Reply With QuoteReally enjoy this thread. This one at the lower end of the budget but is still quite interesting. Prices have risen sharply since recently winning an award at the prestigious TZUK ‘Wimmys’.
Beta21, F300 & Accutron……………….all interesting in their own right.
*edit* ok so the Bulova isn’t a quartz but it does have a battery.
Last edited by ben4watches; 4th February 2022 at 15:05.
Cheers,
Ben
..... for I have become the Jedi of flippers
" an extravagance is anything you buy that is of no earthly use to your wife "
Really enjoy this thread. This one at the lower end of the budget but is still quite interesting. Prices have risen sharply since recently winning an award at the prestigious TZUK ‘Wimmys’.
As a fellow owner, I concur. It is a superb watch in person which is hard to capture in photos, I don't think I have ever taken a photo of it worth posting that does it justice. The lugs, and the perfect match between bezel & dial colour really make it feel premium and well thought out, then you have the famous GS dial quality to finish it off.Originally Posted by DMC102
I think this Grand Seiko deserves a mention here. I bought this one largely because I found it interesting for several reasons:
• 60th anniversary limited edition
• 9F movement
• ceramic bezel
• 200m water resistant
That's a bit busy for a Credor but still very nice.
A lovely looking movement.
I knew I should have bought one before the ceremony. I'll try harder next year.
Absolutely - it's the Omega 1680, a mildly reworked ETA 252.511 from the Thermoline series. It's the best they do, with 11 jewels, a fully perpetual calender until 2100 and, in my experience, sub ten second a year performance. Sadly it has one downside - the bracelet is both fixed and not entirely comfortable. It's a great special occasion watch, but given that the movement really does set it up as the ultimate always right grab and go, it's a great pity. For everyday use, the Citizen Exceed below it is the superior watch in every regard. However, it does look great!
Mind you, I liked the Exceed so much I bought one for special occasions and one as a beater:
Last edited by M4tt; 5th February 2022 at 09:53.
Great to see one of these here, I've been looking at one of these for similar reasons.
Sounds like you're happy with it?
RP.S. That Credor!Thought I'd include this 9f85 as it has now added the independent setting of the hour hand
Bought this over the Christmas period as I was looking for a not too expensive but quality sports style daily wear watch
I became intrigued with the story and level of effort that goes into GS Quartz watches. When it arrived I was really impressed with the quality and level of fit and finsish of the watch, plus the dial is beautiful under differing lighting.
Accuracy is off the charts, spot on after 6 weeks
A hell of a lot of watch for £2k
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Couldn't be happier!
I was looking for an Explorer or AT style watch without the divorce that would come with it.
This ticks the box in every way. The same level of fit and finish at half the price but quartz at a different level of quality with a great back story
A definite keeper and it has really opened my eyes to GS. There will be a GS spring drive incoming in a year or two when I can can get away with a £5k purchase
Alongside my Seamaster 300m and Doxa 'silverlung' this gives me a nice, rounded diver, sports, vintage mini collection
BTW Tokyo Tony, one of the best threads on here in a long time. I've become sick to death of the usual Rolex cobblers....this is a proper enthusiasts thread
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Last edited by jimmer42; 5th February 2022 at 10:46.
Here's my current favorite from my batch of quartz, it's Girard Perregaux from about 1973, cal 350 in model 9575ka.
The calibre is oiless as there no jewels and it used Teflon bearings. The motor design accommodates large hands due to reasonable torque.
It was a joint development where GP did the electronics and JLC did the mechanics, the same movement appears in the JLC Master Quartz from the same era.
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Well that's a fantastic watch! Thanks for posting, and for the info about it. So much to delve into with quartz watches, old and new. I think there is a Master Quartz earlier in this thread too.
I'm reading through the thread at the minute. I have some nice twin quartz from the 70s too.
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I love those early 70s GP/JLC (and a couple of other companies whose names I've forgotten) Cal.35x watches.Here's my current favorite from my batch of quartz, it's Girard Perregaux from about 1973, cal 350 in model 9575ka.
I have two GP Cal.352 watches from (I think) 1972, one of which regrettably needs some attention.
Thanks. As you say it seems a lot of quality for the price, and very easy wearing.
I'll have to have a look when I'm next in town.
R
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Thank you, though the thread's value is down to all the great posts from others. A small oasis of appreciation for human ingenuity where horological interest need not necessarily be measured by cost nor rarity nor shenanigans with “my AD”.
I love a mad Casio or wildly ambitious but commercially doomed Seiko or Omega as much as any rare Rolex. Perhaps more so, now that the bleak desert of social media has reduced interest in watches to those who know the price of everything and the value of nothing.
TZ-UK is not immune, but I like to think it still has a discerning core of those whose enthusiasm extends beyond endlessly discussing residuals or price rises.
If you have an interest in falling down the quartz rabbit hole a bit deeper there is another thread on the development history here. There's a (lumpy…) continuum from water clocks to quartz if you follow the thread through time, and that makes me happy.
Well it's an older one, not up to Eichi levels, but definitely “interesting” - to me at least.
Those early Spring Drives were all hand wind (autos only appeared in 2005) and pre-date GS Spring Drive too. The first ones were “only” 48 hours of power reserve, but this was a huge breakthrough at the time.
The original 7R68 and 7R78 Spring Drive movements released in 1998 are very similar to the 7R88 in my Credor. There's a good history here https://www.ablogtowatch.com/history...rive-movement/ from where this image is borrowed:
That's the GBLG999, the first commercial Spring Drive (along with the SBWA001 and 2) released in 1998.
And my GCLH999 for comparison:
A close up or two:
From watchpics.com
From watchpics.com
Interesting enough, I reckon.
The hand wind movement has been refined further with the 9R series, but the 7R lives on and a version of it can be found in the current Credor Big Date as well as the 7R14 in the Eichi II
TT
Last edited by Tokyo Tokei; 10th February 2022 at 15:44.
Another couple of interesting Spring Drives based on the 7R, not mine though:
GBJ999, limited edition of 10. Introduced in 2004. Credor has a tradition of skeletonising movements.
Minute Repeater, GBLS998, Introduced at Basel in 2011
Hand Wind Spring Drive calibre 7R11, with 72 hour power reserve, and 112 jewels. One of the more interesting quartz movements, though perhaps also one of the more expensive (¥41.80 million, about £265K).
TT
Last edited by Tokyo Tokei; 9th February 2022 at 00:35.
I have been falling down the quartz rabbit hole for a couple of years
Initially I didn’t like them much (soulless, boring, for people that don’t like watches) but the purchase of a tuna after doing a bit of background reading changed my mind / proved me wrong. I don’t have anything particularly interesting but a few that I like for various reasons are as follows:
The movement use in tunas is a modern marvel, what other watch maker would design a movement for one watch in this day and age? Then as mentioned you have Seiko producing everything in house. This thread proves they take a quartz watch and take it to the next level.
Here a few of my more interesting (to me) quartz watches (nothing as cool as some shown on this thread I might add)
The tuna is a work of art to me, I am seriously thinking about adding an emperor or spring drive tuna to the collection.
I agree with what was written in the opening post about kinetics. I am a fan of the Seiko kinetics, true travellers GMT, cool movement - it’s the perfect travel watch. They don’t sit well in a large collection where they might not get worn very much (like my one) but they are potentially the perfect single watch. Mine is worn on holidays only really so gets worn a couple of times a year non stop. It has had to have the capacitor replaced as a result but Seiko don’t charge the earth so it’s worth it.
The Seiko mecha-quartz chrono (newmark) is a movement I wanted to try, I like the idea of quartz accuracy with mechanical type chronograph, in reality I am not much of a fan and I have to say it sits unloved in the watch box, it’s still an interesting movement that I want to keep in my collection though
Lastly the 2 citizens
The one on green strap was the watch I wore through school (I left in 96). The fact it still works perfectly says a lot about the robustness of quartz watches, it has never been serviced and only needs a battery every 5 years or so. What great value for money!
The other on bracelet is a watch I hunted down after losing an identical one, this watch is from the late 90s early 2000s when it came out it was a technological masterpiece. calendar, chrono, elapsed time, world times and alarm
It was a quarter of the price of the aerospace (which is what I really wanted) but did the exact same things
Yet again only needs a battery every 2 years and has never been serviced.
I have really enjoyed reading the thread and there are a few watches shown that have got me thinking… there is a lot of fun to be had with quartz….. hmmmmm maybe an oil filled Marathon JSAR…
Last edited by Sinnlover; 9th February 2022 at 10:36.
My humble contribution to the thread. ( Thanks TT )
Years ago I went through a vintage LCD watch phase, mostly the Seikos of the 70's, at some point I must have picked this one up, a Sekonda LCD, it must have sat in my watchbox for 15 years at least, I came across it today looking for something else and it occurred to me that I had never looked at it properly, certainly never tried to open it and see if it worked, so I did today, inevitably one of the cells had leaked so I wasn't hopeful of a result, however, its alive! very basic display, hours and minutes only, 3 recessed buttons but only one seems to do anything, it advances the time very slowly to set the time. After doing some Googling, it appears to be a 1977 'big block' Sekonda with the first Russian LCD movement the B6-02, this was introduced in 1974 and put in a variety of cases over the next few years. Its quote chunky, 37mm x 45mm by 14mm tall, Ive only found a few references to this style that Ill link below. To have fired up after all this time after a leaky cell is quite impressive to me.
The date of this seems to be August 1977 from the handwritten numbers on the movement, the last four digits, the serial number is the first set of numbers.
The casebook is slightly unusual too, it has a thin outer screw down ring that pushes down on the floating inner cap to close the back.
Link to a vintage Digital Watch page
http://www.digital-watch.com/DWL/1work/sekonda-b6-02
Link to the digital watch forum discussing the module.
http://www.newdwf.com/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=7867
The display looks much better after a Polywatch.
Cheers..
Jase
Superb that. This thread, like so many others, was definitely missing some early 70s Russian LCD quartz. It is intrinsically interesting just for being that, but also those mysterious 3 pushers...
One apparently zeroes the seconds. The seconds… that are not displayed. The other? Who knows?
It was Churchill of course who remarked upon Russia that it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. He surely would have appreciated this watch.
Apparently the top button of the three, zeros the seconds but like you say, the seconds aren’t displayed, the middle one adjusts the hours and the bottom one the minutes, however on mine the middle one doesn’t do anything, the bottom one works for the minutes and also hours, so imagine my dismay when I noticed I had set it 12hrs out, it’s a 24hr display so I had to hold the bottom pusher for for 12 minutes to get the time right. Doh!
Cheers..
Jase
Thank you Jason that is fascinating. It has reminded me that I have a similarly aged Citizen tucked away in a drawer awaiting attention.
Although the seconds aren't displayed it is quite useful to know when the minute starts for synchronisation purposes.
Cheers....
Found a strap, I think this will get a lot of wear now
Cheers..
Jase
Great thread, especially the OPI really enjoy my assorted quartz watches even though they have fairly prosaic movements.
Like a lot of older threads on this forum, it shows a healthier, more broad-minded attitude to watch collecting than seems to be the case now with its unceasing obsession with a handful of bragworthy brands.
I hope the insane prices and intelligence-insulting marketing strategies of the big 5 will perhaps in time rekindle interest in these sort of topics.
That is a fabulous chunky beast, I love it and I love this thread. Thanks!
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
Jason’s spectacular slab of 70’s heavy metal has reminded me that I have been remiss in not mentioning my contemporary technical ecstasy here.
The first 100 Pulsar Time Computer Calculator watches were made available just in time for Christmas 1975, cased in 18kt solid gold and priced at $3,950. Famously Betty Ford wasn’t a fan and told the president that he'd end up in a clinic if he bought one, or something. A few months later the stainless steel version was released at a bargain $550.
The watch features a six digit LED display that either shows time/date, the operations of a multi function calculator, or a very limited vocabulary when turned upside down. The clock is activated by pressing the 'Pulsar' button, whilst calculations are performed using the nifty engraved stylus that was thoughtfully included in the price, which has a handy retractable pen at one end and a rubber nib at the other for activating the slightly recessed calculator buttons.
Okay, that's enough chat to make it appear that I've made a bit of an effort on the research front so here are some photos.
It’s a chunky slab mainly because the case houses four 357 battery cells which are the same size as the ubiquitous LR44. That first iteration featured a '901' module, the '902' module introduced in 1977 is distinguished by having the buttons in a different configuration and an automatic flick-of-the-wrist display feature.
The circuit board is a thing of beauty with tracks that look almost organic. This is the later model with a mercury switch to activate the display. There are separate ICs for time and calculation. Credit: crazywatches.pl
Wholly gratuitous snap with the rebuild of Colossus, which was the world's first electronic digital programmable computer and isn't in Bletchley Park like most people think.
And for double-gratuitousness, with the Harwell Dekatron (AKA WITCH) which is the world's oldest original working digital computer.
Skip to 1:05 for the cool bit where Johnny Carson demonstrates the watch:
_______________________________________________
For those who spotted the reference, apparently Ozzy described the Hipgnosis artwork as "two robots screwing on an escalator". It wasn't their best.
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
...a very limited vocabulary when turned upside down.
What an epic post, all of it
Fantastic! That circuit is amazing, thank you.
Jason
Edit. Reminded me to go to Silver Hawks electric-watches website, this photo of the Longines Ultra Quartz movement is a similar wonder.
https://electric-watches.co.uk/maker...-ultra-quartz/
Last edited by JasonM; 9th February 2023 at 08:42.
Cheers..
Jase
Fantastic update. Who would have thought that a Pulsar could win a beauty competition with a Longines?
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
^ love the circuit porn ^ - I suspect wristwatches may have been the first widespread non-military use of surface-mount electronic components. Near-ubiquitous now, but bleeding-edge stuff in the 1970s.
If we're talking calculator watches, this one has got to be the most interesting - the Casio AT-552 from 1984
Things certainly progressed quickly from this, the world's smallest electronic calculator in 1970…
(Image from http://www.vintagecalculators.com/ht...tisements.html)
They certainly did. The Type 1 Curta is just 2" diameter and 4" tall, and was still being produced in 1970. They hung on to a fair chunk of the market until 1972 as in the early days of electronic calculators they were far less prone to unexpectedly losing the content of the registers.
(Image also from http://www.vintagecalculators.com/ht...tisements.html)
Don't just do something, sit there. - TNH
I don't believe this link has been posted before in this thread so I thought I'd bung it here as it is interesting:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/t...ovements.2087/
And to follow up on the previous post, a little light shed on Seiko Twin Quartz movements.
https://www.thewatchsite.com/threads...-alike.171322/
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I reset all my Quartz/solar watches yesterday CWC,Marathon,Precista,Seiko,Casio this one was the most accurate.
Though non where to far out it was a surprise that the cheapest was the best time keeper.
Everything lines up as well,I dont understand why Seiko cant keep the same standard.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Casio-Colle...s%2C92&sr=8-28
I've really come around to the idea of quartz and really enjoy having something that's always ready to wear straight from the watch box. 70s twin quartz the current favourite.
Would rather have an Oysterquartz than a sub.
Ive got a regular version of that one ^ , very similar dial and case 4336-8030. The dials are lovely.
Cheers..
Jase
Yes, mine is the 9943-8030 so very similar.
Same with my two - only need to adjust the date for non 31-day months, time is usually under a minute adjustment when daylight saving comes around. I paid £9 for the black dial a few years back - still on its original battery, too.
I love my quartz watches and wear my Omega SMP 300M for hobbies and holidays. They are very robust and accurate and are ideal for pick up and go.
I’ve just got hold of a Tissot PRX quartz, 35mm. It’s a great watch for not much money and I’m very pleased with it.
Last edited by JeremyO; 19th July 2023 at 07:59.
That is stunning. I have a couple of twin quartzes but neither are operational and neither have a dial like that.
I have been looking at King Seiko twin quartzes which are very good value with very similar dials but have resisted the temptation. So far.
I expect a major portion of my collection is vintage quartz. Those movements are not like the cheap, disposable modern ones but were built to last. As early quartz watches were the premium watches (more often priced higher than the mechanical equivalents) they come with great finishing and some pretty special dials.
I am not a Rolex fan by a long shot but Zelig's OQ is a wonderful watch. I think there is another which appears every now and then but I can't remember who's it is.
That was the only reason I adjusted them because the date was out so decided to do all of them.
It wasn't really necessary, but once you start its like misaligned bezels it drives you crazy.
I only have 2 ‘interesting’ quartz watches, but I appreciate the grab and go, no nonsense of a quartz watch, they are perfect for work and travel for me.
The Citizen Eco-Drive. It’s the perfect solution for anyone who has no interest in watches, put it on and forget about it.
The tech behind it is pretty amazing as well. It’s moved on so much from the first solar powered watches with big PVs and poor battery life.
The Seiko Kinetic
It has the major down side of an automatic watch - having to keep it powered, along with a degrading capacitor if it’s not worn, but it does have quartz accuracy. So being a watch that must be worn and is pretty high maintenance for a quartz watch plus this one being a true traveler GMT makes it a little more interesting to me.
I really like that Kinetic; I had one, ages ago, and not being used to the Tuna Thing sold it on. Daft, in retrospect. I think I shall go on the hunt, having seen yours.I only have 2 ‘interesting’ quartz watches, but I appreciate the grab and go, no nonsense of a quartz watch, they are perfect for work and travel for me.
The Citizen Eco-Drive. It’s the perfect solution for anyone who has no interest in watches, put it on and forget about it.
The tech behind it is pretty amazing as well. It’s moved on so much from the first solar powered watches with big PVs and poor battery life.
The Seiko Kinetic
It has the major down side of an automatic watch - having to keep it powered, along with a degrading capacitor if it’s not worn, but it does have quartz accuracy. So being a watch that must be worn and is pretty high maintenance for a quartz watch plus this one being a true traveler GMT makes it a little more interesting to me.
I picked up a SVBR003 Japanese Seiko railway pocket watch.
It has an interesting purpose built quartz movement 7C21
Pics from this article
https://www.plus9time.com/blog/2017/...ailway-watches
Interesting from a perspective of old & new approaches.
Old & new versions of a HAQ movement :
Old & new Analogue-Digital ...
z
I picked up a SVBR003 Japanese Seiko railway pocket watch.
It has an interesting purpose built quartz movement 7C21
Pics from this article
https://www.plus9time.com/blog/2017/...ailway-watches
That is a remarkably nice looking watch,those hands remind me of the Omega Dynamic (I think it is).
The later versions Kinetic are just as easy to maintain as an Eco-Drive, capacitor lasts at least 15 years and the watch runs for half a year when fully charged. I never worry about my Landmaster kinetic.I only have 2 ‘interesting’ quartz watches, but I appreciate the grab and go, no nonsense of a quartz watch, they are perfect for work and travel for me.
The Seiko Kinetic
It has the major down side of an automatic watch - having to keep it powered, along with a degrading capacitor if it’s not worn, but it does have quartz accuracy. So being a watch that must be worn and is pretty high maintenance for a quartz watch plus this one being a true traveler GMT makes it a little more interesting to me.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
This has the more modern type of kinetic movement. They still need to be worn on a very regular basis. I wear my watches in rotation and they can go months (years) without wear. Kinetics do not like to be treated like that (this is my fault not the watches obviously) if you let them run down to flat they don’t return to the maximum full charge again, each time you let it go flat the capacitor looses a little capacity.
This is a 2016 watch has been back to Seiko for a new capacitor and will likely have to go back again in a couple of years purely because of the infrequent wear it gets.
If you wear it every day it will be perfect.
Ah, ok, so the modern day capacitor still doesn't like to be 'mistreated'? I thought they didn't mind all that abuse. Ah well, it's never empty in my case, with two watches and the Landmaster being my favorite it's rather pampered ;)
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
I had one of those - steel cased on a rubber strap version. I read about a trick to keep it charged with either an electric toothbrush charger or a Philips rechargeable candle charger. I had some of the philips lights and the charger kept mine topped up. Worth a search.
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