# Why Horology?



## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

Havenâ€™t started a new thread for a while so was trying to come up with something a little different and so apologies if this has been asked before but if it has, well tough!

I the past I have asked â€˜what have you got?â€™ and â€˜why are you here?â€™ so my latest question is *â€˜why, where and when did your interest horology begin?â€™* - Iâ€™m a nosey bugger arenâ€™t I! :lol:

For me I was 10-years old (Iâ€™m going to be 38 in a couple of weeks) when on my way to the dentist with my dad I first noticed the Omega Seamaster divers in the window of an independent jewellers in Heverfordwest (a small town in West-Wales). I think I told my dad at that time that when I was older â€˜I was going to buy one of thoseâ€˜â€¦I can only assume that I was looking at the SM200 (Calypso) however I canâ€™t be sure (perhaps someone could chip in with a possible Circa 1982?). What I do remember was it had the typical black dial and bezel - beyond that I canâ€™t remember.

Then just 3 years later whilst reading my first adults book (easy boy!  ) by Clive Cussler which I think was either â€˜The Mediterranean Caperâ€™ (Mayday!) or, â€˜Pacific Vortexâ€™ or â€˜Raise The Titanic!â€™ (I canâ€™t remember whichâ€¦) I remember reading about the hero (Dirk Pitt) checking the time on his â€˜orange faced Doxa watchâ€™ - I was well into James Bond movies (and btw Roger Moore is the best Bond ever, and Moonraker is the best film and that is final!) so these books really appealed to me at the time.

So it was many years later, in 2003, whilst travelling around Australia and New Zealand I bought an auto, mid sized, SMP300 - from that point was smitten.

So now you can see where the focus of my tiny collection originatedâ€¦James Bond, Dirk Pitt and the Dentist! :lol: So you see Iâ€™m still a little boy at heartâ€¦





































Now itâ€™s your turn. I would love to read your story from members new and old. Post picture to make it more interesting and donâ€™t be shy and make an effort please! 

S

PS - And I politely request no pointless â€˜chit chatâ€™ posts please - just good stories - ta!


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## jaslfc5 (Jan 2, 2007)

i have always loved watches ,as a nipper i had a sekonda i thought i was chocolate with that on.it was probably james bond and my attention to detail that set me on this path ,i always have judged people by what watches they wear and i dont mean rolexes and the like,im always more impressed if i see someone wearing a 1980's digital that they have had since new rather than my local gallery owner and his collection of patek's.and now there are so many variations and types and all the forums always dredging up new brands/models whats not to like.

my ocd/asburghers demands that i collect something so its watches and art for me.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Well, I think it was probably when I was a kid of maybe 12 ish, I used to time the 'you have 2 mins on the life and times of Mozart' Mastermind rounds with my dads Speedmaster, I distinctly remember him telling me about the space connection and also explain how the luminous bits glowed....He bought it new in 1968.....

I remember getting some cheap digitals in the 1980s there seemed to be competition to see how many melodies could be crammed into one watch 

My folks bought me a Seiko 5 auto when I was 16 

My recent slippery slope began in 2003 when a mate of mine came back from Australia where he had done his PADI diving course, Aly and I thought this sounded like fun so we did ours over here and on that course one of the girls  was wearing a black Seiko Monster! I thought it looked amazing ( esp on a girl :naughty: , I still love seeing big watches on women ) so started searching the net, found TZUK then RLT .....The rest is.......Ongoing......


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## Guest (Jan 21, 2010)

I was only about 4 in the early 70's and I went to town with my dad, he left me in the car with my mom and was gone for what seemed like ages. He came back and I remember him showing my mom his new Tissot PR516GL. He wore it every day up until around 7 or 8 years ago when he bought a vintage Omega, I'd always really liked that gold coloured Tissot and always wanted it.

He died a few years ago but before he died he gave it to me, it needs a service and the crown replacing as he broke the stem years ago and lost the original and I really should get it fixed.

What happened to the Omega after he died I'll never know-it just seemed to vanish!


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## thunderbolt (May 19, 2007)

My interest in horology started when I was a little kid watching my grandad repairing clocks. He did try a few pocket watches but found them too small and fiddly. He would buy broken clocks and take great enjoyment repairing them. I used to watch him painstakingly making his own parts for them, be they brass or steel movement parts or wooden parts for the clocks. He was entirely self taught, no formal training whatsoever. Although I suspect he did learn a lot as an armourer in the RAF during WW 2. He could turn his hand anything, from intricate stuff to dry stone walling. After getting the clocks going again he would then give them away. He wasn't bothered about making money from them, his pleasure came from brining them back to life. Amazing man.


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## jeffvader (Jun 10, 2008)

Always liked them as a kid, my Dad had a Seamaster & I've found a design period that really speaks to me.


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## oubaas56 (Nov 23, 2008)

My folks had an 8 day repeater mantle clock which my mum inherited from her mum. At night you could hear the thing ticking throughout the house.

Aged about 5 I took it apart while they ( the folks ) were having an afternoon kip. My dad was a bit of a watch nut. Wouldn't wear anything but Omega.

Always loved watches. Used to drool over the full page ads in National Geographic. Did diving training in the navy. Tissot T12 tuning fork, Seiko 6105, Rolex Sub ( lost, very expensive mistake (( no insurance )) ), loads of Casio AMD 320's ( cheap & cheerful, good watch ), Timex Expedition ( good watch, stopped as soon as I put it on my wrist for some reason ), 'nother Sub, regularly have the use of a Breitling Chronomat.

Gone back to old fashioned stuff, hand wind, auto. Deffo mechanical.

Was never a collector as such. Till I joined here. Went from 3 ( work, casual, dress ) to 15 ( 10 working ) and a pocket watch. Bloody place should carry a health warning ( I do notice that most newbies get advised "hang on to your wallet" )

Current favourite: Omega Speedy Pro. Took 45 years of waiting. ( Pressie from girlfriend )








:thumbup:


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## BlueKnight (Oct 29, 2009)

Good topic Stuart.

I never had any interest in horology or watches in general until a few months ago. But what gets me worried, is the lack of qualified horologists to look after our beloved timepieces. I don't want to generalize, but if the trend continues, in about two generations, there won't be any left.

All our magnificent movements will become museum pieces only to be replaced by cheap disposable watches priced less than a battery change. And it has already happened. My wife wanted a cheap watch that she could wear while gardening. So she bought one of those department store brand digital ( Sears) for about $10. When the battery died after about two years, she was told that it was cheaper to buy a new one and junk the old one.


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## Paulus (Nov 12, 2009)

Lovely to see your collection Stuart, some classy pieces there, and thanks for making me feel so welcome on here, you've been very helpful and friendly.

I always liked watches, had various as a kid but didn't look after them properly. My dad had a few classy watches including a nice JLC (can't recall what) but wasn't a full on WIS. He gave me his 60s SS datejust when I was 16 (bracelet, leather, box, papers) and I flogged it when I was skint at uni a couple of years later for Â£250 iirc (1991) and smoked the proceeds :dontgetit:

My grandfather had about 30 watches in his collection when he died including an 18ct rolex which got sold and contributed to the estate. The cheaper ones were left in a drawer and one day my gran told me to pick one out to remember him by - the only one I wanted was the seiko chrono (quartz, 7Axx something I think) as the rest weren't to my taste at all. That got mashed up and replaced by a 7Txx SQ100 bi-metal that I still have but stopped working about 5 years ago when I replaced it with a Casio diver which has been brilliant. I nearly fell into proper WIS-wannabe status a couple of years ago but bought a rubbish vintage Oris dress watch and then got hooked on something else for a bit (I'm a serial craze merchant).

Finally, a few months ago I started looking at vintage seikos and exchanging WIS emails with an old mate (who helped me smoke the rolex) and has excellent taste in vintage chronos.

I bought Bruton's History of Clocks and Watches in Hay and it's fascinating then my sis gave me Cult Watches for Christmas


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## Zephod (Nov 15, 2006)

Well I was always interested in clocks and watches even as a small boy and remember my grandad giving me an old clock that had stopped working and I took the back off and was fasinated by the mechanism. I remember looking in all the dealers in the 70s and I would ask my dad to go in and get a brochure if only I still had them !

I had countless watches as I grew up but was rather hard on them so nothing survived , I remember seeing the first Bulova LED Watches appear and then LCD took over and I started buying LCD casios and the like .

I remember looking at all the Rolex watches and swearing that one day I would have one thats an itch I have yet to scratch though

Like Stu I also read the Clive Cussler books and started wanting a Doxa which I finaly realised about 25 years later. Fast forward to about 5 years ago and I was searching for a Seiko Diver and came accross RLT and the forum and got exposed to all sorts of brands and watches I had never heard of and a bunch of friendly people who kindly shared their knowledge and the rest as they say is history

Here are one or two including my latest the Longines Hydroquest


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

I`m not quite sure, I`d owned watches off & on since my first Timex in the `60s, but mostly they`d just been useful rather then particularly interesting.

I do remember seeing an Omega Drivers watch in a jewelers window next to a bus stop I sometimes used coming home from school which really took my fancy.

I think my interest probably really began in the early 80`s while chatting to an old man who was a patient on a ward I worked on, he`d been in RAF during WWII, aircrew of some sort but not a pilot. He had an ex-military watch, I seem to remember he`d bought it after leaving the service in the 50`s. By chance around this time I found a Jaeger-LeCoultre Mark XI in a local jewelers for Â£25 which reminded me of this guys watch, he was really enthusiastic when I wore it to work telling how the Pilots really liked them. I suppose that man & the JLC really started my interest in watches.


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## itsguy (Nov 16, 2009)

Seems like it starts young then? Me too. My Uncle had an amazing new invention, an LED watch with astonishing accuracy, very impressive and luxurious! Then as a child - can't remember how old - my father gave me a vintage manual chrono when he got his first LCD quartz. I think I got the right end of that deal. I wore it until it couldn't be fixed. Only in the last few years did the bug return. A watch looked at me, and I had no idea what a huge rabbit hole had opened up... All I wanted was to find the right one, but that turns out to be a seemingly endless quest. So I would say, I didn't choose watches, they chose me.

Of course, I bet those old Bond movies have something to do with it too. Omega's money is well spent, they'll see it back with interest when the next generation grows up.


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## minkle (Mar 17, 2008)

I started young too, my uncle had a Seiko chrono and i loved the weight and pushing the buttons, i've not changed 

From then on i had an interest, was given a watch with a rotating bezel on it :wub: and then at high school i started on Casio and Timex, birthdays, christmas. I was really tough on them, they didnt last, i loved them but abused them.

I've always had more than one watch and a watch box but didnt think anything of it until i thought there was something wrong with my Arctura and i found this forum, then i realised i'd had a problem for quite some time!

I really do love them


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## angeleye (Dec 25, 2007)

good thread :thumbsup: for me.... i was around 7 or 8 on holiday in somerset i think, there was one of those grabby claw machine things on the campsite with a seiko as one of the prizes, spent all week trying to win it, then in a local town saw the same watch for sale so i begged the parents to buy it for me with no joy, causing one of those massive family holiday arguments :starwars:, anyway that night i won the watch from the machine and went running back to gloat over my watch only to discover the parents wernt very impresed, theyd gone into the store and got me the one in town as a surprise, so i ended up with two and the interest in watches had begun


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## sharkfin - Dave (Jan 14, 2010)

Well I've always been into gadgets of all sorts. I watched a movie call "Our my Flynt" starring James Coburn.

He played a James Bond type character, but much more comedic. He had a watch that the crown popped out and tapped his wrist to notify him the alarm was going off.

Always fascinated by big watches with loads of buttons.

Now, I can't get enough of dive watches, bigger, the better.

Cheers,

Dave


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Stuart Davies said:


> PS - And I politely request no pointless â€˜chit chatâ€™ posts please - just good stories - ta!


Great topic Stuart...nice to get us all back on track from time-to-time :yes:

I've often tried to remember watch related stories from my past but can only remember a few:

1) I must have been about 12 when my grand father gave me a manual wind watch. I then proceed to set the time each day based on when my favourite TV program actually started. When he found out, he gave me a severe telling off and explained that broadcast times were not precise and I must never do that again. I was mortified. 

2) See first 2 pictures below. This was either 5th or 6th form...and I seem to remember I had some sort of allergy to metal against my wrists at the time, so wore this rather funky strap. It was a maroon coloured leather strap but with rough side facing outwards. Not sure what happened to it or the allergy. :no2:

3) My parents live in the US for a short period while serving in the RAF, and I do remember my dad coming home with a watch that didn't need winding but had this rather strange weight inside. It was a Seiko Auto and I inherited it a few years later. 7625-8060 below.

4) None of the above sparked any interest in horology; that came much later in early 1990s when I became interested in British longcase clocks. Not sure what kicked the interest off but I bought a few, inherited a few and still have 4 in our house. Then moved into American Wall clocks like Ansonia, Welch, Inghams...still have those as well  ...and finally bought a very unusual boardroom wall clock from a dealer in Essex --- I love this clock and if I had to sell everything, this would be the last to go.

5) Watch interest. Sending & buying clocks through the postal system is no fun; I was also looking to buy a vintage watch and settled on a Gruen Curvex due to its shape, pedigree and art deco styling; then got into Richard Arbib (last pic) and his designs which got me into Hamilton Electrics...and the rest is history.

Maroon strap:



















Seiko 7625:










Wall clock:










Richard Arbib:


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## Shangas (Jan 27, 2008)

My interest in things that go 'tick-tock' is limited solely to pocket-watches, twin-bell alarm-clocks and mechanical clocks (preferrably ones that chime...I like chimes!).

I've always wanted a mechanical pocket watch. Ever since I could tell the time at the age of six, I've always wanted one. I've gone through several cheap quartz and mechanical pocket watches over the years. I've had *counts*...four...pocket watches. Three quartz, one mechanical. Neither of them lasted very long.

THen recently (about two years ago) I decided I was sick of wearing my TAGheuer wristwatch, which had all the comfort of a roll of barbed wire and all the lightness of a pregnant whale. So I resolved to buy myself a PROPER pocket-watch which I could use every day.

My first watch in my horological odessy was an 1899 Waltham M1895 pocket watch. About a year later, I bought a 1926 Waltham M1908 hunter-case watch. Both of these were simple, 7-jewel watches which, despite their humble status, kept remarkably good time.

But then 2010 came along, and I found my piece de resistance. I found it at the local flea-market (as I do all my pocket-watches) and I HAD to have it. I bought this:










It's currently at the watchmaker's being serviced.

Here it is, with my two other watches:



















The watch on the left (the gold, open-face Waltham with the Roman numerals) is my daily timepiece. I carry it literally everywhere I go. If I don't have it on me, I don't have the time.

Pocket watches aren't my chief hobby, though. They come a close second to my MASTER HOBBY, which is fountain pens.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Kind of "chit-chat" reply - but not too much (well, I'm yer chit-chat guy!)







After a career in music, dance then reality kicked in (Mrs Mel and family) I got into electronics where I got used to working with small parts and repairing "things" - from cookers to telly's to anything that came along - then we retired and went off travelling the world :yes:

Picked up a couple of Timex along the way and got them going and the rest is history - seemples!









Horology - is that the posh version of playing with watches? :lol:


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## JoT (Aug 12, 2003)

For me it was the year 2000 and getting rid of my wife  I bought a Heuer Carrera; one of the new reissues which came out in 1999 or 2000 under the Heuer brand. They changed back to branding them as Tag Heuer shortly after as the majority of people didn't relate to Heuer but to TAG.

I wish I had kept it, a very nice piece it was especially with the Heuer logo.

Then I found the RLT Forum and it has all been downhill from there!


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## bry1975 (Feb 6, 2004)

Have always been interested in wristwatches I can remember the first LCD watch I bought(I was

8-10 years old) from the Market, lovely watch but the caseback had the habit of corroding my wrist!

Bought my first Rolex Subdate when I was 19!

Regs

Bry


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## Bootsy (Jun 2, 2009)

My father always had loads of watches around in the 70s as I was growing up (I was born in 71). They were mainly Seikos and then later on he got a couple of Rolex and a Longine. He collected antique clocks and has around 40 in the house.

As digital watches became prevelant I had a string of them with various tunes, space invader games, speaking (remember them!) etc. it must have been when I was 10 that he bought me a gold Seiko, a slim mid sized piece which is stillat my parent's house. That sparked my interest away from digital and then I had a few bits and peices over the years.

Then in about 1995 my father presented me with the watch below. Which I've just had a new battery fitted to at lunchtime today!










I wore the Seamaster for many years and still wear it as my old faithful and swimming watch.

Around 10 years ago I had a break in at my then flat and another Omega, a carriage clock and a few other bits were stolen. With part of the insurance I bought a Rolex Air King.

My interest in historic racing and early Porsches has always been part of me for the past 20 years and my interest in racing related watches grew and grew. I swapped the Airking for a Tag Monaco and about 2 years ago began adding other watches to my collection of various style, makes and models.

I've now come to the decision to concetrate on Heuers as I love the breadth of the designs and the racing links. I've kept my Omega Seamaster, a couple of 6139 Seiko Chronos and a 60s Rolex (also given to me by my father) but any new purchases are restricted to Heuers as seen in a recent pic below (although i've sold one and added two since then!)

So I blame my father! He still loves his watches and for Christmas I cleaned up an Omega, a Zenith and a Mappin and put them on nice new straps for him. I also presented him a watch box/winder with an RLT in it as a present and he was chuffed.


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## mjolnir (Jan 3, 2006)

Great thread :thumbsup:.

I've been giving this some thought. When I was younger all of my watches were quartz and mostly digital. I had this great Ana-digi Casio that I broke when I fell over and landed on it so my dad gave me (I stole from his drawer) his Casio Data bank watch. Forget PP and JLC this thing was the greatest. You could write your name and address on it and it would play greensleeves  I caught it on the edge of a door and ripped a lug off. I was devastated.

As I got older I stopped wearing a watch completely and used my mobile to tell the time until the day my girlfriend decided to go off to university... in California  I wanted a watch so that I could keep track of the time over there so that I could ring her when she wasn't asleep or in lectures so I bought this Jaeger LeCoultre Military Pocketwatch.










It was great and I loved carrying it around until the day I dropped it and broke the balance staff. I took it to get repaired at a local watchmaker who was very sympathetic and was able to put it back together as good as new. He wasn't so sympathetic the second time I dropped it and suggested that I try a wristwatch so that he wouldn't have to attach the watch chain to a vital part of my anatomy to stop me from dropping it.

I decided that i'd like a one handed watch and so did a search and came across the RLT13 which I thought was going to be 'the' watch but I started browsing the forum and found a lot of options. The main thing that caught my eye was a post by JasonM about a watch he had bought from Roy who had put it together.










I thought this thing was fantastic. I'd seen Doxa's on the forum before and while I liked them I really wanted this one. You know how it is 

I saw it on ebay many months later and went for it. I've stuck around here ever since and ended up spending thousands on watches although strangely, despite having owned a few of Roy's finest, i've never gotten around to buying that '13 that originally brought me here. :huh:


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## SharkBike (Apr 15, 2005)

mjolnir said:


> I decided that i'd like a one handed watch and so did a search and came across the RLT13


That's the exact thing that led me to this forum. 

Wish I had an interesting story, but I don't. :huh:

I've always worn a watch since the first Timex I got for Christmas as a boy. Growing up it was another Timex and then a Casio digital, followed a cheesy Seiko dress watch, a cheap Freestyle diver, and some other crap in my 20s-30s. Then around 1998 my eyes were opened to mechanical watches by a guy I worked with, who was just beginning to get into them himself.

Bought an Omega Dynamic Chrono and a Movado Kingmatic Chrono as my "entry" into this wacky world, then decided to see if such a thing existed as a one-handed watch.

After that it became an obsession. 

EDIT: Forgot to answer the "why?" question: I think what peaked my interest most was the mechanical aspect & the art of design. It continues to amaze me that all these gears and stuff can be assembled & strapped to your wrist, and it can accurately tell the time and date...and with no batteries. And the seemingly endless variety of watch designs still blows my mind.


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## Ricster (Jul 16, 2005)

I didn't get into watches until about 10 years ago.

The first watch I remember having when I was young was a Sekonda when I was about 11. I had a Rotary for my 18th then a Swatch when I was about 20 for a couple of years. Throughout my twenties I had an Accurist but in my late twenties I was drawn to Seiko Kinetics after seeing an advert in a magazine. I heard that a work collegue was selling a Seiko Kinetic that he'd recently bought for Â£325 from H.Samuel and was selling for Â£150, I just had to have it even though I thought that was a lot to spend on a watch at the time! I remember him saying that it was the best watch I'd ever own and I believed him.

The Seiko Kinetic that started an obsession










I got talking about watches to another work collegue and an obsession started from then. I soon discoved e-Bay and the world was my oyster. I'd take a new watch to work every few weeks from then on and if I fancied another watch I'd always find a work collegue willing to buy one of my watches at a big reduction, at one point about 20 workers had one of my ex watches on their wrist.

I then discovered RLT watches and the sales forum and as my knowledge of watches grew, my bank balance shrunk. :cray:

All sort of watches, automatic, manual, quartz, eco-drive, divers, chronographs, pilots etc have been owned and then flipped by me over the last few years as this obsession took over my life :fool: :help: :yes:

Luckily since I bought my Speedmaster, I've been cured :astro:

:grin:


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## scottswatches (Sep 22, 2009)

Nice subject.

I've always liked mechanical things, but mainly watches and cars. My watch story started at 16 when i spent Â£50 on a rotary gold plate watch and my dad thought i was mad. While training as a mechanic i bought a fake Tag, which just fuelled the desire to get a real one. A move into motor racing meant i had a few contacts with McLaren, hence my first real swiss watch (a Tag Heuer 4000).

Since then i have just got worse and worse, or better and better. My dad still believes i spend too much on watches, but he was impressed when my recent clearout of half my collection paid for an extra bedroom on my house. Now to rebuild the collection!


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## broken guzzi (Jan 6, 2010)

Been into watches i think since i first saw my grandads watch that he had in the Second world war, been into divers style watches since i learned to swim as a kid and have never really shaken it off! Usually had cheap watches that only lasted about a year then started on G10 and SBS divers that i still manage to destroy at work! Stuck with the SBS though and have a suunto explorer as a run away watch, which is pretty battered. Only got into mechanical watches last year after stumbling onto this forum! now have a seiko sx007 for work and an o&w M7 for weekends plus a few pocket watches. Saving up for another O&W!


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## Shangas (Jan 27, 2008)

> It was great and I loved carrying it around until the day I dropped it and broke the balance staff. I took it to get repaired at a local watchmaker who was very sympathetic and was able to put it back together as good as new. He wasn't so sympathetic the second time I dropped it and suggested that I try a wristwatch so that he wouldn't have to attach the watch chain to a vital part of my anatomy to stop me from dropping it.


Ouch!!

I only ever dropped one of my pocket watches. Fortunately it was a cheap, junky mechanical one, which I suspect had no real value. I sold it. So far, I haven't dropped any of my current watches.


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## sheepsteeth (Dec 14, 2009)

I dont remember specifically but i know as a young lad, about 12-13 i just started taking an interest, My old dear bought a sekonda for my dad and put my name on the gift card as if i had bought it for him he still has it and i always thought it was a really pretty object. i could never afford such a thing (it was about 20 quid) but once i got my first saturday job (working in a bakery) i finally had a few spare pounds and bought myself a sekonda chrono of some sort. i remember it was 30 pounds from argos and i loved it, i felt very grown up wearing it.

Since then i had always apired to owning an omega and had the money , in cash in my hand as i went into a very nice jewellers a couple of years ago but after trying on a seamaster i left feeling all dejected as it looked tiny on my massive hands.

i recently renewed my interest when my wife took me watch shopping for my 30th birthday and i got a lovely tissot which will always be my fave watch. wearing it reminded how nice a nice watch FEELS so i started looking around and seeing whats what.

this is my current collection and each one makes me feel ace, sad i know but my theory is that no one would bat an eyelid if a girl owned a thousand necklaces or bracelets or rings so a few wristwatche is a similar thing:


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## ncon (Sep 14, 2005)

About 2003, I had a very generous redundancy payout from my employer. Whilst I was happy to stick most of it in the bank, I decided to treat myself to a White-faced Seamaster GMT Pro. I have always been careful with watches etc and so I began looking around the net for a beater.

After lurking around a couple of forums for quite a while I joined this one and got myself a Seiko Monster as the beater I was looking for.

Joining this forum had really opened my eyes to brands I had never heard of before. However, I got bang in touble when I came across a chap called JonW :hypocrite: .... it seemed I had to have everything he has ever had for sale...

I now have more watches than I need, and not nearly as many as I would like, which I believe maked me an official paid up member fo the forum!


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## Alexus (Apr 9, 2003)

Taught at an American Preparatory Day School here in Seoul for 10 years and became good

friends with a teacher who was into watches. Bought a Hamilton from him in the early 90's

(still have it.) Got interested in American watches but was astounded at how much I was

charged to have a U$3 battery replaced. Decided this was something I could do myself.

Found that the US has a rich horology heritage. The more I read, the more I wanted to find

out what makes a watch movement tick. Bought a couple of old Bulovas and practiced taking

them apart putting them back together again slowly building up more and more confidence and

less time on my knees picking up pieces. Of course it helps when you accumulate good tools

and not use plastic tweezers and electricians screwdrivers!!!

Came across RLT and this has only furthered my interest in watches. :rltrlt:IMHO a great

forum to meet people and learn heaps.

My friend that introduced me to watches meets up with me every second week, to visit the

second-hand markets here in Seoul, something we've been doing now for 15 years plus.

Thus the collection gets bigger and the enthusiasm continues.


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## luddite (Dec 11, 2009)

My interest started at school when I had a broken arm.

As I could not participate in games I was given watches to look after by their owners while they played footy and cricket.

I noted the brands and how much thinner, thin was de-rigueur in those days, they were than my Smiths Industries door stop.

I hot footed it down to my local jeweler and licked the window lusting after Omega and Rolex.


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

I'm a tinkerer and a perfectionist where anything mechanical is concerned. I like to make things as good as they can be both mechanically and aesthetically. I get very annoyed by shoddy workmanship (if you're going to make something, make it right) Excellent engineering seems to be harder to source, so I preserve what I can afford to. I spend hours fine tuning until I have exhausted all possibilities. I love the sense of achievement when I fix something broken.

I think that covers it!

Mike


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## Dirk Diggler (Sep 6, 2008)

Great thread Stuart, My Dad always had an interest in watches and bought himself a Rolex Neptune from the P.X. in New London when he came out of the Submarine Service in 1946--sadly lost at a cricket match in the 1960`s, his daily wearer was a Fortis Stratoliner up until my Mum bought him an Explorer 1 as an anniversary present. I had it re-furbished at Rolex for his 85th birthday, he still wears it every day.

As a small boy every Sat. morning we would go into Town, Mum and sisters off to shop, Dad and I off to John Hall`s (tools downstairs, train sets and Mamod steam engines upstairs) and then the watch shops, mostly dress type watches on display but occasional `sports` watches--- heaven.

Got my first `real` watch in 1971 with the saved proceeds from my Sat. job with a local Baker........ 5.30 a.m. `til 3.30p.m.... pay Â£1-50 !!! it was a single button LeMania chronograph R.A.F issue, Government surplus, still in cardboard box and nox-rust paper from the Exchange and Mart and cost Â£15, which wouldn`t buy a decent round of drinks now but I was hooked. Traded that in for a second hand 1967 Breitling Cosmonaute with(most of) my first proper pay cheque in 1975, I have it still.

Collected Sicuras and Seikos when my daughter was small and the mortgage was large but I would buy pretty much anything with a dial and acquired lots of weird and wonderful stuff over the years, auction lots, car boot sales, flea markets etc, it`s now time to refine and since "The Great Cull" started last August I have reduced greatly from 500+ down to about 230 and still reducing, the aim is to keep only the best/most frequently worn--probably a couple of dozen and hopefully to fund future purchases from sales, it`s a good but sometimes painful plan and I`ve just got to get that 50 Fathoms so the end will justify the means.

Is it nature or nurture?? I don`t know for sure, my daughter alternates between a Tudor Sub and a Sicura Bullhead Chrono, always a great talking points with the kids she teaches, less than 5% of whom own/wear a watch!!!, both snaffled from me and she wore large mens watches long before the current WAG trend took hold, so I think some degree of influence filters through the generations...well I hope so !!


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

I thought I'd bump an old thread of mine just in case you missed it first time around.

Would love to read your stories and please add pictures where you can.

Bw, Stu


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## 86latour (Jun 3, 2010)

Didn't really get into watches until my late teens, After my sister got a pretty serious 21st bday present I realised I was probably in line for one too, My parents bought me a Raymond Weil Don Giovanni Quartz which obviously I cherish.

Since that day my watch interest has grown and grown. I found RLT about 6 months ago and took some serious advice from memebers about my next purchase, a Seamaster Aqua Terra. Since then I have aquired a Glycine, Steinhart, Ingersoll and a non brand.

My next purchase, which I may be hunting a while is a birth year watch - I want a 1986 Rolex Sub.


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## Morris Minor (Oct 4, 2010)

Just seen this thread and thought it was a good time to try and answer the question!

I have only got into mechanical watches relatively recently, when I had a modern watch for my birthday 3 years ago. That was a Christopher Ward Malvern Aviator:










Prior to that I hadn't owned a mechanical watch for many years (well into my 50's now), but I had always harboured an interest in them going back to my childhood when I used to listen to the ticking of my grandfather's 'tank' style gold watch (sadly I can't recall the maker) on its well worn brown leather strap. Getting the CW must have unlocked this memory to some extent and something clicked and my appetite was well and truly whetted! As I looked around via the 'net I saw that Seiko had a good reputation and bought a Seiko 5 as a beater (no pic of this one I'm afraid). But I also saw info on older watches, and generally preferred the style of them - I also saw how well respected the 1960's/70's Seiko's are for their quality and durability, so I began to build a small collection. And my interest in new mechanicals faded entirely and resulted in my two being sold.

Here's one of my early Seiko purchases:










Stephen aka Morris Minor aka Sweephand in some other places

As my knowledge developed, I got increasingly interested in Citizen's vintage watches, from the 1960's and 1970's - but found that historical information on them is much harder to come by than Seiko. So my mission most recently has been to try and provide more coherent info on Citizens, as a result I've compiled a movement table and I am currently building a database on another forum to act as a reference library for others interested in the make. I was partly motivated to do this so that I could offer something back to the WIS community, after getting so much help, information and advice from the members of places like this 

The result of this work was to focus my collecting on Citizen, but I must stress I love to wear 'em not just stash them away! So, to finish, here's a shot of the chrono section of my collection:


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## zenomega (Oct 15, 2010)

I started really wanting watches during my army days back in 72 I had a Seiko 5 then and one of the sergeants had an Omega Constellation and he swapped me for my Seiko 5 thought I had a bargain till I went in the sea swimming with it! and it stopped ! this was in the Persian Gulf left it till I got home and when I took the back of the Omega the saltwater had corroded it somethin terrible! ever since that day I have always wanted another Omega and am still searching for a nice Seamaster but they always seem out of my price range, I have aquired quite a few other watches though and enjoy them all.

Oh and if that sargent is reading this YOU DIDDLED ME YOU ***EHOLE!


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## martinzx (Aug 29, 2010)

Best thread in a long time thanks Stuart; I have really enjoyed reading peoples storiesÂ Â Â :thumbup:

Well I suppose it started way back when...... my granddad was a watchie but died in the 1960's when I was quite young, canâ€™t reallyremember him much, but when I was 21 I got his pocket watch a gold Waltham & his gold double belcher chain , but l soon sold it & pi$ed the money against the wall, I am ashamed to say.

I deeply regret doing that......................... Â But I suppose I have always loved watches had lots over the years, I started collecting quite recently & I must say this forum has helped a great deal.Â

Some saving grace I got my dads daily watch when he died afew years ago, before that it was my granddads so I do have something to hold on to its a 1946 Omega pictured below & I treasure itÂ Â Â :thumbup:

[IMG alt="img00378201009260848mod.j...img249/6055/img00378201009260848mod.jpg[/IMG]


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## Toby1984 (Sep 15, 2010)

I've loved reading all your stories so I thought I'd add mine.

This is just the story of my "big 4". I could go on and on about some of the "less significant" purchases I've made - a Seiko Orange Monster, a Zodiac V-Sport chrono, a Steinhart Black Tie LE etc, but I'd be here all night...so here goes:

I blame my mum!

We used to walk through The Harlequin Centre in Watford, and one day she pointed out a nice watch in the window. It had a blue "face" and was on a bracelet. I liked it but didn't think much more of it. Every now and then I'd walk by and glance at it admiringly. I had no idea about the brand, or even that watches existed that were worth Â£000's. One day my mum and I had to kill some time and she suggested I go try it on. It was a chance of a sit-down so I agreed - and they brought out this thing of beauty for me to try.

WOW. I loved it - but was understandably mortified (as a 17 year old at the price tag (nearly 3k).

It turned out to be this: (photo stolen from internet - let me know if it's yours)










I later discovered more about it: It was a Breitling Navitimer Heritage, integrated bracelet, a face is actually called a dial, the workings inside are called a movement, and not all watches need a battery.

I lusted after it and started looking at Breitlings but couldn't ever find the right one. I was saving and saving for when the right one came along - and finally, aged almost 23, having saved for about 4 years - I found the one for me:










"What?" I hear you cry! "But that's not a Breitling!"

Spot on - it's not. During one of my regular forays into the watch shops, I discovered this one. The Oris Flight Timer R4118 LE.

I loved it at first sight, and for a first "real" watch purchase, the price tag was a little more digestible.

I thought I'd found the watch love of my life. I would never need anything else - that was it.

As you all know - we're all that naÃ¯ve when it comes to our first watch purchase!

While I loved it (and still do), I still lusted after a Breitling, and after 4 or 5 months allowed my eyes to wander back into jewellers' windows. All the while I was learning more and understanding why these watches came with hefty price tags (partly because it's a dying art, partly because of clever marketing, partly because some bits need to be put together by hand, and mainly cos people like me are stupid enough to want them at such big prices), but I still couldn't find my Breitling.

I then discovered Panerai, and upon a chance sighting in London, this:










became my 2nd big watch buy. A PAM 88.

Again, it was to be the last watch I bought. And again, it didn't work like that. Why couldn't I find my Breitling? I'd always wanted one - they'd started the obsession, so surely they should finish it? (Of course my 1st Breitling would finish it, wouldn't it?)

A year later, approaching my 25th birthday, my mum told me she felt bad not to have bought me a present for pretty much any birthday/xmas in years. She sees 18th's, 21st's and 25th's as important - and wanted to get me something special to mark the three of them. What an opportunity to get a new watch (which would SURELY end the obsession, given that THIS one would have such sentimental value...wouldn't it?). I scoured and scoured, fell in love and un-fell in love. Came close to picking up an IWC Spitfire Laureus edition, but didn't go for it, and then, during a wander round the watch room at one of London's most famous department stores, THERE IT WAS.

One glance and I'd found MY Breitling. My mum was with me and we snapped it up. I couldn't have been happier:










A Breitling Navitimer 125e anniversaire LE.

Superb - and utterly in love.

For months I gazed at it - in awe at its beauty. It was all I needed. I'd completed my collection...

ERRRRRRR....

Until I'd saved enough for my next - which also turned out to be a Breitling...










Is the collection now complete? Is it heck! I've now learned I'll lust, save, buy, love and lust all over again until the end. We all know the feeling...

Greedy? Us watch collectors? Never...

A wise watch salesman I met recently told me the only cure is bankruptcy...I think I'll stick to saving and lusting thanks!

All the best,

Toby


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## Stuart Davies (Jan 13, 2008)

Thought I'd bump this old thread for members new and old who didn't contribute first time around. Let's hear those stories then...


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## scottswatches (Sep 22, 2009)

scottswatches said:


> Nice subject.
> 
> I've always liked mechanical things, but mainly watches and cars. My watch story started at 16 when i spent Â£50 on a rotary gold plate watch and my dad thought i was mad. While training as a mechanic i bought a fake Tag, which just fuelled the desire to get a real one. A move into motor racing meant i had a few contacts with McLaren, hence my first real swiss watch (a Tag Heuer 4000).
> 
> Since then i have just got worse and worse, or better and better. My dad still believes i spend too much on watches, but he was impressed when my recent clearout of half my collection paid for an extra bedroom on my house. Now to rebuild the collection!


OMG - I've just read my old thread from 18 months ago. I was down to 4 watches at that point, and now it is 40+. I didn't think I had it that bad, I thought I could quit any time I wanted. Now I know I need help

My name is Scott, and I'm a watchaholic

I'll quit after the I've decided whether to wait for the postman to bring the latest two, or should I go to collect the watch waiting for me at Rytetime, or after I have checked my eBay saved searches...


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## zed4130 (Jun 25, 2009)

Mine started back in the late 70's with a digital star wars watch lol, then a few other digi's like a casio calcultor that i swapped for a parker pen, then another digi that played dixi, then in 1983 i got my first watched paid for by me it was a casio g-shock DW5000, well pretty much from then on ive always wore a watch, i do have a obbsesion with time and must always be on time where ever i go, a bit ocd lol


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## Nickc (Oct 31, 2009)

Short and err sweet. Why not! Prefer watches to stamps.


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