Another manual. Could be a fun little beater if serviced. https://www.ebay.com/itm/193737311859Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

The Solow..."40mm", has to be case + lugs, right? I'm loving all these deals, but finding nearly all are less than 35mm, which is, like a few other members tracking this thread, a convenient way to ensure I don't have 30+ incoming watches per week (and a wife that thinks I've lost all my marbles)!

 

If you love the style of vintage, you need to embrace the size and not fight it- really lean into it. It takes getting used to but once you really embrace them- it’s hard to go back to big. My Speedmaster and Navitimer haven’t gotten much wear in the last couple years.

 

I hear ya JwR, but I still find myself grabbing the Hamilton over the Roamer, both (I think...too many incoming lately) snagged because of posts on this thread. It's a very slight size difference, but I find it stands out quite a bit. Maybe strap experimentation would help me get over my hang-up. I love my 3592.50 Speedmaster, and my '57 Trilogy Railmaster, so when I rotate some of these smaller machines in to use, the difference in size really stands out. That said, I do love the styling...so maybe I just need to give them some time to settle in a bit more!

Side question...I appreciate and prefer original, but the hands on the Roamer are a bit roached out. Part of me says 'get replacements', the other part (larger) says 'keep them original and embrace the fact that things evolve with time'. What would you do in this case? See if they can be cleaned up, or replace, or leave as they are and tell anyone that says 'those hands are rough!' that they'd be rough too after a life lived this long!?

 

That Hamilton 300 is fab and a real chunkster for the time.
The hands in the Roamer would be a no-go for me. I would see what movement is in it and find hands that fit the style and length for it. It’s not a $$$ watch so you won’t be losing value- it’s for your pleasure.

I’ve posted in other threads- acclimating to small watches when we have worn big (40-44) for years takes effort. I said years ago I could never do anything under 40mm, and now I wear 28mm Mido’s with flair (with a 7.5” wrist). Part of it is strap selection- a slim and narrowly tapered strap will make the watch head appear larger. It’s Counterintuitive as you think- chunky strap makes for a chunky watch- not so. If it’s really small, the bund or pull through helps elevate it off the wrist and give it more pop.
The trick is to wear it for a solid week (if not two) smaller the better, preferably under long sleeves where they really shine. Within a matter of days you won’t notice the size- and in fact, putting on a large watch after experiment feels like strapping on a dinner plate.

My 32mm of total bad-ass worn today in honor of our shit-show of an electoral process:
Gruen Pan -American

 

My oh my, that is sharp! Love the diamond indices and the 24 hour track!

Perfect time of year to experiment with the long sleeves (even if it's a bath robe, as I'm working from the home office!). Time to check out some strap options, and hunt for hands.

Thanks for the input and education!

 

Just how thin are these?
I like a watch that is thin as possible, especially if it has no complications that would make a thicker case necessary. The more it tapers to the perimeter is also good, along with low domed crystal. Though I have a couple with medium high case walls that have flat flush crystals that I like just as much. Overall no thicker though a smidgeon more bulk.

 

Bargain skin diver with 25J movement and all steel 36.5mm case. Lots of patina though.

 

Link?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-VI...429142?hash=item3b5170fa96:g:hzAAAOSwyo5fo-SMPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

Oops here it is

 

I am seeing a lot of poop no name divers being listed all the sudden lol. Let's raise the bar just a little. (Light hearted)

 

Cool looking earlier Aquamatic. Looks fun. Best offer listed probably can low ball if it passes the eye ball test.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/284068923760Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Another Croton.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/174458210750Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Similar to the Benrus Patina wet dream. Much higher price. Maybe negotiable if it checks out?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184338298618Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

T

The Gruen is 9.5mm with the high dome crystal, it came with a ratty low dome which wasn’t correct for it so I replaced it with a GS high dome- back to bezel it’s only 6.4 so with a lower crystal it would be fairly slim. I have it on a leather RAF style pull-through right now so it does make it sit a bit higher, but the down-turned lugs make it sit flush with a 2-piece strap


My slimmest vintage pieces are my Bulova Surf King at 7.5mm with medium dome



and Longines Admiral 1200 (pre dial branded as Admiral) at 8.6mm with medium dome


but that one has a bit of a bubble to the back which adds to the thickness but the lugs hang lower than the back so it sits perfectly on the wrist.

Before I understood about how a watch should “fit” I just bought whatever big watches I liked and wore them. But there was always a subconscious reasons why I didn’t grab them at 4:30am when I got up for work (pre-covid). I liken it to a closet full of dress/sport shirts. Some we wear all the time, some we rarely wear- despite liking them- it’s about the little things- how they fit your body, do they untuck easily when you reach, does the collar slightly rub you the wrong way, is the second from top button just a little too low or a little too high, is the cuff 1/4” too long or too short on one arm (our arms don’t match- this is why I have my shirts tailored)...these aren’t things we consciously think about because we justify that the shirt is attractive or it was expensive from a great brand- but your unconscious mind remembers this in the post-wake haze as we are getting ready to wear said uncomfortable garment for 14 hours.
Some watches would catch on my sleeve or look like a tumor under a sweater. Some rub the bone on the back of my wrist depending on where the lugs sit because the watch is too large for my wrist - these are all things my unconscious mind knows, but I use to disregard because I liked the way the watch looked.
Here is the above Bulova Surf King- this thing sits low and comfortably on the wrist- just like it should- the strap wraps the wrist without gap and it’s completely unnoticeable when wearing it- lugs parallel the wrist and don’t dig into it, case wrests on the wrist, not sitting high on a bulky case back

Here is one of my worst offenders at 42mm


I love this watch and have owned it for almost 20 years, but I have honestly only worn it about 20 times- it sits high off the wrist on it’s case back (note I didn’t say “on” the wrist),


it’s bulky and long lugged so it rubs the bone on the back of my wrist- and it catches on every shirt sleeve I own...I love it, i hate it, I never wear it.

Here is example of decent fit- although the bulky case back sits on the wrist rather than the case hugging the wrist, the lug to lug is short enough that the bracelet wraps the wrist and follows the shape. This watch is bulky in terms of height but it’s comfortable at 34mm

This one is also a decent fit specifically because it is so slim for the form-factor. The lugs have a slight downward curve which allow for the bracelet to form around the wrist - albeit the longer lugs sit them off the curvature of my wrist so I have a slight gap. At 39mm, this is about as big as I like to go these days.

And now the one I hate the most- my Speedmaster.


I have owned this watch for almost 20 years, I have worn the shit out of it- it was my daily for almost a decade- it is a horrible fit for my wrist and I never understood why. It’s saving grace is it’s low profile (could you imagine how huge this thing would have been if they tried to cram an an automatic in there) but it’s lug-to-lug is just to long for the shape of my wrist. You can see how the strait case shape literally hangs over my wrist like a cantilever, watch is resting on it case back- no contouring whatsoever, the bracelet is hanging off with huge gaps.
I love this watch- it’s a horrible fit for me- but I still wear it despite the irrationality of it.
I find smaller vintage pieces fit the wrist better than the new era of watches-there seems to have been much more thought about fit back then that we have today. Back then you could go into a shoe store and ask for an 11.5 A/D or 10 EEE and they usually had it in stock, not like the one size fits all that we have today. I know many like to say “buy what you like”, but I think that does a disservice- understand what fits, and that may guide what you like.

Sorry for the long post- just felt chatty this morning.

 

Now that is nice. Aquastar style case. Technos style reverse counter bezel. Automatic. Gosh. My funds already depleted for this month (big purchase) but otherwise this would be serous contender.
Here’s that similar bezel. Coincidentally wearing the Sky Diver today.

 

That Tag is a BRICK! I had no idea they were that thick..

 

7750 based watch with a display back- they are awful for thickness. It could have only gotten worse if they did a domed crystal- might as well have put a door-frame warning on the box.
In contrast- this is a 1994 Tissot with 7765 which was the same base cal as the 7750 without the stack of auto crap- much slimmer.


They modeled this off of a vintage case style (part of their heritage line)- this is a very comfortable large watch- because they put thought into the design- slim case back, downturned lugs, fairly short L2L for the case size.

 

Approx 40MM X 35MM Not Including Crown - from the description

 

That was a nice one. Wish I had seen it and cheaper then I bought mine as well.