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I have PM'ed you! Try not to get it online. I would advice to buy it from a shop where you have the chance to try it and then buy it!

I wish to share something here with regards to the watch which I have and also seek advice from the horology experts.

I have always been fascinated with having a watch since the time I was a kid. I think I got it from my parents as I my father is a watch aficionado. My first swiss watch was the humble Swatch Irony which I got in 2002. I still have it but now it is spoilt beyond repair. I saved to buy a good mechanical automatic watch and I finally bought the Omega SeaMaster last year in 2017. I mostly wear the Apple Watch (Series 2) to work and Gym. I sometimes wear the Omega.




Coming to the advice I seek:
I wore the Swatch Chrono watch for so many years and I thought that I would buy the automatic with the Chrono. However I am now feeling that instead of that heavy chrono I should have gone for a simple dress watch which looks elegant, classy and understated.

I invested in the expensive watch thinking that it will last well and as men’s jewellery it is something that I can pass on to my son if the watch also gets a neo vintage status in say 20 years time. Now the doubt which I have is that the cost of servicing the watch over years will be prohibitely expensive which I didn’t factor earlier and hence it may not be worthwhile in planning to keep the watch that long and that I should sell it off after a few years when I’ll get a decent resale price for it.

I feel that the classic dress watch with a minimalist design is a style which will be timeless and it’ll look good even after 30 years. I would like to go with a brand which has history but will cost more such as Baume & Mercier to start with and go up depending on how much I can afford to spend at the time of purchase. However since I spent some money on a good watch last year I am thinking of going with a brand which will be relatively inexpensive to purchase but it will not have the history such as Louis Erard or Fredrique Constant.

I would suggest you to have a look at NOMOS Glashütte! I recently got the NOMOS Tangente. It is a very minimalist dress watch with utmost quality. Have a look at the Neomatic movement from NOMOS.

https://nomos-glashuette.com/en

Thanks Joe. Looks good but these watches also go in the range of INR 100K Plus. If I have to buy a watch today I don't want to spend more than 50K. However I haven't made any hard decisions on buying a watch soon. As mentioned in my post I most probably will wait for some time before making the purchase and hopefully by then I should be in a position to increase my budget.

Thanks again.

Most of the time watches are cheaper in India, especially if you bargain a lot. Sometimes the watch you want will on Sale in Europe, and then it is cheaper there.

So get an approximate price of the watch you want to buy here and then compare it when you are in Europe. While comparing prices in Europe, be aware of the 3%-5% premium charged on foreign transactions by credit card companies. Further you are expected to pay duty if the value exceeds a certain value.

You will get VAT refund for goods bought in Europe, as long as you follow the prescribed procedures.

The best place to buy watches (even European manufactured watches) seem to be the USA. Especially if you can buy it personally there, or have it shipped to a friend or relative who can come down with the watch.

In my experience, far better prices than Europe, which I feel is one of the most expensive places to buy watches. Of course, my experience is limited to lower and entry level mechanical pieces, can't comment on the high end Swiss or German pieces.

I seem to have hit a snag on the incoming shipment.

USPS last updated tracking info on Apr 7 when the package left the US, and I haven't heard anything from the local post office yet.

I called India Post to check, but they seem to have no idea. I guess a personal visit to my shipping address' post office is in order, though I'm not very hopeful at this point.

I would still say that don't give up and wait for some more time. I pre-ordered a watch from Poland and I was only informed of shipping from Poland. The tracking didn't worked once the watch left EU.

One month & few days later, when I had given up a hope to get the watch, surprisingly India post delivered it, without any associated paperwork.

You might want to give it a little bit more time. I ordered an Elite Silicone strap and it arrived in two weeks flat (last week). Already started to enjoy it on my Seiko Samurai. The earlier order that I had placed took three weeks, though. Thing is, once it leaves the US, there is no real way to track it with normal USPS shipping, but in my experience, the package does reach you at the end.

Barton's shipping is usually quite reliable, though it does take some time to reach India. They also offer a replacement in the event the strap does not, for whatever reason, ultimately reach you.

Hi folks, Need help with the Official Seiko Support (Bangalore?) since I've a watch stuck with them for the past 4-months. Was sent for a crown repair issue but being held up for solar issue.
Background: I've a Seiko Prospex Padi edition, I wear in my right hand and somehow the crown got stuck in my jacket and in a jerk the crown fell out. I gave it for repairs to Golden Time Service in Ahmedabad who apparently sent it to Bangalore Seiko. This is in January. Since then, there have been no updates and today I was told that there is an issue with the Solar and they havent been able to solve it.
Wondering if anyone on the group can help put me in touch with the right folks and help me get a working watch back!

Great if somebody could help...

It is fairly rare for Seikos (or for that matter, any one of the Japanese trinity of watchmakers) to fail in this manner, so early on in their lifetime. Quite surprised!

Anyways, while I do to have the contact for the Seiko service folks, you could perhaps contact the Zimson or Ethos watch boutiques in your city, if there are any. Thats what I had done when one of my Seikos required a service.

They will usually take in the watch for repair and send it across to the concerned Seiko repair unit. Of course, this is assuming that your city has outlets for the aforementioned retailers.

While my search for a good mechanical dress watch continues, I added another quartz watch to my collection - the Titan Celestial Moonphase.

I have been eyeing a moon phase watch for some time but was in two minds about spending more than 10K on a quartz, so when I saw an ad in Instagram offering 40% discount on the celestial range, it was a no-brainer for me to pick this up.

Picked this from the HSR outlet - the service was nothing to write home about - they did not even give me the proper watch box - I had to ask for it, and they still delivered the watch with a black pillow and did not clean the glue marks from the case back.

Few pics:









Intresting design detail:



--Anoop

This thread is an amazing resource for watches. I used to be a lot into watches till a few years back, but somehow got away from the habit of wearing them, I am getting interested in them again now

I have a reasonable collection of watches including 2 nicer ones I inherited from my dad - a circa 1990's Rolex Air King (I believe its the Air King 5500) and a circa 2005 Omega Constellation gold .

The Rolex is an amazing piece of craftsmanship - simple , understated and a workhorse.

After reading most of this thread, I ordered the Seiko sarb017, it seems like a underrated masterpiece. Will share my thoughts on it once i get it.

Thats a lovely two piece collection that you have inherited. Will be great if you can post pictures of both the watches.

On another note, could you let me know where you have ordered the Alpinist from? A friend of mine is looking for the piece, and given that it has been officially discontinued, the grey market seems to be the only place to get one. Also, how much did you pay for it, if you don't mind sharing the price? I know it is still available on Amazon India but the prices have shot through the roof presently (2X of its original price).

It is indeed an underrated masterpiece. The finishing of the case and the overall compact size is just fantastic, as is its versatility. Its equally at home as a sports/ everyday watch as it is worn with formal attire. The OEM strap though is junk, and you would do well to change it at the first given opportunity.

Not the fault of the watch. As mentioned, it got stuck in my jacket. I've gotten the watch back from Golden Time and am holding on to figure out what should I do next. There's an Ethos here so will go visit them.

Adi