Show us your watch Collection.

[DCLane]

Kind of you to look @DCLane

Budget is about £20 for an everyday beater, so bargain basement end, I'm afraid. I have an Omega DeVille for "posh" wear.

Ah!

I've just pulled the watch out - it's a 1970's ladies Rado Shangri-La, and checked it worked. Which it does, although there's a small chip on the glass.

Then I price-estimated it

I'm in profit. By a lot!

Fortunately it, and the rest of the more-valuable watches in the collection, are so securely tucked away it'd take a massively over-investigative burglar to find them.

 

[Reynard]

Ah!

I've just pulled the watch out - it's a 1970's ladies Rado Shangri-La, and checked it worked. Which it does, although there's a small chip on the glass.

Then I price-estimated it

I'm in profit. By a lot!

Fortunately it, and the rest of the more-valuable watches in the collection, are so securely tucked away it'd take a massively over-investigative burglar to find them.

Good for you Always nice to pick up something for not a lot and have it turn into a nice little investment. I've done that with some motor racing books. One I have is so uncommon that my mate in the trade has never even seen a copy.

I really do appreciate you looking though. Thank you.

 

[DCBassman]

If it's the same size as the diver you mentioned upthread, then same problem... I really do have tiny wrists.

25mm is where I want to be at, really.

Edited to add that my wrists are 17 cm in circumference

A decade ago, for my wife's 60th, I got her a Seiko diver to match mine. It cost peanuts, they were unpopular at the time. These days, not many lady size divers are made, if any, and the price has risen accordingly. But they would be the size you are looking for. Check out Seiko 4205-014x, where x= anything from 1 to F. These are autos that also hand wind. Might also be worth searching for just Seiko 4205 lady and see if there are non-diver alternatives.

 

[Illaveago]

I had a look at the watches on the bay and a lot of them seem to have rocketed up in price ! Some may be a bit over optimistic but there seems to be a general upward trend .
My watch collecting started off by buying a Roamer Standard at an auction. It was in lovely condition , leather strap and came with its original box . Not many people bid on it and I got it for £24 . It is gold plated with a sub second dial. I think the next was a quartz watch which nobody was bidding on either . A Festina chronograph in stainless steel. I still wear it occasionally .
It seemed to snowball a bit from there on .
Not all of my watches work as they were part of a job lot with one watch that I was after. It was sometimes interesting sorting through what was in the boxes ! The last lot I bought had a nice boxed Oris in it . When I came to look through the contents there was a Smith's deluxe watch, Zenith Surf, Bulova Acutron, Jaquet Droz automatic 70's version , Jowissa automatic and some silver items . It was fun sorting through it . I doubt if I could get anything like that these days !

 

[DCBassman]

TBH, @Reynard , I'm still thinking that overhauling the SQ is your best bet, but even that will double or triple your budget.

 

[Illaveago]

How about a Citizen Eco Drive watch ?
I've got one from the same source as my other watches . It wasn't working , but after a day on a window sill it started and has been working for years . Some people put them away in drawers and forget about them and they become exhausted, people think that they need a new battery . This was how a workmate thought was wrong with his watch . His took a couple of days in sunlight before it showed any signs of life .
You may be able to find one where someone thinks it has broken and all it needs is a good charge .

 

[johnnyb47]

I think solar watches are brilliant.
I've had a few over the years and have worked flawlessly. What appeals to me is that their more environmentally friendly as they rarely need a battery change.The little rechargeable battery can last anything for ten to 15 year's before it gives up. It also means you save money on replacement batteries and the inconveniences of getting it changed, and that the seals inside your watch are not disturbed.
There are a few things to consider though with a solar watch. Try to avoid leaving it in a dark place for to long such as draw ect. Totally discharging the battery doesn't do the battery any favours and shorten it's overall life. If it needs a good charge,also try to avoid leaving a solar watch on a sunny hot window sill or the dashboard of a car. The watch will get seriously hot and this is another battery killer. If you use them as a daily you should never have any issues with the battery becoming depleted. At the end of autumn your watch should be fully charged ,and it should be perfectly fine through the darker winter months when its more likely to be covered by your clothing.The battery reserve in complete darkness can last from anything from 3 to 8 months depending on make/model..
At the moment I'm enjoying my Casio Edifice solar watch. It's keeping really good time , looks fantastic and has a Sapphire glass (a big selling point as a hate a watch with a scratched glass) ----very sad individual in know 🤣

 

[Reynard]

A decade ago, for my wife's 60th, I got her a Seiko diver to match mine. It cost peanuts, they were unpopular at the time. These days, not many lady size divers are made, if any, and the price has risen accordingly. But they would be the size you are looking for. Check out Seiko 4205-014x, where x= anything from 1 to F. These are autos that also hand wind. Might also be worth searching for just Seiko 4205 lady and see if there are non-diver alternatives.

Thanks, I'll run a search on that and see what turns up.

TBH, @Reynard , I'm still thinking that overhauling the SQ is your best bet, but even that will double or triple your budget.

This is another reason why my budget is tiddly, because I'll have to pay for "fixage" either way. I just figured this would give me the opportunity to try something new - I have pretty well been wearing the same watch day in, day out for almost thirty years...

 

[Reynard]

How about a Citizen Eco Drive watch ?
I've got one from the same source as my other watches . It wasn't working , but after a day on a window sill it started and has been working for years . Some people put them away in drawers and forget about them and they become exhausted, people think that they need a new battery . This was how a workmate thought was wrong with his watch . His took a couple of days in sunlight before it showed any signs of life .
You may be able to find one where someone thinks it has broken and all it needs is a good charge .

I had been thinking of one as a possibility. There seem to be a quite a lot of them for sale in the sub £10 range, so might be worth a punt at that price. Seems to be a good choice of styles for sale as well, so yeah...

 

[Reynard]

I think solar watches are brilliant.
I've had a few over the years and have worked flawlessly. What appeals to me is that their more environmentally friendly as they rarely need a battery change.The little rechargeable battery can last anything for ten to 15 year's before it gives up. It also means you save money on replacement batteries and the inconveniences of getting it changed, and that the seals inside your watch are not disturbed.
There are a few things to consider though with a solar watch. Try to avoid leaving it in a dark place for to long such as draw ect. Totally discharging the battery doesn't do the battery any favours and shorten it's overall life. If it needs a good charge,also try to avoid leaving a solar watch on a sunny hot window sill or the dashboard of a car. The watch will get seriously hot and this is another battery killer. If you use them as a daily you should never have any issues with the battery becoming depleted. At the end of autumn your watch should be fully charged ,and it should be perfectly fine through the darker winter months when its more likely to be covered by your clothing.The battery reserve in complete darkness can last from anything from 3 to 8 months depending on make/model..
At the moment I'm enjoying my Casio Edifice solar watch. It's keeping really good time , looks fantastic and has a Sapphire glass (a big selling point as a hate a watch with a scratched glass) ----very sad individual in know 🤣

Thanks for the advice

The environmental impact of using fewer (or no) batteries appeals to me as well - and that's part of what's behind my thinking of moving away from the quartz watch.

 

[Reynard]

Had a look, and the 4205 series are too big and clunky for my tastes @DCBassman, I'm afraid. I prefer something that's somewhat less obtrusive. The 4206 series is much more my - they're basically the automatic "brother" to my quartz (the round, white dial, brushed stainless steel case and bracelet).

The Gradus I'm eyeing up is in a similar ballpark to what I currently have, maybe a fraction bigger. The blue dial is maybe something I wouldn't choose in a shop, but I rather like it. It's just a bit different - guess it's rocking that late 60s / early 70s vibe...

 

[Sallar55]

A Citizen eco drive with a Breitling watch strap I bought the fake watch as I liked the strap. Picked it up for the equivalent of 20 euros in a Tunisian bazaar.

A Junghans Mega Solar, my 1st one lasted 20 years until I dropped it onto a tiled floor and cracked the solar panel.

 

[Reynard]

Well, I picked up the Gradus last night for £7.50 plus postage - it should arrive by the end of the week.

The local watch place does free bracelet re-sizing, so that'll be the starting point. Chances are it'll want a few links taken out. And then I'll see where it goes from there.

Have to admit, I've rather enjoyed trawling through the listings, working out what I like and what I don't. That may come back to bite me in the bum at some point, I think...

 

[huggybear0]

Can’t beat 007 Omega Seamaster and the super modern Apple Watch

 

[DCBassman]

Can’t beat 007 Omega Seamaster and the super modern Apple Watch

But much too large for the intended user...