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Thread: Date or Not?

  1. #1

    Date or Not?

    I was just wondering what people's thoughts are regarding date complications. The majority of my watches don't have them but I'm now leaning towards buying a vintage Oyster Date (1002) or Air King Date(5500N). Does anyone own one of these and care to share a picture or two?

  2. #2
    Craftsman jimmbob's Avatar
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    I have tried watches without a date before and found that I do actually use a date function more than I thought. So now my everyday watches need to have a date. I do like the symmetry of no date watches though. Things like the Tudor Black Bay get my juices flowing. I just know if it was my main watch; I'd flip it because I miss the date.

  3. #3
    Master
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    If its my daily wearer, I'd like a date (and day if possible!) as I've found its useful in day to day tasks to know the date (expiry dates, signing stuff etc).

    If its not a daily wearer (special occasion, you have an existing large collection) then no-date is actually better - one less thing to adjust when wearing it!

  4. #4
    The other consideration is that the vintage Rolex models you reference are both 'slow-set' dates, meaning that you have to run the hands through 24h (!) to advance the date rather than being able to set it independent of the time.

    If this watch is not going to be your main day-to-day piece this is a massive pain and often people that wear watches in rotation will wait until the right time in the month, or just display the wrong date rather than the hassle of setting it correctly.
    Last edited by carryondentist; 17th July 2017 at 13:01.

  5. #5
    Grand Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by carryondentist View Post
    The other consideration is that the vintage Rolex models you reference are both 'slow-set' dates, meaning that you have to run the hands through 48h to advance the date rather than being able to set it independent of the time.

    If this watch is not going to be your main day-to-day piece this is a massive pain and often people that wear watches in rotation will wait until the right time in the month, or just display the wrong date rather than the hassle of setting it correctly.
    What sort of time dimension in space do live in 🤔

  6. #6
    Journeyman
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    Date is not so much of a hassle but day/date gets a bit annoying if it's not your daily wearer!


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  7. #7
    Master
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    Very subjective. If I had the luxury of having a daily and another watch. My daily would have a date as I do actually use it a lot. This would leave me to have a special watch that wouldn't require it

  8. #8
    Master seffrican's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ben4watches View Post
    What sort of time dimension in space do live in 樂
    Rolexes are special, they represent spinor time instead of vector time. hence the double rotation to get back to where you started.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by ben4watches View Post
    What sort of time dimension in space do live in 樂
    Doh! Twice round the dial and all...

  10. #10
    Master
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    To me the Air King Date with the silver/champagne dial is a pure Rolex classic and rare to see out and about. It would be my choice.

    https://www.watches.co.uk/rolex-air-...rolex+air+king
    Last edited by stix; 17th July 2017 at 13:24.

  11. #11
    Craftsman
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    With Air Kings I actually prefer the no date and I use the date function a lot. I see the Air King as pretty dressy so would have no problem without. Also no date is presumably a little cheaper...


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  12. #12
    How do we feel about date windows (especially magnifiers) on formal dress watches?

  13. #13
    Master
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    Technically you could say it would ruin the clean design but any DJ will blow that theory out of the water.

  14. #14
    Grand Master Velorum's Avatar
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    Hate them.

    They are invariably too small to read and ruin the symmetry of the dial.

    I check my diary each morning (a paper one - how quaint) and can usually remember the date for the remainder of the day. If I can't then I can always looks at my mobile telephone.

    Sent from my GT-I9505 using TZ-UK mobile app

  15. #15
    Master seffrican's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Vintagenewbie View Post
    How do we feel about date windows (especially magnifiers) on formal dress watches?
    The're fine, as long as you own a blowtorch and a chisel.

  16. #16
    Master
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    No date required.

    Only time I need to know the date is when I reference my diary, on my phone, in which case I know the date ...

    My eyesight is not good enough these days to read the date off a watch.

  17. #17
    Master Neilw3030's Avatar
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    Cant see a date so seldom set it to correct, and i think the dial looks better without.

  18. #18
    Craftsman
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    No date is undoubtedly better looking - but the amount of times you look at your watch for a date and it's not there....


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  19. #19
    Craftsman
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    Quote Originally Posted by Montello View Post
    No date required.

    Only time I need to know the date is when I reference my diary, on my phone, in which case I know the date ...

    My eyesight is not good enough these days to read the date off a watch.
    Yes,me too.

  20. #20
    Grand Master Foxy100's Avatar
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    I sold a red Sub because it was only worn a few days of the month but it took a very long time to get the date correct if I hadn't worn it for a coupe of weeks. Were it to be my only watch I'd probably still have it. I never have an issue with my Speedy not having a date, if I can't remember and am not in front of a computer screen I just look on my phone.
    "A man of little significance"

  21. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by carryondentist View Post
    Doh! Twice round the dial and all...
    I prefer my non-date watches but agree is a useful complication I just don't like setting them.


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  22. #22
    Master helidoc's Avatar
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    I think it depends on the watch.

    I quite like to have the date, although I appreciate the simplicity of its absence on my Speedy Pro. For the well known Rolex Sub and GMT, I think the magnified date is part of the look. There is a lot of love on TZ for the Submariner ND, but I always think it looks naked, and has something important missing. Non quick set date is annoying, and I would much prefer my Vostok Amfibia without it.


    Dave


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  23. #23
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Velorum View Post
    Hate them.

    They are invariably too small to read and ruin the symmetry of the dial.

    I check my diary each morning (a paper one - how quaint) and can usually remember the date for the remainder of the day. If I can't then I can always looks at my mobile telephone.

    Sent from my GT-I9505 using TZ-UK mobile app

    Indeed - I feel the same about most watches - This to me is degraded by a date:


  24. #24
    Craftsman
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    I always had a watch with date in the last 20+ years. But I got a SubC ND and I don't really miss it. It happens rarely that I look for the date sometimes but it doesn't bother me. After all I have the date on my smartphone and on the computer at work. And I do stare at both much longer than at my watch.

    I agree date us useful, but the symmetry of the 114060 is so perfect.

  25. #25
    Master
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    As, with my eyesight, the date is not that easy to see, I don't need one. Plus, as per notes above, I think they destroy the symmetry of the dial.

    If there must be a date, I would prefer the background to match that of the dial.

  26. #26
    Craftsman eletos's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dabear View Post
    I agree date is useful, but the symmetry of the 114060 is so perfect.
    I too have a 114060 by choice. I do miss a date, but the plain simplicity of the dial compensates for it.

    I collected my daughter from a party a couple of years ago to be accosted by another parent who was incredulous to the fact I had gone 'all that way' to buy a Sub, but opted for a non-date. He couldn't quite understand it when I told him I had the choice of both and opted for a ND!



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  27. #27
    Master Routers's Avatar
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    Used to say I definitely need a date, but then I bought an Explorer 1 and would say I'm in the no-date camp now.
    I suppose for a daily wearer a date is useful (although I have really gone off both date and day dials).

  28. #28
    Craftsman
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    if you would use your watch as a dress watch it would be good to avoid the date, the proposed options though show that you would probably use the watch in a daily basis, so I would suggest you to buy something with a date.

  29. #29
    Craftsman
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rossmore10 View Post
    No date is undoubtedly better looking - but the amount of times you look at your watch for a date and it's not there....


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    So true, and then I find I do it immediately again!

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