Reply With QuoteDepends on how you want to dine dive watch. If you definition is not limited to scuba and thus includes the Omega, Panerai and Vodolaz, the first one would be the Synchronar.Originally Posted by Wibbs
That's a rather nice Seikona!An early 90's 7T59 and I've owned several and sold them for some reason but this one is staying put.
I got one of these 20 years ago as a present. Must still be in one of the drawers in my parents place :)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Depends on how you want to dine dive watch. If you definition is not limited to scuba and thus includes the Omega, Panerai and Vodolaz, the first one would be the Synchronar.
I'm sure I remember Scubapro watches with Seiko also on the dial - and this would be in the 70's I think.Probably the most unusual qurtz watch I have is this Scubapro 30ATM,
Probably not noteworthy for its movement (never had a look to see what's inside) it seems to be quite rare, I have only ever seen one other (online) besides mine. If anyone knows more about these please do chip in!
Very popular watches, Scubapro: they seem to be very robust and hence favoured by dive instructors.
R
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Stefan,that Scubapro is lovely. Haven't seen one like that before.
It has an Aquastar Benthos vibe about it. Beautiful watch👍
Are you thinking of the Scubapro 450 based on the 6306 ? Crazy values on these lately, Stefan has a amazing one of those as well.I'm sure I remember Scubapro watches with Seiko also on the dial - and this would be in the 70's I think.
Very popular watches, Scubapro: they seem to be very robust and hence favoured by dive instructors.
R
R
There have been other Scubapro Seikos too.
I believe I am - and look what I just found (from one of our own members too):
https://thewatchbloke.co.uk/2015/04/...-scubapro-450/
R
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Did some research and look what I came up with
http://forums.watchuseek.com/f74/scu...-352485-2.html
I like that what's the function of the 2 Red hands?Exactly my thoughts and so I'll echo them.
My personal preference for quartz watches remains with analogue dials and also for minimal functions, i.e. telling the time and no more. The main exception to this though is the Breitling Avenger M1 as the ability to use the chrono function at depth underwater has been of great use to me.
I've had several ani-dig watches too and occasionally digital display only, but the M1 is just perfect in my eyes.
Mind you, I don't care a stuff about 10-year battery life.
R
Many thanks Paul really great thread, very interesting. Out of interest my favourite and most worn watch is this.
I like the way Casio used to do some truly bonkers watches.
Here is a football timer from 1994 part of Casio's World Cup series they issued that year as they were the official time keeping partner for FIFA.
Mitch
Mitch, that is a bonkers watch, but has something about it I really like and I don't know why !
Yes, that is the one other specimen I have ever seen (and as can be seen I posted in that very thread in way back in 2010). An interesting thing to note is that other watch had a "20ATM" case back whereas mine is coherent with the dial and carries a matching "30ATM" marking. It also had a Swedish owner but that I guess is pure coincidence rather than any indication of geographical model designation.
Just added yet another 7A28 to the collection which many here will know is "interesting" for being the world's first analogue display quartz chronograph in 1982. For some the lack of date would be a deal breaker but I love the perfectly balanced tri-compax design.
Cheers
Neil
As chronos go those Seikos are up there as "icons" of the type IMHO. Another first from them too.
that is absolutely perfect, much better without the date.Just added yet another 7A28 to the collection which many here will know is "interesting" for being the world's first analogue display quartz chronograph in 1982. For some the lack of date would be a deal breaker but I love the perfectly balanced tri-compax design.
Cheers
Neil
Agreed; some reference-quality posts in this thread.
The OQ is definitely my favourite quartz watch as well. I had one of mine in the shop last year, and took a photo of what the movement looked like after 22 years without service:
A bit grimy, but running perfectly other than an intermittent date-setting fault caused by a buildup of gunk in the keyless works.
I find that it dresses up very well as far as steel bracelet watches go, but as the toughest watch by far that Rolex has ever produced, it's also as sporty as a steel watch comes. Anyway, they clean up nicely:
image credit: horologer
Although oysterquartz.net is a well-known resource on the model, this lesser-known article excerpted from Lucien Trueb's Electrifying the Wristwatch is extremely informative on its development and production:
Watchtime: When Rolex Went Quartz
Thanks for posting this. I couldn't believe that producing a true 3 6 9 chrono wasn't possible with quartz. One thing that has always put me off a quartz chronos was the spread out sub dials, they just look wrong to my eye. I shall have to look again, so cheers!Just added yet another 7A28 to the collection which many here will know is "interesting" for being the world's first analogue display quartz chronograph in 1982. For some the lack of date would be a deal breaker but I love the perfectly balanced tri-compax design.
Cheers
Neil
Sent from my XT1580 using Tapatalk
No problem and good luck with your search.
Cheers
Neil
I'm really enjoying this thread, many thanks to the OP and everyone that has posted!
I've got an 'interesting quartz' on the way to me in the form of a Seiko SBCM023, will post some pics when it arrives
Not just Casio, here is an ad' scanned from an eary 70s Playboy magazine.
Incidentally, if I were a grumpy old pedant I'd point out that LIP Nautic Skis (with the R184 movement) have no place in a thread about quartz watches.
I like this one a lot
Yet I don't like
Tritium
12 hour bezel
Black case
Lack of waterproof
Asymmetrical case
Don't be a grump or I'll post my tuning fork collection.
Great thread. Actually superb thread to actually be discussing sharing about a watch topic. I have had quite a few HEQ in my time. Primarily from Breitling but also Omega X-33 various generations.
For me the differentiator is the possibility to have almost impossible complications when compared to mechanicals. For example the list of functions on the new B55 or even 'unconnected ' B50 from Breitling would move it into the Grand Complication territory of mechanicals - even if the functions could be replicated in cogs and wheels.
As as far as power goes I like the direction Breitling has taken which is to provide a charge port for the rechargeable battery. The battery in the B55 is listed as good for 10 years or 300 charge cycles - 20d x 300 /365 = more than 15y even at maximum discharge rate. And Breitling will do a free pressure test if wrt is a concern with this 100m watch.
What next:
nano technology brings some interesting design ideas. Truelly wearable tech wrapped on /in wrist or in-body - powered by body thermal differences. Direct input bipassing senses? Alarmingly fiction often becomes fact.
Must get back to the bat cave :-)
m
This thread has made me want to buy more quartz.
I have always wanted a Seiko diver like the 007 with a battery.
what is the accuracy/industry standard for quartz watches?
my Marathon above is 4 seconds fast, I last adjusted it when we had the last summertime clock change.
COSC quartz standard is +-0.07s/d variance i think.
They made those. The SHC017 and SHC033. You might still find some NOS lying around.
My interesting quartz!
Transmitted through private SATCOM
Then this is what you need
Not that it really matters, but the most accurate Seiko diver is the Grand Seiko Quartz, 115/117 (black or white face). Mine gains maybe one second in six months. Which is adequate . For some reason (price?) they aren't sold in the UK. But you can get one from from Japan. That really is a watch to last a lifetime. Tough as old boots.
I've been meaning to come back to this one as I really like the case shape. I had a couple of Hermes-related searches a few years back (in my twenties and thirties I had a bit of a tie habit) and I've now renewed these. Am I right in thinking that the model name is Espas? The only Ebay listings seem to be for Buy-It-Now and, nothwithstanding the usual concerns about fakes, prices don't strike me as being much of a bargain. Are they more common in Japan and are they better value over there?Somewhere between these things and the run-of-the-mill movements are the analogue-digital mechanisms. In my opinion it is difficult to harmoniously integrate a digital display with an analogue dial, but I find this Hermès model has achieved a reasonable look:
It uses an ETA movement, also fitted to older Omega and TAG models. Interesting in that the entire watch, including analogue and digital functions (stopwatch, countdown timer, alarm, dual time) can be controlled by the single crown. I find the thought that someone, or some team, had to sit down and work all this out and bring it market right first time (no "software update") as intriguing as any tale of mechanical watch development. The smart person's smart watch, perhaps.
I hope this little review of not particularly rare, expensive nor idolised models was interesting. Please feel free to post your own interesting quartzes!
Paul
I believe it is called "Espace" - Hermès' very own space watch, released in 1999. They are obtainable here but not common. This one still has the box and original Hermès goatskin strap on signed deployant.
Paul
This thread is to blame for this
I love my mechanical watches but also this........
and this.......
Last edited by j111dja; 21st October 2016 at 14:42.
Thank you - I'll adjust my Ebay searches accordingly.
Just registered so I could thank the OP and everyone that has contributed on this fine thread!
Big Quartz fan here and I love reading some of the interesting back stories.
All the efforts are most appreciated!! :)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I mentioned earlier a fondness for vacuum tubes. The original circular nixie watch made famous by a rather well known computer pioneer was huge at 55mm diameter and 20mm thick, mainly to accommodate the large single-use 750mA-hour CR2 lithium battery. Now Woz can get away with that, but the creator, David Forbes, has long been refining a rectangular symmetrical model with a rechargeable battery and slightly more modest dimensions, aimed at slightly more modestly dimensioned customers. This year he began producing the new version which is housed in an anodised aluminium case measuring 48mm wide by 53mm tall, and only 16mm thick. Still pretty massive but who cares, it's a nixie watch!
Charging the LiPo battery is via a discreet USB socket and to extend time between charges a programmable accelerometer is used to detect when the watch is held at the correct angle for viewing.
The quartz crystal timing circuit has a variable capacitor to allow adjustment of the operating frequency to within a few parts per million. The oscillator is adjusted to +/-1 PPM at about 25ºC to ensure very accurate timekeeping (additional thermocompensation isn't really necessary in a watch that is unlikely to see Arctic or Saharan conditions).
The nixie display tubes require about 180V to light up the neon gas and about 140V to sustain the orange plasma glow. The voltage is provided by a DC-DC converter chip, a step-up transformer and a voltage tripler circuit.
I have no idea what you might mean...truly epic geekery
It's here!
It's here!
Great choice there. They seem to get flipped on here a lot and I think peolple might be put off initially by the smaller than expected size compared to something like a 7548 or SKX007. Live with it for a day and you realise it's perfect.
Cheers
Neil
Welcome and I echo your thanks to all (well, nearly all) those who contributed. Some outstanding, highly interesting and original pieces on display.
QED!I mentioned earlier a fondness for vacuum tubes [...] The nixie display tubes require about 180V to light up the neon gas and about 140V to sustain the orange plasma glow
Paul
Yes it is much smaller than I was expecting and is smaller than I would usually wear but I've had it on since it arrived and I think it's an awesome thing. Took the kids swimming earlier which it handled admirably, even in the deep end!Great choice there. They seem to get flipped on here a lot and I think peolple might be put off initially by the smaller than expected size compared to something like a 7548 or SKX007. Live with it for a day and you realise it's perfect.
Cheers
Neil
I've had quite a few 'interesting' quartz over the years and wear them often... Some have gone, quite a few have stayed. As a collection grows the service charges of mechanicals mount up and make the odd quartz a good option and easier to justify. You can't argue with the convenience and there's more to a watch than a display back. Here are the ones I've had, I didn't realize it was quite so many!
A GS I used to own, a JDM 'Master Shop' edition with an unusual case, dial and blued second hand:
This IWC Ingenieur quartz was a lovely thing, it's still on the forum:
This Omega Constellation Megaquartz TV dial was a fantastically high quality piece, though I can't say it suited me so it's no longer with me:
Here's one I only tried on in the shop - but it definitely qualifies! The Grand Seiko historical collection 9F powered 'self dater'.
Here's two old model AT quartz I've owned, I ended up with both black and silver as I couldn't make up my mind and they used to be a very good deal! Lovely watches but at an all dial 39mm I found them slightly oversized on a slim wrist, just like the recent Rolex 39mm offerings. Omega fixed that in the newer 38.5mm model. The movement wasn't super 'interesting' and the second hands made only the vaguest stab at the markers, but they did have the 'time zone' independent hour hand.
This one was for the lady, a Vacheron Constantin 222 quartz, I'd love a man's sized one myself given the chance:
...and another one for the ladies, an Omega 'Black Tulip' made of virtually unscratchable ceramic metal alloy, a very rare watch indeed. Sadly re-dialed and lacking the wave pattern that should be there, but still a beauty, the super-reflective jet black ceramic finish is of course completely unmarked and looks like it was made this morning:
Here'a another unusual megaquartz I had at one point together with the constellation:
A B&R Deminieur with a handy 7 year battery life - I probably should have kept it longer considering how much they went up:
And last but very much not least the keepers. Firstly one of those watches that is somehow just right, the SBGX061 Grand Seiko quartz. This one has stayed with me and is one I always come back to. My most comfortable watch, and the most accurate at +/-10 secs / year. By day, quite modest, but by night, suddenly it looks a million dollars. And then occasionally in some lights it goes crazy and breaks out in rainbow sparkles all over the indices.
This Omega AT quartz is still with me, one of the few I've owned from new, and I expect it to remain. The size and proportions are just perfect - arguably better than the mechanical equivalent. In later versions they replaced the applied indices with a printed dial, and introduced the dreaded polished centre links on other ATs, so for me it's a modern classic, one of the last great Omega quartz, complete with independent 'time zone' feature hour hand just like the old megaquartz.
And the watch that got me into 'interesting' quartz in the first place, the 17000 Oysterquartz. An evolution of a Genta design for the Beta 21 'Texan', and therefore second cousin to the Royal Oak - and a great looking watch that wears fantastically well - needless to say it's very much a keeper.
Last edited by Itsguy; 24th October 2016 at 22:50.
^
Quality post. Thanks for that!
Not quite 'interesting' but beautifully simple and since a new strap just landed it's been catapulted to the front if the queue for wrist time.
Junghans Max Bill 38mm
Here is a fun watch.
I have done a review here.
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...ers-but-useful
Properly mad that, "interesting" is entirely inadequate! Casio are another brand that has never been shy about trying new things, even for a small potential market. Thanks for the note on this thread. For anyone that wants the full madness explained, see Mitch's link. I've never heard of any watch complication like this before.
Best thread on here in ages.
Makes me want to go watch shopping...
Casio Cosmo Phase with a fully working Orrery feature.
I have one of these incoming. Please excuse the rather corny advert:
http://youtu.be/pAk1MWxqeJE
I think this counts as interesting: a 27 jewel thermocompensated Quartz chronograph movement with 5 stepper motors, measurement to 100th of a second, and accuracy within 10 seconds per year. Both the Quartz crystal and the integrated circuit are vacuum sealed in a ceramic case to protect them from moisture. Independently adjustable hour hand.
Last edited by seikokiller; 2nd November 2016 at 03:05.
I really do hope that a combination of the focus in the luxury watch industry on mechanical watches, the advent of radio-synchronisation, and the general tendency towards increasingly disposable technology don't mean the end of high end quartz.
A lot of people would argue that radio synchronisation has rendered quartz technology aimed at higher degrees of undisciplined accuracy obsolete, but we're talking about watches here - everything is obsolete. It's all about engineering for its own sake.
I'm a big fan of quartzes but these two are my most worn,
the Seiko GFA with lovely snowflake dial,
And my Orient lcd
wook
Posting Permissions
