Any love for Tuning Fork watches

[acour_jeroen]

I've had a lot of them (Bulova of course, but also Eterna, Longines), and this one came in today (on an ugly bracelet) in nice condition.

[keitht]

Plenty....i have had loads over the years, mainly the ESA family and with the exception of the Bucherer version have owned at one time or another an example from every brand that used the ESA base calibres.

It has helped that I am able to fix them. I discovered I had a knack for it a while back and was lucky enough to find many of the original tools and equipment.
There is something very satisfying in testing the peices on the original 70s Omega Delta and Ali-test machines.

Don;t have so many now, but always at least have one to wear.

[snowman]

Oh yes,

I think they're a great option.

I've currently got 3.

My favourite is a Longines Ultronic



It's a great size at about 40mm, so wears like a modern.

I also have an Omega f300 "cone", which keeps INCREDIBLY good time.



and I recently obtained this Bulova "Deep Sea" (poor picture, but I've not got around to a decent one yet!).



M

[JackW]

Lovely. I'm wearing this right now Jeroen:



As a friend said recently: I love the sound of a battery draining fast. ;)

[MerlinShepherd]

I have this... may need to move it on though as I never wear it.

[Ventura]

I hope Bulova reissue the above with a 40mm case and precisionist movement.

[acour_jeroen]

Forgot that I had this one once (regret selling it) - Universal Genève Unisonic Sub



Also:



and:

[NOODLES25]

I have a few.

[Wibbs]

I have had and still have a few over the years. Only had a couple of the original Bulova Accutrons. I personally found them a bit flaky, though that was before I knew of folks like Keitht here and Paul at electric watches. Mostly I had Omega f300's and Longines Ultronics. Those ESA Mosaba movements are much better made and more accurate. It seems they can go a silly length of time between services too(though not recommended). My Longines ultronic diver only had battery changes from new in 72 to 2014 when it finally got a much needed service. And it was a daily wearer from 72 to 2012(it finally gave up the ghost with starting and stopping in that year and ended up in a drawer). The original owner was a very active sporty type so it wasn't a treated like a delicate flower. After the service it runs about 5-6 seconds slow per month. Can't say fairer than that.

The Longines is the only "pure" tuning fork I have left these days, though I do have two Bulova Accuquartz 1975 "centenary" hummers, where a quartz module takes over the timekeeping and the tuning fork has become a stepping motor for the hands. Both of those are among the most accurate watches I've ever owned and they're not even thermocompensated.

Though prices have climbed in the last few years, especially for particular models like the Bulova Astronaut and the Omega "cone", IMHO these various hummers are still "bargains" and are undervalued by the WIS community. Our US cousins are more appreciative of them though.

How times have changed. Check out this early 70's advert from Omega

The most expensive watch is the 18k gold one which you'd expect, but that's down to the gold case. The f300 is the next most expensive. It's more expensive than the Omega proplof and a not far off a third more expensive than a Speedmaster. The Speedy is only a couple of quid dearer than a 9k dress watch. The "electronic watch" was the future, the Speedy was the past. Today, how much would you pay for the vintage 72 Speedy, or the Proplof and how much would you pay for the f300?

[sestrel]

I've had a lot of them (Bulova of course, but also Eterna, Longines), and this one came in today (on an ugly bracelet) in nice condition.

That's very handsome indeed. Does it have an 'in house' movement?

[snowman]

How times have changed. Check out this early 70's advert from Omega

The most expensive watch is the 18k gold one which you'd expect, but that's down to the gold case. The f300 is the next most expensive. It's more expensive than the Omega proplof and a not far off a third more expensive than a Speedmaster. The Speedy is only a couple of quid dearer than a 9k dress watch. The "electronic watch" was the future, the Speedy was the past. Today, how much would you pay for the vintage 72 Speedy, or the Proplof and how much would you pay for the f300?

Very true, especially when you see how much the God-awful LED Omegas go for.

I suppose they're more 'in-your-face-retro', but I wouldn't take one if you gave it to me (If I was honour bound to keep it anyway!) and the Hummers are actually great watches, which keep good time (if properly maintained, a lot less, as someone mentioned, than a mechanical watch) and only a bit of a nerd would realise wasn't just a vintage mechanical watch - although the sweep is even smoother than most mechanicals. I'd contend, even, that something styled like the Ultronic would sell well today and Bulova have a number of watches using their Hummer design cues, if not outright replicas!

M

[Onelasttime]

I had this up until a couple of weeks ago:



Loved the sweeping second hand but God help you if the index wheel goes – not available now I believe and has 300 teeth cut in to a disc about 1mm across. Genius!

[Wibbs]

I had this up until a couple of weeks ago:
Loved the sweeping second hand but God help you if the index wheel goes – not available now I believe and has 300 teeth cut in to a disc about 1mm across. Genius!

Very nice watch Sir. As for the index wheels, yea if one goes it's a pain, however there were so many thousands of these watches made with the same ESA movement(Omega alone had dozens of models for at least 5 years), so many thousands are still out there, so finding a spares donor should be easy enough. The index wheel doesn't seem to be a particularly common failure anyway, which is amazing considering as you say the size of the thing. IIRC the coils are more likely to blow, or the movement gets ruined by a leaking battery(which might leave the index wheel still usable?). Oh and the ESA ones chew their placcy date discs(though folks like Paul of electric watches uk can fit brand new metal ones) I reckon these movements, particularly the updated ESA ones are pretty bulletproof. Not quite as bulletproof as a quartz of course, but a little more so than a mechanical.

Very true, especially when you see how much the God-awful LED Omegas go for.

I suppose they're more 'in-your-face-retro', but I wouldn't take one if you gave it to me (If I was honour bound to keep it anyway!)

Oh good, so it's not just me Snowman. I really don't see the appeal of them at all. Not at the mad prices they seem to go for. Not just because of "Omegamania" either, the Longines LED go for at least double, even triple of the same cased watch with an LCD. The GP ones are well over a grand and more. I had a Roger Tallon designed LIP LED. Got it for a song at an antiques fair. Cool for the first week, then it got really old really quickly(and I'm easily amused). And it ate batteries like it was a Duracell shareholder. Sold that on for a right old profit(and below market value at the time) and that was a few years ago, today I'd get around 500 quid for it, if not more, whereas the quartz analogue ones in a similar case are as rare as unicorn poo and go for a third of that or less if and when they do show up. The LED and LCD dudes seem to be a small, but very ardent subgroup of the general WIS world and are willing to pay the big bucks and that's fair enough. I suppose it would be a boring hobby if we all had the same tastes. Though yep, not for me.

[snowman]

Oh good, so it's not just me Snowman. I suppose it would be a boring hobby if we all had the same tastes. Though yep, not for me.

Maybe I've always just been obtuse.

As a kid I eschewed Choppers in favour of a 'racing bike' and I hated my mate's £100 (must have been a fortune at the time) LED watch, much preferring a mechanical watch

M.

[rasputin10]

love mine!

[Wibbs]

I hated my mate's £100 (must have been a fortune at the time) LED watch, much preferring a mechanical watch

M.

I remember a guy in my class got one and we were all mesmerised by it, but after a whole schoolday of pressing the button showing it off the batteries were nearly flat. He never wore it to school again.

love mine!

Ditto. Same model as mine only I have the grey bezeled one. That model is definitely one that has gained in value in the last few years. Time was not too long ago 200 quid would get you a pretty decent example when they came up(not exactly common watches). These days I've seen busted non working with very aged dials and missing lume ones go for 300 plus at auction on ebay and recently saw an empty case for one go for 80. I'd reckon a good clean working one would actually sell for 6-700 all the day long. A little more with it's original steel bracelet(though I think they look better on a strap). They're slowly but surely gaining on their automatic brothers.

[Tahiti]

Hummers are great.

Had loads of them over the years and still have a couple. The sweep is mesmerising and the sound is great too.

[paulmlemay]

I am very curious about tuning fork watches. Never tried one. I should give one a whirl soon.
I guess the Bulova Acutron is the most common.......

[hhhh]

I think they're great. Loads of character, I have had a Bulova Spaceview and various Omega models down the years but only have this Speedsonic now...

[Top-Time]

This is my Connie. It seems to sing rather than hum, I also love the way the seconds hand glides so gracefully across the dial. Hopefully I'll add a Speedsonic some day.

It always seems to me that hummers are in better preserved condition today than their mechanical cousins of the same period. Perhaps they were put in drawers when the technology became 'obsolete'.

[kdes24uk]

Here's my bulova

[Omegary]

Had loads over the years including at least three that have already been shown on this thread. Now I''ve just the one, like a previous poster, the Speedsonic.



Cheers,
Gary

[Wibbs]

The Speedsonics are gorgeous IMHO. And I say that as someone who wouldn't be an Omega fan as a general thing. Though for me the period between say 1970 and 75 was where they were really hitting the spot in design and innovation. Yet many Omegamaniacs tend to avoid this period for some reason, especially anything with a battery inside. Their loss I say.


I like how the different hummers sound. Accutrons have a distinctive tone, as do the Ultronics and the f300's and that's before we get to the quartz movements of this time with hummers driving the hands. The Accuquartz has another tone(a bit weedier) as has the Beta 21, the Omega Megasonic is very distinctive and the Longines Ultraquartz you can feel as well as hear.

IMveryHO, I think it's a real shame that the last tuning fork was in the 1970's. I think a modern take on the concept with modern tech behind it could be a real winner today.

[Omegary]

In no particular order, a few of my old charges.





































Probably missed quite a few.

Cheers,
Gary

[barryw]

What a collection you've had, there's some beautiful watches on this thread.

[Carlton-Browne]

In no particular order, a few of my old charges.

Gary, what happened?

You may not have noticed but I had another bite at the cherry and it's a lot better with a blue dial.
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...t-s-another-UG

Did you ever get it re-lapped?

Alan

[Silver Hawk]

I've got too many....here are a few:

[Omegary]

Gary, what happened?

You may not have noticed but I had another bite at the cherry and it's a lot better with a blue dial.

Did you ever get it re-lapped?

Alan

Damn my stupidity! I've still got it but just added it to 'old charges' post by mistake as I was ploughing through my photobucket files.

It's still waiting to be re-lapped mate but Rocco knows I'm in no rush at all.

Cheers,
Gary

[Mr.D]

Kinda think every WIS should have a hummer in the collection.

I have an F300 seamaster chronometer (black face as depicted in the previous post) and it looks very contemporary on the wrist.

My wife wears a gold F300 geneve of mine and was surprised at the attention it drew who friends that she hadn't known were into watches.

Its almost impossible to resist putting a hummer against your ear on a regular basis.

[Wibbs]

Some real beauties on this thread. I love Silver Hawk's Mickey Mouse Bulova. :) I'd say that's a rare one. The Tronosonic like the Unisonics is not one you see every day.


One thing I've noticed over the years is that Omega for some reason seemed to have used the exact same handset on pretty much all of their f300's. I wonder why? Other manufacturers using the ESA movement had all sorts of handsets.

[Silver Hawk]

I love Silver Hawk's Mickey Mouse Bulova. :) I'd say that's a rare one.

You are correct Wibbs. Loads of Mickey Mouse Timex Electrics but very few Mickey Mouse Accutrons.

[paul.in.kendal]

As a friend said recently: I love the sound of a battery draining fast. ;)

Do they munch batteries, then?

[Silver Hawk]

Do they munch batteries, then?

I guess it depends on what you're comparing it against. An ESA 9162/4 movement (as in Omega f300 etc) on a good quality silver oxide 344 should last at least a year and I've had many lasting closer to 18-24 months.

[Tahiti]

I still love Silverhawk's Zenith but there's not one in that set of pictures I'd be unhappy with (interesting on the B&M too - I'd not seen one before).

Do you have a favourite in your collection Paul?

[Silver Hawk]

Do you have a favourite in your collection Paul?

I'm very fond of my 1972 Bulova Accutron 2182 Deep Sea / Snorkel and it is probably the hummer I wear the most. And as I like it so much, I've just bought the modern Accutron II Precisionist equivalent --- which I also like:

1972:



2014:

[Tahiti]

Being a fan of orange, that was always going to get a thumbs up - thanks for sharing. The modern one's rather a good looking piece too (I like the little touch on the second hand).

[Carlton-Browne]

I think Paul has saved each of these at some point.

[NOODLES25]

Here's my electroquartz.

[Silver Hawk]

I think Paul has saved each of these at some point.

Ha ha....you've reminded me that I have a few Universal Geneve hummers, but this one is my favourite --- the Buzzsaw!

[Caruso]

Would love to add one of these to my collection.

[zambo]

iPhones not great for watch photo's though .. or maybe a bad workman blaming his tools ...

[spaceslug]

I'm a big fan of hummers. Lots of fabulous examples in this thread. Here's a few of mine.....

[Tahiti]

^^^

Nice. Particularly the first Accutron, the Electroquartz and Seamaster.

[Wookie_66]

I am very curious about tuning fork watches. Never tried one. I should give one a whirl soon.
I guess the Bulova Acutron is the most common.......

Im same as you. Petty you cant just go to a shop to check 1 out first.

[JeppeRober]

I had this Eterna Kontiki Sonic on the original Gay Freres bracelet. By far the most confortable bracelet I've ever tried. And the watch was running +1 second per day, which is amazing for a 70's watch.

I really want to get a Bulova Astronaut Mark II at some point. Just have to find the right example.

[33mgb]

I'm very fond of my 1972 Bulova Accutron 2182 Deep Sea / Snorkel and it is probably the hummer I wear the most. And as I like it so much, I've just bought the modern Accutron II Precisionist equivalent --- which I also like:

1972:



2014:

What (if any) is the difference between the Deep Sea and the Snorkel? I've seen what looks like your 1972 model but on the dial it says "snorkel" rather than "Deep Sea" and just wondered what the difference was.

[Sharky]

Great thread. Here are some of mine (both current and gone).

2014_09_12_15_08_52_ProShot by mcridland, on Flickr

dsc_8848 (Modified) by mcridland, on Flickr

dsc_8119 (Modified) by mcridland, on Flickr

dsc_8109 (Modified) by mcridland, on Flickr



Mark

[Wookie_66]

What (if any) is the difference between the Deep Sea and the Snorkel? I've seen what looks like your 1972 model but on the dial it says "snorkel" rather than "Deep Sea" and just wondered what the difference was.

Just looking at the 2014 one on you tube. I cant believe how smooth the second hand is. Definitely want 1 now. Does it still hum??

[33mgb]

I'm a big fan of hummers. Lots of fabulous examples in this thread. Here's a few of mine.....

That one is a beauty! Which model is that?

[Freezer104]

In no particular order, a few of my old charges.





































Probably missed quite a few.

Cheers,
Gary

Love that Speedsonic Gary
And that strap on it is awesome thanks for pictures