Poor man's watch thread

[DerangedGoose]

Finally finished my first successful mod. Polished 710 case Amphibia, swapped for paddle hands and silver seconds. Polished SS bezel and shark mesh. Of course, the 8 o clock lume pip decided to break off the dial. I just cant win with these things. Eventually Ill source another dial (or maybe I can soak this dial in some kind of weak solvent like alcohol to remove all the pips? They are worthless anyway, the hands are superluminova).

I really wish Vostok would offer brushed finishes. I dont think polished suits a diver / tool watch. But mechanically, these are the best 200M divers in their price range IMO. Including the watch, bezel, bracelet, and aftermarket hands, I am in for $130 total\

 

[Jazzmenco]

 

[TheWraith]

Been enjoying this one to work lately:

 

[HenrikThiberg]

this one is for rich man only.

Note : this one is apple so it is surely expensive..

 

[ErikW]

Added a new Seiko Pepsi Turtle (SRPA21) to my collection this week. Very happy with this purchase so far. The cushion case makes it look fairly large in the photos, but it doesn't look unusually large in person.

 

[DerangedGoose]

Wish Seiko had more no-date models. On such a beautiful blue sunburst I would rather have it be all dial.

 

[New Shoes1]

I was very close to picking up that PADI turtle, except for three things: (i) I want to stick with the 6R15 movement; (ii) I want to wear a Crafter Blue strap on it; and (iii) the day date. Just had an epiphany today that I should mod my Sumo that has been collecting dust. Going to work out the details next week, but I'm probably going to switch the black dial out for blue, put a Pepsi bezel insert in and pick up the dark blue Crafter Blue strap. I'm thinking this would be perfect for me for Summer. Essentially this:

on this strap

 

[Jazzmenco]

 

[Jazzmenco]

Back to back Glycine days

 

[spacemanvt]

Added a new Seiko Pepsi Turtle (SRPA21) to my collection this week. Very happy with this purchase so far. The cushion case makes it look fairly large in the photos, but it doesn't look unusually large in person.

View attachment 780898

[/QUOTE
very nice, i have been planning to order one of these very soon!

 

[Jazzmenco]

Bronze Steinhart today

 

[mosy]

What are some good places to get decently priced replacement straps for watches that cost less than $500?

 

[Michigan Planner]

What are some good places to get decently priced replacement straps for watches that cost less than $500?

Do you mean straps that cost less than $500 or straps for watches where the watches cost less than $500? If it's the former, I think you're looking in the wrong spots! I crack myself up!

My go to choice for inexpensive straps is cheapestnatostraps.com - they have a pretty wide selection of NATOs, Zulus, two pieces, perlon, etc. They ship from Sweden and arrive pretty quickly in the U.S. and the prices are hard to beat.

I've got a couple of straps from ToxicNATOs and Maratac and they are pretty nice as well. They are a couple dollars more expensive than cheapestnatostraps but they are definitely a bit heavier duty with a little bit nicer hardware. FWIW, Maratac seems to be the go to manufacturer for quite a few of the boutique brands that ship on a NATO.

If you are looking for a rubber strap for a dive watch, I'm a big advocate of Isofrane. They are more expensive but they are super comfortable. You can occasionally find people selling new ones on eBay for a few dollars less than retail and if you don't mind used, you can sometimes find them for maybe $20 or $30 off (check out WatchRecon).

 

[New Shoes1]

I like cola reb for vintage/rugged straps to throw on a dive watch. Crafter Blue is good for a Seiko rubber strap. There are also inexpensive Hirsch options as well.

 

[am55]

Bronze Steinhart today View attachment 783596

Not much patina - do you maintain it, or is it relatively new/unworn? How bulky does it wear?