Timepieces

[AngryScientist]

- Oris Aquis Titanium, is a 50/50 keeper/sell

I have an Aquis and like it a lot, but one thing i dont like about it is the nonstandard strap/band lugs, so you are stuck with official Oris bands. What diameter is yours??

[randonneur]

- Need to sell a few

I've got a few I'd like to sell as well. Any recommendations on where to sell some entry level watches (Long Island SKX & Seiko solar quartz type watches)

[NYCfixie]

I have an Aquis and like it a lot, but one thing i dont like about it is the nonstandard strap/band lugs, so you are stuck with official Oris bands. What diameter is yours??

43.5mm because anything else looks puny on my 7.5" wrist. I really like the Aquis and the bands/straps do not bother me because the on the fly adjustment clasp is great. I just can't see the date anymore without reading glasses. At least the ProPilot has a bigger date wheel which seems weird and annoying because they use the same Selita sw200 movement. Why do watch companies and movement makers stick with date wheels/windows that are so damn small?

I've got a few I'd like to sell as well. Any recommendations on where to sell some entry level watches (Long Island SKX & Seiko solar quartz type watches)

I often just suck it up and list on eBay and don't care how long it takes to sell. I am not a member of any free/public watch content related forums because I do not want to deal with the regular a$$holes who post on them but that is often a good place to sell watches of all price points. I recently joined a paid private Discord but it has not been worthwhile because they are all watch aficionados/collectors who only want the most pristine examples of even the watches you mention but will not pay more than 50% of retail. And so far, the rest of the Discord is not that great either. What I learned is that when it started about 2 years ago they had to turn people away after 200 members but many left so they barely have 100 and are opening it back up to the general public which could turn it into no better than other places with lots of a$$holes.

[AngryScientist]

I've got a few I'd like to sell as well. Any recommendations on where to sell some entry level watches (Long Island SKX & Seiko solar quartz type watches)

watchuseek forums are pretty active across the board watch sales. That's a good place to start.

[AngryScientist]

Why do watch companies and movement makers stick with date wheels/windows that are so damn small?

Ha,

These days, since I have a number of watches I wear occasionally I prefer no date, as if I'm setting a watch I know I'm not going to be wearing for very long, I dont bother to set the date, so chances are if you see me wearing a watch with a date display - it will be wrong :)

I suppose I'm just getting old, but I dont really understand discord. I watched that little video above, and it strikes me as a bad deal to pay either $75 or $150 for a year to be part of a discussion board. I dont know anything about that dude above, but he seems like he thinks he is more important than he is, but what do i know :)

I have bought many high/mid/low end watches used over the years, mostly from the free forums out there. I was very active on rolexforums years ago, and there used to be just a great group of guys over there. even did a lunch with them in NYC one day. fun times. I'm mostly out of the watch game now though, discretionally funds are channeled elsewhere :)

[NYCfixie]

Ha,

These days, since I have a number of watches I wear occasionally I prefer no date, as if I'm setting a watch I know I'm not going to be wearing for very long, I dont bother to set the date, so chances are if you see me wearing a watch with a date display - it will be wrong :)

I suppose I'm just getting old, but I dont really understand discord. I watched that little video above, and it strikes me as a bad deal to pay either $75 or $150 for a year to be part of a discussion board. I dont know anything about that dude above, but he seems like he thinks he is more important than he is, but what do i know :)

I have bought many high/mid/low end watches used over the years, mostly from the free forums out there. I was very active on rolexforums years ago, and there used to be just a great group of guys over there. even did a lunch with them in NYC one day. fun times. I'm mostly out of the watch game now though, discretionally funds are channeled elsewhere :)

If I wear a watch, I want it to have at least one complication (aka function other than time telling) but that unfortunately limits me to watches with cyclops. The only one that works for me (for now) without a cyclops is the Oris ProPilot Big Crown Big Date which unfortunately is out at service due to the dreaded "malfunctioning reversing wheels" ETA/clone issue. (stock pic of mine below)

I have never been on Discord until now. The price is a donation to him and he uses those funds to purchase watches to loan out, give out schwag, and a few other administrative things but I do not think he actually makes any money after all his expenses. He has a good YouTube following at about 75k subs and is much less annoying than most other watch YouTubers. I still stand by my original assessment that I think his Discord is not worth the price because there is more engagement about watches in this thread on a bike forum that on that watch Discord. It is great for wristshot pics, new release info, and the occasional special discount code but to me it is not worth the price of entry (that I already paid for 2023 and was given early access). I will not renew for 2024.

I still do the watch thing with two of my brothers who are also into watches but thankfully it consumes less of my time and money these days. I joined several forums a few years ago (bikes, scooters, motorcycles, pens, watches, and clothing/shoes/etc.) but I am really only an active member here. I realized I do not have the time, desire, or wherewithal to be an active participant on all of them though I found the watch forums to have the most annoying and combative know-it-alls.

[MisterDangerPants]

Okay, it's been awhile, but thought I'd share my two most recent purchases.

In the past couple years I became interested in the G-Shock series from Casio because they're pretty cool and they remind me of the 1980s (I'm 57). Specifically, I like the solar-powered atomic versions because the batteries last for several years and they're synched every night with a signal from Fort Collins, Colorado so they're super accurate. A few years ago I picked up my first "square", a yellow 30th anniversary model (see last photo). It's pre-owned though the original owner took very good care of it (and rarely wore it) so it looks brand new. Since then, I've been looking to pick up a Japanese-made version and as luck would have it, a buddy of mine buddy was in Tokyo on business earlier this year so I asked him if he'd purchase one there for me and he obliged (I was there in 2018 but didn't pick up any watches). Woohoo! The Japanese version is heavier than the non-Japanese counterpart (74g vs 57g) and I can really feel the difference on my wrist. You do pay a premium for these but I feel they're worth it and consider this a lifetime watch. Oh, and that Mattel Football I game, I've had that since new, like 1982 or so. It still workes great. It was actually included as part of the games at my wedding back in 2010. ❤️









Super psyched I picked up this NOS 2017 Maratac Mid Pilot Central Second Swiss Quartz (whew!)! ⌚️ It’s from an estate sale and came with the original taco case and NATO strap (got it on eBay). It also came with a cool compass too. 🧭 This is my 3rd Maratac Mid Pilot, had an automatic and still have an earlier quartz with a red crown. If I had to pick a favorite watch from my humble collection, it would be this watch. It has an offset crown, which I prefer, and features a sterile clean dial with no branding or date. 👍 Accuracy is spot on since I picked it up last month. The ISA 9500 - 1010 Swiss movement is known for its accuracy so no big surprise there. 39mm is a little larger than I prefer but it looks really good on my tiny wrist!







Finally, I'm waiting for my Redux Titanium Valor watch (Gr5 Raw Titanium, Miyota 90S5 Movement, X1 Superluminova Lume Upgrade, Paratrooper Watch Strap) that I backed on KickStarter way back in May of 2021. It's similar to the Maratac, and thought it would be a nice addition. Was hoping to get it by the end of 2022 but looks like that's not going to happen.

[72gmc]

Always liked the look of the Maratacs.

Good to hear from you, Mr. Dangerpants! That Mattel game brings back memories of ski season road trips. If you didn’t score every possession, you lost.

[dgaddis]

The Japanese version is heavier than the non-Japanese counterpart (74g vs 57g) and I can really feel the difference on my wrist. You do pay a premium for these but I feel they're worth it and consider this a lifetime watch. Oh, and that Mattel Football I game, I've had that since new, like 1982 or so. It still workes great. It was actually included as part of the games at my wedding back in 2010. ❤️

Very nice! That's a GW-5000U, what many square nerds would call the 'ultimate square' because it has a steel case (like the OG models had back in the early 80's) with a higher-than-normal-quality resin bezel and strap compared to the normal all-resin squares.

The square to the right in the 2nd photo is another square-nerd favorite, the GW-S5600 which is "famous" for being the lightest G-Shock (45g) and for it's carbon-fiber infused strap made by Miz...something, I forget, they make sports gear as well. The watch is lighter because the caseback is titanium as are the screws that hold it on and maybe the buttons as well. The carbon strap is actually heavier than a normal resin strap, but it's far more durable. But it's also got some graphics and that give it a very Fast & Furious vibe that I'm personally not a big fan of.

I actually have a GW-S5600 myself, but I swapped the bezel out for a plain black one (instead of the glossy smokey grey semi-transparent piece it comes with) and ditched the carbon strap in favor of the resin bracelet offered on a few other square models. The carbon strap is stiff and way too long for my wrist, I hate having that excess strap poking out. Plus, the bracelet is just so comfortable, and the way the endlinks fit the case and immediately turn down means the watch fits my wrist as if it were made specifically for my wrist - it's easily the most comfortable watch I own. The bracelet is obviously heavier than a strap since it has a bunch of steel spring bars in it, so mine weighs in at a whooping 67g now haha.

[froze]

I would go with the Lunar Pilot over the Marine Star, but if the aesthetics click for you, get it.

Solid quartz movements in those from Bulova. They've steered hard into quality quartz movements at that price, and the only knock I've read on their quartz chronos with that high frequency movement is the size. They make for some chonky boi watches, but they work.

Well, I happen to find a Lunar Pilot limited edition that was on sale at Macy's, with discounts applied I got for cheaper than anywhere on the internet including grey market retailers, I paid $421 for it, it was a bit less expensive than what they call the fabric band (sort of looked like carbon fiber)/, mine came with a cheaper polyester band, which is ok since I plan on getting a black true NATO style band for it; and so far it's extremely nice, the second-hand sweeps instead of tick every second like the Marine Star did, fools you in looking more like automatic rather than a quartz job when it runs.

I did get to see the Marine Star at Macy's and it is a beautiful-looking watch, but I decided to get something built a bit more rugged, it did cost more than I had planned on spending but I think it was the better watch, and from what I've read before I got it, and it supposedly has one of the best quartz movements you can find, watch reviews of that Lunar watch said it was worth far more than they charge for it, I guess I'll find out how good it is, it definitely has more heft to it than the Marine Star, and the buttons on it are far better, plus it has a sapphire crystal instead of a mineral crystal that the Marine Star has.

Thanks for your help guys.

[j44ke]

I would go with the Lunar Pilot over the Marine Star, but if the aesthetics click for you, get it.

Solid quartz movements in those from Bulova. They've steered hard into quality quartz movements at that price, and the only knock I've read on their quartz chronos with that high frequency movement is the size. They make for some chonky boi watches, but they work.

Kind of like this in a radioactive orange sort of way.

[SlowPokePete]

Kind of like this in a radioactive orange sort of way.

Plus it'll match your new hat.

SPP

[j44ke]

Plus it'll match your new hat.

SPP

I know. It is infectious. I've got an orange pocket knife now too. Plus all the Stihl tools in the garage. I always know where they are though. There are a couple pocket knives somewhere on the property that aren't orange. I'll find them one day.

Maybe I just need an orange watchband.

[NYCfixie]

Kind of like this in a radioactive orange sort of way.

If you get it, do not pay retail (for any Alpina/Bulova/Citizen). You can often buy them new with warranty and at least 25% off via the Citizen Outlet store at Woodbury Commons (or any local Citizen outlet store). They will also ship for only $20. I have a contact who will give you another 10% off if you ask nicely. And yes, I have spent way too much money there over the past few months.

As for the actual watch, the Orange is amazing and even more neon/brighter then Seiko orange dials. It wears well on small and average sized wrists. It looks better in-person too.

Maybe I just need an orange watchband.

https://www.blusharkstraps.com/searc...tion&q=orange*

[72gmc]

I have an orange maratac NATO strap for each of my watches. I also have black and olive options, but the orange straps draw the “I like your watch” comments. Pretty sure the strap is what they really like.

[j44ke]

I was looking at the Maratac silicone deployment bands - I don't like the extra tail on bands with buckles - but the orange one is never in stock. And ZuluDiver band prices are a bit too steep.

[72gmc]

Yeah, I like the NATOs for comfort and fit but the extra tail makes it a bit of a lump inside a cuff.

[dgaddis]

I was looking at the Maratac silicone deployment bands - I don't like the extra tail on bands with buckles - but the orange one is never in stock. And ZuluDiver band prices are a bit too steep.

That's a generic Chinese thing that is sold in lots of places. I had one and couldn't get it to fit my wrist right (I'm picky about fit tho, I want it juuuust right), and the clasp is really cheap and flimsy.

Yeah, I like the NATOs for comfort and fit but the extra tail makes it a bit of a lump inside a cuff.

Cut the keeper strap off to turn it into a single pass strap, and wear it so the hardware is all on the underside of your wrist, and tuck the excess strap back under the keepers again. Makes for a super low profile set up, it's the only way I wear NATOs.

But my favorite straps are the Erika's Originals. They're expensive as crap for a fabric strap, but, they're worth it to me because they're custom made to your wrist size so the double layer fits perfectly on the underside of your wrist, you can pick the strap style (color), the accent line color, the stitching color, and the buckle finish. Plus you can easily adjust the fit a smidge tighter or looser, you don't have to pick between two holes, you just adjust the hardware position. You have to take the spring bars out to install them, but they're great. Nice thin low-profile set up too.

Single pass NATO:



Erika's strap:

[Mabouya]

Cut the keeper strap off to turn it into a single pass strap, and wear it so the hardware is all on the underside of your wrist, and tuck the excess strap back under the keepers again.

Dustin, maybe I don't understand what you're saying here, but why not just cut the excess end of the strap off (leaving as much as you desire past the keeper(s) and melt it with a candle? That way you don't have to mess with tucking it back every time you put the watch on.

[vertical_doug]

Smash and Grab Watch Thefts Threaten Brands From Rolex to Patek
2022-12-09 09:00:00.0 GMT


By Andy Hoffman, Eamon Akil Farhat and Samy Adghirni
(Bloomberg) -- Brittany Pearce doesn’t wear her beloved
Rolex Daytona anymore. At least not in public.
The UK-based YouTuber, whose watch-focused channel boasts
more than 40,000 subscribers, put away her $14,000 timepiece
after an incident in which she was followed around a store by a
customer who had clearly “clocked” her watch. Pearce feared she
was about to become another victim of luxury watch theft.
“It’s just turned me right off the Daytona,” said Pearce,
who moonlights as a youth minister for the Church of England.
“It’s kind of sad because it’s a watch I really love.”
She’s not the only collector worried about unwanted – and
potentially dangerous – attention. Reports of high-end watch
robberies, many of them violent, are soaring in cities around
the world. That threatens not only consumers, but also the
roughly 100 blue-chip Swiss brands whose sales could take a hit
if wearing one of their watches suddenly feels scary.
While there are no national statistics on watch theft,
authorities in major cities have reported spikes. London’s
Metropolitan Police Service launched an operation this summer to
address the problem after the number of knife-point robberies
surged 60% between May and June. In Paris, a police taskforce
dedicated to stopping luxury watch theft has grown to 30 agents.
“This is a top priority for us, and we have already made a
number of arrests,” said London Detective Chief Superintendent
Owain Richards.
“No one should have to go about their day in fear of
thieves,” he added.
In London, police data shows that 667 Rolex watches were
lifted between January and September. And in an unfortunate
twist on their slogan, “you never truly own a Patek Philippe,”
73 of the luxury Swiss brand’s watches were stolen in the
English capital between the start of the year and September, up
from 60 over the same period last year.
Robberies aren’t only happening on the streets. Last week,
England football star Raheem Sterling rushed home from Qatar
after an armed burglary at his house near London, where it seems
a $365,940 (£300,000) watch collection was a target. English
cycling pro Mark Cavendish also had two Richard Mille watches
stolen during a burglary of his Essex home last year.
In a sense, watchmakers are victims of their own success.
As social media influencers have made six-figure watches more
recognizable, thieves have learned which high-end accessories
are worth making off with. In 2022, the average price of a
luxury watch stolen in London was around £9,000, up from between
£4,000 and £5,000 in previous years, according to police data.
“When you have a watch like a Richard Mille or an [Audemars
Piguet] Royal Oak, [thieves] instantly recognize it,” said
Oliver Mueller, head of the Swiss watch consultancy group
LuxeConsult. “They’ve seen it on Instagram.”
This lifestyle trend has played into a darker phenomenon:
YouTube is now filled with security camera footage and bystander
videos of people being violently assaulted for their expensive
timepieces. In one clip, a robber rides a moped alongside a
luxury car, then smashes the car’s window with a hammer to steal
the driver’s watch. In another, a couple are attacked during the
day in a posh part of London.
Collectors have taken notice. “It’s a very bad, very bad
image. I don’t know if wealthy people will wear fewer watches,
but they are getting more careful,” Mueller said.
So far, luxury watch sales have remained relatively strong,
although prices for the most sought-after Rolex, Patek and
Audemars Piguet watches have been falling sharply since March on
the secondary market. Last year, Swiss watch exports rose to a
record 22.3 billion francs ($24.1 billion), according to the
Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry, and are on course to
break records again in 2022.
For now, watchmakers are keeping an eye on how crime
affects sales.
“We are very much aware of the problem,” Rolex said in
response to Bloomberg News queries. The Geneva-based watch giant
controls almost 29% of the luxury Swiss watch market, according
to Morgan Stanley estimates, and its annual sales total around
$8.5 billion (8 billion Swiss francs).
Spokespeople for Patek Phillipe and Audemars Piguet, the
maker of the Royal Oak, also said the issue was “of concern,”
but declined to comment on how or whether they’re addressing it.
Europeans aren’t the only ones on edge: the Los Angeles
County Sheriff’s Department said the region saw 206 thefts
involving at least one watch valued at $5,000 or more from the
start of the year until mid-November. That marks a nearly 30%
increase from the same period in 2021. Police have blamed the
crimes on organized gangs and advised residents to avoid wearing
expensive jewelry in public.
“We are definitely seeing examples of robberies and thefts
of luxury watches taking place across North America,” Tannie Ng,
a senior underwriter for luxury collections at Chubb Ltd., said
in an interview.
The return of international travel has likely contributed
to the problem. Ng described a situation in which a client flew
to Paris for a wedding and was relieved of his Patek Philippe
Aquanaut in a daytime mugging.
Luckily, Ng said, the client was fully insured and had even
updated his policy to reflect the $145,000 market value of the
watch – a nice windfall from the $40,000 retail price he had
paid for it several years earlier.
In response to such incidents, French law enforcement has
put more effort into winding down watch theft.
According to Paris police commissioner Julien Herbaut,
luxury watch robbery fell by 44% this summer in comparison to
the year before, despite a major increase in tourists. His team
caught 175 watch thieves between January and August, up from 85
over the same period in 2021.
“Our investigators have a very sharp knowledge of those
criminals and how they operate,” said Herbaut, noting that the
less experienced a thief, the more violent a robbery tends to
be.
Without naming specific brands, the commissioner said that
French police are in constant dialogue with top Swiss
watchmakers – as well as law enforcement officials in Italy and
Spain – to share intelligence about stolen goods and the illegal
resale market.
“Word is spreading among these criminals that the theft of
watches is not worth it,” he remarked.
For now, many collectors remain reluctant to wear their
prized timepieces out on the town.
Adrian Barker, a YouTuber with 244,000 subscribers and co-
host of a watch podcast called “About Effing Time,” said he has
become more careful about flashing his collection. He keeps his
favorite watches – including a gold-and-steel two-tone Rolex GMT
Master II – at home in Scotland, just to be safe.
But he also travels frequently to London. For those trips,
Barker has a backup plan: he wears an Apple watch.

--With assistance from Sarah McGregor.