Talk to me about Wrist watches

[Goldie 2]

Love the green Rolex…expensive yes but i don't think you'd regret it...

[Erallus 10]

wow, looks nice, have to say the thought of buying something classic appeals, eg a seamaster from an old bond film.

[Chuggs1 10]

I think the Speedmaster is a great looking watch - especially the modern one but am tempted to find one from 1995 to go with my car

[bristolbaron 10]

n3p.. Cheers bud. I had one of the first green bezel subs in the UK. Bought it trade before I left goldsmiths for £1650.. Sold for 3k the next day. Lovely raise at the time, but kick myself when I see prices now!

[Portent 0]

Get yourself an old Omega, something like a 60's or 70's speed master, it'll last for ever and go up in value.

Doing the maths it appears that your 40th is approaching, I think it would be quite cool to have a watch the same age as yourself.

I always planned to get myself a 1969 speedmaster (first watch on the moon and the choice of the Apollo astronauts) but alas I didnt have that sort of money.

Seamaster is good choice as well (what James Bond wears)

 

Rog.

 

Whoah! This is exactly my plan when funds allow. I was born on 21st July 1969 and my mum was one of the few people in the western world who missed the landing... because I was being born. So my plan is to get a 1969 Speedmaster.

[Jim 2]

Best get saving and make sure you do some thorough research to find an authentic example. That age of watch will still be using the Cal. 321 movement which means parts are more scarce and subsequently very expensive. Good luck though... An extremely desirable and timeless piece that should only ever accumulate in value.

 

There's so many great special edition Speedmasters. You could say Omega have milked the moon association for every single penny but they resulted in some great watches. I always desired the Alaska Project special edition version.. One day.. One day..

[Gwr vr6 10]

Must admit haven't owned a wrist watch in over 25 years , don't wear jewellery rings etc of any form ,rather spend the money on sticky tyres lol .

[Kevin Bacon 5]

, don't wear jewellery rings etc of any form ,.

 

Yeah same here. I haven't worn my Seamaster for about 4 years now, ever since owning a smartphone. The damn things are slowly taking over every aspect of life!

[Portent 0]

Thanks. Yes I have done a lot of research into them and found most allegedly from 1969 aren't... wrong bezel, not a transition back, wrong serial number range, etc. I may consider a much newer model but I can't afford either yet.

[C5 OEM 0]

40th next year so might try and find a speedmaster mk4...

 

[robrado974 1]

Ive just bought a Vostoc . Made in the USSR , late 70s early 80s . Its a military divers watch . This was cheap as chips . No where near as good as Omega or Rolex standards , but i have an obsession with the cold war , so its my sort of thing .

[Goldie 2]

Ive just bought a Vostoc . Made in the USSR , late 70s early 80s . Its a military divers watch . This was cheap as chips . No where near as good as Omega or Rolex standards , but i have an obsession with the cold war , so its my sort of thing .

 

Can we see a picture? Ive seen a couple of these before and like them..

Any tips if i wanted to track one down? Is it an ebay job?

[robrado974 1]

 

Here you go Goldie .It was an ebay purchase , the seller seemed to check out ok .As someone said in one of the blogs ''why sell a fake at that price?''its not worth the bother . I did do some research first .Im pretty sure its original . I used the Vostock wiki guide, Vostock guide and the Russian guide to watches . The early ones will have USSR or cccp on the dial, but not all .More modern ones have Bostock europe on them . The problem is you can never tell if its been messed with , you can only go on what the seller says . But for £42.00 i will get another one if its not right !. The right ups give them as good watches robust and keep good time . I did look at east german watches but there is talk of them not being to good . Although the dreary regime stretched right across the the eastern bloc and everything was built on the cheap the Russians were better at making things . I like the Yuri Gagarin watch that was made to commemorate the USSR going into space , it features his face and a rocket on the dial . Im a bit wary of fakes when it comes to this one though . For what they are worth you cant go wrong really ,i think the guide says between £30.00 to £150.00 for most of them although there are special ones that go in the thousands .There are new ones on the bay but it does not hold the same appeal to me .Some of these have KGB written on them , so are just novelty watches .If i could find one in the future from a reputable dealer that had documentation or proof that it belonged to an Kgb officer i would have to buy it .Not that i condone what they did ,i must stress that .It was a terrible time for those trapped behind the wall, but its like anything to do with any war,films 'regime ,whatever , the baddies always have more appeal . For example look at what an SS officers uniform costs compared to a a british uniform .

Edited December 21, 2014 by robrado974

[delfinis38 1]

Been trying watches on.. Found a tag I really like... Is it a bum move spending this much on a tag..

 

Any other suggestion similar to this

 

http://www.swisswatchesdirect.co.uk/watch/car2a80.fc6237_tag_heuer_mens_watches_carrera_chronograph_racing?gclid=COKnzseA_cICFW3ItAodqCUAnQ

[coullstar 0]

Not keen on Tag's. They always seem just a little bit OTT, like they have a really nice design but they cant help adding a few little bits to complicate it further.

[Jim 2]

Could pick up a nice Speedmaster Professional for that sort of money.

 

They did a new variant using the Co-axial movement and with a more sporty look / feel in the last year or two and the prices seem pretty decent. For example:

 

http://www.sizerjewellers.co.uk/watches-c8/mens-c10/omega-omega-gents-speedmaster-racing-chronograph-p1290/s1339?gclid=Cj0KEQiAiamlBRCgj83PiYm6--gBEiQArnojD0NRBUJo3g_f41Cgj4Do9CTXQrS3Qrd1rX-b05EuSqcaAlgX8P8HAQ

[delfinis38 1]

Could pick up a nice Speedmaster Professional for that sort of money.

 

They did a new variant using the Co-axial movement and with a more sporty look / feel in the last year or two and the prices seem pretty decent. For example:

 

http://www.sizerjewellers.co.uk/watches-c8/mens-c10/omega-omega-gents-speedmaster-racing-chronograph-p1290/s1339?gclid=Cj0KEQiAiamlBRCgj83PiYm6--gBEiQArnojD0NRBUJo3g_f41Cgj4Do9CTXQrS3Qrd1rX-b05EuSqcaAlgX8P8HAQ

 

Cheers jim will have a look. Not a fan of a linked straps but that omega looks nice.

Edited January 5, 2015 by delfinis38

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Took my Seamaster in before xmas for a new battery and just got a nice bill for £325 as it needed a 'service' apparently. What a crock. I bet it's just a cheap generic mechanism inside it, or can an Omega guru confirm otherwise? And what exactly is a 'service'? Changing the seals, stick a new battery in it? What else?

[Jim 2]

If it's a quartz, then yeah - that's a bit of a con. With a proper mechanical watch service by a decent watchmaker, the ENTIRE movement is disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and reassembled. If you were charged £325 for a battery and a clean, then they really saw you coming I'm afraid :(

 

That said I honestly don't know what Omega do when they service a quartz movement. It might be way more involved than I am assuming. But I doubt it.

 

Where did you take it to if you don't mind me asking?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Goldsmiths in Ipswich. Yeah it's just a quartz one Jim. I didn't fancy paying another £500+ at the time for the automatic version. They don't do it in-house, they contract it out. I will ask them when I collect it exactly what £325 buys me, and if it literally is just a new battery and blowing on the insides, I won't be chuffed. It must be a replacement quartz mech at that price, surely?

[Jim 2]

I'd be interested to know if they send it off to Omega / STS - I doubt they will. I'd at least hope for that price it's fully stripped and cleaned, a new crystal if needed, and the movement timed / tested to make sure it's well in spec - in which case they wouldn't just replace it.

 

I could send you the details of an Omega specialist I used who did a complete overhaul of my old Speedmaster which is a mechanical watch.. that included full movement strip / service, polish the case, new crystal and some extra work to correct a fault in the movement.. and the bill was less than what you've had to pay for a new battery :(

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I'll let you know when I see the invoice paperwork. Did some googling and the price I was quoted appears to be Omega's own standard price, so I don't feel quite so swindled now.

[Jim 2]

Cool. If it has gone back to Omega/STS then they do always do a very nice job :)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

£320 gets me:- new hands??, new battery, new seals, new crown & pressure tested. So it pretty much is just take the back off, blow on it, put a new battery in it, lol.

 

What a con! That's the last time I buy a posh watch. My mates are taking the pee now. "I could buy 30 Casios for the price of your service". They have a point :D

[bristolbaron 10]

I'll find out tomorrow how much of a movement Omega replace. My stepfather used to have movements sent to him from Omega to service and return. Mechanical only though, I have a feeling they may replace the whole movement on Quartz, other brands definitely do.