[us.classic]

 

[KcMsterpce]

I gave away 60-70 watches from my Soviet Era and G-Shock collection and only have a few left. The money didn't mean anything to me and it was more valuable to see the reaction of the people I gave them to. The people who did and did not appreciate it were easy to tell apart.

Too easy sometime. I gave a girl a Limited Edition Adult Swim Dethklok G-Shock and she sold it to buy booze before the day was over.

I'm the same way. Usually with guitars, but it's also been that way with headphones.
I prefer to give something away, and/or give a MASSIVE discount to someone that I know will appreciate the item versus someone that I can see is just going to flip it.
Good Moment: I went to Vietnam, and the hotel in Da Nang had a Filipino band playing there. One of my co-workers made me go up on stage and play "Enter Sandman". The guy's guitar was almost unplayable. When I got back home, I bought a red wine flame top Epiphone Les Paul, switched out the pickups and rewired the internals. It was a very well-honed, capable machine.
When I went BACK to the hotel a couple months later, I gave the guitarist that guitar as a gift. He was so grateful. He later e-mailed me and said that he gave his old guitar to his church. WIN/WIN!

Bad Moment: I had an Ibanez JS-100 guitar (Joe Satriani model). On the 21st fret is a nameplate that was supposed to say "Joe Satriani", but it said "Steve Vai" instead. I thought that was a curious oddity, so I bought the guitar. I met Joe at a Guitar Center in Seattle, and he signed it.
When I lost my job, I had to sell it on eBay. The dude that picked it up barely even looked at it, and I was saying "It has great action, try it out." He said "I believe you" and just packed it up and put it in his car. I saw it for sale on eBay the next day.
I would rather have given that for free to someone than just sell it to a jerk that doesn't care about anything but some dollars.

Then there was the time where I gave about $2500 worth of headphones to a friend that liked music, and made no money. When he got the box, he thought he was just getting one set of headphones, not 5. He took a pic of the 24" x 18" x 8" box and was like "WOAHHH! What is THIS?!" haha
One of the headphones I gave him was the Hifiman HE560. It broke. He contacted Hifiman, and they gave him a newer version/release. For free. They are now his absolute, all-time favorite headphones.

THAT kind of stuff makes me happy inside.

 

[JamieMcC]

I'm the same way. Usually with guitars, but it's also been that way with headphones.
I prefer to give something away, and/or give a MASSIVE discount to someone that I know will appreciate the item versus someone that I can see is just going to flip it.
Good Moment: I went to Vietnam, and the hotel in Da Nang had a Filipino band playing there. One of my co-workers made me go up on stage and play "Enter Sandman". The guy's guitar was almost unplayable. When I got back home, I bought a red wine flame top Epiphone Les Paul, switched out the pickups and rewired the internals. It was a very well-honed, capable machine.
When I went BACK to the hotel a couple months later, I gave the guitarist that guitar as a gift. He was so grateful. He later e-mailed me and said that he gave his old guitar to his church. WIN/WIN!

Bad Moment: I had an Ibanez JS-100 guitar (Joe Satriani model). On the 21st fret is a nameplate that was supposed to say "Joe Satriani", but it said "Steve Vai" instead. I thought that was a curious oddity, so I bought the guitar. I met Joe at a Guitar Center in Seattle, and he signed it.
When I lost my job, I had to sell it on eBay. The dude that picked it up barely even looked at it, and I was saying "It has great action, try it out." He said "I believe you" and just packed it up and put it in his car. I saw it for sale on eBay the next day.
I would rather have given that for free to someone than just sell it to a jerk that doesn't care about anything but some dollars.

Then there was the time where I gave about $2500 worth of headphones to a friend that liked music, and made no money. When he got the box, he thought he was just getting one set of headphones, not 5. He took a pic of the 24" x 18" x 8" box and was like "WOAHHH! What is THIS?!" haha
One of the headphones I gave him was the Hifiman HE560. It broke. He contacted Hifiman, and they gave him a newer version/release. For free. They are now his absolute, all-time favorite headphones.

THAT kind of stuff makes me happy inside.

Good Karma

 

[DaveStarWalker]

Grande date ?

 

[us.classic]

 

[us.classic]

 

[us.classic]

Step son will be visiting today wearing the GA800 I gave him so....................I will be wearing mine.

 

[Trihexagonal]

A Soviet Era Molinja (Lightning) pocket watch with the Soviet High Quality mark on the dial in red and tractor on the back:

​

 

[gimmeheadroom]

A Soviet Era Molinja (Lightning) pocket watch with the Soviet High Quality mark on the dial in red and tractor on the back:


​

I've always been interested in pocket watches. I bought a nice Ball from the late 1800s and a "jeweler" damaged it severely so it's in the drawer

Do these Russian watches keep good time?

 

[capetownwatches]

I'm definitely not a Rolex guy - whilst I appreciate and certainly respect the brand and its position in the industry, I don't love very many of them.
This one is however, for me, the very epitome of the brand and absolutely my favourite.
The last of the 5 digit Sea-Dwellers, the 16600 ticks all the boxes for me.
Yes, its successor 116600 is fancier and has a nicer bracelet and upgraded movement but this one has soul...

PS this one is a Z serial bought new in 2008 and possibly one of the very last of this reference made.

 

[Trihexagonal]

I've always been interested in pocket watches. I bought a nice Ball from the late 1800s and a "jeweler" damaged it severely so it's in the drawer

No Jeweler around here had ever seen a Russian watch so I bought a watchmakers repair kit on ebay and taught myself to work on them. I've fixed some, have some to work on and a few in various stages of repair.

Getting the second hand back on the post after you've worked on one the hardest thing to do and takes good eyesight and a steady hand.

Do these Russian watches keep good time?

The pocket watches seem to. If anything they will run a little fast.

A good movement should start the second hand running as soon as you start winding. You may have to give some mechanical watches a gentle tap on the bony part of the outside of your wrist to start them up and doesn't mean it's not a good watch.


This is the oldest one I had, a Zim made in March 1949, with works shots to show the 15 Jewels marking and date with an article below telling about the watch, the history of them and the watch factories that should pique your interest anf give you a good startong point.

​

"
ZIM ChK-6 (Russian ЧК-6, "pocket watch, second hand at 6 o'clock") is an interesting watch, the first-born of cooperation between the USSR and the LIP company (France). The early pocket ZIM was an exact copy of the LIP — only the caseback slammed shut, but was not hinged, and the ring was flatter — not for a chatelaine (chain for a pocket watch), but for a rawhide strap.

Having studied photographs of watches and real pocket ZIMs, the following conclusions can be drawn. There are mainly the following ZIM ChK-6 types of movements:

1. gilt without identification marks, with a number, without a quarter and a year. It is generally accepted that such movements went to the ZIMs from LIP, and that they are pre-War;
2. gilt with the inscription "ЗИМ, 15 камней" (ZIM, 15 jewels), with a number, without quarter and year;
3. not gilt, with the inscription "ЗИМ, 15 камней" (ZIM, 15 jewels), with a number, no quarter and year;
4. the same with a quarter and a year.

Dial designs are of three types:

1. large second hand, large straight numbers, there is no number "six", inside there is a circle with a diameter of 25 mm, similar to LIP, the inscription "ЗИМ" (ZIM) in small letters. These watches, as a rule, contain movements of the first and second types;
2. the same, with the missing numbers 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 11 (instead of them there are strokes), the inscription "ЗИМ" (ZIM) is made in specific italics. These watches contain movements of all 4 types;
3. a small second hand, the numbers are smaller, the number 6 is missing, there is a circle of about 32 mm inside, that is, the design of the dial is similar to the "thin Molnija" of the 2nd Watch Factory. The "ЗИМ" (ZIM) inscription is curved around a circle, underlined. As a rule, they have movements of the third type, and if the fourth, then the watches are dated from 1947 to 1950.

The glasses on the watches are plexiglass or gutta-percha. Mineral glasses are rare. There is a theory that watches with a gilt movements (without marking — so that there were no conflicts with LIP in terms of intellectual property rights) and mineral glass were exported, around the mid-late 50s, their numbering was different from domestic supplies. This theory is supported by the fact that the integrity of such watches is better than that of pieces of the 40s — 50s."

https://russian.watch/brands/zim

 

[capetownwatches]

Another quick 'n' nasty desktop shot...
I need to change the strap for the X-71 bracelet now that Summer is here.

 

[capetownwatches]

Ultimate Beater..?

 

[us.classic]

 

[ctrlm]

Ultimate Beater..?

Nice! I used to have this Breitling Transocean which I loved but it had one fatal flaw that I couldn't get over - the long lugs. And so it joined the list of departed: