Despite being large and modern, this Citizen CB0190 is so much fun to wear - light in Super-Titanium, sporty, sort of elegant, surprising level of detail, and it's equipped with a perpetual calendar.
Recently, I've made a trade - I had a 1952 Longines I didn't really wear, and I traded it to a fellow collector for this: It's a 1940s Alpina in stain...
My recent trade became a purchase, due to DHL having robbed the parcel I've sent. Well, at least the watch for me arrived safe and sound, and here it...
Recently, I made a trade with a fellow WIS. Shipped two watches - a 1948 Eterna bumper auto and a ca.1976 Certina Club 2000 to Germany from Poland, vi...
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Recent Comments
MrBlokecommented onWhat Is Your Favorite Watch Strap Company?·
Hmmm, I'm not sure if I have a favourite. Depends on the type of strap. So, I'll categorize them...
NATO: Esprit NATO by Select'Heure, they're thoughtful enough to offer a lot of straps in odd widths, and they offer decent quality for little.
Casual plain leather: Graf. Their "Derby" is the most soft and supple strap I've ever had.
Thick vintage-style tool watch straps: 7T2 Straps by Remie Beyer. Remie does some incredible custom straps, made to measure, with twice the durability of any OEM band.
Vintage-style dress: Watchstrapheaven. Jan offers plenty of designs, from two-stitch to repros of 1940s period-correct straps. Great choice of leathers, colours, surface finishing patterns.
MrBlokecommented onTell me why I am wrong. Part IV (unless you are Cartier and count on your fingers)·
To me, they don't work against that, I'm more about whether I like the overall design of a particular watch or not. I can feel the same about watches with Roman, Arabic, dot, index hour markers... I don't time Japanese bullet trains, so I suppose I have the comfort of not caring at all.Â
MrBlokecommented onTell me why I am wrong. Part IV (unless you are Cartier and count on your fingers)·
It's a matter of tradition. The Roman system was simply prevalent at the time when first clocks - and then first pocket watches - were created. You'd have seen it everywhere: on documents, as the year of publication in books, on monuments, gravestones, in every Latin text. And mind you, for centuries Latin was the internationally universal language of European nations. By extension, Latin/Roman touches were omnipresent. Horology was no exception. To us, people of the modern day, Roman numerals are the less practical system, but back then, it was quite instinctive to read. Sure, it no longer is, but then again, traditions are not driven by practicality. If only practicality mattered, we could all just as well switch to Timex Easy Reader watches. Or digital Casios. Wouldn't that be...boring?
MrBlokecommented onWhy some mid-tier brands move upmarket (and others don't)?·
I'm not sure if I can see Oris rising. Bottom line, they either offer over-engineered and high-MSRP pieces that few will buy, because, well, it's an Oris and doesn't carry the prestige that the average non-WIS John Doe wants, the non-WIS John Doe wants a recognizable name. At the lower end, they offer what's roughly Certina-grade in exterior finishing, rarely catching up to Longines, and movement that's maybe Glycine-grade, for more than Longines money. I am really prone to looking from a sheer "bang for the buck" perspective, and I really can't see any Oris as something worth saving up for. In a heartbeat I'd choose a Christopher Ward Cranwell or the new Alpina Startimer Pilot Automatic 41 over the ProPilot, the Longines HydroConquest over an Aquis. Unless one is really in love with the looks, there's just plenty of stuff that offers better specs and finishing for the same or way less. Having worked in watch retail and handling dozens of watches from quite a chunk of the price spectrum has made me consistently harder to impress, so that might be the reason that Oris makes me bored to tears. Yeah, they're nice, I'm pretty sure they're good watches, but they just do nothing for me.
MrBlokecommented onLongines Spirit Zulu Time. Yay or Nay?·
Hmmm. If it doesn't wear comfortably, it's probably best not to go for it. You'll find it difficult, if not impossible, to find a better GMT for the money. Tudor is no alternative in this case, they're even heavier and bulkier with a similar lug-to-lug.Â
When I took the bracelet off my 40mm Spirit, it shed quite a bit of weight, so it might be good to try on the strap version just to see how it feels.
MrBlokecommented onMy Tudor Black Bay 58 Achievement·
That watch and the "Bond" NATO are a match made in heaven!
My collection spans from 28 to 43mm. My sweet spot for vintage is 34mm, although I'm not sure if me favouring my 34mm pieces has to do with the size, or with the design. Perhaps the size is a factor, but definitely not a major one. For future additions, I'd like to stick to 33-35mm in steel. Which doesn't mean I'd not wear the 28mm Eterna I'm getting serviced now, because oh yes, I will. And then I'll switch to my 40mm Longines Spirit, then to the 35mm Omega CK 2537... And so it goes.
Prompted by @Omeganut 's thread about bad experience with ADs, I thought it'd be good to bring you all some perspective of what it's like to be the gu...
Bought two 21mm NATO straps from Esprit Nato, for the Longines Spirit. Went for a RAF/Fleet Air Arm/Bond inspiration, and I think it suits the watch j...
I don't see too many Longines Spirits either on Insta or at forums. Which is odd, because it's a huge value proposition and the most highly spec'd and...
A Luftwaffe-issued steel Doxa Vintage Omegas - a 1946 cal. 30T2 PC AM and a ca.1960 Seamaster unishell A 1975 "tank" Omega De Ville A pair of Eternas,...