Watches

[foreveryoung]

10 minutes ago, Xela said:

My pal in London has 4x Rolexes now, I think. I was always a bit puzzled why he had so much money tied up in them. 

He's the one laughing now. Far better use of money than savings accounts/index trackers! 

As long as he can sell them. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see there is many buying at these over inflated prices.

[Risso]

21 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

As long as he can sell them. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see there is many buying at these over inflated prices.

You're wrong, they're as good as cash.

[Risso]

2 hours ago, Lichfield Dean said:

I got my Grand Seiko Spring Drive from Chrono24. It was a lot cheaper to buy from a Japanese dealer via Chrono24 than to buy something equivalent in this country from a mainstream watch purveyor. I guess there's a tad more risk but if it's hundreds or even thousands of pounds cheaper, and the dealer seems reputable... I had an excellent experience and would fully recommend.

You need to factor in the import VAT though.

[Lichfield Dean]

8 minutes ago, Risso said:

You need to factor in the import VAT though.

Yes, absolutely, but it still works out much cheaper. Or at least it did for me. I guess it depends on what deals you can find but even with import duties you can still do very well.

[Xela]

9 hours ago, foreveryoung said:

As long as he can sell them. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't see there is many buying at these over inflated prices.

They are still in demand (at the moment)

Plus he wears them as well. They're not safe queens. He wears one every day to work etc. 

Edited July 8, 2022 by Xela

[StanBalaban]

On 07/07/2022 at 02:23, Sam-AVFC said:

This thread makes me wish I was rich.

As others have said Sam, there's some lovely watches out there for all budgets.

Seiko 5 Automatics start at very little, and they have a comprehensive range of offerings for all budgets going up from there.

Hamilton make some very nice pilot or military style watches if your budget it higher.

There are smaller brands to checkout, such as Baltic and Furlan Marri which, along with Seiko, sit very happily in collections next to pieces 20 times their price.

If you have a few hundred quid, I would look at Baltic or Smith's and see if there's anything that floats your boat.

 

[Mandy Lifeboats]

Work on a Friday is never particularly busy so I thought I’d pass some time writing something for this thread.

 As I mentioned above its my long term goal to own the Omega Speedmaster which Buzz Aldrin wore on the moon.   But here’s the problem. 

 NASA tested a range of watches for their suitability for space.  A watch may be accurate on earth.  But will it still keep good time in zeros gravity?   NASA settled on the Omega Speedmaster. It was accurate, durable and hand wound.  Most quality watches at that time relied upon gravity to keep the watch wound.  This is done by adding a weight inside the watch that spins as you move around.   In low gravity that simply doesn’t happen.  Another major benefit was that the watch face was covered by plexiglass rather than glass or crystal.   Unlike glass its very hard to shatter it into sharp shards.  That’s especially important when those shards could float around and puncture something vital.    

 During the flight to the moon one of Apollo 11’s timers malfunctioned.  It wasn’t a critical failure.   Mission commander Louis Armstrong put away his trumpet, stopped singing “What a wonderful world” and decided to use his wristwatch to replace the faulty timer.   He later became the first man on the moon without a wristwatch.   Buzz Aldrin (named because he used to drone on and on) followed and without realising it created the first watch to reach the moon’s surface. 

 The rest of the mission was uneventful.   The production crew burnt the hangar containing the lunar landscape set, destroyed every single piece of evidence that might give away what they’d done and successfully swore the thousands of people involved to secrecy.  

 Back on earth NASA decided that certain artefacts from the mission should be housed in the Smithsonian.   The person pulling all of these artefacts together didn’t have Buzz’s watch.  But Buzz said he’d send it directly there.   Obviously this is the ONLY watch to have been worn on the moon.  It’s of great value and is being sent to one of America’s most prestigious museums.  Buzz did what most people would have done.  He popped it in an envelope and posted it standard post.   

 The watch never arrived at its destination.  Buzz is still alive and is a very rich man.  He can afford good lawyers.  Therefore its clear to me that he definitely didn’t keep hold of the watch.  No way.  He wouldn’t do that.  

 Did Buzz accidentally retain it and upon his death more information will emerge?  Did someone steal it knowing exactly what it was and its now in the hands of a very rich watch collector? Did someone steal it thinking it was just a nice watch and is wearing it today    Has is been destroyed?  

 The watch remains missing despite many false reports that it’s been found.   Three of the four scenarios above mean it could still be out there.   Its engraved reference number is ST105.012 or 145.12

 But its very debatable who the rightful owner would be.  Since 1969 NASA and OMEGA struck many agreements regarding the supply and future ownership of watches used in space flight.   There have also been numerous agreements between NASA and the Smithsonian on who owns what.   Many believe that if it were to be found OMEGA agreed to return the watch to Buzz in return for his active involvement in their publicity.  Many believe that NASA would return it to Buzz.   Many believe that Buzz would gift it to the Smithsonian.      

But until someone checks that shoebox in the back of my wardrobe…………………its going nowhere.  

 

[foreveryoung]

4 hours ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

Work on a Friday is never particularly busy so I thought I’d pass some time writing something for this thread.

 As I mentioned above its my long term goal to own the Omega Speedmaster which Buzz Aldrin wore on the moon.   But here’s the problem. 

 NASA tested a range of watches for their suitability for space.  A watch may be accurate on earth.  But will it still keep good time in zeros gravity?   NASA settled on the Omega Speedmaster. It was accurate, durable and hand wound.  Most quality watches at that time relied upon gravity to keep the watch wound.  This is done by adding a weight inside the watch that spins as you move around.   In low gravity that simply doesn’t happen.  Another major benefit was that the watch face was covered by plexiglass rather than glass or crystal.   Unlike glass its very hard to shatter it into sharp shards.  That’s especially important when those shards could float around and puncture something vital.    

 During the flight to the moon one of Apollo 11’s timers malfunctioned.  It wasn’t a critical failure.   Mission commander Louis Armstrong put away his trumpet, stopped singing “What a wonderful world” and decided to use his wristwatch to replace the faulty timer.   He later became the first man on the moon without a wristwatch.   Buzz Aldrin (named because he used to drone on and on) followed and without realising it created the first watch to reach the moon’s surface. 

 The rest of the mission was uneventful.   The production crew burnt the hangar containing the lunar landscape set, destroyed every single piece of evidence that might give away what they’d done and successfully swore the thousands of people involved to secrecy.  

 Back on earth NASA decided that certain artefacts from the mission should be housed in the Smithsonian.   The person pulling all of these artefacts together didn’t have Buzz’s watch.  But Buzz said he’d send it directly there.   Obviously this is the ONLY watch to have been worn on the moon.  It’s of great value and is being sent to one of America’s most prestigious museums.  Buzz did what most people would have done.  He popped it in an envelope and posted it standard post.   

 The watch never arrived at its destination.  Buzz is still alive and is a very rich man.  He can afford good lawyers.  Therefore its clear to me that he definitely didn’t keep hold of the watch.  No way.  He wouldn’t do that.  

 Did Buzz accidentally retain it and upon his death more information will emerge?  Did someone steal it knowing exactly what it was and its now in the hands of a very rich watch collector? Did someone steal it thinking it was just a nice watch and is wearing it today    Has is been destroyed?  

 The watch remains missing despite many false reports that it’s been found.   Three of the four scenarios above mean it could still be out there.   Its engraved reference number is ST105.012 or 145.12

 But its very debatable who the rightful owner would be.  Since 1969 NASA and OMEGA struck many agreements regarding the supply and future ownership of watches used in space flight.   There have also been numerous agreements between NASA and the Smithsonian on who owns what.   Many believe that if it were to be found OMEGA agreed to return the watch to Buzz in return for his active involvement in their publicity.  Many believe that NASA would return it to Buzz.   Many believe that Buzz would gift it to the Smithsonian.      

But until someone checks that shoebox in the back of my wardrobe…………………its going nowhere.  

 

You have it??

[Mandy Lifeboats]

26 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

You have it??

My claim to have the watch is as accurate as my claim that Louis Armstrong walked on the moon.  

[imavillan]

So went to the AD today for our appointment and here it is, such a thing of beauty...

me and Mrs imavillan are well happy

chatting to the assistant in the AD and now as i have a buying history it's definitely bumped me up the list

all being well it will be me getting the call next year.

 

 

 

 

.

 

[ferguson1]

2 minutes ago, imavillan said:

So went to the AD today for our appointment and here it is, such a thing of beauty...

me and Mrs imavillan are well happy

chatting to the assistant in the AD and now as i have a buying history it's definitely bumped me up the list

all being well it will be me getting the call next year.

 

 

 

 

.

 

That looks fantastic   I just cannot allow Mrs F to see this though, otherwise I’ll have to work until I’m 75!  

[imavillan]

2 minutes ago, ferguson1 said:

That looks fantastic   I just cannot allow Mrs F to see this though, otherwise I’ll have to work until I’m 75!  

thanks,

go for it, you will have shed loads of credit in, go to the pub whenever, no chores etc etc 

[StanBalaban]

On 13/07/2022 at 22:38, imavillan said:

So went to the AD today for our appointment and here it is, such a thing of beauty...

me and Mrs imavillan are well happy

chatting to the assistant in the AD and now as i have a buying history it's definitely bumped me up the list

all being well it will be me getting the call next year.

 

 

 

 

.

 

Fluted bezel, jubilee bracelet, green dial...

 

[Mandy Lifeboats]

Longines Commonwealth Games.  

Limited to 2022 watches

£1,600

 

[ferguson1]

1 hour ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

Longines Commonwealth Games.  

Limited to 2022 watches

£1,600

 

 

Bought this in March with a decent online discount (Page 42).  I’m really pleased with it.

[Mandy Lifeboats]

I was looking at the Omega Seamaster that was produced for the 2012 Olympics.  They are going for around £5,000.  But I stumbled on the same watch produced for the 1956 Olympics.  Its beautiful and £2,000  cheaper.  But its only 34mm which looks like a women's watch by today's standards.  Pity. 

[Mandy Lifeboats]

3 minutes ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

I was looking at the Omega Seamaster that was produced for the 2012 Olympics.  They are going for around £5,000.  But I stumbled on the same watch produced for the 1956 Olympics.  Its beautiful and £2,000  cheaper.  But its only 34mm which looks like a women's watch by today's standards.  Pity. 

66 years old,  18 carat gold and a fraction of the price of a new Rolex. 

[astondalston]

Speaking of Seamasters, I've fallen head over heels with this 1957 Trilogy. 

 

 

[Mandy Lifeboats]

1 hour ago, astondalston said:

Speaking of Seamasters, I've fallen head over heels with this 1957 Trilogy. 

 

Do you have all 3? 

[astondalston]

3 minutes ago, Mandy Lifeboats said:

Do you have all 3? 

Only the one I like!