closing tag is in template navbar
timefactors watches



TZ-UK Fundraiser
Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Smiths PRS-37 Seafire Mechanical

  1. #1
    Journeyman fm.tz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    England, England
    Posts
    173

    Smiths PRS-37 Seafire Mechanical

    I've been looking at the Smiths Seafire for a while now and I love its looks; how it's so similar to the Spitfire/Seafire's cockpit clock (one of which my grandfather kept in his Alpha Romeo after the war).

    But I do think a watch such as this should be mechanical to truly reflect the era and pay tribute to the mechanical wonder that was the Spitfire/Seafire.

    Would you be interested in this watch, or maybe buy it immediately, if it had a mechanical movement...?

    Attachment 18204
    Attachment 18205
    Last edited by fm.tz; 29th August 2020 at 16:37.

  2. #2
    Administrator swanbourne's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Sheffield, England
    Posts
    47,488
    Whilst this model hasn't lost me money, it hasn't been a commercial success.

    Eddie
    Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".

  3. #3
    Journeyman fm.tz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    England, England
    Posts
    173
    Quote Originally Posted by swanbourne View Post
    Whilst this model hasn't lost me money, it hasn't been a commercial success.

    Eddie
    Eddie,

    Thanks for the reply. Might it sell better with a mechanical movement? I guess a lot of people love Time Factors / Smiths because of your mechanical watches and are less interested in the quartz watches? Do the sales numbers tally with that view?

    NB. I have NO idea how easy/difficult it would be to fit a mechanical movement into that case. I'd buy one tomorrow if you offered a mechanical version.

  4. #4
    Grand Master Dave+63's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
    Location
    East Sussex
    Posts
    15,860
    I’ve had nth the Seafire and the Black Shadow. Whilst both are great watches, I found the Seafire sat too high due to the large battery necesssry for the unique quartz movement. The black shadow with the mechanical movement was a great improvement but I eventually felt that the dial was a bit gimmicky.

    The Black Shadow with a Seafire dial would really hit the sweet spot. Got to keep the Vincent engraving on the case back though!

  5. #5
    Journeyman fm.tz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Location
    England, England
    Posts
    173
    Quote Originally Posted by Dave+63 View Post
    I’ve had nth the Seafire and the Black Shadow. Whilst both are great watches, I found the Seafire sat too high due to the large battery necesssry for the unique quartz movement. The black shadow with the mechanical movement was a great improvement but I eventually felt that the dial was a bit gimmicky.

    The Black Shadow with a Seafire dial would really hit the sweet spot. Got to keep the Vincent engraving on the case back though!
    Thanks Dave,
    I thought the Seafire was only c. 9.3 mm thick?

    ....oh I see, it's 9.3 mm without the case-back but 12.1 mm with it, yes that is quite thick. Maybe a thinner case-back would be possible with a new movement, without changing the main case design.

    Attachment 18206
    Attachment 18207


    TZ-UK mobile app

  6. #6
    Master
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    London
    Posts
    1,392
    I love my Seafire. In some ways, I find it’s the best of both mechanical and quartz worlds. In other ways, it feels wonderfully unique: setting the time is involving, for example (similar to how aspects of owning a mechanical movement are involving).

    Quote Originally Posted by swanbourne View Post
    Whilst this model hasn't lost me money, it hasn't been a commercial success.
    I wonder how much the movement is a factor, and whether black PVD could matter. I bet sales of regular steel watches far outweigh sales of black watches. (I thought twice before buying a PVD watch.)

    If the ISA movement was in something vaguely resembling a PRS-18 case, then I’d be reaching for my MasterCard immediately!

  7. #7
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    North Riding, UK
    Posts
    478
    With having been fortunate enough to spend a few years maintaining Spits I'd tend to agree, a watch harking back to this era would be more authentic as a mechanical.

    Likewise not a great fan of a PVD casing either, having used a CWC Black Sapphire as an everyday watch for a while I noticed the case started to look a little shabby, so eventually I sold it on; obviously not a consideration if being used purely as a tool watch such as a military issue SBS.

    Still have an own purchase CWC SBS but tend to wear it when I'm not likely to be getting it knocked about, plus its a very limited Special CWC produced just a handful of in 2018 with a non PVD matte bezel.

  8. #8
    Grand Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Sussex
    Posts
    13,888
    Blog Entries
    1
    Quote Originally Posted by Ed875 View Post
    With having been fortunate enough to spend a few years maintaining Spits I'd tend to agree, a watch harking back to this era would be more authentic as a mechanical.

    Likewise not a great fan of a PVD casing either, having used a CWC Black Sapphire as an everyday watch for a while I noticed the case started to look a little shabby, so eventually I sold it on; obviously not a consideration if being used purely as a tool watch such as a military issue SBS.

    Still have an own purchase CWC SBS but tend to wear it when I'm not likely to be getting it knocked about, plus its a very limited Special CWC produced just a handful of in 2018 with a non PVD matte bezel.
    Face it, post about 1942, the Spitfire had a blanking plate where the clock went, the lovely Jaeger Chronoflight barely made it past the design stage the Smiths eight day barely past the BoB and nothing came out of Castle Bromwich with more than an adapter plate for the day clock covered with a blanking plate in case a clock needed to be fitted.

    As a rule day fighter pilots were not even issued with:



    There's a very real possibility that the most clocked Spitfire was the Russian war weary ones which arrived with no clock and were promptly re equipped with the Russian rip off of the Jaeger, as opposed to the British rip off of the Jaeger, the Ed.Jaeger, Or rather Smiths.

    Most modern Spitfires have a far later clock fitted and it is worth bearing in mind that the early stuff is the most radioactive clock or watch I've ever measured, so it's probably just as well.

    Mine fits my 'cockpit' instrumentation perfectly:

    Last edited by M4tt; 29th November 2020 at 14:45.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by swanbourne View Post
    Whilst this model hasn't lost me money, it hasn't been a commercial success.

    Eddie
    That surprises me as I think it is an excellent tool watch: easy-to-read face, easy-to-grip crown and with the most robust PVD coating of any watch I've owned.



    My favourite combo out of the water.


    R
    Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.

  10. #10
    Grand Master Daddelvirks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Leiden- Netherlands
    Posts
    39,769
    Blog Entries
    1
    There’s an ex collegae still walking around with one, non wis, but got interested because of my stories and needed a watch to go everywhere on his bicycle adventures with him. It has been to Africa, Russia and even the UK! You might have seen him Ralph, he loves the west country ;) But to cut a long story short, the PVD still looks remarkably well, and he doesn’t baby his watch.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Do Not Sell My Personal Information