Watches - another OCD problem
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I'm very happy happy with my U-Boat it keeps excellent time and you don't see them all too often which I like.
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I have the big planet ocean 8500 but with the orange Bezel. Absolutely love it, great construction and finish. Just a satisfying watch all around and crazy accurate, by playing with resting positions it has lost less than a minute over the past three months!
Coincidentally the 8500 (newer model) does come with a black Bezel, its just that its ceramic so it looks grey in .pictures.. And a bit in real life.
The upshot, I love it and recommend it.
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Careful, I used a Breitling for just over a year. The seal failed, it is now worth GBP200
This is what I was looking for… except for not what I wanted to hear- Thanks Giles. Were you going diving with it/etc/ how did the seal fail?
Yes I dive. But I bought the Breitling to dive with. But apparently you need to get the seals replaced regularly (something I did not know until after the failure). I am admittedly very hard on my watches, but this is the second Breitling I have managed to fuck up. I sent all my watches in for service & refurb prior to selling them recently, the watchmaker phoned me up to discuss his recommendations, he first sentence "Well, you really do , erm, wear your watches don't you…"
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Have you checked out the Sinn U-1? 44mm, hardened steel, shock & magnetic resistant, 1000M water resistant and pretty inexpensive by comparison. Just a thought…
These Sinn's catch my eye but it scares me that there's no stores in NYC that I can go try one on before spending 2 grand on one
fair point bubbapest, but I also strongly back the U1, what would be an option is to get one from http://www.watchbuys.com/store/pc/home.asp and return it in case you didn't like it for some reason. As far as I know they have a hassle free return policy
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I've been traipsing around London today and seeing if there was anything interesting in the sales. I didn't see that much that appealed. The Omega Spacemaster Z-33 appealed, but I'm unsure about spending that much on a quartz movement.
What did impress me was the ten year service interval on the Omega 8500 calibre. My Breitling has about a five year interval, and a full overhaul is an expensive pass time. If Bubbapest is still looking for recommendations, then I think that a titanium Planet Ocean makes a very compelling argument…
But I'd be very tempted by a Ploprof instead, because it's mad.
My favourite piece was this monster. It's a 1942 Lacher and Co. Luftwaffe navigator's watch. It's enormous, with a 55 mm case, and felt like the horological equivalent of Megatron's Apocalypse Boots.
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Graeme- always looking for recommendations until the day I post a pic of my new beauty to show off to you guys
those Sinn U1s are growing on me. Plus I've read up on that tegimenting process and Its definitely intriguing. Would like a watch that can withstand punishment as I'm sure to give it hell.
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I've been wearing my full size Planet Ocean for 5yrs, and it's been absolutely faultless - I've got both the rubber strap and bracelet, but prefer the bracelet as it allows me to comfortably wear it under a shirt for work.
I recently tried on both the new ceramic bezel PO, and the "Liquid Metal" (aka titanium) PO, and must say I'm seriously considering a trade up! The new ceramic bezel is really nice, and the matte finish does lend a slight greyish tinge, but I was also surprised at how comfortable the titanium one was when on my wrist - first thought when the salesman handed it to me was "wow, it's so light!", and that didn't seem right as part of the appeal for me has always been that my PO has a reassuring heft to it.
Incidentally, my brother has a Sinn 900 pilot in black PVD, and it's a nice eye-catching design, looks great on the matching bracelet too!
Panerai's are great, although the basic handwind 111's and 112's are quite pricey for what they are…..having said that, a PAM 250 is on my list of watches to acquire, as is a PAM 270
Don't stress too much about which one to choose, any of those you first listed are excellent, and if after a few months it still doesn't grab you, you can always flip it and get something else
Of course if you like all of them, you'll just have to save up and start collecting 
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I quite like the reiteration of the Ploprof and I've tried it on on several occasions. It sure is a hell of a watch, just not very versatile.. At the time I tried it on I was wearing my Benarus Sea Devil and the Ploprof ended up feeling a bit small
I find the Sinn U1 nice as well, but I always thought it wore quite small for it's size.
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We've got similar tastes bubbapest, I've got a Navi World and Tudor Heritage Chrono and love them both. I've never had any trouble with any of my Breitlings, all keep time within their COSC specs and if you keep your watches serviced at regular intervals you shouldn't have any trouble with seals etc.
My best advice is to buy whichever one speaks to you the most when you try it on, I've had my eye on watches before that I thought were fantastic until I tried them on and felt nothing.
The in house movement in the Omega PO is enticing, and the new ceramic bezel model looks awesome. For a tough everyday watch it's hard to argue with.
One thing to note about the Navitimer series is that due to the way the slide rule attaches the crystal the water resistance means it is really only splash proof; it's fine for everyday wear just something to keep in mind. The World on the bracelet get a bit of attention due to the size and shininess of it, not necessarily a good or a bad thing but something to consider depending on where you work / travel etc.
Another watch I recommend highly is the Omega Speedmaster Pro, it's probably my favorite watch and has an awesome history. It's super legible, the most comfortable bracelet I've worn, and is tough enough to take a beating. Some people worry about the hesalite crystal scratching, but I've worn mine as my work watch daily and there's not a mark on it. If it does it can be easily polished out anyway with a bit of Brasso or Displex.
If you want to do more specific research the watchuseek forum is an excellent place to start.
Enjoy the search, and good luck stopping at one!
Addit: I'm not sure where you're based but make sure you don't pay retail, Should be able to get between 15-40% off RRP depending what you choose an where you buy it. Aim for 20% off and you should be pretty close, especially with Omega and Breitling, more for Tag. Cheers! -
Anyone seen the Robert Loomes Robin watch?
They're a run of watches built around new old-stock Smiths movements. There's an article from QP Magazine on their site, which goes into the whole process by which they were put together. It reminds me a bit of what William Kroll writes about going through in the Tender thread at Superdenim.
According to a piece I found in The Clockmaker newsletter, the price is around £4,650. Were I in the market for another watch, it'd be hard for me to make the argument to get something by one of the big brands instead. Yes, an Omega with the 8500 calibre is going to be as accurate as any mechanical watch, and not need regular servicing, but the Robin's got soul.
(Tender make a very nice hand-wound watch, and strap. Anesthetist has one.)
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I think I'm going to Torneau tomorrow. I'm dying to try on this Baume and Mercier Capeland and see if it looks good on me
http://www.baume-et-mercier.com/en-us/collection-capeland/capeland-10005
i hope it does i hope it does i hope it does
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G - if you want to get even more esoteric with your Blancpain you could always get the X Fathoms
http://www.watchreport.com/2011/10/the-blancpain-x-fathoms.html
I think I prefer the 'traditional', but just throwing it out there
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I did have more watches than wrists , one time - fittled it down to two .
Seiko divers and an Arctura Chronograph , both kinetic .Cheers,
Scott
