What is your Favorite Watch.....

[ricardopalamino]

How many times have I been asked that question ? 

In all honesty , I don't know . From Rolex to Timex , I like them all . I guess it's kinda like being a parent ,...you don't have a favorite child .                                                                                      

I wake up every day and try to figure out what it's going to be . I usually will wear about 4 watches a day so I can check to see if they are operating properly , or if they may need maintenance .  If it's a work day the answer is easy . I only have about 20 [nice] beaters to chose from . For casual every day wear , there are a few I might wear more than others .

I guess I have acquired an attachment to some of the watches I have repaired that gave me more of a challenge ,...some more than others  . So I will share those for starters.....

 

First off is a Seiko 6139 chronograph I bought in parts and pieces .  I paid $58 for it if memory serves me correctly . I had to figure how to put the puzzle together , then how to get it to run , and finally , how to make adjustments and tweak it so it  worked as it was intended to run .

Next is a Bulova Accutron Deep Sea diver with a tuning fork movement .  I bought it at the swap meet for $140 not running . When I got it home and checked out the movement it was rusty and the parts were stuck together starting at the crown , stem , and gear for the rotating inner bezel . The movement was ruined and I had to gather a few movements to make one good operating movement . With the cost of buying the watch and parts I ended up spending around $200 . This was my first experience with Tuning Fork watches .

The rest of the watches had their own little roadblocks to get around , which the greatest obstacle was finding sometimes obsolete parts . The Citizen Americas Cup watch is a good example of that . I now have 4 of them with 2 working .

The other 3 watches in this group shot is a retro Seiko automatic , A vintage Croton Buccaneer that for some reason , even though it has a smaller watch case , I like it .

And last in this group is a Germinal Voltaire , which with it's offset pinion , ended up being a small challenge figuring out how to dismantle it . I broke some parts on this watch and a donor and had to ask for help on this forum . Then tracking down the parts was fun  . Now that I know where to get the parts I am working on my 2nd Germinal Voltaire as I write this .

 

So Now , let me ask You ,...What is your favorite watch ?

[rogart63]

Love my two Omega pre-bond. Probably is my favorite watch. 

 

[ramrod]

i gotta dig out some pictures, louis, but if i had to pick only one as my favorite, it would have to be my seiko 6309-7049 diver. i've wanted one since i first saw them. i found one that was totally original. for some reason it has stopped running over thepast week. it's still my favorite, tho.

my most worn watch has got to be my scurfa diver1. although, the battery crapped out this past week.

[RyMoeller]

I'll bet that's a tough question for most regulars on this forum!

In my collection I'd have to say my favorite is my Navitimer 806 which I wear every day (it's actually the only watch I wear) just because I've always loved the extra functions that are packed in for aviators.

From the perspective of a watchmaker though- my father's Accutron 218 is hard to beat.  I've only just begun work on it and I am absolutely in awe of the craftsmanship of the movement.

[ricardopalamino]

34 minutes ago, RyMoeller said:

I'll bet that's a tough question for most regulars on this forum!

In my collection I'd have to say my favorite is my Navitimer 806 which I wear every day (it's actually the only watch I wear) just because I've always loved the extra functions that are packed in for aviators.

From the perspective of a watchmaker though- my father's Accutron 218 is hard to beat.  I've only just begun work on it and I am absolutely in awe of the craftsmanship of the movement.

I've got a soft spot for the Accutrons . I am getting into working on them more myself .

[WillFly]

I have several favourites, for different reasons. My most treasured pocket watch is my Hamilton 992B. My most treasured wristwatch movement is my Hamilton Intra-matic.

 

[Geo]

That's question that is not easily answered when I have quite a few stunning pieces that I love for all sorts of reasons, so after a lot of thought I asked myself if I had to keep just one what would it be and it is my old Seiko from the 1980's.  

 

[oldhippy]

I don't have a watch.

[Geo]

4 minutes ago, oldhippy said:

I don't have a watch.

There could still be one that stands out as a favourite even though you don't own one, especially when you have worked with them for so long in the past.

[oldhippy]

14 minutes ago, Geo said:

There could still be one that stands out as a favourite even though you don't own one, especially when you have worked with them for so long in the past.

In that case I’ll say I liked working on Longines I found them to be very easy., followed by Omega then Rolex. No quartz plastic stuff.

[ricardopalamino]

5 hours ago, WillFly said:

I have several favourites, for different reasons. My most treasured pocket watch is my Hamilton 992B. My most treasured wristwatch movement is my Hamilton Intra-matic.

 

Hi Willfly , I like that Hamilton Intra-matic with the micro-rotor . One of those is on my hit list.

[Seiko7A38]

On 11/7/2016 at 1:44 PM, Geo said:

That's question that is not easily answered when I have quite a few stunning pieces that I love for all sorts of reasons, so after a lot of thought I asked myself if I had to keep just one what would it be and it is my old Seiko from the 1980's.  

 

Well, fancy that - the 'Auld Mod' likes a 7A38. 

I've got 4 of that particular model, the stainless 7A38-7020 / -7029 ....

Here's one of my better examples:

Edited November 16, 2016 by Seiko7A38
Photos didn't upload properly

[ricardopalamino]

Wow Seiko 7A38 , I don't know where the links for your Yema watches went , but that Yema Spationaute iii is Super ..

My dinky Yema Meangraf pales by comparison , but I like it . One of Yemas rally models ...

 

 

I started off this topic sharing some of the watches I have become attached to because of the various repair issues I had with each , therefore gaining an affection for them .

 

Now I will share some of the watches that are truly some of my favorites . Each one of these just makes me feel good when I wear it .

First off , top left is my Breitling 42 Abyss. The first real nice watch I bought a few years back before I started watch collecting . The depth rating for this one is 5000 ft . To be honest , I can't hold my breath for that long . 

To the upper right of that watch is an Accutron Astronaut . The  favorite of my Accutrons . I like the look with the coffin link watchband . This model has the 214 movement . 

Just below those two watches is my Omega Planet Ocean . To me a very handsome and accurate watch with it's Co-Axial movement . What's not to like about this watch .

The only white dialed watch in this group is a Junghans Max Bill design automatic watch . It has a classic look with the Bauhaus style . I had wanted a Max Bill design watch for a while and stumbled into this one at the pawn shop .  I had bought , sold , and traded watches with the owner in the past , and he gave me a deal on this one I couldn't refuse .

To the right of the Junghans is a Seiko 6105 - 8110 diver that I also got in the same Pawn shop . I looked like it had been under water for years when I got it . Salty , crusty , and not very good looking . To my pleasant surprise when I opened up the case back , the movement was immaculate and all of the gaskets were still supple . They did their job . I traded the owner straight across for a  Seiko 6309 - 7290 diver that I had that was looking real good to him .

 

 

Last , but certainly not least is my Omega Speedmaster Mark ii Chronograph . A good looking , good felling watch on the wrist .This watch came out the same year , 1969 , as the Omega Speedmaster Moon watch

 

 

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I do ....Aloha , Louis

[MilTimeCan]

Without a shadow of a doubt, personal preference my Rotary Savannah.

It fits so well, it just feels like its not there.

 

 

Edited November 17, 2016 by MilTimeCan

[Seiko7A38]

6 hours ago, ricardopalamino said:

Wow Seiko 7A38 , I don't know where the links for your Yema watches went , but that Yema Spationaute iii is Super ....

Ah, so you saw them, Louis ? After that first wrist shot of the 7A38-7029, I was having problems trying to get the other (Photobucket hosted) images to display properly. That post was originally quite a bit longer. I did get them linked (as URL's) briefly, then gave up in frustration and deleted the rest of the post. I'll try again presently ....

Edited November 17, 2016 by Seiko7A38

[Seiko7A38]

What I was going to write was something like:

With such a large collection of (Seiko) 7A38's to choose from, it's difficult to pick a favourite, but not wishing to boast, I'm rather proud of some of my own self-built modded versions. Here's a very subtle take on the stainless 7A38-7020 I built a few years ago:

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa373/Seiko7A38/Self-built Frankens/P1370097.jpg

I diversified from collecting just Seiko 7A38's a good while back, and enjoy researching and collecting other brands just as much (if not more). My overall favourite watch is something a little larger and more colourful than the run-of-the-mill Seiko 7A38's - the 43mm diameter Yema Spationaute III Aragatz. I've got a dozen or so of these (all slightly different variations). Here's a mint-ish example of early production model with the rarer 'Mission Flags' dial:

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa373/Seiko7A38/CGH - Yema Jaz Kamatz N8/P1201989.jpg

and a slighty later model with yellow lume (and matching strap) !

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa373/Seiko7A38/CGH - Yema Jaz Kamatz N8/P1201996.jpg

and a very blue one (note the lack of dial printing compared to previous):

http://i1194.photobucket.com/albums/aa373/Seiko7A38/CGH - Yema Jaz Kamatz N8/P1201995.jpg

Edited November 17, 2016 by Seiko7A38

[Seiko7A38]

Why can't I link (display) my images properly from Photobucket any more ? 

I'm clicking on the 'Insert other media' button and 'insert image from URL', as before, but when I drop the PhotoBucket link into the box and click 'insert into post', it goes pinky / red and nothing happens !! 

[oldhippy]

When I want to upload an image I just have it on my desktop and upload it from there. Can't you copy it to yours and do the same.

[Seiko7A38]

Why, when it's already in my Photobucket account, ready to link ? 

What I don't understand is that it worked perfectly for the first image in my reply to George, and then abruptly ceased to function. 

[Seiko7A38]

Sussed another way of doing it ! 

Edited November 17, 2016 by Seiko7A38

[Seiko7A38]

A few of my Yema Spationaute III Aragatz's. 

[WillFly]

Photobucket and other photo storage programs sometimes have odd settings or procedures which, although they allow viewing of an item, make photo links inaccessible to forum software for downloading the item. I've also had trouble with such web storage facilities in the past and now don't use them. As OldHippy said, attaching a pic from your drive is the simplest way.

Regards,

Will

[Seiko7A38]

It only appears to be a problem (for me) with Invision forum software, Will. 

Edited November 18, 2016 by Seiko7A38

[Cad101]

I've been wearing this a lot one of my fav's

But now i'm wearing this which was a fav but more so with its new dial and hands. I have too many to choose from it all depends what i'm doing or where i'm going.

[Aric]

I saw this on Ebay a few weeks ago. It ended up selling for $1400. I wish I could have one like it. Its understated yet commanding. Absolutely beautiful. I would wear this one almost every day. The listing said it was from 1960. This is a prime example of why I'm not all that interested in anything brand new. Oh, and since I was in the Navy at one time, the anchor at the top is completely awesome as well.