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My Watches

Discussion area for watches, clocks and all other timekeepers.
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cortman
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My Watches

Post by cortman »

I've kept a rough log of the various watches I've owned since getting into this hobby and my thoughts on them. I thought a thread might be a good place to formalize it, and maybe others would enjoy the history, thoughts and pictures.
So I'll kick this one off with a bit of prehistory. I remember getting my first watch, a Casio F-91w, from my dad one Christmas, probably when I was 7-8. I was suitably impressed as any youngster in basically pre-cellphone days would have been.
I continued to wear watches pretty regularly through my younger years. Most of these were cheap digitals that often broke quickly. I went through a brief stage of liking cheap quartz pocket watches as a misguidedly obstinate teen, but never delved into it at all.
I worked a dirty blue collar job through my early employment years and never wore a watch. It would have likely not lasted long, and even if it had, it would have been so filthy and ugly it wouldn't have been worth wearing.
When I awoke to the fact that I'd moved up and had been working a white collar job for the previous five years, I realized I should maybe try to dress a little nicer. Part of that was getting a watch- and so I got a Casio Edifice, which disappointed me when I got quickly tired of the stock rubber strap and realized it had integrated lugs.

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I put that one away in a drawer and got a white Timex Weekender. I liked the olive NATO strap and white dial, and it didn't take me long to buy a variety pack of striped NATOs on Amazon for it. This was a really excellent piece and I consider my first thoughtful delve into watches. While I don't own it today, I could easily see myself buying another.

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Around this time, still not really into watches or horology, Amazon had the green SNK on sale as a deal of the day. I was intrigued with the idea of a mechanical movement, and splurged the $60 on it in what felt like a wildly irresponsible purchase. This one actually failed to impress me much. The green dial and strap were a bit more offbeat and casual than I was wearing regularly at the time, and I never wore it much. I sold it when it started losing several minutes per day (probably got magnetized). I don't even have any pictures of it.

About this time I also remembered that when a dear friend of mine passed away (he was in many ways a grandfather to me) his wife had given me his watch, a 1985 Seiko 6309-8239 automatic with a badly cracked crystal and a broken bracelet. I was inspired to get it out of storage, give it a shake, and was amazed to see it start ticking away. I sent it off immediately to get a new crystal (no service as I still knew nothing about mechanical movements) and bought a black Hadley Roma shell cordovan strap for it (with a gold buckle lol). It became my new alternate/dress watch.

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This is where I was when I first started to get seriously interested in this awful hobby of ours. :) More to follow!
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cortman
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Re: My Watches

Post by cortman »

In the winter of 2017/2018 my wife and I started planning a two week camping and exploring trip through the American west. We'd never gone on a vacation that long, and never camped as a family before (though both of us had other past experience with it). Part of my preparation for it was searching for a new, rugged watch- preferably a diver, as we'd be well out of cell service most of the time and there was no point in carrying an expensive phone around in the mountains/desert just to tell the time. So I started doing some research. It was at this point I slowly felt myself getting pulled in, as I'm a serial researcher of product.
I eventually settled (to no one's surprise) on the venerable SKX007. To help fund it, I sold the Timex Weekender.
The SKX arrived, and I remember opening the box and thinking WOW. The size, the heft, the mass of all that polished/brushed 316l, that purposeful looking bezel, the insane lume, the smooth mechanical seconds hand- I was seriously impressed. I had an aversion to bracelets at the time and so immediately put it on a cheap Amazon bond NATO.
I wore that watch throughout our entire trip, keeping it at my head in a tent pocket at night. It was incredibly fun to own and use. It was so reliable and rugged and good looking that just glancing at it made me feel good. From the Gunnison in Colorado to the Grand Canyon to central Utah, it never failed. It was there in an impromptu little father/daughter moment at the rim of the canyon.

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Such a cool, classic watch.

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To be continued...
Last edited by cortman on Wed Jul 31, 2019 10:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Dub Rubb
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Re: My Watches

Post by Dub Rubb »

Thanks for sharing! It's always fun to hear others journey into this madness we now call home.

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cortman
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Re: My Watches

Post by cortman »

I was enjoying my SKX very much, but starting to wish it wasn't so tall. I often had to wear cuff button extenders when I wore it with long sleeve shirts, and as summer turned to fall I started wishing for something a bit more sleek. I forget how I came across it, but one September afternoon I discovered Steinhart.
I don't think I've been that excited about a watch since. Their Rolex homages were sleek and unbelievably beautiful. I put the SKX up for sale immediately and used its quick sale to fund purchase of a Steinhart Ocean One 39mm. I agonized for a long time over 39 vs 42, and in the end decided to go with the 39 for my 7" wrist. This was the first time I'd been prompted to measure my wrist as well, I knew I was getting into it.
The Steinhart arrived none too soon for me from Germany and I was blown away. The tight bezel action, the glossy ceramic, the sleekness and incredible design that has stood the test of time were amazing.

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However coming from the SKX it felt a bit small. I wore it for a few weeks and decided I wanted to try the 42mm size. At the same time I was learning about GMT watches, and I wanted to explore that.
So the Ocean One 39 was put up for sale (and I should pause here to point out that Steinhart watches hold their value better than almost any other sub-$1000 brand, which helped me a lot here), and I bought the Ocean One GMT, in 42mm size.

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I felt this size fit me a lot better considering it was a no-nonsense tool watch.
Of all watches I've owned I've probably liked this one the best. It had me seriously considering becoming a one-watch guy before it was too late- alas, it was too late. I didn't want to wear anything else. The case, the dial and bezel, and especially that oyster bracelet were just incredible. I could just sit and feel the bracelet links with my fingers and enjoy every minute of it. Looking at these pictures now, I still feel a twinge...

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To be continued.
yinzburgher
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Re: My Watches

Post by yinzburgher »

Awesome cortman! My only disappointment so far is realizing you probably don't have the same facial hair as your avatar.
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Dub Rubb
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Re: My Watches

Post by Dub Rubb »

yinzburgher wrote:Awesome cortman! My only disappointment so far is realizing you probably don't have the same facial hair as your avatar.
Haha haha, I thought the exact same thing! "That arm hair don't match, maybe he isn't santa claus"

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cortman
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Re: My Watches

Post by cortman »

yinzburgher wrote: Thu Aug 01, 2019 12:19 am Awesome cortman! My only disappointment so far is realizing you probably don't have the same facial hair as your avatar.
Dub Rubb wrote: Thu Aug 01, 2019 12:44 am
yinzburgher wrote:Awesome cortman! My only disappointment so far is realizing you probably don't have the same facial hair as your avatar.
Haha haha, I thought the exact same thing! "That arm hair don't match, maybe he isn't santa claus"

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Haha that's too funny! I wondered when I got that avatar how it would make my posting look to have it right next to it. I'm a quite clean-shaven guy in his upper 20's. The avatar likeness belongs to a local politician, whose facial hair was simply too magnificent to not bless others on the internet with.
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cortman
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Re: My Watches

Post by cortman »

About this time for my birthday my wife got me a watch I'd wanted to try out; I knew ahead of time that it may or may not work for me based on the size and my wife knew that, so it was given with the caveat that if it didn't work out I could sell or return it and get something else.
I really liked the deep blue dial and unusual case shape of the Seiko Recraft SNKN37, and that was the one I picked for my birthday.

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Not much to say about this one other than it is thinner than I expected, and much larger overall. It was too big for me, and with my wife's blessing I resold it and started looking for a watch in a different category. I decided to go for a classic looking dress watch.

I knew I liked white dials (still do very much) and I was super intrigued with moonphase complications. I like the general look and execution of some moonphase dials as much or more as I was interested in the complication; I feel they add a really unique and beautiful variation to an otherwise usually pretty predictable watch dial.

I did a lot of shopping around and research, but nothing really stuck with me until I saw the Frederique Constant FC-260WR5B6, a quartz moonphase watch with a white dial and day and date subdials. It was a real eureka moment for me; as soon as I saw it I knew it was the one. I purchased it, and after swapping out the imitation croc strap for a Rios1931 genuine alligator strap with deployant buckle, I couldn't have been happier, and it remains one of my favorite pieces.

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State of collection after this purchase was 3: FC Moonphase, Steinhart Ocean One GMT, and vintage Seiko 6309-8239.
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Re: My Watches

Post by yinzburgher »

cortman wrote: Thu Aug 01, 2019 10:49 pm State of collection after this purchase was 3: FC Moonphase, Steinhart Ocean One GMT, and vintage Seiko 6309-8239.
⬆⬆⬆ These 3 are actually a great collection by itself. If you were a normal person :lol: , you probably could have stopped right there. GMT diver, vintage 3 hander, and a complicated white-dial dress watch. But the fact that your here tells me you probably didn't. The Freddy C really is a great looking piece. The symmetry, the moonphase, the INTACT Romans, and the handset all make it such a great look. Really enjoying the thread man.....love when people put this kind of thought into it. But do me a favor please. If for some reason you got rid of the vintage Seiko at some point along the way, I don't want to hear about it. Please just leave that out of the story or provide some sort of "trigger warning" for me. ;)
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cortman
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Re: My Watches

Post by cortman »

yinzburgher wrote: Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:45 pm
cortman wrote: Thu Aug 01, 2019 10:49 pm State of collection after this purchase was 3: FC Moonphase, Steinhart Ocean One GMT, and vintage Seiko 6309-8239.
⬆⬆⬆ These 3 are actually a great collection by itself. If you were a normal person :lol: , you probably could have stopped right there. GMT diver, vintage 3 hander, and a complicated white-dial dress watch.
That's funny because I posted some SOTC pics on WUS at that time, and almost everyone said the exact same thing. It was a pretty good collection for sure.
yinzburgher wrote: Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:45 pm But the fact that your here tells me you probably didn't. The Freddy C really is a great looking piece. The symmetry, the moonphase, the INTACT Romans, and the handset all make it such a great look.
Great minds must think alike because those are exactly the key points I was looking for. Especially the intact Roman numerals. I just really don't like when they get cut off, especially on a dress watch.
yinzburgher wrote: Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:45 pm Really enjoying the thread man.....love when people put this kind of thought into it. But do me a favor please. If for some reason you got rid of the vintage Seiko at some point along the way, I don't want to hear about it. Please just leave that out of the story or provide some sort of "trigger warning" for me. ;)
Thank you so much! I'm glad some people are enjoying watching my descent into madness lol. And don't worry- the Seiko is an heirloom and while it is currently not with me (more on that later) it is in good hands and shall return!
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Re: My Watches

Post by MAAHHH THE FRENCH! »

I kinda dig the general look of that Recraft; I've leered at the green version a number of times while telling myself "You don't need it, it's too big, save for something else."

But Fred's utterly to blame for drawing me into watches with serious intent. Their design aesthetic really appeals to me, so your trade is definitely an upgrade in my book.
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Re: My Watches

Post by cortman »

MAAHHH THE FRENCH! wrote: Fri Aug 02, 2019 2:38 pm I kinda dig the general look of that Recraft; I've leered at the green version a number of times while telling myself "You don't need it, it's too big, save for something else."

But Fred's utterly to blame for drawing me into watches with serious intent. Their design aesthetic really appeals to me, so your trade is definitely an upgrade in my book.
I've admired the green too but the blue was definitely too big. A square watch wears much bigger than round, I discovered.
Interesting that Frederique Constant was the brand that drew you in- they're not as well known as many others, and in my opinion extremely underrated.
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Re: My Watches

Post by vta_watch »


cortman wrote: I've admired the green too but the blue was definitely too big. A square watch wears much bigger than round, I discovered.
I have the green one and also tried the blue, and I found that although they use the same case, the green SNKM97 wears smaller because the chapter ring makes the dial look smaller. The blue SNKN37 is all dial, though, and looks much, much bigger. Too big for me.


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cortman
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Re: My Watches

Post by cortman »

A month or so later I was enjoying my three watch collection greatly, got a few extra straps and was playing around with them. I'd never owned a chronograph yet though, and that was something I wanted to experience.
Of course for me this would be a quartz chrono; I love them and much prefer them over a mechanical. Quartz is in general superior in accuracy and longevity to mechanical, I think we can all admit, but it just makes so much sense in a chronograph.
I enjoyed the hunting and researching, and eventually landed on the Citizen Brycen with the cream colored dial. I knew I could get one for a quite reasonable price but just held off as I felt I could get a better deal if one came up used.
Sure enough one did, and I pounced. The person I bought it from had put a deployant clasp on the stock leather rally strap, which really made the whole watch a lot nicer (I'm a big fan of deployants).

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This was a really cool watch. Solid as they come, terrific Eco-Drive movement, nice use of colors, and I have to say, absolutely the best stock leather strap I've come across. That rally strap was really superbly comfortable, durable, and attractive.
The big downside that eventually came to light with this watch is its size- 44mm and largely dial. It didn't wear huge, but it was too big for my 7" wrist, especially on NATO straps which I like to throw on most of my watches from time to time.
After enjoying the watch for a few months, I decided it was time to move on, and sold it (for a small profit!).

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Re: My Watches

Post by cortman »

A month passed or so where I just enjoyed the four watch collection- the Citizen chrono, the Steinhart GMT, the FC moonphase, and the vintage Seiko.
More research and getting deeper into the hobby presented more temptations however. I was soon reading and enjoying learning all about Vostok and their line of Amphibia divers. The low cost of entry into the Vostok club proved irresistible, and in December I purchased two 710 Scuba dude watches; one in black for my brother in law who recently became SCUBA certified, and one in teal for myself.
I ordered them from Meranom and due to various delays they took over a month to arrive from mother Russia. When they did, however, I was pretty tickled.

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The dial is a terrific color, and the whole watch was just faintly exotic enough to be exciting but still purposeful and recognizable. The stock bracelet is horrible, but almost in a way where it's so bad it's good. It's actually not uncomfortable at all, except for a little bit of hair pulling, and I wore it on the stock bracelet for quite a while. It excelled on other straps, though, and I had a great time with that.

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I really liked the utilitarian appearance of the watch and how well that worked with other straps. Timekeeping was excellent as well; amazingly well within COSC as far as I could tell.
Later I decided to lightly mod it, by brushing the case, bracelet and bezel. Upon brushing the stock bezel I came to the realization that it was brass, not stainless steel. I decided to go with the two tone look.

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I enjoyed this watch in its new state for a while. The brass began to patina, I tried a wide variety of straps and bracelets on it, including the WatchGecko Shaldon which was posted here as a deal. That bracelet especially worked fantastic.

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