Poor man's watch thread

[NakedYoga]

Love the old cocktail time. It's a shame it photographs so badly. It's kind of the opposite of modern Grand Seikos which look good on photos and a bit meh in the hand. SARB65 is a low light monster and benefits from being moved around...

Shame also that the OG strap is so thick and stiff, and whilst I get the idea behind the blue stitching, it detracts from what was otherwise a perfect low key but original design.

I have that same Seiko. Thinking about selling it, as it's just a little too big for the design in my opinion, and I rarely wore it. I have a Tank that really takes the place of the Seiko's use case, too, and fits my wrist better.

All that being said, it really is a nice-looking watch, even if the factory strap sucks.

 

[Jazzmenco]

Seiko snow dial also difficult to capture.

 

[Jazzmenco]

Love the old cocktail time. It's a shame it photographs so badly. It's kind of the opposite of modern Grand Seikos which look good on photos and a bit meh in the hand. SARB65 is a low light monster and benefits from being moved around...

Shame also that the OG strap is so thick and stiff, and whilst I get the idea behind the blue stitching, it detracts from what was otherwise a perfect low key but original design.

I took about 10 shots and this was the only one that came out halfway decent. I have a large wrist so I replaced the strap.

 

[am55]

as it's just a little too big for the design in my opinion

At this point in time I think that's true of many Seiko designs including most GS. They'd really benefit from being 30% smaller.

I took about 10 shots and this was the only one that came out halfway decent. I have a large wrist so I replaced the strap.

Your photos are generally great! I just think (having tried for 10 years) that it is impossible to photograph the SARB65 in a convincing way, but also that it is perfect the way it is (the update really took a lot out). Maybe a movie in the right conditions with a large size sensor might capture it, I don't know. Whereas something like the "ice" GS dials look really striking in photos including wrist shots, but in real life have a lifeless plastic feel (IMHO) that detracts from the quality of the work.

Same with enamel dials: lifeless in photos, so deep and alive in real life.

I wonder to what extent watches have been ruined by the necessity for digital photography advertising.

 

[barutanseijin]

I have that same Seiko. Thinking about selling it, as it's just a little too big for the design in my opinion, and I rarely wore it. I have a Tank that really takes the place of the Seiko's use case, too, and fits my wrist better.

All that being said, it really is a nice-looking watch, even if the factory strap sucks.

It is lovely, especially at night — but it’s too big and way too thicc. Unfortunately, that’s partly a limitation of Seiko movements. They lost their mechanical movement chops after developing quartz watches. Even the GS watches tend too be too damn thick.

The Cocktail Time might have been better as a quartz watch. It definitely would have been better as an old King Seiko.

 

[Jazzmenco]

 

[Father Style]

First new watch in about five years. A gift from my wife. Hands are blue. I’ll try to get a better shot with natural sunlight tomorrow.

FatherStyle.com

 

[DorianGreen]

First new watch in about five years. A gift from my wife. Hands are blue. I’ll try to get a better shot with natural sunlight tomorrow.

View attachment 2120091

FatherStyle.com

Lovely. Already on my radar, a beautiful dress watch.

 

[Father Style]

As promised.

FatherStyle.com

 

[Jazzmenco]

If it's quartz then make it an eco drive. I can't stand paying for battery replacements.

 

[Jazzmenco]

 

[DorianGreen]

Rather attractive, this Henry Archer Vesterhav.

 

[Kingstonian]

If it's quartz then make it an eco drive. I can't stand paying for battery replacements.
View attachment 2120887

Interesting I have eco drive, other solar and battery quartz watches.

One is a Seiko from the late 1970s. It’s never given me any trouble. A bloke down the market replaces the battery for a couple of quid.

I would have thought battery replacement was small potatoes given the amount you are spending on watches. If you had said avoid mechanical watches I could understand.

 

[DorianGreen]

Interesting I have eco drive, other solar and battery quartz watches.

One is a Seiko from the late 1970s. It’s never given me any trouble. A bloke down the market replaces the battery for a couple of quid.

I would have thought battery replacement was small potatoes given the amount you are spending on watches. If you had said avoid mechanical watches I could understand.

I see your point, if you prefer quartz watches, the change of a battery is not an issue at all.

I'm on the other side, I only have and consider mechanical watches.

 

[Michigan Planner]

Back in April of '23 I posted about my Seiko Brightz HAQ chronograph that I had been looking for and finally found a good deal on... only to have the crystal pop off and the chrono hand get all twisted around itself a couple days after I received it.

Well, it's finally back from the spa and work as good as new! My very trusted local shop was able to re-tool the chronohand rather easily but then the hard part was sourcing a correct-sized gasket. I wasn't really hounding the shop so maybe if I did we would have found one a bit faster but they were able to find one around Thanksgiving (of course right around the time they shut down for the rest of the year to go spend time in South America with their family) and I got the watch back last week.

(The guy I bought the watch from covered all the repair costs without any questions)

I've been happily wearing it since Friday. I had forgotten how lightweight this titanium watch is!