What watch do you wear?

I do like Speedmasters, particularly some of the older ones but I'm not willing to pay what people want for them nowadays. Missed my chance!
 
Talking of Seamasters... not sure why but it felt like a vintage Seamaster kind of day today. I mentioned previously but this was my Dad's from the 70's. SwissTime in Essex got it back up and running after... 20 years? Of sitting.

0bujcMS_d.webp
 
Bit of a long shot, but anyone ordered a watch from shoppinginjapan ? Looking at a certain watch but it’s only available from Japan. Just wondered if anyone has any experience using this website ? Reviews for the site are good.
 
Parsley said:
I do like Speedmasters, particularly some of the older ones but I'm not willing to pay what people want for them nowadays. Missed my chance!
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I picked up my 39mm calendar day date for a real bargain. It's probably the "least" desirable but I love it. I picked it up for 1200EUR from Japan inc. fees and they're now going for about 2100-2750. You can get some bargains out there still!
 
Mobius 1 said:
Bit of a long shot, but anyone ordered a watch from shoppinginjapan ? Looking at a certain watch but it’s only available from Japan. Just wondered if anyone has any experience using this website ? Reviews for the site are good.
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I've never used that particular site however I have ordered stuff from Japan before. The site I use is https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/en/
 
I keep looking at different watches but I realised what I actually want for the most part is different straps. :o

Going to try my Aqua Terra out on a leather band if I can actually get the bracelet off it.
 
New Baltic fully unveiled. I like it a lot but it is a marked shift from their vintage geared styling of the rest of the line. Maybe this is a sign of the new direction for 2021?


Certainly looks the [art and the finishing looks good. Great price too.
 
My wife has a Gucci watch (i know, i know) And the strap is gubbed. Tried ordering a new strap from the jewellers where she bought it from in the summer but still no word from them about actually getting it.

Any tips on where would sell an official Gucci strap so we can replace it?
 
mrk said:
New Baltic fully unveiled. I like it a lot but it is a marked shift from their vintage geared styling of the rest of the line. Maybe this is a sign of the new direction for 2021?

Certainly looks the [art and the finishing looks good. Great price too.
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To be fair compressor style dive watches are quite vintage in their own right, but they're also quite popular with major brands so I think what they've done here is quite smart in as much as taken a more updated case design to a vintage style of watch, rather than their usual making a modern watch 'vintage'. Having said that most of their 'vintage' design usually comes from the dial imo so it's not really that far off brand.
 
Hmm that is a point, I do like it a lot but am in no rush to buy one having just bought the Stowa which I will almost certainly be wearing religiously. Maybe a self birthday present at the end of the year? :D
 
mrk said:
having just bought the Stowa which I will almost certainly be wearing religiously.
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What was the buying process/delivery etc like with them, seen a couple of nice watches by them (one discontinued and one sold out :() that I've toyed with but wasn't too sure how good their sales side of things etc. Not to mention things like if there's import tax etc...
 
lsg1r said:
What was the buying process/delivery etc like with them, seen a couple of nice watches by them (one discontinued and one sold out :() that I've toyed with but wasn't too sure how good their sales side of things etc. Not to mention things like if there's import tax etc...
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With regards to import fees/VAT etc, I've recently bought a bunch of stuff from bike suspension forks to watches from Germany and France and have yet to see a customs charge or tax being added but now I've said that I fully expect to get a customs bill with this order :D

On the Stowa ordering front though it's super easy, just order online and whilst the order is still being processed you can simply send a web message to them with any other requests as I added engraving and had various questions over the past week.

I did a lot of research into Stowa too and learned that whilst they go way back to the early 1900s, they were bought by Jörg Schauer who became the owner in 1996, he had decades of watchmaking experience and continues with the brand's way of watchmaking.

I did not know this but they make around 4500 watches a year and employ around 40 people selling only directly to the customer which they say cuts out retail middlemen and as such keeps costs down which they pass onto customers. 2nd hand value of Stowa watches seem to hold strong too and once a model goes out of production it seems to become even more desirable in the used market.

All of their watches are hand-made and/or finished and in the case of bronze models, they are given extra time as the dark browning they use is manual treatment process which should not oxidise any further unless directly exposed to salt water etc. All of their movements appear to be TOP grade too and heavily decorated and for the last few years have been switching from ETA to Selita movements for hand-wind models due to the stock issues of ETA parts outside of the Swatch Group.

I've found their customer service to be very helpful.

For me their attention to detail and excellent quality and long heritage is what sold me. I have yet to read a single bad thing about them or their watches really. A solid win win it would seem.

The only reason I have not bought a Stowa until now is they didn't do a bronze 36mm until now and I didn't know enough about them to consider dropping a grand on a watch so went with the usual safe bets from the likes of Longines/Tudor etc for years :D
 
mrk said:
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I had no concerns over the quality of their watches, they've been around for years as you say, it was more 'everything else' lol

The 1938 bronze chronograph caught my eye (discontinued sadly) but was just a little outside the price I was happy to pay (got to be something special for over 2K imo) and I keep going back to the bauhaus range (cheaper alternative to nomos imo) but then keep questioning when I'd actually wear it, same with junghans which I love the look of, which is kind of important with a watch lol


Oh and 36mm would just look so dainty of my wrist :P
 
lsg1r said:
I had no concerns over the quality of their watches, they've been around for years as you say, it was more 'everything else' lol

The 1938 bronze chronograph caught my eye (discontinued sadly) but was just a little outside the price I was happy to pay (got to be something special for over 2K imo) and I keep going back to the bauhaus range (cheaper alternative to nomos imo) but then keep questioning when I'd actually wear it, same with junghans which I love the look of, which is kind of important with a watch lol


Oh and 36mm would just look so dainty of my wrist :p
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They do a 40mm version too :p

I am still wowed by the Laco Aachen 39 with Type-B dial. It has C3 lume but it is said Stowa has heavier layered C3 so to expect it to be even brighter/longer lasting. Cannot wait!

But for £460 I feel the Aachen is incredible value for the quality you are getting along with a decorated 60hr movement.

Excuse the gifs...

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