What watch are you wearing today???

My first Watch after I got a Job.
Saw this watch in a mall when shopping for a gift for someone. Liked it. One fine day saw it on Amazon with some discounts, bought it then and there (also my first purchase from amazon.) Wasn't much into Watches till then.. didn't even know Quartz from Automatic (Its a Quartz!). Saw its a Casio Chronograph, so bought it thinking it would be reliable!

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..but it stopped working within an year or two and since I don't reside in a Tier 1 city and also am lazy as hell, couldn't send it to authorized service station till now. Tried the local watch guys twice but they couldn't repair it. So its kept in my drawer as I have moved on to other watches.
 
letmein said:
^^Are you sure the battery isn't dead?
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Got it changed first time. It started for some time and then stopped again. Second time, the repair guy tried changing the cells but it didn't work so he gave up as he didn't know how to deal with chronographs.

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As the chrono had stopped working, I was in need of another watch. Just then I had started frequenting watch forums and was awestruck by the simplicity of the ubiquitous F-91W. I was fascinated by Mudman GShock as well but as GShocks were way out of my budget at that time and I needed a no-nonsense watch so bought one.
 
Okay, so I was very happy with my F-91W. I had also put a Black/Blue strap on it to match the watch face and it was my daily driver for few months.

But as I had already started frequenting watch forums before I got the F-91W, I had better insight into automatics and I could appreciate them better now.

I used to drool at pics of Grand Seiko Snowflake, Junghans Max Bill (Bauhas), Hamilton Khaki, Alpinist (Green), Seiko Pepsi, Bambino, Orient Mako and HMTs for hours. I even tried to buy a few repainted Oris, Seiko 5 and a women's vintage JLC (for mom) off ebay but damn my SBI debit card, it never worked on eBay.

One fine day I made up my mind that I had to get an automatic or atleast the cheapest yet nice automatic I could afford. My heart was set on Seiko SKX009 but I was ready to get Mako, if Seiko wasn't available or exceeded the budget. I compared few sites and found creationwatches to be offering a good deal. Oddly, neither SKXs were available on either Seiko stores or Amazon.in, only Seiko 5 were being sold here but for same price of SKXs on CW.com. I could have gone for a Seiko 5 but I wanted something iconic and SKX offered a better 7S26 movement as well. I didn't like the all-black theme of SKX007 at that time, though it has grown on me now.

So I ordered one SKX009 with rubber strap (not fond of metal straps).

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Its a little big for my puny arm and has a little heft too and its a task to keep it facing upwards due to the rubber strap.. but I love it to the bits. Its the first automatic I bought from my own money and brings smile to my face whenever I look at it. I have worn it to office on many days and a few weddings/parties but has been worn rarely since lockdown.

Recently, as I read somewhere, these models have been discontinued and it has become a rarer piece to own too. Its price has also shot to double of what I got it for. Plan to keep it for a looong time.
 
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xkcd0137 said:
Okay, so I was very happy with my F-91W. I had also put a Black/Blue strap on it to match the watch face and it was my daily driver for few months.

But as I had already started frequenting watch forums before I got the F-91W, I had better insight into automatics and I could appreciate them better now.

I used to drool at pics of Grand Seiko Snowflake, Junghans Max Bill (Bauhas), Hamilton Khaki, Alpinist (Green), Seiko Pepsi, Bambino, Orient Mako and HMTs for hours. I even tried to buy a few repainted Oris, Seiko 5 and a women's vintage JLC (for mom) off ebay but damn my SBI debit card, it never worked on eBay.

One fine day I made up my mind that I had to get an automatic or atleast the cheapest yet nice automatic I could afford. My heart was set on Seiko SKX009 but I was ready to get Mako, if Seiko wasn't available or exceeded the budget. I compared few sites and found creationwatches to be offering a good deal. Oddly, neither SKXs were available on either Seiko stores or Amazon.in, only Seiko 5 were being sold here but for same price of SKXs on CW.com. I could have gone for a Seiko 5 but I wanted something iconic and SKX offered a better 7S26 movement as well. I didn't like the all-black theme of SKX007 at that time, though it has grown on me now.

So I ordered one SKX009 with rubber strap (not fond of metal straps).

View attachment 98575

Its a little big for my puny arm and has a little heft too and its a task to keep it facing upwards due to the rubber strap.. but I love it to the bits. Its the first automatic I bought from my own money and brings smile to my face whenever I look at it. I have worn it to office on many days and a few weddings/parties but has been worn rarely since lockdown.

Recently, as I read somewhere, these models have been discontinued and it has become a rarer piece to own too. Its price has also shot to double of what I got it for. Plan to keep it for a looong time.
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Nice story. Those of us who stepped into the automatic/ mechanical field decades ago, never really thought back of any quartzes. That Seiko looks good on you, yes, a tad bit big but your wrist is not puny either, you should see mine.

Yes, the present condition of watch world is shocking for mostly everyone, for me as someone who left the same back in 2017 (when i sold my pre-owned Omega auto for 75k and Quartz for 60k), now as I was intending to come back i see the same watches are being sold at twice or thrice the price. It's insane what happened in past 3 to 4 years. So those of you who are in possession of your Seikos, Orients etc. just treat them more respectfully than you ever did, because their values have increased manifold.

Whereas for poor sods like me who nearly gets a heart attack at the present prices of the Omegas and Rolexes, I'm unsure what to do. Looking at Orient Kamasu (or could be something that not good with Japanese names), or maybe a Khaki and just float by for a while till the craziness settles in, if ever.

There's not a single place from where i can purchase a Khaki in India though. Importing is out of the question due to the lovely 41% import duty. Eh.
 
sauravghosh said:
Whereas for poor sods like me who nearly gets a heart attack at the present prices of the Omegas and Rolexes, I'm unsure what to do. Looking at Orient Kamasu (or could be something that not good with Japanese names), or maybe a Khaki and just float by for a while till the craziness settles in, if ever.

There's not a single place from where i can purchase a Khaki in India though. Importing is out of the question due to the lovely 41% import duty. Eh.
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Last time I checked, Khaki Field automatic was going for 30-40k at Jomashop or Chrono24. You can take a chance with importing. I got saved from Import duty when I bought SKX. Though for some watches, even after Import duty it remains cheaper to import than buying here, as you already said Watch prices are atrocious in India.

..or you could look at Seiko Presage aka poor man's Grand Seiko. I am planning to get a Bambino Gen 2 in near future as I can't afford an original Bauhas right now.
 
My next pick up with be a San Martin vintage sub homage. I want to get the dial customized as well. I have no idea what will happen with customs though. Its like 250$ with shipping (they use DHL) so I am guessing I might end up paying another 100$ ish. But then again, since its chinese seller, it might come through unscathed. /shrug
 
Bought it last year, loved the no nonsense looks of this POLICE watch.. Had bought it the second I laid eyes on it.
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xkcd0137 said:
Got it changed first time. It started for some time and then stopped again. Second time, the repair guy tried changing the cells but it didn't work so he gave up as he didn't know how to deal with chronographs.

View attachment 98498

As the chrono had stopped working, I was in need of another watch. Just then I had started frequenting watch forums and was awestruck by the simplicity of the ubiquitous F-91W. I was fascinated by Mudman GShock as well but as GShocks were way out of my budget at that time and I needed a no-nonsense watch so bought one.
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The F-91W is the absolute best watch ever! I have one with factory tags! I don't use it and bought it only as a collectible but I love it as much as I love my Omegas!
 
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