Reply With Quoteunfashionable on here but i really like this nifty automatic chrono from Raymond Weil, late 90's i think. The quality and finish is excellent complete with sapphire capped pusher and crown, and can be had for a song relatively speaking.
This is a thread for watches produced in the good old days when you could walk into any any official watch dealers and buy 99% of the range available without a special handshake.
This was my first divers watch, which i bought in 1979 from a Migros supermarket in Switzerland with my pocket money.
Migros is the equivalent of Tesco here, so to be able to buy a swiss made watch in a supermarket with an ETA automatic movement now seems somewhat extraordinary.
I paid around SF140 for it, (I can't remember the exact price), but at that time the FX rate was about 3.5 Franks to £ so it cost around £40
the movement is an ETA 2783 (25 J) and i wound it recently and it started working immidiately. it has a screwdown crown, and is around 44mm (but i've not measured it.)
the photo is as i found it when i got it out of a box for the first time in 10 years. i think it now deserves a clean.
The strap is not original, as the original corroded after i used it in the sea !! so it was replaced with a Seiko strap in the mid 80's
(PS appologies for the sideways image .... it is right way up on my PC, and i don't know how to rotate it on the post)
unfashionable on here but i really like this nifty automatic chrono from Raymond Weil, late 90's i think. The quality and finish is excellent complete with sapphire capped pusher and crown, and can be had for a song relatively speaking.
ktmog6uk
marchingontogether!
Originally Posted by ktmog6uk
unfashionable on here but i really like this nifty automatic chrono from Raymond Weil, late 90's i think. The quality and finish is excellent complete with sapphire capped pusher and crown, and can be had for a song relatively speaking.
That's one of the best looking RW's i've seen !!
I admire people who have kept hold of things from their childhood.This is a thread for watches produced in the good old days when you could walk into any any official watch dealers and buy 99% of the range available without a special handshake.
This was my first divers watch, which i bought in 1979 from a Migros supermarket in Switzerland with my pocket money.
Migros is the equivalent of Tesco here, so to be able to buy a swiss made watch in a supermarket with an ETA automatic movement now seems somewhat extraordinary.
I paid around SF140 for it, (I can't remember the exact price), but at that time the FX rate was about 3.5 Franks to £ so it cost around £40
the movement is an ETA 2783 (25 J) and i wound it recently and it started working immidiately. it has a screwdown crown, and is around 44mm (but i've not measured it.)
the photo is as i found it when i got it out of a box for the first time in 10 years. i think it now deserves a clean.
The strap is not original, as the original corroded after i used it in the sea !! so it was replaced with a Seiko strap in the mid 80's
(PS appologies for the sideways image .... it is right way up on my PC, and i don't know how to rotate it on the post)
The problem is i'm a bloody hoarder....
keep every old bit of tosh, (but glad i hung onto that)
That bracelet is very reminiscent of some of the IWC Aquatimers, though I expect the release mechanism for the links is rather different?
My favourite pre 2000 watch.....the classic Breitling Aviastar.
These Mirexals are probably the last thing that vintage hype hoodinkee guys have not discovered. Great watches. The one you have has a Monnin type case.This is a thread for watches produced in the good old days when you could walk into any any official watch dealers and buy 99% of the range available without a special handshake.
This was my first divers watch, which i bought in 1979 from a Migros supermarket in Switzerland with my pocket money.
Migros is the equivalent of Tesco here, so to be able to buy a swiss made watch in a supermarket with an ETA automatic movement now seems somewhat extraordinary.
I paid around SF140 for it, (I can't remember the exact price), but at that time the FX rate was about 3.5 Franks to £ so it cost around £40
the movement is an ETA 2783 (25 J) and i wound it recently and it started working immidiately. it has a screwdown crown, and is around 44mm (but i've not measured it.)
the photo is as i found it when i got it out of a box for the first time in 10 years. i think it now deserves a clean.
The strap is not original, as the original corroded after i used it in the sea !! so it was replaced with a Seiko strap in the mid 80's
(PS appologies for the sideways image .... it is right way up on my PC, and i don't know how to rotate it on the post)
I remember in around 1995, I was working in the Tower Records store in Piccadilly Circus. how we laughed at "Mick Thick" because he'd got a bank loan for £1,000 to buy a no date Rolex Submariner. If he's still got it I bet he's laughing now...
I think the period from ca 1995-2005 was a golden era for watches, even taking account of inflation prices were far more affordable and availability wasn`t a problem, there were far more shops too than today. I have a couple of old Omega catalogues with pricelists from this period, quality was very affordable in those days. I`m not convinced the offerings of today are significantly better despite the technical advances, the differences certainly don't justify the prices.
That is absolutely fantastic.My favourite pre 2000 watch.....the classic Breitling Aviastar.
I agree
I bought my first nice watch in 2001 at the age of 20 - a Speedmaster reduced it cost less than £1000. Is the modern equivalent auto Speedmaster any better? Nope! Would most 20 year olds be able to buy a nice watch now? Probably not at the current prices (you could argue most would not want own and would prefer an Apple Watch)
Between late 90s and ca2005 watch prices were very stable. In 2004 I was fortunate to get a Speedmaster Reduced 3510.50 as a 30 year long service award from my employer, They had a catalogue and points system, 30 yrs didn’t get me enough points so I had to contribute £183! List price was around £950 and discounts of 10% were readily available. The SMP bond was a tad over £1100. A work colleague got a quartz SMP from Cosco for around £600! Watches were affordable, and with a few exceptions parts were readily available.
It started going crazy around 2011 when watch prices started to spiral upwards, by 2015 Swatch Group stopped supplying parts to wholesalers. The only upside for folks who already owned several decent watches has been the increase in value as second- hand prices have climbed, but I feel the whole watch scene is far less healthy and enjoyable than it was 15-20 years ago. Maybe the folks paying over £5k for a new SMP will find it so reassuringly expensive that they’ll disagree with me!
Much appreciated.
It's a Breitling classic c.1997
Here's one of my fave chronos from days gone by:
Twinjet Navitimer 47mm, made for pilots with bad eyesight.
Much battered, much loved, don't want to improve its condition, the patches make the goodbye harder still.
That's lovely Alec.Here's one of my fave chronos from days gone by:
Twinjet Navitimer 47mm, made for pilots with bad eyesight.
Much battered, much loved, don't want to improve its condition, the patches make the goodbye harder still.
Cheers,
Neil.
I had the maroon dialled version - sold it on here years ago.My favourite pre 2000 watch.....the classic Breitling Aviastar.
TBH I prefer a 3-6-9 layout on a chrono.
Cheers,
Neil.
Thanks Neil.That's lovely Alec.
I forgot to mention that it dates from the early 1970s I think.
An unpopular version of the Seamaster from the mid-80s, pre-Bond, 40mm, automatic.
It's a favourite of mine, the regular daily wearer.
Owned it for 16 years. It came from TOWS for around £500. It was a little tatty around the edges so I sent it to Omega for servicing and it came back with quite a few replacement parts which I was happy with as it wasn't a watch I was particularly fussed about keeping with all of its scrapes acquired since new.
I think they can still be found at a reasonable price, automatic or quartz. I guess its day is still to come with collectors, if ever. Well I like it.
Just bought a 36mm Quartz Pre-Bond from SC.
Love it. Just wish the strap had some adjustment in it =)
Looks a nice example. I think one reason for fewer fans is the integrated bracelet. I have enough links and it is a good fit. If I had bigger wrists, I would need more links. I have seen them on EBay and a Japanese market place.Just bought a 36mm Quartz Pre-Bond from SC.
Love it. Just wish the strap had some adjustment in it =)
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You need to remove the EXIF data from the photo (google has instructions) and then save it in the orientation you prefer.
They were a nice set and they had the obligatory 7750 sub-dial layout back then.
The prototype was shown on the Aviastar booklet and it had a flat dial. I think they did a nice job with the production dial as it gave it a much more interesting look.
Last edited by j111dja; 28th March 2023 at 21:39.
Wow, does that mean i've accidentally got something cool and trendy !!
i'm going to start wearing it again now.
I think it needs a leather or NATO strap.
Gift from wife in late 80's or early 90's...rather like the two-tone style
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That's my new favourite Breitling.... love the classic style, monochrome look, and raised glass. it's a thing of beauty....My favourite pre 2000 watch.....the classic Breitling Aviastar.
I want one !!
Some lovely watches in the thread, and a topic here that I agree with. I was happier being a WIS in the early 2000s!
I've recently put a Panerai back on my wrist, and it's a C-series from 2000.
That, along with the 3706 from 2000 that I picked up yesterday on the SC solidifies my love for that era of watches!
TopTime 2000 from the early 60s, inherited from my father when he passed away.
It needs a service actually, as the chrono isn't working. Any recommendations from the forum?
Last edited by jjjamie; 30th March 2023 at 11:24.
Lovely watch with great potential. I must add a TopTime to my collection.
Very nice watch and worth getting fixed.TopTime 2000 from the early 60s, inherited from my father when he passed away.
It needs a service actually, as the chrono isn't working. Any recommendations from the forum?
I have the silver dial version.
Cheers,
Neil.
Silver dial is lovely Neil! I would probably wear more often if mine were silver. I need to change the strap I think, then it will feel more like mine, and less like his...
Longines ultra-chron Flagship has an unusual movement, with a high 36,000 beats per hour
Tz Longines Ulra-chron Flagship.jpg
Tz Longines Ulra-chron Flagship back.jpg
Last edited by ChronoPantera; 1st April 2023 at 00:16.
Pretty much unthinkable now, and just outside of the OPs time range, but in 2001 I saw this in an ADs window in a shopping centre, walked in and bought it there and then. Don’t get me wrong, I needed to put most of the cost on interest free credit, but the fact of the matter remains that back then (doesn’t really seem that long ago) you could just pop out and buy a sports Rolex!
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I walked into Northern Goldsmiths in Newcastle in 1984, got a 15% discount for paying with cash and walked out with my Datejust which I've owned ever since. My only true keeper.
F.T.F.A.
Go for it.
Interest free sounds better than blowing the £'s all upfront if given the choice. (I'm guessing back then an RRP of between £3 and £4k)Pretty much unthinkable now, and just outside of the OPs time range, but in 2001 I saw this in an ADs window in a shopping centre, walked in and bought it there and then. Don’t get me wrong, I needed to put most of the cost on interest free credit, but the fact of the matter remains that back then (doesn’t really seem that long ago) you could just pop out and buy a sports Rolex!
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We live in crazy times as really one should be able to walk into a shop and buy what they sell !!
Does tis count?
It's a 97 model I bought for1500 usd in 2004
...
BUBI
@porque.racing
I can relate to this. I had my first nice watch in the nineties when I was eighteen, that was a Breitling Colt, which was about nine hundred quid. I followed it up with a Seamaster Pro, which was just over a grand. Great watches, certainly not cheap but not ridiculous and superb quality.
When I look at today’s offerings, the prices are insane. A Submariner is eight grand (I’m wearing one - it isn’t worth eight grand, certainly not the ten plus it sells for second hand), a Seamaster is five grand, again, not worth it, a Speedmaster is seven or eight grand? Truly ridiculous prices.
My old man question, and witho it wanting to sound like a knob, I’m well off and I think these things are pricey - so who is buying these overpriced watches to give Watches of Switzerland record sales?
I had Breitling UK service a Chronomat for me recently, I was surprised how quickly it came back.TopTime 2000 from the early 60s, inherited from my father when he passed away.
It needs a service actually, as the chrono isn't working. Any recommendations from the forum?
how long did they take to service it, and how much did they charge ?
I’m sure this was relatively inexpensive in 1966.
You guys are dangerous! Now I’ve started down a rabbit hole and ended up wanting one of these - 100m wrt and you CAN operate the pushers under water.
Last edited by MartynJC (UK); 6th May 2023 at 22:58.
“ Ford... you're turning into a penguin. Stop it.” HHGTTG
Absolutely lovely watch that and has been on my radar for a long while. Extremely rare to come across second hand and if they do it’s quite pricey.
You guys are dangerous! Now I’ve started down a rabbit hole and ended up wanting one of these - 100m wrt and you CAN operate the pushers under water.
I love anything Lemania 5100 powered, it was like the small block chevy of watches. Stuffed into all manner of brands.
My favourite is my Heuer 510.503
My best mate at school had that exact watch (well, not quite, there were 2 versions, one with the more shallow "etched" bezel (like above) and his was the one with the deeply engraved bezel. Just before we left school in the late 1980s I remember him muttering about having to have it serviced for more than the watch cost him to buy (so there clearly was some inflation then). But he was a qualified dive instructor, so needed it done.This is a thread for watches produced in the good old days when you could walk into any any official watch dealers and buy 99% of the range available without a special handshake.
This was my first divers watch, which i bought in 1979 from a Migros supermarket in Switzerland with my pocket money.
Migros is the equivalent of Tesco here, so to be able to buy a swiss made watch in a supermarket with an ETA automatic movement now seems somewhat extraordinary.
I paid around SF140 for it, (I can't remember the exact price), but at that time the FX rate was about 3.5 Franks to £ so it cost around £40
the movement is an ETA 2783 (25 J) and i wound it recently and it started working immidiately. it has a screwdown crown, and is around 44mm (but i've not measured it.)
the photo is as i found it when i got it out of a box for the first time in 10 years. i think it now deserves a clean.
The strap is not original, as the original corroded after i used it in the sea !! so it was replaced with a Seiko strap in the mid 80's
(PS appologies for the sideways image .... it is right way up on my PC, and i don't know how to rotate it on the post)
I have looked for one of these recently on Ebay, and they are rising, although as commented above, not subject to anything like the inflation that other Monnin-cased watches have done.
My entry into watches was a Speedmaster Mk 4.5 (the 176.0012), I remember being amazed that I could buy a used one for $750, sent to me from the states. That started a whole spree of Porsche Design chronos, all at similar prices, and everything went from there.
I remember when I was in my twenties, I went through a phase of buying a lot of SMPs, enjoying them for a short while and flipping them to buy the next thing.
They came in full size, which is 41mm and mid-size, which are smaller at 36mm. Safe to say the full size suits me much better but I had a few mid-size at a decent price and flipped them to fund the next thing.
Best price I ever got for a Seamaster Pro was for a mid-size quartz with no box or papers in need of a bit of TLC, but then I made the owner a really cheeky offer given what came with and the condition and picked it up for a hair over £250.
Can you imagine getting an Omega diver for a few hundred now? It seems like a lifetime ago in prices.
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There's a fauxtina version of that that's IMHO even nicer and I want it so much. But so hard to come acrossYou guys are dangerous! Now I’ve started down a rabbit hole and ended up wanting one of these - 100m wrt and you CAN operate the pushers under water.
I bought my 5146J back in 2006 and still have it. Now discontinued but other Annual Calendars are available
Lovely, not so easy to find now.Gift from wife in late 80's or early 90's...rather like the two-tone style
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"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
You might not be so keen if you had to fix one.......or pay for it sorting out! A couple of serious design flaws exist, but in fairness they were never designed to last 40+ years. I won’t touch them, putting the date mechanism back together with the acrylic plastic top plate is like playing Russian Roulette, what a stupid piece of design!
If the date mechanism goes faulty you've got problems, the aficionados will defend this movement but don’t let them fool you, it was mass- produced and designed to be cheap to manufacture.
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 26th April 2023 at 20:29.
This one?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155502953...mis&media=COPY
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