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Watch Peeves

captp

Pretty Pink Fairy Princess.
A few things that annoy me about watches.

Upside down numerals on dials or bezels. Unless they bezel rotates, as on a diver, there is NO reason to have them upside down. Particularly when they are on the dial. There is a Ball Trainmaster Roman that I like a LOT, but the reversed numerals from IIII to VIII are a deal breaker. The IIII is no real problem, as it reads the same either way, but IV is. There are a couple of Tissots I would consider except for that.

Dive watches that aren't really dive watches (minor peeve). Fixed bezels on a dive watch are almost useless.

Really huge numerals on a dial. Completely out of proportion with the rest of the text.

Hard to read dials. It's a watch; it's supposed to be easy to read.

I like my date to be at 3; 4 or 6 is acceptable, 12 is just wrong. So is 9.

Really BIG watches. Some folk's wrists are just not meant to have a 50mm on them. This is a very minor peeve; you wear what you like. A lady friend asked hiw I liked her latest watch. She's about 5' nothing, weighs in it about 100lbs (if that). Told her it was too big for her wrist. She was a tad annoyed, but it didn't break our friendship.

Watches that are not what they are advertised as. On one of the larger online sites, they have several Omega Seamasters listed a Aqua Terras. They are not.

Watches that dont keep particularly good time. At the outside, I'm ok with up to about 20 seconds/day, unless it costs considerably more than my Seiko 5.

Watches that have NO numerals or index markers (I'm looking at you Movado)

Skeleton watches. Just too hard to read, and not appealing to me. No offense meant to you who like them. I understand the appeal, but they're not for me.

24 hour only dials. I learned to read time on a 12 hour dial, and thats how I liked it. No problem with dials that also have 24 hour markings, i.e.. smaller 13-24 numbers from 1-12 (hope that's clear)

The "Bubble" or 'Cyclops" over the date. Just ugly.

I have more, but that's all for now.

What your peeves/dislikes about watches? Or come back with what you like that I don't.
 
Guilty on most accounts… :c9:
Cyclops
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non rotating Bezel
6CDDE178-6E06-4DC9-B2A4-95C4680579EC.jpeg

big
38C9FB56-6692-43C4-B6B3-DA446B75ABED.jpeg

I‘m pretty sure I find a couple more of annoying ones if I look hard enough:c1:
 
I'm fairly certain that the GMT complication allows the non-rotating bezel. At least to me, and the numbers aren't upside down. :)

I'm with you on some of these. The non-functional bezel that looks like it should be functional is a big one. As well as a watch that's hard to read (which could be skeleton, no markers, or even just no contrast between the face and hands). And I HATE having IIII. Four is supposed to be IV. I understand the reason behind not doing it, but that bugs me. But possibly my least favorite as a whole is the tachymeter bezel/chapter ring combined with a main running seconds hand.

Regarding the cyclops...I used to hate them as well. But after having one, I now wish more of my watches had them. Functionally, I like it. And since I see watches as a very functional tool, that trumps others for me.
 
I don't dislike that; I'd rather it was on the back. But it wouldn't be a deal breaker on a GS Spring Drive.
I don’t know…
If I wear it - it’s useless
If the watch is on the winder - it’s useless
If the watch is in a drawer - i can’t see it and it runs down in 2-3 days anyway ;)

On a manual wind it makes perfect sense. Also the GS looks great even WITH that complication.

I know the GS is more a dress than sport watch but it a has a steel bracelet and no lume - so that would be another pet peeve of mine.

After all I’m not as relaxed about watches as I thought of myself after my initial cheeky post…
 
I generally like watches as they are - Cali dials, large or small numerals - these are part of the styling and the more the merrier. The exception is something that is just plain ridiculous. The example I cite is the vintage Seiko bullhead chronograph. By design it has luminous markers but NOT luminous hands. My example is so old that the lume barely works anyway but it still is annoying to see the markers lit up and have no idea what time it is unless I look at my phone. I am still fond of this watch and enjoy it regardless of its obvious flaws.

Brnbull.JPG
 
with the Grand Seikos the reserve indicator is really a part of their image on the spring drives. (Although I admit it's not something I care for.) I'd have to say my significant peeve is the quality of lumens being used today. I miss the old stuff and seriously seek out tritium tube enhanced faces now. In fact, I have a few blacklight floods I keep in couple rooms just to have environmental ultraviolet to see the reactive markers.
 
Bracelets I just can't get to fit my wrist so have to remove them.
A clasp needs at least three micro adjust positions.
i
I have a Ball watch which I love, but the sizing of the steel/titanium bracelet fits just a hair too loose. /sob.

I have an Omega X-33 Skywalker, the titanium bracelet latching mechanism has failed and I haven't found anyone nearby who can solve it. I'm waiting to send it with the watch to Secaucus when I have them do the biannual(+/-) battery replacement and certification. In the meantime, I'm using a nylon NATO; but it isn't the nice plushy Omega put on the Skywalker Solar Impulse.
 

garyg

B&B membership has its percs
Well, they might be annoying, but there are some of those nits in my collection. Lack of accuracy is a big one, except almost any mechanical auto can be regulated to run good enough for me. I dislike battery watches, though I own a vintage Accutron or two. What cranks me up are the bezels that don't keep rotating, or get so loose they don't stay in place. Most if not all of my timepieces have moveable bezels, but there are some that have failed, as in the Seikos, the Vostoks, the Citizens. And I use them everyday to time exercise periods, sometimes meat on the grill, etc. They just don't hold up on those bands mentioned
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
I had a watch technician chop off a cyclops. It looked cool but I had trouble readthe date.

many times I actually don’t evenbother to set the date if I’m switching watches. My own pet peeve for myself.

my main issue is guys who go out of their way to flaunt their watch. Cross arms to show it off etc.
 
Watches that dont keep particularly good time. At the outside, I'm ok with up to about 20 seconds/day, unless it costs considerably more than my Seiko 5.

I'm OK with that as long as it's consistent (reads similar in all positions) since it can be regulated. The exception would be for a dive watch, when opening would compromise the watertight function. But I really dislike when an old watch is advertised as keeping "good vintage time" and is off by 5 minutes.

Another one is wristwatches with the crown not at 3. I don't like the aesthetics of it, and I say that owning a Seiko 5. It's a fine watch, but that's the one thing that I don't like about it.

Watches with busy dials and/or too many functions. The first makes them difficult to read and the second needs more frequent and pricier maintenance.

Lastly, and it pains me to say, but I don't care for lume. This is because there is so much ambient light where I live that lume is an unnecessary feature.
 

Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
My three watches need to be wound. It is not so much a peeve as as a sad observation at the end of an era that qualified people to maintain or repair them are scarce, the costs for such work are typically greater than the original purchase prices, and parts can be hard to find.
 
I generally like watches as they are - Cali dials, large or small numerals - these are part of the styling and the more the merrier. The exception is something that is just plain ridiculous. The example I cite is the vintage Seiko bullhead chronograph. By design it has luminous markers but NOT luminous hands. My example is so old that the lume barely works anyway but it still is annoying to see the markers lit up and have no idea what time it is unless I look at my phone. I am still fond of this watch and enjoy it regardless of its obvious flaws.
I love that watch. I've not seen a day function in that orientation before either. I'd certainly forgive poor lume on that piece. Especially since my typical daily routines have no requirement for lume.
 

Whilliam

First Class Citizen
I don’t know…
If I wear it - it’s useless
If the watch is on the winder - it’s useless
If the watch is in a drawer - i can’t see it and it runs down in 2-3 days anyway ;)

On a manual wind it makes perfect sense. Also the GS looks great even WITH that complication.

I know the GS is more a dress than sport watch but it a has a steel bracelet and no lume - so that would be another pet peeve of mine.

After all I’m not as relaxed about watches as I thought of myself after my initial cheeky post…
I like RDMs on automatics and don't find them useless at all. Helps to know the state of wind when putting on a watch that's been sitting for a day or two. Makes it easy to top it off manually.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
My watch pet peeves ...

  1. Watches I don't like
  2. Watch companies don't make watches I like
  3. Guys who buy watches I don't like, thus perpetuating #2
  4. Guys wearing those watches who are also on my lawn
 
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