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

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scnupe7

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Very nice. Where did you order from? Directly from Stowa?

Also, what are your impressions of the watch?
 

Toiletduck

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Darnit...mine has to wait long long time....bastard.


- I like the steel case it came in
 

Toiletduck

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Are you guys familiar with Seiko Spring Drives? Why are they so expensive? They aren't Grand Seikos are they?
 

A Y

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Spring drives have a lot of stuff going on mechanically inside, and the finish is pretty nice, too, but below Grand Seiko standards, I believe. I thought they were priced OK for what they offer, and you can get them nicely discounted as well.

--Andre
 

TheFoo

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Originally Posted by Toiletduck
Are you guys familiar with Seiko Spring Drives? Why are they so expensive? They aren't Grand Seikos are they?

Grand Seikos aren't officially available in the U.S. 'Spring Drive' refers to the type of movement used in some Seiko watches as well as a line of watches sold in the U.S. using such movements. There have been Grand Seiko watches with Spring Drive movements.

The Spring Drive differs from a standard mechanical movement insofar as it replaces the mechanical escapement with a quartz regulator. It uses no batteries, drawing a small electric charge from movement of the rotor.
 

whacked

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Originally Posted by LabelKing
Like most anything, you can get Grand Seikos on eBay.

Here's one with an uncanny resemblance to an Omega Constellation:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-rare-GRA...QQcmdZViewItem


Vintage GSs are very different from modern ones though. It's been a while since I read about Seiko history, but back in the late 60's/early 70's, the GS brand was produced to a different standard, and not even positioned as Seiko's highest-end line.
 

LabelKing

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Originally Posted by whacked
Vintage GSs are very different from modern ones though. It's been a while since I read about Seiko history, but back in the late 60's/early 70's, the GS brand was produced to a different standard, and not even positioned as Seiko's highest-end line.

http://www32.ocn.ne.jp/~kseiya/gs/
 

Toiletduck

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Originally Posted by mafoofan
Grand Seikos aren't officially available in the U.S. 'Spring Drive' refers to the type of movement used in some Seiko watches as well as a line of watches sold in the U.S. using such movements. There have been Grand Seiko watches with Spring Drive movements.

The Spring Drive differs from a standard mechanical movement insofar as it replaces the mechanical escapement with a quartz regulator. It uses no batteries, drawing a small electric charge from movement of the rotor.


Thanks guys.

I was looking at the Seiko ranges to perhaps get my mom/dad for squeaks and giggles (my friend has got some inventory she has to get rid of) and spotted the Spring drives which looked quite nice.

But checking the MSRP prices out online - The new Seiko Spring Drives are listing at 3000+ USD....
eh.gif
definitely wouldn't run for a Seiko at that price range
 

poorsod

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IMO the spring drive is technologically superior to all the other watches. It has the precision of quartz but a completely smooth motion. It doesn't even have the 4-5 ticks per sec you see on regular mechanical watches.
 

SoCal2NYC

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Originally Posted by scnupe7
Very nice. Where did you order from? Directly from Stowa?

Also, what are your impressions of the watch?


Yes directly from Stowa. As far as I know the only authorized US retailer is WatchBuys.com and I think they just have the diver.

I flipping love it. Great presentation, the movement looks great, the finishing and the case seem more "authentic" for a German pilot's watch than say the IWC Big Pilot or Glashutte Senator Navigator.

Originally Posted by Toiletduck
Darnit...mine has to wait long long time....bastard.


- I like the steel case it came in


Are you getting the Marine??
 

npdang

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Originally Posted by norcaltransplant
I was never that impressed with the VC overseas bracelet/lug design. The first link after the lugs sits over my wrist and is really not comfortable for anyone with a smallish (<6.5") wrist. Finish and construction are both top notch. In my experience, my favorite bracelets are from the IWC Pilot line, Blancpain X-50, and, surprise, the Ulysse Nardin Marine Line. The latter features a titantium caseback that is both hypoallergenic and a poor conductor (poor conduction meaning the watch never "feels hot or cold" to the initial touch).
I completely agree. Both the AP 15300 and the VC Overseas are uncomfortable on my 6.75" wrist because of the stiff bracelet design. On the other hand, a 44mm Pam fits quite comfortably as well as the IWC Ingenieur.
 

A Y

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Originally Posted by Toiletduck
Would you buy one?

While the Spring Drive technology is very interesting, when I looked at a US SD in real life, they were kind of blah. There were too many things going on in the design, and it looked like it was trying very hard to look like too many other things, sort of like the watch version of an Oxxford Radcliffe. It lacked any identity or authenticity.

--Andre
 
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