Poor man's watch thread

[sliq]

Wow rogerp that seiko looks a treat on the wrist. Wear in good health my friend.

 

[nicholasjohn]

Here's my old Girard Perregaux Sea-Hawk I picked up on eBay about six years ago for around $200.. I think that qualifies as a poor man's watch?

Plastic crystal, hand wound movement, printed Breguet numerals, 34mm wide. Nice and low key.

 

[ygrene]

 

[Jazzmenco]

 

[mreams99]

I picked up this Bulova “Lobster” watch recently. It’s bigger than my usual watches.
What do you think?
Is it too big for my wrist?

 

[SJR3]

Mine says hello.

 

[Clouseau]

Just two questions to the happy Stowa Flieger owners, is it a noisy watch ?
And how is the automatic version compared to the handwinded version ?
Thanks in advance !

 

[SJR3]

Just two questions to the happy Stowa Flieger owners, is it a noisy watch ?
And how is the automatic version compared to the handwinded version ?
Thanks in advance !

Not noisy at all in my opinion. Even in a dead silent room, I have to put the watch right next to my ear to hear the ticking of the movement. And rotor noise is virtually non-existent. I previously owned a Tisell homage flieger, and the Miyota movement in it had a fairly loud rotor. (Though at 1/5 the price of the Stowa, Tisell makes a nice budget flieger, no question.)

This is my first Stowa and I debated going for the handwind version. I have no regrets about selecting the automatic, though; I'm happy either way. Pros of the handwind version would include an unobstructed view through the caseback of the nicely decorated movement since there's no rotor, the simple pleasure of winding, and being able to keep the watch running if you don't wear it for several days.

Overall I'm a big fan of German watches. I like their general aesthetics and think they usually hit the sweet spot for price/quality ratio. I actually have an Archimede (handwind) on the way, and there are a few Sinns and Damaskos I would like to own one day.

 

[elfton]

Picked up the Timex Marlin about a month ago. Very happy with the design of the watch, totally worth $200 for something classic that I can use forever.

 

[Clouseau]

And a last question, can you hand wind the Stowa automatic version if necessary ?

 

[SJR3]

And a last question, can you hand wind the Stowa automatic version if necessary ?

Yes, you can hindwind the ETA 2824-2 movement. However, you really should only wind it when the watch has stopped, and only wind to the point that it starts ticking again, then let the rotor do the rest of the job. In other words, don't treat an automatic like you would a manual. At least for this particular movement, the ETA 2824-2, which is a highly regarded Swiss workhorse. But if you are in the habit of regularly winding it all the way up manually, it could damage the gears in the longterm due to a softer metal, or something. I'm no expert, just regurgitating what I've discovered through my research on the ETA 2824-2. The version Stowa uses in their Fliegers is the "top" grade, by the way, which has the beautiful blue screws and is a better regulated version of the movement.

 

[Clouseau]

Thanks a lot for the very informative posts @SJR3 !
Cheers

 

[SJR3]

Thanks a lot for the very informative posts @SJR3 !
Cheers

No problem.

Very pleased with my Stowa Flieger. If you're on the fence, go for it.

 

[McKriss]

I picked up this Bulova “Lobster” watch recently. It’s bigger than my usual watches.
What do you think?
Is it too big for my wrist?

View attachment 916975

View attachment 916972

Definitely pushing it

 

[nicholasjohn]

I picked up this Bulova “Lobster” watch recently. It’s bigger than my usual watches.
What do you think?
Is it too big for my wrist?

I think you'll get away with it, certainly with more casual clothing. It's not spilling out over the edge of your wrist or anything.