Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Who's got a nice watch? Traditional watches only, no smartwatches please.
- Thread starter JW8725
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I struggle frequently to convince my wife on why I shouldn't part with my collection since I only use the apple watch.
My latest addition - a slightly used 2 yr old Hamilton Swiss made GMT with a little retro vibe.
I had my eye on one 3 years ago, but the model was discontinued soon after I discovered it and I was unable to pick one up until now. One of the watch shop employees who snagged the last one wanted to move on and try something else, and gave me a good deal.
![IMG_2218.jpeg]( "IMG_2218.jpeg")
Took off my Omega Speedmaster to make room for it. I think the Hamilton will end up as a gift to a family member someday, but for now I'm going to play with it and enjoy it for myself.
![IMG_2216.jpeg]( "IMG_2216.jpeg")
I had my eye on one 3 years ago, but the model was discontinued soon after I discovered it and I was unable to pick one up until now. One of the watch shop employees who snagged the last one wanted to move on and try something else, and gave me a good deal.
Took off my Omega Speedmaster to make room for it. I think the Hamilton will end up as a gift to a family member someday, but for now I'm going to play with it and enjoy it for myself.
Love the retro vibe; well wear and do enjoy it.
Nice - my AD told me 2-3 months ago that he'd have one in the store for me in 6-8 months. So, we'll see...
I went through quite a few pages of this thread looking for some unique timepieces. The only one I saw was the 1960's Omega (a beaut BTW!, and an A Lange & Sohne (Gorgeous watch). But no Gallet, no Grand Seiko, no Panerai, not even an Oris (maybe I missed it though)?
I was glad to see some of you are true watch enthusiasts with a digital Casio in your rotation. Only true watch enthusiasts will know why a cheap sub-$50 watch is sitting with multi-thousand dollar watches. I also saw the true staple of any watch collection with many of you.. the Seiko SKX007/009/013 or a SARB. The Honda Civic of watches. Love them!
If I could afford one, my dream watch is a Credor. I will have to wait a while before I can justify $15,000-$20,000 for a watch though.
I was glad to see some of you are true watch enthusiasts with a digital Casio in your rotation. Only true watch enthusiasts will know why a cheap sub-$50 watch is sitting with multi-thousand dollar watches. I also saw the true staple of any watch collection with many of you.. the Seiko SKX007/009/013 or a SARB. The Honda Civic of watches. Love them!
If I could afford one, my dream watch is a Credor. I will have to wait a while before I can justify $15,000-$20,000 for a watch though.
That is a very nice watch. I sort of have a soft spot for many of the watches IWC makes.
Likewise. One of my favourite makers, so I am building up a small collection
Likewise. One of my favourite makers, so I am building up a small collection
Personally, I love the classic lines, the clear face, the retro vibe and the elegance and deceptive - but classic - simplicity of the watch. An absolute beauty.
Actually, IWC make some beautiful watches.
I totally agree. Another favourite on the future shopping list is the Big Pilot Perpetual Calendar, in platinum and the 44mm version. i.e. an IW502305. A truly stunning and classic time piece. One day...
My Rolex is off being serviced, so I'm rotating through a handful of other watches until it comes back.
Up now is this Hamilton from the 1950s(too lazy to look up the exact date) with a 19j 982 movement. I'm not overly happy with its timekeeping and the balance motion is low, so I'll probably take it apart for a clean and lube this weekend.
![IMG_0397.jpg]( "IMG_0397.jpg")
![IMG_0398.jpg]( "IMG_0398.jpg")
Up now is this Hamilton from the 1950s(too lazy to look up the exact date) with a 19j 982 movement. I'm not overly happy with its timekeeping and the balance motion is low, so I'll probably take it apart for a clean and lube this weekend.
I'll check and will certainly do so as part of service, but in my experience Hamiltons of this vintage are fairly magnetic resistant. Elinvar Extra was a remarkably good hairspring material(enough that George Daniels was known to use old Hamilton blanks in many of his watches). A lot of other things on it point to it being gummy/in need of service including the plates having a generally dull look. These old cases tend to not be very tight either, which doesn't help things.
I only have one Hamilton and it just came out last year, so haven’t had a need to service it. I have a couple of 20 year old Citizen watches that have never been serviced, but nothing older than that. I have all my own equipment for doing what needs to be done though. Got the bug to start nodding SKX’s and bought just about everything I could think of to do any job required.
Watch repair has been a hobby/interest of mine for a long time. I sent the Rolex off because I don't have access to parts, but am happy to get into most any time only movement-particularly older stuff.
In any case, I was fortunate about 10 years ago to buy my tools and parts from a good friend who had worked as a watchmaker for 50+ years. He was 80 at the time(he recently passed away at 91) and could no longer see or hold his hands steady enough to do watch work. I ended up moving 3 pickup truck loads and two car loads from him, and for several years after that he would call me every few months with another box of tools or parts that he'd run across. In fact, just the other day, his son contacted me and told me that they had run across 3 more boxes that quite literally had my name on them, and also wanted me to come over and help advise on how to price/sell some other things in his house.
I need to take an updated photo of my bench, as I don't have anything recent. In the mean time, though, here's a recent addition to replace my fully manual L&R Master cleaning machine. In a wonderful display of electromechanical and hydraulic complexity, one simply loads the basket containing the parts and presses the button on the front. The machine then cycles through the wash, first rinse, second rinse, and dry cycles while you watch. The times in each jar are individually adjustable, as are parameters like the spin speed in each jar and how frequently the oscillation direction changes. This gives the best of both worlds in terms of cleaning, as it uses both mechanical agitation and ultrasonic(the US module can be turned off if desired, and I often do for delicate things like two tone pocket watches in good condition).
As I threatened to do, I did get around to servicing the little Hamilton I've been wearing.
For someone use to working on 16 and 18 size pocket watches, working on a little wristwatch is quite a change. None the less, it's very straightforward and like all Hamiltons this one came apart and went together easily.
Dial, hands, and canon pinion off:
![IMG_0431.jpg]( "IMG_0431.jpg")
Balance wheel and cock out-I usually remove this early in the process since it quite literally is the heart of the watch and also one of the most delicate parts
After a quick pegging on the jewels, and about to be put in the cleaning machine
![IMG_0435.jpg]( "IMG_0435.jpg")
Out of the cleaning machine-everything gets inspected and hand cleaned again if anything is left.
![IMG_0437.jpg]( "IMG_0437.jpg")
This is probably one of the most critical parts of oiling the watch. The pallet jewels must be scrupulously clean, and in fact there was a spec of crud on one that made me think it was chipped. Fortunately, it was cleaned. I use Moebius 941 to oil these, although this is an older lubricant and 9410 is now recommended for this application. At $20+ for a bottle, I keep using what works well
![IMG_0441.jpg]( "IMG_0441.jpg")
All other pivots(except the pallet fork pivots, which I like to run dry) get a tiny amount of an appropriate oil. I settled on Elgin M56b, a full synthetic developed in the 1950s, a while back although many people prefer more modern Moebius or other products. The Elgin oil has never let me down
![IMG_0438.jpg]( "IMG_0438.jpg")
Unfortunately, in putting it back together, I managed to break a spring in the keyless works(winding/setting mechanism). I went digging through the material cabinets, and fortunately found a bottle of replacements.
![IMG_0445.jpg]( "IMG_0445.jpg")
![IMG_0443.jpg]( "IMG_0443.jpg")
It's back together and running well now-I'll wear it for a few days and see how it times.
For someone use to working on 16 and 18 size pocket watches, working on a little wristwatch is quite a change. None the less, it's very straightforward and like all Hamiltons this one came apart and went together easily.
Dial, hands, and canon pinion off:
Balance wheel and cock out-I usually remove this early in the process since it quite literally is the heart of the watch and also one of the most delicate parts
After a quick pegging on the jewels, and about to be put in the cleaning machine
Out of the cleaning machine-everything gets inspected and hand cleaned again if anything is left.
This is probably one of the most critical parts of oiling the watch. The pallet jewels must be scrupulously clean, and in fact there was a spec of crud on one that made me think it was chipped. Fortunately, it was cleaned. I use Moebius 941 to oil these, although this is an older lubricant and 9410 is now recommended for this application. At $20+ for a bottle, I keep using what works well
All other pivots(except the pallet fork pivots, which I like to run dry) get a tiny amount of an appropriate oil. I settled on Elgin M56b, a full synthetic developed in the 1950s, a while back although many people prefer more modern Moebius or other products. The Elgin oil has never let me down
Unfortunately, in putting it back together, I managed to break a spring in the keyless works(winding/setting mechanism). I went digging through the material cabinets, and fortunately found a bottle of replacements.
It's back together and running well now-I'll wear it for a few days and see how it times.
Amazing. Just incredibleAs I threatened to do, I did get around to servicing the little Hamilton I've been wearing.
For someone use to working on 16 and 18 size pocket watches, working on a little wristwatch is quite a change. None the less, it's very straightforward and like all Hamiltons this one came apart and went together easily.
Dial, hands, and canon pinion off:
View attachment 874791
Balance wheel and cock out-I usually remove this early in the process since it quite literally is the heart of the watch and also one of the most delicate parts
After a quick pegging on the jewels, and about to be put in the cleaning machine
View attachment 874793
Out of the cleaning machine-everything gets inspected and hand cleaned again if anything is left.
View attachment 874792
This is probably one of the most critical parts of oiling the watch. The pallet jewels must be scrupulously clean, and in fact there was a spec of crud on one that made me think it was chipped. Fortunately, it was cleaned. I use Moebius 941 to oil these, although this is an older lubricant and 9410 is now recommended for this application. At $20+ for a bottle, I keep using what works well
View attachment 874794
All other pivots(except the pallet fork pivots, which I like to run dry) get a tiny amount of an appropriate oil. I settled on Elgin M56b, a full synthetic developed in the 1950s, a while back although many people prefer more modern Moebius or other products. The Elgin oil has never let me down
View attachment 874795
Unfortunately, in putting it back together, I managed to break a spring in the keyless works(winding/setting mechanism). I went digging through the material cabinets, and fortunately found a bottle of replacements.
View attachment 874796
View attachment 874798
It's back together and running well now-I'll wear it for a few days and see how it times.
As I threatened to do, I did get around to servicing the little Hamilton I've been wearing.
For someone use to working on 16 and 18 size pocket watches, working on a little wristwatch is quite a change. None the less, it's very straightforward and like all Hamiltons this one came apart and went together easily.
Dial, hands, and canon pinion off:
View attachment 874791
Balance wheel and cock out-I usually remove this early in the process since it quite literally is the heart of the watch and also one of the most delicate parts
After a quick pegging on the jewels, and about to be put in the cleaning machine
View attachment 874793
Out of the cleaning machine-everything gets inspected and hand cleaned again if anything is left.
View attachment 874792
This is probably one of the most critical parts of oiling the watch. The pallet jewels must be scrupulously clean, and in fact there was a spec of crud on one that made me think it was chipped. Fortunately, it was cleaned. I use Moebius 941 to oil these, although this is an older lubricant and 9410 is now recommended for this application. At $20+ for a bottle, I keep using what works well
View attachment 874794
All other pivots(except the pallet fork pivots, which I like to run dry) get a tiny amount of an appropriate oil. I settled on Elgin M56b, a full synthetic developed in the 1950s, a while back although many people prefer more modern Moebius or other products. The Elgin oil has never let me down
View attachment 874795
Unfortunately, in putting it back together, I managed to break a spring in the keyless works(winding/setting mechanism). I went digging through the material cabinets, and fortunately found a bottle of replacements.
View attachment 874796
View attachment 874798
It's back together and running well now-I'll wear it for a few days and see how it times.
Wonderful story; thanks for sharing, and thanks, too, for the impressive, interesting and instructive images you have posted.
My Japanese domestic market SARB033.
Some say it's a poor man's Rolex Explorer.
$350 vs. $6000+
![IMG_4602.jpg]( "IMG_4602.jpg")
Some say it's a poor man's Rolex Explorer.
$350 vs. $6000+
Love my Sarb033 too. Some might say that but it’s a stunning watch in its own right.