THSCC Forums

Maybe I'm nuts, but I have worn the same Rolex daily since 2000. It keeps wonderful time and requires no winding or batteries. Surprisingly, it's tough as nails, much more so than a Seiko Kinetic I have and others. The sapphire crystal still doesn't have a scratch on it.

Donnie, if you have a Rolex that doesn't keep good time, I have a guy that will re-time it, replace all of the seals and re-pressurize it for around $100. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

I'd be interested in that information. A watch costing that much should at least keep good time. Mine has always been a little off, like it's owner

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Rodney

'08 Bullitt mustang, CAM 7
Autox VP '09-'10, President '11-'12, interim President 2nd half of ‘14
proud recipient of the Bowie Grey service award '12
Now just a guy driving a mustang....

Good info, but honestly, it's really more my fault. My Rolex is kinetic, but I'm just not going to wear one every day. And so it dies on me. Yes, I have one of those little boxes you can put it in that spins it to keep it wound when you're not going to wear it for extended periods, but it's a pain to stick it in and I always just say "oh, I'll just wear it tomorrow" and then tomorrow I decide not to and it dies. What's worse is that when it dies you not only have to set the time, you have to set the DATE. And the date won't go backwards, only forwards. So if it sits dead for a while and you want to go backwards, you can't. And the only way to go forward is to wind through all the HOURS of the day. You can't just advance the date part.

WHICH DRIVES ME NUTS.

My Citizen is amazing. Looks awesome and charges via a solar panel that you can't even tell is there (it's in the face, but you have to be looking for it to see it). Unfortunately Citizen sells almost ZERO models in the US market with a sapphire crystal (claims the US market won't pay that much for a japanese watch, which is probably true for the most part), but they did to a special limited edition black titanium version of the watch I wanted with a sapphire crystal:

http://www.jomashop.com/citizen-promast ... 5-51e.html

It's a pilot watch, so that bezel is actually a rotary slide rule. Man, I'm gonna kick some math ass when I learn how to use that.

It's really just an awesome watch that never needs winding. On top of that, the features I really wanted were the sapphire crystal, light, stopwatch, dual time zone, and, uh, time. It's got some other cool features (like countdown timer and such), but those were the things I wanted. Oh, and the titanium thing was a bonus, too. I was a bit of a watch snob toward European stuff, but this watch convinced me the Japanese know what they are doing, too.

(But for those that don't want to pay for a limited edition and do want a Citizen with a sapphire crystal, search some forums. People have had success just buying a watch that has a sapphire option in other parts of the world, wear it, let it scratch, and then send it in and have a sapphire put in to replace it. You gotta pay, but at least they'll do it in the US repair facility.)


--Donnie

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My Blog

http://www.alphawatchusa.com/

Want a beater watch that looks killer at under a hundred bucks? A guy on c-c has started importing these and is getting into the design realm. They use Chinese movements, but keep good time and have a good reputation.

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.

I have to say that I am not a Rolex fan. I think that while the watches are nice, you are paying a premium for the name. I also find the styling to be overly conservative (however I understand why that also is appealing to many). My mother in law used to work at a Rolex dealer and I think they are allowed to buy maybe one or two at a significant discount. Even with that discount, I passed. I think there are other very nice and well made Swiss watches out there that are a better deal.

My dream watch ($$$$$ ) would be something from Ulysse Nardin (such as the "Freak Blue Phantom"). I love their styling and they have some very creative movements…

http://www.ulysse-nardin.com/


Regarding spending money on an expensive mechanical watch (automatic or manual wind), they are never going to keep time as well as a quartz. I only wear automatics. And I wear them both because they keep time well enough and I just simply love mechanical watches. But if I want accurate time, then unfortunately a cheap quartz is what you want.

Wes posted the link to someone who is using Chinese movements. I expect to see more and more of those in the future and I also expect the quality of the Chinese movements to improve. I am also a fan of the Seiko automatic movements and have a few Seikos that I really like. Seiko doesn’t sell many of them here in the US market, but I think they sell more in Far East markets. Online dealers can be found that specialize in selling Seiko models not available in the US.

The problem with something like a very inexpensive Seiko (or any watch that is less than $100) is that while the movement is nice (better than the Chinese) you still have to deal with a glass (aka mineral) crystal (which can chip or get scratched pretty easily). I see that the one Wes suggested also has glass crystal, but when it’s that cheap you are not going to see a sapphire crystal. However you can sometimes pay to have someone swap out a glass crystal for a sapphire one. I will have to check out the one Wes suggested and see if any of their collection offers sapphire crystals.

My daily watch is a military style Hamilton automatic with leather strap. It has a sapphire crystal and Swiss (ETA) movement.

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

Here you go: http://www.watchdoctor.biz/

I've used him twice in 2 years and he does a fantastic job. It looks like his cost has increased, but it does include Express Mail return shipping.

For Donnie, my watch will continue to run for 2+ days without wear, but I can change the date without changing the time. Mine has a two positions on the "lug", one for date and one for time. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

Even for $150 that is a good deal because he pressure tests the watch which I think can usually be an extra charge.

I think I know what Donnie is complaining about (inability to move date in reverse). I think that is because some watches also have not just date, but day and date. My Hamilton is a day/date, so with two positions, one adjust time (forward and backward) and the other does both day and date. So one direction is day and the other is date. Point being that with only two positions, you can't reverse either day or date. Both go foward. I suspect that convention is used on watches that are date only.

When the watch has run down, just set watch to previous day/date. Then adjust time foward through midnight. You should see day/date switch to the next day (today). Then continue forward to set time. Remember that if you are doing this afternoon, that you need to move forward past 12 so that it will roll over to next day at midnight.

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Richard Casto
1972 Porsche 914
2013 Honda Fit Sport
2015 Honda Fit EX
http://motorsport.zyyz.com
Money can't buy happiness, but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than a Kia.

Wow! My cell phone has a clock. Works just fine and came with the phone. Who'd a thunk it...

Buying a Rolex is like buying a Hummer. Hey, look at me !!!

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http://www.greywinds.com

HEY, Look at ME!!

Mine was a graduation present in 2000.....

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Rodney

'08 Bullitt mustang, CAM 7
Autox VP '09-'10, President '11-'12, interim President 2nd half of ‘14
proud recipient of the Bowie Grey service award '12
Now just a guy driving a mustang....

I didn't pay for mine either, but would likely buy another. - AB

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'14 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD
Super Westerfield Bros - '93 Integra - LeChump Du Jour
STX 93 - Scion FR-S

I inherited my dad's Rolex Oyster Perpetual / DateJust several years ago with a broken crown and a scratched-up crystal. I let the watch sit for a few years, because fixing it would cost more than any other watch I had owned previously. I found a shop in Annapolis through a watch officionado coworker. I got a new crown and crystal and got a tuneup, and the watch runs great. Mine absolutely must be worn/wound daily or it will quit.

Like Aaron's, I can change the date w/o changing the time. Finding the position on the lug can be quite challenging, but it's there, and I'd bet it's there on Donnie's also. Mine's 31 yrs old, so they've been doing that for a long time.

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Tom Freeman
'98 M3/4/5 | '93 Spec3 325i | '12 TSX sport wagon | '03 Tahoe
Team Silver Bullets '91 240SX

I always wear a watch even though, yes Graham, I also have a cellphone that tells time, because I feel like I'm missing something if I don't have it on. However, because I don't treat them very well I won't buy an expensive watch. I buy $50 Timexs, Casios, or $35 for two watch bought on the streets of New York. (I think the last one was a Bolex ) It took two weeks to scratch the face of the last one I bought. The only exception to this is that I have a watch my brother in law gave me that is one of the support our troops watches (He is a Lt. Colonel) and that one I try to treat better.

To me it is just something to show off and if it doesn't tell good time it is worthless.

I think I am the only one in my family that did not get the watch gene. My sister and her husband have matching Rolexes (Rolexi?) and my dad has his dad's gold watch and others.

I like when people use the justification that cheap watch faces scratch easily, so they don't buy more expensive pieces. Neither of my Tags or my Seiko have a single scratch in their respective crystals, and they've all lived hard lives. :shrug:

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Has no responsibility whatsoever.

Alot has to do with the quality of the crystal. I have everything from plastic to glass to sapphire crystals on my watches and you can easily tell. The sapphire crystals don't have a scratch on them while some of the plastics do. :shrug:

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Todd Breakey
STS 42 - 1992 Sunburst Miata
Dammit!
"You souldn't play leap frog with a porcupine. You might get hurt." - Eliza

I wasn't using that as an excuse. I was saying that I don't treat watches very carefully and I don't value having an expensive watch - just one that tells time accurately. A lot of people like to spend their money on watches, so be it this is America they can spend their money as they wish.