# Hello, New To The Forum! Mirage Iii Lover Here!



## iwhelan (Dec 18, 2004)

Hello everyone,

I have been a lurker for quite a while, but this is my first post. My watch collecting has only begun about a year ago when I purchased my first mechanical watch, the O&W Mirage III chronograph. I love the watch and I just recently purchased a Seiko Orange Monster as a beater type watch. Oh, I also have an Orfina Golden Flame auto that I bought from ebay, but it needs repair.

I know the Mirage III is a favorite on this forum, and I have one of the orignals with numerals instead of stick indices. I will never sell the watch as it was sort of a graduation (college) present to myself and it was my first really nice watch. I dont know what some of you might think about this, but it's presently with Jack of Industrial Watch Works having some custom work done. I am having him add black day/date wheels, Anti-reflecting coating on the inside of the saphire crystal. The hands have already been relumed with SL in a white color (vs. pale green that was original) and the square hourly indices are now lumed too. While it's there he is also going to relume the numerals on the dial in white so that they match the hands. I wore it around for about a year with white hands and pale green numerals and it drove me nuts. Oh yes, he is also going to clean up some rough paint on the seconds subdial at 9.

When it comes back, I will post some photos. Here is a photo I took a while back...

At the time this photo was taken, the only thing that had been done was the relumization of the hands and the square hourly indices were lumed. Its hard to tell from this photo, but the numerals are a slightly different color here.

http://www.spmicro.com/albums/ianw/P1000549.jpg

So, that's about it. I check the forum frequently and I just wanted to say Hello finally.

-Ian


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## Silver Hawk (Dec 2, 2003)

Welcome to the Forums, Ian









I have a Mirage III .... the new style with batons....but I wouldn't dream of getting it modified









Post a pic when you get yours back....love to see what it looks like









Cheers

Paul


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## rhaythorne (Jan 12, 2004)

Welcome Ian. You're right, there are lots of Mirage III fans here. I've often thought of getting one myself but something else has always just pipped the Mirage into second place.

Look forward to seeing some pictures of yours in all its new finery


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## iwhelan (Dec 18, 2004)

Paul,

I thought I would get a reaction like yours!









Remember though, the modifications that are being done are pretty minor... at first glance, the only thing that will seem different is the black day/date wheels, which could always be changed back. The AR coating will not detract from the look of the watch I think and will be hard to notice. Also, the white SuperLuminova isn't that much different from the pale green. I think the hands are actually a little more green on the newer version of the watch.

So it should retain the original look and feel overall... there's not going to be anything radically changed.

-Ian


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## 036 (Feb 27, 2003)

Hi Ian

I am sure you will be pleased with the watch after its IWW treatment, from what I have read. It seems common for the O+W s to have poor or badly matched lume and it would drive me mad too, so I can understand why you are doing it. It is a fair bit of extra expense to have to go to though when it could so easily have been done right in the factory for an extra bob or two: the lume on the hands and dial should be the same colour and brightness.

I used to toy with the idea of getting an O+W chrono, never did but I have had a few of the M series.

Like the Saab 900.

Cheers

Si


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

Welcome to the forum Ian,


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## MIKE (Feb 23, 2003)

Hi Ian,

Welcome to the Forum







Here's my Mirage on one of Roy's bracelets. A fine combination









MIKE..


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

Welcome to the mad house Ian


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Yup Ian!

Fine watch (and some), welcome to the dawn zone.









What else do you own?









Cost or hype is not an issue on this forum.





















Do you still have your fist watch?

Most of us wish we did but sadly I doubt any of us do.









Interesting stuff and some nostalgia.


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## iwhelan (Dec 18, 2004)

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Thanks for the Saab 900 compliment Si. I am actually sort of a Saab geek. I am even in a Saab club here in the US. If you're interested, I have a little gallery up at:

saab.ianwhelan.com

Anyhow, that Mirage III looks very nice on the bracely Mike. Do you prefer it to leather? I had mine on a grey nato strap for a while, but I have now moved it to a black bund strap and I love it. I actually just started using the nato on my Seiko Orange Monster yesterday and I am glad to be using the Nato again.

Stan, I don't have my first watch anymore, but the Mirage III is my first mechanical watch, so I am starting the timeline there. I will never sell it since it's my first and I am having it customized ever so slightly to suit my tastes.

The other watches that I own.. hmm.. I have a Seiko Orange Monster with bracelet and an Orfina Golden Flame automatic that I purchased on ebay for about $15 US shipped. However, it was too good to be true since it runs intermittently. It's a decent watch though, but a bit small for me. I will probably repair it someday and give it as a gift.

I still have a couple quartz watches from before I found the dark side. There's a swatch and a fossil living in my drawer. I dont like the fossil anymore, but I will put on the swatch once in a blue moon.

Well, that's about it for now, have a great weekend everyone.

-Ian


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## MIKE (Feb 23, 2003)

iwhelan said:


> Anyhow, that Mirage III looks very nice on the bracely Mike. Do you prefer it to leather?


 Hi Ian,

I always prefer a bracelet over a strap







when possible.

MIKE..


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## Griff (Feb 23, 2003)

It's great to have a situation where the lugs are standard like the Mirage 111 as it looks good on either bracelet or strap. Really gone off these integral type watches where it means a bracelet or nothing


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## Padraig (Jan 16, 2005)

I want a Mirage III, but I'll settle for the Mirage II I bought of Roy ages ago, long before I joined the forum







A great watch, the best value chrono I have ever bought and excellent service if I remember correctly







.


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## Roy (Feb 23, 2003)

Padraig said:


> excellent service if I remember correctly
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 You remember correctly.


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## redmonaco (Nov 29, 2004)

Hi Iwhelan

Its spooky, cause i've just read your post, and it seems you have had done EXACTLY wot i would like to do to a Mirage. ie black day/date and ar coating (probably on the inside only tho')

Have you got your watch back yet? Have you got any pics pleeze??

I would really like to buy a mk11 but cant find one for sale so it looks like a mk111 for me.


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## redmonaco (Nov 29, 2004)

Padraig said:


> I want a Mirage III, but I'll settle for the Mirage II I bought of Roy ages ago, long before I joined the forum
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Perhaps you should sell me yours, and buy a mk111 from Roy!!??


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## redmonaco (Nov 29, 2004)

Hi Ian

Have you got those pics ready yet?

(your O&W Mirage with Black day/date wheels)


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## iwhelan (Dec 18, 2004)

redmonaco said:


> Hi Ian
> 
> Have you got those pics ready yet?
> 
> ...


Unfortunately not since [email protected] was unable to source the day/date wheels. I did get the whole dial relumed and the hands were relumed earlier.. so everything glows brightly now, unlike how it was originally.

Plus, he applied an anti-reflective coating to the crystal. It is different from what I am used to seeing since it does not have a purplish tint, it is just clear.

If you're interested in seeing what a MIII with black day/date wheels looks like, just do some searches for a Sinn 103. After the money I spent on this watch, I probably could have just bought a used Sinn 103.. oh well. I still love the watch, although I would like to add a Speedmaster Pro to my collection still. I think that would be the end of the collection.

-Ian


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## mach 0.0013137 (Jan 10, 2005)

iwhelan said:


> I think that would be the end of the collection.
> 
> -Ian
> 
> ...


Famous last words


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## redmonaco (Nov 29, 2004)

iwhelan said:


> [ I think that would be the end of the collection.
> 
> -Ian
> 
> ...


Are you that strong willed?? How many in your collection to date (or to put it another way, how many times previously have you thought your collection was 'complete'?)









I believe you are right regarding the Sinn 103, do they come with ar coating do you know?


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## iwhelan (Dec 18, 2004)

redmonaco said:


> iwhelan said:
> 
> 
> > [ I think that would be the end of the collection.
> ...


I think I'm that strong willed. I only have 2 watches in my "collection" now anyway! Just a Seiko OM and the O&W. Maybe someday I would consider selling my modifed O&W MIII to put money towards an Omega Speedmaster Pro. I would honestly rather just have a few watches that I really love and wear often rather than a lot that don't get much wearing.

I think the Omega Speedmaster Pro kind of epitomizes the swiss army knife of watches for me. It's casual when it needs to be casual, dressy when it needs to be dressy, rugged, utilitarian, and beautifully designed all at once. That's the kind of watch I would be proud to wear for decades as a daily wearer. The OM is for when the going really gets tough, like swimming, hiking, etc. The O&W does a lot of what the Speedmaster does, but there is something about it that doesn't have the same cache unfortunately.

I have told my self though that I wouldn't sell the O&W since it was my first ever really nice watch, first ever mechanical even. Selling it right now would be a good way to loose money probably since the value hasn't really gone up at all and I've put extra money into it that might not neccesarily add value.

-Ian


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