Hi all, and greetings from London.

I've been lurking here since about October 2018, basking in your shared wisdom and expertise and trying to soak up a little of the knowledge.

Also reading the blog posts at watchguy.co.uk and mitka.co.uk.

Oh, and indulging a few purchases...

Thought I'd try and chronicle the experience.

So, I've not worn a watch since early 1990s when I had a ridiculous black Swatch, with black hands, that I nearly died trying to tell the time with, while up ladders focussing theatre lights.

A conversation with an old friend led me to borrow his SMDV for a few days, and the presence of this strange mechanical device on my wrist was deeply appealing.

I came here.

I ogled goodies at chrono24.

And bought this from a really nice guy in Switzerland, who was kind enough to cross the border to post from Italy to avoid import duty:



I was learning about crowns, and facets, and indices, and rotors, and NATOs... acquiring this strange new language and wearing my lovely new watch.

The first day I wore it a colleague on set asked me all about it. She had been going in to Austin Kaye for ages and trying to find something she liked.

Back to the internet. Signed up to the Black Bough mailing list and ordered a couple of straps.

Oh. And the dreaded bay. What a place to drown in. Following links from here to the obvious fakes.

*reporting* ones I found myself. The intoxication of the *tiny* amount of power.

The the overwhelming quantity. And the original bits and pieces.

Straps and buckles followed.

But I was in control. Wasn't I?

 

Next up I discovered electric-watches.co.uk

A whole new, rich seam of information and historical madness.

Telling the time with a tuning fork?

This is witchcraft.

Hours spent poring over photos and diagrams. Reading manuals. Date wheels get damaged if you quickset too close to midnight?

It was like Gremlins.

Sort of. Vaguely.

And this arrived

 

Some cheap Natos followed. And some buckles.

 

And then this:



The quickset date wasn't working, but I loved it. And its chipped minute hand.

 

I bought this the next day:

 

And this a week later:

 

Welcome to the hobby! Penury and social isolation beckons...

 

The Cosmic was pretty banged up, cracked crystal, running slowly.

So took it and the bumper (more delicious new vocabulary) to a watchmaker who was *within walking distance* of where I was staying...

He serviced the bumper, but was really upset that he couldn't get in to the Cosmic. Once the crystal was off, and the crown out he couldn't turn the movement to release it and was worried about damaging it.

I tried to persuade him it was worth the risk as it was useless without a service. But he was resolved.

 

While he was working, this arrived:



Horrid generic bracelet, but what did I care? I dislike the feel of them anyway, and I had *spare straps*...

 

Then I was watching an auction for a early 70s Seamaster and was surprised at how little interest it was getting.

It was too cheap.

And in lovely condition.

And why don't I just place a bid, not really *wanting* it, but not wanting it go for so little.

I won the auction.

And it arrived.

And I'd made a silly mistake.

Wouldn't make it *now* of course (thank you all!)

That dial was from a different watch. Those lugs look wrong. And the ref on the case back. And the back of the case back.

Not a Seamaster at all, but a Genève.

I mean quite a nice one, but the wrongness of it was upsetting me.

I couldn't wear it.

People might *know*.

Last spring I found a solution and ordered a quirky service dial.

I rather like it now it's a Genève again:

 

I was not to be disheartened by my horrible mistake.

So I bought this:



Again it was on a horrible aftermarket bracelet.

Bin.

Nice leather strap.

And a new buckle of course...

 

Next up were two watches from the same seller:



That lovely linen dial.

And a Seamaster that I don't seem to have a photo of.

It is still November 2018

 

The 121.001 was running very slow.

And the lume was crumbling off the hands.

So I booked it in for a service with Christian @ watchguy.co.uk

I'd booked the technical dial Seamaster in with him a few weeks before, but he was busy and it wasn't accepted.

So I tried again with this one.

And it was accepted.

This must be what it feels like to have a kid accepted into a good school right?

Following the links to his website and seeing *my watch* being dismantled was so peculiarly satisfying:

https://watchguy.co.uk/cgi-bin/library?action=show_photos&wat_id=3456&tk_id=445300693

 

Meanwhile, I fancied something new.

Something with pushers.

I have wrists like twigs, so I am *never* going to wear a Speedmaster. I look ridiculous. Like a kid wearing his dad's watch.

But I found this:



That's actually not my watch. If nothing else this process has been useful to show me what I need to go and photograph...

And then I found out about steveo and his straps. And about deployant buckles.

So ordered one of those, obviously...

 

This was very cheap:



And I am not convinced it is what it claims to be...

Movement is a cal 26.5 SOB T2

But the hands look wrong. And the dial.

I do sort of love it though.

 

I also started wearing my dad's old watch:

 

Welcome! Nice collection. Reading this is quite entertaining, but seems like you desperately want access to sales forum.

 

It is now December 2018

And these arrived is pretty startlingly quick succession:

 

By now it is Christmas 2018.

I get my sister to buy me a lovely leather watch roll from the lovely people at Black Bough.

My family are laughing at my strange new obsession...

 

Only to *buy* things...