Watches - another OCD problem
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@Chris yes originality is everything with regards to vintage Rolex purchase / value etc. I have only just started getting more informed about this topic and realise how much of a mine field it is.
For my watch it worked out for what I wanted. I wanted a clean looking piece that belies it's age. Most collectors like the beaten up Patina look and will pay extra for these pieces. Having researched chrono24 website it became obvious that 16760 "fat lady" models fell into two camps, one with original tritium dials and hands and others with replacement dials and hands, split was fairly even. The original dial pieces do command more value however all models are going up in value regardless, so difficult to make a bad buy as long as it is a genuine piece. Problem with tritium dials was the that tritium would flake and potentially work it way into the movement, plus it starts to look a bit shabby.
I used the replacement dial and hands as a bargaining chip and got some extra discount out of the vendor who for a major pre owned dealer were scarily uninformed about the history of the piece.
I checked case and bracelet serial numbers to ensure it was a genuine fat lady. Checked the crown guards were bigger than a newer 16710. Once this was done I was pretty sure it was a new dial and hands that made the piece look "clean". The other giveaway for the older 16760 is the date wheel uses open font 9's and 6's compared to the 16710 which has closed 6's and 9's. This watch I believe also has the original serif fat font bezel.
The watch is supposed to function as a "single multi purpose watch". The hangover from my 2015 oilfield lay off mean the days of a multiple watch collection are probably over so a good all rounder was required.
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Personally I buy watches to wear them and enjoy them, and that looks like a win on those counts.
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Most collectors like the beaten up Patina look and will pay extra for these pieces.
Yeah, to me, clean and functional is more important than "authentic", even if that's detrimental to the resale value. The priority of having a reliable everyday watch is greater than having a special occasions "investment piece".
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Got this from the parents today
If you havent checked the Sistem 51 pieces out, they are a pretty cool little novelty. The watch weighs almost nothing but has a nice presence on the wrist. I like what Hodinkee did with the dial, it has a high end look to it IMO. It is a disposable watch which kind of sucks but it should be fun while it lasts.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I like that, @Anesthetist. Just read a little bit about Sistem 51, seems like a novelty worth of Swatch. What makes you say it's disposable?
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I like that, @Anesthetist. Just read a little bit about Sistem 51, seems like a novelty worth of Swatch. What makes you say it's disposable?
No doubt it’s a unique and noteworthy accomplishment for the company. However, the movement is “welded” together and then hermetically sealed into the plastic case. This creates a robust movement with limited parts but it is sadly unserviceable.
However, I’ve heard that the newest metal cased watches CAN be serviced. This gives me hope that Swatch figures out a way to also fix the plastic cased watches. Then we have the age old quandary wether a $150 watch is worth a $200+ service. I’ve seen a lot of old, broken Seiko 5’s at flea markets so I’m guessing most people would say not.
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Aha! Makes sense. Thanks for your response. They're making metal ones, eh? Interesting.
I remember loving my quartz swatch that my Dad got for me when I was 8. Wonder what happened to it? The band looked was an aquarium with fish swimming in it…
Do a search, they do re-editions all the time so you never know if it will turn up again. They are fun little watches and a good way to make sure that you dont take yourself too seriously!
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I've been eyeing up the Omega DeVille Hour Vision recently. They're more of a dress watch, but with a steel case and 100 metres water resistance, they're pretty tough.
They're available with an annual calendar. It adds a couple of millimetres to the case, and Omegas tend to be a bit chunky at the best of time.
This model has a part sapphire case, which is unusual.
As well as the white dial (no photo), it comes as a blue dial in a solid case.
And a bronze / brown dial.
My girlfriend is a big fan of the blue dial. Looks like I'll need to buy another watch for her to wear! :o
Oh, as a bonus, here's an Omega Speedy Tuesday Ultraman that I spotted in the boutique in Brisbane. It belongs to one of the salesmen, and he bought it before he got the job.
Incidentally, if you're looking for a rare watch that's unavailable at retail, you'll probably find it in a grey market dealer. Here's another Ultraman and a Pepsi GMT.
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Love it @seawolf !!!
Not that I could/would afford it, but I think Rolex made a mistake using the Jubilee instead of an OP bracelet on the GMT (the former IMO being too delicate and precious to match the case and dial), and while I like the color scheme of Ultraman, I find themed watches to generally be a major turn-off. Omega drive me crazy on that count, it seems so juvenile and transient, for example, to have a "007" logo marring a timepiece that is built to last. The DeVilles you showed are more "timeless.
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I like the orange accents on the Ultraman, though I'm not sure it's worth the premium. The DeVille with the copper dial is extremely nice looking. Maybe I'd feel differently if I saw it in real life, but the window in the side of the case seems pointless and gimmicky.
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@sabergirl also look at the Tissot Swissmatic, which is a derivative of the Sistem51.
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/tissot-swissmatic-everytime-value-proposition
I like the sapphire case sides on the Hour Vision, but the dial is a bit fussy. Plus, as @Anesthetist pointed out, there's an awful lot of unnecessary and badly positions text.
The Ultraman looks good, but I'm not sure about the glowing UV logo. I agree that Omega do a huge number of gimmicky limited editions.
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Thanks Reuben[emoji3577] the plan with Johnny was to get some cordovan can create one beautiful patina over the years.
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It looks great on it!
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I went into the IWC boutique in Melbourne to see if there was any sign of the Big Pilot Big Date with a white dial. It's not arrived yet, but the salesman showed me the Aquatimer Perpetual Calendar. It's a big watch, and I think you need to be built like the Rock to carry it off.
Just down the road I got chatting to another salesperson about the H. Moser and Cie watches. They had one of their very limited models with a Vanta black dial. The moonphase is apparently accurate to one day in a thousand odd years. :o
The movement on this is lovely. You can't see in the photo, but the back of the watch has a curved sapphire crystal to hug the back of the wrist better.
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They had one of their very limited models with a Vanta black dial.
Geez, seems like they'd do a better job with AR coating the crystal, so you get a better impression of the Vantablack.
here we go! Christmas gift from my wife! Cordovan walnut strap! Met at the last Fish n’ Chips lot of nice people. One of them, Johnny aka 
