What watch do you wear?

[DireEmblem]

I have a Garmin 630.

Pro's:
- Still going strong but maybe only lasts about 10-11 hours on a full charge than the 16 hours when purchased on release.
- Only had to replace the strap once.
Con's
- Every time there is a software update, it seems to forget all my personal settings.

Apart from possibly needing to replace the battery soon, I'm not sure any newer watch beats it battery wise.

 

[Richdog]

I have a Garmin 630.

Pro's:
- Still going strong but maybe only lasts about 10-11 hours on a full charge than the 16 hours when purchased on release.
- Only had to replace the strap once.
Con's
- Every time there is a software update, it seems to forget all my personal settings.

Apart from possibly needing to replace the battery soon, I'm not sure any newer watch beats it battery wise.

Eh? Many new sports watches last longer than 10-11 hours and this is essentially a more traditional watch thread.

 

[mrk]

Choosing my next watch is extremely difficult. Quite like the look of a Seiko like this…

https://www.seikoboutique.co.uk/product/prospex-alpinist-12/

don’t want to shell out for a grand seiko just yet. I like the look of the presage series, but being a dress watch, it won’t get much wear other than weekends when I’m out on the town.

What have they done to the dial ruining it with a white date window? It's not like they don't know how to do date windows properly, another variant of the exact same model has a black date window in a position that doesn't remove the marker at 3: https://www.seikowatches.com/global-en/products/prospex/special/1959-alpinist-recreation/

Why they choose to continually ruin aesthetics this day is beyond me.

Besides the point, the original never had a date window so why this does boggles the mind.

The three above are all part of the same swatch watch group so will often use the same movements etc

Not with Hamilton's movements in recent years. Whilst the Powermatic 80 is ETA based, Hamilton have customised them enough to need laser regulation which only they can do, as well as other custom parts.

 

[lsg1r]

Not with Hamilton's movements in recent years. Whilst the Powermatic 80 is ETA based, Hamilton have customised them enough to need laser regulation which only they can do, as well as other custom parts.

Really? They honestly don't look that much different when I look at them outside of a few 'cost saving' changes and adjustments for bpm etc.... but then to be fair I haven't seen an exploded view either so...

 

[Minusorange]

I had a sapphire case watch and it was superbly scratch resistant. Did not fair well when a freak stone flew up from the road and hit the face of the watch and smashed it.

How do you even get something like that repaired ? lol

 

[mrk]

Really? They honestly don't look that much different when I look at them outside of a few 'cost saving' changes and adjustments for bpm etc.... but then to be fair I haven't seen an exploded view either so...

Yes it seems specific to Hamilton hence why they state as such on product pages, example on the H-50:

The H-50 is an exclusive caliber specifically developed for our handwinding watches. The H-50 is available with or without a date function and has an extended power reserve of up to 80 hours, ensuring maximum reliability even when it is not wound for a few days.

There is a long thread on WUS about the H-50 for example too: https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/any-experience-regulating-hamilton-h-50-movement.5127653

 

[Greebo]

How do you even get something like that repaired ? lol

Very cheaply as it turn out. Only the glass was damaged and I was charged £70.50 by citizen. I didnt mean it was a sapphire case, just the front glass. No idea why I typed what I did!

New sapphire glass £20
gasket £8
Water test to 100m £17
Labour £14
Shipping £11.50

I was amazed at how cheap it was to be honest!

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Choosing my next watch is extremely difficult. Quite like the look of a Seiko like this…

https://www.seikoboutique.co.uk/product/prospex-alpinist-12/

don’t want to shell out for a grand seiko just yet. I like the look of the presage series, but being a dress watch, it won’t get much wear other than weekends when I’m out on the town.

I'm not a huge fan of the Prospex branding on these. I think it has diluted the charm of the Alpinist range quite a bit...

Unfortunately it looks like prices have gone a bit bonkers on the old SARB range but I picked up a SARB033 and SARB017 to scratch my Alpinist itch.

 

[lsg1r]

Yes it seems specific to Hamilton hence why they state as such on product pages, example on the H-50:


There is a long thread on WUS about the H-50 for example too: https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/any-experience-regulating-hamilton-h-50-movement.5127653

Ah I was thinking more along the automatics than the manual, but I thought the majority of the changes for h50 (and h10/powermatic 80 which was where I was thinking) over the original eta were to do with increasing the power reserve (reduce to 3k instead of 4k etc) more than being a fully custom design (got to love marketing). Would seem a little strange for eta/swatch to design a movement specifically when they're in the more affordable range where economies of scale are quite important.

According to watchbase the powermatic 80 is a 'branded' version of the eta caliber c07.111, although there are some variants with different 'non metal' parts, and the h10 is also based off the same eta movement but at the end of the day I don't think it will make much difference to us as a user because they're all fairly solid movements for the price range.

I was amazed at how cheap it was to be honest!

Citizen are usually pretty fair in their pricing, especially when they need to consider the cost of repairs versus someone just buying a new watch.
Also wouldn't be shocked (and I do like citizen) that their sapphire is a 'lower grade' than say that which rolex etc are using so the cost is cheaper etc.

 

[Greebo]

Citizen are usually pretty fair in their pricing, especially when they need to consider the cost of repairs versus someone just buying a new watch.
Also wouldn't be shocked (and I do like citizen) that their sapphire is a 'lower grade' than say that which rolex etc are using so the cost is cheaper etc.

Not sure there is a "lower grade". Pretty much everywhere states that the cost of sapphire glass is around £20-£50 for a watch. maybe if you have a funny shape to it then it might cost more? Obviously some watches have additional coatings on the glass which then cost extra.

Has been loads of debates on watch forums for years. You can indeed buy sapphire replacement glass ranging from £20 to £200 but there is no discernible difference between them. They are either graded for optical use or they arent.

Coatings can make a difference though.

But I agree with you, at least citizen make it reasonable. I had expected a quote for between £100 and £200 for all that from them (watch worth £500)

 

[Parsley]

Not sure there is a "lower grade". Pretty much everywhere states that the cost of sapphire glass is around £20-£50 for a watch. maybe if you have a funny shape to it then it might cost more? Obviously some watches have additional coatings on the glass which then cost extra.

Has been loads of debates on watch forums for years. You can indeed buy sapphire replacement glass ranging from £20 to £200 but there is no discernible difference between them. They are either graded for optical use or they arent.

Coatings can make a difference though.

But I agree with you, at least citizen make it reasonable. I had expected a quote for between £100 and £200 for all that from them (watch worth £500)

They have to make it reasonable, no one is going to pay "Boutique" repair or servicing costs for a Citizen. People like to tell themselves that the official repair or service they've been overcharged for means they've somehow received magically better parts that really do cost that much more. It's a racket really, sell a super expensive watch and then make it nigh on impossible to have repaired anywhere but inhouse due to difficulty of finding parts.

Citizen do make great watches though, and very few really *need* anything that good... even if so many of us want other things .

I'd say go look at the below brands and see what takes your fancy within your budget.

Hamilton - I'm thinking khaki, murph (keep going back and forth on this myself), jazzmaster thinline (I have one of these with the red dial and had to replace the strap because it was stupidly short), intra-matic. They should all be in budget if you shop around.
Certina - thinking ds-1
Tissot - thinking gentleman powermatic, prx, visodate.

The three above are all part of the same swatch watch group so will often use the same movements etc

Seiko - there's a LOT to chose from lol
Christopher Ward - maybe, no first hand experience but most seem to say the watches are pretty good value, CS could be the issue if there's an issue though.

Most of the watches I've suggested are 40mm, so not overly big imo. A few on here might say they're larger sized due to them having small wrists, admittedly I do have a larger than average 8inch wrist so can pull off larger but I seem to stick around the 40mm size.

I have a CW watch, customer service was excellent being patient with me returning one for an exchange and also being very communicative with another watch that disappeared in the post, never to be found, ending up with a refund. They did what they could, once the couriers lose something (or have it stolen) they can only do so much, but communication was again, excellent. If you like the look and how they brand their watches (The "Christoper Ward" on the watch face upsets many people!) you can do a lot worse.

Also, unlike Seiko, you'll get a correctly aligned bezel .

 

[mrk]

To put sapphire glass into perspective, the Laco AR upgraded sapphire is €50 and that's for a crystal that has 13 layers on AR film across both underside and top side. Very few watch brands offer this kind of layering anywhere near that price. The jobsheet that comes with orders with this state the origin of the crystal is "CN" - So I guess the Chinese sourced crystal is where the low prices come from.

 

[Greebo]

To put sapphire glass into perspective, the Laco AR upgraded sapphire is €50 and that's for a crystal that has 13 layers on AR film across both underside and top side. Very few watch brands offer this kind of layering anywhere near that price. The jobsheet that comes with orders with this state the origin of the crystal is "CN" - So I guess the Chinese sourced crystal is where the low prices come from.

Thats a fair enough price but some watch companies charge £200 for their sapphire glass, quite often with no coatings. Thats just cashing on the fact people have bought expensive watches.

Same with cars. i remember my old boss slamming his Aston Martin sideways into a kerb and breaking the suspension about 20 years ago. I saw the insurance quote. The labour was at £220 per hour so although there was only 40 hours of repair the labour alone was over £9k. the parts were then another £13k with the two wheels being the biggest ticket items.

 

[lsg1r]

I have a CW watch, customer service was excellent being patient with me returning one for an exchange and also being very communicative with another watch that disappeared in the post, never to be found, ending up with a refund. They did what they could, once the couriers lose something (or have it stolen) they can only do so much, but communication was again, excellent. If you like the look and how they brand their watches (The "Christoper Ward" on the watch face upsets many people!) you can do a lot worse..

It's more from what I've read on their forums, seen some pretty poor 'reviews' of customer service and servicing etc. Obviously forums will have a higher proportion of complaining compared with praising a company but it's the one thing that seems to keep cropping up as an issue with CW from what I can see and imo it was worth mentioning because the poster doesn't sound like they're into watches like us type of thing.

Having said that I do quite like the new sealander gmt (white one) even though my first thoughts were a rolex rip off (one of the few rolex's I don't mind the look of) and then after thinking more about it a grand seiko rip off lol... it is a lot cheaper though and with it using a sellita movement should make it easier to get serviced, only real issue for me is it's 39mm.

 

[Parsley]

It's more from what I've read on their forums, seen some pretty poor 'reviews' of customer service and servicing etc. Obviously forums will have a higher proportion of complaining compared with praising a company but it's the one thing that seems to keep cropping up as an issue with CW from what I can see and imo it was worth mentioning because the poster doesn't sound like they're into watches like us type of thing.

Having said that I do quite like the new sealander gmt (white one) even though my first thoughts were a rolex rip off (one of the few rolex's I don't mind the look of) and then after thinking more about it a grand seiko rip off lol... it is a lot cheaper though and with it using a sellita movement should make it easier to get serviced, only real issue for me is it's 39mm.

Oh by all means share what you know! That was just my experience, maybe I was lucky and found the good member of staff .

 

[mrk]

Ham.

A lot of detail in such a small watch. Near perfect after binning the stock NATO for sure. My only issue is the Hirsch strap is 16mm at the buckle so the previously bought NOS Hamilton signed vintage buckle is 18mm and not usable here... I have found this, but at £56 it's a bit steep, more expensive than the Hirsch strap itself :/

I do like original signed buckles though.... Currently using a period correct vintage buckle that came off a tropic strap so it still looks classic just not signed and this bothers me!

 

[peterwalkley]

On the CW customer service topic: I had no issues when I sent mine in for a service a while back, so they do seem to be able to handle what should be a standard thing for any watch maker.

Sure I've said this before in this thread: although I wear mine daily I'm not sure I'd get another one. Their prices have really rocketed since I bought it, to the point where I'd not feel comfortable using it all the time (and I'm not a collector).

 

[Parsley]

The best time to buy a CW is when they do one of their big sales, I wouldn't feel comfortable paying full price for one considering the sort of price you can get one for new/nearly new during those sales. They also throw up prototypes or individual watches with different dials/hands/date windows etc etc... during the sales. Still comes with the 50 days return thing they offer.

 

[IvanDobskey]

I really like the look of some of the Christopher ward watches. Think they have jacked up their prices too quickly though.

Also something a little off with the branding for me. The full name, positioning and font of the text don't look right.

 

[Basher]

I really like the look of some of the Christopher ward watches. Think they have jacked up their prices too quickly though.

Also something a little off with the branding for me. The full name, positioning and font of the text don't look right.

Yeah, I much prefer the CW watches of years ago - both in terms of branding and price.

I had a C70 Monte Carlo but it was stolen from a hotel room in Rio