SARB017 Alpinist today. It’s gray and rainy, so a little bright color is most welcome.
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I went the opposite direction today. It’s dreary and gray here as well, so I choose the watch from my “Totally Not Cheap Junk” collection that is best described as black-on-black-on-black:
It actually has a comically bad strap that is faux-velvet and does not breathe at all. The black face, black hands and black divisions make this watch basically impossible to use in all but the brightest rooms.
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I only have one watch, a large steel Cassio Wave Ceptor. It’s solar-powered and radio-controlled. I find it much easier to look at a watch than haul out a phone. During lockdown it lives on a windowsill, soaking up power.
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Pebble Time Steel. Still going!
The Pebble rather helpfully does tell me such things; and the person insulting you on Twitter, Nick, is generally me.
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I’ve talked briefly about some cheap Chinese watches that were, all things considered, not bad. Let’s turn the focus today to:
This one is called Orlando which seems fitting because it’s plastic and over-priced. Two of the stems are fake and the small dials are fixed in-place and offer no functionality whatsoever.
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Using my phone is too much hassle. I have to take it out of a pocket, wake it up, and about half the time, type in my passnumber—often enough, twice, because it’s likely to forget what I was doing halfway through the first try. That’s a lot more trouble than just turning my wrist. And I always have my watch on (in particular, it’s right there when I wake up in the wee small hours), but I don’t always have my phone with me.
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Plus, in a business setting, checking one’s phone is quite obvious compared to slyly glancing at one’s watch.
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I’m definitely in the “utility watch” camp. I’ve had a couple of very cheap ones (which looked great, but broke quickly, and while that’s probably still cheaper than an Eco-Drive over less than about ten years I don’t like the waste). For people who like the actual clockwork ones: go you, they look lovely, but they’re too expensive for my pocket.
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I thought I’d import my favorite post from the soon-to-be-defunct old Watch Thread. It isn’t even about watches either, but rather their packaging:
April 2019
I was thinking about collecting this evening, and had an amusing observation that anyone who decides to collect watches also becomes a box collector by default. So I decided to run through some notable entries in my watch box collection for you. 
First up are my two oldest boxes, both from the mid-1960s. The Universal Geneve and Longines boxes are quite similar; both are vinyl-clad, have embossed lids, and have a rigid flocked platform on which the watch lies sideways.
Next are three typical modern watch boxes: one from CWL, a US market Seiko, and a JDM Seiko. The CWL is a mid-range watch and has higher quality packaging. It has a cardboard outer box protecting the leather-clad presentation box which has a cream-colored leather lining. The watch rests on a padded form, and comes with a slew of papers that I haven’t pictured because they go to a different CWL that I own. The US Seiko box is nicely presented, two piece cardboard with a branded cushion that the watch (Recraft Green Dial) rests on. The Japanese don’t care much about packaging I guess because the JDM Seiko box (for my Alpinist, which costs 3x what the Recraft does) is a cheap, gray cardboard affair, and kind of nasty. It gets the job done, but only just.
Next are two high-end boxes from the same company: Rolex/Tudor. Unsurprisingly, aside from color and materials, they’re almost identical form factors. They both have simple outer boxes housing robust, leather-clad presentation boxes within. Both boxes have a central well containing the watch and cushion, and pockets inside the lid containing the paperwork and warranty credit cards. The Tudor box is lined with smooth leather, but the Rolex box is lined with high quality suede. It’s really nice, and I would love a jacket made out of the same stuff. To make up for it, the Tudor box contains a spare perlon strap that was manufactured on antique, 19th century Jacquard looms owned by Lyon-based Julien Faure, who, among other clients, makes liturgical vestments for the Vatican.
Finally, the box my Speedmaster came in. When it comes to elaborate packaging, few can compare with the sheer zaniness of Omega. This is the outer, protective box with the previous boxes left in frame for scale:
Inside is the actual ballistic nylon-clad box (designed to look like some sort of important safety equipment I imagine). Behind the box in a vertical slot is the instruction book (it looks enormous, and it is, but Omega prints one book that covers its entire range, and in several languages, thus the Tolstoyesque thickness). Under the box is a booklet that gives strap and bracelet fitting instructions, and a picture book outlining the Speedmaster’s contributions to NASA and manned space flight. A vertical leather wallet with the warranty credit card is also included. Moving inside, the square compartment to the left of the watch contains an Omega branded loupe that has a repeat of the watch’s tachymeter scale bezel on the objective rim. The long compartment contains an Omega branded spring bar tool, and the OEM bracelet, NATO strap, and spacesuit strap. Lastly, a solid steel table medallion with the traditional Omega “Hippocampus” logo.
Anyway, as you can see, there’s more to watch collecting than watches! I had a lot of fun looking at, and handling these boxes again; they’re usually hidden away and forgotten, so it was like reconnecting with old friends. I can still feel the excitement I had as I opened these for the first time! 
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I posted this in the previous watch thread too, but I have a pretty similar looking Seiko that was my grandfather’s. Not a terribly expensive watch, but it is sentimental and still ticking after 40 years.
And I just noticed the date is very wrong… got the day of the week right at least.
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Nice watch!
I saw a very pretty Longines on someone’s wrist today, and have decided that the Longines Présence L4.743.6.11.0 is pretty much to my taste. But the new price is A$3,375, which I might put off until my birthday, or….
There are a few on Ebay, ranging in price from “suspiciously cheap” to “dearer than a new one”. Are there any watch collectors out there with tips for a young player? For instance, if the eBay item is illustrated with promotional images from the manufacturer and not with a recent photo of the actual item I’m bidding on, I ought to give that a miss, right?
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Thank you! I should probably wander over to the introduction thread and re-introduce myself. I’m thankful the old forum closure was extended. I hadn’t been frequenting the forum as much lately, especially since my work is now very busy and involves staring at a screen in my apartment all day, and I would have had no idea what was going on.
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I have purchased only one watch through Ebay: an old Casio Twin-Graph just like the one I wore through high school. Something like that I feel is safe to purchase there, but for anything over $500US, I would avoid it. Chrono24 is a good resource as it’s a single site that lists global offerings, but I would stick to the retailer listings, rather than the private sellers. You can also find “Gray Market” sellers liquidating unsold Authorized Dealer stock, but you really need to be careful there. Your best bet right now, given the current festivities, is to find a reputable online pre-owned dealer. In other words, you should shop for the outlet first, rather than the watch.
Addendum: I see your choice of Longines is classically sized (sub-39mm case) so I think you should be able to find a close match in a vintage watch, and for a lot less money than new.
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Thanks. By your advice I have found a nice one for sale second-hand, in Germany. Now I have to decide whether A$1,938 worth of retail therapy is really going to make me feel that much better.
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Probably not, but at least you’ll have a very nice watch.
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Never underestimate the therapeutic value of a nice watch. 
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Here’s my everyday watch, a robust but inexpensive Adina Countrymaster work watch with a very secure clasp. My wrist tends to eat watches one way or another, but this one is not going to mind corrosive sweat and occasionally getting banged against a kitchen tap.
Also, I can read it easily in the dark and without my glasses.
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