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Time for a new watch

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
That was quicker than expected. Two parcels arrived today. One with the watches, and a replacement strap from a different shop.


Just one more thing to resolve, which you guys might be able to help me with. How do I remove links from a bracelet that doesn't have visible pins?

View attachment 1348429
Those are some nice looking watches!

As to removing links, do what my Dad did, whether overhauling an engine or changing watch bands....


Get a hammer, flat screw driver, and a reg pair of pliers. That and opposable thumbs can fix ANYTHING!
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Those are some nice looking watches!

As to removing links, do what my Dad did, whether overhauling an engine or changing watch bands....


Get a hammer, flat screw driver, and a reg pair of pliers. That and opposable thumbs can fix ANYTHING!

Cheers Dave :thumbup1:

I have known MANY fitters and mechanics who came from the same school of percussive maintenance. :biggrin1:
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Then you'll also be needing the following phrases...

Tapping Bat = little hammer
Universal Adjuster = bigger hammer
Persuader = biggest hammer
Thank you.

Armed with this knowledge, I'm pretty sure my Dad would recommend a "Tapping Bat" for the job at hand. BUT......He was also known to say, "don't send a boy to do a man's job!"

Or to be politically korrect, he'd more than likely say: "do not send a person without enough age and experience to do that which is required to complete the job."
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Thanks again @Dog Whiskerer it worked like a charm.

IMG_20211019_214615.jpg
 
Nice watches. I hope you will enjoy the new pair along with the others.

I first misread the brand of the Minster watch and was thinking of what fun you could have wearing it and watching reruns of that old sitcom "Yes, Minister". I have never seen that broadcast here in US, but some of the clips were quite funny. This one circulated preceding brexit


But see that it Minster, more like Westminster. One website claims "Minister 1949 Watches assembles its premium timepieces in a workshop inside St John's Church in Halifax", though I find it hard to believe there is a workshop assembling quartz watches in a church. Seems like there must be an interesting history to the brand in any case.
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
One website claims "Minister 1949 Watches assembles its premium timepieces in a workshop inside St John's Church in Halifax", though I find it hard to believe there is a workshop assembling quartz watches in a church. Seems like there must be an interesting history to the brand in any case.

Thank you. I'm very pleased with both of them.

It seems that originally, Minster was the British jewellery company H. Samuel's in-house watch brand, originally started in 1949 but later shelved. That name has been bought for this current venture.

As to the church workshop quandary, I don't know if it is within the church (Halifax Minster) grounds itself, or the surrounding area/district is called St John's Church, or some other subtlety that I am missing. I don't have any local knowledge of the place, as I'm in a different part of Yorkshire. It appears there is a new website supposedly being launched soon (minster1949.com) which may hold more clues.
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
Thank you.

Armed with this knowledge, I'm pretty sure my Dad would recommend a "Tapping Bat" for the job at hand. BUT......He was also known to say, "don't send a boy to do a man's job!"

Or to be politically korrect, he'd more than likely say: "do not send a person without enough age and experience to do that which is required to complete the job."
Simple rule to remember: If it doesn't fit, use a bigger hammer.
 
It’s no secret that I’ve been watch shopping for a while now. While I am liking the very affordable Casio I bought, I still have an itch for something nicer. I told my better half I was looking at a $385 Seiko…

…that went over like a fart in church.

So, it occurred to me that watchmakers get their parts from somewhere and I started looking. That’s a deep rabbit hole.

What I came up with was, for around $120 (not counting a basic $25 toolkit), you could assemble a nice automatic diver style watch, complete with a sapphire crystal.

Movement: NH35/36 $60

Stainless steel 42mm case w/dive bezel: $37

Navy blue face with lumed indices $11ish

Lumed dive style hands (set of three-hour, minute, second) $8

Cheap NATO strap (brushed stainless steel hardware, black nylon with gray center stripe $14

Someday soon (I hope), I’ll give it a shot.
 
Slim :
1. Was that seiko 385 retail because street price on most Seikos is 15-30% of retail easily.

2. Assembling your own watch for 161.00 (the sum of all the materials listed above) is certainly a wonderful endeavor but value is not one of them. For 200ish, you could get a Orient Kamasu (dive) or an Orient dress model for 160 ish and have a warranty.

3. You cost of materials presumes no other tools needed and no parts damage when you assembly the watch.

4. To repeat, as an endeavor, self watch making is a noble thing and most respectful. As a value proposition...not so much.
At least not in this financial/feature space.
 
How about one of those gray import Seiko's. Direct from somewhere other than Seiko. I got a deal a deal on a solar pro spex one around £60 cheaper. If I can find the site I'll post it for you.

Update, it was a site called creation watches. I personally had no issues at all. 🙂
 
It was a Seiko PADI diver, I also found one basically new on fleabay for $229.
3A995E56-CCA6-4CA4-8749-E4840ADEEC0F.png


The one I wanted to assemble looked a bit like this…
20377A99-4168-429A-B3C8-7E81684138AF.png

Except face was blue, non branded and no valve or button at the 10 o’clock position.
The $120 not counting tools (basic kit is $25) was for a cheaper movement, hands, and case. I “upgraded”. ;-)
 

AimlessWanderer

Remember to forget me!
Also, if I could find a battery operated quartz movement that could be swapped in for the automatic, that would drop the cost by about $40

All my wristwatches are quartz now. I have a mechanical pocket watch, and have owned an automatic wristwatch in the past, but I'll be sticking with quartz (solar if the price is right) from now on. Largely due to initial cost, but also simplicity, reliability, options of other features, and never being too concerned about loss or damage.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
All my wristwatches are quartz now. I have a mechanical pocket watch, and have owned an automatic wristwatch in the past, but I'll be sticking with quartz (solar if the price is right) from now on. Largely due to initial cost, but also simplicity, reliability, options of other features, and never being too concerned about loss or damage.
I'm finally at a place in life where I could afford just about any watch I want. Lol, IF the War Department approves the allocation of funds, that is..... but: now that I CAN afford one I find that I really just want quartz.
Why?

LOL! Because I can buy MORE watches! It'll be hard having to listen to her yell at me, but........ I'm worth it!!!
 
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