[Saanil]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

The best of both worlds. An IWC Portuguese with quartz! The guy in Bangkok who sold it to me, told me it has an indefinite worldwide international warranty. Does not come any better!

Attachment 1769204

This is probably the only IWC in the world that runs accurately, really!

Jeroen

Apologies in advance for the stupid question but did you buy this from an official dealer? I was not aware this watch came in quartz form.

Sorry for back to back posts.

[LonelyPlanet]

Originally Posted by Saanil

This is amazing! It feels good to see people using their watches for more than 10 years! One stupid question - how do you adjust date/day on your watch as I do not see a crown on the watch?

The crown small and is almost flush with the casing.
Works like any other crown - rotate for time/ day change and press for date

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Saanil

Apologies in advance for the stupid question but did you but this from an official dealer? I was not aware this watch came in quartz form.

No, my mistake, I thought it was obvious. This is very much a fake and not just for the quartz. I have always liked the IWC Portuguese.

Cost around $25 or so. I bought it just for fun. For $25 it is actually not too bad of an imitation. But there are other telltales as well. The pushers are different, the lettering font, the case etc. etc.

There is a lot of information on the web about fake watches and how to spot them:

https://www.iwc.com/forum/en/discussion/68790/

Begin offered a $12.000 watch as a genuine IWC with International warranty for a mere $25 is also a bit of a telltale of course! As the old proverb goes, if it looks too good to be true, it usually is.

But to our earlier discussion, it will definitely tell time more accurately than any other mechanical IWC watch in the world!
If you are into accurate time keeping, this fake or any two bit $5 Casio will do you great.

Jeroen

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by Saanil

This is amazing! It feels good to see people using their watches for more than 10 years! One stupid question - how do you adjust date/day on your watch as I do not see a crown on the watch?

10 years is basically infancy for a well engineered watch. As long as it is serviced when required, a well engineered mechanical watch, even the most entry level ones, will literally last one a lifetime with more to spare- and hence the tag line of Patek Phillipe: "you don't own a Patek Phillipe, you merely take care of it for future generations" or some phrase to that effect.

[Saanil]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

No, my mistake, I thought it was obvious. This is very much a fake and not just for the quartz. I have always liked the IWC Portuguese.

Begin offered a $12.000 watch as a genuine IWC with International warranty for a mere $25 is also a bit of a telltale of course! As the old proverb goes, if it looks too good to be true, it usually is.

Jeroen

Exactly. I looked at the official photos and realized it was a fake but just wanted to check with you. I would say not a bad deal for <$30 but it is a poor fake watch.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Saanil

Exactly. I looked at the official photos and realized it was a fake but just wanted to check with you. I would say not a bad deal for <$30 but it is a poor fake watch.

In general I have no patience for fake merchandise and I would not willingly buy anything fake. However, on this one I thought it was sort of hilarious. Here is a watch that is known to be topbrand in the world of mechanical watches with an enviable reputation for their innovative engineering in mechanical watch design.

Seeing such a watch that sports “quartz” on it’s face is just a laugh.

There are however, some very very good fake watches out there. And you might end up paying 1000s of dollars to still end up with a fake. Obviously, on a watch costing upwards of $ 10-12.000 people will be tempted if one is offered at say $ 8-9000,--. that is still serious money and close enough to the MRP that people think it is genuine. But at that sort of money the counterfeiters can spend some serious money too, to get a real good look alike.

It’s one of the reason I only buy my watches from very reputable dealers and jewellers.

Jeroen

[navin_v8]

After cars and motorcycles I am a self confessed watch enthusiast. My love affair with watches started from a very young age and is still going strong. Looks like the genes have been passed down from my dad to me.

Dad used to own a Favre Leuba Sea King mechanical hand wind and Citizen Eagle 7 mechanical Automatic watch. The former one got stolen while the latter one still ticks to this day even after 40+ years. I wear it while at home and baby it as I don't like wearing it outside and exposing it to elements of nature. Dad then got a Westar quartz gold plated gifted by a relative followed by by Titan quartz all stainless steel watch from his office for his long service. All of them except Favre Leuba which got stolen are still with me. Mom had bought a HMT Nishat mechanical hand wind in early 1970's and was later presented with a Seiko 5 mechanical automatic and Omax quartz watch by her relatives dating back to the early 80's. All three are still ticking with little or no maintenance.

In all I have spent about 1000 rupees for their maintenance so far, I think this is peanuts considering the horological piece of history I own. This is compared to the money I burned buying trash fashion watches.

Coming back to my collection I have all of them watches right from Hand wind mechanical, automatic mechanical, quartz, digital, smart band, and what have you. I appreciate each of these types of watches as the former two give me a feeling that the watch has soul which can be seen and felt through the exhibition case back and spring wounding sound while manually winding it akin to my vintage Royal Enfield Motorcycles. Quartz and Digital is like fill it, shut it, forget it more like my reliable Mitsubishi Lancer. While smart band/watch is modern, tech-laden and filled to the gills with features. Yet I still keep going back to my Mechanical Hand Wind and Mechanical Automatic watches and that's the case even while buying myself a new watch. These two types outnumber my Quartz, Digital and Smart band/watch by a huge margin.

For some watch is just for keeping time, for some it is a fashion statement, for some it is an accessory, for some it is snob value, for some it is... well just a watch. But for me a watch is like an extension of my own body, it becomes a part of me when I wear it. Doesn't matter if I am wearing my mechanical and automatic HMT's, Seiko's, Citizen's, Orient's, etc. or my quartz Titan's, Timex's, etc. or my Digital Casio G Shock's or my smart band mi band 2. Every time I wear them it becomes a part of my body and an extension of my personality and people who know me identify more so with my mechanical hand wind and automatic watches.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Tjax

And as far as I know you will not get a mechanical Baume & mercier, omega or Cartier at the price of a Tangente. Pls correct me if I am wrong. Hence it's actually a no brainier. Beauty of course lies in the eyes of the beholder.

True, that's why I said that a NOMOS will appeal to those who love pure mechanical movement, technically though.. a mechanical movement is much cheaper to make than an automatic one and a bit sensitive as well, you have to be far more careful when winding, but all arguments aside I do agree that mechanical, is it when it comes to vintage watches.

What I don't like about NOMOS is still the price, atleast in the middle and higher end they should be cheaper by about 40%, not sure about the discounts but perhaps they will be substantially more. Just to compare, there is the NOMOS Lambda with rose-gold and open case-back for about 14 lacs odd before discounts, this from a 25 year old manufacturer.. in comparison the A.Lange & Sohne Saxonia with the same 18k pink gold and hand-wound movement, which many consider the ultimate dress watch, is available for about 10.75 lacs before discount. Lange has the heritage of being a nearly 175 year old company, it has the reputation of making movements that none of the "big 3" can come close to and its all hand-made and engraved in their Glashutte factory as well. I wouldn't look at a NOMOS even with a 80% discount in that case.

[ringoism]

Vintage Wenger Aquagraph... the dial, in particular, is uniquely "wavy" and I like the arrowhead hands too... Plenty watertight with a screwdown crown & back. Ronda movement as I recall.



A nice everyday watch, which in a lucky find I got along with the titanium Wenger "Mountaineer" I posted earlier (now with its new owner).

Originally Posted by Jeroen

.... that is still serious money and close enough to the MRP that people think it is genuine. But at that sort of money the counterfeiters can spend some serious money too, to get a real good look alike.

It’s one of the reason I only buy my watches from very reputable dealers and jewellers.

I spoke with a watchmaker on Jeweler's Row, Philadelphia, many years ago, who said even then that some of the fake Rolex's had become so good that he couldn't tell them from genuine till he was a few layers down into the movement and found some little anomaly.

Combined with the fact that there are many (for example) $2000+ watches using identical brand/model movements as $250 watches (many buyers do not realize this), and you start to wonder how much real value you get with premium timepieces, apart from the truly unique / innovative ones - the real masterpieces.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by ringoism

I spoke with a watchmaker on Jeweler's Row, Philadelphia, many years ago, who said even then that some of the fake Rolex's had become so good that he couldn't tell them from genuine till he was a few layers down into the movement and found some little anomaly.

Combined with the fact that there are many (for example) $2000+ watches using identical brand/model movements as $250 watches (many buyers do not realize this), and you start to wonder how much real value you get with premium timepieces, apart from the truly unique / innovative ones - the real masterpieces.

I recollect reading that some of the high end Rolex Fakes used ETA automatic movement (same as that used in the Omegas). If the manufacturer had not skimped on the case material and waterproofing, the fakes were as good if not better than the original.

[ringoism]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

True,
Many years ago my sister in law was given a self winding watch. I really can’t remember the brand, but it was a pretty neat watch and it certainly wasn’t cheap.

However, it kept stopping, running slow. After much investigation the official diagnoses found that she was not moving her wrist enough! We never let her forget of course. It was true, because it worked fine on the wrist of her husband!

I have a lot of early Swiss automatics, and many/most of them do not seem that effective as far as the self-winding goes. They were probably passable in most cases when the movements were fresh/new, but even then I believe some minimal hand-winding was advised as insurance.

Compare this to any random Seiko from about the mid-1960's onwards (which didn't even have/require the manual wind backup), and it's like night and day... I have a lot of these, too, and think you'd have to be laying in an (immobile) coffin for the autowind to not take you through 24hrs. Slightest wrist movement keeps it going quite a while... amazingly efficient, as I'd expect most modern automatics would be.

-Eric

[download2live]

I am not really into watches. However somehow for the sake of something different I ended up buying a mechanical handwind watch. I got it when it was put on clearance. It is a Field watch which means in simple terms: Big numerals, Black dial and Stainless steel body. This is vintage infantry model which means that instead of white they used cream color. The stainless steel is also having a slight old looking yellow shade. Gains around 20 secs a day. The only reason I am keeping this is that I love winding it everyday. It is has Unitas-6498 movement.

The caseback is transparent so you can waste time looking at that hairspring swinging it.

[Jeroen]

Here is another interesting watch; a Buren Super Slender Automatic.

It belonged to my dad. I vaguely remember him having bought this watch and showing it to us. It must have been somewhere in the late 60s/early 70s. As far as know he never had it serviced. It just ran always. My dad passes away in 1993. It is one of the few things I still have. I havent used it since 1993. Earlier this week I just happened to come across it. Amazingly, as soon as picked it up it started running again, so I’m checking now how accurate it is. So far so good it appears.

These watches were pretty special in those days. There weren’t that many automatic watches to start with and then this was also a pretty slim one too.

I might just get it properly checked by a vintage watch jeweller. We have one here close by. I will look for a new strap, this metal one is getting a bit iffy and start using it.

I have been looking at vintage watches for a while now, not realising I had this watch in my possession. It’s probably 50-60 years old and still working. Not sure if my Omega’s or Breitling will last that long. My sons will find out I guess!



Jeroen

[nirvanaguy19]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

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

Attached is a picture of the Rolex Air-King precision with a new leather nato strap that i added to it today. Regarding the SARB107 , i bought it from Ebay (user IooMobile). The stock strap truly sucks, I replaced it with the jubilee strap from the SKX013, works quite well and is super comfortable. I am yet to take pics of the Sarb and the SKX013k2, also newly acquired, will do so shortly.

[joe1980]

Originally Posted by nirvanaguy19

Attached is a picture of the Rolex Air-King precision with a new leather nato strap that i added to it today. Regarding the SARB107 , i bought it from Ebay (user IooMobile). The stock strap truly sucks, I replaced it with the jubilee strap from the SKX013, works quite well and is super comfortable. I am yet to take pics of the Sarb and the SKX013k2, also newly acquired, will do so shortly.

Congratulations!

Looks more or less similar to Oyster Perpetual. What are the dimensions of this watch? How much did you get it for and which year is it?