What do you guys think of them i have ordered a Alpha Newman Daytona, i am just curious to know what you guys think of this watch and other alpha watches, please post any pictures you might have.
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What do you guys think of them i have ordered a Alpha Newman Daytona, i am just curious to know what you guys think of this watch and other alpha watches, please post any pictures you might have.
Ive had both Explorer and Daytona homages.
I bought them from this dealer on eBay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/homage-watches-uk
The first Explorer was awful, the crown felt as though it was full of sand and the auto wind didn't work. The dealer replaced it quickly and politely with one that was OK. It ran fine and looked good. The bracelet was awful but on leather or perlon it was a nice little watch to wear for work. At the time I also tried a Tiger Concepts Explorer which I thought superior in terms of build quality - and it was cheaper! In some ways I preferred the Tiger to the Zeno Explorer which cost over three times as much. I think that Alpha's quality control is a bit patchy (see below) but when you get a good one they are well worth having. The only reason I sold mine was due to one of my periodic culls as my attention shifted elsewhere. I would happily have another one.
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ps5a8f51cd.jpg
Here it is next to a Yokobies modded Seiko 5 and a Zex
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ps8eb23fdf.jpg
For me the cream dial one is the best looking
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ps8jtm0ayh.jpg
As regards the Daytona homage, well compared to something like a Steinhart then its amazing value if you can put up with some of its shortcomings. Once again the bracelet is awful - a horrid hollow link rattly affair with a clasp that pops open far too easily. I wasn't too impressed with the crown either as the screw down action was tricky to engage - something of a drawback on a manually wound watch. However the movement, a Seagull ST19 a real bonus at this price point, ran well enough. Mine was running fast but I never got round to getting this sorted - I think that Ian the next owner (Ian_O) did though. He might be along on in a minute to confirm.
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...psmp27a9m7.jpg
The case finish was more than acceptable and the cream dial looked spot on in my opinion. I really enjoyed wearing it, especially on leather.
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...psyqc2rflv.jpg
Since selling it I have rather missed it. Despite the limitations, and I would certainly question the long term durability of the crown, I would definitely have another. In fact I may well do so next month......
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ps7gub71ra.jpg
Looks cheap though.
There ARE cheap! Still nicer looking and better put together than the fashion brand tat at double or triple the money.
I bought an Alpha Submariner (in black) many years back from Alpha direct - I think I paid about £45 for it on bracelet.
Reason I bought it was I'd tried on the Rolex Submariner 16610 in dealers but really couldn't get past the rattly bracelet for the £4.5k asking price at the time. I also had only ever worn blue watches so a simple black diver would have been something of a departure for me.
The idea with the Alpha was to have a cheap way to try that style/look/size and know that it was right for me. I must say I really did enjoy wearing it and it helped me understand why people liked the Rolex: the details in the finishing aren't the same (obviously), but the overall impression is there in the case shape etc.
As an aside, and ignoring the moral implications, I can totally see why some people say they buy fakes to see if they like a style before buying the real deal.
That said, you can buy an homage instead as I did.
That said, the point has been raised that there is a good chance the parts used on an homage such as this may in fact be used by others to manufacture fakes.....
Anyway, as Velorum said, the winding/crown can have something of a crunchy feel, and the bezel has a loud stiffness to it, but I was surprised at what I would say was a pretty good level of case and bezel finishing that is not a million miles away from what it imitates. The lume wasn't bad either.
The dial finishing is where it's price is more obvious, but printing and appliqué hour markers aren't going to be spot on for that kind of money. I have a splotchy paint job on the H of Alpha, the minute hand is a little scratched, and the hand lume doesn't really match the hour markers in colour.
I never wore it on the bracelet but instead as a fun knockabout on a NATO strap and as something I could smash about at work, which I did.
It didn't make me buy the 16610 (still can't stand the old bracelet) but I think it opened my eyes that outside of the highstreet there is a whole world of affordable watches out there that are great fun.
I think for the price the Alpha Paul Newman homage is ok. Like others said QA can be a bit patchy, but mine has been fine. The bracelet I found to be a bit cheap and nasty and I started to fall out of love with it tbh. I added a leather rally strap and that was much better, so kept it in my collection.
The thing is, it's not that it's a bad watch, but you can spend not much more on a still affordable watch and the difference is quite acute IMHO.
I did also see recently an alpha that was homage to a Speedmaster and to be honest quite liked the look of it.
I also think for me, it wears a little small on the wrist, and I prefer something a little more substantial.
Cheap copies.
[QUOTE=Velorum;4311142]Well I guess all homages could be deemed copies - indeed there are some excellent homages in the forum owners very own online shop.
I agree this is indeed cheap and at the end of the day you usually get what you way for. I regard them as a bit of inexpensive fun.[/QUOTE
I would go the micro brand route personally for homages.
I've had a few, including this one...
http://i.imgur.com/rPIFGoS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Do7AZ2i.jpg
...the sub-dial printing could have been sharper but overall a decent watch. And the solid bracelet was pretty good too.
Had these two since 2008...
http://i.imgur.com/jwLCWZV.jpg?3
http://i.imgur.com/ia7P669.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1gzAiPz.jpg
...both reliable & permanent fixtures in my collection:encouragement:
INcidentally whats the power reserve of the Alpha Daytona?
That lovely and generous TZer Fords gave me a Newman Daytona for fundraising purposes. I managed to incorporate it into a joke auction night at my car club and it helped raise a couple of hundred for the North West Air Ambulance. I see the new owner each month and she absolutely loves it.
Good man Fords.
They're not exactly expensive new so doubt second hand it would fetch all that much
I've had a couple of Alphas (in fact, still got a green bezel on white dial Sub homage that I never wear). I bought my brother one for his 21st. It fell apart within a year.
Then I bought a Tiger. Such better quality that I still wear it regularly. Even the bracelet is comfy.
Sorry, only just noticed this thread. The Alpha Daytona homage is still going strong and probably looks no different from when you owned it Ian! I still enjoy wearing it. I took it to Duncan (thewatchbloke) and he sorted the fast running. I can't remember what the original problem was now. It was something a little unusual that was causing it to run very fast, but Duncan worked his magic on it and it's been running at about +5 secs per day ever since.
The "cheap watch" comments make me laugh. Yes, of course it is, that's the whole point. Don't confuse "cheap" with "value for money". For the low price I think these watches offer good value. The overall finish may vary from one example to another, but all I can say is that my one is finished far better than I would have expected for the price paid.
https://s6.postimg.org/ce1diy0y9/IMG...410_175759.jpg
https://s6.postimg.org/86b6nxowh/IMG...410_175815.jpg
https://s6.postimg.org/630rg9p3l/IMG...410_175838.jpg
https://s6.postimg.org/6h23fv975/IMG...410_182415.jpg
Good to see it again Ian. I knew Duncan would be able to get it running just fine.
Homage Watches will be getting more in stock next month
Its an eBay shop Sean
http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/homage-watches-uk
I enjoyed the daytona I had but the screwdown crown on a hand wind watch was pretty silly, if it wasn't for that then I would say it was perfect.
Here it is some pictures finally >>>
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ps4priqulz.jpg
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...pszqvvcqbg.jpg
Splendid!
As a matter of interest where did you get it from?
Yes, that's outstanding for £50 - great work!
Just curious what kind of water resistance do you get from these watches?
Hi
I've had a few Alpha's through the years, Only have these two Triple daters left now though :eagerness:
http://i.imgur.com/cE583J1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/rmRu5V9.jpg
John :smug:
Cracking pair
About 10 years ago Alpha produced a limited number of Speedmaster homages. Ive seen a couple for sale over the years but what put me off was they weren't in fact a proper chrono - the sub dials were day/date complications:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...psmrd1a4ev.png
The reason I mention this is that they have just produced another batch but with a proper chrono movement and functioning sub dials:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ps1j2wexny.png
Seagull SG 2903 manual wind movement. £140
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ps91lrzp5w.png
I thought that I would order a couple of pieces from the latest batch to reach the UK.
The Daytona seems to be better quality then the last one I owned - the crown definitely feels better.
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...pssv63fhui.jpg
The Speedmaster homage also seems well put together - what I now realise is that the pictures in my previous post are of a modified one. As standard they come with chrome sub dial hands and red second hand:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...psjorbpon4.png
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k2...psf1uwmttt.jpg
Ive sent mine off to have them painted white.