[moedawg140]

-I've had nothing but great experience with Neil at chronomaster.co.uk; he's got a nice (though not exhaustive!) collection of vintage watches on offer for what I consider reasonable prices.

I've also bought from watches.co.uk twice - no complaints, though my impression is that their mark-up is slightly higher than at Chronomaster.

Finally, chrono24.com is essentially the eBay of watches.

 
That's a pretty cool site, nice find!  I saw a few G-Shocks on there that aren't sold in the U.S., so it's good that you can go somewhere other than eBay (where I get some of my G-Shocks from) to purchase all types of watches.

 

[AxelCloris]

Have you guys seen the new Leonard & Church brand on Kickstarter? There's some nice looking designs in their lineup.
 
What's interesting me the most is their recently announced stretch goal. It's a lofty number, so I'm not sure if they'll make it but I love the looks of their chronograph watches in the silver finish.
 

 

[Aevum]

i dont get it, every cook with his own dream wants to get in to the allready saturated butique watch market,
 
Thats what 150 grand gets you,
 
Heres what a150 bucks gets you
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-chronograph-watches-63/seiko-neo-classic-chronograph-spc079p1-spc079p-spc079-3802.html
 
Hell, its 10 bucks cheaper on leather
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-chronograph-watches-63/seiko-neo-classic-chronograph-spc087p1-spc087p-spc087-3797.html
 
Also, Citizen has this ugly tendency to only allow OEM customers access to their lower end movements, while their higher end movements are reserved for in house brands, meaning you wont find any non citizen Ecodrives or Precisionists.

 

[Suisou]

   
Please do. Images are good.

Ask and ye shall receive.
 
I owned a lot of watches over the years, many Omegas and Tissots, but this one has turned to be my favorite. Not initially, (not by a long shot), but it has all the qualities I look for in a watch; exceptionally accurate, simplistic face and strong - but short and frequent - sweeps.
 


 
 
 
IMO, nothing will ever beat a mechanical watch. Quartz is a joke.

 

[zilch0md]

I greatly respect a fine, purely mechanical timepiece, but there's still a lot to love about a quartz movement that's never off by more than a half a second on any given day, all year long, year after year. It's just thrilling to randomly access the Naval Observatory whenever I feel like it, and always see the exact same time perfectly in sync on my wrist.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f21/citizen-eco-drive-world-chronograph-at8010-58e-747471-2.html#post7297616

 

[AxelCloris]

I greatly respect a fine, purely mechanical timepiece, but there's still a lot to love about a quartz movement that's never off by more than a half a second on any given day, all year long, year after year. It's just thrilling to randomly access the Naval Observatory whenever I feel like it, and always see the exact same time perfectly in sync on my wrist.

http://forums.watchuseek.com/f21/citizen-eco-drive-world-chronograph-at8010-58e-747471-2.html#post7297616

 
I had a Casio atomic syncing wristwatch. I miss it. It was wonderful never having to worry about it being accurate. The Citizen line is damned sexy too. I hope to have one some day.

 

[OddE]

  IMO, nothing will ever beat a mechanical watch. Quartz is a joke.

 
-I, too prefer mechanical watches, but mostly for emotional reasons.
 
Quartz still has got a lot going for it, though - in my book lower maintenance and greater accuracy are the most important ones (But then again, that begs the question - how accurate do you need? My most accurate mechanical watch is consistently running approx. 2/3 of a second a day fast - so I just set it back a little whenever I have to unscrew the crown to set the date every two months.).
 
While there's no denying that I enjoy the idea of having a small machine with dozens of moving parts in it, right there on my wrist keeping track of time - there's a lot to marvel at in a quartz, as well. Accurate to within less than a second a year (and that is even before we bring DCF77 or GPS correction into the picture!), counting out the vibrations of a tiny crystal with extreme precision, tiny stepper motors moving the hands... And it all fits inside a small watch case, and runs off (considering how long the batteries last) an electron or two a minute.
 
Now, if only someone would make a watch with a nice, temperature compensated quartz movement and make the hands sweep rather than jump... (Yes, I know such designs exist. Even funnier, though - I've seen jumping second mechanical watches...)

 

[Suisou]

   
-I, too prefer mechanical watches, but mostly for emotional reasons.
 
Quartz still has got a lot going for it, though - in my book lower maintenance and greater accuracy are the most important ones (But then again, that begs the question - how accurate do you need? My most accurate mechanical watch is consistently running approx. 2/3 of a second a day fast - so I just set it back a little whenever I have to unscrew the crown to set the date every two months.).
 
While there's no denying that I enjoy the idea of having a small machine with dozens of moving parts in it, right there on my wrist keeping track of time - there's a lot to marvel at in a quartz, as well. Accurate to within less than a second a year (and that is even before we bring DCF77 or GPS correction into the picture!), counting out the vibrations of a tiny crystal with extreme precision, tiny stepper motors moving the hands... And it all fits inside a small watch case, and runs off (considering how long the batteries last) an electron or two a minute.
 
Now, if only someone would make a watch with a nice, temperature compensated quartz movement and make the hands sweep rather than jump... (Yes, I know such designs exist. Even funnier, though - I've seen jumping second mechanical watches...)

 
And I agree with the points you've made, but I guess I am bitter over the quartz crisis. 
 
As humans, we are obsessed with time. But I do not require the accuracy of a chronometer or the detailing of a patek phillipe. I've owned three Tissot Seastars and oddly enough, I prefer them over my Omegas as a daily driver. Each keeps time accurately on the minute of each day, which is enough for me. 
 
Quartz watches lack....intimacy....for the lack of a better word between the object and owner. Mechanical watches, especially those built pre 1980's, are built to be timepieces that transcends time. 
 
I do though, hold the spaceview in a special light. 

 

[OddE]

Hi,
 
I definitely see where you are coming from. I have a small-ish collection that I am very happy with - and my favourite chronograph is a mid-seventies Tissot Seastar Navigator, currently being serviced. (Its Lemania 1281 has been ticking merrily away for a decade since the last service, so I figured it was high time I give it some TLC.).
 
I agree that mechanical watches has got some cachet which is difficult, if not impossible for quartzes to achieve; in my case, I think it comes down primarily to the idea that my mechanicals may have been put together by real watchmakers, whereas my quartz watches are the result of robots doing their thing. (Nevermind that robots do just about everything on any mechanical watch you can buy without taking out a mortgage... )
 
Oh, and Accutrons? I love the idea of essentially tapping a tuning fork to tell the time. Hardly ever see them in the flesh around here, though. Bit of a shame.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

Quote:

   
And I agree with the points you've made, but I guess I am bitter over the quartz crisis. 
 
 

 
Haha.  Don't be!  A lot of great designs, innovations and ideas were spawned because of it.
 
Quartz almost destroyed the mechanical watch market and in reaction watch makers had to react and develop reason for people to still invest in mechanical pieces.  The result was the weak and non-versatile companies falling and the innovative ones surviving.  We wouldn't have the Royal Oak (for example) if it wasn't for the "Quartz Crisis".  It forced companies to refine their visions, change their marketing, and above all, brought the industry into the 21st century as a whole.  It revolutionized the watch manufacturing process as a whole, both quartz and mechanical.  
 
There are a lot of people that look down their noses at Quartz watch because they are less "romantic" or they don't "have a soul".  As a collector, I get it.  Believe me, I get it.  The idea of a watch maker tirelessly crafting my watch, inspecting each part with love and care versus the cold stamped out -TICK -TICK -TICK of quartz.
 
But that's all it is: a romantic idea.
 
Almost every mechanical watch is largely machine made, regardless of price (yes, even Patek and Lang) despite what the marketing tells you about it. 
 
There are a lot of exceptional quartz watches out there, you know!  The Omega X-33, Breitling Aerospace and yes, the G-SHOCK and Ironman all come to mind.  If I wanted a reliable accurate watch, at any price point, it is hard to beat a Seiko sbcm023 thanks to its high frequency quartz guts.  What about the Patek Twenty-4?  Or all the Reverso Quartz models?  Or, as mentioned above, the Accutron?  Or, above all, ANY watch with a Beta caliber.  The list goes on...
 
Don't hate quartz  There is a lot of good there.  Will it ever replace mechanical watches?  I don't think so: no more than photography will replace painting.  They are just very different processes with different applications.  But have their pros and cons.
 
But that's just my 2 cents.  Now I have to go and wind my watches.

 

[gradofan1]

   
Haha.  Don't be!  A lot of great designs, innovations and ideas were spawned because of it.
 
Quartz almost destroyed the mechanical watch market and in reaction watch makers had to react and develop reason for people to still invest in mechanical pieces.  The result was the weak and non-versatile companies falling and the innovative ones surviving.  We wouldn't have the Royal Oak (for example) if it wasn't for the "Quartz Crisis".  It forced companies to refine their visions, change their marketing, and above all, brought the industry into the 21st century as a whole.  It revolutionized the watch manufacturing process as a whole, both quartz and mechanical.  
 
There are a lot of people that look down their noses at Quartz watch because they are less "romantic" or they don't "have a soul".  As a collector, I get it.  Believe me, I get it.  The idea of a watch maker tirelessly crafting my watch, inspecting each part with love and care versus the cold stamped out -TICK -TICK -TICK of quartz.
 
But that's all it is: a romantic idea.
 
Almost every mechanical watch is largely machine made, regardless of price (yes, even Patek and Lang) despite what the marketing tells you about it. 
 
There are a lot of exceptional quartz watches out there, you know!  The Omega X-33, Breitling Aerospace and yes, the G-SHOCK and Ironman all come to mind.  If I wanted a reliable accurate watch, at any price point, it is hard to beat a Seiko sbcm023 thanks to its high frequency quartz guts.  What about the Patek Twenty-4?  Or all the Reverso Quartz models?  Or, as mentioned above, the Accutron?  Or, above all, ANY watch with a Beta caliber.  The list goes on...
 
Don't hate quartz  There is a lot of good there.  Will it ever replace mechanical watches?  I don't think so: no more than photography will replace painting.  They are just very different processes with different applications.  But have their pros and cons.
 
But that's just my 2 cents.  Now I have to go and wind my watches.

+1. Don't hate Quartz just because they're found in cheap ($30) to ridiculously expensive ($2000+ for an Omega, TAG, Breitling, etc). I have the "poor man's/newer revision" of the Omega X33 (aka the Seamaster Multifunction 120m)..  
 
EVEN ROLEX AND PATEK MADE QUARTZ IN THE 80'S!! I know hard to believe, but as mentioned above, Quartz was predicted to be the future of watches at the time.
 
Also, there are different types of Quartz's. Some have no jewels, (mostly cheaper Japanese Quartz movements), some swiss ETA with more jewels (actual gemstones, usually rubies) to increase accuracy. My Baume & Mercier Quartz's have a ridiculous 15-17 jewels, about the starting point of an automatic! 
 
I don't hate on mechanical either. There's some charm about it, especially if it has a see-through caseback. And a watch winder helps so you don't have to wear it everyday. But a cheap Seiko 5 auto/mechanical will not keep time very well, for ~$70. 
 
 
P.S. If anyone here wants advice on any watch or wants to trade/partial trade/buy watches, I'm always here with over 30+ 

 

 

[bigfatpaulie]

The Oyster Quartz was introduced in 1970 and was regular production until 2001 I believe - way past the 80's 

 
Rolex still makes quartz watche in their Cellini line.
 
As far as I know, of the big brands the only one that has always avoided quartz is Blancpain.  Basically every other brand has offered a quartz piece somewhere along the line.  Quartz is just part the watch world, and that's okay.

 

[gradofan1]

  The Oyster Quartz was introduced in 1970 and was regular production until 2001 I believe - way past the 80's 

 
Rolex still makes quartz watche in their Cellini line.
 
As far as I know, of the big brands the only one that has always avoided quartz is Blancpain.  Basically every other brand has offered a quartz piece somewhere along the line.  Quartz is just part the watch world, and that's okay.

Blancpain or Jaeger LeCoutre? That's like 1 to 10 x Sennheiser Orpheous HE90!! (depending on model... wish I could afford a LeCoutre gyroscopic tourbillion).  
 
Are you sure about the Cellini line? I thought they were all hand-wound mechanical... beautiful because they're the only Rolex (I think) to have an exhibition back so you can see the movement. 

 

[bigfatpaulie]

JLC currently makes several quartz watches: The Classic Reverso is available in both manual and quartz currently, for example.  Also the Rendez-Vous and several ladies Reverso's are available in quartz. 
 
Yes, the Cellini line offered several quartz watches until about 3 years ago like the 6321, 6623, 6633 and the Cellissima (6671 which is current production)...  Off the top of my head...  But I'm sure there are more.

 

[mutabor]

 
Heres what a150 bucks gets you
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-chronograph-watches-63/seiko-neo-classic-chronograph-spc079p1-spc079p-spc079-3802.html
 
Hell, its 10 bucks cheaper on leather
http://www.creationwatches.com/products/seiko-chronograph-watches-63/seiko-neo-classic-chronograph-spc087p1-spc087p-spc087-3797.html
 
Also, Citizen has this ugly tendency to only allow OEM customers access to their lower end movements, while their higher end movements are reserved for in house brands, meaning you wont find any non citizen Ecodrives or Precisionists.

 
In the same price range and style I like Citizen Corso BM7100-59E ( $160 with current discounts on Amazon 20% off + promo code). Eco-Drive, sapphire crystal, not too large 41mm. Because I'm so tight on budget I decided to buy Citizen BM8180-03E for $87 incl. tax on Amazon.
 

 
There is another military Citizen watch which I was considering to buy BM6400-00E. They were $110 couple of months ago on Amazon then returned to usual $140. But now they are not available in different places.
 
 
 
The same design watch as BM6400 but titanium and sapphire crystal and Royal Marines Commando logo. This is a pretty cool watch. I wish it was widely available and cheaper.