Post Your Watches

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This needs to be my next watch purchase, even if it'll be a while... :blink:
 
Hmm... 929 (or 939 depending on the guise I guess) movement, not too bad. Piaget used the same movement in one of the new Polos. I just serviced one of them on Monday too, something like 19 or 20 wheels dial side for those complications, it's nuts. I'm not personally a fan of pointer dates, but that JLC is a nice watch, that's for sure.
 
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bought this in cash converters for ?2 plus ?3.50 for a new battery. Only problem is the bracelet is so tight i can barely get the watch on without the bracelet pinching my skin so I'll have to replace it, also there's quite a large rust patch on the bottom. these watches can be worth a bit of money in good condition so it might be worth cleaning it up a bit.
 
For last few years I have been reading more and more about watches. For a long time I've been after Speedmaster Pro, but it's out of reach for the time being. Then, after a very awesome drive in '73 911 Carrera RS I just had to buy Guards Red Design RL-72. I bought it mainly to remind me of the day with the Porsche, it's something I never want to forget. I really like the idea of a rev counter inspired dial, but sometimes I feel it to be a bit obvious. And my inner engineer wanted something mechanical, which lead me to buy Seiko 5. For the money it's awesome.

Then I found out Autodromo Group B. The want is strong. I have not been a fan of the design on Autodromo's previous automatic watches, but this one is pretty perfect mix of automotive references and watch design.

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http://www.petrolicious.com/autodromo-s-latest-watch-is-a-group-b-homage-we-can-get-behind
 
Then I found out Autodromo Group B. The want is strong. I have not been a fan of the design on Autodromo's previous automatic watches, but this one is pretty perfect mix of automotive references and watch design.

Am I alone in thinking $900+ for a stock Miyota (or ETA for that matter) in a pretty dress is a lot?
 
Maybe. I mean it is a good chunk of money. But perhaps $60,000 is a lot for the Honda engine in an Ariel Atom. Both those Miyota and ETA movements are very good movements. They aren't particularly fancy, but they work very well, are reliable, and easily serviced (admittedly the Miyota perhaps a bit less so). All the ancillary bits in the case, the dial, the hands, to do them right it takes money. That one has a stainless steel and titanium case, sapphire crystal, comes with a couple straps, and a fancy box. You can go cheap and Chinese and get something that looks OK without close inspection, or you can spend more and get it done right. The other thing to consider is that today a mechanical watch is a luxury item. You want it pretty and built well it costs more than a simple quartz.
 
Yeah, the only thing which worries me is the brand. I really hope Autodromo will continue to succeed, but nevertheless new they're a new playaer. For quite many years resale value of Autodromo is going to be much lower than a watch from more established brand. It's a bit like Lexus, they've been around for decades, but they're still new players compared to Mercedes-Benz.
 
Well buying a watch with the concern of resale value is a losing proposition in most instances. Particularly so in this sort of price-point where normal maintenance is going to be a not insignificant percentage of the original cost of the watch. Outside of some sporty Rolex models there are very few watches which appreciate or hold their value. Buying a watch as a sort of investment is not a wise thing to do until you get into models costing 5 figures and up. That's a watch you buy to enjoy and wear, not one you buy and flip later.
 
Yeah, good point, and I'm the worst person to sell stuff anyway.
 
Gaasc told me to post this one:

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1940s Longines US Navy issue. My grandfather was issued this watch as an Army officer because he directed naval gun fire for USS Nevada during the D-Day landings at Normandy. This watch went ashore at Utah beach and was on his wrist until the end of the war. It is a manual-wind mechanical movement that still keeps perfect time.

Yes, the lume is radioactive, and yes, it still glows.
 
Pretty unusual for the lume to still look that good. Generally the alpha radiation emitted by the radium used in the paint breaks down the zinc sulfide and causes it to turn brown and stop glowing. That one must have been stored somewhere extremely dry, since humidity also tends to degrade the lume over time as well. I wonder if it's been relumed sometime in the past, since it does look slightly sloppy, and the hands are especially fresh looking in comparison to the indexes.

In any case, you should get the cracked crystal replaced, it will look a little nicer then.
 
After Europe, it spent most of it's life in the high desert air of Utah.

I have emailed Longines about the watch, they have a whole department for historic and vintage watches. If the crystal has been replaced already, I will try to replace it with NOS or as close as I can get. If it is original to the watch then I'm not going to touch it.
 
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After Europe, it spent most of it's life in the high desert air of Utah.

I have emailed Longines about the watch, they have a whole department for historic and vintage watches. If the crystal has been replaced already, I will try to replace it with NOS or as close as I can get. If it is original to the watch then I'm not going to touch it.

I was about to say that. Leave it as is, it looks "right".
 
I'm quite sure it's not an original crystal. If it were it would have faded to slightly yellow with some burned in darker brown spots over the numerals on the dial and hands (assuming the hands had been stationary for a good long while anyway).

Here's on old Military issues Elgin I had, full radium lume on the dial and hands as well, you can see the more normal aging and discoloration of them like I talked about. The radium is still nearly fully active being that it has a half life of 1600 years, but the lume has long since stopped naturally glowing.

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And here is what the original crystal looked like after the watch had been sitting for a few decades. I set the hands to the position they were in as it set do you can see the pattern burned into the crystal. Do note I had polished the outside of the old crystal here to remove the light marks and scratches because they obscured the burn marks somewhat.


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And in case anyone is interested in just how radioactive these sort of watches here, here's an old video I took demonstrating this watch.


Anyway I don't think you'll find a specific Longines old stock crystal, they were produced by a couple companies in generic round sizes and then bought by different brands to use. Some of them commonly used by some brands would have those names printed on the packages, but most just have the crystal production company packaging. So don't spend too much time looking for a Longines specific crystal, since it may not exist. On the other hand that means getting a replacement is easy and inexpensive, I have several boxes of old stock crystals in various sizes.
 
Good to know.

Also, I think I have that same geigercounter.
 
He lives in Uranium territory?

I never understood the need for one, unless you had a real need.
 
why? :lol:
i must confess a geigercounter isn't something i have in my possession...

It's cool? Mine has the stamp on it for the Cold War era-Civil Defense fallout shelter program.
 
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