Exercising Your Rep Watch

[Victoria]

RWG member Centurion went clubbing in London, and next thing you know, his lovely Pepsi GMT was all wonky.

Now, we touched on this in that famous hunting thread, about how you can't shoot with chrono watches. It messes up the chronos.

But isn't swimming also a fairly vigourous activity for such things as rep watches? Not the gentle paddle, but the breast-stroke, and other styles can't be easy on the mechanism.

Sssurfer recently posted a photo of his PAM 050 along for a scuba dive, and people have mentioned how the uPOs are fairly hardy.

Do you have any horror stories about taking your rep watches out for some "exercise"?

E.g.: Do you wear them bicycling (I'm sure Pugwash does!)? Would you play tennis or golf with the non-speciality watches, like the Tiger Woods Tag Heuer?

Which rep tool watches seem to be tougher than others?

[brep]

I have thought about my reps and riding the motorcycle. I thought the vibrations may be an issue - have worn reps, have not had problems. But then again, no Harley for me...

Working out/biking, always wear my Highgear digital...

-B

[Victoria]

I have thought about my reps and riding the motorcycle. I thought the vibrations may be an issue - have worn reps, have not had problems. But then again, no Harley for me...

That's a valid concern. Bicycling or motorcycling.

FxrAndy of course, is a Harley enthusiast, and I wonder if he would say something about this? Do you wear your reps out with your Hog?

Pugwash, as mentioned, loves his bicycles, doesn't he. I'm fairly sure I saw a wristcheck of him using one of his rep watches (the UPO, IIRC) wearing his gear. How about it Pug, which one do you use?

Me, I used to rollerblade, and I have to do something about the stone in weight I have put on this year. I'm too young to be this out of shape. So next year, in one of those infamous New Year Resolutions, I am going back to blading/playing tennis/jogging, etc. which I used to do frequently before my recent family problems.

Problem is, I used to wear my plastic Nike watches or sometimes a Swiss Army one, with velcro strap. Eh.

I don't want to go back to that again, but I'm sure I can't wear my PAMs either.

Working out/biking, always wear my Highgear digital...

Hmm, don't know that one. Pics?

[professor_yaffle1]

VB, so glad you posted this thread; I've had the same question in mind for a couple of weeks - thankfully you beat me to it, and, as usual, did so in a more eloquent manner.

To add some info to the pile, my UPO is waterproof, at least according to my watchsmith, although I've yet to dive with it (I've a trusty old Casio that I use along with my dive computer). I wear both it and my 111 whilst riding my sports bike, but no watch at all when I'm climbing or cycling.

After reading themuck's exploits though, I think that the new SD might just qualify as the toughest rep tool watch - may have to get myself one

prof

PS - no screen touching this time, my monitor couldn't handle it last time, and shut down in a pique of electronic fuzz and swirly colours

[Victoria]

VB, so glad you posted this thread; I've had the same question in mind for a couple of weeks - thankfully you beat me to it, and, as usual, did so in a more eloquent manner.

Hey, Prof, thanks! Great minds think alike and fools never disagree.

To add some info to the pile, my UPO is waterproof, at least according to my watchsmith, although I've yet to dive with it (I've a trusty old Casio that I use along with my dive computer). I wear both it and my 111 whilst riding my sports bike, but no watch at all when I'm climbing or cycling.

Very interesting.

Since I have two 111s, I was thinking of putting that OEM Diver Strap I never use, and work out with that. In case something goes wrong, I won't feel devastated as I have two (well, that's the idea. I'm sure I would be fairly devastated).

After reading themuck's exploits though, I think that the new SD might just qualify as the toughest rep tool watch - may have to get myself one

Hmm, I haven't read that thread very well! Let me check that out.

PS - no screen touching this time, my monitor couldn't handle it last time, and shut down in a pique of electronic fuzz and swirly colours

I remember it well.

[Seadweller4000]

A comrade got a cheap quartz Daytona which he wore on one of our maneuvers. To cut it short, it disassembled itself after he shot a few rounds (700-800) with the machinegun MG3, the recoil was more than it could stand. Every hand jumped of it's place and even the pushers and crystal did not survive.

He was cursing like hell and now swears on G-Shock. We finished it with a DM51.

My sub rep which I wore then, is now my stonemariner and still running great, btw.

I will never part with it.

[deltatahoe]

i play tennis with my old-factory ti chrono avenger -- it has become my tennis watch

deltatahoe

[TeeJay]

I've never had a problem running or swimming in either my Planet Ocean, SMPs or 111h. By running and swimming, I mean full out sprinting and swimming against a tide and wave machine (at different times ) No problems with either leaks or hand slippage

[Victoria]

A comrade got a cheap quartz Daytona which he wore on one of our maneuvers.

Hey Seadweller. Are you and the handsome FxrAndy Army mates? Hadn't dawned on me, 'til now.

To cut it short, it disassembled itself after he shot a few rounds (700-800) with the machinegun MG3, the recoil was more than it could stand. Every hand jumped of it's place and even the pushers and crystal did not survive.

He was cursing like hell and now swears on G-Shock. We finished it with a DM51.

G-Shock...the choice of all military personnel, seemingly.

BTW, I'm Googling DM51. Fortunately, the MG3 I know.

My sub rep which I wore then, is now my stonemariner and still running great, btw.

I will never part with it.

Stonemariner. Nymphomariner. Bunnymariner. Anymore?

[Victoria]

i play tennis with my old-factory ti chrono avenger -- it has become my tennis watch

That's beautiful. As you know, I love that strap.

But I would look like Martina Navratilova with that thing on, playing tennis.

I AM surprised that you wear it for such a purpose. I thought chrono and major wrist-activity, a nono.

[Victoria]

I've never had a problem running or swimming in either my Planet Ocean, SMPs or 111h. By running and swimming, I mean full out sprinting and swimming against a tide and wave machine (at different times ) No problems with either leaks or hand slippage

Good to know about the 111. This seems like the watch of choice for me, in future aerobic activity. I WOULD do the 177, since being Ti it is lighter on the wrist. But I only have one of those...

[deep1]

I have said it on other forums a number of times, but I wear my reps for day to day use. For any kind of real activity it will always be a Seiko or Citizen. The risk to my rep watches is not worth it to me. I wear my reps for the look and style, but I will never kid myself as to what I am buying. If I need a high end watch to dive or exercise in, for some unknown reason, I will buy one. I have had a gen SD for about 15 years, and even that watch no longer goes diving.

[Desuetude]

I do rigorous activities with most of my watches, rep or gen. The rep that has singlehandedly taken the most abuse is my A21J Omega SMP GMT. I've used it at a Habitat for Humanity event, moving (new apartment, house), working on cars (only if it's prudent to do so), tennis, golf, krav maga, and the list goes on. My railmaster XXL was also subject to plenty of abuse, including skiing (I'm not exactly a saunterer), krav maga, lifting, shooting range (200-300 rounds using both a 50AE, and various .45 ACP and 9mm pistols belonging to friends), and more. Last I checked, IIRC, the SMP was at about 4-6+/day, XXL was about 10-12-/day. All of my other pieces have been used for the aforementioned activities, but not with the frequency that these two have. All have performed admirably. Maybe I'm just lucky.

[Seadweller4000]

Hey Seadweller. Are you and the handsome FxrAndy Army mates? Hadn't dawned on me, 'til now.

G-Shock...the choice of all military personnel, seemingly.

No, not that I know.

You're right about the G-Shock, at least of what I experienced. Cheap, tough and reliable.

BTW, I'm Googling DM51. Fortunately, the MG3 I know.

DM51 is the german standart hand grenade.

The DM61 we were equipped with at that time, too, is even more powerful, but we did not want to blow it out of all proportions

Stonemariner. Nymphomariner. Bunnymariner. Anymore?

It looks like this now:

I don't wear it a lot, but it has a strong immaterial value to me.

[Everythingape]

I work at sea, and the only mechanical watch I use here is my asian Omega Seamaster Pro GMT.

I'm an engineer, so it gets beaten up quite bad from time to time when I'm working on stuff, it gets dunked in salt water, oil and sometimes diesel.

It lives through temperatures from 35C to -15C.

Building my house, I've had it on for some tough carpenting, rock splitting and concrete work.

All of the above without any trouble 'cept the usual battle scars.

[Victoria]

I do rigorous activities with most of my watches, rep or gen. The rep that has singlehandedly taken the most abuse is my Omega SMP GMT.

The rep of choice for sporty types, I see.

I've used it at a Habitat for Humanity event,

Hey cool. I also used to do Habitat for Humanity work. In fact, the first time I went to help out, shortly after Hurricane Andrew, I deliberated very carefully what watch to wear. I was fairly young, so I didn't have MANY choices back then. But one instinctively knows not to wear a Rolex DJ to such outtings...

(I bought myself a Swatch, which survived the hammering and painting)

krav maga,

You what?

My railmaster XXL was also subject to plenty of abuse, including skiing (I'm not exactly a saunterer), krav maga, lifting, shooting range (200-300 rounds using both a 50AE, and various .45 ACP and 9mm pistols belonging to friends), and more.

Good God. Another action man, I love it!

Last I checked, IIRC, the SMP was at about 4-6+/day, XXL was about 10-12-/day. All of my other pieces have been used for the aforementioned activities, but not with the frequency that these two have. All have performed admirably. Maybe I'm just lucky.

Well this thread is proving enlightening. I wonder what Rima uses for her sporting activities? I have a decent shot at having the same kind of watches as she does, since I don't know from Railmaster.

[Victoria]

No, not that I know.

You're right about the G-Shock, at least of what I experienced. Cheap, tough and reliable.

DM51 is the german standart hand grenade.

The first thing I can think of, SD, is that I wonder if you know any of my cousins doing their Dienst.

The DM61 we were equipped with at that time, too, is even more powerful, but we did not want to blow it out of all proportions

Never fear giving me too much information. I specialise in that.

It looks like this now:

I don't wear it a lot, but it has a strong immaterial value to me.

It looks Titanium! Somehow.

[TeeJay]

You what?

I believe krav maga is the martial art taught by the Isreali Special Forces (who are essentially Double-Hard Bastards who make the SAS look like pansies )

I also seem to recall reading that it was one of the fighting styles Jennifer Garner received tuition in for her role in Alias.

[Victoria]

I believe krav maga is the martial art taught by the Isreali Special Forces (who are essentially Double-Hard Bastards who make the SAS look like pansies )

I'll knock down any man who says the SAS are pansies!!

...and then run like hell.

Seriously, very interesting this. Will read up on it.

I also seem to recall reading that it was one of the fighting styles Jennifer Garner received tuition in for her role in Alias.

Jennifer Mrs. Ben Frikkin Affleck Garner?? Good God. No wonder she kicked terrorist butt in The Kingdom.

Me, I did Tae Kwondo at school, and started kickboxing before an untimely skiing accident which broke my leg, put an end to that...

And do you know how difficult it is to casually recycle Muay Thai shorts as daily shorts in SoBe? Hard, my friend, hard.

[Desuetude]

I don't wear it a lot, but it has a strong immaterial value to me.

V...it's Bead Blasted, and SD4000, it looks DOUBLE sharp! Very nice!

I work at sea, and the only mechanical watch I use here is my asian Omega Seamaster Pro GMT.

I'm an engineer, so it gets beaten up quite bad from time to time when I'm working on stuff, it gets dunked in salt water, oil and sometimes diesel.

It lives through temperatures from 35C to -15C.

Building my house, I've had it on for some tough carpenting, rock splitting and concrete work.

All of the above without any trouble 'cept the usual battle scars.

Ah, I see you also know where it's at for an indestructible beater!

I believe krav maga is the martial art taught by the Isreali Special Forces (who are essentially Double-Hard Bastards who make the SAS look like pansies )

I also seem to recall reading that it was one of the fighting styles Jennifer Garner received tuition in for her role in Alias.

Correct! That said, I would not call it a martial art, I would call it a system of self-defense. It is certainly not artistic, lol. Martial arts have a basic choreography to them, which is why they can be called an art. Krav Maga does not have that.

I'll knock down any man who says the SAS are pansies!!

...and then run like hell.

Seriously, very interesting this. Will read up on it.

Jennifer Mrs. Ben Frikkin Affleck Garner?? Good God. No wonder she kicked terrorist butt in The Kingdom.

Me, I did Tae Kwondo at school, and started kickboxing before an untimely skiing accident which broke my leg, put an end to that...

And do you know how difficult it is to casually recycle Muay Thai shorts as daily shorts in SoBe? Hard, my friend, hard.

In a nutshell, Krav Maga is a method of fighting as dirty as one can. The object is to inflict maximum damage in as short a time as possible, in any disadvantageous situation, including surprise attacks, multiple assailants who may be equipped with knives, firearms, or any other object that can be used to injure/kill. If one wanted to learn self-defense, it's the way to go. It was developed for an army that often found/finds itself in CQ/H2H combat, where there are no rules, except survival by any means. I had done Tae Kwon Do for some time during my teenage years, and had done it for 4 years prior to starting Krav Maga last year. While it did provide me a good platform of basics to build on, there really is no comparison between the two. A TKD expert would get destroyed in a sparring match with a KM expert. Not to mention the fact that if the TKD expert were put in a situational exercise (single/multiple assailants with rubber knives, rubber batons, etc), he would be killed (if the knives and blunt objects were real) in a matter of seconds. Honestly, I find it so much more exhilarating than TKD. Not to mention the fact that I feel a little bit more comfortable if I am in an area that could ever be considered hazardous/dangerous.

[TeeJay]

I'll knock down any man who says the SAS are pansies!!

...and then run like hell.

Seriously, very interesting this. Will read up on it.

Another interesting martial art, is Kali, and this was the style Matt Damon trained in for his appearance in the Bourne Trilogy. (His fight in his apartment in Paris in The Bourne Identity is probably the best clear example of it) It's an extremely brutal, but extremely economical art, where strikes and counter-strikes are totally seamless, so the practicioner is only expending a minimum amount of energy, but gaining a maximum effect.

Jennifer Mrs. Ben Frikkin Affleck Garner?? Good God. No wonder she kicked terrorist butt in The Kingdom.

Absolutely

Me, I did Tae Kwondo at school, and started kickboxing before an untimely skiing accident which broke my leg, put an end to that...

Interesting I've been studying bujutsu since I was about 8 (Japanese fighting in it's purest forms) I haven't been to a dojo in years, but still practice regularly

And do you know how difficult it is to casually recycle Muay Thai shorts as daily shorts in SoBe? Hard, my friend, hard.

How about donating them to el Papi with the lime greens?

[TeeJay]

Correct! That said, I would not call it a martial art, I would call it a system of self-defense. It is certainly not artistic, lol. Martial arts have a basic choreography to them, which is why they can be called an art. Krav Maga does not have that.

That's very true. One of the problems I've found with many 'organized' martial arts, is, as you say, when it's put to situational use, someone who relies solely on kata and form will wind up, at best with an ass-whooping, and worst dead as real life opponents don't stand where the form 'says' they 'should' stand, or react in the way a fellow student would in a training session.

[brep]

Per Ms. VB's request:

My Highgear watch is no longer made but is the perfect activity watch. Definitely a back country timepiece. It has all the usual stuff, as well as a compass, altimeter, and barometric pressure reader. Oh, and it is in the water getting the water temp for me before we went for a canoe ride with the kids. The thing eats batteries like candy though...

Later,

-B

[Viennawatch]

I use my submariner as a gym beater, people have noticed it, one guy obnoxiously stared at it once and he seemed to know his [censored] because he was wearing a PAM 112. Whether it was a gen, I have no idea.. Then again there was also that one copper with a fake breitling, haha..

[Seadweller4000]

That's very true. One of the problems I've found with many 'organized' martial arts, is, as you say, when it's put to situational use, someone who relies solely on kata and form will wind up, at best with an ass-whooping, and worst dead as real life opponents don't stand where the form 'says' they 'should' stand, or react in the way a fellow student would in a training session.

Exactly. I think it does not matter how you call it (for us germans it is indeed Wing Chun and Krav Maga), main task is to take your oponent down (and probably kill him) as fast as possible...