Dumb things you might have done with a watch

I’m pretty good at doing dumb things in general. I may have perfected the art. I think it’s important to admit some of the dumb things I do. I just like watches don’t consider myself a connoisseur or particularly knowledgeable. But I do like these little seamasters. So this one I got yesterday has a JB Champion bracelet on it. Never had one prior. Now just getting this I have no clue if it’s water resistance is up to snuff. I had the JB champion on securely but sliced up my fingers trying to fix a wash machine. Not real bad but enough so that I couldn’t undo the little latch to remove the watch. This AM I needed to take a shower, I could have skipped it and worn a Beatles hat but I had a meeting and had to at least look like I put some effort into grooming. So I took a shower with the darn watch on. I don’t even do that with watches I know are water tight and tested.
Fortunately it seemed to work out. It was a humid day and I was in and out of the heat and AC buildings no condensation and everything is running ok so far. I also noticed around 2p the scratches on my paw healed enough where I can now open the bracelet. We, the proud dumb ones, often rely on luck which really isn’t the best way to go about things but my batting average really isn’t that bad when I review my history of dumb things. I will show the offending latch and the dial to provide evidence there is no condensation but for the record that is not grey hair on my arm it is platinum blonde.

Glad all turned out OK. I probably wouldn't wear that watch while working on the washer, but maybe I'm a wimp.

You are correct but I will add numerous scratches and dings regardless however I normally do not wear such watches doing repairs but it was a washer at work and a thin jagged piece of metal was protruding from the drum I knew if I did not remove it someone was going to get sliced up. It really made no sense to me as I have repaired mine at home, literally took the drum out and nowhere did I see a way for such a sharp piece of metal to protrude in such a manner but it could have been tampered with. I have a Vostok for planned repairs.

I love that watch. I hope to find one for the right price at some point 😀

When it comes to doing dumb stuff while wearing a watch, I’m honestly too over protective of them and haven’t had any truly bad run ins. I did get pretty loaded one night while wearing the watch I bought to wear at my wedding and put a scuff in the crystal. I was down on myself for months. Eventually got some polywatch and it’s as good as new.

I recently picked up an Apple Watch though and I’ve been wearing that around the house. My total disregard for it’s safety has me worried that I’ll forget that I’m wearing a vintage watch and end up cracking a crystal or getting water inside one. Time will tell….

Thinking more about it, dumbest thing I did with a watch was buy one… 5 years later and I now have 15ish and keep looking at more…

Ooh ooh I got one like that. I was assembling chairs with my speedydate on. It was my first “nice” albeit “mundane” automatic watch. It probably sounds dumb but a friend of mine made the chairs and just left a couple parts un-assembled so I could put six of them in my car. They literally took me 10 minutes a piece to assemble and I could do it in such a way there was no way I would hit my watch on it. My wife “helped me” by moving one of the assembled chairs right behind me. I turned around to get a part and darn a whacked my mundane speedy date solid on the bezel. It was actually flawless up until that moment. For about a month all I could see was that ding when I looked at it. I don’t know if you can see it now losing daylight.

I lent an almost new Enicar Sea Pearl to a girlfriend many years ago after she said she liked it (that was dumb thing #1).
I neglected to get it back before we parted ways (dumb thing #2)

Dumb things.
I was taught a salutary lesson about 10 years ago. In my excitement to get into the water at my local surf beach I donned my wetsuit (chilly water here in Hobart) and raced into the waves. After half an hour or so I came out and towelled off . To my surprise my watch was still on my wrist. Surprised because I had meant to remove it before surfing. It was a 166.0209 1978 Seamaster. It appeared that it was not Master of the Sea because there was seawater inside it. View attachment 1439516

Now I realised, knowing little about watches that water inside the watch was not a good look, and as it had been my late father’s watch I was disappointed, not to put too fine a point on it. It seemed at that moment a good thing that he had passed away. So, straight to my local watchmaker who looked at me askance, as one would to a dog who had just disgraced themselves on a neighbour’s lawn. “Leave it with me” he said, with no great enthusiasm. When I returned in a week he reported that he could not save the watch, and quoted me an astronomical price to replace various parts. Disappointed I went away and began a search for myself to locate new parts, coincidentally beginning my interest in vintage watches. So after some time I located a NOS cal. 1020 service movement, likewise a NOS correct dial and a period correct crown. The original hands were in ok condition, likewise the case.

View attachment 1439517

View attachment 1439518

I presented my watchmaker with the parts and asked him to put them together. He was flabbergasted that I could obtain the parts (he is fairly Vintage himself and the internet was not something he knew about), and he very happily put it all together.

View attachment 1439519

I’m not sure what the watch is now, with Omega service parts not original to the watch. When I’ve been tempted to sell it I’m never sure what to describe it as. A marriage watch perhaps?

WATERPROOF was different back then.

I have a new dumb thing to add. I ordered a new Bergeon strap changing tool, a strapcode bracelet and a red white and blue NATO all at the same time last week. Of course I got the red white and blue NATO for the 4th. Well two things came but the red white and blue NATO won’t be here until Wednesday the 6th.

My girlfriend asked to see my favourite / coolest watch, I pulled it out of the vault and let her try it on, explaining that I don’t wear it often because it’s too wet and humid in Queensland and the Seamaster Piepan has basically nil water resistance due to its vintage crown.

The moment after I explain it has no water resistance she turns the sink taps on and starts washing dishes, I dived across and grabbed her left arm just in time to pull it out of the sink and pointed to the watch. She goes “Oooooooh I didn’t even think sorry”.

Seamaster saved.

Bummer 🙁.

I can sub for you though. Which one would you like me to wear 😁.
(and no, I won't be double-doggin'.....only one guy can pull that off with style!)

Ooh nice either is certainly appropriate and I would prefer you pick what you enjoy but that wave dial is fascinating

Had just acquired this 2998-6 on a trip to Paris. Knowing I was a sailor, the dealer had said..”Don’t take this on the water, don’t even think about water while wearing it”…What do I go and do? Added clothes to a full top load washing machine with it on my wrist. Into a bag of rice and off to the spa. Fortunately it was a quick dunk.

More years ago than I can recall, I gave a gold-shell on stainless steel Omega Constellation with pie-pan dial, to the new husband of my wife’s half-sister. He wore it for a while, then one day, he left it in his Mazda RX-7 sports car, to join in a game of tennis. Guess what! I don’t know whether he locked the car or not, but someone took a fancy to the watch, and stole it! What makes the situation worse, is that he turned out to be an ill-mannered, rude, stuck-up punk! I shoulda kept that watch, dammit!

I’m in the “watch is meant to be worn” camp but even I think I have some sense wrt water resistance. I usually don the Casio when I’m going to be swimming. A few weeks ago, we took the dog to a lake on holiday and didn’t think too much about the fact that I’d left the house wearing my 3861. I wasn’t really thinking about what I was wearing when a drunk kid started drowning near us in the lake and I dove in to drag his ass to shore while his mates stared on in astonishment. The kid was very grateful and the speedy seems to have survived. I am a lot more conscious so what’s on my wrist when I leave the house now.