As many others have said, lockdown has caused me to re-think my watch wearing (along with other - less philosophically important issues!).
Normally I wear a diver (Oris Diver's Date) to work. I love it but its chunky and heavy (to me), I often take it off at my desk. I had been thinking titanium was the answer.
During lockdown I've worn all of my small collection more. This made me realise the most comfortable watch I own is a 33'ish mm Roamer Superking.
There are some beautiful vintage dress* watches on SC and elsewhere that offer incredible craftsmanship for relatively little.....could I wear one 5 days a week though?
I've always preferred vintage but bought modern because it felt safer. I'm a small chap and wear a suit every day so I'm happy with the style / size. It's the practicalities that worry me.
I know I'd have to keep it relatively dry but beyond that:
- Would I be working it to death; and
- Are parts likely to be available for servicing; and
- What's the risk of it being a "write off' in a few years?
TZUK 's experience and wisdom would be most welcome.
Ryan
(* Dress ish at least, I'm not necessarily excluding second hands or dates.)
Its only in the last year or so that I have added a few other dress watches into my collection,even 1 Gold Omega dress watch!,and wasnt a lover of anything Gold,but it really is rather nice.Yes you can easily wear a dress watch all week.
The Rolex Oyster is one I tend to gravitate to the most,or certainly for special occasions.
All the ones here wont be written off in a few years!,theyve stood the test of many years already and will continue for many more.
upload pic
Last edited by P9CLY; 13th June 2020 at 11:53.
Just buy the best condition you can find , with a confirmed recent service and dont look back just enjoy !!
I regularly wear this Lip T18 from the forties, it works fine except there is no shock protection so it stops if I wear it while riding a pushbike on the cobbled surface of some of Paris's avenues.
And I just had this 1945 Record WWW serviced without an issue and I wear it without worrying
Last edited by SimonK; 13th June 2020 at 12:08.
The watch I wear the most is a 1980 Rolex 1655 Explorer11. It probably gets worn for about 20 weeks every year. I like the "disco dial" and also the fact that no one notices it. The previous owner was a Doctor who who it every day so it's not exactly a spring chicken.
I had it serviced by Rolex on the day of purchase and it's now 100% leakproof down to 100 meters and it is often worn in the pool. Despite its age, it is the most accurate watch I have got, it averages +2 secs every 28 days and you can't complain at that.
Wear it and enjoy it.
Manufacturers such as Omega, Longines, IWC, Universal etc. made some absolutely beautiful dress watches in the 1950s and 60s, with high grade, durable and reliable movements. Relatively inexpensive to service and very wearable. More often than not, sadly, the forum cognoscenti completely overlook these beautiful watches in the chase for the next ‘sine qua non’
Thanks all.
Good to know I'm not breaking new ground! Common sense tells me that if they've done over 50 years, and are doing well, there's no reason they shouldn't continue to do so. It's good to hear the theory works in practice though.
As the watches posted show, these watches offer something incredible without drawing attention from non-watch people. That's a plus generally but more so for me, as I work in the public sector where 'display' isn't popular.
A recent service is a good call. Presumably bigger marques and movements with long production runs longer are better for parts?
I'm particularly taken with the various extra-thin models...but they seem extra-scary. Any experiences with them as daily wearers?
Most importantly - more pictures welcome. To help reassure me...and because who doesn'twant to look at beautiful watches!
Thanks again
Ryan
Has your 1950s Longines on SC sold? Lovely watch for a very reasonable price.Originally Posted by 11erv
The two Omegas in my post above could be on someone elses wrist
Last edited by P9CLY; 13th June 2020 at 17:31.
It very nearly sold recently, but stalled at the let me check with my wife stage. So, it’s still on SC, although having come close to selling it, I am now tempted to keep it.
It’s beautiful. Plus Brendan has just serviced it. What’s not to love about it?
Smaller, lighter watches are cool!
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Those were among the ones that got me thinking! Absolutely lovely.
Still wrestling with gold / gold elements. Ironically I'm happy with gold in casual clothes but with a suit I'm not sure! I'm not one for colour in clothes / accessories so it feels like a big step.
With so many lovely gold watches out there, I'll keep wrestling but I think my first step may have to be steel.
Last edited by RyanB; 13th June 2020 at 18:13.
My only experience with proper vintage was a gorgeous '63 Omega Seamaster and I had no qualms wearing it at all. The obvious Rolex Oysters in their various guises are also a great shout but for me, the old Seamasters have a little more charm and are still readily serviceable, Simon Freese quoted me about £250 a couple of years ago and stated parts availability wasn't an issue.
In essence, there are a plethora of choices out there which, with a modicum of care, are readily wearable for years. Good luck down that rabbit hole
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I used to wear this little Citizen Eagle day in day out, I sometimes though i'd forgotten to put a watch on as it was so comfy!!
Alas, It's gone back in the drawer now and i'm wearing bigger watches in rotation!!
John
My dad grew up with a gold avia dress watch that he retired due to sentimental value. So I got him a different variant as a present, and it is an every day watch, come rain or shine. Most days he'll be found on his back underneath his campervan or in the workshop, doing the gardening etc. Watch never leave his wrist and hasn't missed a beat. Not bad for something about 60 years old, with zero service history, and cost all of 99p off ebay.
60's Seikos offer a lot of variety, are affordable for the most part and usually are around 36mm, which is a good modern dress watch size. My photography skills are insufficient to show how good they look in real life, but just to give some idea:
I wore this most days for about a year. Apart from a ding on the first day and some scratches to the plexi that polished out I haven't had cause to regret it.
Can’t argue with that. Vintage Seiko quality:value ratio is hard to beat. I find the grammar of Seiko design to be somewhat beguiling. Here are a few of mine...
Thank you, I agree, it certainly is beautiful, but to your question “What’s not to love about it”...I think the problem for many people is that it does not have a five letter word beginning with ‘R’ on the dial.
i think this is the one style of watch that you can wear with anything. in my 20s i had an inherited 34mm air king and never took it off. now i seem to be coming full circle, the watches that speak to me most are vintage omegas, maybe rollies of that type. the seikos in this threat look lovely too.
A couple more, Mostly oldies!!
John..
Vintage watches have an elegance that most modern bruisers lack IMO.
I love vintage Omegas and here is my favourite.
All original from the 1950's and in super ducky condition.
Cheers,
Neil.
Vintage watches have an elegance that most modern bruisers lack IMO.
I love vintage Omegas and here is my favourite.
All original from the 1950's and in super ducky condition.
OOOOH!!
That's fab Neil, Never seen that model before!!
John
1967, runs great and tough as old boots.
I’m very interested in those Seiko Skyliners...they look class!
I think a dress watch (in the looser sense, not necessarily the ultra thin, minimalist stuff) can usually be dressed down.
Especially on a brown rather than black leather strap.
You could even go nuts and wear it in a colourful nato...
I found a few in a drawer today, I stripped, Cleaned and lubed the movement of this Glycine years ago, It went for a short while but then stopped and refused to move, I picked it up today and gave it a tap on the desk, I must have dislodged whatever was stopping it as it's been going fine all day and is still fairly in time with the clock I set it by!!
A few more..
They're all at the correct time but I took the pics in two lots at different times!
John
1980.
1964.
1970.
Cheers John.OOOOH!!
That's fab Neil, Never seen that model before!!
John
It's a calibre 265 from 1950/1 with a Denisteel case.
As you know expensive Swiss watches were cased up over here at that time due to huge import tariffs on complete watches.
Cheers,
Neil.
Neil- You made me remember my 265cal Omega steel, I found it minus a crown and a crack in the crystal at the bootsale for a quid so I took it to a local fella, He was BHI endorsed too but the trouble was that he was very old and didn't actually do the repairs, He outsourced to some very rubbish at his job..
It came back with the crown sticking out too far, They put a generic cown on as they said it would take ages to get a proper item from Switzerland, As it turned out, The crown was catching on my clothes with the approximately 1mm gap, It looked as though the crown was pulled to alter the time but it wasn't!, I took it back for the shaft shortening, I went to collect it a week or so later and the old fella said it needed to go back to Omega for the keyless work overhauling, In truth he'd just shortened the shaft too much so it wouldn't reach the lug on the pullpiece!, I started losing my temper and reminded him that i'd paid for a crystal that hadn't been fitted so he gave the watch to a spotty faced youth and told him to fit a crystal..
I took the watch home and unscrewed the crown then cut a small slither of Pot Noodle lid and pushed it down the crown threaded tube then screwed it back on, It was very lucky as I got the amount correct first time!
I started wearing the watch and didn't notice for a while that the crystal had fallen out! It was too small, Trouble was that the minute hand hooked on to my shirt and was pulled off it's shaft!
I just refitted it!!
The watch needs a service I think (Movement actually is very dirty!) along with a proper replacement glass!!
It looks like a baby watch alongside the Swiss Army!!
John
More great watches. Hard to choose between them but the Omega 265 and Seiko Skyliner others have commented on are particularly lovely.
Thanks for all the posts so far....they've got me off the fence after a decade...and I have something incoming from a member here which I hope to post soon :)
I'm on a bit of a vintage obsession at the moment...
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I have a fair collection of 50s and 60s Omegas, all of which were designed to be water-resistant to 30 metres. With the right care and attention these type of watches can usually be made waterproof again to an extent where they will keep splashed water out adequately. Most of mine are fine up to 30 metres, I`ve tested them when I`ve had them apart.
Deterioration of the rubber seal in the crown is the usual reason for a waterproof watch to leak. Pitting around the caseback and crystal seal areas are the other causes, but there are ways and means to address these problems.
Dealers like to spend as little as possible on watches for sale, so they use the disclaimer that old watches aren`t waterproof rather than spend money getting them right. Sad but true.
I`ve worked on old watches that have lost their WR, owners say they're not bothered because they 'won't get it wet' but I invariably persuade them otherwise, in my view it's bad practice for a repairer to send a watch back without addressing the WR issues. If the watch was never designed to be waterproof that's different, many old watches were supposedly dustproof and that's all, I take the view that these watches aren't really suited to routine daily wear.
Good to know they can be made water resistant again. I don't want to swim (or even shower) in them but would be nice to not have to worry day-to-day. Thanks.
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Getting a watch that was designed to be waterproof to seal correctly isn’t rocket science, but it can be a challenge.
Just finished work on a 1962 18ct Omega Seamaster, bought for my own collection in February. With a new crown and caseback seal the watch passed a 3 bar test with no problems. Provided it’s treated sensibly there’s no reason why this watch can’t be worn daily, getting it wet isn’t a problem and if it picks up scratches I can refinish it. The watch is 4 years younger than me, and its a great advertisement for not getting hung up on birth- year watches, simply buy what you like when it comes up for sale. This is a fine example of what Omega produced when they were on top of their game, with a cal 562 movement. One of the nicest watches I’ve ever bought.
That is splendid, tell us more?Vintage watches have an elegance that most modern bruisers lack IMO.
I love vintage Omegas and here is my favourite.
All original from the 1950's and in super ducky condition.
Edit: just seen your other post, very tempting!
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I don't think lve seen a single true "dress" watch on this thread. Admittedly they're "dressier" than many modern "sports" watches.
All these watches are three handers originally designed, and plenty robust enough, to be worn every day. And very nice they are too.
I've started to wear this again a lot more and it gets more comments than the others.
Bought 20 years ago and I think still looks as good today.
Yes always keep it waterproof. I used a wear a 1986 Omega Constellation 365 days a year and one day I was caught in a thunderstorm when riding a bicycle. When I got home I noticed the dreaded condensation inside the lens and an hour later it stopped.
That's a nice one John, and great buy for a quid, pity you got messed about with it.Neil- You made me remember my 265cal Omega steel, I found it minus a crown and a crack in the crystal at the bootsale for a quid so I took it to a local fella, He was BHI endorsed too but the trouble was that he was very old and didn't actually do the repairs, He outsourced to some very rubbish at his job..
The watch needs a service I think (Movement actually is very dirty!) along with a proper replacement glass!!
John
A good service and replacement crystal, it will be as good as new!
Yours is slightly older than mine going by the serial but in the same time frame as both are 12xxxxxx.
My case is a 13322 also although the number underneath is 7818.
Great to see mine's near relative.
Cheers,
Neil.
I’m wearing this today. Not a true dress watch but vintage and fits in with the general small size and subtle looks of most watches shown.
Eminently capable of every day wear as an almost identical one was the first watch on the top of Everest.
I wore this 1969 Rolex on a daily basis for a long time...loved it!
P9050525 copy-RS by Dave in Wales, on Flickr
P9070527 copy-RS by Dave in Wales, on Flickr
Inspired by all the beautiful pieces posted this arrived from another contributor to this thread on Tuesday and has been my vintage dress (ish) watch every day since.
Loving how light it is and how much it changes in different lights, angles etc.
Ryan
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Inspired by all the beautiful pieces posted this arrived from another contributor to this thread on Tuesday and has been my vintage dress (ish) watch every day since.
Loving how light it is and how much it changes in different lights, angles etc.
Ryan
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Very nice, Ryan. This thread is a breath of fresh air, some beautiful watches, whether the purist would see them as dress watches or not. I love a nice pie pan...
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