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Steinhart Vintage GMT in 39mm

Yesterday I made the mistake of clicking on the ad for a certain watch sales company atop this forum. Mistake, I say, because it led me along some warren tunnels to a watch I want, the Steinhart Ocean 39 Vintage Premium GMT:
Reasonably priced compared to even pre-owned Rolexes these days; I don't have a GMT watch and have always wanted one; I love the domed crystal; apparently it has good lume at night; and the size is perfect for my wrist. I've gone so far as to order two NATO straps that I can use on my Rolex Sub as well as this one, but haven't pulled the trigger on the Steinhart yet. Anybody have one of these, or one of its stablemates?

It's been a tough year for all of us and 2021 looks little better. Perhaps a nice Christmas present to myself is in order.
 
I've pulled the trigger on one. Gnomon says 3 days to get it shipped and 3-5 via DHL to me, so it should be here not long before Christmas.

The two NATO straps I bought are these: NEW - The Major Ballistic Nylon Strap w/ Polished Hardware 20mm - https://tinyurl.com/y69uultr and The MI6 Bond Ballistic Nylon Strap w/ Polished Hardware 20mm - https://tinyurl.com/y4g5a597

I couldn't find any pics on the 'Net of similar watches on bands exactly like these, but I like 'em. The colorful one might be too much, but at least it has most of the watch's colors. The Vintage Bond is much more muted. If any of you have a similar watch on a NATO strap, please post pics!
 
Cheapest Nato Watch Straps has been my go to. Sofie from Sweden runs the place...really. Sweden to the Midwest USA in 7ish days max.
 
Steinhart nailed it with that watch. Love the drilled lugs and no crown guards.
On a jubilee bracelet!
Wear in good health.
 
What got me going, besides the 39mm size, was the domed crystal like that of my 1978 no-date Sub. Seems it's hard to find a watch with a domed crystal nowadays, and if you do it's 44mm, and if that's okay with you it's lots of $$$$.
 
The two NATO straps I bought are these: NEW - The Major Ballistic Nylon Strap w/ Polished Hardware 20mm - https://tinyurl.com/y69uultr and The MI6 Bond Ballistic Nylon Strap w/ Polished Hardware 20mm - https://tinyurl.com/y4g5a597

I couldn't find any pics on the 'Net of similar watches on bands exactly like these, but I like 'em. The colorful one might be too much, but at least it has most of the watch's colors. The Vintage Bond is much more muted. If any of you have a similar watch on a NATO strap, please post pics!

Congrats on your new watch, that is a timeless beauty. Here is a pic I posted on Watch Ya Wearing the day after Sean Connery passed away. The caption I put with it:

"Connery, Sean Connery."

IMG_3840.jpeg
 
The watch has advanced to Hong Kong from Singapore -- they shipped it out the same day, Monday. Next Monday is the supposed delivery date. The straps should be here today or tomorrow.
The straps arrived and are very nice -- the single-pass type where you don't have to fold the partial strap under. I'm thinking to put the Vintage Bond one on my Sub (original, huh?), and save the brighter-colored one for the GMT. Of course, once I take the bracelets off the watches, I can swap the straps back and forth very easily.

I'll have the Steinhart bracelet sized for me soon, so I can return to it. But the strap idea was so that I could wear the new watch right away.

Captain, a cool nod to The Man Sean. He was one of those people that, somehow, you hoped God might make an exception and let him stay.
 
Roadblock, folk,

I used my springbar tool to get the bar off one end of the Sub bracelet. Then the needle bit broke off as I was trying to remove the other springbar, and the other end of the tool won't fit into the drilled holes. So I can't get the bracelet off. Grrr.

Maybe the jeweler in town who has done the regular service on my Rolexes will have a replacement bit for the tool, or another tool. I'd really like to do this myself; I've done it before, putting the Rolex tropic strap on the Sub.

ETA: I at least got the bracelet back onto the Sub, so I can wear it!
 
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I ordered a rubber strap to try with my new watch, not used to the weight of a bracelet. I have a nato on my other daily watch. I have a simple watch kit from Amazon or eBay, it helps with almost all wat h stuff, especially bracelets. Ordering a watch hand press soon to swap out the hands on my Vostok.
 
That's a good looking watch! I'm in the market for what I'm calling a "vacation watch" - one that can go on adventures like hiking and snorkeling and can also look good at dinner (especially if I change the strap). One of these Steinhart's might fit the bill!
 
That's a good looking watch! I'm in the market for what I'm calling a "vacation watch" - one that can go on adventures like hiking and snorkeling and can also look good at dinner (especially if I change the strap). One of these Steinhart's might fit the bill!
Steinhart has only been in business for 20 years or so, but they've gained a good reputation for high quality, solid watches. Apparently they provide a huge percentage of the Rolex-owning experience for something like a tenth of the price. I've held off on buying one because their models in a reasonable size for my wrist did not have all the features I wanted, like a domed crystal. Now that they are offering 39mm models with that domed crystal and other vintage details, I'm on board.

The tracking says the watch has passed Customs in NY and is leaving Atlanta; so it's on track to be here on Monday. I'll visit my local jeweler Saturday and pick up a new watch strap tool, and maybe some newer springbars for the Sub -- they could be decades old! -- and, I hope, be ready to swap out the bracelet on the GMT for the strap.

I wonder what time zone I should set the GMT hand to. Maybe Singapore?
 
Roadblock, folk,

I used my springbar tool to get the bar off one end of the Sub bracelet. Then the needle bit broke off as I was trying to remove the other springbar, and the other end of the tool won't fit into the drilled holes. So I can't get the bracelet off. Grrr.

Maybe the jeweler in town who has done the regular service on my Rolexes will have a replacement bit for the tool, or another tool. I'd really like to do this myself; I've done it before, putting the Rolex tropic strap on the Sub.

ETA: I at least got the bracelet back onto the Sub, so I can wear it!
You probably need one of those watch bracelet pliers, which compress both ends of the spring bar at the same time. Brand name ones are a little expensive for the hobbyist with a couple of watches. I finally ordered a cheap version from an online auction site, as I could not remove the bracelet on my Seiko SARB which does not have drilled lugs. On a different watch with drilled lugs I was able to use the pointed end to remove the bracelet but was left with a bent tip on my brand new Bergeon spring bar tool. :-(
 
"Apparently they provide a huge percentage of the Rolex-owning experience for something like a tenth of the price."

At the risk of sounding snarky, as someone who does NOT own a Rolex, I find many of Steinhart's offerings (their Titanium Diver being a notable exception) too "homagey" for my liking.

I suspect if I already owned a Rolex diver, I would feel differently. Perspective is everything.

I will be following this thread with great interest as you soon will be able to do a side by side.

Be well
 
I've not seen many of Steinhart's offerings...but they have some really great looking pieces at pretty respectable prices. I'm sure you'll enjoy your new watch. Looking forward to images in Watch Ya Wearing!
 
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