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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    The (Less intimidating) Watch Thread

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    • ChrisC
      Chris
      Raw and Unwashed
      Joined:

      They could, however, kill the day indication and the white border for the date window. Then the date would blend really nicely with the inner numbers for 24 hour time.  That would make a cleaner face and eliminate the overlap on the large 3.

      And seriously, who needs a day indication?  If you lose track of what day it is, you probably don't even need to wear a watch, because clearly, precise time telling isn't that relevant to your life.

      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • UnTuckedU
        UnTucked
        Joined:

        @Chris:

        And seriously, who needs a day indication?  If you lose track of what day it is, you probably don't even need to wear a watch, because clearly, precise time telling isn't that relevant to your life.

        LMAO!

        In search of:
        IHV-04, med.
        IHSH-185, large
        IHSH-186, large (khaki, and green)

        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • JDelageJ
          JDelage
          啓蒙家
          Joined:

          I don't have much need for a date window, but if there's no date window I'd rather get a no date movement within the watch…

          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • M
            Maynard Friedman
            Joined:

            Why stop at a day? Throw the month in there too!

            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • GraemeG
              Graeme
              啓蒙家
              Joined:

              @Maynard:

              Why stop at a day? Throw the month in there too!

              If you're wanting the month, you're looking at an annual or perpetual calendar, and that belongs in the other thread. 😃

              This is the Blancpain Bathyscaphe Annual Calendar, the month window is partially obscured by the minute hand. It costs over $30,000 here in Australia…

              An annual calendar is the budget version, it needs the date adjusting every year at the end of February. A perpetual calendar copes with leap years, except for the century years.

              Longines offer a budget annual calendar, which costs $2,425, and I think is the cheapest one on the market. Removing the day window has cut the price by $30,000 or so compared to the Blancpain. 😃 (Hodinkee has more details.)

              Incidentally, the annual calendar was invented by Patek Philippe in 1996. The oldest known perpetual calendar was made by Thomas Mudge in 1762.

              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • mclaincauseyM
                mclaincausey
                見習いボス
                Joined:

                Love these Unimatics. Had never heard of them but some sweet special editions were dropped and I saw them on Hodinkee. Sharing here.

                https://www.unimaticwatches.com/

                Think it, be it.

                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • GraemeG
                  Graeme
                  啓蒙家
                  Joined:

                  The Unimatics look good, but they quote accuracy of -20 / +40 seconds per day, which is pretty horrible.

                  The Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 (Who comes up with these names?) strikes me as a good buy. It's $695, has an ETA movement, so easy to service, robust, accurate, and has an 80 hour power reserve, it's water resistant to 300 metres / 1000 feet, and has a lovely blue dial.

                  Time and Tide have a review, along with this video.

                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • GraemeG
                    Graeme
                    啓蒙家
                    Joined:

                    The Fortis Aquatis Shoreliner Vik Beach is similar to the Unimatics. Watch Partners has this version for $1090 (Australian) for internal shoppers (just over $800 US), and a couple of others for a bit more.

                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • AnesthetistA
                      Anesthetist
                      見習いボス
                      Joined:

                      Fortis makes a very solid watch. They’ve had a few boring designs but their main line is pretty good.

                      I like that Tissot and I’m sure could be had for much, much cheaper. I found a lot of retailers doing discounts of 20%+ in the Caribbean. Even deeper occasionally online.

                      Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                      IG: bluehandsslim

                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • JDelageJ
                        JDelage
                        啓蒙家
                        Joined:

                        That Tissot seems like a very solid option. It's pretty rare to find a 300m WR diver with a display back.

                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • mclaincauseyM
                          mclaincausey
                          見習いボス
                          Joined:

                          @Graeme:

                          The Unimatics look good, but they quote accuracy of -20 / +40 seconds per day, which is pretty horrible.

                          The Tissot Seastar 1000 Powermatic 80 (Who comes up with these names?) strikes me as a good buy. It's $695, has an ETA movement, so easy to service, robust, accurate, and has an 80 hour power reserve, it's water resistant to 300 metres / 1000 feet, and has a lovely blue dial.

                          Time and Tide have a review, along with this video.

                          $522 with a metal bracelet at Joma–that's a great deal, thanks for bringing this up.

                          I didn't look at the specs in detail on the Unimatics, was more interested in the looks--but eep, that level of reliability (from the Seiko movement I think that they use) is a huge problem.

                          Think it, be it.

                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • AnesthetistA
                            Anesthetist
                            見習いボス
                            Joined:

                            But Seiko movements are well known to “settle down” after a few weeks of wear. I’ve had a couple of Seiko autos that were pretty spot on.

                            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                            IG: bluehandsslim

                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • GraemeG
                              Graeme
                              啓蒙家
                              Joined:

                              There's a review of the Marathon GPM at aBlogToWatch for the field watch fans.

                              I'm a fan of both manual winding and dateless watches, so both of those criticisms in the review would be a plus to me. But the weird 16.5 mm lug width is really awkward. They should have gone for 18 mm to open up more options for straps.

                              Oh, it's got an ETA movement, so it should run forever and be easy to repair, though the Swatch group is getting a bit awkward about supplying spares to third party companies.

                              last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • neph93N
                                neph93
                                見習いボス
                                Joined:

                                ^ Just had a long old Google regarding that as I’m intrigued. I am field watch fan and this made me consider the date window/mechanical issues. I’d actually find a date window useful as I often need to check my phone for this but as has been mentioned numerous times ones smart phone makes all watches with the exception of smart watches anachronstic jewellery. At the end of the day I really, really like the face of this and the lack of a date window helps the aesthetic.

                                Equally, it seems to me that the fashionable preference and cultural caché of automatic watches is based on ease of use and old tech charm. There’s nothing more old tech than having to wind the twatting jewellery on your arm each day. The pointless routine of it seems quite charming in itself.

                                The odd lug dimensions rather spoil it for me, I suspect I’d enjoy chopping and changing straps, but the deal breaker is the shape of the case. From above it is attractive but I do not like the way the case curves upwards towards the bezel (?). There’s something deeply unattractive about that.

                                Thanks for posting @Graeme

                                “Some of those that work forces
                                Are the same that burn crosses”

                                • Virginia Woolf
                                last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • AnesthetistA
                                  Anesthetist
                                  見習いボス
                                  Joined:

                                  What were they thinking with those lug dimensions? Otherwise, it looks great and the upward curve of the case is pretty traditional for field watches. I think a quartz version would be an amazing EDC beater even though (as Graeme said), the ETA movements are plenty robust. Thanks Graeme for the write up.

                                  Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                                  IG: bluehandsslim

                                  last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • UnTuckedU
                                    UnTucked
                                    Joined:

                                    Well, here's a quartz Marathon, with tritium lum… $208

                                    https://www.longislandwatch.com/Marathon_General_Purpose_Watch_p/ww194015.htm

                                    34mm case, and 16mm lug width.

                                    In search of:
                                    IHV-04, med.
                                    IHSH-185, large
                                    IHSH-186, large (khaki, and green)

                                    last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • GraemeG
                                      Graeme
                                      啓蒙家
                                      Joined:

                                      @neph93 I figured that the review would appeal to your field watch fetish. 😃

                                      The Marathon's case shape is a bit odd. I'd have been tempted to slim it down slightly on the upward curve, you could shave off a millimetre or two's thickness and still retain the look. And cut the lugs for 18 mm straps, which would balance the look of the watch a bit better.

                                      @UnTucked the quartz version looks good, though I'd go for the Timex x Cabourn watch instead.

                                      last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • neph93N
                                        neph93
                                        見習いボス
                                        Joined:

                                        I’ll add that it’s almost twice the price of the Hamilton Mechanical Field watch, which may now sail up as a new favourite given that I’vr decided that mechanical might be fun.

                                        “Some of those that work forces
                                        Are the same that burn crosses”

                                        • Virginia Woolf
                                        last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • UnTuckedU
                                          UnTucked
                                          Joined:

                                          I'm still due for a write up of my Hamilton, but I haven't started wearing it yet… The stock strap is really crappy, and I wouldn't dare wear it as is.

                                          Da Luca had some straps on sale (NATO, of course), so I'm waiting on those.

                                          In search of:
                                          IHV-04, med.
                                          IHSH-185, large
                                          IHSH-186, large (khaki, and green)

                                          last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • neph93N
                                            neph93
                                            見習いボス
                                            Joined:

                                            @Anesthetist:

                                            Otherwise, it looks great and the upward curve of the case is pretty traditional for field watches.

                                            I don’t doubt it, but it seems a little too traditional for my tastes. I’d like a little less 1944 and a slightly more «modern version of a classic», but that is just me, and Hamilton do provide that, often with other slightly annoying stuff however.

                                            “Some of those that work forces
                                            Are the same that burn crosses”

                                            • Virginia Woolf
                                            last edited by 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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