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That's exactly what the jeweler said to me last week when I was browsing at his store.
But seriously, I agree. Even quartz. They often fail because the watch is dirty and a small speck of dirt gets in during a battery change, which can damage the quartz movement.
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When I purchased my Sub/date, I looked at it as a one time purchase that would last as long as I would want to keep it. Yes it was expensive, but quality usually is. Funny thing is it has actually accrued value over time. It’s pretty subdued really, most people never notice it and if they do they usually assume it’s either fake or just an off brand, most people are not into watches. While I don’t abuse it, I do wear it pretty much all of the time, that’s why I have it. Doesn’t matter if I’m cutting grass, painting the house, or playing a gig. The amazing thing is it really does not show any wear considering what it has been through over the years.
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IMO this is one of the great advantages of a well-made low-friction, and potentially minimally jeweled solar movement. Aside from watches that see water that should go through semi-frequent pressure testing (true for any watch), solars should only need to have their cases opened once every... 20 years? if well maintained - to change the battery.
They also need to be opened less frequently through the crown to set them - which may also help to keep dust out (not so much difference if a dust-proof crown is used), and more importantly to preserve the threads on hard to repair crown tubes.
I wore a watch daily until a few months after I retired at age fifty. A year and a half ago I started wearing a Fitbit fitness tracker, which also functions as a watch. I'm sixty years old.
Was the original owner at the bottom of the pond, too?
The Rolex Sub/Date in stainless is still one of my fav watches. No, I don’t have one. I bring this up because as a struggling college student ‘78-‘82 (yeah turning 60 in July) my fiance at the time had one on layaway for me. We broke up, she got store credit and I never got the watch . Only $1500 at the time. Wish I’d managed to get one then.
I ‘ve had several nice Seikos and a nice Bulova Precisionist my wife got for my bd a couple years ago, but I never see that model Rolex without thinking of Sherry Leyshon and wondering how she’s been the last 40 years.
I ‘ve had several nice Seikos and a nice Bulova Precisionist my wife got for my bd a couple years ago, but I never see that model Rolex without thinking of Sherry Leyshon and wondering how she’s been the last 40 years.
I know there are quite a few people who go this route, including fine watch collectors.
But I have always preferred cheaper watches anyway. I'm more likely to wear a Timex than anything nicer like my Citizen or Seiko, etc, since I don't want to worry about damaging them. I'll replace the battery on the Timex and wear it until it dies. Then just get a new one. Plus, they are base metal or plastic, and I feel better about filling the junk drawer with watches not made of steel or nicer metal.
Age = too damned close to 60 
I've worn a pocketwatch for about 40 years now, for a number of reasons
The main reason is that I strongly dislike having jewelry of any kind attached directly to my body. That is mostly a product of working in various labor or mechanically oriented jobs most of my life. Wristwatches get trashed in a hurry in those sorts of environments, and end up being a waste of money in pretty short order. It is also not unknown for wristwatches (or rings, for that matter) to directly cause the classic "severe injury or death" you see on warning labels, when working in close proximity to moving parts. A pocketwatch bypasses this issue entirely by living in the watch pocket of my jeans, well protected and out of the way, and secured by a chain that is led thru my belt loops - i.e. not hanging loose like a biker-style wallet
The second reason is that the vast majority of them have an analog display, which is far faster to read in a hurry, or in bad lighting conditions, than a digital display. At various times, I've owned and used examples with both Arabic numerals (which even young people are familiar with), or Roman Numerals (which tend to f**k with certain people's heads in a way that I find amusing)
The third is that a pocketwatch is basically a single-purpose device that can be replaced easily and at a reasonable cost. Contrast this to the now-standard cellphone which plays such a big part of organizing most people's day-to-day life that they are rendered near helpless if it gets lost, broken, or stolen. Conceptually, it's the same logic as rack-mounted gear as opposed to one piece of gear that combines multiple functions into one Very expensive unit. I can replace a pocket watch for about $50 vs $500 and up for most 'smart' phones. If I do need to replace it for some reason, the only inconvenience I suffer in the meantime is that I will need to find an alternate way to tell the time. I didn't lose a contact list, or irreplaceable pics, or records of written communication that *ahem* might prove useful at a later date....
A minor reason is that in my current work situation cellphones are prohibited out on the shop floor. This doesn't stop the vast majority of employees there from simply ignoring that rule (they're mostly temps who simply do what they damned well please when it comes to cell phones), but I choose to comply fully with both spirit and letter of that particular rule
Last but not least, I just think they're cool in a way that a cellphone can never be. A reminder to many people I encounter that while times change, more than a few perfectly adequate (or even superior) ways of doing things have been driven into near-extinction by the idiotic whims of fleeting fashion
Yep
I've worn a pocketwatch for about 40 years now, for a number of reasons
The main reason is that I strongly dislike having jewelry of any kind attached directly to my body. That is mostly a product of working in various labor or mechanically oriented jobs most of my life. Wristwatches get trashed in a hurry in those sorts of environments, and end up being a waste of money in pretty short order. It is also not unknown for wristwatches (or rings, for that matter) to directly cause the classic "severe injury or death" you see on warning labels, when working in close proximity to moving parts. A pocketwatch bypasses this issue entirely by living in the watch pocket of my jeans, well protected and out of the way, and secured by a chain that is led thru my belt loops - i.e. not hanging loose like a biker-style wallet
The second reason is that the vast majority of them have an analog display, which is far faster to read in a hurry, or in bad lighting conditions, than a digital display. At various times, I've owned and used examples with both Arabic numerals (which even young people are familiar with), or Roman Numerals (which tend to f**k with certain people's heads in a way that I find amusing)
The third is that a pocketwatch is basically a single-purpose device that can be replaced easily and at a reasonable cost. Contrast this to the now-standard cellphone which plays such a big part of organizing most people's day-to-day life that they are rendered near helpless if it gets lost, broken, or stolen. Conceptually, it's the same logic as rack-mounted gear as opposed to one piece of gear that combines multiple functions into one Very expensive unit. I can replace a pocket watch for about $50 vs $500 and up for most 'smart' phones. If I do need to replace it for some reason, the only inconvenience I suffer in the meantime is that I will need to find an alternate way to tell the time. I didn't lose a contact list, or irreplaceable pics, or records of written communication that *ahem* might prove useful at a later date....
A minor reason is that in my current work situation cellphones are prohibited out on the shop floor. This doesn't stop the vast majority of employees there from simply ignoring that rule (they're mostly temps who simply do what they damned well please when it comes to cell phones), but I choose to comply fully with both spirit and letter of that particular rule
Last but not least, I just think they're cool in a way that a cellphone can never be. A reminder to many people I encounter that while times change, more than a few perfectly adequate (or even superior) ways of doing things have been driven into near-extinction by the idiotic whims of fleeting fashion
Stevorebob said:
Yep
Q1.
I’ve been looking at chronographs recently and was wondering if those of you that have them, use them?
Q2.
More urgently, I’m looking for a beater to wear in the garden, when I go away for a weekend with the boys, and when I’m out doing a ParkRun (1hr +/-) or a Bush walk (could be 2/3hrs). I was considering some sort of cheap chronograph but sort of switched thinking to a cheap watch with a digital stopwatch. Which I guess would be the perfect solution. But I’m not a fan of the looks of most of these I’ve been looking at via google.
However I recently spotted the Casio MRW200H-1BV with a diver look and bezel. 100m WR - so it isn’t a real diver, but I don’t dive anyway.
I’m thinking I gain on the looks, it seems tough enough for gardening and Bush walks and I wouldn’t worry about it if I slipped crossing a creek and ended up in the drink. It’s cheap enough to not worry if it got lost.
I can use the bezel to time and hour or a few minutes past I guess. I lose the ability to stop & restart the stopwatch when waiting at traffic lights when on practice walks. I figure I can wait a bit and see how I use this one and I still see a need for the extra functionality I can get a (nicer) chronograph with 60mins and an hour counter later on.
Am I on the right path?
I’ve been looking at chronographs recently and was wondering if those of you that have them, use them?
Q2.
More urgently, I’m looking for a beater to wear in the garden, when I go away for a weekend with the boys, and when I’m out doing a ParkRun (1hr +/-) or a Bush walk (could be 2/3hrs). I was considering some sort of cheap chronograph but sort of switched thinking to a cheap watch with a digital stopwatch. Which I guess would be the perfect solution. But I’m not a fan of the looks of most of these I’ve been looking at via google.
However I recently spotted the Casio MRW200H-1BV with a diver look and bezel. 100m WR - so it isn’t a real diver, but I don’t dive anyway.
I’m thinking I gain on the looks, it seems tough enough for gardening and Bush walks and I wouldn’t worry about it if I slipped crossing a creek and ended up in the drink. It’s cheap enough to not worry if it got lost.
I can use the bezel to time and hour or a few minutes past I guess. I lose the ability to stop & restart the stopwatch when waiting at traffic lights when on practice walks. I figure I can wait a bit and see how I use this one and I still see a need for the extra functionality I can get a (nicer) chronograph with 60mins and an hour counter later on.
Am I on the right path?
Sometimes I use them because I need to, but mostly I use them because I want to, if you know what I mean.
Laundry and steaks aren't going to time themselves...Mechanical chronos are going to be very expensive to acquire and maintain, but there is also a middle ground: good quartz chronos.
I'm a big fan of the Seiko 7T92 movement personally, which can be found in many watches - it is notable because it has stacked hour/minute chronograph setup and up to 12 hour tracking because of it (something I have used... like to track sleep as a new dad).
Notable examples:
Discontinued SNDA65
Discontinued Orient Captain (though it is a big watch)
Many other examples that aren't discontinued... I'm sure...
Thanks, they look terrific.
Question. Some other budget chronometers I looked at had a 24/12 hour subdial that displayed the current hour on it. Seemed totally useless to me. I know whether we are am or pm, and time in the 24 hour format.
Am I missing something?
Question. Some other budget chronometers I looked at had a 24/12 hour subdial that displayed the current hour on it. Seemed totally useless to me. I know whether we are am or pm, and time in the 24 hour format.
Am I missing something?
You're not missing anything. I suspect sometimes they want a third dial for aesthetics and having an actual hour totalizer is more complex and costly than putting in a decorative 24h dial tied to the primary hour hand.
It's a pet peeve of mine, but some of the most popular inexpensive chrono movements go this route. Still good movements, but it's why I'd be on the lookout for something more useful.
Note: a chronometer is a mechanical watch with a movement tested & running within COSC standards. A chronograph is a watch with an additional stopwatch function.
I use & wear chronographs often to time workouts, drive times to different cities, delivery times, etc. My favorite chrono movement is the 7750 12 hour. It's robust, time tested, and w/ 5 grades of finishing, they are found in a large price range of brands.
I'd wear something exactly like that.
I don't wear a watch on my own time, but at work they're great.
Of course I wear a watch! I wear a Garmin Instinct watch. This watch has helped me train, and it keeps tabs on my heart rate, distance traveled per day, and sleep.
It also has GPS and I can use it to get myself out of a jam in the woods. You set your coordinates and the watch will guide you back to those coordinates if you get turned around. I used this feature recently on a trip to the woods and it saved us! Killer watch!
I was in the service, and watches were a big deal, guys would get competitive with them...who has the better watch! Also: I'm 36 and I feel naked without my watch on my left arm
It also has GPS and I can use it to get myself out of a jam in the woods. You set your coordinates and the watch will guide you back to those coordinates if you get turned around. I used this feature recently on a trip to the woods and it saved us! Killer watch!
I was in the service, and watches were a big deal, guys would get competitive with them...who has the better watch! Also: I'm 36 and I feel naked without my watch on my left arm
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I got out of the habit sometime in my teens or 20s. Did a lot of shop work and anything around the wrist would have been a liability. Now I just can't stand the way they feel, or most jewelry anywhere for that matter. It's too bad, because I think they're super cool little machines, but they just aren't for me. Plus, we already have 1) our smartphones, 2) the cordless home phone, 3) the car display, 4) my laptop, 5) the stove, 6) the tv screen, 7) my son's alarm clock... We're surrounded by time-telling devices.
