Watches and Denim

[Nei.Nor]

All this grand seiko talk reminded me HODINKEE made some great videos about the manufacturing process. Some of you might already have seen this but well worth a ‘watch’: 

 

[aho]

Sufu might make this upload blurry but DAMN I love this watch...

[LQW]

So much Seiko love made me want to spontaneously drop a pic of my '74 King Seiko.... sorry I don't have any better pics on hand (wrist? wow thats terrible).

Edited January 29, 2018 by LQW

[LQW]

Just for laughs... spotted this in Lemon while I was in Ginza. 

 

I have more pictures of the watches they had if anyone is interested.

[aho]

^Love KS!

 

[zwer]

My old manual wind Oysterdate and my 18oz PBJs.

[aho]

Admittedly I hang out at AD's when I'm bored and need to kill time...This was my first time trying on a classic datejust, as I've only looked at steel sports Rolex in the past. What can I say, it was everything it needed to be, and has me tempted to take the plunge into Crown world...But not sure if I could swing it after all 

Edited January 30, 2018 by aho

[Geeman]

Datejust will be my first Rolex purchase once the wife's convinced it's an investment. ...

[Smallrod]

7 hours ago, aho said:

Admittedly I hang out at AD's when I'm bored and need to kill time...This was my first time trying on a classic datejust, as I've only looked at steel sports Rolex in the past. What can I say, it was everything it needed to be, and has me tempted to take the plunge into Crown world...But not sure if I could swing it after all 

I was the same and since I purchased my Datejust, I haven't taken it off.  If you have a smaller wrist like I do, I doubt you will regret it.  

[Smallrod]

6 hours ago, Geeman said:

Datejust will be my first Rolex purchase once the wife's convinced it's an investment. ...

I've bought and sold a few over the years and have yet to lose any money selling a piece.  I used to catch hell as well until I bought her one too. 

[aho]

Indeed, I'm part of the small wrist club...The only "issue" is that my GS SBGR053 already satisfies my smaller date only watch at 37mm so I don't really neeeed a DJ, and I'm sure I've made it obvious where my brand loyalty lies  

I really should watch it though, I need to be satisfied with what I already have before this gets too out of control. Mark my words: No (more) new watches 2018...

 

LOL

[zwer]

That DJ with the roulette wheel is fire! 

Edited January 30, 2018 by zwer

[SuperJackle]

Had this guy for ten years now; Malaysia movt still running like a champ. 

Appears most folks favor the 007, but I like the squared markers and lower profile rubber band on the 173. I have the jubilee band which I use sometimes, but changing the strap is such a pain in the ass, that it's few and far between. 

[SuperJackle]

What's the consensus among my scrupulous denimheads on Hamilton khaki field watches?

I feel like Hamilton is the Ray Ban of the watch world; bought out by a European conglomerate trying to capitalize on the Americana heritage brand appeal, albeit while still making a pretty decent product. Yet much like a pair of ray ban aviators, the khaki field seems so classic and I can't shake the urge to buy one, hard as I might try. 

The design just seems so much more versatile than a seiko 5 or other "entry" field watches.

 

[Denimstoyevsky]

So I own both the SKX 173 above and the Hamilton Khaki Field mechanical. I've also previously owned the Khaki automatic, but prefer the mechanical b/c it isn't polished and its dial is even less busy. I think both are really great. The mechanical I enjoy winding every day and wear when I wanna change it up from my vintage Patek (which really, came down to me as a true accident and the benefit of my mother's wise thinking 20 years ago). And yeah, I think it's way better than a Seiko 5. I've also owned the S5 fleiger in the past and while the lume on that is awesome, it's still a little clunky on the wrist. As for the SKX 173... Can't say enough nice things about it. I put it on and don't worry--ride my bike, sit in the sauna, take it to the beach, and all the while it keeps decent time. If it ever shits the bed, I just hope that a replacement is still affordable. 

 

[aho]

I'd say the best Seiko contender to the Khaki King is the Alpinist (SARB017) for a fairer fight. Plenty of videos, threads etc. comparing the two, but ultimately the green dial of the Seiko is a no go for most, though it's a solid watch with mountaineering "heritage" of it's own (#diashock too). They had a white as well as a black Alpinist but those are rarer/hard to come by these days. If you like the Hamilton, I say go for it!

Edited February 1, 2018 by aho

[mpukas]

As a noob watch enthusiast that just getting to know brands, models, history, etc., I'm a fan of Hamilton in general and don't see anything wrong with them being bought by Swatch Group and moving production to Switzerland. From what I've read/heard they still make solid products. I'm sure there are serious watch aficionados, collectors, experts, etc. that don't think highly of Hamilton today, but to me that does nothing to detract from their appeal. I find the design of the Khaki Officer excellent, and is at the top of my wish list. 

[mpukas]

While we're asking the opinions of our exceptionally well informed & opined members here, what do you guys think of the newer atomic and/or GPS timekeeping watches?

Personally, I'm intrigued by the idea of a watch that keeps perfect time, and can adjust for time zones, Day Light Saving Time, Leap Years and Leap Seconds. (I've read different accounts of atomic clocks being accurate to anywhere from 1 second in 100,000 years to 1 second in 20 million years. I'm not sure what is actually correct.) Currently there are limited makers and models. I really like some of both the Casio G-Shock JDM G-Steel models and the Citizen Radio Controlled models for different reasons. And I find the Seiko Astron (particularly the Executive line, but is out of my price range, atm...) stunning. As much as I don't like complicated, busy watch designs I find the SSE127J1 superb. And that G-Shock MRG-G2000HT-1A that I posted about a while ago - I didn't realize it at the time but it has Atomic/GPS/Bluetooth so anywhere on the planet it'll have perfect time. 

I don't care for typical GPS watches (Suunto, etc.) for normal, everyday use, but they certainly have their place. I have no interest in smart watches. I find the atomic/GPS technology in brands/models I mentioned really, really cool because it's being applied in a manner that a wrist watch is still typically used for, now the watch just keeps perfect time, and being solar they don't need batteries or mechanical power. I can see this technology as being off-putting. It could be said that it renders the automatic/manual movements obsolete. I don't think they will ever, ever be replaced, and may even increase in value over time. I'm looking forward to seeing more makers/models being made in the near future. 

[mrman]

LACO B-type Erbstück Bronze Flieger

 

Panerai PAM305

Edited February 1, 2018 by mrman

[Nei.Nor]

On Hamilton - I really like them. I prefer their khaki designs, especially the non date, over similar priced seikos. Yes it’s part of a bigger conglomerate - but that’s just the reality of the watch buisiness. At least they use their scale to deliver good value to customer (khaki models can be had retail for £250ish), other companies use the same scale to push up margins and pretend they make ‘luxury’. So overall good value I think.

[Denimstoyevsky]

Also, it's worth mentioning that the watch community has a great online discussion presence, just like us denimheads. Two good boards to start with are WatchUSeek and Broadarrow.net. And over time, I've bought and sold a handful of watches from members on there. Check out WatchRecon.com - it's a search engine that aggregates all the watch message boards. A Hamilton Kahki Field can usually be found on there for around $200. 

[SuperJackle]

Dammit @aho, got me fiending for an alpinist now. Too bad they discontinued the sarg009. That thing looks like a legit contender to the explorer. 

[aho]

Re: other forums for lively watch discussion, might I add PuristsPro http://www.watchprosite.com/  

Re: Atomic/GPS watches: I'm a huge fan of them myself, there's just something super cool and geeky to see a watch adjust mechanically to your new timezone etc. As far as timekeeping goes, there's really no need to own anything else from an accuracy perspective, but admittedly even after getting over their more modern tech-y designs it's the size of them that make it hard for me to commit, with my 6 inch wrist! Astron's can be had a REALLY decent prices, considering the casing can be held even to GS standards

[splash pitman]

On 25 December 2017 at 7:25 AM, JohnM said:

Here's one for you aho:

My dream model is the North Pole , has a compass instead of date .

[splash pitman]

14 hours ago, Nei.Nor said:

On Hamilton - I really like them. I prefer their khaki designs, especially the non date, over similar priced seikos. Yes it’s part of a bigger conglomerate - but that’s just the reality of the watch buisiness. At least they use their scale to deliver good value to customer (khaki models can be had retail for £250ish), other companies use the same scale to push up margins and pretend they make ‘luxury’. So overall good value I think.

I have the Hamilton khaki the date model that I use for work and travel as it has the 24 hour which is useful when traveling . My only gripe with it is that as the leather watchband has worn out an original replacement is pricing dearer than the initial watch price , I have found a guy in London that does a close replica that I'll purchase in the near future . 

[zwer]

I've got a Hamilton khaki as well and for the price, they're hard to beat. Wish I'd bought used instead of new, though.

That's my one bit of advice when buying watches: unless you've got throw away money, never buy a watch new. It's really not worth it, unless you need the ego boost.

[SuperJackle]

Well, I thought I might have been shook of the urge to buy a khaki field by aho's persuasive reverence for all things seiko, and the alpinist almost became a legit contender. I almost could have made the green dial work, and I kind of liked it, but ultimately I wanted something that would wear a bit larger.

I also decided the khaki field would be more versatile in an office environment or worn casually, so I have a 40mm inbound, used  of course .

[Geeman]

I do like those Panerai, great rugged looking watches 

[Nei.Nor]

The best thing about Panerai for me is the choice of straps. My wrist just can’t do the 44-47mm cases - and the smaller ones just don’t look ‘right’ to me. Now if I looked like Stallone, it would be different altogether...

[mrman]

On 2/2/2018 at 9:09 PM, Geeman said:

I do like those Panerai, great rugged looking watches 

That’s what caught my eye years ago, not because Sly or some other celebrity was wearing one. From the start I knew I had to get one eventually. First I thought I’d pick up one of the Luminors with the big arabic numerals but when I saw the Submersible pictured above I knew this is the one to get. Only Pano that is better looking in my eye is a Bronzo but besides almost impossible to get those are out of my price range unfortunately...

And there’s really an ”industry” of making straps for Panerais which is great if you want choices.

 

Edited February 4, 2018 by mrman