So what frivolous things have you bought lately? Why?

[Tallpaul]

W

A perfectly good watch at a bargain price. But how many of those shite chocolate straps have you gone through?
When I was a kid & not buying my own watches. Those Casio's were the go to watch. But I always ended up with a metal strap from Northampton market. A stainless strap fitted to a black plastic watch wasn't a great look. But beggars couldn't be choosers

When the strap breaks, there's always enough left to wrap round the handlebars of one of my bikes. Nothing gets slung out in this house.

 

[Don the Don]

35 year old freebie from sealey free with some tools, just had a new strap fitted



Cooper & Mead Trench strap with Timex Expedition watch.....they do me, the freebie is my everyday watch and has survived all types of abuse

 

[chas]

35 year old freebie from sealey free with some tools, just had a new strap fitted
View attachment 23348


Cooper & Mead Trench strap with Timex Expedition watch.....they do me, the freebie is my everyday watch and has survived all types of abuse

View attachment 23349

I've that self same Timex , gets used when I'm on the sort of site visit where I could easily break any part of my body or anything attached to me That said, I've wound in my 'If I tiptoe on the top rung of this ladder and hang on the guttering I can get the last fixings in without putting the tower up' attitude so it doesn't get out much these days

 

[Tricky Dicky]

I used to be a bit of a watch collector, and it got a bit out of hand. There was too much money tied up in them, and I've since sold most of them, some have helped to finance bikes and guitars. I'm currently down to 10 pieces, and I'll be selling a couple more in the next couple of months.

I did have a couple of Seikos, but I was mostly interested in Tudor, Oris, Christopher Ward, Orient & Orient Star (owned by Seiko Epson).

Tudor:
View attachment 23340
View attachment 23342

Oris
View attachment 23341

Christopher Ward
View attachment 23343
View attachment 23346

And the rest
View attachment 23345
View attachment 23344

A bit out of hand, LOL!

 

[Tricky Dicky]

That one with the copper coloured bezel is quite a beast @Tricky Dicky I like the sort of steampunk diver style.

Yes it's a bit of a beast 50 mm dia, and it weighs in at about 1/2lb looks a bit big on my skinny wrist, trouble is I only like metal bands and I have a bit of trouble with most these days as I have a swannoma (growth on a nerve ) on my left-hand so can get them on very well but if I get the swannoma removed I could lose the touch sensation in most of that hand so have resisted maybe something is trying to tell me to stop wearing watches.

 

[half ton]

maybe something is trying to tell me to stop wearing watches.

It's time for a pocket watch and chain then Tricky

 

[Doc Strange]

While I can admire the mechanicals and the design of some watches, as soon as I found I was carrying a phone everywhere and could get the time from that, I stopped wearing a watch.

Much happier without anything on my wrist - but I know many who disagree and don't feel dressed without one!

DS

 

[MartytheMartian]

I guess a lot of it is habit and showing off a little as well as simply admiring the fact that someone crafted the little mechanical wonders. A good handmade watch has a certain 'feel' about it that a microchip or a phone linked to a GPS system simply doesn't have.

I often ponder over the curiosity of a lot of humans desiring to have things that have the human touch. You can have a copy of the Mona Lisa and see everything that DaVinci put into it but for some reason it's not the same as connecting with the real original hand crafted work and you can have a perfect replica of the guitar played by some famous Rocker, down to the scratches and corrosion and yet it won't even come close to having, if not the actual guitar, then one made at the same time and on the same production line. The imperfections seem to really count more than achieving perfection and we crave the unique over the facsimile. I guess we humans don't often make much sense and I suspect those who value 'handmade' and craftsmanship are probably dying out and being replaced by a generation who, while all seeming to love to declare themselves to be non-binary and try to prove they are different from everyone else, often while aping everyone else and bearing no apparent unique characteristics, desire to live in a world constructed entirely from binary.

 

[chas]

I guess a lot of it is habit and showing off a little as well as simply admiring the fact that someone crafted the little mechanical wonders. A good handmade watch has a certain 'feel' about it that a microchip or a phone linked to a GPS system simply doesn't have.

That's kinda where I am, I love this little complex machine working away at 6 (or more) beats per second, even in my workaday Seiko 5s. It's like when most of us look at an engine we can 'see' the crank, pistons, valve train, all working away and that in itself brings me a certain joy

 

[chas]

Fer example, this is the kinda thing I wear at work...

JDM 5Actus from April 76. Cost fifty quid because of the novelty of a Kanji day wheel. Fuck knows when it had a service, never had the back off, keeps time and keeps a 40 hour power reserve. I just love the amount of machine you get. Fantastic engineering and I get to look at it all day.

 

[DD67]

This has just arrived...

Record Player, Bluetooth Portable Vinyl Turntable Digital Encoder Built-in and - 692620806119 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Record Player, Bluetooth Portable Vinyl Turntable Digital Encoder Built-in and - at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

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It desperately needs a pair of external speakers. But other than that it's perfect for what I need

 

[chas]

This has just arrived...

Record Player, Bluetooth Portable Vinyl Turntable Digital Encoder Built-in and - 692620806119 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Record Player, Bluetooth Portable Vinyl Turntable Digital Encoder Built-in and - at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

It desperately needs a pair of external speakers. But other than that it's perfect for what I need

I wouldn't call a turntable frivolous, if you've still got a vinyl collection it's kinda essential

 

[Don the Don]

This has just arrived...

Record Player, Bluetooth Portable Vinyl Turntable Digital Encoder Built-in and - 692620806119 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Record Player, Bluetooth Portable Vinyl Turntable Digital Encoder Built-in and - at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

It desperately needs a pair of external speakers. But other than that it's perfect for what I need

I still use my old sony record player, love vinyl and have recently bought a set of Grado prestige head phones for it

The Grado Prestige Series

Ranging from entry level to one of our highest rated, this classic series is the best way to experience the Grado sound for the first time. This line has deep ties to the Grado family, including the first Grado headphone ever and the first metal pair, and embodies the six decades of Grado Labs...

www.grado.co.uk

 

[Scrappy]

Got to have something to watch now I don't have a TV licence

 

[Doc Strange]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81rZHa+YW9L._AC_SY500_.jpg

It emerged in conversation the other day that Ms S had never seen it - one quick Ebay order, and we got to watch it last night.

Some great tunes

DS

 

[DD67]

Hesitated to put this up as I know we have at least one Swiss watch aficionado who walks among us but I sold some guitar gear a few weeks ago and converted the profits to a 50 year old Japanese watch..
View attachment 23334 as far as I can tell it's completely original, keeps time to the minute over a week and the power reserve is nearly 48 hrs so the movement is in pretty good order.

I thought that you might like this @chas?..

If you can't be arsed to watch the video. Here's a screenshot of the results...


When you consider the cost of the opposition. The Seiko got a very respectable 3rd place

 

[Scrappy]

I thought that you might like this @chas?..

If you can't be arsed to watch the video. Here's a screenshot of the results...

View attachment 23728
When you consider the cost of the opposition. The Seiko got a very respectable 3rd place

Yeah, but its...

 

[DD67]

Yeah, but its...

Why is it?

I'd agree that giving the Rolex 10 points for both "Iconic" & "Street Cred" is bullshit.
They might as well have renamed both sections "Tiny Penis" & "Never Kissed An Actual Girl Except Your Mum"

Who cares about Iconic or Street Cred?
Surely the only truly valid categories are Quality & Value.

 

[Scrappy]

Why is it?

I'd agree that giving the Rolex 10 points for both "Iconic" & "Street Cred" is bullshit.
They might as well have renamed both sections "Tiny Penis" & "Never Kissed An Actual Girl Except Your Mum"

There is a huge difference in quality between the average watch from the likes of Rolex, Tudor, Omega and Seiko. The materials used, the components, the finishing of the cases, the bracelets, the clasps, the bezels. To some people that won't be important, they just want something to tell time, and don't care about the fine details, which is alright as not everyone appreciates the same things, much the same as some people buy a Renault or Vauxhall car for its basic functionality and are not concerned or understand the quality of cars from BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc. There is even a massive step up in quality from the average Seiko to even less expensive 'luxury' brands like Oris and Longines. If you handled watches from Seiko and the brands I've mentioned and were absolutely honest, not influenced about any perception of wealth and some of the cocks that buy Rolex purely because they think it improves their image, then I firmly believe you would have to admit there is no question that the average Seiko watch is made to a budget and is of vastly inferior quality.

Then there is also the rich history of some of the brands and particular watches. I particularly enjoy Tudor watches, mainly for the quality and that they used to be good value (gone up in price in recent years) and slightly under the radar compared to big brother Rolex, and because of their history being used by many of the military services around the world.

An Original Story of a Tudor 9401 Marine Nationale MN78 Submariner

The Tudor Submariner is perhaps one of the widely issued military dive watches, having been worn by troops in the French, United States, South African, Argentinian and Italian navies, as well as other forces such as the Royal Canadian Navy and the Jamaican Defence Force. But why did so many...

magazine.bulangandsons.com

If anyone likes dive watches and wants to treat themselves to the experience of a truly exceptional watch, then I would highly recommend the Tudor Pelagos, but that is just my opinion.

TUDOR Pelagos Watch collection, Swiss Watches | TUDOR Watch

Browse through our selection of TUDOR Pelagos watches. Filter them by bracelet, material, size and more, Swiss quality

www.tudorwatch.com

 

[DD67]

There is a huge difference in quality between the average watch from the likes of Rolex, Tudor, Omega and Seiko. The materials used, the components, the finishing of the cases, the bracelets, the clasps, the bezels. To some people that won't be important, they just want something to tell time, and don't care about the fine details, which is alright as not everyone appreciates the same things, much the same as some people buy a Renault or Vauxhall car for its basic functionality and are not concerned or understand the quality of cars from BMW, Mercedes, Audi, etc. There is even a massive step up in quality from the average Seiko to even less expensive brands like Oris and Longines. If you handled watches from Seiko and the brands I've mentioned and were absolutely honest, not influenced about any perception of wealth and some of the cocks that buy Rolex purely because they think it improves their image, then I firmly believe you would have to admit there is no question that the average Seiko watch is made to a budget and is of vastly inferior quality.

Then there is also the rich history of some of the brands and particular watches. I particularly enjoy Tudor watches, mainly for the quality and that they used to be good value and slightly under the radar compared to big brother Rolex, and because of their history being used by many the military services around the world.

An Original Story of a Tudor 9401 Marine Nationale MN78 Submariner

The Tudor Submariner is perhaps one of the widely issued military dive watches, having been worn by troops in the French, United States, South African, Argentinian and Italian navies, as well as other forces such as the Royal Canadian Navy and the Jamaican Defence Force. But why did so many...

magazine.bulangandsons.com

If anyone likes dive watches and wants to treat themselves to the experience of a truly exceptional watch, then I would highly recommend the Tudor Pelagos, but that is just my opinion.

View attachment 23730

TUDOR Pelagos Watch collection, Swiss Watches | TUDOR Watch

Browse through our selection of TUDOR Pelagos watches. Filter them by bracelet, material, size and more, Swiss quality

www.tudorwatch.com

The law of diminishing returns is most definitely alive and well with watches.

Obviously a £20,000 Rolex will be better than a £200 Seiko.
But 100 times better?
No way!

A huge part of the decision to spend £20,000 on a watch must involve a large helping of..."Look at me!"...