[MarkND]

I retired 10 days before 9/11...

I retired in 2003.

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[SteamJ]

I was in High School on 9/11.

How is it I'm 36 and you dudes make me feel like a toddler in two quick statements?

I was nearly 27 on 9/11 and working in midtown Manhattan. I was far enough away that I could neither hear nor see it from where I was but it was a surreal experience getting back home to where I lived in NJ at the time and seeing the smoke rising from where the towers had been.

 

[dmjonez]

I was in High School on 9/11.

How is it I'm 36 and you dudes make me feel like a toddler in two quick statements?

The days are long and the years are short...

FWIW, I was active duty military and then moved to the National Guard and the airlines at the same time. I retired from the military in 2001. I have two more years in the airlines before I “really” retire.
But I do have a 30 year old attorney daughter and a 27 year old Army pilot son...

 

[Rhorya]

I took my Command as CO of the MSC port office of NY on the weekend just before 9/11. That same weekend i got my security briefing in the Navy Intel office of the Pentagon they hit two days later.

 

[docvail]

Thought I posted this yesterday, but apparently not.

I'm not sure how many watches Kiger has had made and sold, but I think it's much less than 300. I"d be interested to know how many it was.

Back when we started talking about what would become the Red Ronin, he told me a bit about what happened with the first couple projects he'd done. It was a bit convoluted, and I can't remember if he told me how many pieces each project involved, but I have the sense it wasn't a large number.

 

[docvail]

I served from November '94 to ~April 2000, about 5.5 years of what would have been a 7 year enlistment. My time in service was cut short when I was medically discharged.

Dave's exactly correct. The days are long, but the years are short. There were days I wasn't sure I'd be able to get through. But looking back, it doesn't feel like it was a long time.

The only time I can remember feeling like a year was a long time was when my re-enlistment window was about to open up.

I had a year left on my first 4-year contract, and I didn't think I could make it another year in the position I was in. I was just miserable where I was. I re-enlisted for another 4 years, on the first day I was eligible, just to get out of the unit I was in right away, a year early.

At least back then, you could re-enlist up to a year before your contract ended, and your new contract started the same day. So two 4-year contracts would really be 7 years total.

If your contract involved new training for a new job, you'd go for that training at the first available opportunity. I re-enlisted in November, and was on my way to my next unit less than 30 days later. I effectively traded 3 years of my future to make the next year or my life easier.

I have zero regrets. Sometimes, you just gotta know when you're beat, fold your hand, and get some new cards. As it turns out, 3 years turned out to be less than a year and a half, and it was pretty good duty. I also narrowly avoided the Anthrax vaccination fiasco, so all-in-all, things couldn't have worked out better for me.

Sometimes it feels like it was a long time ago. Sometimes it feels like it was yesterday. I don't miss the BS, but aside from that, it was an amazing experience, and there's a lot I miss about it, and the guys I served with.

 

[mconlonx]

Doc accurately predicts that pointing out the Kiger MilSub is basically an Amphion will barely move the sales needle...

Then Rolecks sues for TM, and...

 

[docvail]

Doc accurately predicts that pointing out the Kiger MilSub is basically an Amphion will barely move the sales needle...

Then Rolecks sues for TM, and...

I don't want to be too cynical.

Since we don't know everyone's motivations, I'm willing to believe that the group of people who bought a Kiger since the story broke are a combination of three groups: people who'd never heard of Kiger before that, but liked what they saw enough to buy one; people who wanted to support Kiger because screw Rolex; and opportunists who think the watches may become valuable in light of the story, and hope to flip them for a profit.

I was talking to another brand owner this week, explaining my method for deciding what to produce, how many, and when. He was asking me how I know what would sell. I tried to explain that I really don't know for certain, but with a large enough data set, I can spot patterns, and see that certain handsets sell better than others, certain dial patterns, certain bezels, etc.

I was thinking about the Amphions, among other designs, as we were talking. Also about the Red Ronin. When Mark told me he wanted to put a big Skull with crossed swords on the dial, my first thought was that would limit the appeal, and thus dampen sales. But, at the same time, we were only planning 47, and he wasn't concerned, so I didn't try to talk him out of it, as if that was even possible. Mark's very much an "all-in" sort of guy, when it comes to pursuing his vision.

 

[mconlonx]

Mark's very much an "all-in" sort of guy, when it comes to pursuing his vision.

...says the iconoclastic WoT-monger microbrand owner...

 

[docvail]

...says the iconoclastic WoT-monger microbrand owner...

Maybe I'm not that proficient at self-assessment.

Overall, I'd say I'm all-in on this business, and have been since I started. But when it comes to many of the smaller-scale decisions, at least recently, I feel like I've been hedging my bets more.

I'm not gonna lie. The last ~18 months have been harder than the previous 18. The entire industry saw a slow-down starting in mid-2019, and 2020/covid-19 only dampened market spirits more. Between early 2018 and mid-2019, decision-making was a lot easier than it's been lately.

I'd been predicting 2020 would be a watershed year, but for completely different reasons, and what I expected to see happen hasn't fully happened, at least not yet, and I think the reasons why have made the situation more painful for many brands.

 

[MarkBishop]

I served from November '94 to ~April 2000, about 5.5 years of what would have been a 7 year enlistment. My time in service was cut short when I was medically discharged.

Thank you for your service!

I have zero regrets. Sometimes, you just gotta know when you're beat, fold your hand, and get some new cards. As it turns out, 3 years turned out to be less than a year and a half, and it was pretty good duty. I also narrowly avoided the Anthrax vaccination fiasco, so all-in-all, things couldn't have worked out better for me.

So true on knowing when to start over. I think it's admirable but too simplistic to have the carry-on-NO-MATTER-WHAT attitude. Yes, it's absolutely best to be the kind of person that can endure a lot for your family, friends, country, and yourself, but when options are available and situations are bad enough, you're generally doing everyone (especially yourself) a favor if you know when to reset. I think the Serenity Prayer is so key in life and applies to this topic.
Specifically here, I'm glad the reset for you turned out to be good timing.

Sometimes it feels like it was a long time ago. Sometimes it feels like it was yesterday. I don't miss the BS, but aside from that, it was an amazing experience, and there's a lot I miss about it, and the guys I served with.

My veteran friends over the years all have the exact same overall summary of their time in the service. It's funny, different branches, wildly different duties and situations, but all seem to wind up with this summary.


Different topic:
I'm interested in the upcoming Azores. How a watch wears is key for me. 6.5 inch, fairly flat wrists here. I've found that 36mm is great, but a tad small. 40mm is great but a tad big. 38mm is perfect. (Yeah, yeah, lug to lug. I focus a ton on lug to lug, no doubt, but, in the end, the basic measurements wind up as a pretty good gauge for me.) Thing is, I can get a very good idea on how a watch will wear and read from specs, research, and reviews. However, I can't know for sure until I wear it for a day or two. Anyone have any reports on how it wears on smaller wrists like mine? Generally, I've found straps as opposed to bracelets wear better on 40mm watches, but I hope that's not the case here, as I love the looks of the bracelet on this.

 

[JLittle]

I served from November '94 to ~April 2000, about 5.5 years of what would have been a 7 year enlistment. My time in service was cut short when I was medically discharged.

Dave's exactly correct. The days are long, but the years are short. There were days I wasn't sure I'd be able to get through. But looking back, it doesn't feel like it was a long time.

The only time I can remember feeling like a year was a long time was when my re-enlistment window was about to open up.

I had a year left on my first 4-year contract, and I didn't think I could make it another year in the position I was in. I was just miserable where I was. I re-enlisted for another 4 years, on the first day I was eligible, just to get out of the unit I was in right away, a year early.

At least back then, you could re-enlist up to a year before your contract ended, and your new contract started the same day. So two 4-year contracts would really be 7 years total.

If your contract involved new training for a new job, you'd go for that training at the first available opportunity. I re-enlisted in November, and was on my way to my next unit less than 30 days later. I effectively traded 3 years of my future to make the next year or my life easier.

I have zero regrets. Sometimes, you just gotta know when you're beat, fold your hand, and get some new cards. As it turns out, 3 years turned out to be less than a year and a half, and it was pretty good duty. I also narrowly avoided the Anthrax vaccination fiasco, so all-in-all, things couldn't have worked out better for me.

Sometimes it feels like it was a long time ago. Sometimes it feels like it was yesterday. I don't miss the BS, but aside from that, it was an amazing experience, and there's a lot I miss about it, and the guys I served with.

I loved 20 of my 23+ years of active duty service. I enjoyed my work. I enjoyed working with almost all of the people who worked with and/or for me. I liked almost all of my bosses (though the few that I didn't were truly horrendous human beings). I enjoyed traveling (been to many great places). Even my desert deployments in retrospect weren't as bad as they could have been, especially the last one (Qatar). No regrets.

 

[Rhorya]

Im heading back over to the Qatari sandbox next week for a month. Retired Navy, served from 1982-2004 active and reserves. Now i take the occasional DOD Contractor gig. Fun times.

 

[kpjimmy]

Thank you for your service!


So true on knowing when to start over. I think it's admirable but too simplistic to have the carry-on-NO-MATTER-WHAT attitude. Yes, it's absolutely best to be the kind of person that can endure a lot for your family, friends, country, and yourself, but when options are available and situations are bad enough, you're generally doing everyone (especially yourself) a favor if you know when to reset. I think the Serenity Prayer is so key in life and applies to this topic.
Specifically here, I'm glad the reset for you turned out to be good timing.


My veteran friends over the years all have the exact same overall summary of their time in the service. It's funny, different branches, wildly different duties and situations, but all seem to wind up with this summary.


Different topic:
I'm interested in the upcoming Azores. How a watch wears is key for me. 6.5 inch, fairly flat wrists here. I've found that 36mm is great, but a tad small. 40mm is great but a tad big. 38mm is perfect. (Yeah, yeah, lug to lug. I focus a ton on lug to lug, no doubt, but, in the end, the basic measurements wind up as a pretty good gauge for me.) Thing is, I can get a very good idea on how a watch will wear and read from specs, research, and reviews. However, I can't know for sure until I wear it for a day or two. Anyone have any reports on how it wears on smaller wrists like mine? Generally, I've found straps as opposed to bracelets wear better on 40mm watches, but I hope that's not the case here, as I love the looks of the bracelet on this.

I have a 6.25 ish inch wrists and have the gen 1 Azores. It fits fine for me.

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[kpjimmy]

Out selling Girl Scout Cookies. 4hrs straight with the Red Ronin

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[docvail]

Thank you for your service!


So true on knowing when to start over. I think it's admirable but too simplistic to have the carry-on-NO-MATTER-WHAT attitude. Yes, it's absolutely best to be the kind of person that can endure a lot for your family, friends, country, and yourself, but when options are available and situations are bad enough, you're generally doing everyone (especially yourself) a favor if you know when to reset. I think the Serenity Prayer is so key in life and applies to this topic.
Specifically here, I'm glad the reset for you turned out to be good timing.


My veteran friends over the years all have the exact same overall summary of their time in the service. It's funny, different branches, wildly different duties and situations, but all seem to wind up with this summary.


Different topic:
I'm interested in the upcoming Azores. How a watch wears is key for me. 6.5 inch, fairly flat wrists here. I've found that 36mm is great, but a tad small. 40mm is great but a tad big. 38mm is perfect. (Yeah, yeah, lug to lug. I focus a ton on lug to lug, no doubt, but, in the end, the basic measurements wind up as a pretty good gauge for me.) Thing is, I can get a very good idea on how a watch will wear and read from specs, research, and reviews. However, I can't know for sure until I wear it for a day or two. Anyone have any reports on how it wears on smaller wrists like mine? Generally, I've found straps as opposed to bracelets wear better on 40mm watches, but I hope that's not the case here, as I love the looks of the bracelet on this.

You're welcome, though having never served in combat, I always feel a little undeserving of anyone's thanks. For me, for the most part, it was a job, just one that I couldn't quit, which sometimes sucked, but as my old friend Sgt Mack once said, "Doc, some days it's just a long way to drive for breakfast."

As for the Azores - you'll think it's huge.

On paper, the dimensions are nearly identical to the Subs' - 40mm diameter, 48mm lug-to-luck, and a reasonable ~12mm thickness. But with the internal bezel, the crystal opening is ginormous by comparison. The Subs' crystal is 29.5mm. The Tropics' is 36.5mm. Also, whereas the Subs' mid-case is pretty sleek, and gives the Subs a wrist-hugging shape, the Tropics' profile is more "pot-with-legs", making it feel taller.

They're not really big watches. But they wear bigger than the Subs, and bigger than their dimensions would suggest. I'd say more like a 42mm than a 40mm.

 

[docvail]

Out selling Girl Scout Cookies. 4hrs straight with the Red Ronin View attachment 15725289

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How long have you served in the Girl Scouts, and when can you retire?

 

[docvail]

For real though...

My sons were in Cub Scouts. Two years in a row, I was the "Popcorn Colonel/Kernel" - the person responsible for running their annual popcorn sale. That's one duty I definitely do NOT miss, and was so happy when both boys decided to quit scouting.

 

[TheBearded]

 

[kpjimmy]

How long have you served in the Girl Scouts, and when can you retire?

Been in for 7 years lol. Before I did a stint in the AF. But that was another life. I can take advantage of the GovX discount lol.

When can I retire? Whenever my daughter says quit but unlikely, my wife is a lifer.

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