[Devro]

I'm going to join properly this year and will do my introductory post with SOTC once I'm not being constantly attacked by young kids demanding lego / Playmobil assistance!

But wanted to say I'm really enjoying the posts so far.

Find collections like those of jmariorebelo and Miklos86 inspiring because there's clearly thought and consideration behind the purchasing and some restraint... Will definitely feed into my goals once I've defined them.

 

[Devro]

Although I haven't done my SOTC post yet... Could I still request a bash? Everyone loves a bash right?

BAUSELE® Official Store | Crafted with care since 2011

Bausele is an Australian watch brand proposing unique and vintage inspired watches with an extreme care for details. Official supplier to the US Army™. Straightforward but ultra-precise and ultra-robust watches. #Takethetime.

www.bausele.com

I need some help. This ticks lots of boxes for me...

I love IWC / JLC chopped pilot baton hands. It uses them without feeling like a rip-off homage watch. I like 22mm straps, as long as they don't result in skinny lugs - this avoids that and I have some expensive straps in that size sitting unused.
I don't tend towards date windows and it should be durable. And I don't own a watch that overlaps with this in any way.

The best bash I've come up with on my own is the movement... Seiko NH38, accuracy likely to be poor. But on the flip side, likely durable and replaceable. Oh and it puts me £600 further away from an IWC Mk xv (a watch I've long loved but exists beyond my comfort zone price-wise).

Thanks in advance

 

[Devro]

Although I haven't done my SOTC post yet... Could I still request a bash? Everyone loves a bash right?

BAUSELE® Official Store | Crafted with care since 2011

Bausele is an Australian watch brand proposing unique and vintage inspired watches with an extreme care for details. Official supplier to the US Army™. Straightforward but ultra-precise and ultra-robust watches. #Takethetime.

www.bausele.com

View attachment 17120747

I need some help. This ticks lots of boxes for me...

I love IWC / JLC chopped pilot baton hands. It uses them without feeling like a rip-off homage watch. I like 22mm straps, as long as they don't result in skinny lugs - this avoids that and I have some expensive straps in that size sitting unused.
I don't tend towards date windows and it should be durable. And I don't own a watch that overlaps with this in any way.

The best bash I've come up with on my own is the movement... Seiko NH38, accuracy likely to be poor. But on the flip side, likely durable and replaceable. Oh and it puts me £600 further away from an IWC Mk xv (a watch I've long loved but exists beyond my comfort zone price-wise).

Thanks in advance

Thank you to all those who bashed! The urge has passed.

It's interesting to get multiple viewpoints and realise what you don't see for yourself when something peaks your interest.

Most bothering was how misaligned the dial and chapter ring were. Possibly a prototype, possibly the photography... But it worries me that a brand didn't get that right for all their marketing, in case it speaks of further lack of attention to detail.

Then the other things that bother me are the chapter ring being stark white and the lume being faux-aged. I'd prefer it to all be stark white. And the side profile of the case is slab-like, I'd prefer some visual interest or shaping to reduce the perceived thickness.

I'm sure I'll request another bash or two in 2023!

 

[Devro]

I'm in for 2023 (although not aiming for complete abstinence).

SOTC

I got the G-Shock bug in a big way in 2021 and embarrassingly, the above is the result of already significant culling through 2022. A few non G-Shocks also came and went, including some forum favourites like Seiko SARB etc.

Since my father made me the gold face-plate for the 6900 (front left), I haven't really worn anything else, aside from the Timex when I'm in shirt-sleeves or the orange one when I'm doing something that might mess up a watch.

Goals for 2023

Sell any watch that isn't regularly worn. Which means all the back row and probably the Gulfman front right.
Avoid impulse purchasing G-Shocks. Which requires some control during their anniversary year.
End the year with 5 or less.
End the year with a more focused and diverse collection. I could imagine a watch on bracelet coming in and maybe a vintage piece to serve as my dress watch.

 

[Devro]

I think that the churn, and associated with that the wasted opportunities, is the thing I regret the most. When I look back at the watches I've sold and regret it's hard. But there's no better lesson.....

Hi Hornet, can I ask what you regret? Was it financial losses or that you didn't enjoy them fully / give them a chance to worm their way into your affections?

 

[Devro]

Ok as we finished 2021 to begin 2022, we are finishing 2022…no new watches, not even straps, but a lot of joy wearing them
View attachment 17127388

A very handsome trio! Unless I've missed it, I think Mido would be wise to release a non GMT Ocean Star with the same clean design.

 

[Devro]

I never regretted selling a watch. The ones to sell literally jump out and sing to me.

Jumping and singing is a complication I've not encountered yet. Sounds good though.

 

[Devro]

Financial losses has always been a regret in this, but I can rationalise that as the price to play. I think the major regret is selling some watches that I should have probably held on to, ones that would have been perfect to live with for a long time, but the desire to be having the next shiny obsession realised clouded one's judgement.....

I've only ever played at the very affordable end. Buying and selling second hand G-Shocks is unlikely to result in huge losses. Some I make money on, some I lose.

In fact that's not entirely true. I did buy a Navitimer for >3k but it fell apart, then fell apart again after going back to the dealer and their watchmaker, and then one more time before I got a full refund! Shame, it was stunning but the experience was sub-optimal to say the least.

I'll go higher-end one day but I'm definitely taking my time and it will be something that I've tried on and contemplated long term to check it's not a passing fad.

Never regretted any sales. I tend to find it a relief when one goes. My ambition is to have 2/3 and a G-shock (realistically 2/3 and 2 G-shocks!)

 

[Devro]

deleted

 

[Devro]

My purge has begun! 5 watches listed for sale yesterday... Now the harder bit - not replacing all of them!

 

[Devro]

Be careful with rushing it! Taking time with buying and selling helps with preventing impulse decisions.
Generally I'd advise people who want to do a serious culling of the collection, to first put away the watches to sell in a drawer out of sight for a month, to see how you feel about living without them. Then proceed with selling those you didn't miss. Sellers remorse just fuels the next impulse buy.

They've all been out of sight for a minimum of 3 months. They're goners!

 

[Devro]

OK. Time for a bash. The Steinhart Ocean 3 Blue has been on my radar for quite some time. Checking my bookmarks, it's the only one I have bookmarked on my office computer.

What do I like:

• Steinhart - been wanting to try one for quite some time, but don't like Mercedes hands. Some of the Ocean models seem to be all that don't have those.
• Snowflake hands
• 12mm thick
• Blue

Not sure about the bezel. It looks similar to the bezel on the Orient Mako II that was hard to turn and led to its dismissal.

Ocean 3 Blue

The price is net and does not include the VAT .For deliveries within Europe the resonsible VAT of your country will be added during the checkout. The sporty exclusiveness of the „Ocean 3 blue " makes it stand out from other diver watches. Its solid design guarantees highest resiliance as well as...

www.olko-watches.com

1. Polished centre - links... Yuck in most instances, including this one.
2. Snowflake hands are so intrinsically Tudor in my mind that I struggle with them on any other brand.
3. At that price-point I want some design originality / individuality / history to the design
4. 'Automatic movement' written on the dial? Steinhart not content with the already unnecessary 'Automatic'?

 

[Devro]

I think this is still in the spirit of WPAC as it concerns budget control and avoiding flipping...

I'd be interested to hear how you approach (relative to your own financial means) your personal limits on what is acceptable / prudent to spend on a watch?

Advice is often given (and I think I agree) that if your heart is set on watch A, then buying cheaper watch B (which is a bit similar but not as nice), in an attempt to scratch the itch, is a futile pursuit.

But if watch A is a Vacheron Constantin 222, then a lot of people (myself included) will need to accept that it won't ever happen and might choose to look for a watch that shares some characteristics but at a much lower price-point.

I was thinking one approach is to choose watches that are in your budget but have a design integrity or enough unique attributes that they don't feel like lesser versions of something else. G-shocks are good for this as they could be argued to be the best or most desirable of their genre. But steel sports watches? Pilot's watches? I think it's harder.

 

[Devro]

After household needs are met, including all that boring, mundane stuff like savings, retirement, etc., modest expenditures are usually OK.
Or something might be saved-for, augmented with watch sales of lesser-loved examples.



I would disagree with the futility of buying the cheaper watch. I have purchased cheaper versions of designs I admire, and in at least one case, came away with a cheaper watch that probably wears better and meets more of my criteria than the watch it might be accused of homaging.

Likewise, I bought the Pagani Design PD1717 - the Longines-Spirit copy design - and have to say, it is excellent value for money on its own. ...But a poor substitute for the real deal. It's a decent 38mm NH35-powered automatic, but it's nowhere near the 37mm Longines Spirit. That said, after living with the PD for a bit, and trying on the Longines... probably not, regarding the Longines. Lovely watch, heritage brand, if I had to get one, the 37mm Spirit would be the one to get, but... again, only ever a secondary watch to either the BB36 or the Sinn 656.

I had a San Martin 6105 in bronze for a while, which has saved me money, long-term, by not feeling the need to purchase and probably flip a real-deal Seiko SPB151.

Cheaper watches have their use. I'd lose more flipping a Longines than the PD cost... to find out that I'd probably end up flipping the Longines...

Yep, I think you have a valid point with the much more affordable stuff vs expensive versions they draw from / homage.

My Timex / Todd Snyder Marlin allowed me to try a 38mm auto, no date, vintage styled watch on a strap. I've learned I like all those things and that I really like gold tone arabics / gold indices. And I've done so for relatively minimal outlay. The watch also taught me that I'm far less likely to flip a watch that has a defined role in the collection... I.e. This has served as shirt-sleeve watch / date night watch and has therefore survived the churn as it's the only watch I have that suits that use.

But... The Timex feels fairly cheaply made, with a very noisy rotor, a false date position, basic all polish finishing etc. So it's only a stop gap until I fill that role with a more expensive watch. That's all par for the course but I think it's more tricky once you're dealing with sums that are harder to raise.

 

[Devro]

I'm someone who started in affordables, went up to luxury and then have come back down again.

I had a Tudor bb58 and an omega 2254.

Going up in price was a by product of spending so much time looking at watch content and becoming enamored with those brands.

I realized that I didn't value the brand as much and just enjoy nice quality jewelry on my wrist, which you can get excellent quality for 1/10th the price.

I also felt I could use those funds for something better at that time.

I could see myself moving back up the ladder at a later time but right now I'm content with more affordable pieces.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

I imagine it can quickly become a slippery slope (slippery ladder?). A hierarchy of brands and models to work your way up through... People don't tend to aspire to the bottom rung of a ladder.

Somewhat counter-intuitively, I actually find going and handling the watches in person to be quite helpful. It's easy to get carried away online, reading reviews and brand history. You're consuming all that nebulous 'brand value' which has such a high actual cost in the world of watches.

I went in to the city recently and discovered Breitling and Omega had both opened new concessions in the shopping centre. Handling all these 40mm bits of metal, and realising they cost the same or more then the new motorbike I travelled in on, was a good reality check.

 

[Devro]

Are you allowed to use the Union Jack on your profile and then post dates in yyyy/mm/dd format?

 

[Devro]

You should see what I do with distances 😁

And yes, yyyy/mm/dd ftw. I'll die on this hill, which so happens to be even taller than the "g-shocks count" hill...

Despite wearing G-Shocks for years, I still have to pause every time to cope with the mm/dd format...
The latest 5610 modules allow you to select the date to display as God intended. My kind will win out in the end.

 

[Devro]

Status report: I'm good. Earlier this week I had to pick up a few things, so I went to a mall that happened to have many watch shops. Obviously I checked them out, they had many of my current favourites - like the Longines Spirit and the Seiko Speedtimer - in stock. I looked at them, liked them, but it didn't even cross my mind to buy any of them. In my WPAC pledge I allowed myself two purchases this year, but only after my birthday. Not exactly the best solution, but seems to help keeping the impulse in check for the time being.

I also learned that in May I'm due to appear in court in Prague, Czech Republic in professional capacity. I like this, because I can add a day to my stay there and explore the area a little. I'm not that interested in Prague itself, already visitied it a few times, but prefer to roam a bit in the Northern part of the country where I've never been. Intend to cross the German border to visit Glashütte as well. I've never been to a town with that much watchmaking history and presence. I'm also looking forward to having a go on the Authobahn, the no-limit sections should be a blast on a fully faired sportbike. So far the only time I've driven it was 15+ years ago with a newish license in a small car and it was terrifying.

What bike do you ride? The last time I was on the autobahn on a bike it was a Moto Guzzi Breva 1100... Fun to max it out briefly but not the ideal tool for the job. I have an MT-09 now, which would be miserable flat-out for any significant length of time!

Corners are still where the most fun lies but there is definitely something thrilling about going fast in a straight line. Objects on the horizon hurtling towards you etc. Yes, you need to be careful but you can still enjoy the autobahn on a bike.

Have a great trip

 

[Devro]

Large capacity in-line 4s are an endangered species and I think Suzuki did a great job bringing the styling up to date whilst keeping it unmistakably a Hayabusa. I want to try one some day soon.

Rallyemenz treated us to a photo of his BRZ, perhaps once you're there you can ping us a pic that combines Hayabusa and Horology from Glashutte!?

 

[Devro]

Ha, I had in mind it parked outside a factory or some such.

But yeah, it's got cruise control so go the whole hog. 200kph is leaving quite a bit in reserve mind you 🙂... Max it out for the public forum.