Reply With QuoteNever say never!nice watch though!Originally Posted by S Works
I don't think I've ever gelled with a watch like I have with this beauty...
http://instagr.am/p/UtdPsSruC4/
I will never sell it. Never.
Never say never!nice watch though!
Big fan of the A variant. Was wearing it yesterday. Lovely watch.
My favourite watch!
The others have been unworn for weeks. Perfect modern size, without being too big, great all night lume, accuracy to chronometer standards, fantastic case quality, Double dome sapphire, clarity of uncluttered dial is perfect and there will only ever be 200!
Never is a complicated word...
Itīs a beauty, very well made, great value for the money, but for me too big lug to lug.
Enjoy it!
Precisely! Although you forgot to add it looks superb on a wide range of straps. :)
While I haven't worn mine for some time, as I'm very much in a Speedy phase at the moment, it was the manual winding of my 29B, the enjoyment and sense of daily interaction with the watch which was one of the reasons I decided to buy another manual wind in the shape of the Speedy.
I'd been contemplating some IWC and Sinn models but there would seem to be little point, as the 29B has arguably an equally capable movement, is as well built, has miles better value and is rarer.
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
I've got one and I love it.
Just the dogs dangly bits.
I've had three of these now and much as i love and admire them, they don't get worn and i flip them. I promised myself it wouldn't happen this time but it has.
I can't understand why, everything is right; classic styling, modern size and construction and very comfortable. Its also supremely legible and versatile. IMHO it is easily Eddie's best product and the VFM is truly staggering.
However a 2801 powered Stowa Fleiger arrived a week after the Smiths and it hasn't had a look in since. I can't work out why. I suspect its because it is so good, at so much, that it could only work as your only watch. Knowing you have it makes life easier for the rest of the collection.
I hope thats not the case because a sales post will follow later today :(
It's my everyday watch. How can you not love it? All my others revolve around it.
I think you've hit the nail on the head. I was wearing the GMT II when my mum died and and remember checking the time on it when she did. It thus the became the centre of an ever reducing collection.
A watch as good as this could never sit happily in a niche.
A fine watch indeed!
I'm p sure that's a 29a!I've got one and I love it.
Just the dogs dangly bits.
I think that the b is Eddie's most harmonious watch.
I love mine crown pulls out easily and no date to mess with what's not to like.
Paul.
For the shamefully ill-informed, it's more costly than the Everest, so what do you get for your money?
Thanks
Double dome sapphire crystal, Swiss ETA movement, vs Acrylic and Miyota.
Last edited by Lammylee; 14th February 2013 at 16:10.
Ah yes but that would mean actually reading the specifications on the website.
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
As an Everest owner I've read the specs, and presumed that the cost of manufacture of the bracelet would cancel out some of the cost of the glass and ETA.
What I was really getting add was the less obvious, e.g. whether the case is of superior design, requiring more engineering precision; whether the ETA is significantly more resilient, long-lasting and cheaper to service; etc etc.
Parts surely don't tell the whole story?
Sinn would charge you the whole cost of the 29b for that sapphire crystal.
Have to agree the 29b is a great watch, surely a bargain. One thing which amazes me is it's accuracy. If only I could fit the Jubilee bracelet from my GMT Master.
Never got anywhere with the s/s bracelet. So bought a black NATO from Eddie, in my opinion it looks great, so much better then the grey one.
Love mine it is the most accurate watch that I own suspect that this is not a straight out of the box 2801, and that came from somewhere that rebuilds movements.
A really nice watch that would cost a lot of money from a "brand", just very difficult to find a good strap for.
[ATTACH]328
Mine on Eddies Sheffield NATO
Last edited by Lammylee; 17th March 2013 at 15:21.
You were reading my mind! Was just about to ask for some shots on some NATOs which had a bit of colour in them.
Cheers
Sorry about quality of image, I'm going to try and upload from iPad!
Attachment 3282
A bit better
Last edited by Lammylee; 22nd March 2013 at 09:46.
Attachment 3314
A bit of colour, (albeit on a shockingly bad iphone snap) -mine on a Sheffield and LeighG's on a RNVR (1% of the worlds 29b population).
Omega’s Ltd Ed’s usually number 10,000 (an utter joke in my opinion which Swatch Group get away with!) so you’d need 100 of the same Omega Ltd Ed in one place to achieve the elusive 1% of world production that we did the other night with just two Smiths Military PRS-29B’s! Ahhh it's good to own something that's not only extremely well made, but is great looking and it's rare!
Mind you, as pointed out to me by LammyLee, at one time there must have been the entire world production all 200 of the 29B's in Eddies drawer! That mysterious place where he finds long lost Precista's!
Whilst I'm in a whimsical mood, I wonder what other goodies might be in there?
The genuine map to King Solomon's mines? A relic from some old forgotten religion that heals all our ills? A time machine? The secret to cold fusion? Room temperature superconductors? Mr Tesla's final invention? We can only speculate until Eddie reveals the secret of the drawer!
Last edited by LeighG; 24th March 2013 at 02:01. Reason: A very small grammar correction, probably missed others!
I really like this Smiths.. dumb question.. what is the significance of the circled L, does it mean something or an iteration of the old circled T's?
Thought it was a reference that luminova is used?
Really? Kinda makes sense..
Also, and please forgive my lack of knowledge of these things..
The description states "Both versions have also been allocated a NATO Stock Number (NSN)".. another dumb question, does this mean that these were issued to the UK armed forces?
They haven't been issued but meet the current NATO specifications should the MOD decide to give its soldiers decent kit!
Last edited by Lammylee; 22nd March 2013 at 20:22.
Eddie dug out his snow making machine from there today!
Last edited by Lammylee; 22nd March 2013 at 20:41.
I have both versions now and the b is fantastic but I prefer the a as size wise its perfect for me whilst the b is a little big, but I like having more strap options on the b and its sapphire is so lovely.
How many turns do you need to wind the watch?
The slightly trite but probably correct answer is wind it until it stops. I normally take about 20 - 30 turns.
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
Thanks -just got a 29b and was scared about breaking it straight away. So 20- 30 turns each morning should be fine?
A manual novice
Just turn it until you feel a slight resistance.Mines currently running at +1second per day (better than my Bond Seamaster).
Hi,
You may be fully aware of this, but as a watch noob it's something I had to discover - by asking Eddie.
Mine arrived a little while ago and you'll find like me, that it definitely takes some time to 'settle in' so at first it will be up to 30 sec per day too fast.
Don't worry, that's entirely expected.
It's because the oil is new, say's Eddie, and it will eventually get the accuracy it's suppose to have.
Once / if I get Eddie's permission to pass on his comments, he kindly replied to an email I sent him & he's very quick to respond too, on this aspect I'll post it. I only asked him if he minded a day ago and I think he's busy stocktaking.
IMHO it's a great watch and an excellent choice that you've made. Congratulations! There can not be many left.
All the best...Leigh
I asked the same question a while back. :)
The received wisdom is that you would really have to force wind it to break anything. Although the crown stem is not immune to all force, as I found out last year.
Floor + watch = a trip to the repair shop.
But the process of manual winding, which is a pain for some, I find engaging and relaxing.
Cheers
David
David
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations
Hi LC. The TF PRS-29B Smiths Military model you have uses the compact but robust ETA 2801 manual wind movement. I believe this was an updated direct descendant of the ETA 2750 it replaced. While I know the original late 1960s/early 1970s MOD issue Smiths W10 famously used the highly respected and beautifully gilt cal. 89 in-house movement, I think that the Smiths' fellow MOD issue W10 specification contemporaries from Hamilton and CWC (these were the ones with the tonneau, or "cushion", shape front loading one-piece cabinet case) exclusively used the ETA 2750 (though I believe that Hamilton marked this movement with its own caliber 649 designation).
The cal. 649 marked ETA 2750 mov't was also used in the U.S. military issue Hamilton GG-W-113 pilot watches from, I believe, the late 1960s or early 1970s until the late 1980s, when the GG-W-113 was supplanted in 1988 by the very similiar but different in detail Hamilton MIL-W-46374D for aviator issue. This latter U.S. issue pilot's watch was only made for one contract run in 1988 and it used the then new ETA 2801 mov't which I think Hamilton left marked as such. The 1988 MIL-D-46374Ds were, I believe, the last Hamilton watches ever made on contract for the U.S. military, though Hamilton continued to manufacture this same watch for the commercial market with civilian dial and case markings on its original military production line in Lancaster, Pennsylvania until Swatch shut all production down at the Lancaster plant in 2002/2003. I believe these MIL-W-46374Ds in civilian guise were the last of the true military specification Hamiltons ever made and used the ETA 2801 mov't right to the end.
Not only that, but the ETA 2801 apparently features a release clutch on the winding mechanism so one cannot, to my understanding, ever overwind the mainspring (assuming the release clutch itself stays in good mechanical working order).
In other words, I think DKPW advice to "....wind it until it stops" is good and should never result in damage to your 29B's ETA 2801 mov't. In fact, back in the 1990s, I called the Hamilton Service Center which was then still at the original Lancaster, PA production plant, and after expressing the same specific concerns you have regarding overwinding the 2801's mainspring, the Hamilton Service/Repair Department Rep I spoke to told me what DKPW just told you and cited the release clutch on the 2801's winding mechanism as the reason I didn't have to worry about it (and I haven't since).
At any rate, Good Luck and I hope you enjoy your very nice 29B (and with a bit less anxiety maybe). Rollon
Last edited by Rollon; 28th March 2013 at 16:08.
Thanks guys for all your comments really appreciated.
I will now (less anxiuosly) wind it up tonight and star to enjoy the watch.
Have a Brilliant Easter all
ps- my next and last concern is do I need to put a sticker or something on the back of the watch to stop the nylon from marking the caseback?
(I wont to pass this watch to my young son in many, many years)
Cheers,
LC
I know you are very right that one-piece NATOs and Zulus can leave a distinctive pattern of wear as a signature of their use on a well and often worn watch's caseback. I think all the older 1970s issue Hamilton and CWC W10s were made with a brushed finish on the case front and sides, but a partly bead blasted type finish on the case back. I've been lucky enough to closely examine very heavily used Hamilton W10s that the MOD had mustered out of service but which still retained their original factory finish under all the honourably earned scratches-nicks-and-dings to the case fronts and sides.
What really indicated to me that these W10s' had seen long service with the British military, though, was the select polishing of the bead blasted case back "dome" finish by the issue NATO style nylon strap that created a rippled "track" visual effect running across the flat top of the W10's domed case back. Given that this was not damage, functional or otherwise, per se, but a purely visual reminder of its admirable provinence, I personally kind of like seeing it there, and maybe your son might also someday when you pass the 29B along to him after your own long use of it, assuming that its fully brushed case back finish will show the "NATO track" to some degree as well.
You can see the same strap derived visual effect as with the W10s above on the similarly bead blast finished flat topped case backs of the older U.S. issue steel case Hamilton pilot watches I mentioned in the previous post as one-piece nylon straps were standard military issue with these too, by the way.
One other thought, I can't be completely sure exactly where I once read the manufacturer's precaution, but I think it was Citizen in reference to its commercial production #BN0000-04H Eco-Drive 300m WR Professional Diver (the same watch the MOD apparently started issueing for military use in 2009 or so), but I distinctly remember the precaution itself ---- the manufacturer warned the new owner of the dive watch to remove the case back "sticker" prior to use in order to prevent sweat or salt water from becoming trapped under the plastic and unable to dry, which could result in corrosion and pitting of the underlying steel.
Last edited by Rollon; 29th March 2013 at 20:30. Reason: Corrected detail mistakes I made in original posting. Rollon
Rollon- thank you for your wise word and comments- they are much appreciated.
Yes I think that the patenia over the life will tell a better story of my watches lide- rather than a sterlie pass on.
Thanks again,
LC
PS- the winding has gone well.
Happy East to all
Hi LC. I "unwisely" made a couple of detail mistakes ---- the largest being that I incorrectly remembered the 29B as having a bead blasted case back finish instead of the fully brushed finish it actually has ---- in the original post that were still there when you read it, but I corrected them afterward. I don't think the 29B's brushed finish will show the "NATO Track" to quite the degree that the bead blast finished case backs I'm more familiar with do. I think the track would be there after the long use of NATOs with the 29B, but perhaps would appear more nicely subtle in effect.
You have a Happy Easter as well, Rollon
Last edited by Rollon; 29th March 2013 at 21:51.
Nice pic- do you mind me asking where you got the strap- looks great.
Love that strap, heboil!
I suppose the size issue is done pretty much to the death, but how are you guys with sub-7" wrists getting on with the 29B?
I have a smidge over 17cm wrists, so I guess the 36mm version might make more sense. I do however like look of the larger version more, and I wouldn't mind the double dome sapphire.
I guess it comes down to the lug-to-lug lenght for me too, I don't think the size in itself would be a problem. I'm a reasonably big guy, and I've been wearing my first nicer watch, a mid-sized diver, on a hefty steel bracelet and I like the way it looks. I also have a 34mm watch with a domed acrylic crystal (so that's a bit smaller than the 29A), but I much prefer the size of the diver despite large jump in proportions. The diver does have a short lug-to-lug length, though, comparable to the 29A.
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