Watches you wear...

[SinceDay1]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

I am not a watch guy (yet), but this is really speaking to me:

https://www.amazon.ca/Baume-Mercier-...er+watches+men

Thoughts from the experts?

Hodinkee reviewed that watch (different dial colour but same movement) a few years back. Some good info.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/a-...plete-calendar

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

I said I had another on its way, and it arrived today via FedEx.

Omega Speedmaster Professional 3572.50

Seen here sitting with its new watch box neighbor...


Hesalite front crystal, sapphire back. Manual winding, rhodium-plated cal. 1861 chronograph movement.

I have some PolyWatch on the way, as the hesalite has some fine scratches that could stand to be buffed out. The bracelet and clasp look like they've been polished a little too much in order to smooth out some desk diving marks (the bracelet and clasp should be brushed with the center links planked by those polished bits), so I could always just re-brush the bracelet where needed.

First things first, it wasn't cleaned very well, so I'll need to get on that. Just a mild cleaner and a soft toothbrush. Speedy Moonwatches are basically 'splashproof', so you want to avoid most exposure to water with them, and you sure as hell don't want to swim in one.

I picked this up from WatchVaultNYC, a trusted seller from Chrono24.com. They overnighted it to my house, and I ended up getting $500 off their listed price of $3,299. As longsuffering said, there are bargains to be had on the used market if you look carefully.

Oh wow.... Always been a fan of the Moon watch!

[Deviaant]

That is a beauty Omega

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

[nik-]

I need to stay out of this thread

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Baume and Mercier are nicely built, and they play the part of "luxury swiss watch" well, but to me they kind of fall into that category where you're spending a good chunk of money but not really getting anything special or unique. But they are nice watches for sure, and if it speaks to you, get it.

If I was in your shoes and shopping for a long-term dress watch, I'd rather save up and get myself up into the next category where you have names like IWC, Zenith or JLC as options.

Thanks. It's really weird - I bought myself a $700 Movado 23 years ago when I barely had two nickels to rub together, and have not bought a watch since - still wear that same watch. And now when I can buy anything I want, it feels weird to me to consider a $4K watch, let alone a $20k. Just feels excessive. I have to get over that frugality because some of these understated watches are truly things of beauty.

This seems to be talking to me too...

https://www.amazon.ca/Zenith-Captain...cm_wl_huc_item

This is an expensive hobby.

[Table 5]

Ha, well there are lots of fun watches in the several hundred dollar range too (which is why a lot of us love Seikos), but yeah, it's not a cheap venture by any means. It's also why there's a pretty thriving used market.

I bought myself a watch for my 30th birthday (back then you could still get a new Omega for 30% off from an authorized dealer if you knew where to look), but that's about as expensive as it's got for me....and with two kids now, that may be as good as it gets for a while, ha.

Zeniths are really nice in my opinion, and one of those watches that present much better in real life than photos (I find that to be the opposite with some brands).

You should've just stuck with the Movado and never poked your head in here, ha.

[TorqueDog]

Zenith's El Primero high-beat movements run at 36,000 VpH or ten beats per second, which give it a very silky smooth second hand movement (and more accurate by its very nature). They're very cool. And a bit of trivia, the Rolex Daytona Cosmograph used Zenith-built movements modified by Rolex for over ten years. Rolex actually reduced the beat speed to their standard 8 beats per second to increase reliability and lower maintenance requirements (also removing the date function, and changing the balance and escapement).

By the way, Baume & Mercier can be found for a considerable discount off MSRP on AuthenticWatches.com. They are gray market, but come with all the serial numbers intact, box and papers, and a 3 year warranty honored by AW themselves. Not a bad option if you want the shiny goodness of brand new with the pricing of the second hand market.

[OMG!WTF!]

If you've never checked out this site, it's a lot of fun...

http://www.invaluable.com/mens-watches/cc-7KBYXLPOCW/

It's like a clearing house for auction houses around the world. I would think condition is always an issue with watches but the reputable houses will have reliable condition reports. Typically most stuff sells at auction for about 25%-50% of retail plus commissions and shipping. You'll find a steal eventually. I've bought a bunch of stuff and never had a problem. Ebay on the other hand has been miserable.

[TorqueDog]

^That's sweet, I'll have to spend some time poking around on there. If you're an Omega person, eLady (http://global.elady.com/) is a Japanese pre-owned luxury goods site with a pretty decent selection of older Sea/Speedmasters. The Speedmaster especially has a huge following in Japan, so there are often models produced for that market that weren't available otherwise. You can find some gems, but of course understanding that they are usually in fair condition. The pictures are generally good at conveying the condition from an aesthetic point of view.

Speaking of Omegas, I can't leave well enough alone. I had the Moonwatch in my hands for about an hour before I took out ... my watchmaker's kit.

I spent today:
- brushing the entire case and bracelet with an extra soft toothbrush and some Dawn
- taking apart the bracelet and clasp, rebrushing the brushed parts and polishing the center bits on the bracelet (fine grit sandpaper for the brushing, Cape Cod for the polished bits, Frog Tape to keep the two from getting mixed up)
- taping off the case and polishing the polished facets (there were a lot of hairline scratches that are now history)
- buffing the hesalite crystal, and
- lubricating the bracelet in a Ziploc bag for about five minutes with some Rock N Roll Extreme chain lubricant.

My PolyWatch hasn't shown up yet, so I used automotive plastic headlamp lens restorer first to take out all the fine scratches, producing a smooth and glossy finish, then applied two coats of Eagle One NanoWax to keep it that way.

One annoyance I noticed is that there is a tiny white fiber of some sort under the crystal around the 7 marker. I wasn't able to get a good enough grip on the case to open the caseback and pull the movement to get it out, so I'm going to have a watchmaker do it for me. But otherwise, I could have done everything on it myself. I'm fearless.

[InglewoodFan]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Speaking of Omegas, I can't leave well enough alone. I had the Moonwatch in my hands for about an hour before I took out ... my watchmaker's kit.

I spent today:
- brushing the entire case and bracelet with an extra soft toothbrush and some Dawn
- taking apart the bracelet and clasp, rebrushing the brushed parts and polishing the center bits on the bracelet (fine grit sandpaper for the brushing, Cape Cod for the polished bits, Frog Tape to keep the two from getting mixed up)
- taping off the case and polishing the polished facets (there were a lot of hairline scratches that are now history)
- buffing the hesalite crystal, and
- lubricating the bracelet in a Ziploc bag for about five minutes with some Rock N Roll Extreme chain lubricant.

My PolyWatch hasn't shown up yet, so I used automotive plastic headlamp lens restorer first to take out all the fine scratches, producing a smooth and glossy finish, then applied two coats of Eagle One NanoWax to keep it that way.

One annoyance I noticed is that there is a tiny white fiber of some sort under the crystal around the 7 marker. I wasn't able to get a good enough grip on the case to open the caseback and pull the movement to get it out, so I'm going to have a watchmaker do it for me. But otherwise, I could have done everything on it myself. I'm fearless.

Sooooo, when can I drop off my Speedy?

I think most watch lovers would be aghast at the condition of my watch. It is worn every day, and I don't go out of my way to baby it. Couple of nicks on the bezel, the hesalite is a bit scratched up, the bracelet is home to many fine scratches. But it keeps great time and it's a reminder of a couple of years working my butt off away from my family and friends.

It has been back to Omega once, and came back looking like new. (Apparently it didn't like riding waterslides at WEM as much as I did.) So I know it can be brought back to shiny. Will probably have it cleaned up before I pass it down to one of the kids. Should probably pick up another nice watch one of these days, since I have two sons. Wouldn't want to play favourites.

And curse you for posting your display back Speedy. I agonized over buying that or my steel back model. That's a sexy looking movement.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by InglewoodFan

Sooooo, when can I drop off my Speedy?

I think most watch lovers would be aghast at the condition of my watch. It is worn every day, and I don't go out of my way to baby it. Couple of nicks on the bezel, the hesalite is a bit scratched up, the bracelet is home to many fine scratches. But it keeps great time and it's a reminder of a couple of years working my butt off away from my family and friends.

It has been back to Omega once, and came back looking like new. (Apparently it didn't like riding waterslides at WEM as much as I did.) So I know it can be brought back to shiny. Will probably have it cleaned up before I pass it down to one of the kids. Should probably pick up another nice watch one of these days, since I have two sons. Wouldn't want to play favourites.

And curse you for posting your display back Speedy. I agonized over buying that or my steel back model. That's a sexy looking movement.

I had the same reservation in the opposite direction. The 'Flight qualified by NASA for all manned space missions' thing on the solid case-back is a pretty neat talking point in itself. But as I said, I'm a sucker for a display back and a nicely finished movement.

Honestly, doing it yourself is pretty easy and fun if you have space to work with it, basic tools (I grabbed my watchmaker's kit from eBay), and patience. A bit daunting at first for sure, so I would start just with the clasp and see how that turns out, since it's usually the worst for wear anyway.

[DoubleF]

So... what are some "limits" when it comes to watch repair and maintenance on a nice watch?

On my watches
- I've tweaked bracelets and bands
- I've changed batteries before
- I've done basic cleaning
- I've done questionable scratch removal

Question about cleaning... some people I've spoken with freak out at the idea that anything other than a cloth (ie: Soft toothbrush) is used on a watch or bracelet. I know Torquedog doesn't have qualms about using a soft brush, but are the scratch concerns serious or overblown? I use a cheap soft bristle electric toothbrush to clean some of my electronics on occasion. Never have I made scratches using it.

Cape cod wipes. I've seen some people get all upset about how it chemically removes a layer or something and say they're all "no no" to use on an opulent watch, all buffing done by the watch maker etc. Personally, steel is steel, whatever, but I can perhaps see an argument for much more precious metals. I have on occasion used a nail buffer to clean up some extremely scratched bracelets. Obviously I would not to nail buffer an opulent watch, but is there still a serious voice of concern for attempting to remove scratches yourself and the methodologies you should employ when working on a watch?

I probably wouldn't completely baby a watch or be brazenly careless with it. But I don't want to tell people what "work" I've had done on a watch and have people stare at me like I've announced I've accidentally run over their cat or anything.

[VladtheImpaler]

I have continued my search and this is truly beautiful, but seems a bit excessive:

https://www.amazon.ca/IWC-Portuguese...wc+watches+men

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

I have continued my search and this is truly beautiful, but seems a bit excessive:

https://www.amazon.ca/IWC-Portuguese...wc+watches+men

Did you read the reviews on it?

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Did you read the reviews on it?

I have now. Thanks.

PS Clearly, I would first have to get a car that costs more.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

So... what are some "limits" when it comes to watch repair and maintenance on a nice watch?

On my watches
- I've tweaked bracelets and bands
- I've changed batteries before
- I've done basic cleaning
- I've done questionable scratch removal

Question about cleaning... some people I've spoken with freak out at the idea that anything other than a cloth (ie: Soft toothbrush) is used on a watch or bracelet. I know Torquedog doesn't have qualms about using a soft brush, but are the scratch concerns serious or overblown? I use a cheap soft bristle electric toothbrush to clean some of my electronics on occasion. Never have I made scratches using it.

Cape cod wipes. I've seen some people get all upset about how it chemically removes a layer or something and say they're all "no no" to use on an opulent watch, all buffing done by the watch maker etc. Personally, steel is steel, whatever, but I can perhaps see an argument for much more precious metals. I have on occasion used a nail buffer to clean up some extremely scratched bracelets. Obviously I would not to nail buffer an opulent watch, but is there still a serious voice of concern for attempting to remove scratches yourself and the methodologies you should employ when working on a watch?

I probably wouldn't completely baby a watch or be brazenly careless with it. But I don't want to tell people what "work" I've had done on a watch and have people stare at me like I've announced I've accidentally run over their cat or anything.

I had a MASSIVE reply typed up to this, and the server was nice enough to crap the bed at some point, so it was lost and never submitted.

Anyway, the answer is this: it depends. I am happy to do my own work on the Speedy Pro because someone FAR more incompetent than I has clearly had their hands on it given how many of the brushed features of the watch were semi-polished when it arrived. It has no warranty, and if I want Omega to fix it perfectly, it's $540 CAD and I'm not doing anything that could irreparably muck anything up. The Rolex, on the other hand, has ten years of warranty so I'm not touching it at all. I wouldn't try and work on a Patek no matter what age it was.

The watch, as well as your own skill and confidence should dictate whether or not you decide to do what maintenance on your watch. I've regulated an off-warranty Rolex SeaDweller before. It was easy, and I had that thing to within 2 seconds a day.

Using an extra soft toothbrush (I use one for toddlers aged 2 - 4 mo.) with some mild soap and water is not going to damage a watch finish. And anyone making a fuss about Cape Cod cloths, their concern is probably misplaced. The problem with Cape Cods are usually the ham-fisted git moving the cloth around who didn't tape any of the brushed case facets or bracelet pieces off before using them. If you take your time, and prep your pieces before working on them, you'll be fine.

But at the end of the day, it is always a case-by-case basis as to whether or not you should work on your own watches.

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

I have continued my search and this is truly beautiful, but seems a bit excessive:

https://www.amazon.ca/IWC-Portuguese...wc+watches+men

Well, it's solid 18K white gold, it has an in-house movement with a minute repeater complication, and was limited to a 250 piece production run.

That said, you can get it cheaper second-hand: https://www.chrono24.com/ca/search/i...accessoryTypes=

And the duty you pay on shipping it will hurt a LOT. You might want to fly over to the seller and wear it on the flight back.

[jus_sum_guy]

I don't wear watches much but wife just got me this and I love it!!

https://www.rado.com/collections/rad...-0173401783015

[sun]

That IWC is boring, and not in a good way.

[CroFlames]

85k for the most plain jane looking watch ever. Yeah, no.

[NuclearFart]

But it makes noise so no one actually has to look at it. Hearing is believin' ™.