After adding the Merkur Long Handled Safety Razor (MK23C) to my stable about four months ago I feel it it time for an update. I got this about the same time as a 1960 flair tip Gillette and a 1947 Gillette Tech gold tone. I also picked up a 1947 TTO (turn to open) Gillette Super Speed. I have a 1953 Super Speed and a 1956 Red Tip fat handle Gillette as well.
Until getting the Merkur and Tech at about the same time I had been using the '53 Super Speed most of the time. Along with the Red Tip. The Red Tip is more aggressive as a shaver designed for heavy beards. Which I do not really think I have.
There was something nice about getting that new Merkur out of the box as all the others were used. So nice and shiny. But that old Gillette Tech was nice too. So I used the Merkur a couple of times and after cleaning and sterilizing the Tech liked it.
The previous Gillette razors were all TTO (turn to open). Meaning you turn the handle on the bottom and doors open on top allowing you to add or change the blade. The Merkur and Tech are three piece razors. Meaning that you unscrew the handle and the head comes off in two pieces, making three. The very top piece has a threaded bold and the lower plate goes on the handle first. Put a blade in between the two top pieces screw down the handle and you are done.
As you really do not know until trying there is a difference in performance. The three piece razor has a thinner profile. It can be easily taken apart to clean. The thinner profile makes it easier to shave around say your nose for instance. The Tech is thinner than the Merkur.
The Merkur is not an aggressive shaver as such but more so than the Tech. It may also be the blades as the Merkur has been feed Wilkinson and my usual blades are Dorco bought in bulk. Maybe next time we can discuss blades.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Is Casio The Best Value In Wristwatches?
As far as wristwatches go there are utterly thousands of choices. Not being completely well versed in the subject I will stick to my twisted mainstream opinions. So that will keep the well versed from having to point out mistakes on my part. Although pointing out my mistakes are welcome because that is how I will learn.
Now after spending countless hours looking at watches on the Internet I have came to some conclusions. Watches can be broken down to categories of luxury, tool, fashion, trendy, dress/classic and utility/digital. There will be gray areas in my explanation of these breakdowns.
Luxury watches are Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Omega, IWC, Zenith and a hundred other brands that I have never heard of of likely be able to pronounce. If you look on the Internet some models can cost $1,000,000. Can you imagine someone spending that much on a watch. So that $100 Seiko you been dreaming about is not stepping up to the pump. Just another example of the class difference I was talking about in a previous post a few days ago. Just how rich do you have to be that you have ran out of things to buy for a million dollars and spend it on a wristwatch.
The next category would be tool watches. An example would a divers watch. Not that fifty dollar Timex, but a real diver watch. These watches are certified a diving watch by a special organization. These watches are made to use under water and very deep at that. A true pilot's watch would be a tool watch as well. The one's with all the dials and buttons. These are usually a chronometer. Which means that they were also certified as such and very expensive.
Fashion watches can also be mixed in with trendy as well. These are the ones that are in style at some point in time. The fact that they are trendy means that they are fashionable now but will go out as soon as the next new thing hits. I think the jumbo watches that have been around for a couple of years are going out and you can notice the prices going down on the Internet. I guess that others like myself cannot see then wearing a wall clock with a bunch of fake dials on their skinny little wrists. The smart watch deals are the thing today. Who knows how long that will last.
The dress classic watches are the ones that never have and never will go out of style. They always will be around. These do not stand out as a specific duty type watch. Just a watch that can be worn with any clothes at any time. Not suited for any extreme purpose. Just tell time. If you look on ebay throughout time there have always been a trendy style of watch. However unless is is really something special the traditional styled watches get the most bids. An example of this type of watch would be my 1953 Bulova. Watches like this are never really in style or out, for sixty-four years. If you look on ebay these normal sized (small by today's standards) are the ones getting bids and being sold there. And bringing pretty good money. Not just Bulova, Hamilton and others classics. Timex too.
It started out a fashion and trend. The digital watch. The digital watch came out around 1974. With a red LED display. After a few years the LCD dark gray or black came in use. As they require less power. Casio got big on digital watches. These watches are what I call utility. Most tell time of day, am or pm, day and date. Some tell the month as well. Most have a stopwatch, alarm, and a light. Water resistant as well. These start at around fifteen dollars.
Timex makes digital and analogue watches as well. They have the Weekender and now many other models. Timex is still a USA based company although they are made around the world. They are a good value. They also have Indiglo technology for night reading.
Casio is most famous for the G Shock models. But they also make a great many analogue dress/casual watches. These retail for around twenty dollars and up and can be bought for a lot less on line. Most of their dress watches have a 3ATM water resistance (same as the twenty thousand dollar Patek Philippe). Many use a Miyota (Citizen movement) making them very accurate. The two that I have use a stainless steel case which has held up well. As with any watch if the band does not suit you it can be changed to your liking at very little cost. Casio has the most bang for the buck. Timex watches look like Timex watches. Saying hey, I'm cool I just wear a Timex. Unfortunately they have a lot of reviews saying they break and the stems fall out. The Casio just look nice and you would have to look at the face to see what band it is. I have not had one fail. That makes them the best value to me. If of course you pick out the non trendy classic style.
Now after spending countless hours looking at watches on the Internet I have came to some conclusions. Watches can be broken down to categories of luxury, tool, fashion, trendy, dress/classic and utility/digital. There will be gray areas in my explanation of these breakdowns.
Luxury watches are Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe, Omega, IWC, Zenith and a hundred other brands that I have never heard of of likely be able to pronounce. If you look on the Internet some models can cost $1,000,000. Can you imagine someone spending that much on a watch. So that $100 Seiko you been dreaming about is not stepping up to the pump. Just another example of the class difference I was talking about in a previous post a few days ago. Just how rich do you have to be that you have ran out of things to buy for a million dollars and spend it on a wristwatch.
The next category would be tool watches. An example would a divers watch. Not that fifty dollar Timex, but a real diver watch. These watches are certified a diving watch by a special organization. These watches are made to use under water and very deep at that. A true pilot's watch would be a tool watch as well. The one's with all the dials and buttons. These are usually a chronometer. Which means that they were also certified as such and very expensive.
Fashion watches can also be mixed in with trendy as well. These are the ones that are in style at some point in time. The fact that they are trendy means that they are fashionable now but will go out as soon as the next new thing hits. I think the jumbo watches that have been around for a couple of years are going out and you can notice the prices going down on the Internet. I guess that others like myself cannot see then wearing a wall clock with a bunch of fake dials on their skinny little wrists. The smart watch deals are the thing today. Who knows how long that will last.
The dress classic watches are the ones that never have and never will go out of style. They always will be around. These do not stand out as a specific duty type watch. Just a watch that can be worn with any clothes at any time. Not suited for any extreme purpose. Just tell time. If you look on ebay throughout time there have always been a trendy style of watch. However unless is is really something special the traditional styled watches get the most bids. An example of this type of watch would be my 1953 Bulova. Watches like this are never really in style or out, for sixty-four years. If you look on ebay these normal sized (small by today's standards) are the ones getting bids and being sold there. And bringing pretty good money. Not just Bulova, Hamilton and others classics. Timex too.
It started out a fashion and trend. The digital watch. The digital watch came out around 1974. With a red LED display. After a few years the LCD dark gray or black came in use. As they require less power. Casio got big on digital watches. These watches are what I call utility. Most tell time of day, am or pm, day and date. Some tell the month as well. Most have a stopwatch, alarm, and a light. Water resistant as well. These start at around fifteen dollars.
Timex makes digital and analogue watches as well. They have the Weekender and now many other models. Timex is still a USA based company although they are made around the world. They are a good value. They also have Indiglo technology for night reading.
Casio is most famous for the G Shock models. But they also make a great many analogue dress/casual watches. These retail for around twenty dollars and up and can be bought for a lot less on line. Most of their dress watches have a 3ATM water resistance (same as the twenty thousand dollar Patek Philippe). Many use a Miyota (Citizen movement) making them very accurate. The two that I have use a stainless steel case which has held up well. As with any watch if the band does not suit you it can be changed to your liking at very little cost. Casio has the most bang for the buck. Timex watches look like Timex watches. Saying hey, I'm cool I just wear a Timex. Unfortunately they have a lot of reviews saying they break and the stems fall out. The Casio just look nice and you would have to look at the face to see what band it is. I have not had one fail. That makes them the best value to me. If of course you pick out the non trendy classic style.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Mysteries On PBS Television
It seems as if all the major cable TV stations are having difficulty coming up with new and fresh programming. Especially if you only watch a handful of channels.
Take the History Channel for instance. I do not think that they have had a fresh program on for years. SyFy runs the same movies constantly. FX and AMC does too. Turner classic movies is getting old too. No pun intended.
One has to think that he industry is in financial duress. As they are not producing any new programming. That is just with basic cable. Which I have to take to get internet. Even the expanded cable venues have a lot of repeats. With hundreds of channels you have to wonder how many people are employed by this industry. Thousands and thousands no doubt.
My favorite shows are available on over the air broadcast. I have eight PBS channels in my area. They offer a lot of programming diversity. Even channels for children. There are also a lot of other channels over the air as well. They repeat a lot of the same movies as well. About sixty channels are available over the air.
If you are so inclined the PBS channels carry a lot of BBC programming. Which I do like. Mostly the mysteries. Some of them set in the present day and others in the past. I like Father Brown, Midsummer Murders, Miss Fisher, Death In Paradise, Miss Marple and Scott and Bailey. There are also a lot of good drama series.
If you like arts and crafts, hobbies, cooking, home repair and travel PBS is for you. These channels can also be streamed on line if you do not live in an area with broadcast.
Get off the cable and check out your broadcast choices.
Take the History Channel for instance. I do not think that they have had a fresh program on for years. SyFy runs the same movies constantly. FX and AMC does too. Turner classic movies is getting old too. No pun intended.
One has to think that he industry is in financial duress. As they are not producing any new programming. That is just with basic cable. Which I have to take to get internet. Even the expanded cable venues have a lot of repeats. With hundreds of channels you have to wonder how many people are employed by this industry. Thousands and thousands no doubt.
My favorite shows are available on over the air broadcast. I have eight PBS channels in my area. They offer a lot of programming diversity. Even channels for children. There are also a lot of other channels over the air as well. They repeat a lot of the same movies as well. About sixty channels are available over the air.
If you are so inclined the PBS channels carry a lot of BBC programming. Which I do like. Mostly the mysteries. Some of them set in the present day and others in the past. I like Father Brown, Midsummer Murders, Miss Fisher, Death In Paradise, Miss Marple and Scott and Bailey. There are also a lot of good drama series.
If you like arts and crafts, hobbies, cooking, home repair and travel PBS is for you. These channels can also be streamed on line if you do not live in an area with broadcast.
Get off the cable and check out your broadcast choices.
Monday, February 20, 2017
The Class Difference
There is a class difference. There still is and probably always will be. I like to watch those PBS programs. A lot of them are English. They have those programs set back in times gone by. The upstairs and downstairs classes. It is almost unbelievable how those rich people lived. And all over the world I would say and even goes on today.
These people had servants to do everything for them. Cooked their food, took care of the house, grounds, drove, dressed and everything. It is hard to fathom in this day and age. Although it still exists surely.
The power and wealth that those people had is amazing. They would own hundreds of thousands of acres. Everyone living on that land working essentially for the lord. I really like those programs that show this history.
The houses are huge. Three or four stories. Marble floors, beautiful woodwork. Grand staircases, studies. A fireplace in every room. Stone out side with slate roofs. A lot of these homes were built in the 1500's and later. The craftsman that had to involved in the building of such places. Very highly skilled labor without all the modern devices that exist today. A library full of books. Full kitchen with a full staff. Many of them show copper cookware. Fine china dishes. It just doesn't end. All the workers had the appropriate uniforms.
Most of the time these estates were working farms making them self sufficient. All the labor was right there. People who lived on site for generations. I guess it has always been up to the wealthy to let the poor exist. The game is still the same only the name changes. And when the population gets too thick a war is created to thin it out. Unfortunately World War I thinned out the masses too much. Not to mention the loss of the overseas gravy trains called colonies.
So the manor house style began to die after World War I. The Great Depression only served to polish most of them off. So the surviving ones today are doing what they can to stay afloat. Much less staff. Being tourist attractions etc. Plus selling off land. Some still working farms.
It is interesting to see the luxuries that the upper class had even in past times. Money and power get you a lot.
These people had servants to do everything for them. Cooked their food, took care of the house, grounds, drove, dressed and everything. It is hard to fathom in this day and age. Although it still exists surely.
The power and wealth that those people had is amazing. They would own hundreds of thousands of acres. Everyone living on that land working essentially for the lord. I really like those programs that show this history.
The houses are huge. Three or four stories. Marble floors, beautiful woodwork. Grand staircases, studies. A fireplace in every room. Stone out side with slate roofs. A lot of these homes were built in the 1500's and later. The craftsman that had to involved in the building of such places. Very highly skilled labor without all the modern devices that exist today. A library full of books. Full kitchen with a full staff. Many of them show copper cookware. Fine china dishes. It just doesn't end. All the workers had the appropriate uniforms.
Most of the time these estates were working farms making them self sufficient. All the labor was right there. People who lived on site for generations. I guess it has always been up to the wealthy to let the poor exist. The game is still the same only the name changes. And when the population gets too thick a war is created to thin it out. Unfortunately World War I thinned out the masses too much. Not to mention the loss of the overseas gravy trains called colonies.
So the manor house style began to die after World War I. The Great Depression only served to polish most of them off. So the surviving ones today are doing what they can to stay afloat. Much less staff. Being tourist attractions etc. Plus selling off land. Some still working farms.
It is interesting to see the luxuries that the upper class had even in past times. Money and power get you a lot.
Friday, February 17, 2017
NATO Or Leather Watch Bands? Updated
A lot of people do not even think about watches. Let alone watchbands. The advent of the smart phone and cell phones in general have diminished many from having or using a watch. Sort of like public pay telephones.
Some have started using these smart watch devices. Of which I have seen but not touched. However I have not been a jewelry person so much except watches. Having at least twenty more than a person really needs. Just another one of my many idiosyncrasies.
I still have my first watch. A Timex. It is a tiny thing. Kind like a lady's watch. Plain, stainless steel. Wind up, Still works. The hands even still glow in the dark. Got it in about 1965. As time went on got another Timex. A men's this time. I stumbled upon a bunch of old watches when my mother was moving. It even started to run when wound. For a while. My neighbor growing up was a navigator on a B 24 in World War II. He gave me the Army Air Force watch. It would run fine if let sitting. But would stop if you put it on. I messed with it for a long time. It had some funny kind of back on it I could not get off. Tried with a hammer and chisel. I kept the strap and threw it away. It was some brand I never heard of anyway. A Rolex. In the late sixties my uncle gave me a watch as well. This one seemed big and heavy. A black ring around the dial that moved. Had a problem with this one too. If you picked it up and shook it, it would start running then stop soon. Couldn't even wind it as the stem wouldn't move (screw down stem). And the back on this one would not even come off with a chisel, hammer and vice. Frustrated I smashed it with a hammer and threw it away. Another one of those dag gone Rolex things. Not even made in America. I will stick with a brand name like Timex.
So through the seventies and early eighties it was a Timex. I did however buy a digital watch at Radio Shack. Being a nerd and geek I used to like to go to Radio Shack as they had all the cool stuff that other places did not have. It was a Micronta. I guess it was a Casio or Seiko. That one let my trusty Timex Dynabeat electric rest. I got the Micronta when I took the Timex in for a battery. At where else, Radio Shack. Where all the cool stuff is.
In the early eighties my dad gave me an old Bulova he got for high school graduation. Self winding, shock resistant, anti magnetic and water tite. It is gold with a gold stretch band. Dad said I could have it. Took it to Deters Jewelry in Evansville, Indiana to get it serviced. That was in 1982. It is still running, keeping excellent time and on my wrist as I am writing it, 64 years young. Although I do not give it a chance to prove that it is still "water tite". An American watch with a Swiss movement. It has had several leather bands since and has a nice brown Hadley-Roma leather band on the way. This old Bulova is probably the coolest watch I have. Being a small 32mm size it fits my nerd, geek wrist nicely. Bulova still makes nice watches and is now owned by the Citizen watch group. I just picked up a nice Bulova dress watch. As I have been on a watch kick of late.
In the mid 1980's I started getting into Seiko after I bought one for my father for Christmas in 1985. Seiko is a great watch producer. And have rivaled Swiss manufacturers in accuracy. Even won a few contests which have they have been banned from. I have a Seiko tank style quartz, a round dress, a Seiko 5 automatic with a stainless steel braclet and a Seiko 5 automatic field watch. All running strong.
I also like Casio. The $10 Casio F-91W will do anything 99% of the population needs. The only thing with this model is that the factory band has a plastic buckle that breaks easily. The battery lasts about ten years. If you buy one today the battery may not last that long as it may have been on a shelf for years as it was introduced in 1991. I still have two of these and the silver steel version the A156W. I also have a W35 which looks like the old Radio Shack Micronta from the eighties. I have a Casio analogue field watch and a dress watch. I also have the classic G shock watch. The DW 5600E. Of which I recently put the first battery in after ten years. I have replaced the band twice and bezel cover once. Of which exceeded the cost of a new one but it is nice to say, I can do that. I also have the MDV-106 dive watch, which actually is a dive watch. It came with a rubber band and I have purchased three NATO bands of different colors. It was a stupid purchase as nerd geeks do not scuba dive and its 45mm size looks huge on my skinny wrists.
I cannot name all the watches I have had over the years. I have two Timex Indoglo watches from the nineties. These being on NATO bands. I have had two Rolex Air King watches and one stainless date just. Of which I paid nothing near what these watches are fetching now. I never did loose any money on a Rolex yet. I also had a Tudor. Which is a Rolex. Nice watch. And Tudor prices have went sky high as well. I have also had an older Omega Seamaster.
In regards to whether a NATO strap or a leather band is up to you. I think a NATO strap can breath new life into an old watch. They are easily switched to match your outfit. As far as using a NATO band they are very easy. First remove the pins from the existing band. Inspect the pins. If they are bent, rusted or worn out replace them. Measure the width between the lugs. Let's say it is 18mm as millimeters is the value used for that. Reinsert or put new pins on the watch case. NATO bands have three metal loops and a buckle. Pull the band out of the loop furthest from the buckle with the buckle being on top. Slide the band through the pin at the top of your watch and underneath the watch case and through the bottom pin. Slide the watch to the bottom or middle of band loop you have just created. Then put the strap through the bottom loop and you are done. Sounds more complicated then it is and will come quickly to you. The beautiful thing is that a great deal of colors are available to match your watch and clothing. Personalizing your watch is quick and easy with a NATO band. With a NATO band if one of the watch pins break the other will hold the watch so you do not immediately loose it. They are also very durable and can be found on ebay and all over the Internet. I have used the canvas strap watches for a long time since I got the Army Air Force navigator watch in the late 60's. I have several of of of these and even a couple for the old Bulova and Seiko dress watches to give them a sporty look every once in a while.
A leather strap has it's place and can be mixed and matched on dress, sport, field and dive type watches. They can also be used on field, sporty and dive type watches. A leather strap is most commonly associated with a dress watch. Black is mostly used with silver cases and brown with gold. Although that isn't set in stone. You can get silver and gold buckles on either black or brown bands. The buckle is a tiny detail that most people will not notice. As we are never content some switch bands. There is a great variety of leather bands as well. Thin or padded. The thin ones are the dressier ones in my option. They come plain, alligator type pattern and lizard to name a few. I like the lizard pattern. The patterned ones are thicker and more often than not have a stitching in the sides. Sometimes the stitching is a contrasting color. I think that certain color stitching can be a bit trendy.
In conclusion the only watch I need is the $10 Casio F-91W that you can get on Amazon. Also the 64 year old Bulova in case I would ever need something dressy.
Some have started using these smart watch devices. Of which I have seen but not touched. However I have not been a jewelry person so much except watches. Having at least twenty more than a person really needs. Just another one of my many idiosyncrasies.
I still have my first watch. A Timex. It is a tiny thing. Kind like a lady's watch. Plain, stainless steel. Wind up, Still works. The hands even still glow in the dark. Got it in about 1965. As time went on got another Timex. A men's this time. I stumbled upon a bunch of old watches when my mother was moving. It even started to run when wound. For a while. My neighbor growing up was a navigator on a B 24 in World War II. He gave me the Army Air Force watch. It would run fine if let sitting. But would stop if you put it on. I messed with it for a long time. It had some funny kind of back on it I could not get off. Tried with a hammer and chisel. I kept the strap and threw it away. It was some brand I never heard of anyway. A Rolex. In the late sixties my uncle gave me a watch as well. This one seemed big and heavy. A black ring around the dial that moved. Had a problem with this one too. If you picked it up and shook it, it would start running then stop soon. Couldn't even wind it as the stem wouldn't move (screw down stem). And the back on this one would not even come off with a chisel, hammer and vice. Frustrated I smashed it with a hammer and threw it away. Another one of those dag gone Rolex things. Not even made in America. I will stick with a brand name like Timex.
So through the seventies and early eighties it was a Timex. I did however buy a digital watch at Radio Shack. Being a nerd and geek I used to like to go to Radio Shack as they had all the cool stuff that other places did not have. It was a Micronta. I guess it was a Casio or Seiko. That one let my trusty Timex Dynabeat electric rest. I got the Micronta when I took the Timex in for a battery. At where else, Radio Shack. Where all the cool stuff is.
In the early eighties my dad gave me an old Bulova he got for high school graduation. Self winding, shock resistant, anti magnetic and water tite. It is gold with a gold stretch band. Dad said I could have it. Took it to Deters Jewelry in Evansville, Indiana to get it serviced. That was in 1982. It is still running, keeping excellent time and on my wrist as I am writing it, 64 years young. Although I do not give it a chance to prove that it is still "water tite". An American watch with a Swiss movement. It has had several leather bands since and has a nice brown Hadley-Roma leather band on the way. This old Bulova is probably the coolest watch I have. Being a small 32mm size it fits my nerd, geek wrist nicely. Bulova still makes nice watches and is now owned by the Citizen watch group. I just picked up a nice Bulova dress watch. As I have been on a watch kick of late.
In the mid 1980's I started getting into Seiko after I bought one for my father for Christmas in 1985. Seiko is a great watch producer. And have rivaled Swiss manufacturers in accuracy. Even won a few contests which have they have been banned from. I have a Seiko tank style quartz, a round dress, a Seiko 5 automatic with a stainless steel braclet and a Seiko 5 automatic field watch. All running strong.
I also like Casio. The $10 Casio F-91W will do anything 99% of the population needs. The only thing with this model is that the factory band has a plastic buckle that breaks easily. The battery lasts about ten years. If you buy one today the battery may not last that long as it may have been on a shelf for years as it was introduced in 1991. I still have two of these and the silver steel version the A156W. I also have a W35 which looks like the old Radio Shack Micronta from the eighties. I have a Casio analogue field watch and a dress watch. I also have the classic G shock watch. The DW 5600E. Of which I recently put the first battery in after ten years. I have replaced the band twice and bezel cover once. Of which exceeded the cost of a new one but it is nice to say, I can do that. I also have the MDV-106 dive watch, which actually is a dive watch. It came with a rubber band and I have purchased three NATO bands of different colors. It was a stupid purchase as nerd geeks do not scuba dive and its 45mm size looks huge on my skinny wrists.
I cannot name all the watches I have had over the years. I have two Timex Indoglo watches from the nineties. These being on NATO bands. I have had two Rolex Air King watches and one stainless date just. Of which I paid nothing near what these watches are fetching now. I never did loose any money on a Rolex yet. I also had a Tudor. Which is a Rolex. Nice watch. And Tudor prices have went sky high as well. I have also had an older Omega Seamaster.
In regards to whether a NATO strap or a leather band is up to you. I think a NATO strap can breath new life into an old watch. They are easily switched to match your outfit. As far as using a NATO band they are very easy. First remove the pins from the existing band. Inspect the pins. If they are bent, rusted or worn out replace them. Measure the width between the lugs. Let's say it is 18mm as millimeters is the value used for that. Reinsert or put new pins on the watch case. NATO bands have three metal loops and a buckle. Pull the band out of the loop furthest from the buckle with the buckle being on top. Slide the band through the pin at the top of your watch and underneath the watch case and through the bottom pin. Slide the watch to the bottom or middle of band loop you have just created. Then put the strap through the bottom loop and you are done. Sounds more complicated then it is and will come quickly to you. The beautiful thing is that a great deal of colors are available to match your watch and clothing. Personalizing your watch is quick and easy with a NATO band. With a NATO band if one of the watch pins break the other will hold the watch so you do not immediately loose it. They are also very durable and can be found on ebay and all over the Internet. I have used the canvas strap watches for a long time since I got the Army Air Force navigator watch in the late 60's. I have several of of of these and even a couple for the old Bulova and Seiko dress watches to give them a sporty look every once in a while.
A leather strap has it's place and can be mixed and matched on dress, sport, field and dive type watches. They can also be used on field, sporty and dive type watches. A leather strap is most commonly associated with a dress watch. Black is mostly used with silver cases and brown with gold. Although that isn't set in stone. You can get silver and gold buckles on either black or brown bands. The buckle is a tiny detail that most people will not notice. As we are never content some switch bands. There is a great variety of leather bands as well. Thin or padded. The thin ones are the dressier ones in my option. They come plain, alligator type pattern and lizard to name a few. I like the lizard pattern. The patterned ones are thicker and more often than not have a stitching in the sides. Sometimes the stitching is a contrasting color. I think that certain color stitching can be a bit trendy.
In conclusion the only watch I need is the $10 Casio F-91W that you can get on Amazon. Also the 64 year old Bulova in case I would ever need something dressy.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Mechanical Vs Quartz Watches
In day and time when a lot of people do not wear watches at all why would this make any difference?
A lot of people do not wear watches because they never have. The younger people never wore a watch because they for one thing were not that concerned with time. They were constantly on a cell phone or computer. Any connection with traditional style was not a concern. They may require some attention.
My attraction to mechanical watches was not an attraction at all. That was all there was to most people. Of course I am not that old that there was not electric watches available. But they were expensive. And I have to think about making a living. So a simple winding Timex was the ticket. You know I could buy it at the Western Auto store. Which had most everything I needed outside of food and clothes.
At this point in time a quartz watch is the most common. They can be inexpensive and keep good time. Mechanical watches require some attention and physical movement on your part. Even for cell phone users a watch is handy because you do not have to drag out your phone. Unless you are one of those people that walk around with a phone in your hand all the time.
I love to wear a watch and have far too many. But I guess I could justify it as one of those hobby things. My favorite term for an excess of something. One of my favorite things to do when I get off work is to put a wristwatch on. As I cannot not wear one at work. I do however take a pocket watch with me.
I have an old gold pocket watch from my grandfather. And a cheap quartz pocket watch from Walmart for about $13. I used to carry the 100 year old Elgin watch to work but I am afraid I will break or loose it. So I bought one of those cool Charles Hubert mechanical packet watches for about $100. It was pretty but broke after about a month. It was fixed under warranty with a $10 handling fee. Than broke quickly again. Junk. The $13 watch is still going.
Mechanical watches have to be wound daily or of the automatic nature. The automatic watches will continue to run after you start them if you wear them. If you have enough physical movement a rotor in the watch will wind the watch spring. This is what the high end watches use like Rolex, Omega and countless others. You really do not realize how many expensive watches there are until you look into it. Then I realize how poor I really am and how many wealthy people there has to be. Seiko has automatic watches that you can find starting for about $100 for us poor folk. They are accurate and dependable. Gee. I thought a hundred dollar watch was an expensive one.
Most watches a quartz. Digital and analogue. Ten dollars and up. More accurate than 99% of mechanical watches. But not as cool. Again what is cool. On a watch kick now you would not believe how many forums there are about watches and all these people that are really into them. Getting into every little tiny detail. Kind of a nerd thing so I guess that is why I have been into it.
So what kind of watch is for you? The best value do everything is a Casio F91w. Retails for less than $20, digital readout, light, timer, month, date and day. Battery will last up to ten years. But it a cheap black plastic. Kind of a poor persons watch or some one who does not care if it is. I like them. The only watch I need.
If you really get bored just check out all the different kinds of watches.
A lot of people do not wear watches because they never have. The younger people never wore a watch because they for one thing were not that concerned with time. They were constantly on a cell phone or computer. Any connection with traditional style was not a concern. They may require some attention.
My attraction to mechanical watches was not an attraction at all. That was all there was to most people. Of course I am not that old that there was not electric watches available. But they were expensive. And I have to think about making a living. So a simple winding Timex was the ticket. You know I could buy it at the Western Auto store. Which had most everything I needed outside of food and clothes.
At this point in time a quartz watch is the most common. They can be inexpensive and keep good time. Mechanical watches require some attention and physical movement on your part. Even for cell phone users a watch is handy because you do not have to drag out your phone. Unless you are one of those people that walk around with a phone in your hand all the time.
I love to wear a watch and have far too many. But I guess I could justify it as one of those hobby things. My favorite term for an excess of something. One of my favorite things to do when I get off work is to put a wristwatch on. As I cannot not wear one at work. I do however take a pocket watch with me.
I have an old gold pocket watch from my grandfather. And a cheap quartz pocket watch from Walmart for about $13. I used to carry the 100 year old Elgin watch to work but I am afraid I will break or loose it. So I bought one of those cool Charles Hubert mechanical packet watches for about $100. It was pretty but broke after about a month. It was fixed under warranty with a $10 handling fee. Than broke quickly again. Junk. The $13 watch is still going.
Mechanical watches have to be wound daily or of the automatic nature. The automatic watches will continue to run after you start them if you wear them. If you have enough physical movement a rotor in the watch will wind the watch spring. This is what the high end watches use like Rolex, Omega and countless others. You really do not realize how many expensive watches there are until you look into it. Then I realize how poor I really am and how many wealthy people there has to be. Seiko has automatic watches that you can find starting for about $100 for us poor folk. They are accurate and dependable. Gee. I thought a hundred dollar watch was an expensive one.
Most watches a quartz. Digital and analogue. Ten dollars and up. More accurate than 99% of mechanical watches. But not as cool. Again what is cool. On a watch kick now you would not believe how many forums there are about watches and all these people that are really into them. Getting into every little tiny detail. Kind of a nerd thing so I guess that is why I have been into it.
So what kind of watch is for you? The best value do everything is a Casio F91w. Retails for less than $20, digital readout, light, timer, month, date and day. Battery will last up to ten years. But it a cheap black plastic. Kind of a poor persons watch or some one who does not care if it is. I like them. The only watch I need.
If you really get bored just check out all the different kinds of watches.
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