What time is it? Watches and horology

^ Oh

Got a fondness for Soviet watches myself..

^ yuk...

I also have a fondness for Soviet watches. They are all quite bizarre. And very cheap on ebay. The thing is, they don't last too long.

Anyway. My 'Takes a Licking But Keeps On Ticking' Timex Expedition has stopped ticking regularly. Only a year old. It broke before it got smashed on a rock or eaten up by a piece of machinery, which is uncommon. Perhaps it got licked without me realising.

So, recommendations for a cheap-ish tough-ish classic looking watch? It will be my daily, plus hiking/scrambling, mountain-biking, outdoors things, and workshop duties. I am leaning towards a military-esque Seiko 5 like this one:

However I have seen some Citizen Eco-Drives that have five-year warranties. They're a tad more expensive though. What else should I be considering?

Go for the Seiko 5 auto. Loads of them ~£45 great little watches IMO

Back on topic a little, I think that my big watch purchase is going to be a Sea Dweller. I think my love of big dive watches is never going to go away.

Has anybody on here got one? Pics?

Just in today . Rolex Deepsea preloved 2yrs old comes with warranty and a full case and bracelet refurb ....

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Either you've got tiny lady wrists or that watch is mahoosive, ejay...

Bit of both really . But it is not a "slim" watch . It is a thing of beauty however , the expanding clasp is sheer genius .

What's a used price on one of those? £6k?

What's a used price on one of those? £6k?
somewhere in that area I would say . In really nice nick between 6k and 6.5 . A few cheaper about but mostly from abroad particularly the States and then not a lot cheaper . New ones are about 8k

For me, the tension ring, or at least the ring surrounding the dial looks a bit tacky. But lots of Rolexes are tacky I suppose.

Any recommendations for really cheap servicing or just minor tweaking of autos?

I have a Seiko 6119-8163 that I'm pretty fond of. The hands were goosed though with the lume having dropped out, all the markings around the chapter ring had peeled away and the glass was in a poor state. For some reason I thought that replacing the glass and hands, polishing the case and cleaning up the dial would be a quick DIY job. This, from someone fairly long sighted who doesn't actually have any reading glasses, let alone loupes or magnifyers, no jeweller's tools, screwdrivers or tweezers or experience of ever having opened a mechanical watch before.

Firstly, I got the wrong glass so had to make do with polishing the old one with toothpaste. I manged to do the hands, but I'm not sure that they're moving at the same rate at the movement. The second hand seems consistent (unless it's always gained/lost a minute when I check it), but the hour and minute hand seem to be dragging behind. And the crown stem thing won't go back in. It goes in, but I can't get anything to grip it to hold it in or get the crown to do anything with the movement.

I'd like to have the case polished, the glass replaced and the mechanics sorted. But it's a watch that is probably worth less than the strap it's on. My head says to just bin the thing, but my heart thinks that'd be criminal and it'd reduce me to a couple of G-shocks as work watches and I was enjoying wearing a nice, simple mechanical 3 hand watch.

^ PM me for a top bloke I can highly recommend for servicing and light refurb. However, he is very busy.

I want the case on my Flieger polished, is he cheap, Joel?

He does servicing and refurbs / restores. He's reasonable rather than cheap (nasty word TS shame on you) and a really sound guy.

For you and Sanddancer here's a link to his blog and contact details. His name's Rich, he's UK based and has done superb jobs for me on a couple of watches. Mention me when contacting him, cheers:

http://thewatchspotblog.com/

Fuuuuuck. Read some of the blog (bookmarked for bedtime). That guy REALLY knows his speciality.

Oh, and if anyone needs advice on plasma applied ceramic coatings, or high temperature abradables I'm your puppy.

^ He does indeed, he's a gent and an expert.

^ an interesting read.

Go for the Seiko 5 auto. Loads of them ~£45 great little watches IMO

Jesus, I wish they were that cheap here in NZ. I'm looking at 125 quid for the cheapest ones. For that price I might buy one in the UK and get it posted over.

Ugh, yep, amazon.co.uk confirms it!

Popping boners left right and centre here

http://instagram.com/p/pi1jGTKysl/

Aching vintage.

Father in law just returned from a trip in Europe. Notice this on his wrist, not seen it before. He says oh, yes, I've had it many years, just picked it up from the factory in Switzerland where it's had a service. He dropped it off there in person two years ago (they were not tardy, it look him that long to pass by again).

This is typical of him. He will probably have slipped in a quick round of golf with the MD.

From that watch repair blog (he sounds like a great watchmaker btw):

i love the one on the left...

A nice site to Super Compressors

http://wornandwound.com/2014/03/24/guide-super-compressors/