Show us your watch Collection.

[DCBassman]

Picked this up on the 'bay last week for £4.90 *including* postage...

View attachment 647063

1977 ladies' Citizen 21 jewel automatic, keeping good time since I unpacked it last night. No one else bid, so got it for a song - silly really, considering you could see from the photos on the listing that the second hand was sweeping round. Hey ho... Seems to be one of the better models, as the crown is signed, and it's in extremely good nick, with hardly a scuff or a scratch on it.

It does have its downsides, though. Setting the day and date isn't straightforward. You pull on the crown, with each pull advancing the date by one. Haven't worked out how to select the day yet, other than by winding the hands. Also, the day is either in Spanish or Italian (so not a UK market watch), but to be fair, that's no biggie.

The biggest downside is that swanky and surprisingly sparkly brushed steel bracelet. It's a devil for getting arm hairs trapped between the links. Ouch. Also the clasp doesn't feel nowhere as secure as either the Gradus or the Seiko. Given I paid so little for this, I'm thinking of getting that onto a nice leather strap to match that bronze dial.

Oh yeah, and the lume still works, although it's rather faint...

Great catch!

 

[DCBassman]

These are both 6602-7040 hand-winders. Both are 1969 vintage. The black one I've had almost from new, Dad got it Duty Free in Zambia as he departed, using otherwise useless Zambian currency . The whiteface I got from the 'bay for about £13 a few years back. Bombproof and very simple. I like expanding straps! And that's despite hairy arms. The black one needs a new chapter ring, the markings have worn off. It's had a pretty hard life, but I recently gifted it a full overhaul, and it's running better than ever.

 

[Reynard]

Great catch!

Thanks! At that price, it was certainly worth a punt. Once I get it onto a more comfortable strap, I can see myself wearing that, as it's really rather funky.

 

[Reynard]

View attachment 647091
These are both 6602-7040 hand-winders. Both are 1969 vintage. The black one I've had almost from new, Dad got it Duty Free in Zambia as he departed, using otherwise useless Zambian currency . The whiteface I got from the 'bay for about £13 a few years back. Bombproof and very simple. I like expanding straps! And that's despite hairy arms. The black one needs a new chapter ring, the markings have worn off. It's had a pretty hard life, but I recently gifted it a full overhaul, and it's running better than ever.

I like those. They do exactly what it says on the tin, and I think they're more stylish for it.

The Kelek has gone off to the local watch hospital. The gummed up lubricants were getting the better of it, and I'm not to be trusted in any way with such tiny parts. Better to leave that to someone who really knows what they are doing. Mum, bless her, is treating me to the cost of the service.

 

[Reynard]

Yep, the day dial on the Citizen is in Spanish. Hola!

 

[Reynard]

No luck at all on the 'bay of late. Most of the affordable stuff is either quartz or junk, and anything decent is plagued by snipers. On the flip side, they're paying over the odds as a result, so there's a certain amount of poetic justice in that.

Now that I'm past the "I need a decent and working mechanical watch" stage, I'm paying much more attention to what I like and what I don't. The Japanese offerings of the 1970s appear to be typically far more interesting than what the Swiss were putting out. Loving my funky Seiko and Citizen.

Try as I might, I can't get on with dad's watch. It's just far too big, so back into the cupboard it's gone. Grandad's watch, though... After a little persuasion, it got going, and it's been chuntering away merrily ever since. And for a 90-ish year old watch, it's actually a damn good timekeeper. Not as good as its two Japanese companions, but better than the Gradus. Been wearing it in rotation with the others as I really like it, and now that the leather strap has softened, it's really comfy. Dad never wore it, so it's been sitting in a box of bits since 1945. Such a shame, really, as it's such a stylish thing.

I rather like the fact that it's a bit battle-scarred - the class is scratched, the chrome plating is worn away in places and the dial, is, well, patinated... Mind, it did cross Europe during WW2, from what is modern day Lithuania, via Latvia and Estonia to France via Finland, Sweden and Holland, and thence to the UK...

 

[Reynard]

The Kelek is back from the watchmaker and is now working like a trooper. It's such a lovely thing to wear and, IMHO, was money well-spent getting it serviced. I got the sense that he really enjoyed fettling it.

I did buy a Paul Jobin 3190 recently, but that went back - without a quibble fortunately. Seller said it was in good order, but it only ever worked for a few hours before stopping, albeit keeping good time when it did. Something kept slipping inside while winding, which meant that it was impossible to fully wind the mainspring. Sadly not worth throwing money at from my perspective, which is a shame. I also learned that cases without a bezel wear considerably smaller than their size suggests.

OTOH this one is most definitely a keeper - a mid 1960s Girard Perregaux Gyromatic. Yes, it *was* a bit more spendy than the others, but it was a treat.

Sorry about the cat hairs - that *is* actually a cat toy. But the watch is on a boingy bracelet and I needed something to make it stay put. I'm in two minds about swapping the bracelet for a nice leather strap; the bracelet is ridiculously comfortable, but I'm not entirely sure it suits the watch...

 

[Bollo]

No luck at all on the 'bay of late. Most of the affordable stuff is either quartz or junk, and anything decent is plagued by snipers. On the flip side, they're paying over the odds as a result, so there's a certain amount of poetic justice in that.

Now that I'm past the "I need a decent and working mechanical watch" stage, I'm paying much more attention to what I like and what I don't. The Japanese offerings of the 1970s appear to be typically far more interesting than what the Swiss were putting out. Loving my funky Seiko and Citizen.

Try as I might, I can't get on with dad's watch. It's just far too big, so back into the cupboard it's gone. Grandad's watch, though... After a little persuasion, it got going, and it's been chuntering away merrily ever since. And for a 90-ish year old watch, it's actually a damn good timekeeper. Not as good as its two Japanese companions, but better than the Gradus. Been wearing it in rotation with the others as I really like it, and now that the leather strap has softened, it's really comfy. Dad never wore it, so it's been sitting in a box of bits since 1945. Such a shame, really, as it's such a stylish thing.

View attachment 649336

I rather like the fact that it's a bit battle-scarred - the class is scratched, the chrome plating is worn away in places and the dial, is, well, patinated... Mind, it did cross Europe during WW2, from what is modern day Lithuania, via Latvia and Estonia to France via Finland, Sweden and Holland, and thence to the UK...

That is a lovely thing! I generally don’t like small seconds, especially on a non-round case, but that’s very nice.

 

[Reynard]

That is a lovely thing! I generally don’t like small seconds, especially on a non-round case, but that’s very nice.

Thanks.

There's something about that kind of style that is, if you pardon the pun, timeless.

 

[Bollo]

Thanks.

There's something about that kind of style that is, if you pardon the pun, timeless.

Next time you’re in Winchester you should check out Carter Marsh on The Square. As well as the inevitable above-retail Rolexes they usually have some vintage watches in the window. If you have time it’s worth being buzzed in as they have the less commercial but often more interesting stuff behind the counter. Very much not eBay pricing though!

 

[Reynard]

Next time you’re in Winchester you should check out Carter Marsh on The Square. As well as the inevitable above-retail Rolexes they usually have some vintage watches in the window. If you have time it’s worth being buzzed in as they have the less commercial but often more interesting stuff behind the counter. Very much not eBay pricing though!

Won't be this time round, as I've already got other plans, but thanks for the heads up.

I'm on a beer money budget (or in my case, tea money budget, seeings I don't imbibe), so strictly window shopping, I'm afraid. Mind, Cambridge is equally spendy...

 

[Illaveago]

The Kelek is back from the watchmaker and is now working like a trooper. It's such a lovely thing to wear and, IMHO, was money well-spent getting it serviced. I got the sense that he really enjoyed fettling it.

I did buy a Paul Jobin 3190 recently, but that went back - without a quibble fortunately. Seller said it was in good order, but it only ever worked for a few hours before stopping, albeit keeping good time when it did. Something kept slipping inside while winding, which meant that it was impossible to fully wind the mainspring. Sadly not worth throwing money at from my perspective, which is a shame. I also learned that cases without a bezel wear considerably smaller than their size suggests.

OTOH this one is most definitely a keeper - a mid 1960s Girard Perregaux Gyromatic. Yes, it *was* a bit more spendy than the others, but it was a treat.

View attachment 651009

Sorry about the cat hairs - that *is* actually a cat toy. But the watch is on a boingy bracelet and I needed something to make it stay put. I'm in two minds about swapping the bracelet for a nice leather strap; the bracelet is ridiculously comfortable, but I'm not entirely sure it suits the watch...

The case looks very similar to my Montine automatic date watch .

 

[Illaveago]

My Montine automatic.

 

[Reynard]

My Montine automatic.

View attachment 651083

C-shaped watch cases seem to be a fairly common styling trend for the mid-60s to the early 70s. Have to admit, it's a look I rather like, I now have three of them...

 

[DCBassman]

Something picked up from family when in Lincoln recently to see my Mum. Cheap-as-chips Chinese, but keeps good time. Interestingly, still on AliExpress for just under £14, but hand wind only. This is auto and hand-wind. Got a Nato webbing strap incoming for it.