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Campanola watches - Who Knew?


fotoman

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For highly complicated watches I think they are well worth the money.

I've seen them first through an AD and initially thought it was an AHCI manufacture.

Looked deeper and it was a highline Citizen! Do I still love it? Yes!

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I've just started noticing them for sale on TZ. They appear to be very nicely done and I too, was surprised to see that they were Citzen. The ones I have seen have been complications and very busy dials...

I would be these are some of the most complex dials ever made,,,mine had 421 (or something crazy) stars represented on a disk that would rotate once a day! It actually came with a loupe so you could make some sense of it. As much as I enjoyed it,,,,it was a quartz and had to go :(

I'll post a few pics if I can find them.

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I would be these are some of the most complex dials ever made,,,mine had 421 (or something crazy) stars represented on a disk that would rotate once a day! It actually came with a loupe so you could make some sense of it. As much as I enjoyed it,,,,it was a quartz and had to go :(

I'll post a few pics if I can find them.

please do, sounds interesting

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please do, sounds interesting

They sell these @ the big seiko store in one of the tourist malls out here in DC--the fit and finish is very, very good, but $2500 I was quoted for a gold plated, quartz powered watch, however complicated, didn't seem like that much of a bargain all things considered.

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Seiko has a more upper line of watches called Grand Seiko... these are only sold in japan and are priced almost in the same range as Rolex. A used Grand Seiko GMT (nice watch BTW) would be around 3k$.

And what to think of the Spring Drive line ... a nice diver was released quite recently... for only 7k$ !!!

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Interesting to know they have an upper class line. Look good. AND - the new rep prices are approaching that price range (more than half way to a grand). I guess that is one way to move me to buy a gen so - reps are good for the gen trade?

Usil

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Interesting to know they have an upper class line. Look good. AND - the new rep prices are approaching that price range (more than half way to a grand). I guess that is one way to move me to buy a gen so - reps are good for the gen trade?

Usil

my own collection has become inexpensive gen focused :)

Especially since you can get a real tourbillon for $500 bucks! :)

I'm actually a fan of citizen, the watches are very nice for the money - very cool complications. I have a really cool citizen duel time that was basically exactly what i had been looking for. I have never seen this model anywhere in the states - its not ecodrive - but very dress none the less- nice large 42mm dial , with very simple layout.

I find that i have urge's for types of watches - gmt, chrono, thin, heavy - and i start searching out something to fit the criteria - sometimes its a rep, sometimes an inexpensive gen - sometimes its an expensive gen and i have to keep searching for something i can afford :)

after seeing some real life photos of some of these, i think i'd pay 1k, -1200 for one. They are pretty big with domed crystals.

just something different for the collection - there are also some Zeno and Sinn watches i like as well :)

As all of you who have contributed to this thread - as senior members, well know, that tastes evolve over time - i'm sure our current collections look nothing like the ones we started out with after the first few months ! :)

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Seiko has a more upper line of watches called Grand Seiko... these are only sold in japan and are priced almost in the same range as Rolex. A used Grand Seiko GMT (nice watch BTW) would be around 3k$.

And what to think of the Spring Drive line ... a nice diver was released quite recently... for only 7k$ !!!

actually the 600meter springdrive diver is only about $3600, and was just at $3000 when it came out and i taked a friend in to buying one :)

for that money you get a hand assembled totally in house 30 jewel mechanical movement with a 72 hour power reserve and a power reserve meter, a functioning gmt hand, 600 meter rated water resistance (actually tested to 800 meters according to tokunaga-san who has been designing the seiko dive watches since the 1960's), amazing lume and a "rated" accuracy of +15 seconds a month . my friends runs +3/5 seconds a month.

you have to wonder how much all that would cost if it said omega or IWC on the dial and not seiko ;)

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Just a stupid question:

The second hand is moving like in a typical quartz movement (taC, taC, taC, taC, ...) or smoothly like an automatic one?

I think these watches are looking truly amazing -the only sad thing is that they are quartz :cry:

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actually the 600meter springdrive diver is only about $3600, and was just at $3000 when it came out and i taked a friend in to buying one :)

I'm a big fan of the Spring Drive, too. Very clever stuff, and the smoothest sweep of any watch.

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...as senior members, well know, that tastes evolve over time - i'm sure our current collections look nothing like the ones we started out...

My first collection came out of the large selection of nice looking but cheap (smallish) reps offered by Trusty. Then I bought my first PAM (111h of course) and suddenly they were all too light and too small. So, got rid of those and slowly started with the larger reps in the >42mm. Over time, I found I had loaded up on too many Chronos and got tired of them. Sold a few and now I really like the Breitling Heritage, always liked the UPO and wear my 111h again after servicing from The Zigmeister and just bought a new Strap Culture for my Fiddy which looks very nice so it is sharing some wrist time. So, back to the simpler look.

My current collection allows me to do this and I like the variety depending on the mood. I would like to get a red Porsche for some color (my Breitling Heritage is blue) but the prices is hitting me a little hard and a Grahym is tempting but because of it's shape - it would probably not be a regular watch to wear and >400 is just too much for a watch to wear every once and a while.

I buy less now than I used too and take more time with a selection. Rarely go out and buy one fresh in the market but the Heritage was an exception but then again the price was very good. I bought the mesh bracelet for it because I really liked the look and it provided me with another level of variety in my collection. I wear the Heritage regularly and it is the most comfortable (large) watch to wear I own.

Yes, my tastes have changed but I still like variety and I have watches I have not worn for over a year like my early generation Breitling Chrono Avenger but I will never sell it. And - sometimes I just like to put my Bentley 6.75 back on to feel some weight and see some bling. Variety is the spice of life. :p

Usil

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Yes. They are all quartz.

Regards.

Making it a quartz is like cheating. You could pretty much do anything with electronics and a battery. If those complications were mechanical, we're in Patek territory. That's why Patek are Patek and Citizen are, well....Citizen. :huh:

Edited by The Mentalist
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I'm a big fan of the Spring Drive, too. Very clever stuff, and the smoothest sweep of any watch.

when my friend's 600m springdrive arrived we met for coffee and i took my seiko 600m pro auto diver with the 36000bph movement. the sweep on the springdrive was noticeably smoother. it's like you know there is a tick to it but can't quite see it :)

i have also handled a number of the citizen campanolo's at seiko/citizen forum gatherings and the level of fit and finish is amazing. one of the SCF members actually has the boxed set of a complete campanolo gruppo AND the watch that came with it! they may be quartz, but some are 23 jewel quartz movements!

few people know that starting in the mid 1990's citizen began producing a watch called 'the citizen' as a competitor to the seiko 'grand seiko' line. with a 10 year warranty and lifetime free service.

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when my friend's 600m springdrive arrived we met for coffee and i took my seiko 600m pro auto diver with the 36000bph movement. the sweep on the springdrive was noticeably smoother. it's like you know there is a tick to it but can't quite see it :)

Ah, but there isn't a tick to the spring drive. It's a constant smooth rotation as there's no escapement.

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My first collection came out of the large selection of nice looking but cheap (smallish) reps offered by Trusty. Then I bought my first PAM (111h of course) and suddenly they were all too light and too small. So, got rid of those and slowly started with the larger reps in the >42mm. Over time, I found I had loaded up on too many Chronos and got tired of them. Sold a few and now I really like the Breitling Heritage, always liked the UPO and wear my 111h again after servicing from The Zigmeister and just bought a new Strap Culture for my Fiddy which looks very nice so it is sharing some wrist time. So, back to the simpler look.

My current collection allows me to do this and I like the variety depending on the mood. I would like to get a red Porsche for some color (my Breitling Heritage is blue) but the prices is hitting me a little hard and a Grahym is tempting but because of it's shape - it would probably not be a regular watch to wear and >400 is just too much for a watch to wear every once and a while.

I buy less now than I used too and take more time with a selection. Rarely go out and buy one fresh in the market but the Heritage was an exception but then again the price was very good. I bought the mesh bracelet for it because I really liked the look and it provided me with another level of variety in my collection. I wear the Heritage regularly and it is the most comfortable (large) watch to wear I own.

Yes, my tastes have changed but I still like variety and I have watches I have not worn for over a year like my early generation Breitling Chrono Avenger but I will never sell it. And - sometimes I just like to put my Bentley 6.75 back on to feel some weight and see some bling. Variety is the spice of life. :p

Usil

my story is similiar

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