Sunday Afternoon Horror Post....
Horror #1 Piles of cheap dead quartz watches.
Everybody knows someone who has this problem, seems more common with my women friends. If they bring me a bag of dead quartz watches stored in a pile or a bag I pretty much run the other way as fast as I can. Earlier days I got acid burns on my fingers from a leaking battery in the pile. Also the owner of the pile never wants to hunt down all the batteries, and I'm not doing it either. I tell them to pick out the cream of the crop, I will deal with those and then toss the remainder.
Horror #2 Smart (Not a Watch) Devices
I know this one can be polarizing, you will never see me wear one. First of all they only work at the leisure of whoever made it. One the manufacturer stops supporting it, technology changes, or batteries die you pretty much have to go buy a new one. You can't repair or maintain them; you are forced to buy new. I have zero tolerance for this entire concept.
When these first came out my other half wanted one. As usual he got it and within six months it was broken. Sent it back to Apple and they repaired it no questions asked. About another six months passed same problem, broken. Sent it back to Apple again but this time it was returned with a terse note that basically said they don't warrant abuse. Point is these are not all that tough if you are a famous watch abuser like my other half.
Finally, consider what my cousin told me this past Thanksgiving- His wife is making him wear one so she can track him. He might as well have one of those prison ankle bracelets on. Also consider the fact that it isn't just his wife that can track that device. This should be called the dumb (not a watch) device.
W.I.S. - "Throw it on a mesh!"
Loool horror indeed 😂
I think with smart watches you really get what you paid for thou with all the tracking and fancy shit.
Mine survived 1 week of wrist time.. i need to charge that mf everyday, quite the commitment for a toy if you ask me.
May I recommend this one instead?
:-)
I've been on horror 1 mission recently, friends of ours who know I'm the pubs 'watch guy' have been bringing me bags and boxes of the damn things, to do up and sell them for them for a small commission (beer😁) you know the worst thing of it, besides most of them were rubbish (odd good nugget, timex indiglo's) is ordering batteries and it doesn't matter how many different types of batteries you have there's always the oddball, and then you get the special battery for it, and it still doesn't work🤬. Mind you its amazing what people buy (the rubbish i put them in bundles for sale). On the whole its the 'green thing' to do, but time consuming (luckily time's what I've got recently) but I do wonder if my time would be better spent doing something more worthwhile (like sorting out my straps boxes😁).
I've been on horror 1 mission recently, friends of ours who know I'm the pubs 'watch guy' have been bringing me bags and boxes of the damn things, to do up and sell them for them for a small commission (beer😁) you know the worst thing of it, besides most of them were rubbish (odd good nugget, timex indiglo's) is ordering batteries and it doesn't matter how many different types of batteries you have there's always the oddball, and then you get the special battery for it, and it still doesn't work🤬. Mind you its amazing what people buy (the rubbish i put them in bundles for sale). On the whole its the 'green thing' to do, but time consuming (luckily time's what I've got recently) but I do wonder if my time would be better spent doing something more worthwhile (like sorting out my straps boxes😁).
Once the stuff goes into the "Pile" it's already pretty much done IMHO.
The smart watch issues are all valid and inescapable.
I disagree on the quartz front. I love this. Reviving a good percentage of forsaken watches with the rudimentary skills of popping a case, reading a battery, or having a spring bar tool is a joy for me. I've only run into about three sizes of battery (I think it's 377, 395, and 2016) and there is a place nearby that sells them at reasonable cost (less than half of what Walmart or the like would).
A few days ago my Mickey Mouse watch was found dead. Popped the back off and had the 377 on hand. It's not like I'm a kook that maintains stock. I just bought an extra last time.
And the best part is that people think you're some kind of genius lifesaver for doing this low level task with very cheap tools. But screw Apple and smartwatches. Time-delayed landfill fodder, all of it. The oldest cheapest quartz watches, not so much.
😯
The smart watch issues are all valid and inescapable.
I disagree on the quartz front. I love this. Reviving a good percentage of forsaken watches with the rudimentary skills of popping a case, reading a battery, or having a spring bar tool is a joy for me. I've only run into about three sizes of battery (I think it's 377, 395, and 2016) and there is a place nearby that sells them at reasonable cost (less than half of what Walmart or the like would).
A few days ago my Mickey Mouse watch was found dead. Popped the back off and had the 377 on hand. It's not like I'm a kook that maintains stock. I just bought an extra last time.
And the best part is that people think you're some kind of genius lifesaver for doing this low level task with very cheap tools. But screw Apple and smartwatches. Time-delayed landfill fodder, all of it. The oldest cheapest quartz watches, not so much.
I'm a kook then. 😁 If I need *one,* I'll order a multi-pack. Rare is the situation where I need to order a new size.
I'm a kook then. 😁 If I need *one,* I'll order a multi-pack. Rare is the situation where I need to order a new size.
That's stockpiling more than I regularly do, but you've confirmed that a few common sizes cover most bases. Now if one has some vintage Omega quartz or an Accutron or something, all bets are off. But the cheapies don't tend to be exotic.
This gives me an idea for a bit of side hustle 😉
The smart watch issues are all valid and inescapable.
I disagree on the quartz front. I love this. Reviving a good percentage of forsaken watches with the rudimentary skills of popping a case, reading a battery, or having a spring bar tool is a joy for me. I've only run into about three sizes of battery (I think it's 377, 395, and 2016) and there is a place nearby that sells them at reasonable cost (less than half of what Walmart or the like would).
A few days ago my Mickey Mouse watch was found dead. Popped the back off and had the 377 on hand. It's not like I'm a kook that maintains stock. I just bought an extra last time.
And the best part is that people think you're some kind of genius lifesaver for doing this low level task with very cheap tools. But screw Apple and smartwatches. Time-delayed landfill fodder, all of it. The oldest cheapest quartz watches, not so much.
I Find it often costs the same to order a 10 pack of batteries from Amazon as it would cost to buy one or two from a local retailer. It's saved me a ton of money doing it this way for car key fobs.
I've worn one since they came out. Only broke one. I literally fell down a hill and blocked my nose with my wrist. My nose was way more expensive. They don't break easily.
The smart watch issues are all valid and inescapable.
I disagree on the quartz front. I love this. Reviving a good percentage of forsaken watches with the rudimentary skills of popping a case, reading a battery, or having a spring bar tool is a joy for me. I've only run into about three sizes of battery (I think it's 377, 395, and 2016) and there is a place nearby that sells them at reasonable cost (less than half of what Walmart or the like would).
A few days ago my Mickey Mouse watch was found dead. Popped the back off and had the 377 on hand. It's not like I'm a kook that maintains stock. I just bought an extra last time.
And the best part is that people think you're some kind of genius lifesaver for doing this low level task with very cheap tools. But screw Apple and smartwatches. Time-delayed landfill fodder, all of it. The oldest cheapest quartz watches, not so much.
Apple recycles them for aluminum and titanium. I could buy a new ultra every two years for them rest of my life and its still cheaper than a Rolex. ;)
May I recommend this one instead?
:-)
The watch for idiots who want to pay a fortune for a watch that looks like a fake Apple watch from Aliexpress? One born every minute.
I was just gonna write something in a meaning as @PoorMansRolex did. I totally agree with him especially on that pile of watches. It would be a joyful experience for myself to go through that with a bit of a believe that with some luck I might find some mechanical movement as well between so many watches 😁 and even if I wouldn't it's still an interesting project to fix and resale/keep some of the watches
I don't like those smart devices either, its a nonsense to me 🤷♂
Apple recycles them for aluminum and titanium. I could buy a new ultra every two years for them rest of my life and its still cheaper than a Rolex. ;)
I assume they promote this and that's how you know this tidbit? Do they say how much of the watch that is by volume or weight? It's an electronic device so there is likely toxic stuff like lead, plastic, lithium, cadmium, etc. being scrapped. But they scavenge the inert metal. Whoop dee doo!
Admittedly quartz watches create a bit of waste too, but they have the potential to run for decades.
Ug - pile of leaky cheap quartz watches, what a waste 🫣
And while I use an old Garmin 945 for tracking my workouts (it’s bombproof and I train daily) I will only wear mechanicals in my daily life 🥰
I’m with ya John
The smart watch issues are all valid and inescapable.
I disagree on the quartz front. I love this. Reviving a good percentage of forsaken watches with the rudimentary skills of popping a case, reading a battery, or having a spring bar tool is a joy for me. I've only run into about three sizes of battery (I think it's 377, 395, and 2016) and there is a place nearby that sells them at reasonable cost (less than half of what Walmart or the like would).
A few days ago my Mickey Mouse watch was found dead. Popped the back off and had the 377 on hand. It's not like I'm a kook that maintains stock. I just bought an extra last time.
And the best part is that people think you're some kind of genius lifesaver for doing this low level task with very cheap tools. But screw Apple and smartwatches. Time-delayed landfill fodder, all of it. The oldest cheapest quartz watches, not so much.
I like quartz! You're right about how it's good making an old quartz come to life with a new battery the size of a small pea that costs a dollar and lasts about three years.
I am a kook that maintains stock because I have about 25 quartz watches and I usually have them all running. You can buy packs or cards of batteries online really cheap. Most of my watches take the 377, but my Wengers (Rondas?) take the 371. Interesting you mentioned the 2016, have never seen that one. I have a couple watches that have no tab or notch that I can see, or they might have a screw-on back I absolutely can't get off. These go to my local watchmaker who will change a battery or size a stubborn bracelet for $5 either service.