I've got three that would fit those criteria:
PRS 17C
CWC quartz
Revue Thommen Airspeed
The PRS and RT have a superior movement, and the PRS is excellent value but not to all tastes.
You could also look at Tissot, Certina or indeed Swatch.
Chaps,
Need some inspiration please. Whilst I'm not normally a fan of quartz watches I have noticed that a quartz (pref. chrono) that I could just pick up and wear (e.g. riding my bike) would be a nice to have. At the moment I tend to wear my DA37 and almost every time it is "set day, set date, set time, wind and go"
So anyone have any suggestions please, preferably with pics.
My requirements/preferences are:
1. strap not bracelet
2. analogue not digital
3. around 38-42 mm
4. not too thick
5. any dial colour, but the date wheel (if it has one) MUST match the dial colour
6. up to £500 but pref. much less, would have to be v. special for me to spend that much
I've got three that would fit those criteria:
PRS 17C
CWC quartz
Revue Thommen Airspeed
The PRS and RT have a superior movement, and the PRS is excellent value but not to all tastes.
You could also look at Tissot, Certina or indeed Swatch.
Seiko Daytona?
prs17c. saw one on sc recently. waaaaaaaaaaaaay under budget and ticks all the boxes apart from the date wheel colour
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Not sure about the matching date wheel though. Not something i notice but I reckon mine are all white on black.
Seiko Sportura?
It's a bit different and has a nice sporty look. :)
GW-2000?
That's pretty cool.Originally Posted by Seamaster73
My first thought was the PRS-17C, but the date wheel is a bit of a deal breaker for me, plus its sold out of course.
Have to say Seiko are looking favourites at the moment.
Also like this one (Seiko Titanium Alarm Chrono SNAE47P1) especially as it is super slim:
(I realise it has a bracelet but at less thsan £200 I could probably stretch to a Nato ...
and possibly this (SNDA57P1)
Though the hands seem a little short to me.
For a quick pick-up and go why not look at the Citizen Eco-Drive. About 10years before worrying about anything needing replacement (capacitor/powerpack usually goes).
First example I could see @ 42mm diameter via amazon.co.uk (cost £173 at time of posting). I'm sure there are better examples on proper watch sites (this one doesn't meet your date wheel requirement).
Second one @ 40mm, model BL8097-01E for about £200. Right date wheel colour.
Maybe food for thought.
Hope this helps, Alex
Tissot PRC 200 Chrono ? I think it looks better in black, but that doesn't meet your "same colour date display" requirement.
I tried one of these as I was looking for a watch for the same reasons as the OP. It felt not only cheap, but fragile too.Originally Posted by tw99
In the end I bought a citizen ecodrive.
Just go out on the bike more regularly.... ;)
I've got one of those coming tomorrow, and my requirements were pretty much those of the original poster.Originally Posted by tertius
The hands make sense when you see the watch in 3D and see that the 'inner' dial is sunken. The outer dial / minute track makes sense when you see a lume shot. Or so it seems from real photos. I'll see for myself tomorrow.
Some good options, but I would get one of these beauties.
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f21/new-ci ... 44468.html
Some cheapies but goodies...
A GW-2000 is my daily beater. Cracking watch for not much more than £100 if you shop around.
Some more stuff on the SNDA57P1 - according to a passing but credible reference on MWR, the MOD purchased 216 in October 2010. The watches had fixed bars but no NSNs or issue markings, and weren't purchased through Seiko UK.
Here's another Seiko chrono that caught my eye -
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seiko-Sports-Ch ... B001RM1432
It has a sapphire crystal and is a dressier device, but on this occasion I wanted something with an air of 'basic issue' about it, so preferred the cheaper SNDA57P1. A friend on another forum was also mightily pleased with his, which blew away any lingering indecision.
I dismissed the chrono-alarm models. I had one once before and concluded that the alarm was next to useless and took the space that should have been occupied by a chrono dial.
Hi there,
<deep breath>
Ok .. My first post, .. but this might be up your street on the 'bay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270814434530? ... 500wt_1156
Looks nice from where I am standing
If you will forgive me for offering something at 44mm, which is beyond your size requirement, can I suggest a Lum Tec M Chrono. I have the earlier M9, but this is the pick of the current collection, for about £320
David
Aaargh ... you lot aren't making it easy are you ... ;)
That Heuer is lovely ... I could almost forgive it for the contrasting date wheel ... I guess it will go for more than my limit though. Also I think it will be too nice for my intended use.
The Lum-Tec as well, very nice ... hmm ... more googling required.
Would be interested to hear your feedback, once you have received it.Originally Posted by tribe125
Also what does the sub-dial at 6 do/show?
I agree, but I'm still torn between the two I posted:Originally Posted by vvgqe646
£173.00 (+ the cost of a nato)
or
£138.00
At the moment the first is winning due to:
a) smaller (38mm vs 43mm)
b) thinner (9mm vs 11mm)
c) hands don't seem too short ... ;)
Arrived this morning and I'm very pleased with it.Originally Posted by tertius
It wears its 43mm lightly and it wears in a low, wrist-hugging kind of way. It slips under a shirt cuff easily and doesn't look big on my 7.25" wrist.
It's evident that the hands have been carefully proportioned to cause minimum blocking of the sub-dials. The most critical sub-dial at 6 (which counts hours and minutes) is big enough to allow even my less than perfect eyes to read it.
The brushed case and well-considered dial give it a no-nonsense and purposeful look. The chrono hands reset to zero without any fuss.
I much prefer it to the other model on your short-list, because: a) I would rather have an additional chrono function than the dubiously useful alarm, b) I would rather have a chrono that can run for more than 60 minutes, c) the SNDA57P1 looks more 'businesslike' to my eyes, d) I prefer a strap on a chrono. Some of these things are purely personal preferences of course.
No picture, I'm afraid - haven't had the chance to take any.
Thanks very much. I think your points a) and b) are the deciding factors.Originally Posted by tribe125
Here's mine. It's the subject of a fair bit of envy with my RAF mates who hate the current issue Pulsar.Originally Posted by tribe125
although the seiko is a fine watch in its own right, i just cant believe anyone would have one of those over a 17c
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
The 17C is sold out, which puts it at some disadvantage.Originally Posted by seikopath
can be had 2nd hand easily within budget - they go for around 125- 150. very undervalued imho and one of the unsung jewels of eddies lineup.Originally Posted by tribe125
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
There are many contenders using the ETA 251.262 movement, which I think is a magnificant movement, and well worth considering.
PRS17C is one.
How about a Maurice Lacroix Miros Chrono (the recent discontinued one, not the latest). this one uses the Thtermo-compensated 232 and not the 262.
The RT Airspeed already discussed
Rarer, a Tutima Pacific Chrono
Certina DS chrono range had several, which I have been seriously considering. I think the best would be the DS First variant, which has more classical looks, and maintains a 200m WR rating without the need for screwdown pushers (which are a royal pain imho).
Possibly a cheap (older) Breitling Colt chrono could be got, but the budget may not survive.
The older Tag Heuer F1 chronos (the 1/10th versions) all use the same movement.
There are probably many more, but these are the ones I know of.
(and not all of them will have dial-matching date wheeels.... :D )
D
If I found one, with the black date wheel (as in your picture), then it would certainly be my first choice.Originally Posted by seikopath
However, in the absence of one actually being for sale it isn't really a matter of "having one over the other" is it? Certainly given the budget I'd cheerfully buy the (available) Seiko now and the 17C as and when one came up.
I'd second the recommendation for the Revue Thommen Airspeed Chrono. The 251.262 is an excellent movement, and the watch itself is a high quality tool - ti case and bracelet, invisible sapphire crystal, clear dial, very legible display with that centre-sweep chrono minute hand; looks good on bracelet, leather or NATO; great for travel with the quick-set hour hand. I reviewed it on TZ-UK a while ago:http://horologyclub.com/forum/viewto...53fa3f#p724585
With the matte titanium case, it looks really good on a NATO:
Put it on a bracelet, and it looks pretty smart for business wear, yet low profile enough to be discreet:
I'd stand by most of my comments from the review. In fact, whilst I sold the review watch a couple of years ago, I recently acquired new build one, brand new in the box, direct from the factory, intending to use it as a grab and go / travel watch. It's had only 3-4 days use, but I've now bought an Omega SMP Quartz 2264.50 which meets the same quartz/travel requirements, apart from the chrono functions, which are met by my Fortis LE. So I'm now trying to decide whether to hang on to it or flip it.
Re the Casio GW-2500 - I also have one of these. It's in daily use as my bedside alarm, but I wouldn't really describe it as a chrono. Sure, it's got an ana-digital display and it's packed with features, but the digits are quite small and hard to read at a glance. The RT is much, much better from a legibility perspective. In fact, if I sell the RT I'll probably also sell the Casio and replace both with a Tissot T-Touch Expert Ti...
Anyway - feel free to PM/email me if you want to discuss the RT.
I agree the RT does look pretty good, except for that darned date wheel ... also it is towards the max I want to pay, assuming I can find one used.
Pretty sure I will go for the Seiko SNDA57P1 for now and keep looking for a 17C.
OK, so to (nearly) draw this thread to a close this is what I bought:
Seiko SNDA57, and I am quite pleased with it, I still feel the hands are too short, and overall the watch is a little bigger than I would like. However, I will give it a go for a while before I decide to keep or flip.
Additionally I managed to buy this on SC:
Which is actually really rather nice, but is unfortunately definitely too big, especially with a crown each side, so this will be back on SC shortly.
On the subject of the PRS-17c, I had one (with a black date wheel :lol: ) - and whilst a solid watch, it wore very small - so small I never bonded and had to flog it
My wife wore it for a bit and it looked perfect on her skinny wrists, but it was too nice for her to ruin :roll:
So what did you do? Let her buy a Hermès watch instead?Originally Posted by RobDad
I know you have bought one now
But this would have done the job
Well ... not terribly attractive though ... ;)Originally Posted by Neilo
Nope, she's still got a Tag formula one which I bought for her 15 years ago! Cost £99 new on the bracelet, I've changed the battery 3 times myself and it's still going strong! Even the full lume face is still as new. No matter how much she abuses it that watch just shrugs it off. For a brand which no longer appeals, I have a grudging respect for that little watch!Originally Posted by Huertecilla