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The Great Big Introductions Thread

  1. mswilks Jun 14, 2019

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    Frequent lurker, recent member. I have many years of experience with vintage guitars, so I know enough to have tied a rope around my waist as I begin exploring the black hole of modern and vintage watches. Looking forward to learning more.
     
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  2. mmrols Jun 14, 2019

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    Welcome Anthony! Lets see some watch pics!
     
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  3. dsabh326 Jun 19, 2019

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    Hi everyone! I'm a medical student just starting to get into watches.
    My first watch was a 5646-7010 Grand Seiko Hi Beat. I loved it enough that it got me really looking into watches. I recently just got a Seiko SARB035 to compliment it. A baby-GS and GS two-piece set felt right!

    https://imgur.com/IFxicJS
     
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  4. dsabh326 Jun 19, 2019

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    Oops, forgot to add the images the proper way!
     
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  5. Joker1987 Jun 25, 2019

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    Good evening to all, I am Andrea I have been following the forum for a long time, for research and curiosity. I introduce myself to thank you for the work done over the years. I will soon be opening a topic to ask you about my first vintage omega.
    Ps: I don't know English very well, so forgive my possible mistakes.
    Thank you
     
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  6. cellul87 Jun 26, 2019

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    Hi all, I am Chris from Malta. A mechanical engineer by profession and always had a soft spot for watches in general. Only lately did I stumble on vintage watches ever since I inherited a couple of nice watches, namely a Buren grand Prix super slender and a Longines automatic. I'm starting to build a little watch collection and have recently acquired my first Omega. Great to be on the forum with so much knowledge being shared!

    Keep on ticking
     
    IMG_20190622_122630.jpg
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  7. mmrols Jun 28, 2019

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    Welcome Chris! Great collection!
     
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  8. mmrols Jun 28, 2019

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    Welcome!
     
  9. mmrols Jun 28, 2019

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    Glad to have you! Welcome!
     
  10. Amice Jun 29, 2019

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    Hi all,

    Have been a long time reader on OF and decided this week to sign up. I have been an active member of the Dutch watchforum (Horlogeform) for a few years. You can find me on Instagram under dutch.watch.collector

    My current collection is a mix of vintage and modern:

    5D8E4F16-E2B7-42AF-BF67-0F28CE6D1233.jpeg B506EFEB-2374-44B2-ABAE-1F226AAAE87C.jpeg A2DBBF5C-2D43-4407-9849-744E1768BF5E.jpeg 51E544AE-8CDF-4007-912E-55D8AF63BAD5.jpeg E8BBF6C8-B13B-4661-BC3E-CED7D499C911.jpeg 21897C1F-1236-4D42-B202-FBED25A7ACA9.jpeg A2E4A99B-63B1-432F-A58E-C65D630E0966.jpeg
     
  11. KeithS Jun 30, 2019

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    That is a very nice collection you’ve got there! Is your Explorer a 14270 or a 114270? I ask because it seems you’ve managed to fit a leather strap that is not getting eaten by the sharp edge of the case—which is a problem I’ve had with my 114270.
     
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  12. Amice Jun 30, 2019

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    Thanks!!

    Yes its a 14270 from 1996 with tritium dial. Unpolished full set. Very happy with it. I wear it all the time on leather because I think it looks amazing like that.

    I wanted a tritium dial so the 14270 was the obvious choice. I have indeed read that on de 114270 the lugholes are positioned closer to the case which makes fitting leather straps more difficult.
    89E29310-758E-477E-B9CC-D0BDB2CEED39.jpeg
     
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  13. KeithS Jun 30, 2019

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    Yeah... stupid lug holes and their stupid prohibitive proximity to the case. But I agree, your Explorer looks gorgeous on leather straps. I’m a little jealous for sure.
     
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  14. DaveK Yoda of Yodelers Jul 4, 2019

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    Hello all, I missed seeing this Great Big Introductions Thread when I first joined OF in mid-January of 2019. In addition to formally saying hello to you all, I realized that I also recently celebrated my 200 post-iversary. Auto-correct wanted to change post-iversary to “overstay”, oh man, I hope that isn’t the case.

    Growing up (for arguments sake let’s just assume that I accomplished that), watches were not much of a “thing” in my world. I had a Timex Explorer that I quite enjoyed in my 20’s. I particularly enjoyed the Indiglo function until it burned out. A second Explorer also lost Indiglo early in life, but the watch, as they say...keeps on ticking. Fast forward a bunch of years, cell phones are ubiquitous. I didn’t have a dress watch, and one day it dawns on me just how poor the optics are of me checking my iPhone for the time during a meeting. My wife then bought me a handsome, bauhaus-inspired Perry Ellis quartz. I enjoyed (still do) wearing it. But as I came to learn, for me, and I imagine a lot of you, a quartz fashion watch doesn’t have the same soul as a mechanical watch, or an in-house made or designed quartz.

    I met my first watchmaker when I decided to surprise my wife with getting her late-father’s service watch repaired. Those who have visited a watchmaker, such magical places, may know what it is like to see a watchmaker become animated when s/he welcomes you into their world and tries to explain what is going on in a watch, and what work might need to be performed. “No charge unless I can repair it, and when it is repaired I offer a 1-yr warranty” - what?! What is this passionate enclave where people repair, tune and enjoy these fabulous old machines? As perhaps you were, I was also blown away by my first look into a mechanical watch.

    About a year later I came across a 50’s/‘60’s-looking watch at a thrift shop. It turned out to be a 25 jewel Relide. The hook was set when I realized that it was an automatic. Cool! I remember hearing about automatics once, but hadn’t held one before. I was mesmerized. Reflecting back, it is hysterical that I hummed and hawed whether $25 was too much to pay - a bit more has been spent since.

    Getting started in this hobby I made a few decisions that I now call forgivable errors. I passed on a thrift shop find of a Hamilton (never heard of the brand), passed on a thrift shop find of an automatic Mickey Mouse watch (aren’t they all cheap? Editor’s note, no, not all of them). The flea market wants $175 CDN for a mechanical alarm watch? That’s got to be too much (probably wasn’t!). I now know so much more, and importantly, I know what I don’t know. This knowledge payed off handsomely when the splendid OF community guided me in purchasing a barber shop find of a Accutron Spaceview (true story). I can’t thank them enough! Noob tax paid to date is $10 CDN for a maybe real Speedmaster (it wasn’t). Noob tax is low, due to the wisdoms gleaned here.

    My wife is now bitten by the vintage watch bug, and that is a tremendous amount of fun for us to share. Here’s a tip, buy your special someone a watch every so often. Especially before you make a big purchase.

    If you just joined, please read everything in OF, you will get a world class education that will guide you on what to pick up, what to pass on, and what to recommend to others. You will, I believe, also be entertained (and sometimes confused) by the banter.

    In vintage watches I am now the caretaker of a ‘61 Seamaster, that Relied, a manual Laufik, a ‘50 Gruen (I’ll post about that soon), and that handsome accutron that should soon be back from service. I’m saving up now for what I hope will be a fat arrow SS Constellation CK2852, A disco-‘70’s sports watch or 1st gen Omega Dynamic, and of course, that alarm watch. Oh, and anything with sub-seconds!!! I love sub-seconds!!!

    Seamaster 14765-25c, love the Roman numerals!
    444FCCF4-9257-48D3-BEED-FED13E724875.jpeg


    Well, that was my Great Big Introduction! I hope that I haven’t “overstayed”. You all have my appreciation (esp the mods!!!) for creating this incredible community and welcoming me into it. I hope I can give back at least some of what I take from OF.

    With gratitude,
    Dave
    (Vancouver, BC)
     
    Edited Jul 5, 2019
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  15. DaveK Yoda of Yodelers Jul 4, 2019

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    Welcome! That Benrus is super cool!
     
  16. Japanred Jul 5, 2019

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    Hi all,

    I’ve actually been a member on here for over 3 years but it’s recently been pointed out that I’ve yet to introduce myself.

    I’m 34 and work in the NHS in the UK. I live in Yorkshire. I’ve a long term passion for cars and a more recent passion for watches. I’m not particularly interested in how they work, a theme that traverses both cars and watches, but I like how they look and I love the stories behind some of the watches I own.

    I have a wife, an 18 month old daughter and a second child in the way.

    My first Omega was a second hand Seamaster 300M purchased in 2011 when I was 27. I was chuffed with the watch but I’d mistakenly bought the mid size so in 2012 I bought the same watch but in the larger size (42mm I think). Both watches came with all original paperwork and boxes etc.

    In October 2016 I purchased my third Omega, the famed Apollo 13 Silver Snoopy Award. This was again purchased second hand, above RRP but was unworn with all stickers and boxes etc. This was a wedding present to myself and it went unworn until March 2017 when I first wore it for our wedding day.

    Fast forward to October 2018 and I purchased my 4th second hand Omega - the Apollo Soyuz meteorite. I really am beginning to get the bug with these watches by now, and am very fond of space/moon watches in particular. When I tell friends about them they love the stories that accompany these pieces. This particular watch was a steal; the box was damaged but present, all the guarantees were in good condition. I managed to buy an A1 condition box for this watch a few months later. I paid around £450 which makes it an expensive empty box (my wife thought I was mad) but to me it was important to have something in grade A condition.

    In June 2019 I was lucky enough to put a deposit down on what will be my first ever brand new Omega; an Apollo 11 50th anniversary watch. I was invited to an Omega evening as part of a supercar club that I’m a member of and managed to see it in the flesh. Looks great and I can’t wait to receive mine.

    Some pics below.

    Where it all began. My first Omega.
    7AD38461-6F6B-4EE2-9B8D-FDD3A6B13B92.jpeg

    With it’s bigger brother.
    80815BB3-4C07-447A-80C0-79B52E194B64.jpeg

    The holy grail
    E85A22A0-DA0A-44BD-8061-4FC0664400AB.jpeg
    5A818BCF-E2CC-4384-BDDE-BEEBB7CA086E.jpeg
    2BE7022B-BAD9-46B7-9638-8E9201F80048.jpeg

    Apollo Soyuz meteorite.
    CAE92198-3FBB-4E6F-8156-7B48836AC741.png

    The one I’m waiting for: my first brand new watch.
    20A438E7-C6A8-4975-A044-B57F7CAC0EFA.png

    Thanks.
    Rob
     
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  17. Martin_J_N Jul 5, 2019

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    Nice collection of watches
     
  18. Togri v. 2.0 Wow! Custom title... cool Jul 5, 2019

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    Great introduction. Good luck with the upcoming family increase. I have two myself at almost three and almost six, which means I am either cleaning up after them or getting yelled at by the wife for not cleaning up after myself :oops:
     
  19. A J Jul 5, 2019

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    Hello,

    I joined on June 19th and it's taken me until now to find this thread.

    I'm based in the UK, from the same town as John Harwood, inventor of the automatic wristwatch and Roger Smith, the maker of handmade watches. I have a fair collection of watches, including Seiko, Grand Seiko, Casio, Citizen, Sinn and Rolex. At the moment I don't have an Omega but I've placed a deposit on the 50 year anniversary of the Apollo landing Speedy.

    In the past I've owned a few Speedies from digital, Mark 4.5 and hesolite models.

    Some of my watches and some I no longer own.

    [​IMG]
    A 1927 Harwood self winding watch. (it still works)

    [​IMG]
    This now belongs to my brother.

    [​IMG]
    Sold this a few years ago. I've regretted it ever since.

    [​IMG]
    The hesolite speedy, now gone.

    [​IMG]
    My 857UTC.

    [​IMG]
    Ceramic Submariner.

    [​IMG]
    My Grand Seikos.

    [​IMG]
    Batman BLNR

    [​IMG]
    2015 Daytona 116520
     
    Edited Jul 5, 2019
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  20. Adg818 Jul 5, 2019

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    Hello, My name is Angelo. Just purchased my second Omega, this one is a 2254.50. My prior model was a 300 SMP Bond black wave dial quartz. Sold it for another purchase and regretted it ever since. This was about 8 years ago. Excited to get this new to me model. I did have a shark mesh band on it that I dearly miss and want to find another. 1380/237 20mm if anyone knows of any leads.

    Thank you and look forward to learning a lot more being here.
     
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