Modern Seiko Divers

[PurpleFrog]

For the hell of it I''ll post this:

It's a Seiko but not a diver or currently in production; it's a cult - and very expensive - chronograph meant for car racing. The main dial had been shrunk and the sub-dials given seperate locations for clarity. I always think it looks like the head of an alien, which is, of course, cool!

 

[Fudd]

what's the difference between the SNKH and SNK ranges? They look superficially the same, but there's a price difference. So much I don't know...

SNK measures 37mm across the case and takes a 18mm strap, The SNKH has a a 38mm case and takes a 20mm strap but in pictures they are pretty much identical. There are some very slight differences in the hands and dial but apart from those parts plus the aforementioned case they are the same watch. Same movement, same glass, same caseback etc. I think the SNKH is now discontinued and the SNK is it's replacement in the current range.

 

[apache]

OK. Might explain why SNK appears heavily discounted in some places. £50 new looks like an incredibly cheap good looking watch.

Purple, not that interested in huge accuracy. It's a fact that no-one needs accuracy better than 0.05%, and in blind tests, no one could tell the difference between time told by an expensive watch and time from a cheap watch.

Seriously though, they do seem like stupidly good value. I found a couple of those air force Pulsars on eBay. They're really nice, but not £250 2nd hand without a strap nice. Is that OTT or about right?

 

[PurpleFrog]

Seriously though, they do seem like stupidly good value. I found a couple of those air force Pulsars on eBay. They're really nice, but not £250 2nd hand without a strap nice. Is that OTT or about right?

As a collectible it might be about right... but you can get the almost identical civilian model for about 60 quid:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pulsar-Mens-M ... 33756f89a3

The main difference is that one supplied to the RAF will have fixed spring bars, which means it only be used with a NATO strap.

The chrono is a quartz, btw. With the exception of a few models using a Chinese mech, mechanical chronographs are very expensive.

 

[apache]

£60, got to be worth a punt! Should be here on Thursday

Damn you!

 

[PurpleFrog]

£60, got to be worth a punt! Should be here on Thursday

Damn you!

You'll probably like it more on a real NATO strap. Rhinos are the nicest imo and the grey is closest to RAF issue, if that appeals. The 4 ring version has extra strap that makes them bulkier, so I'd recommend a 2-ring. Or a "Bond" NATO/Zulu would look like this:

..Seiko and Pulsar chronographs have a lot of "heritage" - which is supposed to be worth paying extra for, according to watch marketing people... They've been the RAF and Fleet Air Arm's supplier since the Middle Ages; they've flown in space; they shipped the first automatic chrono, and I *think* the first analog quartz chrono... Compared to a Swiss chrono with comparable pedigree, you've probablt saved enough to buy a NOS Xizang, have it gold coated, and pay Missy Giove's bail so that she can ride it for you. I mean, seriously, Breitling are the main Swiss aviation heritage band, and they charge more for a watch clasp than you have paid for a watch. So you should probably be sending me beer and money, or at least let me have a ride on the Xizang and ask Mssy's autograph.

Although now I come to think of it, I'm more of a Jacquie Phelan fan...

Possibly useful tip: watch makers often use have an artificial sapphire "glass" on a watch to justify a jump in price of several hundred dollars. This stuff is harder to scratch, so can stay looking good longer. But it's dirt cheap to order a sapphire watch crystal on line - the tools for fitting it are cheap and it is usually a simple job, or you may find a local watch repairer who will do the job cheaply. So don't bin a watch for a scratched glass!

Other useful tip: if you do open a watch, do so in the cleanest place possible (doh), and have some silicone goop handy to stick on any o-ring seals.

 

[apache]

Giove? Hmmm... munter. Cant think of many biker chicks I'd go for, other than the cartoon ones in 'Mint'...

I appreciate this is off topic, but these are my current watches - not a collector, just like them.

Probably my fave

Nice with shirt / tie

It's probably 10 years old. But mine has a green 'T' on the face. All the others I've seen have red 'T' - why?

 

[integerspin]

This is my favorite watch. It needs servicing, I should flog the Seiko divers to
cover it.

 

[PurpleFrog]

..That's why I don't collect even Swiss watches that will hold their value - repairs are too much of a liability and I'm extremely mean. At the best priced place I'd trust to sell me a genuine Omega insert (using an independent, if one is available, could reduce resale value) a new bezel would be $200 - $750:

http://www.ofrei.com/page663.html

..As for getting an Omega mechanical chrono serviced in the UK by someone I'd trust to do the job, I'm guesstimating 200-300 for labour alone? You can't blame the watch repairer either (although you certainly can blame Omega for crazy spares prices for those bezels!) because mechanical chronos are so amazingly complex: if they need dismantling and then reassembling for lubing, then hours of skiled patient effort are required.

However, if I was going to spring for any high end Swiss watch, the Omega Speedmaster would probably the one! Or just possibly the X33:

In general, Omega deserve a lot of credit for being the only Swiss watch maker that really innovates.

My own favourite chrono is possibly the (quartz) Seiko "Bishop"

So called because

 

[apache]

New watch arrived, pictured here with ESIB40 EMC Test Receiver for nice techy background