[dailydriver]

Today’s The Hindu carries two complementary pieces of write ups about collection and conservation of HMT watches.

The first one is about a duo whose passion for HMT watches has resulted in them owning more than 50 legacy beauties.



The second is about the HMT Heritage Center and Museum, the awareness of the existence of which is rather poor among the general public.

[Mystic]

This post made me remove the long forgotten watches which I had stored and this photo I took today made me nostalgic of the days when I was wearing them from my teens to my retirement. Now, the only watch I rely is my Apple Watch. This watch is linked to all of my apple gadgets like MacBook, I pad, I phone and even my apple car play Apple Maps. Recently in my long drive during a tricky situation of trying to put directions to new tourist attraction of Bhavani islands in Vijayawada, both my apple car play maps , my apple watch was prompting me on the directions and I kept going round and round for 30 minutes. Then I realised that I should put a point in maps on the ground where you take a boat to Bhavani island like Punami Ghat and not Bhavani island itself as maps get confused on how to take you across the river Krishna. This makes me rethink to ask somebody on the road instead of relying blindly on the high tech.

I wonder on what others are doing with their old watches and is it even possible to go back to them after addicting to smart watches like Apple Watch.

[kinetic]

I attended a WindUp Watch Fair a few months ago and put my deposit down for one of these fun watches made in UK. Not sure how many here have heard of Studio Underd0g, but they make these 38 mm chronographs with the Seagull movement using fun themes for the dials.

This one's called the Mint Chocolate. Hence the green textured dial and the chocolate chip hour markers. So far I love the way it looks and feels on the wrist. Something about the 38-40mm sizing that just works so well for so many wrist sizes.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by Mystic

I wonder on what others are doing with their old watches and is it even possible to go back to them after addicting to smart watches like Apple Watch.

Regular watches may be struggling, but mechanical watches are still going strong. The last few years have seen an explosion in the value of used luxury watches. I'm personally saving up for a mechanical watch, no smartwatch appeals to me. I use a tracker to check my sleep quality and my regular watches every day.

The competition is between workmanship and volume, a sizeable segment will always choose the former.

[adi.mariner]

Has anyone ordered watches from www.meranom.com or from www.komandirskie.com? How much time does the delivery take and is there any issue with the Customs?
I was interested in the Vostok Amphibia series and they are outrageously priced on Amazon India. The watches are priced at around 5-7k on both the websites.

[Impala59]

Here is my humble collection. All the way from the 1980s to 2020s

The Casio A158W-1 is my daily, along with the Bulova Classic Two-Tone with Champagne Dial. Not a huge fan of the Fossil, but it does the job. An occasional daily.

The Titan tank is another classy piece that I have recently started using. It looks much more expensive than it actually is - love the look and feel of it. The Omega Constellation is from 1987, and as you can see, is a bit of an oddball in this collection. Originally came with a leather strap, but recently got a lovely rose gold metal strap which I feel looks much better than the previous one.

The Mont Blanc Timewalker GMT is probably my favourite dress watch from this collection, which got a new leather strap recently. Looks very elegant on the wrist. Easy to style and goes well with almost every look.

The Rado Diastar Black Ceramic is stunning and always manages to catch everyone's eye. The perfect conversation starter at parties. And lastly the Rolex Submariner Date Ref. 16800. What should I even say about it? It has been well-used and bears scars and scratches, although not used much these days. Timeless design, and absolutely iconic.

How I plan on filling the three empty spots:

1. Seiko: It is a shame that I still do not own a Seiko, and honestly I don't know how. Probably will be my next buy. Not sure about the model, but a Seiko 5 SNXS79 has my heart.

2. HMT Pilot or Kohinoor: My recent obsession. Have been reading up on HMT quite a bit and looking to add one to my collection. While not a huge fan of bright dials, I was thinking of adding a tiffany blue or yellow to the collection. Because why not?

3. TBD: Suggestions welcome

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by Impala59

Here is my humble collection. All the way from the 1980s to 2020s
3. TBD: Suggestions welcome

Buy a chronograph, I suggest a zenith or omega, you already have a Rolex.

[TurboBiscuit]

My collection so far -
1) Tissot Seastar 2000 powermatic 80 with rubber straps in place of oem steel bracelet.
2) Victorinox Maverick Large Quartz.
3) Tissot PRX all gold Quartz.




Happy to see so many watch enthusiasts around. Might add a watch around Diwali like Oris big pointer day date /Longines Zulu spirit or Oris Aqua / Longines Hydroconquest. Open to other suggestions too!

[arnieshwartz]

Disclaimer: I'm not a big fan of collecting watches per se, just use them for whatever utility they offer.

My first watch was a Titan, gifted by Dad after my 10th grade. I only bought another watch after being employed - a Casio Edifice bought sometime in 2006 or 2007. The next was the Fossil Gen 5 Carlyle, my first smartwatch, bought in 2020. The current one is a Garmin Instinct 2, purchased this year.

[sayyam.gaur58]

I went to the watch store to get some batteries for my watch. Saw this Timex chronograph with Indiglo. Got this at a steal price of 2500 INR! Looks good in my opinion.

[AtheK]

Switched back to Android by Picking S23 Ultra, so had to ditch my apple watch and picked up the Samsung Watch 6 as my daily driver. Initial impressions are pretty good. Though I think I will start using my mechanical watches much more now, Smart watches have there own charm and utility but last few weeks i loved going back to my old watches, they are still the best.

[RedRaider]

Purchased a Seiko SRPH33K1 a few days back. My 5th Seiko. The legibility of the dial is superlative, especially during the fay. Found the orange Lumibrite to be a little dull by Seiko standards. Please forgive the picture quality clicked on my mobile.

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

Background of the watch: My father was presented this watch when he graduated at the top of his class. It also has several other 'adventurous' stories associated with it, which I will leave for some other time. It was last seen sometime around 2014, when someone had 'stored' it somewhere. I remember having turned the whole house upside down not once but twice to locate it but to no avail. So you can imagine my happiness having found it after so many years.

So the watch got 'overhauled' - if I can use that term for watches. I got it done from Kapoor Watch Co. in Delhi. They gave me an option to change the dial and paint the needles, which I didn't take. Not to everyone's taste, but I had my reasons.

The original Omega strap cost a bomb, so went with a non branded cheaper option (as also suggested by Kapoor Watch Co.).

[Small Bot]

I was checking out the latest G-Shock releases.

I was initially thrilled about the new Mudman GW 9500. It seemed like a spiritual successor to my Rangeman GW 9400.

But real-life reviews make it look more like a generic Protrek. I don't feel like it can match the clean decade-old design of the Rangeman (my watch is 2018 make). And the new Mudman doesn't offer that many new features. It would have definitely understated its value if it had the amazingly legible MIP, but nope, it's the standard LCD display too for their negative display models.

Here there are, in comparison. The GW 9500 image is lifted from Google Images.

GW 9400:


GW 9500:

[nileshch]

Just bought the Casio Royale - AE1200. Has been my desire to get one for a long time. Always envisioned wearing it with NATO style straps. This one is a Marine Nationale Strap from CNS Watchbands.




On a different note, has anybody heard of Ajwain watches? This is a boutique Indian watch maker based in Mumbai. Designs look interesting.

https://ajwa.in/