Hi OF
With a couple of recently purchased watches now arriving in New Zealand after journeys all around the globe (very few direct flights between anywhere seemingly...) - I realise that I need help in seeing all the detail so well shown in the hi-res / macro photos! Have had a look on eBay and there is a ton of Chinese stuff, but hoping for recommendations as to (1) good quality lenses and (2) what magnifications would be most useful?

I'm not going to be taking anything apart - just want to admire the dials, bezels, etc!

Many thanks,
Martin

 

These are exceptionally good for the money. I use the 10x on a daily basis and the 20x now and then too but all will be excellent. The 10x has a wide enough fov to use as a iPhone macro lens without much if any vignetting and is the best option IMO.

https://belomostore.com

 

Omega gives out the plastic loupes pretty often. They are perfect for casual use every once in awhile. Should be able to get one for a few dollars on eBay.

:edit:

wtf 100 bucks for those cheap plastic ones....

Bergeron for 30....

What has this world come too?

 

+1 on the belomo. You might also consider an affordable microscopes to connect to the computer of your choice from Amazon. At $25 I was really impressed.

 

belomo or zeiss D40 if you got a bigger budget

 

Thanks! - at $100-odd it's a modest investment to look at watches costing a few (more than a few...) multiples of that!

 

This Belomo loupe is $40 on US Amazon and it's very nice, high quality optics, solid construction and came with a leather case. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06Y3T1S9K/

 

These can't compare to a loupe for high magnification viewing. But if you need magnification to actually work on something, I find the Donegan Optivisors really convenient. Actually, I use them pretty often around the house for various things.

 

I was looking at some type of ‘dental glasses’ so the idea of Optivisors looks good, at the very least this’ll stop my loupe falling from my eye when I’m sweating over a bracelet change

What are the best magnifications to have ? I had an old loupe which I thought was OK, but then the one in the Speedy monsterbox blew it away (not sure of its magnification but it works great).

 

I use these.

https://shop.clockmaker.com.au/6-loupes

Buy Aussie and support local jobs.

 

The OptiVisors work well in the 2x - 3.5x range, etc. The working distance is still pretty long (4"-10") so you don't need to be right on top of your work. It's good for bracelet changes. However, if you really need to see tiny details, you'll want 10x at least, which means the working distance gets much shorter (~1"). There is this type of headband loupe holder, if you want higher magnifications with your hands free.

 

Some past recommendations here:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/have-a-favorite-loupe.32276/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/loupes-for-photos-and-general-viewing.11130/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/is-loupe-a-loupe-a-loupe.53714/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/magnification-required-to-inspect-dial.84146/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/loupe-power.21223/

 

For bracelet/strap changes I use bog standard +3 Reading Spectacles. You get binocular vision and no squinting or dropping the loupe.

 

This is my go to - all European stuff. My preference is x10, but that's individual choice.
https://www.watch-tools.de/catalogsearch/result/?q=loupe

 

Jim beat me to it.

And I would recommend the 6.5

https://shop.clockmaker.com.au/home/50-aluminium-loupe-no-15-asco-x65-magnification.html

 

Bausch & Lomb 10X is nice. Ofrei I think?
Honestly, what I use most is from readers.com. 8X readers??? Yes!
For close inspection, I have a couple of flip down multipliers and a stereo microscope. The PC microscope is nice for inspection but performing active work with it is pretty awkward.

 

I've used a 10x Bausch & Lomb 3/4" diameter Hastings triplet for 40 years and it's excellent. Bright, tack sharp image almost right to the edges of the field of view. Other loupes that I've looked at have so much distortion at the edges - especially larger diameter, larger power loupes - that they actually provide a smaller useful image. Mine cost $50 or $60 Canadian in 1982 which was a lot of money back then; a "generic" loupe could be had for $10 in those days (given Chinese production capabilities today, maybe prices have gone down instead of up). I can't comment on uses for watch inspection, but for decades a Hastings triplet was the go-to instrument as far as many geologists are concerned.

 

As a relative noob, I have one that i got for a euro delivered from china.
Does a great job

Will look through some recommendations on here for a decent on shortly

 

Another Belomo user here, cheapest I found was on ebay some time back.