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Which watch?

D

Deleted member 24525

Guest
Wow...was sold on getting a Breitling for years...I think y'all have converted me to either a Speedmaster or Seamaster.
The Speedmaster moonwatch looks absolutely gorgeous, while the Seamaster reminds me of a (dare I say) Rolex.
 

Randy Daytona

Cold War Relic
pilot
Super Moderator
Slight correction. I just noticed I typed Speedmaster when I meant Seamaster. No Speedy for me unless you count the X-33 which is in the Speedmaster line.

My Seamaster is also known as The Great White by Omega fans.

Seamaster as well. Thanks for the thought about servicing at 5 year intervals - I am overdue.

Any suggestions on a vintage WW2 watch?
 

sevenhelmet

Low calorie attack from the Heartland
pilot
Seamaster as well. Thanks for the thought about servicing at 5 year intervals - I am overdue.

Any suggestions on a vintage WW2 watch?

Vintage style, or actual vintage? Finding a true WWII vintage watch will be difficult, at least at a reasonable price.

For a watch of that style that won't cost a king's ransom, I'd suggest a Hamilton Khaki automatic. If you're looking for a "pilot's watch" Hamilton, IWC, and Bell & Ross have some traditional pilot watch offerings. The latter two are a little pricier.
 

Rugby_Guy

Livin on a Prayer
pilot
So, I admit that I don't know much about watches other than ones I aesthetically like. I'm going to save up and get myself a watch for my winging, but I want to keep the price down.

So far I like the De Pol watch with wings on the face, since it would be the obvious watch to get for winging. Other than a Bremont watch with the airframe your going to, but that's out of my price league.

The other option is the Hamilton Khaki X-Wind Auto
(Pic). I like the way it looks and I think having the x wind stuff is a little cooler than the slide rule bezel around my citizen watch. The only problem is that I have never had an automatic watch and don't know much about them.

So, in your humble opinions, would you go for the De Pol watch that is going to be a little easier to maintain and look for Naval Aviation-ish, or the Hamilton that I think looks cooler, but would be a little more intensive? Both watches can be had for within $50 of each other, so is there something about one movement over another that makes a significant difference?

H77616533.png
 

Hopeful Hoya

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
I say get the Hamilton. They are fantastic pieces for the price and the movements are very accurate and reliable. I used mine pretty much as a daily wearer for 5 years and it only needed servicing once (which was covered under warranty). Don't worry too much about it being an Automatic; if you're wearing it every day or every other day it will stay wound and accurate, if you wear it less you can invest in a winder or do what I do and take the ~30 seconds it takes to reset it.

I was actually just looking at that watch last night because one of my buddies recently got one. The only thing I'd say is try it on before you buy it, because the extra complications make for a fairly thick case even if the watch is "only" a 44mm.
 

Pags

N/A
pilot
Seamaster as well. Thanks for the thought about servicing at 5 year intervals - I am overdue.

Any suggestions on a vintage WW2 watch?
Funny, after @Griz882 posted his vintage USN watch I spent some time looking around trying to find one to call my own but found that there are a lot of fake vintage watches out there to take advantage of the demand. You'd probably have to spend some time on the forums and find reputable sources.

However, there are a lot of company's that make replica German Flieger watches. IWC obviously makes some top notch fliegers but there are several companies that are amongst the original manufacturers that continue their lines today. Steinhart, Luco, and a few others who I forget all have Flieger lines that can be had for a reasonable price. I've got very close to pulling the trigger on getting one a few times but then decided not to for one reason or another.
 

Pags

N/A
pilot
So, I admit that I don't know much about watches other than ones I aesthetically like. I'm going to save up and get myself a watch for my winging, but I want to keep the price down.

So far I like the De Pol watch with wings on the face, since it would be the obvious watch to get for winging. Other than a Bremont watch with the airframe your going to, but that's out of my price league.

The other option is the Hamilton Khaki X-Wind Auto
(Pic). I like the way it looks and I think having the x wind stuff is a little cooler than the slide rule bezel around my citizen watch. The only problem is that I have never had an automatic watch and don't know much about them.

So, in your humble opinions, would you go for the De Pol watch that is going to be a little easier to maintain and look for Naval Aviation-ish, or the Hamilton that I think looks cooler, but would be a little more intensive? Both watches can be had for within $50 of each other, so is there something about one movement over another that makes a significant difference?

H77616533.png
De Pol prices seem VERY high for a quartz movement. You can get a timex with a similar movement for less than a $100. At that point I'd think you'd be largely paying for the look and the Naval Aviation "pedigree." For a $1000 you can get a decent automatic watch from a better known manufacturer.

There's nothing too special about automatics especially if you wear them everyday. I wore a Hamilton everyday for ~10yrs before I switched to another watch. I still have my Hamilton but it needs to be sent in for some TLC and the price of service was too much for a watch I wasn't going to routinely wear due wanting a different style. I got my dad a Hamilton a few years ago and he's worn it every day with no issues and it still looks great.
 
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