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Price gone up recently by 2-4 folds. I picked my Janata mechanical watch for 800 Rupees (few years back) and that is an awesome price for a mechanical watch. I did my academic project work in HMT Bangalore in the year 2001 and I feel nostalgic whenever I wear my HMT:D

The same reason as people buying old Bajaj Chetak, LML Vespa, Fiat 1100, HM Ambassador, RE G2 Cast Iron Bullet, etc.

Like HMT the above were the byproducts of the license raj era. People get attracted to them due to nostalgia, emotional connect, memories, etc.

HMT's are simple, affordable, hardy and reliable mechanical watches. They are reliable for what they offer, if you have ever used them. Like any other mechanical device they do need upkeep but servicing is inexpensive.

Lastly, they do not use a sub-par "replica" movement. They are still using the Miyota 0231 movement under license from Citizen Miyota Japan. I believe there is no credible watch company that still produces mechanical hand wind watches and sells it for less than US $35 with a movement which is manufactured and assembled inhouse.

Thanks for correcting me, I wasn't aware the movement was licensed.

A cursory google search shows that HMT watches (even new old-stock) do suffer from quality and reliability issues. There must be a reason the market moved away from HMT, eventually leading to their failure as a going concern.

Google search throws up a lot of results and reviews all of which may not be true and/or genuine. I have used HMT watches and still use them and haven't faced issues with respect to the mechanicals and/or watch casing. The fit and finish does leave a lot to be desired but the cost makes up for it. The reason why market moved away from HMT is the same reason why it moved away from Bajaj Chetak, LML Vespa, Fiat 1100, HM Ambassador, RE G2 Cast Iron Bullet, etc. Although the world of horology is totally different than automobiles but products/models of the yore still invoke similar strong nostalgia and memories. Besides in my opinion HMT mechanical hand wound watches have their own charm and value in the sea of fashion watches who charge upwards of US $100 all for a US $5 quartz movement and the fashion brand. Horologists value the inhouse movement, credibility, legacy, etc. in a watch and such people are very few in numbers in terms of the overall market size.

HMT somehow reminds me of Morgan Motor Co. UK who continue to build their cars like they used to during their inception but to the current emission standards.

I can't find my f91w for the past month. I know it's somewhere in the house, but who needs an excuse. Picked up the two casios from Tata cliq. The black one says it's unisex, but the legend on the back is LW, which I think means women's. I don't care though. It's funky enough to be unisex.

Finally picked up an Ice Watch from Nykaa.com (the seller is listed as Ethos but there was a 40% discount on it). Chose the white with neon green insets. My family thinks I am too old to carry it off rl:



Planning to pair it with a t-shirt and shorts and use as a vacation/ leisure watch. Cost me under 5K which I think is a steal.

Has anyone purchased a watch from https://gutereise.in

A Victorinox watch that I had been eyeing for a while seems to be available only with them. They seem to be an official dealer since I got redirected to their website from victorinox.com itself.

Seiko SARB033 on a vintage green leather strap. Slipping nicely under the shirt cuff.

I have a few solar cell watches in my collection. Not wearing them that much these days though.

I haven't purchas but a quick google search brought this article mentioning it's Victorinox official channel itself.

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com...cle8414434.ece

I got a Casio GShock as a gift from my brother in law last year. He bought it from official Casio store in India. Recently it stopped working. I was under belief that GShock batteries are designed to last long. I am yet to take it to a shop to change battery. Anyone faced this issue in the GShock?

I finally bit the bullet and got a Strapcode Oyster bracelet for the alpinist. As you say, this has really transformed the look of the watch and it does look much better now. Ordered it for around 90$ from Strapcode.

The well-worn Alpinist shows off its battle scars alongside the snug fit Strapcode Oyster bracelet.



And in other news, I think I now have a perfect two-watch collection. Some of you may recall, I was trying to figure what watch to buy and had ended up ordering from Stowa. The watch was sent from Germany to the US in April from where a friend carried it for me to India.

The Stowa is perfect for formal occasions whereas the Seiko will continue the everyday duties.


The watch came in a heavy wooden box



The strap is well padded and looks neat on the watch. I had asked Stowa to change the strap from Black to Brown. This one is a dark shade of brown.


The hands are heat blued and change color depending on the light that hits.


The onion-shaped crown is easy to hold while winding the watch manually. I had the option to take the watch with a date option. Stowa has the date at 6'o clock which looks very symmetrical but I preferred the one without the date since it's easier to reset the time. On my alpinist, it's a pain to reset the date, morning/ evening, and then the time every time I don't use it for a few days.



The movement is a top-grade ETA 2824 with 38 hours of backup and has been nicely decorated with blued screws and parallel patterns on the top rotor.



T

Excellent call/decision. I wish I had that clarity when I got my automatic a few months ago.

Btw beautiful watch, that. Very old-school/classic look.

The Alpinist looks good with the Oyster bracelet on. This is one solid and well built bracelet, and really transforms the look of the Alpinist.

Lovely Stowa there. I have for long been contemplating on getting either a Sinn or a Stowa, just to experience the magic of German watches. Will bite the bullet one of these days!

Going off topic here, would love to know more about the pen in the background.