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naraburns nihil supernum
1yr ago
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Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.
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Someone commenting on the Dickstretcher-Rolex saga suggested we have a watch thread. To kick it off, I'm going to post a guide to What Watch to Buy based on why you want a watch, I figure that's a good way to pick a fight and get it going. I love watches, watches are cool, they're one of the few pieces of acceptable jewelry for (white) men, I love the historical associations of vintage pieces, I love the mechanical beauty of automatic watches that turn movement into energy as if by magic and can go farther underwater than I ever will.
I want a watch that tells time, is cheap, and maybe isn't a total piece of shit and that some people will like
G Shock Classic Tough Solar. Classic to iconic design, will survive anything your wrist will and a lot your wrist won't, solar battery lasts effectively forever and the multi-band atomic system means you'll never have to set it. Has a stop watch and other fun stuff if you want to play with it. People love their G Shocks so it's not something people will look down on, has a certain rugged utilitarianism to it. If you end up loving G Shocks, they go up in price, features, and collectibility from there to a $500 all steel model, which I found kind of ruined the point because it was so damn heavy.
I want to blend into the corporate upper classes and fit in, this is a status item, but I don't want to spend a ton of money
Just buy an Apple Watch. My circles aren't yours, but no one I know can tell the difference between one model and another (maybe they'll change this with the ultra), and half the top execs and earners I meet these days are wearing Apple Watches anyway for "fitness" stuff, so for <$400 you blend right into the C Suite. Honestly, this watch has hollowed out the watch industry as a jewelry/status purchase, the ladder of success has broken down at the middle tiers. Only stuff cheaper than an Apple Watch or much more expensive than the Apple Watch can survive. It no longer makes sense for a middle manager to buy a $1k Tag or Raymond Weil and expect anyone to give a fuck when the mail cart kid is wearing the exact same Apple Watch the CEO is wearing.
I want a new mechanical watch that looks like a classic men's watch and functions well, but brand isn't important
Seiko 5, Glycine Airman, or the Timex Marlin, are all affordable models with respectable reliable mechanical movements and good looks. No batteries are nice, and you can see if you like mechanicals. Nobody will look at them and say it's horrible or cheap. Pick what aesthetic tickles your fancy. If you want to get more into niche boutique unique stuff, some microbrands like this Armida Explorer Homage or any of the fine dive watches out of Islander Watches have moderately better finishing than the lower end brands and more unique styles, while still basically paying homage to the big guys.
I have a really small penis and I want to make that obvious to everyone
Can I interest you in an invicta? They offer products for all price ranges between $50 and $5,000, and it all screams compensation from top to bottom.
I want a mechanical watch from a brand other watch nerds will respect, but that Champagne taste is on a craft-beer budget
Go vintage non-Rolex swiss brand. You can find great cheap Tissot Seastars, or for a step up in brand value get a vintage Omega Seamaster or Constellation, or go out there with a Vostok if you're quirky like a Coen brothers film. The vintage will appeal to enthusiasts richer than you who are wearing Rolexs or Blancpains that cost ten times as much, while costing much less. Much better value than spending $1k on a mid tier watch.
No, really, I'm fancy and I just want to dive into the deep end and flex
Just get a Submariner or a Speedmaster , they have the pedigree and the history and the reputation that you're looking for. Unless you're ready to buy a Patek or something, and that's out of my depth!
As for my collection? I have a black square G Shock and an Armida A9 that I wear 90% of days. I have a 60s Omega Seamaster which was a gift from an old friend that I love, and a Bailey Banks and Biddle watch that was given to my great grandfather for 25 years of work at the same plant which I wear for special occasions (I love wearing it to a fancy event because no one else has one quite like it).
So what's in everybody else's drawer and on your wrist? Or how did I fuck up my advice above? Do you wear nothing but fakes? Nothing but Swatches in fun colors?
Big into watches. I own one of these Gen. 1 mainly because I saw it in Minority report. I have one of these again because Chief Brody wore one in Jaws. Sensing a trend? Yes. I also have a Casio DW-290 that is relatively cheaper, and which appeared in another movie. I have a Longines Hydroconquest Chronograph automatic that my father-in-law gifted me out of the blue.
My current go-to watch however is the amazing Casio MDV-107, aka the Duro Marlin which is a dive watch for people who probably don't actually dive but want to look kind of like they could do if diving were suddenly required. That would be my own category. I switched out the resin band for a couple NATOs and even a nice leather strap, which doesn't make much sense on a dive watch but looks good, IMO.
I admire your vintage Omega and I myself am in the market for a vintage DeVille. Reddit has at least two watch enthusiast swap forums, the /r/watchexchange that most who care know about, and its offshot /r/watch_swap, which split from the exchange sub because reasons that I don't pay close enough attention to. Both are good for this kind of thing.
Sorry for the Japanese links but that's what came up. I should probably just photograph my wrist and show pictures that are actually mine--I dredged my imgur album but apparently I never uploaded any watch pics. Oh I also own a rather old now tank watch on a leather strap from Eddie Bauer of all places, that I bought on a whim in around 1998 and after two battery changes is ticking nicely.
For the watch enthusiast I cannot recommend enough a kit similar to this. The one I bought a while back was about three times the cost of the one I just linked and I have no idea of the relative quality of these things, but if you ever change bands or batteries or add or subtract bracelet links these kits are a godsend.
How do you like the Longines? That's one I've seen online, but never in person. I love that Omega, super neat. Was it really that expensive though, or can you get a deal on them?
Also, I've found (cheap Amazon NATO) leather straps hold up just fine to a quick swim, which is all mine is ever subjected to. I'm sure it would wear out eventually, but not the dozen times a year it hits some saltwater.
And taking good watch pics is so difficult! I feel like it's an area that lighting makes a huge difference relative to just holding a smartphone.
Thanks. Re: the Longines, it's heavy. Stainless steel, through and through, and 43mm width, so big on my thin wrist. If I could have chosen myself I would have chosen a lighter or darker dial. The gray-gray is not as easy to see as I would like. But it's my only automatic watch thus far (albeit without a display caseback). I like it, and the fact that it was simply mailed to me with a "Enjoy" makes it all the more enjoyable. I have considered getting a rubber dive strap for it--and then maybe actually diving. But that might be just passing fancy.
The Omega is titanium except the stainless steel bezel, and therefore relatively much lighter. While I could probably put the Longines in a sling and, with a well-timed throw, down Goliath, the X-33 would just bounce off. I bought it more than 20 years ago when I was single and flush with what I felt then was disposable cash, and paid almost full MRP. It's quartz, which turns off even some Omega enthusiasts. But to me that just means it's accurate. As much as I like the various NATO or even leather straps for it, the titanium bracelet is light as a feather and really pops, I think.
I agree taking watch pics isn't easy but some can do it quite well (I myself cannot), and I am sure they are just using their i-Phones or whatever. Alas, my android was considered a good camera phone when I bought it, but that was about 10 years ago and phone cameras have come a long way. I once read natural sunlight is preferable to most regular room lights when photographing watches and similar. Others may know much more about it.
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