Who here still wears a watch?

[Peter Liddell - HJG Admin]

So i had this argument last night with a friend... who still wears a REAL watch (not a smarthwatch)?

See I collect watches, I always wear one, but I know fewer and fewer people do... and my friend got all uppity about how watches were cheap trinkets until I showed him how much the watch I was currently wearing cost and it wasn't even my best one. Then he got all sore about it and said I should just buy a smarthwatch like everyone else, until I pointed out I don't need to charge my watch, I don't even have to change the battery in most of them (I like Automatic movements), and a couple will keep ticking to the bottom of the Ocean (not that I'm gonna try that!)... Now he's asking me what a good but cheap automatic movement watch would be and I've given him some options... we shall see.


At the moment I'm wearing a vostok komandirskie VVS, my only manual movement (have to actually wind it). IF anyone is wondering I can post my collection...


So, dear HJG members, what's on your wrist?

[Klaus Hullermann]

None on my wrist unfortunately (due my work with protection gloves). Before my current work, I was unemployed and carried a radio clock and I would carry a clock again if I find one which 'agrees' with my protection gloves (it feels like a pain in the neck using my cellphone for checking the time!).

After you have carried a wrist-clock and now don't, you feel naked (at least in my humble opinion).

Klaus

[christrott]

Just a cheap Casio or Timex digital is what's on my wrist because working in Aviation and around fuel, I'm not going to put any nice watch at risk. $30 every year or so when I wear out or scratch up the watch too much is just fine for me. Also, we're not supposed to have cellphones on us, so a wristhingych is pretty important.

[tincansailor]

Just an old fart! Love all the old and interesting tech, amazing what can be down with the old mechanical stuff.

A Vostok Komandirskie Military "U-Boot" is my EDC watch. Have a few pocket watches for special occasions. Also collect vintage fountain pens. Even picked up an old typewriter, 1950 Underwood portable. Always like to see other people's collections!

Maybe I am trying to relive my youth?

[Falcon]

I have an old Bolivia automatic wind watch that I wore 50 years ago when I was aviating. Had to have a second hand for shooting ADF approaches and some VOR's. What? you don't need them anymore? Still keeps excellent time. I have 3 pocket watches that I will leave my grandsons.

Denny

[Mike Monce - HJG]

I always wear a watch and always will. It's much easier to flick the wrist to see the time then to drag out the phone and punch a button for the screen to light up. All of mine are battery based. For everyday use I have a cheap, no name black watch. For more special occasions my family has bought me two Disney watches: one a classic Mickey in gold, and the other a very classy black watch with subtle mouse ears on the face. I also have two sport watches which I use for soccer reffing.

BTW, my two millennial daughters starting wearing watches about a year ago. These are nice watches, not smart watches, and is more of a fashion statement than a practical need.

Mike

[George Carty - HJG]

I still wear an (analogue battery) watch even though I have a smartphone.

How do I compare age-wise with the other people here? I was born in 1980, which I guess puts me on the cusp between Generation X and Millennial...

George

[lmhariano]

I used to think that watch batteries should last years, not days. Until January, I used to wear an analog Invicta. However, for my birthday, I was given a Samsung smart watch. Despite having got used to this, I still miss an old Casio I had (EF527D-1AV). It even had a slide ruler. Top that, Samsung!

On a side note: why is the forum software correcting me "smart watch" (as a single word) to smarthingych???

[walterleo]

Hi friends:

For me this a thread "waiting to happen". Wrist whatches and aviation was a marriage made in heaven since Cartier invented for aviation pioneer Santos Dumont the wrist whatch. Santos Dumont could not check his pocket watch while flying his very small but higly efficient Demoiselle airplane and he entrusted his friend Cartier to find a solution, the wrist whatch was the result. Still today a brand of Cartier whatches bears the name "Santos".
At the end of the 30s of the last century wrist whatch chronographs where presented, which gave more functions to pilots and navigators. One of the first series was the Compur of UNIVERSAL GENEVE.
My father owned one as he was a pilot in WWII. At the end of his life he gave it to me knowing I was an aviation buff. So I have this wonderful whatch till today and working (after a costly overhaul). But this was not the end: After buying a Sturmansky Mig29 and a copy of the Gagarin Sturmansky whatch a friend and former pilot of the GDR NVA entrusted me his "Strela" chronograph. This whatch was worn by many USSR cosmonauts as in Lomonovs first space-walk. The whatch did stand flawlessly the zero athmosphere but not Leonovs space-suit, which nearly killed him by overinflating.
As I have some other nice whatches I will give them to the end of my life to my daughters, but will keep my Rolex Submariner to the end. For everday use I have a Swatch System 51, which is a low cost selfwinding whatch, built as a first by computers alone from start to final.

But in the history of aviation OMEGAs Speedmaster the "Moon whatch" (worn by the Apollo Astronauts and helping Apollo 13 astronauts to come back to earth alive), Universals Pole-router (given to the SAS captains flying the pole route), the Rolex GMT Master (standard hand out to PANAM pilots), the IWC Mark X worn once by RAF pilots, Gagarins Sturmansky or the STRELA stand out. So everybody loving aviation one day sooner or later will fall in love with one of these mechanical masterpieces.
Some of fine whatches where used by VIPS like the Rolex Submariner by Fidel Castro (who was a diving buff) or many US presidents since Truman using the"Presidents whatch" a Revue Tommen "Cricket".
One of the historic whatches (Neil Armstrongs Omega) was sent to the Smithonian to preserve it for history but never arrived at its destination. Also an IWC Portugees worn by a famous Austrian politician when he crashed his car and died was not found again....

Kind regards

Walter

P.S: This does not mean I dont use electronic time-gear!
BUT: The prices for fine mechanical whatches are rising in a bubble. When I bought in 1972 a Rolex Submariner the cost was around 200 US Dollars. Today the same whatch sells around 7000-10.000 Dollars. CRAZY. AND parts of it today are built by computers and maybe by using parts produced in India. So like with cars: Better stay with your old fine car even it needs an overhaul and do not shop around for a new one.

[Tony Madge - HJG]

I have an Apple watch which is very useful despite me saying prior to having it as a gift that it was pointless! I also have a very nice Citizen watch I bought myself that was in a sale last year for £100 reduced from £250 its an eco drive model and is very good. My favourite watch is a Seiko self winding watch that was a gift from a good friend in Germany, it belonged to his step father who was a Nazi and he hated him and he gave it me as his step father would turn in his grave knowing a Brit had his watch I guess I also havea couple of Fossil watches which are smart and a lovely Rotary watch. I just need the same amount of limbs a spider has to wear them all

[hornit - HJG]

Im 58 and wear a nicer (but still fairly inexpensive) Casio with an Analog face and a digital window. Also own a NICE Citizen Quartz Chronograph and an even Nicer Brietling Aviation watch. Those only come out for special/dress up occasions. I wear the Casio daily and when I occasionally take it off at night and or forget it, I miss it frequently!

[Peter Liddell - HJG Admin]

Well my collection consists of:

Automatic Movement:
Breitling SuperOcean 44
Christopher Ward Trident Pro 600
Cavadini Blackhawk Titanium

Manual Wind Movement:
Vostok Komandirskie VVS

Quartz/Quartz Hybrid Movement:
Gucci Collection XXL sport SB158
Citizen Ecodrive 850

Want list makers:
Junkers
IWC
Britix
Omega

Only the first of those is likely though.