The Watch Appreciation Thread (Reviews and Photos of Men's Timepieces by Rolex, Patek Philippe, Brei

[TheTukker]

Any thoughts on this - what I hope will be my next watch - Blancpain Villeret?

 

[TheWraith]

Originally Posted by Shikar

Regards.
PS. Sorry for camera phone pics.

Great watch. Nice shirt cuff too

 

[stumy]

Originally Posted by NH_Clark

went on a mini-shopping spree past 2 days. Purchased the following pieces at what I consider great prices:

B&R Vintage 123

1940's Wittnauer Mechanical Chronograph

Very nice! I like them both very much.

 

[tor]

This might be slightly misusing the thread, but I've narrowed down my next watch purchase to: A Christopher Ward C5 Malvern Aviator. I want to see what the hubbub is about, as I've heard it's a good watch, and I'm not trying to break the bank.

or A Sinn 556, used:

I love the way it looks, which also explains the next choice: A Sinn 656, used:

Or I can save up and buy a Stowa Ikarus:

The Christopher Ward can be had for $200-300, the Sinns for about $550-650 from what I've gathered on TZ, and the Ikarus would be the most expensive but also probably bought new... Out of these, what do you guys recommend? Feel free to suggest another watch that is somewhere within the price range of all the watches. It's all a matter of how long I need to save up, that's all. Also, my wrist is about 6.15" around, so nothing bigger than 40mm, preferably.

 

[dizzhizz]

just bought the sinn 756. definitely a fan.

 

[Sterling Gillette]

Go for the Sinn. 556 or 656 are both fine, so it depends on whether you prefer indices or numerals.

 

[PipPip]

I would buy the Sinn for myself. However my brother in law is getting that Christopher Ward watch (black face version) for christmas from my wife and I as its good value for an ETA 2824-2 with a display back and it will be his first mechanical watch. We also looked at Archimede and Steinhart pilots but when my wife pretended she was buying a watch for me and asked him for his preference from a number of pictures, he put for the Christopher Ward C5 Malvern Aviator top (which was the cheapest of the bunch) and put the Archimede pilots watch last. So decision made.

 

[Kaplan]

Considering your choices I would recommend the no-logo Stowa Flieger.

 

[tor]

Originally Posted by dizzhizz

just bought the sinn 756. definitely a fan.
Great watch! Enjoy it! I was definitely leaning towards a Sinn...

Originally Posted by Sterling Gillette

Go for the Sinn. 556 or 656 are both fine, so it depends on whether you prefer indices or numerals.
Yeah, I can't decide. I really like the 556's look, but the numerals are nice too...

Originally Posted by PipPip

I would buy the Sinn for myself. However my brother in law is getting that Christopher Ward watch (black face version) for christmas from my wife and I as its good value for an ETA 2824-2 with a display back and it will be his first mechanical watch. We also looked at Archimede and Steinhart pilots but when my wife pretended she was buying a watch for me and asked him for his preference from a number of pictures, he put for the Christopher Ward C5 Malvern Aviator top (which was the cheapest of the bunch) and put the Archimede pilots watch last. So decision made.
Yeah, really price is a big factor for me, so that's why I'm looking at the CW. I'm a college student so either way I'm going to have to save up for a bit. Although I think either one of the Sinns would be worth it. It's all about waiting for a good price and having the money.

Originally Posted by Kaplan

Considering your choices I would recommend the no-logo Stowa Flieger.
I'm considering that one too. Although between the Ikarus and the Flieger no-logo it's a tough choice, but I think I would go with the Ikarus. Also, question: the Archimede pilot watches and the Stowa Fliegers seem almost identical. Can anyone educate me on the difference? They both come with the ETA 2824-2 movement (unless you upgrade the Stowa) and apart from minor differences like a .2mm difference in thickness, blued hands, or mineral glass vs. sapphire display back, they seem almost indistinguishable. Is there something I'm missing? Does it just come down to finishing?

 

[NH_Clark]

I'm looking at picking up a Sinn 656 also. That would be my recommendation. The mfg process used by Sinn and the absolute classic lines makes it a great choice. Having said that I like the look of the CW.

 

[springsteen87]

Couldn't find a watch FAQ so pardon me if this is the wrong spot for this question.

I recently purchased a few watches, one of them has a seemingly faux alligator skin band that I think is awful. The watches are below.

First: Is there a solid online watch band specific website that's pretty much SF approved? Or am I best just shopping around a few randoms that pop up from a "Watch band" google search.

I imagine the actual process isn't difficult and I could find an FAQ somewhere?

Lastly, any suggestions on color/style bands in the <$50 range for either of the pieces below?

(I'm a huge style/clothing noob so bear with me if those are awful watches, I'm just starting out dressing like a real human after 22 years and am going to make some bad purchases :-\\)

 

[tor]

Originally Posted by NH_Clark

I'm looking at picking up a Sinn 656 also. That would be my recommendation. The mfg process used by Sinn and the absolute classic lines makes it a great choice. Having said that I like the look of the CW.
I know. The CW has a nice look, and I really like the decorations on the movement. Plus, it's cheaper. But I can't deny the proven quality of Sinn or the sleek looks. It's a tough choice. I think I'm going to go Sinn though, probably a 556, as I like the indices better than the numbers on the 656, and I like the display case back. This is all assuming that I can't find a comparably priced Ikarus, of course.

 

[a-rock]

Originally Posted by mickeymickey

That looks great, love those striped bands. I have a Seiko SNK809K2 that I put a whiskey/tan strap on. I may pick up the SNK803K2 and put a burgundy/oxblood band on it as well, I really like that color dial.



On WUS, I saw one with a nice aviator strap.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/showpos...5&postcount=10

Come to think of it, I think yours is also posted on that thread!

 

[somatoform]

Originally Posted by pallan

My green Seiko Alpinist. JDM. Before the 2009 diver styled ones came out.

Nice watch. There are sites that deal in selling Japan only Seikos internationally. I think this, or similar to it, is listed at $500. Does that sound right to you? Or does it sound under/over priced?

 

[pallan]

Originally Posted by somatoform

Nice watch. There are sites that deal in selling Japan only Seikos internationally. I think this, or similar to it, is listed at $500. Does that sound right to you? Or does it sound under/over priced?

I'm one for the watch forums, and there are 3 main sites that deal in Japan-only watches that people on the forums swear by. They are: Chino Watch, Seiya Japan and Higuchi. Apparently the service from all 3 of these is amazing, the people who run them are willing to track down anything you're looking for no matter how rare, and will answer all your questions with an incredible amount of knowledge. Mine came from Higuchi originally, but I bought it unused off 1 of the guys on the forum, so I haven't experience with the sites above. 500$ is about right, but you can dig to get it cheaper. Good luck