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How rough are you on your mechanical watches?

Annapolis
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Wondering how lightly (or roughly) folks feel comfortable treating their vintage mechanical watches. In particular, if you had, say, a 1960s Seamaster 600 (not an especially rare/valuable watch, but one you'd like to keep around indefinitely), would you wear it on a run or bike ride where it might get a little jostled? Or when we talk about "daily wear" watches, are we usually just talking about desk/office use?

To be clear, I'm assuming here that one would be careful enough to avoid any kind of hard contact---I'm moreso wondering whether old movements can handle the little impact-free/muted g-forces that come with bike tires handling potholes, for example, or arm-swings on a jog.

I realize this is kind of down to personal comfort-level and risk/benefit analysis, but I'm curious to see what more experienced people say.
 
J
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my 145.022-68 gets all the love, other than when i'm going to be near water and the i flip to my 6105-8110.

Vintage watches were built to be tough, no need to baby them extra.
 
Jantar
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I commute by bicycle wearing mine. Once I got home and had lost the crystal to one of my Traditions. But I wear all my watches without much regard for where I am *except* when I go to the pool. For that I wear one of my modern divers.
 
Canuck
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Watchmakers take great delight when people start talking about treating a 50+ year old watch as a daily driver!
 
Mark020
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I wear all my watches in rotation and the only thing I don't do with them is run
 
Jantar
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Canuck Canuck
Watchmakers take great delight when people start talking about treating a 50+ year old watch as a daily driver!

I'm the same guy who daily drove an MGA through the 1990s and early 2000s. I still commute a lot of days on a 1969 Raleigh Robinhood 3-speed. Maybe I'm just a man out of time.
 
Lurk41
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For me, it more about how costly and difficult it would be to repair the watch if it breaks, and how likely I will break it (or loose it!) during the activity. For example:
- Running & cross training: I preferably wear a chronograph for obvious reason, but any watch will do
- Snowboarding & swimming: I wear a modern and not too expensive watch
 
Canuck
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Jantar Jantar
I'm the same guy who daily drove an MGA through the 1990s and early 2000s. I still commute a lot of days on a 1969 Raleigh Robinhood 3-speed. Maybe I'm just a man out of time.

You maintained the MGA yourself, right? Wanna tell us about that?
 
Jantar
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Canuck Canuck
You maintained the MGA yourself, right? Wanna tell us about that?

I did. I grew up with MGs in the family so by the time I got my MGA I was pretty familiar. One thing I learned as I was growing up is these cars speak to you. As you get to know them they will tell you what is wrong, usually long before it becomes a huge problem, but you have to listen. You have to be in tune with the machine and you have to know it and understand it when it is performing well.

These cars require a lot more attention and maintenance than a modern car, and usually more than anyone wants to toss at them. Folks want to drive them those few nice spring and fall days and that's that. Worst thing to do to any machine is let it sit.

I love the smell of the gasoline mixed with oil, leather and grease. I love the squeak of the bonnet latch, and the resounding "pop" of the stay as I pull it lose and pop open the bonnet to check the oil, brake fluid and coolant before each drive. I park it on a carpet so it doesn't mark my garage with its inevitable leaking. The gearshift lever is worn smooth with thousands of movements from my own hands and none other.

I routinely red-line this car on the back roads and when the 1800cc engine finally gives up the ghost I'll build another and not think twice.

In all the years I've owned my "A" (I still have it) it has never left me stranded. I'll drive this car until I can't get in or out of it anymore and then I plan to take it to a car show and give it to the first young kid who shows a marked interest. That kid who can't look away. The one with the wistful stare who you can tell will take it, own it and develop the same kind of relationship. You can't pick these people out but you know them when you see them.
 
Dan S
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I treat them carefully, and don't wear vintage watches, even divers, for any risky activities, e.g. running, hiking, skiing, gardening. I will wear them for a commuting bike ride if no precipitation is in the forecast. I have a G-Shock that I wear for seriously active pursuits, and a modern-ish Sub (1990s), which has been pressure tested, that I wear when it rains.
 
M'Bob
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I am really easy on my watches. They're tough on me. Especially my time and money.
 
alam
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@Dan S I had a feeling there was something wrong with my sense of security while gardening.... 😜
 
Dan S
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alam alam
@Dan S I had a feeling there was something wrong with my sense of security while gardening.... 😜

I guess it sounds a bit tame, but there are a lot of opportunities to bang a watch on rocks, etc. 😀
 
yvrclimber
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I daily wear my collection, rotating through all the vintage and modern. I do try to pick something modern for activities that are guaranteed "wet" like snowboarding, boating or swimming.

And if there are heavy rain and big humidity changes. I learned my lesson there the first time I went out and had my crystal completely fog from a big humidity and temperature change.
 
Fritz
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I tend to wear any of my watches through any of the routine day to day living. Having said that, when the hammer starts getting a workout in the garage or the lawn needs mowing my quartz divers are usually called on because, if I’m gonna bust a watch it might as well be one I don’t mind busting!

as for old engines “talking” to you.... i’d hardly call that screech my 53 Triumph’s crank made when the bearing packed in “talking”. Then there was the gentle whisper of the rod in the dirtbike when the roller bearing cage broke up...

Naw... that weren’t talkin
 
gbesq
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I'm generally pretty careful with mine, although I wear them all pretty regularly with one exception. This one comes out for special occasions only:
507142B7-A771-4531-A724-F467F24F656C.jpeg
 
Canuck
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Jantar Jantar
I did. I grew up with MGs in the family so by the time I got my MGA I was pretty familiar. One thing I learned as I was growing up is these cars speak to you. As you get to know them they will tell you what is wrong, usually long before it becomes a huge problem, but you have to listen. You have to be in tune with the machine and you have to know it and understand it when it is performing well.

These cars require a lot more attention and maintenance than a modern car, and usually more than anyone wants to toss at them. Folks want to drive them those few nice spring and fall days and that's that. Worst thing to do to any machine is let it sit.

I love the smell of the gasoline mixed with oil, leather and grease. I love the squeak of the bonnet latch, and the resounding "pop" of the stay as I pull it lose and pop open the bonnet to check the oil, brake fluid and coolant before each drive. I park it on a carpet so it doesn't mark my garage with its inevitable leaking. The gearshift lever is worn smooth with thousands of movements from my own hands and none other.

I routinely red-line this car on the back roads and when the 1800cc engine finally gives up the ghost I'll build another and not think twice.

In all the years I've owned my "A" (I still have it) it has never left me stranded. I'll drive this car until I can't get in or out of it anymore and then I plan to take it to a car show and give it to the first young kid who shows a marked interest. That kid who can't look away. The one with the wistful stare who you can tell will take it, own it and develop the same kind of relationship. You can't pick these people out but you know them when you see them.

Then I think you would agree that an antique or vintage watch would probably be a better bet as a daily wearer, for someone who could maintain it himself? Rather than to have to pay someone to maintain it for him?
 
Jantar
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Canuck Canuck
Then I think you would agree that an antique or vintage watch would probably be a better bet as a daily wearer, for someone who could maintain it himself? Rather than to have to pay someone to maintain it for him?

I guess that depends on the value of the vintage watch.

I don’t know how to work on watches and I still wear them. If they break I have them fixed or replace them. That really hasn’t been an issue for me. Other than the Tradition with the lost crystal.

I also think it comes down to what you can afford.

You have to budget for maintenance on cars, watches or anything else. I can offset my car budget because almost everything I can do myself.

I don’t worry about my watches because I can afford to replace them or have them fixed. My collection is modest and I’m not wearing collector grade watches because I really can’t afford them.

I was marveling at Kov’s straight writing speedy today thinking what an amazing piece it is but that is something I like to look at but would not want because I wouldn’t wear it. And I like to wear my watches as I like to drive my cars and ride my motorcycles.

I will concede that daily wearing a vintage watch or driving a vintage car isn’t for everyone but in most cases it has worked for me just fine.
 
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