What time is it? Watches and horology

A Seiko Turtle sits nicely on my wrist so I think it'll be fine.

I thought there was a 4.5% Duty on watches from Hong Kong (at least that's was a overly complicated government website hinted at)?

Anyway, I've set aside £50 to cover it.

It would of been £6 cheaper if I'd ordered it today due to the drop in the pound after May's announcement about the delayed vote! 🙄

Cheaper??

Actually I think it may be €0.80 maximum for duty (the overly complicated government website is even more complicated than you think, it has minimum and maximum values as well as the percentage).

Probably somewhere between £4-5k. This one isn’t mine. I’m just wearing it to see how it times on the wrist after regulating.

Opps. More expensive...

Never let me near economics.

yeah, I think a 42 would work for me too, I have the padi turtle but interestingly the 40 SD lug to lug is the SAME as the turtle (which is a 44mm).

I swapped the band off the SD to a leather one for now and it looks better. Initially the band made the watch look small lol

I have the padi turtle but interestingly the 40 SD lug to lug is the SAME as the turtle (which is a 44mm).

The 40 Shark Diver is actually 2 mm longer lug-to-lug than the new Turtle. 49.2 mm vs 47.25 mm according to the internet.

I got some absolute bargains for you, if you got that extra £6 going ;)

How do you change that? Looks much more fun than the digital

Bigger is better

Putting this on ebay now, but for good measure, in case anyone in the future wants to see what a Cronel’s 17 jewel looked like. It's a 17 Jewel EB8800 pin-lever which is apparently collectible.

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oh wow, your right. how weird that it seems to wear smaller! I'm guessing it's because the dial itself is smaller

haha you would say that. I was looking for a watch that fits under normal shirts! My others are bulky enough they don't...

was surprised to see how small rolexs are compared to some modern watches

Yeah it's the dial/bezel I think. The turtle is a pretty unusual shape… the lug holes are almost under the bezel. It's a chunky boi in width and height but that short lug to lug and the crown at 4 makes it pretty wearable. But it still looks pretty chunky.

Swipe left.

Which one ?
I may have something.

These two watches have come in to my possession and I need a bit of advice as to getting them repaired/ serviced. I’ve been wearing them for the past few weeks and they both seem to run fine but each has some quirks.

The crown on the gold seamaster seems to be a replacement and is very tough to pull out and set. Once it’s out the hands feel really loose.

One of the lugs on the silver one is bent out by a couple of mm. Its a manual wind but the crown is really tough to turn, seems to offer a lot of resistance.

I took them to one of the watch places on Clerkenwell Road and was quoted £250 to £300 each for a service and repair, which is much more than I think they are worth. What kind of price should I be paying for a service and clean, and any reccomdations?

M opinion: If you like wearing them its worth investing the money. No Idea on value, but once serviced they'll probably be worth at least the cost of it.
I have a 80€ watch I spent 300 on. Not necessarily a wise investment, but better than paying 350 for a watch that doesn't run.

That gold one has an absolutely superb dial. Cal 565 movement? Loose hands = canon pinion needs tightening. Get an Omega crown for it.

Steel one - I couldn’t live with that bent lug and would attempt to straighten it. May snap. Those small crowns are tough to wind, but it may have crud stuck inside it, be a tight fit... who knows.

I’d aim to see if you can find someone who will service them for around £100 plus parts. I say that, but I wouldn’t offer to do that myself as I often spend a whole day working on a single watch, and it’s just not worth my time.

The gold one is quite special, and of the two it’s the one I’d most like to get sorted. No idea on the movements as I cant take the back off to check unfortunately.

£100 plus parts was what i was hoping it would cost; if you’ve got any tips as to where to take it that would be greatly appreciated

Alsal is the one that comes up most often. The stuff they've done for me in the past has been cheaper than I expected.

I'll ask her. She's beeing a bit flaky and also considering a Rado, so apologies in advance if this doesn't lead anywhere

That’s roughly what my watchmaker guy in Swindon charges. His reputation is good enough the lead time is roughly a month on most watches. He, years back, repaired a 1930’s mechanical for me after it was dropped on concrete. He recently serviced the ladies omega for me, and as/when i get my own Omega it is going to him too.

thanks all

I’ve got them with me today so will try and drop them into Alsal for a quote