PRS-18 date?

Given that the movements the PRS-18s come with have calendar functions anyway (I think), what is the likelihood of a PRS-18 with a date window?

I know a lot of people prefer dateless watches, but there’s also quite a few for whom the act of remembering the day’s date is just too much. I am one of those people. I would love to buy a PRS-18 given their very good value and classic design and dimensions. I have, however, learned that any watch I wish to wear regularly needs a date display.

I suspect it would sell quite well, and I presume that as it ‘only’ requires a new dial it would be somewhat easier and cheaper to make than some new references are... Indeed, maybe leftover/surplus dials could have windows cut out?

Anyone else interested?

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Originally Posted by Dark Side of The Loon

Given that the movements the PRS-18s come with have calendar functions anyway (I think), what is the likelihood of a PRS-18 with a date window?

I know a lot of people prefer dateless watches, but there’s also quite a few for whom the act of remembering the day’s date is just too much. I am one of those people. I would love to buy a PRS-18 given their very good value and classic design and dimensions. I have, however, learned that any watch I wish to wear regularly needs a date display.

I suspect it would sell quite well, and I presume that as it ‘only’ requires a new dial it would be somewhat easier and cheaper to make than some new references are... Indeed, maybe leftover/surplus dials could have windows cut out?

Anyone else interested?

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Its been pointed out before that those of you who want to know the date can buy a newspaper. The idea of any tool watch, other than a GMT, having a date is preposterous. You take it out of wherever you store it use it for the intended task and put it away again. If that task is taking longer than today, it is almost certainly taking too long.

I’m a late convert to the PRS-18 in its current guise and find it utterly charming. That’s precisely because it is a task focussed tool and nothing else. Knowing that there was something even slightly less task focused in the same line would diminish my watch in my eyes.

There are are plenty of alternatives avalible with; days, dates, even a perpetual calendar. Can I respectfully suggest that those with a weakness for a date on their dive watch look elsewhere?

I had the PRS-17 and PRS-18 made at the same time. When they were delivered, Fricker had put the 17 dial on the 18 and the 18 dial on the 17. I had to send 400 watches back for the dials to be changed over.

http://www.tz-uk.com/pics/prs18date.jpg

Eddie

That "variant" of the PRS-18Q looked rather nice. :eagerness:

I do appreciate having the date on a watch very much in my line of work and find it a most useful complication.

In fact, I would still have my PRS-18Q if it showed the date. :devilish:

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Originally Posted by raysablade

Its been pointed out before that those of you who want to know the date can buy a newspaper. The idea of any tool watch, other than a GMT, having a date is preposterous. You take it out of wherever you store it use it for the intended task and put it away again. If that task is taking longer than today, it is almost certainly taking too long.

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I think this is a bit silly, it's not like having a date meaningfully impedes on a dive watch's function. If it did, would the Seiko 62 MAS or 6309 have one? Would the Rolex Sea-Dweller have one? Would the Doxa 300 have one? I pick these very deliberately, as they were all developed specifically for diving in the era when a mechanical divers watch was necessary. This wasn't a concession to the adoption of divers watches by the general public. No, a date window was a deliberate inclusion in the design of watches made for those Real Men of the 60s. Probably because the divers wanted to use the watch diving and not-diving (which even for the committed diver is most of the time) and, like the rest of us, some of them can remember the date and some (like me) cannot.

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Originally Posted by raysablade

I’m a late convert to the PRS-18 in its current guise and find it utterly charming. That’s precisely because it is a task focussed tool and nothing else. Knowing that there was something even slightly less task focused in the same line would diminish my watch in my eyes.

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I do actually sympathise with this, in the same way I'd rather Rolex didn't make a white gold or bi-metal Submariner, but I think your appreciation for your dateless one would overcome this.

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Originally Posted by raysablade

There are are plenty of alternatives avalible with; days, dates, even a perpetual calendar. Can I respectfully suggest that those with a weakness for a date on their dive watch look elsewhere?

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Yes, it's true that there are plenty of diver's watches with dates, but in terms of good, inexpensive ones, it's quite limited outside of Seiko. The cheapest CWC with a date is now £600, and the PRS-18 at well under half that represents excellent value to my mind. I know an SKX will serve me well but, ever since owning a 29a, I really appreciate the build quality and design of the Timefactors stuff. I'd also rather give my money to a small British business.

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Originally Posted by swanbourne

I had the PRS-17 and PRS-18 made at the same time. When they were delivered, Fricker had put the 17 dial on the 18 and the 18 dial on the 17. I had to send 400 watches back for the dials to be changed over.


Eddie

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That's just cruel!

I used to insist on dates on all my watches - at my age now I can't read them anyway without reading glasses. So now I don't bother - have found it quite liberating.

maseman

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dark Side of The Loon

I think this is a bit silly, it's not like having a date meaningfully impedes on a dive watch's function. If it did, would the Seiko 62 MAS or 6309 have one? Would the Rolex Sea-Dweller have one? Would the Doxa 300 have one? I pick these very deliberately, as they were all developed specifically for diving in the era when a mechanical divers watch was necessary. This wasn't a concession to the adoption of divers watches by the general public. No, a date window was a deliberate inclusion in the design of watches made for those Real Men of the 60s. Probably because the divers wanted to use the watch diving and not-diving (which even for the committed diver is most of the time) and, like the rest of us, some of them can remember the date and some (like me) cannot.



I do actually sympathise with this, in the same way I'd rather Rolex didn't make a white gold or bi-metal Submariner, but I think your appreciation for your dateless one would overcome this.



Yes, it's true that there are plenty of diver's watches with dates, but in terms of good, inexpensive ones, it's quite limited outside of Seiko. The cheapest CWC with a date is now £600, and the PRS-18 at well under half that represents excellent value to my mind. I know an SKX will serve me well but, ever since owning a 29a, I really appreciate the build quality and design of the Timefactors stuff. I'd also rather give my money to a small British business.

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lt is a diving focussed tool, it was originally build for the MOD as such and given that the bezel is only good for a maximum of 60 minutes it is safe to assume that a date is not part of the spec. There are a lot of dive designs that carry over into a more general role, although I suspect that watch makers at Seiko hate doing this on something as full on as the MM300. The point about the PRS-18 is that is as “full on” as the dive watch design gets; no special finish or casework at all beyond a bead blast and no use in mind other than supporting a sub 60 minute dive.

In it’s relentless and spartan untility the PRS18 approaches the zenith of dive watch design in a way that noting else at it’s price point, or any other, comes close to. In that respect at least it reminds me of the key line of the flawed but memorable 2010 “All these worlds are yours except Europa...,”

When I had my PRS18A back in the data, I experimented with an MIIK dial with a date on it. I changed it back before flipping. Of course, I now regret selling it (which I did to help pay for the PRS22) as it was an original “England” model.

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Originally Posted by swanbourne

I had the PRS-17 and PRS-18 made at the same time. When they were delivered, Fricker had put the 17 dial on the 18 and the 18 dial on the 17. I had to send 400 watches back for the dials to be changed over.

http://www.tz-uk.com/pics/prs18date.jpg

Eddie

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I like the version with the date window, I'd buy one if they were available. 👍

Quote:

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Originally Posted by swanbourne

I had the PRS-17 and PRS-18 made at the same time. When they were delivered, Fricker had put the 17 dial on the 18 and the 18 dial on the 17. I had to send 400 watches back for the dials to be changed over.

http://www.tz-uk.com/pics/prs18date.jpg

Eddie

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I must admit - I quite the the wrong dial/case combination - looks really good.

If you produced one as and called it 'Hybrid' - and put the COSC movement in it - and made sure the lime was the brightest thing possible - I'm sure they'd sell well as 'everyday' wear watches.

Although I find not having a date quire beneficial for watches that I rotate monthly - I usually wear my PRS-10 as a 'weekend' watch - and find a date to be very beneficial., as I do when I go on holiday and lose track of the days.

I just came across this review of the PRS-14 on you tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZmTUERm63M

Thought the lumed bezel was really nice - and that got me thinking that something with a PRS-17 Dial and a PRS-14 Bezel would work really great