Watch and timepiece rant - join in

[razz]

It used to be that you bought a watch or received a watch for a special occasion and it lasted forever with care.

I wanted to repair a watch and the watch repair said that parts are simply not available for the old ones anymore regardless of how much one had paid for the original.

I went looking for a new watch and the jeweller advised that the warranty is limited with no guarantee that repair parts will be available after 8-10 years based on his current experience. He was frustrated as he is in the longterm family business of selling watches/jewelry ethically and cannot offer the lifetime guarantee as he used to be able to do.

Everyday watches seem to average about $8-20 at our department stores and the cost of a new battery seems to be needed about every 13-18 months. Any gold finish is worn off almost immediately and the bracelet is usually of poor quality plastic or a metal elastic version that is too tight for my wrist.

I did buy a Bulova at the jeweller but I need a gardening etc., workaday watch.

Any ideas would be welcome.

[rodeosweetheart]

This is easy! Go on ebay and look for an older watch, say from the 70s-90s. Much better made.
I just bought a Peugeot metal watch that looked like one my sisterin law had around 1990. She told me hers still worked after goign through the washing machine. It had a weirdly tiny band, but that was easily fixed with new expansion band. Watch cost 12 dollars, because of weirdly tiny band, and new band 22 at jewelers. It is a great gardening watch and will last my lifetime.

I am looking now for older wind up watches--have scored a Cartier, which I have wanted for 36 years now, and a very nice Bulova from the 50's, both too nice to wear every day. Got them at a charity thrift shop. I am beyond excited--watches are obviously my new obsession, so you can have fun with this project, just go back in time and think of what used to be high end watches.

Although the watch forum that I read said that a Timex watch will keep time better than a Rolex, so your other option is just buy a Timex. I loved my all metal expedition until my husband lost the back when trying to put in a new battery. The Peugeot is its replacement.

[iris lily]

'That's a good idea from rodeosweetheart. I grew tired of the cheaply made alarm clocks I could buy, those with tiny plastic controls, and I bought a 1980's model on ebay like the one I used to have. I am thinking about trying to find a toaster that way.

I will say that I've never had expensive watches, for all of my life I've had cheap Timex watches and they've been perfectly fine. Some years ago I migrated to men's watches because the big dial is easier to read.

[tootall]

I went through this a while back. I have "been there done that" with the really nice gear involved with most things in my life. While things like Rolex are a status item, mpst people don't know how to use the fancy doo-da's on the watch to begin with! I wanted to find the point where higher cost equals higher quality, which is very hard to find in American consumerisim...the whole "percieved value" trend. I wanted a nice watch that as a man I could show some flair with out having the Persian gold chain.

So my want list was:
-stainless steel band
-black faced
-illumination on request
-not busy face
-rotating bezel preferably a chronograph bezel

After searching online and in local jewlers I couldn't find the value in the $100 plus watches, the knock off Swiss army watch from Walmart for $10 fit the bill closest, but had no bezel and a cloth strap. On the high end I was looking at a Citizen.

What I have now is a Timex from an antique shop. It has a rotating bezel so I can mark when I started the smoker, took a pill, fed the baby. A black "dash" instead of numbers face. And a SS band. For $20 I was set! I took it to a battery place and asked for a new battery, no go.....it was a wind up!!! Score! It keeps time for about a day and a half which works great because I put it on daily anyways and a few cranks it is all set. It has illuminated marks but you have to charge it with light, which doesn't make the most sense but oh well. And since it is a cheap Timex almost any drug store has a replacement band for it. I currently need to put the $12 band I have next to it on the watch but other than that I will continue to search for a self illumination version but that will probably require a battery.

So all told I have a watch that cost me $32 and meets the needs I have better than the $200 units....grandpa at age 29!!! But I whole heartadly agree with the bogus way of "no replacement parts" available being wrong....just buy a new one!

[MamaM]

I went to Goodwill, found one that was working and in decent condition, took it to a watch repair and they cleaned it up for me. Nice leather band, simple face- $5 pul $12 for repair. I have had it for years.

[MamaM]

http://www.timex.com/watches/timex-originals-1900s-inspiration-t2n407ab

Similiar to this. Love love love!!!

[Float On]

I took it to a battery place and asked for a new battery, no go.....it was a wind up!!! Score!

Isn't it funny how quickly we forget.

I've been on a search for a wind-up with no numbers (I have a thing about not liking numbers on clocks or watches). Not sure I'd wear it after I got it.....haven't worn a watch in 20+ years but that doesn't stop me from wanting one.

[Gregg]

I have two watches that I never wear since the time is almost constantly on display somewhere in my immediate surroundings and I never really liked wearing one anyway. One of the watches is a Rolex Submariner that was a gift a few years back. The craftsmanship is excellent (to my untrained eye at least) and the movement is flawless. It cost a lot more than most of us, including me, would ever spend on a watch, but the upside is that it should last for generations. My other watch is a Victorinox Swiss Army watch that I bought around 20 years ago. I don't remember the exact price, but it was a couple hundred bucks. It has also performed flawlessly. Prior to the Victorinox I remember going through a series of watches that were so cheap that when the battery died replacing it was almost the same price as getting a new watch. Truthfully, I had less problems with the cheap watches than I did with the cheap bands. My mom has been wearing the same watch for as long as I can remember and, knowing her, I'm certain she didn't pay more than $10 or $15 for it.

[rodeosweetheart]

Mama M, what a pretty Timex--very cool. Float on, you could look for an old Movado, would fit the bill for what you want. Or maybe a Skagen. I love my Skagen. Yes, I guess I am a watch collector. . . very non-minimalist, although they don't take up much space and I can hand them down to my daughters in law or granddaughters when I croak.

[rose]

I have a Skagen. I bought it about 15 years ago. I needed the stainless steel because I break out from other metals, even the little bit of metal that is on a leather band. I only remember replacing the battery about 3 or 4 times. The watch is a dream! And the look is timeless. The new ones look similar to mine -- very simple, flat face, silver stainless band, no numbers.

[razz]

I have looked at used watches at thrift stores but usually the price is pretty high for the better looking ones and I have no way of knowing how quickly I will need to repair or replace the battery so not keen on that approach to date.
Not ever been on eBay so hesitant about going there.
I did some research on the Skagen as I was not aware of them so that might be a possibility to consider.
I want a watch company that stands behind its product.

[MamaM]

It's funny, because I don't see as many people wearing watches these days. Watches take me right back to my Nanna, who has a classy lady. She had a simple leather band with rectagle faced watch with one small diamond in it. She always looked so chic with her watch. I am going to wear mine more now, just because of my Nanna and her memory. :)

[Alan]

I've noticed over the years that a lot of folks wear watches as a form of fashion over function and therefore require several. I'm more of a function kinda guy and although I have a few, that's only because I've been gifted several over time.
When I was in the service in the early 70's I bought a Seiko and wore it exclusively through the mid 80's when I shattered the crystal playing baseball. I replaced it with the same model Seiko and still wear it to this day. Other than replacing the battery every 3 or 4 years, it's been maintenance free.

[ToomuchStuff]

I never thought I would, but I don't wear watches as much anymore, as I check the time on my cell phone. I do have a few watches, two of which were my grandfathers (one needs reoiling and the other a hand fell off but is still under the glass), and the others are Casio g shock watches (recommended to me by LEO's I know). One of the G shocks, saved my arm (the band took the cut I would have had) and I still have it, because I am sure I have a spare band (don't remember what I did with it), and I leave it in the toolbox until then, as a reminder. My first watch was a Timex and I was somewhere between 6 and 8. I had it until a couple of years ago, when I put it in a garage sale. (don't need a kids watch that looks like a woman's watch on an adults arm)

[Rogar]

I think wearing a decent watch is a nice tradition, whether it's fashion or function. I only wear one about half the time and have a sturdy waterproof Timex with an illuminating dial that nice to have travelling and outdoor work. I was given two other watches that are nicer and wear them for social occasions. I think if the two nicer ones quit working and were hard to fix, I'd look around on eBay or local jewelers for an older refurbished one.

[awakenedsoul]

I wear my aunt's Citizen watch that she bought in the 70's. I didn't realize it was high end. (I just read that here.) I love it. It's simple, small, elegant, and it reminds me of her. She wore it every day. All I've had to do was replace the battery. I will keep it forever.

If I were looking for a watch I'd buy a vintage or antique one on EBay.

[Fawn]

I "need" a watch for work so I can keep track of folks heartrates/respiratory rates. I have a man's Timex for that.

If I was not working...the cellphone would be enough.....or the clock on the computer.

My goal is to need only a calendar...not a watch...

Work in progress.....:|(

[Spartana]

I never wear a watch - ever. Heck half the time I have no idea what day of the week it is let alone the time. Ah....retirement, when you don't need to know the time, the date, the day or even the month :-)!

[rodeosweetheart]

I find that I use my watches to keep me on track time-wise, as I have problems in that area--for example, schooling a horse, when you want to only work that horse for 30 minutes, because that is part of your training plan, or walking for 45 so that you know you have walked enough. So I think I would use my watches more in retirement, since I work at the computer and always know what time it is, unfortunately!

I love not being dependent on the energy-sucking cell phone for this--there is something so elegant and self-sufficient about a wind up watch. When were were going to Dr. Mercola (I was a patient of his) he recommended only wind up watches because of the EMF, but most of mine have batteries. The coolest new vintage ones I found at the thrift shop are windups, though, and now Iris has inspired me to win a windup alarm clock on ebay, so now I am goign to have to add watch/clock winding to the daily activities.

I find the watches very centering.