What time is it? Watches and horology

Reference 114300, Oyster, 39 mm, Oystersteel

Sorting watch out for a service. Mentioned on here a couple of times, purchased new by my grandparents the day before my dad's 21st in 1983! Quick google and the ref 6694, which is what the outer box says, is definitely not it as the 6694 had a date on it. I think it is 6430 or 6426 but not sure

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Super cool! Looks like it's a 6430

@Heldring cheers! Yeah it is -I just took the strap off to look between the lugs

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Dug the strap out for a change

Good idea, I’m less inclined to wear bracelets when the weather’s freezing.

Have you got a link?

Got a few scuffs on my seamster I'd like to polish out.

That Railmaster is really something.

Have you got a link?

Got a few scuffs on my seamster I'd like to polish out.

I just used Polywatch, with these cloths:

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Swish. thanks

I’m looking for suggestions for something meeting these requirements (in order of importance)

Automatic
GMT
Arabic Numerals
Date
Simple face/design
Metal Strap (oyster style ideally)
Some level of water resistance

I have a few ideas (oris, farer...) but i’d be happy to look at any suggestions people had.

Budget would be hundreds, not thousands.

....

Total fail

The only other suggestion I have is a Christopher Ward Trident:

https://www.christopherward.com/c65-trident-gmt-3

Arguably much better value than a Farer. Has been making watches for far longer.
Or a Steinhart if you don't mind homages.

Doesn't have Arabic Numerals but you can count right?

I present to you, the Lolex.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/43mm-Sterile-black-dial-sapphire-glass-GMT-ceramic-Bezel-automatic-mens-watch/183271730589?hash=item2aabd8ad9d:g:SfkAAOSwy1pbINvG

Plenty of homages that fit the bill here: https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/diver-watch.html

39mm and 42mm varieties.

They tick all the specs requested.

When I was looking at this I found the easiest search was just to look for everything with an Eta 2893-2 which appears to be in all lower-end GMT watches.

GMT and simple don't tend to go together. I ended up with a Speedbird which I like but others find too busy

Hamilton Jazzmaster was another possible but it may be a bit busy with the city names (and is about a grand)

Or this one (but no bracelet I don't think)

Archimede was nice but twice the price of the Speedbird for a very similar watch

Basically there's going to be some compromise at that price.

That archimedes is nice

Thanks for the replies.. I really want numbers on the dial. It might be an awful reflection on my intelligence, but without numbers I do think it takes me a fraction of a second to process what time i’m reading. It’s only the hour markers that seem to bother me and only a minuscule inconvenience but it bothers me. Maybe years of wearing a digital but I like the least amount of useful information displayed as clearly as possible (this doesn’t sound quite right but you get what I mean)

The Archimedes ticks all the boxes.. Speedbird I’ve thought about but I couldn’t live with the script font logo!

This Oris i’ve been looking for but very limited run.

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Surely this is closer to the mark?

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Just going to ignore your wish list and suggest the Steinhart ocean Ti

https://www.steinhartwatches.de/en/diver-watch/ocean-titanium-500-gmt-premium.html

One of the great things about the Ocean Ti (more so the non-GMT) is that it doesn't look like a Rolex copy, as well as having the top end version of the 2893-2.

One problem you will find at the lower end (well basically anything based on the 2893-2 that isn't an Omega), is that none is likely to be a true GMTs in the sense that GMT hand is the home time and stays set to GMT, with the hour hand moving independently in hour increments.

Laco Flieger? Also has huge amounts of history and very well priced. Cooper and are also amazing with service.
My favourite is the Aachen Blaue Stunde 42

But they also have in 39

Or

And this textured dial.

Not GMTs or metal straps...

Carrying on with this thought, steinhart watches have amazing finish. Very well made.
personally, my daily at the moment is the ocean one gmt Blue Red 2

or the titanium 500 as mentioned

I still really don't understand how the "proper" GMTs work.

You set the normal hour to the new time zone and the GMT hand always points at GMT?

So if I'm reading the pic of the Steinhart Ti GMT, it's 10/22:10 local time, and 14:10 GMT?

Yeah so is 6 hours difference. (Asia)

Yes and yes.

Ideally you should be able to pull out the crown one notch and from there move the local hour hand forward/back without the minute hand or GMT hand changing.

The rotating bezel gives you another time zone in that if you know NYC is -5 hours, you would rotate the bezel backwards so that 5 now sits where 12 would and read the time off the bezel in relation to the hour hand rather than reading it's correct position on the clock.

And for eg here you have three time zones:

• Local 4(am/pm)
  
• GMT 10pm
  
• Bezel 2pm
  
  

The OG Rolex rational for pilots was they'd always need GMT, then they'd need a local time, and then the bezel for on the fly "what time is it in x"?