987 Gold President @ $7000 (2018 value of $7000 in 1977 = $15,616.90).
2018 Gold President @ $31,000

What I have found with my own Rolex watches (1994 Explorer II, 2000 Steel/Gold Datejust) is that I could sell them used for about same amount I bought them for originally (factoring present value of the dollar). Like you, I have serviced them over the years so while I could get my money out of the watches, the cost of ownership over the years would be the service cost. The issue is that it would cost twice as much as I would get out of my current watches to purchase the newer versions which seems foolish since mine have a personal history.

The used Rolex market does seems to be increasing as the cost of new watches keeps increasing exponentially.

And, not all Daytonas and Seamasters have increased in value more than the "regular" Rolex watches. They need to be very rare or have something special about them, to have increased enough for someone to pay $17m for "Paul Newman's" Paul Newman Daytona.

I was doing a little investigating on my Rolex President. I had the dates wrong. Mine has the easy adjust date and day adjust and I found out that that came out around 1990. Then my wife told me the story that I had just bought a 1990 Porsche Carrera 2 and she had already bought the watch.
Anyway, the watch, wholesale, is worth substantially more than she paid, almost double.Of course along the way, I have had it rebuilt. It still keeps perfect time.
My old '77 Date loses about a minute a week, but always has.

[Todd Amunrud]

Met master watchmaker Mr. Gudjonsson and picked up watch #1449 in the 101 series. 38mm.
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[GonaSovereign]

Met master watchmaker Mr. Gudjonsson and picked up watch #1449 in the 101 series. 38mm.
1AA3382F-2FAE-4AA3-89FE-402FE761E7E9.jpg
63C7CC37-A4B3-410D-BCD0-F24A6BDF3672.jpg

Very nice! How was the buying experience?

[Todd Amunrud]

It was wonderful. We didn’t plan any time in Reykjavik, but when it worked out we happened by his shop. I didn’t plan on going in to get a new timepiece, but my wife talked me into it. He showed me his shop, went through a few unique pieces such as the Icelandic worldcup watches for the players, and his hobby of repairing watches. He had a mid-sixties Omega on the bench for repair. A nice surprise to a great trip to Iceland.
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[NYCfixie]

Would you spend $1,000 MSRP on a Seiko Diver watch?
($800 from most authorized dealers who bring it in for Japan or about $675 from non-authorized dealers)

Sieko Prosepx SBDC053
Newer 6R15 movement
Newer and softer rubber strap
Blue bezel and blue dial

[MisterDangerPants]

Nothing special here but I really wanted one of these Yobokies so got this Seiko 5 (SNK809) 656 mod. Just a fun watch to wear mountain biking.

[Chris Chesebro]

Nothing special here but I really wanted one of these Yobokies so got this Seiko 5 (SNK809) 656 mod. Just a fun watch to wear mountain biking.

Great for riding.

I have one of these, and use it for the same thing. A great watch.

Hamilton1-Natural.jpg

[Blue Jays]

“...but I really wanted one of these Yobokies so got this Seiko 5 (SNK809) 656 mod...”

Holy SINN lookalike! Congratulations on the new acquisition.

[MisterDangerPants]

Great for riding. I have one of these, and use it for the same thing. A great watch.

Yeah, the Hamilton has been on my radar since they were introduced. @theflashunc mentioned he picked up one earlier in this thread. I really dig manual wind watches and this is a super nice example.

Holy SINN lookalike! Congratulations on the new acquisition.

Indeed! I do like the Sinn 656 but I like this better because, like my recent Maratac acquisition, it has no branding, no date and the crown is at 4 o'clock. I wear my watch right at the top of my (skinny) wrist so the crown placement makes it far more comfortable. Anyway, going to pick up a WatchGecko ZuluDiver 1-piece rubber strap for it soon.

[DOOFUS]

got me a Timex at the CVS

it's got a big hand and a little hand and a second hand and everything

[GonaSovereign]

Would you spend $1,000 MSRP on a Seiko Diver watch?
($800 from most authorized dealers who bring it in for Japan or about $675 from non-authorized dealers)

Sieko Prosepx SBDC053
Newer 6R15 movement
Newer and softer rubber strap
Blue bezel and blue dial

Yes.
...but it depends what you want it for.
Seiko makes amazing watches at all price points, and the divers are very nice (and some legendary).

I've got a couple vintage Seikos that are more sentimental than anything else, but even the cheapish quartz is fantastic. I've got my eye on a Lord Marvel, which has the movement they later put in the Grand Seiko.

[Jklash]

Would you spend $1,000 MSRP on a Seiko Diver watch?
($800 from most authorized dealers who bring it in for Japan or about $675 from non-authorized dealers)

Sieko Prosepx SBDC053
Newer 6R15 movement
Newer and softer rubber strap
Blue bezel and blue dial

I would for sure. I tried it on when I was in Tokyo this spring and if I hadn’t been able to track down a discontinued MarineMaster at one of the last places I looked, I would’ve probably bought one of those instead.

[NYCfixie]

After ordering and trying on the new Seiko "Samurai Pepsi" SRPB53, I was concerned that it was even wider and deeper than my "ceramic" Rolex Submariner Date. I returned the SRPB53 because it was just too big on the wrist (for me).



The Sieko Prosepx SBDC053 I mentioned earlier in the thread appears, by the measurements, even bigger than the Pepsi Samurai which would make it enormous by comparison. It is finished so much better and uses a better movement than the Samurai models which is why it costs almost double. My concern is that it would not even fit under a dress shirt. I would really like to have it but I am not sure it is practical for anything due to its size.

Yes.
...but it depends what you want it for.
Seiko makes amazing watches at all price points, and the divers are very nice (and some legendary).

I've got a couple vintage Seikos that are more sentimental than anything else, but even the cheapish quartz is fantastic. I've got my eye on a Lord Marvel, which has the movement they later put in the Grand Seiko.

I would for sure. I tried it on when I was in Tokyo this spring and if I hadn’t been able to track down a discontinued MarineMaster at one of the last places I looked, I would’ve probably bought one of those instead.

Would you spend $1,000 MSRP on a Seiko Diver watch?
($800 from most authorized dealers who bring it in for Japan or about $675 from non-authorized dealers)

Sieko Prosepx SBDC053
Newer 6R15 movement
Newer and softer rubber strap
Blue bezel and blue dial

[prcrstn8]

IMG_7989.jpg

[Matthew Strongin]

Nice Carrera.

[Jklash]

Both are going to be a bit larger than the Sub, which is actually a little on the small side of modern dive watches. I have a Pelagos and a MarineMaster 300 and both work just fine for me, but YMMV. I think the smaller case, lack of crown guards, and 20mm lug width of the SPB051/53 mean that it will probably wear a little smaller than the Samurai, but it will sit a touch higher on your wrist. However, in practice I find a 5mm difference pretty hard to detect without breaking out the calipers.

Watch Comp Chart.JPG

[NYCfixie]

Thanks so much for the specs.

My younger brother collects the Seiko divers (under $500) so that is what got me looking at them but I did not realize how big they are relative to other watches I already have (40mm SubDate, 36mm DateJust, 40mm Explorer II).

Both are going to be a bit larger than the Sub, which is actually a little on the small side of modern dive watches. I have a Pelagos and a MarineMaster 300 and both work just fine for me, but YMMV. I think the smaller case, lack of crown guards, and 20mm lug width of the SPB051/53 mean that it will probably wear a little smaller than the Samurai, but it will sit a touch higher on your wrist. However, in practice I find a 5mm difference pretty hard to detect without breaking out the calipers.

Watch Comp Chart.JPG