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temerityb
- Banned!
- Posts: 719
- Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2012 10:00 pm
Crazed Thoughts On Watch Stuff
Here’s a novel concept – let’s talk watches!
I always use a dive watch bezel to time when I park at a parking meter. I did it a couple of times and now it’s a regular part of my routine. No, I don’t use my cell phone – I use my watch. One of the places I need to use parking meters to go to is the venerable From Italy With Love in Westbury, NY, which actually a decent place to pick up a used piece or two, and they are an authorized Citizen and Movado dealer. Really great people. Another reason I prefer brick and mortar; they know me when I walk in the door.
Does anyone else have a guilty pleasure when it comes to a watch brand? Mine is a minor brand whose watches don’t even make sense: The California-based Skywatch. They’re Swiss-made quartz pieces that are really solid; I’d put ’em in a flat-footed tie with, say, Shinola or brands like that. The watches don’t make sense because they’re called “Skywatch” and they are mainly designed like divers. Skywatch is most likely the most obscure brand that Tourneau carries; Nordstrom is another retailer that carries them. Oh, and for some reason, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop company sells them on their website.
The watches are decent quality, just basic quartz chronos and three handers. They look like divers, but they're no divers. Not even close. The straps are far above their price point IMHO, including some of the best silicone straps I’ve ever felt; they’re good and durable. The case work also punches far above their status (that’s what I like about, say, Dan Henry as well). They make case sizes from 38mm to 44mm. Now, at their list prices (list on three-handers start at $395, with chronos $595), I wouldn’t get near these. However, I found one gray at a Nordstrom Rack or something for like $60; my wife got a women’s model for less than $80 on Amazon, and I picked up another for about that somewhere I can’t even remember. For those prices? A tremendous bang for the buck. Wouldn’t have gotten near them otherwise. Ronda quartz, 100m, Super Luminova (also surprisingly good). I got all three of these for about 100 bucks less than the price of one new. The newest one I have is about five years old. Oh, and if you register your watch online, they send you a little winged Skywatch plastic pin. Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.
I think the new Omegas that came out this week are mint. I like the “Black Black” Seamaster, and by and large I don’t like blacked-out watches. I think conjurer’s new Seamster has me all a-dither.
Is it just me, are the gray sites nothing to write home about any longer? Ashford’s selection is pretty feeble right now; Joma stocks far more watches but I really don’t think the prices are anything to, as Edgar Buchanan would put it, write home about.
Although my collection is pretty locked up (he say on a Friday, probably will change my mind by Monday), here are my own personal favorites of online watch sellers, based on personal experience: Bernard Watch and Long Island Watch are really outstanding. Of the grays, I still prefer Ashford, as the more I read about Joma, the worse it all looks. I have dealt with Authentic Watches, which is fine. I know I shopped at a couple of others but I honestly can’t remember who I picked the watch up from.
Amazon has shot itself in the foot when it comes to watch sales: They actually did away with their A-to-Z listing of the watch brands they carry. Let me state that again: You can’t look at a list of all the brands they sell. So, if you might think that they carry a brand, you have to type the brand name in the search bar to find out. I literally called Amazon to ask about it because I think it’s utterly stupid, and yeah, they told me there’s no list any longer. So, basically, Amazon literally buries watch sellers because if it doesn’t come up in a featured ad or some such nonsense, you’ll never know you can buy certain brands there. Totally f’ed up.
Hope you all are safe and healthy 100 percent. Please feel free to offer your own views or call me a pumpkin head.
I always use a dive watch bezel to time when I park at a parking meter. I did it a couple of times and now it’s a regular part of my routine. No, I don’t use my cell phone – I use my watch. One of the places I need to use parking meters to go to is the venerable From Italy With Love in Westbury, NY, which actually a decent place to pick up a used piece or two, and they are an authorized Citizen and Movado dealer. Really great people. Another reason I prefer brick and mortar; they know me when I walk in the door.
Does anyone else have a guilty pleasure when it comes to a watch brand? Mine is a minor brand whose watches don’t even make sense: The California-based Skywatch. They’re Swiss-made quartz pieces that are really solid; I’d put ’em in a flat-footed tie with, say, Shinola or brands like that. The watches don’t make sense because they’re called “Skywatch” and they are mainly designed like divers. Skywatch is most likely the most obscure brand that Tourneau carries; Nordstrom is another retailer that carries them. Oh, and for some reason, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop company sells them on their website.
The watches are decent quality, just basic quartz chronos and three handers. They look like divers, but they're no divers. Not even close. The straps are far above their price point IMHO, including some of the best silicone straps I’ve ever felt; they’re good and durable. The case work also punches far above their status (that’s what I like about, say, Dan Henry as well). They make case sizes from 38mm to 44mm. Now, at their list prices (list on three-handers start at $395, with chronos $595), I wouldn’t get near these. However, I found one gray at a Nordstrom Rack or something for like $60; my wife got a women’s model for less than $80 on Amazon, and I picked up another for about that somewhere I can’t even remember. For those prices? A tremendous bang for the buck. Wouldn’t have gotten near them otherwise. Ronda quartz, 100m, Super Luminova (also surprisingly good). I got all three of these for about 100 bucks less than the price of one new. The newest one I have is about five years old. Oh, and if you register your watch online, they send you a little winged Skywatch plastic pin. Be sure to drink your Ovaltine.
I think the new Omegas that came out this week are mint. I like the “Black Black” Seamaster, and by and large I don’t like blacked-out watches. I think conjurer’s new Seamster has me all a-dither.
Is it just me, are the gray sites nothing to write home about any longer? Ashford’s selection is pretty feeble right now; Joma stocks far more watches but I really don’t think the prices are anything to, as Edgar Buchanan would put it, write home about.
Although my collection is pretty locked up (he say on a Friday, probably will change my mind by Monday), here are my own personal favorites of online watch sellers, based on personal experience: Bernard Watch and Long Island Watch are really outstanding. Of the grays, I still prefer Ashford, as the more I read about Joma, the worse it all looks. I have dealt with Authentic Watches, which is fine. I know I shopped at a couple of others but I honestly can’t remember who I picked the watch up from.
Amazon has shot itself in the foot when it comes to watch sales: They actually did away with their A-to-Z listing of the watch brands they carry. Let me state that again: You can’t look at a list of all the brands they sell. So, if you might think that they carry a brand, you have to type the brand name in the search bar to find out. I literally called Amazon to ask about it because I think it’s utterly stupid, and yeah, they told me there’s no list any longer. So, basically, Amazon literally buries watch sellers because if it doesn’t come up in a featured ad or some such nonsense, you’ll never know you can buy certain brands there. Totally f’ed up.
Hope you all are safe and healthy 100 percent. Please feel free to offer your own views or call me a pumpkin head.
“Jewelry isn’t really my thing, but I’ve always got my eye on people’s watches.” – Clive Owen
