Horology: The study of time

[Falcon16]

So to reboot the thread that got lost in the purge I figure let's discuss watches of all kinds.

I personally got into watches a few years ago. I love the Citizen eco drive movements for daily use but recently purchased my first automatic a Seiko Presage cocktail time blue moon.

Who else around here appreciates a good watch as more than just a fashion accessory?

EDIT: Pics of my two main watches. Daily is my citizen pictured first, my dress watch is the Seiko blue moon

[XEMON]

The old MCB had a "this thread is worthless without pic." ... and it would fit perfectly here 😊

As a diver, i dont wear anything else than diving watches ... and ive been wearing only this one for the last 15+ years.
Its not fancy nor expansive ... but it kinda of an heirloom at this point:
My mom bought it for my dad 20+ years ago, but he lost it a few weeks later, we searched the house for weeks before getting to the conclusion it was gone forever ...
Pass forward a few years, and my mom and I got a Breitling dive wrist watch for his b-day (it was a dream of his to have one since he was a kid). A few weeks later, not looking for it, my dad and I found it It fell behinds shelf in a crack in the wall ... My dad offered it to me then ...
I have been wearing it since then.

I have a few times where i "lost" it and should have never got it back ... but this is for another day.

[Axel]

I thought horology was the study of... Well never mind

[MAr]

We gotta tell Oldschool...

[Axel]

OK, serious post: a Citizen eco drive is my everyday driver. It tells the time with no energy besides a little sunlight, and the date with an occasional adjustment. And that's it. I don't go for these watches that look like they were pried from an airplane cockpit

My only complaint is that the hands glow in the dark, but none of the jewels, so... What's the point of that?

[Falcon16]

There are a few watches I've seen that do that, drives me nuts too and is an instant turn off to purchase even if I otherwise like the overall aesthetic. It's like WTF it's basically useless in low light conditions.

[XEMON]

Never been a problem for me, you know where your arm is pointing so you know where 12, 3, 6, and 9 are. An then go from there.

[Freerider_79.1]

+1 for eco drive.... the citizen is my daily.
the alpha... I was at a job site and had a crazy rule about battery powered devices including watches. Mechanical watches only. Don’t ask.. has a seagull movement. Looks pretty good, little thicker than the citizen.

pics are out of order.. top and bottom are the alpha, middle are citizen

[Freerider_79.1]

And some mechanical stop watch

[Magmoormaster]

I'm not super into watches, but I've been wearing this one for about a decade. My dad gave it to me before I left for a 2 year church mission. It's nothing too special; sub-$100 watch from Wal-Mart, but it gets lots of compliments. At some point, I'd like to get something nice. I've had my eye on some of the Holzkern walnut watches for a while now. Maybe when I graduate.

[Jordan]

I haven't worn a watch since high-school but I've always loved pocketwatches for some reason.

[Falcon16]

I can see why, pocket watches are just classy as anything. I've debated buying one but I don't get dressed up enough to actually use it. That said nothing says I can't be casual with jeans and a polo and just rock a pocket watch that way.

[Moodog]

I bought this for myself as a birthday present. I love it and wear it basically every day. I also own a few mid-80s Seiko 9020s for when I don’t want to feel the watch I’m wearing.

[Falcon16]

That Omega Aqua Terra <3. Such a gorgeous watch. Great choice for an every day watch

[DavidBoren]

Currently saving for a Triwa Hu39 Automatic... made from Humanium metal, which is melted guns from conflict zones.

Also eyeballing one of the limited edition Garmin Evangelion watches... probably the purple one.

Someday I will own a Rolex Deep Blue.

I have had a number of decent watches... a matched pair of glass-back automatics, one being a wristwatch and the other a pocket watch. Had a Marathon diving watch, too. All lost to my "brothers" in the Army, or my Ex in the breakup.

[Tarsun2]

i love a good heavy watch watch. I gravitate towards my invicta pro diver. it has a decent movement from seiko i believe. (SJ114) or something... i cant remember off the top of my head.
I have a few but nothing real expensive.
invicta
seiko
citizen
prague - purchased when i was in HS in 2001(?). Has been loved ever since. Countless batteries, a few band replacements, and a few times i had to replace the glass.

[Falcon16]

The invictas use the NH35 which is a rebranded 4R35, great movement overall and pretty robust. A watch doesn't have to be expensive to be a good watch and hey buy what you like not what people say you should.

[Rainmaker]

I just got this one in the mail.
Im "Not allowed to wear it until Christmas", arrrg!

But this is basically the watch I've always wanted, even before this particular model came out.

I love watches with a 24hr movement. I had a Soviet mechanical 24hr watch awhile back, but with small kids there is too much chance for it to get wet, so I would take it off a lot, and then I'd forget to wind it. I was always re setting the time. So here's a quartz movement! The color scheme, and Noon-on-top are perfect too, night and day.

Im psyched ro wear it... in 3 months.

[Bang*Bang**]

Wow, I don't even care I'm a year late to this party. I didn't know 24 faces were a thing! Love it! Are there any "poor-man" 24 hour watches worth considering?

[Tarsun2]

Nice looking watch.

[Magmoormaster]

Just got a new watch today. It's super cheap, and a total gimmick, but it will probably replace the Armitron pictured above as my daily.


Had some ridiculous problems ordering this guy though. Ordered it twice, both times had issues. First time, all I got was an empty box. Got it refunded, ordered again. Came in today, but in the wrong color. I ordered a black one, got silver. :facepalm: Refunded again and don't have to return it, so I'm just keeping it. No way I'm ordering again.

[Falcon16]

I saw a review of one of these. super cheap but honestly kind of neat

[matteekay]

I used to love watches, then did the smart watch thing for a bit, and have only recently started getting back into analog pieces. I wanted I solid everyday choice that I wouldn't be too concerned about damaging so I went with an old favorite - Parnis.

Depending on who you ask, Parnis is either a conglomerate of factories in China or a house brand for a company that manufactures other watch components. Regardless, you can get decent ones for relatively low cost or total duds for almost no money. It basically comes down to the recognizing the components used and buying from a handful of trustworthy vendors who are known for having the better pieces (all based out of China).

So, about $95 and a month and a half later, I have this guy:






Well-machined case, clear glass (mineral, natch), and the band is surprisingly nice, though it'll get replaced anyway. The main reason why I went for this one was the movement:




It's a Seagull ST-25 series (2530), widely regarded as the best out of China and on par with quality Swiss movements. Its an automatic with date complication and power reserve. The one thing I'm not used to is the ball bearing rotor; they're much louder than the bushing version.

[Falcon16]

Parnis aren't bad watches if you buy from the right vendor. Their GMT's are pretty great for $80. Another pretty decent brand out of the east is Tissell. They are making a Rolex explorer homage with a Miyota 9015 hi beat movement for around $200

Also fun fact about Seagull (specifically the ST-19 movement) It's actually an old swiss movement called the Venus 175, when Venus decided to go with something more modern they sold the design and tooling to Seagull the Seagull 1963 uses this movement and is quite highly regarded/

[matteekay]

That's really interesting. It's the same thing that happened with Beretta, Taurus, and the 92. Beretta originally made them in Brazil and eventually moved all production; when they did, they sold the factory and tooling to Taurus. It's why the PT92 is probably the best gun they make, even today, and the only way to get a 92 with a frame safety other than buying the 92X Performance.

I'm satisfied with the quality of the Parnis for what I spent. I'm at a point in my life where I can afford to spend more on a bigger name but I still have a hard time justifying it... Still, one of these days I'll spring for something more heirloom-y.