New Watch

[Art]

Since watches have come up before.

Since my better half got her Christmas gift delivered, a new rangetop and hood (yes she did ask for that, and yes I've learned the hard way to give her what she asks for) and has been using it for several days I decided to wear mine when it came in today.

My dress up watches are antique or at least vintage and for years I've toyed with the idea of buying a new quality watch. This year I pulled the trigger. I bought a Hamilton Khaki Automatic on sale direct from the company. They ship free in two days which is impressive. It's inspired by the watches made by Hamilton for the U.S. military in WWII but inspired is as far as it goes. I bought the smallest one which is 38 mm and it probably has the mass of two of the actual WWII timepieces it's based on. It has a 25 jewel ETA movement which you can watch work through the clear back, fashionable these days, a black military style dial with luminous but not radium hands, and a nice brown leather strap that is thicker than some belts I've owned in the past. Since my spousal unit is using her gift I'll wear mine around for a while to try it out before it goes under the tree. Age does grant some perogatives. It is a pretty thing but will take a bit of getting used to for an old boy who generally doesn't love wearing Jewelry but does like a nice timepiece if he's going to wear one. It will also give the old Hamilton gold Thin o Matic and the Waltham Crescent St. more of a rest since they will now be only used for the three or four really formal occasions a year and the new one will get the once or twice a week business casual duty the old ones did.

Bottom line, I like the watch very much so far and especially liked the $575.00 price was marked down a full 20%, but I'm sure not going to channel my inner Dan Draper when I wear it .

[lyman]

No Pic?


sounds like a nice watch, wear and enjoy!

[Art]

No Pic?


sounds like a nice watch, wear and enjoy!

My photography mojo has left me when it comes to watches but I'll see what I can do.

[lyman]

no worries either way, Hamilton makes a nice watch

we found a nice Citizen in my Dad's estate, never worn, in the box that went to my brother (a fancy one with more dials and hands that a watch never needed)

I ended up with his Luminox, that was his sometimes daily watch,

[Sandpebble]

Though I've always appreciated finely made objects but as far as watches go ..... well it was always a Timex for me...

Through 30 years as a brick and stone mason the Timex got me to break time and lunch .... and end of day ... right to the minute.

The "crystal" would usually be so scratched up as to be unreadable at about the same time the battery died which averaged a year and a half .....

Now I live in Florida where most people haven't a clue what time it is.... particularly employees trying to get to work on time .....

I've offered them a Timex for Christmas but they tell me they can see the time on their cell phones .....??? ... oh

Wife is leaving for Colombia tomorrow and I purchased a Timex Indiglo digital for a brother in law down there..... for the life of me I can't figure how to set the time...

didn't mean to hijack your thread Art .... I hope you enjoy your nicely made item..... all the best

[Art]

Though I've always appreciated finely made objects but as far as watches go ..... well it was always a Timex for me...

Through 30 years as a brick and stone mason the Timex got me to break time and lunch .... and end of day ... right to the minute.

The "crystal" would usually be so scratched up as to be unreadable at about the same time the battery died which averaged a year and a half .....

Now I live in Florida where most people haven't a clue what time it is.... particularly employees trying to get to work on time .....

I've offered them a Timex for Christmas but they tell me they can see the time on their cell phones .....??? ... oh

Wife is leaving for Colombia tomorrow and I purchased a Timex Indiglo digital for a brother in law down there..... for the life of me I can't figure how to set the time...

didn't mean to hijack your thread Art .... I hope you enjoy your nicely made item..... all the best

This forum is occupied by fans of anachronisms. That doesn't mean we, or at least a lot of us, don't recognize that almost all of the "old school" things we enjoy are at best obsolescent and at worst totally obsolete.

I do most of my work on a computer, but still find some work for my Underwood Master typewriter. I have a mobile phone. My car is what amounts to a "smart car." I do some film photography but I own a digital camera and the cell phone takes an adequate "snap shot." If I carry an auto pistol it's a high capacity polymer frame job. In fact, except for small frame revolver I generally carry for self defense, everything I really count on is "new school," and if I thought there was a reasonable chance that I was going to be assaulted by more than two determined adversaries on the street I'd always carry the auto pistol. When it comes to watches, the watch(s) I used as a "Law Dog" or when hunting or fishing is a battery operated sports watch (the current one being a Timex Indiglo) that will keep impeccable time, better than any mechanical timepiece, is almost indestructible and if it does bust another one is cheap. It is no accident that one of the most successful holdovers from WWII is the largely stamped sheet metal MG42 which is still, in more or less modified forms, the standard machine gun with more countries than many probably realize.

I'm going to say something that's heretical here, I've owned several M1911 pistols made by Colt and others, 40 years ago I even carried one "on the job" for a while when it still represented the best available. In fact I own one today and it sometimes goes to the range with me, but when the metal meets the meat the polymer frame 9mm which is monotonously reliable, more than accurate enough, easier to use and maintain, wasn't terribly expensive to start with and I don't mind getting beat up is going to be my go to choice. It isn't that M1911s aren't good pistols, just that there are now, IMHO, better options for "the gravest extreme." A friend of mine who used the 1911 in combat (and by used I mean shot people with it) and wouldn't carry anything else for decades has bitten the bullet and now carries a Glock.

But, there is nothing for me that quite inspires the admiration instilled by vintage mechanical devices built by highly skilled men and women that not only still work but work well and provide good service even though they reached the limit of their potential long ago. My new watch is supposed to be accurate plus or minus 8 or 9 seconds a week. My 1911 manufactured Waltham Crescent St. pocket watch has at least that capacity today.

My devalued $.05 worth.

[Merc]

I’d enjoy seeing a photo of your new watch and your old watches.

Here’s an old watchmakers trick: Scratched plastic watch crystals can be restored by rubbing the crystal surface with a rag dipped in Brasso brass polish. For the really deep scratches, they’d rub them out with ultra fine sand paper first and then buff it to a high shine with brass polish. It must be a combination of the fine grit and ammonia in the brass polish that does the trick. Brasso won’t work on glass crystals.

[Merc]

There are setting instructions on line for setting a Timex Indiglo.

[Bill E]

Much enjoyed your thougth's and opinions Art. Worth much more than .05 cents.

[Former Cav]

I like the old mechanical self winders (automatics) especially the ones from Seiko from about 1966-68 or so.
Heck of it is you can't find anybody to FIX one.
So... I bought an Invicta self winder with day date from overstock dot com for about 100 bucks. Works great. They last about 8 years... then you chit can it and buy another one. It's called a Diver S200