Hello! - A History And Introduction

[calebpea]

Good afternoon everyone! I couldn't find an introductions board so I figured the general board would be a great place to start.

 

First off, my name is Caleb and I am from Brooklyn, NY. My first wristwatch purchase was black stainless steel Fossil from 2007. It was about $100 USD and, at the time, it was significant amount of money. I really liked the watch because it was very low-key and it looked more expensive than it really was. I had it for about two years, until I left it in someone's dorm room and never found it. That was the last time I wore a watch for a significant period of time.

 

 

Fast foward to the end of 2012, five years after my first purchase. I was hitting my two year mark working as test engineer at a company in Garden City, NY that manufactured heat exchangers for military and commercial aircraft. I finally was able to afford nice clothes for the first time in my life, but I was never able to find a watch that I really enjoyed; there were too many to choose from and I could not decide which one I liked because I liked too many of them. I started doing some research (ie. a lot of Googling). It started off at this forum that spun off from another gaming forum that I frequented when I was in middle (secondary) school) and it ultimately brought me to Watchuseek. After perusing Watchuseek for a suprisingly short amount of time, I discovered the watch I wanted to purchase: an Omega Speedmaster Professional. Its history intrigued me; I worked as a test engineer in the aerospace industry, so I was familiar with all the qualification tests that the Speedmaster was subjected to back in the 1950s and 1960s - high temperature, low temperature, humidity, vibration, shock, thermal cycling, pressure cycling, etc. It was the perfect memento to end my tenure working in the aerospace industry.

 

I haven't worn a watch in years nor did I know anything about wristwatches. I knew nothing about the brands nor did I really care for them. The last one I purchased, in retrospect, was a paltry sum of $100 USD and I had thought that was expensive. I was expecting to spend around $1000 to $1500 on my first proper wristwatch so I experienced a bit of a sticker shock when I discovered the price of the Speedmaster Professional. Long story short, I bit the financial bullet and purchased the 3573.50 (the one with the sapphire crystal and caseback) from Ace Jewelers in Amsterdam.

 

 

The watch was delivered to me on December 21st 2012. For those who do not recall, that was the date when the Mayan calendar ended. An asteroid was suppose to crash into Earth, ending all of human life as we know it. The world was in a frenzy, despite the sheer impossibility of such an event happening. It was a bizarre coincidence (and the first of many) as a new owner of a Speedmaster Professional. A few days later, I was attending my friend's Christmas Party. At one point of the party, I had noticed that the watch had stopped. I wounded it up all the way and it starting going. A few days after that, I was attending another friend's New Years Party. At the stroke of midnight, I had checked my watch and noticed that it had stopped dead. There was something clearly wrong.

 

The next few months became an ordeal. I had brought my watch to the Omega Boutique in New York, twice. I had asked them to wear the watch and they will immediately find that there is a problem, but I am assuming they did not listen to my recommendation. They had my watch for nearly two months, both times they failed to correct the problem, let alone replicate the problem. To add insult to injury, as they were handing the watch to me one final time, the only solution they offered was that I must have been winding it incorrectly. Seriously, the people in the Omega Boutique sat me down for 15 minutes to teach me how to wind a brand new watch. Finally, I had shipped it back to Ace Jewelers in Amsterdam. They initially failed to replicate the problem (I had to tell them to wear the watch and they soon discovered that there is something clearly wrong with it), but ultimately shipped it to Omega, had the problem corrected, and then shipped it back to me. It has been nearly two years  since then and the watch is still going, although it jumps ahead a few minutes after a few weeks.

 

As a result of this ordeal, I became incredibly disinterested in Omega as a brand, but as an upside, I became incredibly interested in mechanical wristwatch movements; one could say this was the silver lining to that mess. I didn't know where to start so I started doing research on my troublesome watch. I purchased this book by B. Humbert, The Chronograph - Its Mechanism and Repair. I have tried to look over it extensively. It is a great book, but it is like attempting to read a car repair manual for fun. I managed to get a hold of Chicago Watchmaking School's Watchmaking Guide and I am starting to read it. Again, it is like reading a car repair manual for fun. I'll glance through them every now and then, but as of now, they are not capturing my attention. Then I discovered Mark Lovick's YouTube videos. I have only one word to describe them: Fantastic. Seriously, I watch them before I head to bed at night.

 

 

I am at that stage in between research and actually purchasing a movement to tinker around with. The first step I plan on taking is purchasing the basic tools and a scrap pocketwatch movement for disassembly and reassembly; I'll be following the Chicago Watchmaking School's Watchmaking Guide as it seems to be very structured. I would love to hear other people's input, their history, how they got involved in watchmaking, where they are currently, and where they plan on going. I look foward to speaking with all of you!

[frenchie]

What an intro !!!!!

Welcome celebpea !!!!!

[calebpea]

I guess it would not be inappropriate to share what I believe is the one of the most beautiful watches ever made. My vote goes to the A. Lange & Söhne Double Split Flyback. The movement is unique - the depth, the colors, the detailing. The aesthetics, the complexity, and layers remind me of classical Baroque piece. It is like harmony growing out of dissonance.

 

As cliched as this may sound, I believe that this wristwatch is the epitome of art, engineering, and emotion meshing together into this masterful piece. I don't think there is any other movement that remotely compares to this one. It is definitely not the most complex one I have seen (although it is pretty high up there), but I as of now, I have not seen another movement that compares to this one.

 

[Geo]

A warm welcome to the helpful house of horology. That has to be the most extensive introduction..............ever!

[Vich]

Hello Caleb,

Always good to have a fresh perspective and read the Omega tale of woe with interest. Just shows that even if you pay the dues you still have to have a bit of luck or you may get a bad one. Further complicated by the poor listening skills of those who should have provided you with service.

Welcome to the forum though and I look forward to future postings.

Cheers,

Vic

[bobm12]

Welcome Caleb. You are in the right place for your watchmaking needs!

[WillFly]

And a belated welcome from me - an avid watch collector for some years, and an amateur tinkerer. Your story of Omega adds to my belief that, when looking for watches, it's not always the name that matters. Many of my watches are old - at least 40-50 years - and some are much older. Some are a little battered and showing their age - as I am :D  but we all keep going with care and attention!

Cheers,

 

Will

[Mark]

Welcome to the forum Caleb :)

[bobm12]

 

but we all keep going with care and attention!

I will have to tell that to my kids!!! :D

Edited November 17, 2014 by bobm12

[noirrac1j]

Caleb welcome to the Forum!

I live in Brooklyn too and one of the first watches that I bought was a Fossil, which I still have! Since then I have added many Omegas to my collection but don't have a Speed master--yet. I also have a Bocktok Russian diver watch, A few electronic curio watches, a Bulova, a couple of Walthams and one swatch scuba 200 aluminum "bubble" watch that I wear when it rains! I started watch collecting as a hobby and soon discovered the high cost of overhauls which led me to try doing it myself. Many junker watches, flying springs, lost screws, tangles hairprings and cracked crystals later, I have gotten pretty good. I just finished overhauling an Omega Constellation 752 with day and date and nearly lost my mind caused by the level of difficulty in getting the day and date working properly after dissassembly. In my other life I work on pain mechanisms and  jargony medical stuff related to behavioral and neural metabolic effects of opioid addiction. Welcome to the Forum! Brooklyn's in Da HOUSE!!

 

JC

[NigelNorski]

I guess it would not be inappropriate to share what I believe is the one of the most beautiful watches ever made. My vote goes to the A. Lange & Söhne Double Split Flyback. The movement is unique - the depth, the colors, the detailing. The aesthetics, the complexity, and layers remind me of classical Baroque piece. It is like harmony growing out of dissonance.

 

As cliched as this may sound, I believe that this wristwatch is the epitome of art, engineering, and emotion meshing together into this masterful piece. I don't think there is any other movement that remotely compares to this one. It is definitely not the most complex one I have seen (although it is pretty high up there), but I as of now, I have not seen another movement that compares to this one.

 

a-lange-sohne-double-split_5.jpg

Lovely watch but shouldn't the screws all line up nicely ? :geek:  hello Caleb, good luck with those car repair workshop manuals...

[calebpea]

Caleb welcome to the Forum!

I live in Brooklyn too and one of the first watches that I bought was a Fossil, which I still have! Since then I have added many Omegas to my collection but don't have a Speed master--yet. I also have a Bocktok Russian diver watch, A few electronic curio watches, a Bulova, a couple of Walthams and one swatch scuba 200 aluminum "bubble" watch that I wear when it rains! I started watch collecting as a hobby and soon discovered the high cost of overhauls which led me to try doing it myself. Many junker watches, flying springs, lost screws, tangles hairprings and cracked crystals later, I have gotten pretty good. I just finished overhauling an Omega Constellation 752 with day and date and nearly lost my mind caused by the level of difficulty in getting the day and date working properly after dissassembly. In my other life I work on pain mechanisms and  jargony medical stuff related to behavioral and neural metabolic effects of opioid addiction. Welcome to the Forum! Brooklyn's in Da HOUSE!!

 

JC

 

 

Hello Caleb,

Always good to have a fresh perspective and read the Omega tale of woe with interest. Just shows that even if you pay the dues you still have to have a bit of luck or you may get a bad one. Further complicated by the poor listening skills of those who should have provided you with service.

Welcome to the forum though and I look forward to future postings.

Cheers,

Vic

 

There is always a silver lining! Now I am intersted in watch repair. As far as I can tell, it doesn't seem to difficult to learn. I feel that exposure is what I need. I do need some basic tools and scrap movement to toy around with.

[calebpea]

And a belated welcome from me - an avid watch collector for some years, and an amateur tinkerer. Your story of Omega adds to my belief that, when looking for watches, it's not always the name that matters. Many of my watches are old - at least 40-50 years - and some are much older. Some are a little battered and showing their age - as I am :D  but we all keep going with care and attention!

Cheers,

 

Will

 

I agree that brand name doesn't really provide an accurate indication to quality. And maintenance is always key

[calebpea]

Welcome to the forum Caleb :)

 

Thanks! I love your videos.

[calebpea]

Caleb welcome to the Forum!

I live in Brooklyn too and one of the first watches that I bought was a Fossil, which I still have! Since then I have added many Omegas to my collection but don't have a Speed master--yet. I also have a Bocktok Russian diver watch, A few electronic curio watches, a Bulova, a couple of Walthams and one swatch scuba 200 aluminum "bubble" watch that I wear when it rains! I started watch collecting as a hobby and soon discovered the high cost of overhauls which led me to try doing it myself. Many junker watches, flying springs, lost screws, tangles hairprings and cracked crystals later, I have gotten pretty good. I just finished overhauling an Omega Constellation 752 with day and date and nearly lost my mind caused by the level of difficulty in getting the day and date working properly after dissassembly. In my other life I work on pain mechanisms and  jargony medical stuff related to behavioral and neural metabolic effects of opioid addiction. Welcome to the Forum! Brooklyn's in Da HOUSE!!

 

JC

 

Always nice to meet someone from Brooklyn. No doubt that you have an extensive collection. Where do you purchase your junker watches? I'm actually looking for a mechanical stopwatch (the components are a lot bigger, therefor easier to work with).

[calebpea]

Lovely watch but shouldn't the screws all line up nicely ? :geek:  hello Caleb, good luck with those car repair workshop manuals...

 

Ha. I didn't even notice that. That's going to bug me now.

[noirrac1j]

Always nice to meet someone from Brooklyn. No doubt that you have an extensive collection. Where do you purchase your junker watches? I'm actually looking for a mechanical stopwatch (the components are a lot bigger, therefor easier to work with).

I buy most of my junker watches from late night prowls on ebay. You would not belive what you can find when you click on "see other seller's items" and also the related searches. I have so many watches that I cakll junkers--but they almnost all work!  I don't have a mechanical stop watch but have seen some that are affordable.I just posted an Omega Constellation 751 I finished. what else have you in your collection?