Cadillacs and Fine Watches?

[Thomas Carey]

It seems to me a fine marque such as Cadillac goes hand and hand with a fine watch. =) So I am just wondering what you folks might be wearing in the form of a watch? Are there any fans of fine Swiss watches out there? I know I love a fine Swiss watch such as an Omega etc.

Best Regards,

Thomas Carey

[eldorado99]

I just have a regular old Citizen, looks decent though and does the job.

[dkozloski]

I'm carrying the new pink Barbie watch I got in a box of corn flakes the other day.

[urbanski]

i got a free one in my sonic kids meal

[Rolex]

I wonder?

[submariner409]

If it floats your boat..........Go back to the early 60's and find a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer in gold/stainless steel with gunmetal blued hands and an alligator leather strap with gold buckle.

.....or a 1968 Rolex Submariner Date in stainless, solid Oyster bracelet. Feels like 3 pounds of steel on your wrist.

Both are real hand assembled and calibrated watches, unlike the current mass-produced circus toy products.

(bring your checkbook....)

as regards your question, what I'm currently wearing is a 1975 Rolex GMT Master Chronometer in stainless with black bezel. A product of the days when it sold for $325 in the Navy Exchange in Rota, Spain. (and, yes, I took advantage of the multiple collection possibilities 33 years ago.)

[concorso]

Originally Posted by submariner409

If it floats your boat..........Go back to the early 60's and find a Rolex Oyster Perpetual Chronometer in gold/stainless steel with gunmetal blued hands and an alligator leather strap with gold buckle.

.....or a 1968 Rolex Submariner Date in stainless, solid Oyster bracelet. Feels like 3 pounds of steel on your wrist.

Both are real hand assembled and calibrated watches, unlike the current mass-produced circus toy products.

(bring your checkbook....)

There are still plenty of brands using quality Swiss movements....even if they're not all Swiss.

[submariner409]

No argument there: the Swiss have always excelled at timing and precision movements. The current crop of CNC sterile Rolex though, while flashy and statement oriented, is a far cry from the works of art assembled prior to the 80's.

[AlBundy]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ROLEX-WATCH-OYST...2em118Q2el1247

[submariner409]

AlBundy..............Close. Damn close. First one referred to ^^^^ was my father's, 1962. Mint.

[Jesda]

I suppose I could tape it to my wrist.

[dkozloski]

My Barbie watch keeps better time than a Rolex.

[submariner409]

Absolutely correct. ^^^ A decent quartz controlled movement will almost always keep time within a minute or less a month. Given the variables of attitude, temperature, and spring strength, it's a wonder mechanical watches are as accurate as they are. Rolex and the several other watchmakers that make a mechanical movement certified "chronometer" never advertise accuracy as a benefit: only that that particular movement will gain or lose time at a predictable rate, which allows the user to apply that rate per day to calculate the correct time.

Up until '82, my retirement, every Navy ship in commission carried three mechanical Chelsea chronometers which were wound at exactly the same time each morning and logged, and the time(s) were compared with a WWV or WWVH time tick once a week and the gain or lose rate calculated and logged. Chronometers are never reset. If the batteries went dead somewhere, you could still deduce correct time from the logs applied to the mechanical chronometers. (a leftover from celestial navigation.....). "Good morning, Captain. The Officer of the Deck sends his respects and reports 12 o'clock, ............. . The ships' chronometers have been wound and compared." has been reported so many millions of times on so many ships..........and noon meal begins in the wardroom.

[dkozloski]

Originally Posted by submariner409

Absolutely correct. ^^^ A decent quartz controlled movement will almost always keep time within a minute or less a month. Given the variables of attitude, temperature, and spring strength, it's a wonder mechanical watches are as accurate as they are. Rolex and the several other watchmakers that make a mechanical movement certified "chronometer" never advertise accuracy as a benefit: only that that particular movement will gain or lose time at a predictable rate, which allows the user to apply that rate per day to calculate the correct time.

Up until '82, my retirement, every Navy ship in commission carried three mechanical Chelsea chronometers which were wound at exactly the same time each morning and logged, and the time(s) were compared with a WWV or WWVH time tick once a week and the gain or lose rate calculated and logged. Chronometers are never reset. If the batteries went dead somewhere, you could still deduce correct time from the logs applied to the mechanical chronometers. (a leftover from celestial navigation.....). "Good morning, Captain. The Officer of the Deck sends his respects and reports 12 o'clock, ............. . The ships' chronometers have been wound and compared." has been reported so many millions of times on so many ships..........and noon meal begins in the wardroom.

It seems to me that I remember the duty Quartermaster coming around periodically and setting the clocks in all working spaces as well as the duty Gunner's Mate logging magazine temperatures and a snipe that sounded the bilges with a measuring tape that he could unreel down capped access holes in the deck.

[orconn]

As for me I've never gotten along with Swiss or any other kind of "fine" mechanical watches. While in the service I had the opportunity to own several supposedly excellent mechanical watches. In those days they were available at the PX for a relatively reasonable price. I had a top of the line Seiko, which stopped within a week of purchase and was repaired or replaced by Seiko three times before I gave up on it. I then bought a Rolex, I think it was $300.00 in 1969 at the PX. Well the Rolex was no better, it stopped and was replaced a couple of times and the PX gave me my money back. Let me also say that my Dad gave a nice watch for graduation from college ..... a Wittnauer, I believe. It wouldn't keep time either. The only watch that was reliable for me was a Timex. Fortunately, quartz watches came along about the time I needed needed and solved my problem. Since that time I have never again been tempted to own a prestigious watch and have enjoyed getting my status kicks by other means!