bluemax

Yes, that seems to be the best choice value-wise. However, I would like to find out if it will fit my PO, before taking it apart so the watchsmith can measure the existing movement and hands... I was hoping that someone already did this swap and knows the measures.

Hi, I have Narikaa's 42mm Omega PO which I would like to fix by putting in some cheap but reliable movement. Does anyone know which of the cheap movements will fit this case, datewheel and hands? Height of pinions? For example, DG2813, DG4813? Or Miyota 8215, although it is almost twice the price of 4813? I believe all these movements are 11 1/2 ligne with hand size 100/150/17, but not sure about the one in my PO... Thanks

Btw, almost forgot that my missus has this Oxette fella: Yes, fashion brand quartz, but pretty imposing with its 52mm diameter, 18.65mm thickness, heavy steel case encased in rubber. Comes in other colors also: orange, black, maybe some others. Not so bad purchase for something like 150 EUR.

One more vote for Skyland Blacksteel - amazing watch, very sporty. I also have BCE; however, at least in my opinion, it is not a sports watch, but a dressy one. Feels most at home with a long sleeve shirt.

I have the same dilemma, trying to find some hefty diving watch. Orange Monster looks great on pictures, but I was really underwhelmed when I tried it on. It felt really cheap, and it looks much heavier than it really is, like it is made out of tin and not steel...

Exactly, that is why I presumed that all my watches are already "ready to break". However, the movements will break after running for certain time in such shape - having more than a few watches in rotation ensures that wear and tear will accumulate slowly. Agree again regarding the repairability of the movements - I considered the worst case scenario, which still does not make regular servicing a better solution (at least for me). More likely, repairing neglected movement should not cost way more that a normal full service (or it usually does? I would love to hear from The Zigmeister and other watchsmits regarding my pile of assumptions).

I have been thinking about the need to service my reps. If I had only one, and used it every day, then the decision to service it regularly would be pretty straightforward. However, I have 10 or so reps that I am wearing more or less the same amount of time, so all of them are running less than 40 hours every 10 days, or about 1/5 of time. Since most are unserviced, let's assume that all of them are in "can break at any time" state. Also, let's assume that a movement in this state will break irrepairably (need to completely replace it) after 3 years of running all the time, on average. Now, my reps are running only 1/5 of time, so they will accumulate 3 years of running and break, on average, only after 15 years in this state. And after such long time, I will probably not care about most of these watches to have them repaired. And save one or two thousand EUR in service costs over that time... Does this logic make sense (both, umm, mechanically and financially)?

And another one:

A widget I made for Android:

Glad that somebody likes these watches, even though they are not my cup of tea quality-wise.

Browsing through various watch forums, I took notice of the Russian watches. The unique military look of some of the brands and Russian writing brough back a lot of the memories from my younger years, as such watches were not rare in the Southeastern Europe. Thus I spent more and more time exploring the current offering of Russian watch brands, especially the ones like Vostok, having various military pictures on the dials. Vostok Amphibian (or Amphibia) series are one of the cheapest gen automatics on the market today, with prices hovering around $60. I really had to have one, both because I really like that retro look and because I wanted to compare the build quality and overall feeling against best cheap reps (like Narikaa's Planet Ocean or Noobmariner). I could already see myself building quite a collection of Amphibians. Currently there are 2 types of cases for Amphibians: round one and more bulky rectangular one, called "Ministry". The other popular type of Vostoks is called Komandirskie; they are around $40, but have manual wind movements and the cases are not stainless steel. However, there is much more interesting dial selection there than in Amphibians (although some sellers are willing to make some dial swaps). So, this is the first one I ordered, Vostok Amphibian 2416/710335: On paper, the specs look fine: stainless steel case and bracelet31 jewel automatic movement (21600 bph)waterproof 200 mdomed mineral crystal The only thing that bothered me was the size, it is only 40 mm wide, but the Ministry case did not look so small on the pictures, so I hoped that the watch will fit fine on my 18 cm (~7 inch) wrist. The big day came, and I started to unwrap the package. And then the dissapointements started coming: the watch box is crappy plastic, goes straight to trashthe bracelet is extremely crappy, feels like a plastic toy. Totaly unwearable, goes straight to trash. This made me appreciate the worst bracelet I have encountered previously (hollow-link Noobmariner's); it feels like a million bucks after this junk.the watch without bracelet is very light, definitely not what I expect from a stainless steel watch. This is probably due to a simple movement and thin case.the crown looks and feels like it is made from tin, and not SS, and that a stronger pressure would deform itthe crown is extremely loose (think about a tooth which is ready to fall out), and the watch will wind only if slight pressure inwards is applied when in winding position. I have no idea how could they implement 200 m water proofing with such crappy component. Though, I read on WUS Russian watches forum that the crown is intentionally made this way, to somehow increase the sturdiness of the watch... Go figure.there is no quick-set date position, you have to continiously change the time from 22:00 to 4:00 and back to set it.bezel has no click, it is moved continiouslythe lume is not much better than standard rep oneoverall, the watch feels very, very cheap (which it is, to be honest) On the positive side: [*]the dial is flat (no raised indices), but it is very crisp and interesting, with 1, 5, 7, 9 and 11 gold markers shining differently depending on the angle of viewing[*]the domed crystal also looks very nice in the combination with the dial[*]the second-hand moves reasonably smooth considering the low bph Despite a long list of bad stuff, the watch still looks rather nice, and I really wanted to wear it, at least as a dirty work beater and for swimming. So, I ordered a black nylon Nato strap from Gnomon, the combination with this watch seemed quite decent on the pictures. Big mistake - this has made an already too light watch even lighter on the wrist, and I like my watches and bracelets to be as heavy as possible. Note: this was my first encounter with nylon straps on the watches, so if you like those, you may get a different experience; this Gnomon strap seems to be well built, and I had pleasant experience when ordering from them. The size also bothered me, it wears smaller than Noobmariner, for example, which I feel is already bordeline small for my wrist. The rectangular case did not help much, as the dial itself is smaller by a mm or two than the Noobmariner's, and that makes the watch visually small. The epilogue? I wore the watch exactly once, and it went straight to the bottom of the drawer - until my wife dug it out and claimed it for herself. It really looks much nicer on a small women's wrist than on mine. How it compares to Noobmariner and POrikaa? It can't compare, these two watches are better by orders of magnitude. Note that this Vostok is around $70 shipped, and those two reps are around $100 shipped, but adding a new bracelet or strap to Vostok erases the difference. Too bad that the build quality of these Vostoks is so low, otherwise I would really enjoy building a small collection because of their unique dials (search for Tank, Scuba Dude or Submarine dials to see some of the most popular ones). (Pictures borrowed from www.smirs.com and www.russian-watches.info. Please note that the colors in the first one seem to be the most accurate to reality; the ones below are a bit washed out.) If anyone is interested, I can add a couple of size comparison pics with some of the well-known reps.

Thanks for the tips, was not aware that it has so many faults

Any thoughts on this version? "Superocean" and "Chronometre Certifie" text looks smaller than on plaifender's watches.

You need somebody to hold your hand while you are sanding? Affraid of the power tools?

It seems that I will have to get my hands dirty with crystal removal Does anyone know how it goes for this watch, should I first remove the bezel and/or rehaut? Which way should the crystal be pressed out, towards bezel or rehaut?

He mentioned taking the watch to a local window glass maker workshop... I shudder to think about the kind of precision tools they have there

Yeah, that was my guess, so I did not leave the watch there. Thanks for the confirmation

I am trying to get the crystal removed from my Tag Heuer SLR (like the one in the pic below), but I am got a bit strange info from the watchmaker: he claims that this crystal cannot be simply popped out by a press, but that he would have to first heat up the case to "loosen the glue holding the crystal". I am reluctant to allow him to play around with the watch; does what he said to me makes any sense? Did anyone successfully remove the crystal from this watch, and how? Do the bezel and the rehaut go out together with the crystal, or have to be removed before the crystal? Thanks

Scotty, try not worrying too much about the kid, it will heal and be forgotten quickly. I also did a faceplant (at concrete), at about the same age as him, and chipped my front teeth pretty badly. Was quite unhappy for a day or two, but got it fixed soon by a dentist. Never thought about it a lot afterwards, and almost forgot about that accident; your son will forget it too, be sure about it

Ditto, reminded me as well of hours spent enjoying his old articles. Big thanks Mr. Z for your efforts.

Not being a Rolex fan, when I first saw Milgauss 116400 GV I thought it was a very ugly watch. However, after reading several reviews/pictorials from the other members, it grew on me a lot. Also, its green AR coating is something new in the rep world, and I just had to experience it in person. This little gem, purchased from Mary, is powered by an Asian high-beat movement. The AR seems pretty strong, the crystal (depending on the viewing angle) either disappears or has a magnificent green tint: Definitely recommended if you are looking for something totally unique in your collection.

I have 19 cm wrist, and 42 mm PO is perfect for me, while 45 mm version looks totally out of place on my arm... Go for the smaller version.

Hmm, can't see why this can not be replicated, including movement, if rep factories: - can dissasemble the original to see how it works - manufacture/purchase those tiny belts and bearings Awesome watch, technology-wise.

Does anyone have a source for good quality leather straps for Tag Heuer SLR (the one in pic below)? The one that came with the watch is total junk, and I am trying to find a nice croc one instead. The strap seems to have a very specific construction, so I am not sure if a replacement can be found easily... Thanks

I have created a nice clock widget for Android phones; I'm sure that you will recognize the watch model It comes in several sizes, and in two variants: with and without the case (which one is better?). Clicking on the widget will toggle lume on and off. It is not on the Android Market, you will have to install it manually: 1. Download attached WatchClockWidget.zip, unpack it and copy it on the phone 2. Open .apk with Astro file manager, or some other package installer application 3. Install the widget (it does not require any special priviledges) 4. Long-click on phone desktop, choose Widgets and then select the size and the type of the clock (with or without case) Any feedback is welcome. If you have any suggestions about how to improve it, add new functionality, etc, please let me know. If I get my hands on high-res frontal pictures of other watches, I will add them too. If you have such pics (hands must not overlap with any other elements), let me know. WatchClockWidget.zip