What watch do you wear?

mrk · 27 Dec 2019 at 17:43

Love Hamilton, but like Sinn, a lot of their pieces are literally huge!

£300 vs $30,000...

Watchfinder's review guy has simply the best articulation. He is the Henry Catchpole of watches :cool:

And then you see a Grand Seiko for 50k and the unreal levels of skill needed vs the above and you appreciate why it costs what it does

Sol · 27 Dec 2019 at 22:19

BusError said:
Nice, how thick it is? Looks chunky!

It's a 40mm case so it definitely isn't huge by modern standards. I also have a Jazzmaster viewmatic that is the same size. The lug width is quite big though and it is a thick watch in this particular case (15mm) because of the modified Valjoux 7753. I don't mind it at all, although some do. I have tiny wrists though!

Richdog · 28 Dec 2019 at 12:49

mrk said:
It is indeed a Marloe. The Morar special edition.

https://www.marloewatchcompany.com/...ts/morar-black-edition?variant=31158376890457

For £450 I have yet to see anything else styled like it and especially in 40mm!

I don't care about pedigree, I only care about purpose behind it and this has quite a bit of Britishness to it.

It's one of MANY gimmick watches sold by no-name companies looking to get in on the "boutique" watch market. They make "special edition" pieces that are priced perceptively lower than established luxury brands and then combine that with nice marketing and homely stories to tug on the heart strings and draw people in. The reality is that you are paying a whopping £450 for an awkwardly styled (imo) watch with a cheap and plasticky Japanese movement (yes, it actually has a plastic housing) and that will likely hold about 10% of its re-sale value if you decide to sell it in a few years. It is a polished turd.

But by all means, if you are aware of all of that then go ahead any buy it if you like it, life's too short not to.

mrk · 28 Dec 2019 at 13:16

The Miyota 9039 is Citizen's premium line of movements. It's movement rrp is around £100 on its own if you wanted to build a watch with one and the average+3 to +7s a day accuracy is very reasonable too at this price point (of course regulate it and you can match an ETA...). Regardless of whether it has a plastic housing or not shouldn't matter at all and indeed reviews show it to be a very reliable movement. This is all that matters.

As for everything else, completely subjective. To me any Rolex or Omega is a fashion statement and a Tudor is the smart man's choice as far as mid 4 figure RRP watches go, but if you want unique and something that stands out in a sea of same looking dive watches, then micro brands are the only ones trying do be different and have a loyal following because of it at the sub £1k price range.

I've always liked something that is different looking but still robust and tasteful. These kind of brands do exactly that.

I'll always choose a tasteful or smart option, not one dictated by a whiff of snobbery.

Richdog · 28 Dec 2019 at 19:27

mrk said:
The Miyota 9039 is Citizen's premium line of movements. It's movement rrp is around £100 on its own if you wanted to build a watch with one and the average+3 to +7s a day accuracy is very reasonable too at this price point (of course regulate it and you can match an ETA...). Regardless of whether it has a plastic housing or not shouldn't matter at all and indeed reviews show it to be a very reliable movement. This is all that matters.

As for everything else, completely subjective. To me any Rolex or Omega is a fashion statement and a Tudor is the smart man's choice as far as mid 4 figure RRP watches go, but if you want unique and something that stands out in a sea of same looking dive watches, then micro brands are the only ones trying do be different and have a loyal following because of it at the sub £1k price range.

I've always liked something that is different looking but still robust and tasteful. These kind of brands do exactly that.

I'll always choose a tasteful or smart option, not one dictated by a whiff of snobbery.

Fair enough old chap I won't get into a debate about your misguided views on watch snobbery and Rolexes and if you want to take a gamble on theses Mickey Mouse watch companies springing up everywhere and don't mind having little to no residual value later down the line then feel free to do so!

Derek W · 28 Dec 2019 at 19:56

Richdog said:
I wouldn't buy a Rolex, there are too many negative connotations for this brand to me. 3k doesn't get you much, anyway.

Also regarding wanting only a Swiss brand, that's my distinct personal preference and you are of course entitled to yours. My requirements won't change.

The Omega Aqua Terra however is a good shout, and has a 60 hour power reserve so I'll take a look see what I can find. Thanks!

Richdog said:
Fair enough old chap I won't get into a debate about your misguided views on watch snobbery and Rolexes and if you want to take a gamble on theses Mickey Mouse watch companies springing up everywhere and don't mind having little to no residual value later down the line then feel free to do so!

You really do sound so pompous :rolleyes:

I knew I'd seen you have misguided views on Rolex but I'm guessing you've changed your mind since you own one now

Rather than coming across who thinks theyre more clued up on things why don't you wind your neck in instead :rolleyes:

BusError · 28 Dec 2019 at 20:20

@Pringle W relax -- the guy seems to be worried about his 'residual value' -- you (or I for that matter) don't -- YOU want to toss 500 quid to a nice watch you like? cool! I do the same really -- it breaks in X years and become a doorstop? Well I've had massively more expensive doorstops actually, many of them I didn't get to wear and didn't give me a hell of a lot pleasure wearing them :-)

So technically, someone who want to upnose you with his 'residual value' 10k watch and sees his watch as an 'investment' is just cheap.

These guys thinks they are making a smart move -- like these kids who force themselves buying expensive 'trainers' they'll never wear and try to resell for more because these are 'rare'.

Wizardskills · 28 Dec 2019 at 21:09

Also, if I'm being honest, Rolex, Omega etc watches are not really what I would term “Luxury” products. These are mass produced items, made on a production line with little human interaction. Sure they are nice, good quality things, but they are not really that special. I think of them as the BMW or Mercedes of the watch world.

With regards to the Marlow Morar, it's quite a cool looking watch (imo). I've kept my eye on the brand for a while now and they make some nice looking pieces for a reasonable price. If you like it @mrk , get it.

Anyway, back to more civil matters. Here is my latest acquisition. A all original Universal Geneve Polerouter Date ref 869119/06 from 1967. It runs ok but needs a service and unfortunately it's going to need a new plexi glass as well as there are some small cracks in it. Quite looking forward to it being all fixed up by my watchmaker.

SDK^ · 29 Dec 2019 at 07:08

Richdog said:
It's one of MANY gimmick watches sold by no-name companies looking to get in on the "boutique" watch market. They make "special edition" pieces that are priced perceptively lower than established luxury brands and then combine that with nice marketing and homely stories to tug on the heart strings and draw people in. The reality is that you are paying a whopping £450 for an awkwardly styled (imo) watch with a cheap and plasticky Japanese movement (yes, it actually has a plastic housing) and that will likely hold about 10% of its re-sale value if you decide to sell it in a few years. It is a polished turd.

But by all means, if you are aware of all of that then go ahead any buy it if you like it, life's too short not to.

I’m no fan of this watch but it’s £450, not as though he’s losing much, IF resale even matters in this case.
At least the photos of the watch are decent and not CGI’d like most others

Richdog · 29 Dec 2019 at 07:22

Pringle W said:
You really do sound so pompous

I knew I'd seen you have misguided views on Rolex but I'm guessing you've changed your mind since you own one now

Rather than coming across who thinks theyre more clued up on things why don't you wind your neck in instead

Yup I did used to have a definite bias against Rolex as a brand image (not in terms of quality) until I sat down, realised I was being irrational and re-evaluated the options and then as a result changed my thinking. It's an important life skill to be able to do that, by the way.

Wizardskills said:
Also, if I'm being honest, Rolex, Omega etc watches are not really what I would term “Luxury” products. These are mass produced items, made on a production line with little human interaction. Sure they are nice, good quality things, but they are not really that special. I think of them as the BMW or Mercedes of the watch world.

Only someone with either low common sense or more money than sense would not consider an Omega or Rolex a luxury product... of course they are luxury products, and mind-numbingly obviously so. There are of course many varying degrees of "luxury" going all the way up to Russian Oligarch who blow many thousands on a watch without blinking, but to say that a £5000+ watch is not luxury by any common definition is just madness. They are sold as such by the manufacturers and retailers and classed as such by every meaningful metric in proportion to the average buying power on this earth.

For the record BMW's and Mercedes are certainly also luxury cars by any reasonable definition, hence why they are among the most popular cars bought by wealthy people in the middle and upper classes.

So yeah, you may want to update your practical and realistic understanding of the term "luxury".

SDK^ said:
I’m no fan of this watch but it’s £450, not as though he’s losing much, IF resale even matters in this case.
At least the photos of the watch are decent and not CGI’d like most others

£450 isn't exactly pocket change and at any price point it's important to get value and quality for what you spend.

Steedie · 29 Dec 2019 at 09:45

Present I had for Christmas, not the most expensive watch but looks smart and well put together

Richdog · 29 Dec 2019 at 11:09

Steedie said:
Present I had for Christmas, not the most expensive watch but looks smart and well put together

I thought that was actually a Breitling Navitimer until I looked a bit closer. Enjoy.

Janesy B · 29 Dec 2019 at 14:34

Richdog said:
Fair enough old chap I won't get into a debate about your misguided views on watch snobbery and Rolexes and if you want to take a gamble on theses Mickey Mouse watch companies springing up everywhere and don't mind having little to no residual value later down the line then feel free to do so!

Not everyone buys watches for residual value, I mean what's the point of buying something you don't like/want just because it'll hold value. Unless it's a Rolex, you'll lose chunks of money on anything anyway.

Not really fair to call Marloe 'mickey mouse' as they bother to make designs that aren't just Aliexpress cases with a plain dial like DW or MVMNT. The price is about right for a microbrand dive watch with those specs. You can spend upwards of £400 on a Seiko 'turtle', and while I love my Seikos they're not exactly the most refined watches with mineral crystals, crappy hollow endlinks and pressed clasps.

Richdog · 29 Dec 2019 at 15:52

Janesy B said:
Not everyone buys watches for residual value, I mean what's the point of buying something you don't like/want just because it'll hold value. Unless it's a Rolex, you'll lose chunks of money on anything anyway.

No-one said anything about buying something they don't want simply for residuals. If you can't find something you like at a given price point from an established brand then I would be very surprised... obviously there's tons of variation that exists. Everyone cares about residual value at some point unless a watch is either super cheap or has genuine sentimental value. In the end they just watches you like that you will almost inevitably get tired of over time unless it is some kind of holy grail watch.

Anyway I'll up now, just wanted to give my thruppence on all these pop-up fad microbrands.

Janesy B said:
Not really fair to call Marloe 'mickey mouse' as they bother to make designs that aren't just Aliexpress cases with a plain dial like DW or MVMNT. The price is about right for a microbrand dive watch with those specs. You can spend upwards of £400 on a Seiko 'turtle', and while I love my Seikos they're not exactly the most refined watches with mineral crystals, crappy hollow endlinks and pressed clasps.

Steinhart are a similar price with imo better quality components.

Janesy B · 29 Dec 2019 at 16:10

Easier to spend more money on materials when your R&D is browsing the Rolex catalogues and archives.

mattyg · 29 Dec 2019 at 16:13

Anyone got a LIV watch.
https://www.livwatches.com/collections/all-watches

The1nonly1 · 30 Dec 2019 at 12:40

I'm in the market and looking at this https://www.citizenwatch.co.uk/aw1367-05w.html. However, I don't like the strap. Are they easy to source and change on Citizen watches?

hughtrimble · 30 Dec 2019 at 12:53

The1nonly1 said:
I'm in the market and looking at this https://www.citizenwatch.co.uk/aw1367-05w.html. However, I don't like the strap. Are they easy to source and change on Citizen watches?

It depends on the model, can't say all for Citizen, but that one you've linked to yes. Search online for the dental floss spring bar removal technique - I'd suggest it's better than using a tool on that one given the thickness of the strap material.

The1nonly1 · 30 Dec 2019 at 12:59

hughtrimble said:
It depends on the model, can't say all for Citizen, but that one you've linked to yes. Search online for the dental floss spring bar removal technique - I'd suggest it's better than using a tool on that one given the thickness of the strap material.

Thanks. That's a very clever way of removing the strap.

ash_scotland88 · 30 Dec 2019 at 15:45

Quite like the Tag Heuer Formulae 1 quartz, the blue and orange one. Thoughts on these? Always thought when I'd buy myself a nice watch I'd end up going for one vastly more expensive and traditional, black/grey/silver.
One thing I'd want to do is change the canvas strap. Where is the place to buy replacement ones from?

Found the watch with stainless strap, for more, but would be the same price if bought the "canvas" strap and official stainless strap. But found an Etsy seller for like £40/50 a strap.