Timepieces

[lavi]

a co-worker of mine was sporting a nice watch once...i complimented him. he responded "it's a timepiece, not a watch." since then, the term "timepiece" has been sort of a joke to me.

Yup. With the frame of mind (pun intended), the next time someone says, "nice bike" to me...I'm going to respond, "it's not a bike, it's a velocipede you cretin".

[Too Tall]

Vote for a sea-dweller. I got mine 7 years ago and it has been flawless despite constant use and rough treatment.

Just read up on your "timepiece" wink wink. I'd wear that :)

"Real" watches do it for me. I could never wear a battery operated watch and never have. A windup is the logical next move for me. Ha ha at least my rate of consumption is less than bicycles. One new watch every 6 or 7 yrs. will never compare to my bicycle herd ;)

[Blue Jays]

How I love the IWC Ingeniuer models!
It would look so darn snappy next to my IWC Portuguese 3714.
Then again, an IWC Aquatimer would be cool on a bike.

[friedtongue]

While it lacks the "day" function, I really like my Omega Seamaster Pro for everyday wear. I tend to be rough on watches but this one has held up well (I've had it for years). It's basically a "Bond" model but with a polished bezel, so slightly more acceptable for socializing. The Ref # is 2532.80. I really enjoy it when people that are used to "disposable" watches ask to check it out; comparatively it weighs a "ton". They tend to consider it as a weapon. If I wanted to spend more money I would definitely consider the same watch in titanium/rose gold. It's a beautiful watch. And I love the Speedmasters; just haven't felt the urge to pull the trigger.

Attachment 13423

I have that same watch, its awesome and bomb proof

[Brandon White]

I have a Panerai PAM005. It's a manual and I got a decent buy on it. They don't discount them too heavily but got a couple of straps thrown in by the seller (Shreve in Palo Alto).

I don't baby it at all and have slammed it's face on plenty of surfaces and it's been really durable and wears really well. I don't ride with it because it just doesn't make sense to do so. Maintenance (authorized at least) can be pricey and recommended yearly, but I've had mine for 2.5 years and it still runs as true as the day I bought it.

That being said, I considered selling it to buy a new frame, but figured I could afford the frame without selling it so it wouldn't be a good idea. Panerais are still a little hard to come by.

I also have a Baume & Mercier (Hampton model) which is also a great watch for the money. If I was to buy a new watch, I'd get a Speedmaster or a JLC Master Compressor. I don't know if I could drop that much money again though, especially with only having one (soon to be two) bikes.

[92degrees]

I've loved PAMs and IWCs. I don't understand how it always swings to PAMs, etc, when someone says they have a max budget of $1K.

[Wheelwright]

I know this is way off topic for a bike forum, but I cannot resist. Good luck, enjoy.

If you must do Rolex - Sea Dweller, but get a non-metal band for the thing. SD is the only one that is fully ruggedized and lives up to its reputation. In a field test, SD & Panerai were the only automatics that survived the tests/came out equivalently on top.

Panerai - Luminor Marina together with B&R below has the best visual field of any quality watch. Go with the stainless, "left hander fit" built for wearing on the right wrist, use it on the left wrist like normal and the crown points toward your forearm and does not dig into the back of your hand on the bike. They come in a couple of different sizes . . . big and bigger. Like all my suggestions . . . bomb proof . . . go with the rubber dive band. I wear mine whitewater kayaking where is gets bashed up against rocks, so I can attest to its ruggedness.

Bell & Ross - Hydromax. Similar case to the watch B&R designed for bomb squad professionals only this is their professional dive version . . . kindof redundant to say . . . bomb proof . . . It is filled with silicone gel liquid for extra impact and pressure resistance which requires a Quartz movement but enables it to function at a depth of 11,100m. The crown is offset by 45 degrees so that it does not dig into the back of your hand while riding, spear fishing, welding, or de-fusing bombs. Quartz movement keeps the afficionados away, but it rocks, and fits easily under barrel or french cuffs. Oh yeah, and it is the lightest of the recommendations, so it is great for hill climbs. Comes with a 7 year battery, requires a certified shop to replace due to the silicone fill.

Finally in the budget automatic category (<$3,000), ORIS makes several great, if chunky, automatic movement dive watches that are really rugged. Also with crowns that are rotated 45 degrees for freedom of hand movement. Dual time zone, titanium dive version is light, interesting, and quite a good deal.

OK one more: for the truly budget conscious, Seiko makes a couple of old school dive watches that have offset crowns and look great. They are more of the disposable variety, and in my experience they last for a few years with hard use.

Rolex, Panerai, B&R & ORIS will get stolen before you wear them out or break them. Seiko is a good alternative for the money.

[ericspin]

So all this timepiece talk has piqued my interest in possibly selling my Seamaster Professional. I believe it is the Bond model. Blue face and in very nice condition. Dad left it to me and I like it but have several other watches and tons of bike projects in my head to finance.

Wonder what it may be worth?

[TACSTS]

I'll have to echo previous endorsements for a Seiko auto diver. I wear my SKX007J (Japan-market - in the US look for SKX173) daily. If you want some more color try a SKX009/SKX175 with deep blue face and "pepsi" bezel. Have both of the US "Monster" (SKX779 & SKX781) variants that come out occasionally, also highly recommended.

Highlights:
200m water resistance
Insanely bright/enduring lume
Built like a tank - service maybe once every 15 or 20yrs from reports I've heard.
$200 gets you a brand new w/ warranty one.

[TACSTS]

OK one more: for the truly budget conscious, Seiko makes a couple of old school dive watches that have offset crowns and look great. They are more of the disposable variety, and in my experience they last for a few years with hard use.

A patient I saw a few months ago noticed my Seiko SKX007. He said, "hey that looks just like my watch!". He had an old 6105, that he had got at the PX when he was a soldier in Vietnam. Wore it through the jungles and rice paddy's of Vietnam for his tour of duty and had been wearing it ever since. Said he'd replaced the strap 10 or 12 times, but had never had the watch opened up for service. THAT is reliability.

[John M]

So all this timepiece talk has piqued my interest in possibly selling my Seamaster Professional. I believe it is the Bond model. Blue face and in very nice condition. Dad left it to me and I like it but ......

Think twice before selling that watch....

[ericspin]

Think twice before selling that watch....

Great clip. One thing I know fo' sho'.........my Seamaster was never up my Dad's ass!!

[Disturbed]

Who the hell would have ever thought it.....


Yes, it could use a through service but I don't know where to have it done...

[Elefantino]

I have had a TAG for 21 years and it runs perfectly. It's the 2000 model. It's been a dress watch, a dive watch, the whole shebang. I'd get another one, but why?

[link]

Would appreciate feedback on these

Anomino Professionale (Anomino are hand made in an old Panerai factory)


Arctos GPW (ceramic case)


Bathys Hawaii (Swiss made, Hawaiian design)

[billrick]

To get this back on point for the OP, I'd suggest looking at a couple of German watches.

Sinn 656

Sinn 556

Muhle Glashutte Terranaut III

All are around $1000 and have automatic movements and sapphire crystals. I wear a Rolex Explorer II on a daily basis but one of these will be my next watch. (Unless I cave in to my IWC lust!) I especially like this one:

[maunahaole]

Bathys Hawaii (Swiss made, Hawaiian design)

This tells me that it will run late, but very precisely.

[Peter B]

Many nice 'timepieces' posted. Bringing it back to the OP's 'budget', daily wear criteria, I still think Stowa offers value. Check him out here. Not Breitling or Omega, but a solid everyday 'watch' that leaves more $$$ for bikes.

I have the Antea KS for dress and the Airman Ikarus for knocking around. Both use proven movements and have been excellent. KS is ~US$550 and Ikarus is ~US$750 new. As a bonus the KS is your daily wind. Worth a look as 'budget' timekeepers.

[frenk]

The hesalite glass on the Speedmaster is not necessarily a bad thing. It will scratch more than sapphire, but then you can touch/replace for little money. Replacing a sapphire crystal will be very expensive (but less likely to be needed).

It's amazing how they keep their resale value. In a shop in Zurich I've seen several '70 models (in perfect condition) with 5-digits prices.

If I needed a watch I'm pretty sure I would choose a Speedy. I love all of them: "regular", sapphire sandwich, chocolate.
Maybe one day...

[stever]

what is a watch?

i think it's the thing between odometer and cadence...