Competition -- Bad case design.

[rfrazier]

The object is to give examples of badly designed cases. The case has to have some actual design problem. Merely being ugly or silly won't do, as it would make the competition much too easy.

-- It ends at 23.59.59 GMT, Monday, 12 Dec 2005.
-- You can have as many entries as you like.
-- Pictures are good.
-- It can't be a design created by you or anyone else if it is intended to be an instance of a crummy design.
-- There will be a prize of some sort. Probably a strap. I'll give a list of the possibilities later.
-- I'll be the final judge, and I can use whatever criteria I like. So, no appeals against my decision.

Here is my entry, which you will have to top in order to win.

NOS "dive watch" case. 40 mm (sans crown) x 18mm. 60g empty.

Here is the top of the watch case.



The design fault here is with the stem. It is an onion type, and fits snuggly into an indentation in the case. Indeed, it fits so well that you can't get it out by hand. You can't even get a fingernail anywhere under it.

Here is the bottom view.



The fault here is more subtle. It is a screwdown caseback. Which is generally good. The case back is on tight. The problem is in gripping the watch in order to be able to use a case remover. That it is circular with no protrusions makes it a difficult one. Especially if you are keen on not damaging it. (It still has the sticker, so I assume that whoever had it before me never figured out how to open it. ;))

I look forward to your entries.

Best wishes,
Bob

PS I think I've figured out a way to open it , but it certainly isn't straightforward. ;)

[smersh]

Just curious. What words does the acronym NOS represent? I've frequently came across this . Thanks :D

[rfrazier]

Just curious. What words does the acronym NOS represent? I've frequently came across this . Thanks :D

New Old Stock. It is supposed to be old stuff that hasn't been used. Too often it is old stuff that has been beat up, was DOA originally, or new stuff that looks old. E.g., take an old dial (zillions around) put it on a new movement, and put it in a new case. Said to be NOS, but isn't. (The idea is good, the dissimulation isn't.)

Best wishes,
Bob

[xpatUSA]

I have a "solid" gold chrono which has a case back so thin that it can be removed just by turning the thick lizard skin strap in a certain way. A scale catches in a gap and just flips it right off.

It's not a design fault per se, except that the designers should have foreseen that the back would soon be distorted by mishandling. They were probably over-ruled by the accountants!

So Bob, why is your Dalek female? :?

Cheers,

[rfrazier]

So Bob, why is your Dalek female? :?

Cheers,

I didn't know they had genders. Perhaps my feminine side isn't my cuddly side, but my mean, ruthless side, bent on world domination, and all to willing to EXTERMINATE!. ;)

Best wishes,
Bob

[abraxas]

So Bob, why is your Dalek female? :?

Cheers,

I didn't know they had genders. Perhaps my feminine side isn't my cuddly side, but my mean, ruthless side, bent on world domination, and all to willing to EXTERMINATE!. ;)

Best wishes,
Bob

Round here they have DR WHO days ... I like their slogan: WATCH IT OR DIE ... the word 'watch' keeps catching my attention. Very worrying. :(

john

[Ron Jr]

I love that the case says "Super Water Proof" who made it?

[rfrazier]

I love that the case says "Super Water Proof" who made it?

Unfortunately, I don't know who made it. I agree that the "SUPER" bit is super. ;) It also says "25 ATM INCABLOC STAINLESS STEEL" .

Best wishes,
Bob

[tudormic]

This watch is so blindingly good looking that you can't find the pushers to set the calender.

:pukeright:

[davide]

I don't know if this counts as the bad design is the crown, not the case. I sold it a while ago.

This is an issued military hand-wound watch. However, the crown (original as far as I know) was so small and fiddly it was painful to turn and my fingers slipped when winding the watch. It would have been useless with gloves. Why UK armed forces ever used this watch I can't imagine

[xpatUSA]

So Bob, why is your Dalek female? :?

Cheers,

I didn't know they had genders. Perhaps my feminine side isn't my cuddly side, but my mean, ruthless side, bent on world domination, and all to willing to EXTERMINATE!. ;)

Best wishes,
Bob

I don't know who adds the extra avatar for you high-posting guys, but "exterminatrix" is the feminine of "exterminator" just as "aviatrix" = Amelia Earhart and "executrix of my estate" = my wife, etc, etc, ad naus.

No big deal, Ms Dalek :wink:

OK, who was the best Dr Who?? My vote is for Patrick Troughton!

Cheers,

[rfrazier]

I don't know who adds the extra avatar for you high-posting guys, but "exterminatrix" is the feminine of "exterminator" just as "aviatrix" = Amelia Earhart and "executrix of my estate" = my wife, etc, etc, ad naus.

No big deal, Ms Dalek :wink:

OK, who was the best Dr Who?? My vote is for Patrick Troughton!

Cheers,

Of course you are right. My Latin is nearly non-existent, and I wasn't thinking suffixes.

Best wishes,
Bob

[siggy]

difficult to beat your entry Bob. I've seen a few bad cases but most of these were bad because they were either cheaply made or badly put together rather than bad design.

I'm still not convinced by the bezel on the Seiko Monster, when I had mine it looked easy for grit etc to become trapped between those protusions on the case. I never had it happen to me but it didn't stop me wondering.

regards

siggy

[Gert]

So Bob, why is your Dalek female? :?

Cheers,

I didn't know they had genders. Perhaps my feminine side isn't my cuddly side, but my mean, ruthless side, bent on world domination, and all to willing to EXTERMINATE!. ;)

Best wishes,
Bob

I don't know who adds the extra avatar for you high-posting guys, but "exterminatrix" is the feminine of "exterminator" just as "aviatrix" = Amelia Earhart and "executrix of my estate" = my wife, etc, etc, ad naus.

No big deal, Ms Dalek :wink:

OK, who was the best Dr Who?? My vote is for Patrick Troughton!

Cheers,

Maleness could still be a possibility if the title name were of Gaul origin. In this -now defunct- Celtic language many male names ended on -ix. E.g. Vercingetorix, the leader of the insurgency against G. Julius Caesar's operation "Enduring Latinization" :wink:

Cheers,
Gert

[Crusader]

E.g. Vercingetorix, the leader of the insurgency against G. Julius Caesar's operation "Enduring Latinization" :wink:

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Excellent, Gert! :D

[abraxas]

I?ve been pondering for a few days looking for badly designed cases. There are zillions of badly designed watches. I am not even sure on how to approach the subject.

Many watches (more of the past than now) were trying to hide the thickness of the watch by positioning the lugs higher (than they should be). Another bad-way of disguising ?thickness? is making the back into a cone ... there is a limit to this before the watch is hovering like an egg on the wrist.

On the engineering side most press-fit backs are badly designed. Many screw-backs don?t have well designed recesses, for removal. The whole concept of ?pins? for the straps, is wrong.

The second worse was the Omega Flightmaster. The case looked a ?dickhead? and never felt right on the wrist. It wasn?t just that it was heavy ... the weight was distributed wrong, in every way (unbalanced weight distribution is a fault) ... and it was a scratch collector. Nice watch tho. :shock: 8) :D



The worse I have ever experienced was the square-edged, press-fit, (rear) crystal on an automatic metal Swatch which allowed light to pass underneath the watch (when worn). What can you ask for £60? I had it for 2 days.



It looks like they changed the design now. :roll:

john

[captinbottlecap]

Let us not forget this nice design from zeno

[Griff]

Dial far too small

[rfrazier]

I'm late with the results. I win, with the case that can't be opened. :P Abraxas is second, with the dickhead Omega watch. The winning prize is an orange Rhino. It is on order.

I'm trying to think up a holiday competition. (One where I won't have an entry. ;) )

Best wishes,
Bob

[abraxas]

I'm late with the results. I win, with the case that can't be opened. :P Abraxas is second, with the dickhead Omega watch. The winning prize is an orange Rhino. It is on order.

I'm trying to think up a holiday competition. (One where I won't have an entry. ;) )

Best wishes,
Bob

john

[abraxas]

john

[Ming Thein]

This watch is so blindingly good looking that you can't find the pushers to set the calender.

:pukeright:

I saw one of those in person at a sale recently. 70% off.

Ming

[xpatUSA]

Maleness could still be a possibility if the title name were of Gaul origin. In this -now defunct- Celtic language many male names ended on -ix. E.g. Vercingetorix, the leader of the insurgency against G. Julius Caesar's operation "Enduring Latinization" :wink:
Gert

I didn't know that :shock: best keep my trap shut in future, especially with regard to Bob's latest :roll: :wink:

cheers,

Ted

[ke6507]

This watch is so blindingly good looking that you can't find the pushers to set the calender.

:pukeright:

I saw one of those in person at a sale recently. 70% off.

Ming

Wasn't this made from those collapsible traveling cups? Definitely a plugger.

DaveB

[abraxas]

....................

I saw one of those in person at a sale recently. 70% off.

Ming

Many of these watches were never meant for selling but just to show-off the makers capabilities ... if they do sell, then all the better ... if they don't, then they are disposed-off at cost price.

john

[Gert]

Maleness could still be a possibility if the title name were of Gaul origin. In this -now defunct- Celtic language many male names ended on -ix. E.g. Vercingetorix, the leader of the insurgency against G. Julius Caesar's operation "Enduring Latinization" :wink:
Gert

I didn't know that :shock: best keep my trap shut in future, especially with regard to Bob's latest :roll: :wink:

cheers,

Ted

Well...the Gaul language is not exactly widely taught...it disappeared around the 6th century, which may also explain why ETA doesn't offer that option on date wheels :roll:

Cheers,
Gert

[Crusader]

Maleness could still be a possibility if the title name were of Gaul origin. In this -now defunct- Celtic language many male names ended on -ix. E.g. Vercingetorix, the leader of the insurgency against G. Julius Caesar's operation "Enduring Latinization" :wink:
Gert

I didn't know that :shock: best keep my trap shut in future, especially with regard to Bob's latest :roll: :wink:

cheers,

Ted

Well...the Gaul language is not exactly widely taught...it disappeared around the 6th century, which may also explain why ETA doesn't offer that option on date wheels :roll:

Cheers,
Gert

I am not sure that "Vercingetorix" is a genuinely Gallic name, or at least the end may not be. At best, it is the Latinized form of a Gallic name. The Romas corrupted quite a good number of foreign names, and so do we. :D

Personally, I think ETA should bring back Roman-numeral date discs, with variable-width windows in the dial (now that's a complication for Lange :wink: ).

[Ari]

The worse I have ever experienced was the square-edged, press-fit, (rear) crystal on an automatic metal Swatch which allowed light to pass underneath the watch (when worn). What can you ask for £60? I had it for 2 days.


john

Wait a minute, I recognise that watch! :shock:

:D :D :D

[hogthrob]

I was just wondering how there was a post in this thread dated December 20th, and then I noticed the year. You raised the dead!