topcover

Stan
2 Followers
0 Following
3 months ago
Joined
San Francisco
Follow Following Following

Recent posts

Grail Watch Checked Off... my SARB017

Love 'em or hate 'em the SARB017 Alpinist has been on my grail list since I fell heart first into to this hobby. I was immediately taken by the beauti...
12

INQUIRY | Bronze Age Horologist

Wanted to know if anyone had experience purchasing watches from an IG seller out of Indonesia under the name of Bronze Age Horologist? They do great c...
1

Finally Achieving "God Tier"

Exactly 40 years to the month after receiving a Casio F5 as a high school graduation gift, I have finally (re)ascended to "God Tier" status. I picked...
7

Recent Comments

commented on Would you rather... ·

There are a lot of expensive straps that are down right "cheap". On the other hand, there a many inexpensive straps that are well made and presents well.

You can always replace a strap/bracelet... but you may not want to part with a watch. My choice has always been the best strap for the least amount of money.

What kills me are the $200 rubber straps. No thanks.

commented on Dad’s watch collection ·

Beautiful collection. Even the the straps still look in good condition. 😎

commented on Stressing Over Nothing? ·

Congratulations on getting your new job! As to thoughts regarding purchasing a reward watch...

Learn from my mistake early in my career. I got a job that essentially raised my salary by 2.5 times. A month after landing that job... I made a pretty sizeable purchase as a "gift" to myself. I made it past the 90 day probation period. Senior management loved me. Sparing you the gory details... by month 10 the relationship went south and became down right contentious and we parted ways ( I will never work for law firms ever again.) I was stuck with that large purchase for a couple of years after I landed a job. A new job that I was much happier at but the pay was significantly less. That was stressful having to carry that payment along with a mortgage.

Here's my piece of unsolicited advice. Blow some nice money on a great four-star meal with your family and/or significant other to celebrate your 30th and new job. Sock some predetermined amount of money aside each paycheck (after your 401K contributions) and treat yourself to nice watch as your first anniversary on the job. To me that makes the reward even sweeter if you reach it. By then you'll know if you want to be at that job long term. Expect a 9-12 month honeymoon period for a new job. Who knows? By the time you reach your first anniversary, you would have saved up enough extra cash to level up on the watch you wanted.

Just my 2¢ 💸

commented on Grail Watch Checked Off... my SARB017 ·

Agreed. I don't particularly like the newer relaunches of the 017. They lacked character IMO. The looked like the 017 but seemed like just another watch. I am, however, looking to add a Champion 850 Alpinist to the collection.

commented on Grail Watch Checked Off... my SARB017 ·

Best of luck. It's still kinda ugly out there. Too low of a price and there is a risk that it may be a clone. Need to find that sweet spot between you're comfort level and the verge of being gouged. There are still sellers out there looking for $1,200+. 😕

commented on I’m having a dilemma. I bought the 2 watches I always wanted…but I don’t feel good about it. ·

Until you somehow resolve your feelings about the money you spent on these two watches, your regret will attach itself onto your "grail watches" and will significantly diminish what joy they may have brought you making you feel guilty every time you lay your eyes on them.

If purchasing these watches puts you in a position where you can't make rent/mortgage, car payment, insurance payment or food on the the table then yes, you'll need to part with one/both or some other watches in your collection to ensure your financial stability.

If on the other hand, through your financial acumen you have set up yourself to maintain the lifestyle in the matter you have grown accustomed, keep both watches. Find other ways in your life to balance it out. Skip a few dinners out, wait for that movie to come to streaming, postpone that brief vacation.

On the spur of the moment, we purchased a car that essentially doubled our car and insurance payment. After my wife accused me of "duping" her into agreeing to get this car, we sat down reworked our budget and that eased the guilt. It wasn't how much money we were able to reallocate to pay for the car but just the action of taking steps to do so that resolved it for us.

Hope that helps. 😕

commented on Finally Achieving "God Tier" ·

The term, "God Tier" as applied to watches was coined by Nico Leonard a YouTube watch celebrity and horologist. One of the things that Nico is most known for is his ranking of watch brands, models and lines once or twice a year. His ranking system begins with the lowest rank being simply named, "Hublot" which is below "'Shite". "God Tier" is the highest ranking with "Class" being just underneath.

Most of your big name luxury brands such as Rolex, AP, Cartier, Vacheron Contantin, Tudor, and Richard Mille spend most of their time in the "Class" tier but will ascend from time to time to "God Tier" based on their releases for that year.

The one definitive fixture in Nico's "God Tier" category is Casio. He holds them in such high regard because as he puts it, "Casio is worn by people from all walks of life. Casio is worn by poor people, rich people, young people, old people, terrorists, celebrities and presidents, alike." It's a watch that everyone can own and afford. For many people Casio was their first watch. Their designs are approachable and they're both reliable and very accurate. At some point in their lives, many people have owned a Casio

I just bought a very accurate time piece for less than $20. I can wear it with casual or formal attire. It has a purported 10 year battery reserve and it has a huge modding community following it. Simply put... Casio is "God Tier".

It's a little silly but it helps collectors to not take themselves TOO seriously.

More posts

When Your Watch Obsession Collides With Another

Happy New Year Everyone!  Wanted to share a purchase I made while shopping at our first flea market of 2023. Since I started collecting vintage Seiko...
3

1966 Grand Seiko 5722-9990 | Another Pillar My Watch Collection

A Grand Seiko was always a grail watch consideration but it was always case of not finding one that that "spoke" to me. I had just gotten into vintage...
6

My Vintage Seiko Adventure Begins

Thanks to the beautiful posts here on WatchCrunch which inevitably led to the Seiko VINTAGE Watches group on FB, all it took to tip me off the ledge a...
3

Seiko Vintage Watch Crystals | Acrylic v Sapphire

Thanks to WC, I fell headlong down the "Vintage Seiko Rabbit Hole" Over the past six weeks, I've been perusing the huge selection that eBay had to off...
3

Finally here! My Seiko SBSC003 (SSK003) GMT!

I was little concerned that the shipment of my Seiko 5 "Batman" GMT was going to be dramatically delayed. Right before I dropped an email inquiring ab...
17

Hey From the Bay

As a kid growing up, I sported either a Casio or Timex. After college it was Swatch, Gucci and Movado (it was the early 90's  😊).  Once I got into th...
16