Poor man's watch thread

[Kevin24]

I have a question I've been searching for an answer to.

Do you happen to know where I can find a list of watch brands that make their own in-house movements? (I'm excluding "grail" brands like Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Tudor, Grand Seiko, etc.)

 

[DorianGreen]

I have a question I've been searching for an answer to.

Do you happen to know where I can find a list of watch brands that make their own in-house movements? (I'm excluding "grail" brands like Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Tudor, Grand Seiko, etc.)

Not something I particularly care about, but I can see how an in-house movement can give some prestige. Yema, whom I'm a big fan of, have some selfmade calibres.

 

[NORE]

I have a question I've been searching for an answer to.

Do you happen to know where I can find a list of watch brands that make their own in-house movements? (I'm excluding "grail" brands like Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Tudor, Grand Seiko, etc.)

You'd probably be better off finding brands that utilize movements from the same makers, like [how many indie brands use Seiko's] 4/6R(NH) = Seiko and work backwards from there.

 

[Kevin24]

Not something I particularly care about, but I can see how an in-house movement can give some prestige. Yema, whom I'm a big fan of, have some selfmade calibres.

I read Yema, and many of their non-quartz choices use in-house movements.

Imo even though I'm still new to watches, it's kind of disappointing that more upper-tier brands like Oris or those under the Swatch umbrella, such as Rado or Longines, seem to strictly rely on ETA or Sellita movements, which a more entry-level brand like Tissot or Hamilton use.

Then again, there is nothing wrong with that, as ETA/Sellita is highly regarded and easily serviceable anywhere compared to something unique.

 

[New Shoes1]

I read Yema, and many of their non-quartz choices use in-house movements.

Imo even though I'm still new to watches, it's kind of disappointing that more upper-tier brands like Oris or those under the Swatch umbrella, such as Rado or Longines, seem to strictly rely on ETA or Sellita movements, which a more entry-level brand like Tissot or Hamilton use.

Then again, there is nothing wrong with that, as ETA/Sellita is highly regarded and easily serviceable anywhere compared to something unique.

Oris uses their in house proprietary movement.

I have no issues with Longines taking advantage of its Swatch affiliation. It’s considered above Tissot and Hamilton but still entry level.

 

[Jazzmenco]

 

[SixOhNine]

In house movements are overrated, and they're no indication of how expensive or prestigious a brand is. I'd much rather have a watch with parts that are easily available and that every half decent repair shop can fix.

 

[Thin White Duke]

In house movements are overrated, and they're no indication of how expensive or prestigious a brand is. I'd much rather have a watch with parts that are easily available and that every half decent repair shop can fix.

This is true but as a counterpoint I have been interested in Bremont as they are single-handedly trying to revive the once thriving British watch industry.

There was one model I admired until someone informed me I’d be paying over five grand for a watch with the same movement in watches that could be had for a few hundred dollars.

I believe Bremont have since remedied this and built a facility in which they now manufacture their own in-house movements so I guess they got the message!

 

[Giant ground sloth]

Season's greetings, gentlemen!

I recently bought a Victorinox Swiss Army Heritage field watch. Allow me to share a review:

Summary

The Victorinox Swiss Army Heritage is a great choice for those who appreciate a superior-quality quartz field watch. It is very tough and comes with Swiss made elegance, but does not have solar charging or radio-controlled technology.

Accuracy

The Victorinox field watch 241967 comes with a Swiss-made Ronda 715 movement. It's a 370/371-battery-powered quartz movement with 5 jewels. The officially stated accuracy is -10 to +20 seconds per month.

I measured mine over a month, and found that the Victorinox Heritage gained about 9.5 seconds.

This is not as good as comparable Japanese watches (my Oceanus gained only 2 seconds with the radio reception turned off during the same month), so I hope Victorinox will offer a high-accuracy quartz (HAQ) movement for these beautiful field watches some day.

More about the movement

The Ronda 715 comes with hacking seconds. The crown feels solid and precise. When the crown is pulled out to the 2nd position which stops the second hand, the movement will also activate power saving for long-term storage. Ronda claims that this power saving mode reduces battery consumption by 70%.

Comfort

The Victorinox 241967 comes with a 21mm-lug (tapered to 17mm at the butterfly clasp), Rolex-Oyster-inspired bracelet. Victorinox did an incredible job with the machining precision of this bracelet, achieving consistent and tiny gaps between the links which never pulled my arm hair.

The stainless steel bracelet comes with two 3/5 links, allowing for plenty of adjustments. I took out three full links (and retained the two 3/5 links), achieving the right size for my 17cm wrist.

However, the Victorinox Heritage's Oyster-inspired bracelet does not come with a tool-free micro-adjuster. Therefore, at times when my wrist is smaller, the watch does slide down and make me want to switch to a 21mm leather strap.

Finishing

I'm impressed with the detailed and clearly printed dial, as well as the second hand alignment. The second hand hits most of the marks like my Seiko Astron does (but not as perfectly as my Casio Oceanus). The Victorinox Heritage doesn't have any auto second hand re-alignment features. So I hope I don't drop the watch and mess up the alignment.

The second hand also has a very clean tick-tick motion, which is expected from a Swiss quartz.

The sapphire crystal comes with anti-reflective coating. It's not as good as those of the top-tier watches, but good enough to differentiate from the cheap fashion watches, and befitting for a field watch made for officers.

Under partial or directional lighting, the brushed stainless steel case can appear more gray-ish and less shiny than the Oyster-inspired, brushed stainless steel bracelet.

I find it crucial to apply a tiny amount of carnauba wax after cleaning the case and the bracelet. The wax really brings out the shine from the brushed stainless steel. Without the wax, the case looks too industrial and crude.

The crown comes with impressive machining and the Victorinox logo.

My Victorinox Heritage's date window (at 6 o'clock) is ever-so-slightly off from the geometric center of the white rectangle. This is not noticeable in photos or at reading range, but noticeable when viewed closely with naked eyes or under a jeweler's loupe.

Calendar

The Victorinox Heritage comes with a 31-day calendar, requiring me to adjust the date forward after the ending of February, April, June, September, and November.

The Ronda 715 manual advises not to change the date between 9:30pm and mid-night, when the date change gears are engaged.

Size

While Victorinox lists the 241967 as a 40mm diameter (excluding the crown) watch, I measured mine and found it to be close to 41mm in diameter (excluding the crown) and 44mm in width (including the crown). I think it's the right size for a field watch.

I also measured the case's lug-to-lug to be about 49mm, and the case's thickness to be about 9mm.

Lume

With the exception of white dial versions, all current Victorinox Heritage field watches come with Super-LumiNova on the hour hand, the minute hand, the Arabic numerals, and the larger second marks. I find it satisfying to look at at night.

Water resistance

Victorinox originally claimed that the Swiss Army Heritage watches are good for 100 meters of water resistance, when the watches were first launched in 2021. However, when I bought mine this year, I noticed that Victorinox has revised it down to 50 meters.

Postscript

I have heard many good words from owners that the Victorinox Heritage is a very durable field watch, as Victorinox conducts more than 100 in-house quality control tests. I hope mine lasts a long time too.

I also like how Victorinox designs the Swiss Army Heritage to be low maintenance. The Ronda 715 Swiss Made is only about US$20 as a replacement movement. The movement does not require US$500+ services every 10 years or so (unlike certain high-end Seiko quartz movements which require the solar fast-charging mechanism to be serviced). At last, the stainless steel case, unlike PVD-coated titanium cases, can be re-polished by every watchmaker.

While I would love to have a more accurate field watch, the Victorinox Swiss Army Heritage's old-fashion quartz movement is immune to WWVB spoofing and jamming, and does not need Clock Wave app for syncing. It's a simple, durable, and excellent officer's field watch with no bells and whistles. And that's exactly what a field watch should be.

 

[TimothyF]

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Season's greetings, gentlemen!

I recently bought a Victorinox Swiss Army Heritage field watch. Allow me to share a review:

Summary

The Victorinox Swiss Army Heritage is a great choice for those who appreciate a superior-quality quartz field watch. It is very tough and comes with Swiss made elegance, but does not have solar charging or radio-controlled technology.

Accuracy

The Victorinox field watch 241967 comes with a Swiss-made Ronda 715 movement. It's a 370/371-battery-powered quartz movement with 5 jewels. The officially stated accuracy is -10 to +20 seconds per month.

I measured mine over a month, and found that the Victorinox Heritage gained about 9.5 seconds.

This is not as good as comparable Japanese watches (my Oceanus gained only 2 seconds with the radio reception turned off during the same month), so I hope Victorinox will offer a high-accuracy quartz (HAQ) movement for these beautiful field watches some day.

More about the movement

The Ronda 715 comes with hacking seconds. The crown feels solid and precise. When the crown is pulled out to the 2nd position which stops the second hand, the movement will also activate power saving for long-term storage. Ronda claims that this power saving mode reduces battery consumption by 70%.

Comfort

The Victorinox 241967 comes with a 21mm-lug (tapered to 17mm at the butterfly clasp), Rolex-Oyster-inspired bracelet. Victorinox did an incredible job with the machining precision of this bracelet, achieving consistent and tiny gaps between the links which never pulled my arm hair.

The stainless steel bracelet comes with two 3/5 links, allowing for plenty of adjustments. I took out three full links (and retained the two 3/5 links), achieving the right size for my 17cm wrist.

However, the Victorinox Heritage's Oyster-inspired bracelet does not come with a tool-free micro-adjuster. Therefore, at times when my wrist is smaller, the watch does slide down and make me want to switch to a 21mm leather strap.

Finishing

I'm impressed with the detailed and clearly printed dial, as well as the second hand alignment. The second hand hits most of the marks like my Seiko Astron does (but not as perfectly as my Casio Oceanus). The Victorinox Heritage doesn't have any auto second hand re-alignment features. So I hope I don't drop the watch and mess up the alignment.

The second hand also has a very clean tick-tick motion, which is expected from a Swiss quartz.

The sapphire crystal comes with anti-reflective coating. It's not as good as those of the top-tier watches, but good enough to differentiate from the cheap fashion watches, and befitting for a field watch made for officers.

Under partial or directional lighting, the brushed stainless steel case can appear more gray-ish and less shiny than the Oyster-inspired, brushed stainless steel bracelet.

The crown comes with impressive machining and the Victorinox logo.

My Victorinox Heritage's date window (at 6 o'clock) is ever-so-slightly off from the geometric center of the white rectangle. This is not noticeable in photos or at reading range, but noticeable when viewed closely with naked eyes or under a jeweler's loupe.

Calendar

The Victorinox Heritage comes with a 31-day calendar, requiring me to adjust the date forward after the ending of February, April, June, September, and November.

The Ronda 715 manual advises not to change the date between 9:30pm and mid-night, when the date change gears are engaged.

Size

While Victorinox lists the 241967 as a 40mm diameter (excluding the crown) watch, I measured mine and found it to be close to 41mm in diameter (excluding the crown) and 44mm in width (including the crown). I think it's the right size for a field watch.

I also measured the case's lug-to-lug to be about 49mm, and the case's thickness to be about 9mm.

Lume

Except the white dial versions, all current Victorinox Heritage field watches come with the Super-LumiNova on the hour hand, the minute hand, the Arabic numerals, and the larger second marks. I find it satisfying to look at at night.

Water resistance

Victorinox originally claimed that the Swiss Army Heritage watches are good for 100 meters of water resistance, when the watches were first launched in 2021. However, when I bought mine this year, I noticed that Victorinox has revised it down to 50 meters.

Postscript

I have heard many good words from owners that the Victorinox Heritage is a very durable field watch, as Victorinox conducts more than 100 in-house quality control tests. I hope mine lasts a long time too.

I also like how Victorinox designs the Swiss Army Heritage to be low maintenance. The Ronda 715 Swiss Made is only about US$20 as a replacement movement. The movement does not require US$500+ services every 10 years or so (unlike certain high-end Seiko quartz movements which require the solar fast-charging mechanism to be serviced). At last, the stainless steel case, unlike PVD-coated titanium cases, can be re-polished by every watchmaker.

While I would love to have a more accurate field watch, the Victorinox Swiss Army Heritage's old-fashion quartz movement is immune to WWVB spoofing and jamming, and does not need Clock Wave app for syncing. It's a simple, durable, and excellent officer's field watch with no bells and whistles. And that's exactly what a field watch should be.

This watch makes a lot of sense to me. That IWC Mark does not

 

[Giant ground sloth]

This watch makes a lot of sense to me. That IWC Mark does not

The IWC Mark XX is a great watch for those who appreciate mechanical watches.

There is also the Hamilton Khaki field watch, which is available as either mechanical or quartz.

There is also yet the Citizen Promaster Land AT6080-53L, which is a single-band radio-controlled quartz watch. While it is supposedly rather accurate, it requires the user to change time zone to Japan, sync with Clock Wave, and then change the time zone back, which can be annoying.

Generally speaking, field watches and dress watches are not the most popular right now. So there are only a small number of higher-quality choices.

 

[TimothyF]

The IWC Mark XX is a great watch for those who appreciate mechanical watches.

There is also the Hamilton Khaki field watch, which is available as either mechanical or quartz.

There is also yet the Citizen Promaster Land AT6080-53L, which is a single-band radio-controlled quartz watch. While it is supposedly rather accurate, it requires the user to change time zone to Japan, sync with Clock Wave, and then change the time zone back, which can be annoying.

Generally speaking, field watches and dress watches are not the most popular right now. So there are only a small number of higher-quality choices.

The Hamilton Khaki is basically the upper limit of what a field watch should cost. More expensive/fancy/luxury versions (e.g. IWC, Patek Philippe) are ridiculous.

Fundamentally, "field" watches are cheap, tough, legible, but not high in beauty or elegance, utilitarian tools for GIs to knock about while concentrating on the actual tasks at hand: avoiding the casualty lists. They were yesterday's Casios. So a luxe $6K+ version of an essentially ugly inelegant tool watch is a contradiction in terms

 

[Father Style]

Happy New Year

FatherStyle.com

 

[New Shoes1]

 

[KotaB]

Jules Jurgensen President, picked up for a couple bucks in a small town thrift. Needed a battery and a lug pin. Debating on replacing the crystal or just rocking it as is. You guys know of a way to buff out crystal scratches? Also, how would you recommend cleaning it up?