Speaking of watch threads...

S

SpyderJon

Joined
Jan 27, 2002
Messages
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Howdy! I've been thinking about a new watch, and so I've decided to seek the opinion of y'all. I have a watch, nothing special, but it has a LOT of emotional value and so I want another that I won't care so much about. The watch I have now is made for the Sharp company by heaven only knows who. Its a quartz and keeps excellent time. I Love it because it belonged to my wife's grandfather whom I loved as dearly as my own grandparents. So... I chose the following watches because they have a classic look to them and are around the same price. I don't wear a watch all the time, so that's something to keep in mind, but I could get used to wearing a watch all the time if an automatic is the clear winner. So, without further ado, here's my 3 choices, and I'd appreciate any opinions you may have. Also, any other suggestions would be cool, but NOTHING over say 130.00 w/S&H!!!! Oh, and band doesn't matter because I'm going to upgrade whatever I get.

1: Pulsar PXH131, basic black face w/cyclops over the date. Quartz. The cyclops is a plus because I have a hard time reading the date comfortably sometimes.

2: Seiko SNX427K2, Military watch with day/date. Automatic. Nice, simple watch, but then again I don't always wear a watch.

3. St. Moritz Himalaya. BIG numbers and domed crystal to make date reading a bit easier. Ti case is cool, and Quartz would mean I don't have to wear it all the time.

There you go, what say you?

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
Seiko - It doesn't take much time to set the watch when you put it on and auto's have an 'organic' feel that quartz do not.
 
I'd go Seiko too, and for the same reason as Ming. Auto is cool.

I had a St. Moritz Himalaya. It was okay, but for me the weak point, and it's with all three you listed, is the mineral glass crystal. I've been unable to wear non-G Shock (meaning non-recessed) mineral glass for more than a day or two without scratching the heck out of it. Ever.

So the Himalaya went back. FYI, Citizen offers an identical in appearance model with saphire and real kevlar band, but it's several times the price of the St. Moritz.

Today my edc watch has a saphire crystal and it makes all the difference. So far 6+ months of 16 hours a day wear, on duty and off, and not a mark on it.

My suggestion for what I think you want is take a look at Bill Yao's modified Seikos. You should be able to come close to your number for a military style (I think they started around $140) and probably get a saphire crystal as an option. I didn't see saphire listed with the model you chose, but give him a call and you might find it available. -Or you may see another style you like. Either way, it'd be worth it.

http://www.mkiiwatches.com/
 
tortoise, I'll look into the Yao, but the Himalaya is available with a saphire crystal now. I had heard that the hardlex crystal on the Seiko is really prone to scratching. Anyone else hear that?

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
SpyderJon said:
tortoise, I'll look into the Yao, but the Himalaya is available with a saphire crystal now. I had heard that the hardlex crystal on the Seiko is really prone to scratching. Anyone else hear that?
Click to expand...

It isn't exactly prone to scratching, it just isn't as resistant as sapphire. Sapphire shatters easier though. It's a compromise.
 
Anthony,

I see that you are correct in re: there's now a sapphire option with the Himalaya, and still under your number. Learn something new everyday. That's nice, I might have kept mine had that been available at the time.

I've really become a convert to automatic watch movements though, so I'd still go Seiko. But, if that really doesn't do anything for you, then sapphire Himalaya for sure; good looking, titanium, high vis dial. What's to go wrong?
 
34.jpg


I have the blue faced version of the Seiko Military, although the face looks more of a dark grey - almost black.
It is a nice watch.
 
Hi Anthony, I have the Seiko that you mentioned and it is a great watch. One thing to keep in mind though, is that its diameter is 35mm, so it might seem a bit small if you are used to something else.
 
I've got to put in a plug for Howard Marx at Westcoastime. I bought my first automatic watch from him a couple of months ago and can't say enough nice things about either the quality of the watch or the service recieved. I got the Ranger made by Ollech and Wajas. It uses the ETA 2824 movement and I check it about once every couple of weeks and have yet to find it more than 20 seconds off of atomic time. Its not an Omega or Rolex, but I'm not afraid to wear it to work and maybe break or lose it. Plus, Howard is a great guy to deal with.

The seikos are nice as well. Give the automatic movement a try, it may not be as accurate as the quartz, but there is something cool about the amount of precision machinery involved in making one. At the very least give Howard's website a look.
Westcoastime.com

Well, I just caught the part about the 130 dollar limit, and O&W will run about twice that, but give the site a look anyway.

Howard should give me stock in his company for all the word of mouth I give him...Hear that Howard?!? Send me that Carribian now as a reward!!! :)
 
chucklehead said:
Sinn
Tutima
Oris
Limes
Glycine


'nuff said
Click to expand...

That's really very helpful. Almost all of 'em are over his budget. Even second hand.

Why don't you just recommend a Rolex or a Panerai?

Anyway Anthony, Go with Seiko. They're very reliable watches. They are not as finicky as some other brands and requires minimal maintenance. Even the quartz ones. For the best value you can't go wrong with Seiko.

For $130 bucks you won't get everything you want. There will be compromises. Either the crystal, band or movement will suffer. It really depends on what your requirement for the watch is.

For everyday wear and rough use nothing beats a Casio G-Shock. They've got loads of new stuff that would be okay for sports and would not look that much out of place at a formal affair. Although you can scratch the glass. Mine has an annoying scratch on it.

If you want something slightly more formal then go for Seikos.
 
Point44 said:
That's really very helpful. Almost all of 'em are over his budget. Even second hand.

Why don't you just recommend a Rolex or a Panerai?
Click to expand...


god forbid he know know what else is out there.

i agree with the seiko recommendation, your spot on with that.
 
The Himalaya is a decent watch with easy to read markings and a glass window with an anti reflective coating. The lume however, is fair at best. You will really require a very bright light source to get the lume up. And it dims easily. The worse I heard reported is that a friend whom I gave one of these to, found condensation inside/ underneath the glass after a simple hand washing. :(

N2
 
thanks for all the great replies! Point44, good points all; and Chucklehead if you can find me a Sinn for $130 I'll TAKE IT!!!

Now, I chose these watches because they have a classic appeal. I can't stand digital watches. I took a lot of trouble when I was in 3rd grade to learn how to read an analog (sp?) watch, and haven't felt the need to go back to digital since. The reason I'm replacing my watch is because the one I'm wearing now is so dear to me. You could present me with the most exclusive watch known to man and I wouldn't trade that Sharp (msrp of approx $20)! I would like something in the same vein as that watch though (cheap and reliable). I won't skimp on some important piece of kit (knives, emergency items, etc.), but a watch isn't a necessity for me at the moment. All I need to know is what time it is and what the date is. The day is just a luxury, since I can almost always tell which day it is. I had a seiko kinetic and the darn thing just wouldn't keep good time. It actually lost about 5 mins per week after only a year of wear! Turned me off to them, but since they get a lot of good press here I'm considering them again. If I wanted something fancy, I'd just sell some stuff and get an Omega SMP. As it is, though, I just want a good, reliable watch that tells me (within reason) what time it is and what the date is.

Of course, I'm not upset by people suggesting expensive items. I mean, what thread asking for a good $40.00 knife isn't subplanted by the ubiquitous "Get a Sebenza" remark? In this case, I don't WANT a sebenza, just a simple spyderco will do. Though I've lusted after the O&W handwound model at westcoast time. and I've always loved the look of the Poljot 3133 movement. Anyone got one of THOSE for under $100?

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
APS, I've thought about the Timex perpetual calendar watches, but I'm not sure about Timex. They don't have a real good track record with me, personally. I've known and had too many of their products cut out on me unexpectedly, though if they improved their QC I'd take a serious look. Anyone have good experience with these? Are they maybe made somewhere different from their other watches?

Sincerely,
Anthony
 
You might want to look at the Casio Edifice. I've been wearing (beating) one for a year now and it has held up great. You can get it at Wally World for about $30. Oh yeah, it's a quartz analog.

Paul
 
Casio basic digital is unequaled in its field. 15 years and still rocking although a bit dated. I have had a lovely Bulova that was just too heavy in the hot climate that I work in and now rely on a Victorinox sports with proper bezel and date. The Victorinox answers all my questions.
 
I'm no closer to my decision, but I KNOW I don't want any digital watches. Speaking of which, have any of you ever read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?" I just can't do it.

Sincerely,
Anthony C. Paulin

Edited to add that I'm planning on putting a Breitling style padded strap and a butterfly clasp on this watch, so that may come into it.
 
Hi there. The Seiko you refer to is a smaller watch, as mentioned by a previous poster. I bought one and relisted it immediately on Ebay because of it's small size. Even the strap is short. I have heard these watches are made for the Asian market, so that would explain things. Also be advised my wrists are average sized at best and the watch looked small on me. I've seen "midsize" watches that dwarfed that Seiko!
Good luck.
P.S.
Have you considered a G-Shock Mil-Shock?
 
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