A thread for watch love - The Bear and Badger

Minkymu

Lovely stuff. Casio batteries go on forever tbh but thats a new record, unless you somehow managed to grab obe of the fabled 25 year ones.

Eco drive have some beautiful watches out atm, both in the classic dress watch and sport /pro master watch styles.

Roujin

Eco Drive gang represent! Great watch, also bonus marks for the titanium.

I think the real star is that old Illuminator though, please never get rid of it, such a cool watch. I love that whole chunk of affordable digital watches casio make, they're just so dang nostalgic to look at.

Minkymu

Citizen were the first to bring a solid titanium watch to the market in 1970.

They do this wild looking1000m titanium diver with a cool locking ring mechanism on the dive bezel.

Look at that!

g.man

Protip: never buy a watch with a titanium case. If you so much as look at it the wrong way, it’ll be covered in scratches.
Titanium may be light, but it’s as soft as anything.

Minkymu

Citizen use a harder compound called super titanium, but good point G

Roujin

Can confirm my own Eco Drive titanium is a scuff magnet if you are not careful, although I suspect they know this and that is why you only really ever see titanium watches with a brushed finish.

cockbeard

Strangely was chatting about metals with my mate Jamie the jeweller on Saturday. He mentioned that titanium is often brushed finish because it oxidises really quickly. But whereas iron rusts red and copper rusts green, the titanium rust is that dark grey colour, so that's why you rarely see it polished, because people are lazy probably wouldn't polish as often as they should, so might as well start with the "broken" colour. Also to avoid Tungsten because fire services across the country are having to buy new laser cutters to remove them in accidents because they're way too hard

davyK

Jamie the Jeweller.

hylian_elf

Anyone come across Code 41 watches? Some nice ones in there.

https://code41watches.com/

Minkymu

No i have not heard ot them. Some lovely technical looking dials in there. Nice detail.

I’m going to research them.

Ed_Flanders

You're right that the shiny bits on my Eco-Drive are quite scuffed, but I think it still looks nice. I'm definitely never getting rid of it, or the Casio for that matter.

GooberTheHat

I really don't get those military watches. They are nice and clean and simple, but I couldn't imagine paying more than £150 for one, let alone £1500.

Minkymu

GooberTheHat wrote:

I really don't get those military watches. They are nice and clean and simple, but I couldn't imagine paying more than £150 for one, let alone £1500.

Yeah tbf that is the most expensive one. You can get a G10 quartz from CWC for about £250. Now the G10 is THE Uk armed forces watch. Issued for 24 years or so. Lovely tool watch. Fixed welded spring bars so nato straps only. You can get a sapphire glass model for £340

Best watch you will ever own for the money.

GooberTheHat

I get them from the survey store whenever I need one. That's probably why I don't find them particular exciting.

Minkymu

Yeah probs lol

Roujin

Hey goobs, next time you need one, you know who else needs one?

davyK

Minkymu wrote:

I really don't get those military watches. They are nice and clean and simple, but I couldn't imagine paying more than £150 for one, let alone £1500.

Yeah tbf that is the most expensive one. You can get a G10 quartz from CWC for about £250. Now the G10 is THE Uk armed forces watch. Issued for 24 years or so. Lovely tool watch. Fixed welded spring bars so nato straps only. You can get a sapphire glass model for £340 Best watch you will ever own for the money.

I presume they are built to last. That is something I find high on my selection criteria.

Minkymu

Well yeah the original spec has an acrylic dome, so any scratches you just buff out with polywatch. Coin slot battery cover. Swiss built. Selita movement which is basically an ETA movement. Steel case and a nato. The nato is the best of it’s kind and i’ve bought a lot. The natos are still actually issued to armed forces, in grey.

davyK

Nice.

Have you posted a watch porn parade picture yet?

Brooks

If stuff is hard to make and people need decent wages, can't resent paying through nose for stuff. Of course, there will be a sobering luxe markup for a lot of these brands.

Minkymu

I would go so far as to recommend just the nato to jass up your watch. They do a wide selection of mil spec (avoid the phoenix’s as they fray around the buckle holes) in 18mm, 19mm and 20mm. You can get a range of colours, country flag and military regiment colours too.

For me the canvas CWC natos are lush, thicker material(firm until they wear in) add some nice texture and heft as the standatd natos can wear a little light. Canvas was mil spec before nylon took over.

Minkymu

For Davy

I also have a black jack strap keep for the green nato(so a black white and gray version of what you see there, and a black jack keep for the Bond nato)

davyK

Splendid.

Minkymu

Brooks wrote:

If stuff is hard to make and people need decent wages, can't resent paying through nose for stuff. Of course, there will be a sobering luxe markup for a lot of these brands.

I wouldn’t say hard to make more hard to source. CWC pride themselves on producing repurposed new old stock or replicas using original surplus dial and hand sets plus crystals with new machined cases and movement.

You can still spec watches with tritium dials, the now banned lume that was replaced by superluminova is swiss watch manufacture. Tritium goves a lovely retro glow and is not as bright as superluminova as the compound used is slightly radioactive and fades over time.

Minkymu

Bell and Ross have released a very lovely military green diver. Also comes on a black rubber strap but i rather like this fabric and velcro fastened item.

Birdorf

I'd like that more if they got rid of the corners.

Minkymu

Birdorf wrote:

I'd like that more if they got rid of the corners.

There you go....

Loses 200m of water resistance, so just 100m, and ditches that iconic B&R square case. Still a lovely dial colour though

Birdorf

Yes! Way out of my price range, unfortunately.

Minkymu

Birdorf I’ve banged on about them enough in here, but CWC really do a nice line in forces surplus stock thats been repurposed.

I have my eye on the lovely commando green tritium dial G10 here......

£350

Minkymu

Cabot Watch Company supplied the G10 from 1980 and was contracted by the MoD until recent times. A conservative figure of over 200,000 G10 watches have been produced for the military, based on 10,000 per year over a 28 year period. 22,000 were supplied to the Royal Navy in 1991.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories