The Great Big Introductions Thread

Greetings everyone,

I am Bryant and happen to stumble upon OF while researching the Speedmaster bracelet. After searching through the forums, I realized what a great and knowledgeable community it was. I knew I had to be apart of it.

I am fairly new to the watch game but always knew I wanted to own something nice for myself. A long time personal goal was to purchase a luxury watch at some point in my life. Having window shopped many times at local boutiques but never having tried on a single watch, it was my wife who pulled the trigger and gifted me a Rolex DJ with oyster bracelet (In a sense I can blame her for my new addiction).

Since then, my current collection consists of the Rolex DJ, Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean, Speedmaster Moonwatch, and Seiko SKX.

Here are some pics below,

Cheers!

Hi folks,

I'm Dan, brand spanking new as a member but have been lurking for a while. During the day I'm a product developer for Vans (the shoe company), but I've been a WIS for more than a few years, even longer if you count interest in low grade stuff like Nixon.

Based in SoCal (Santa Ana for you locals).

As for my collection, I still don't have deep pockets, so I don't have much in terms of high-end. I mainly focus on the weird stuff but have slowly been gaining some traction. Started out with jump hours, have a deep knowledge/love for early electric hybrids (Landeron 4750, LIP R148, etc), but have been building up my diver and chrono collection lately as well. I have one of the fabled symmetric Polerouter Subs without the "Polerouter Sub" text and a Polerouter Electric, so I ended up here because of the UG sub forum. Hopefully someday I migrate to the Omega section.

I'm a super amateur watchmaker/breaker specializing in the jump hour and electrics since no one locally wants to work on those.

I don't have any photos stored on any sharing websites, but if you want to see most of my collection, my Instagram handle is the same as my username.

Thanks for having me, I hope to be a contributing member in no time!

Hi Dan.. No need for sharing websites as I post my photos straight from my computer... That is if I read you right..
Welcome and your interests and collection sounds like fun.. Love to see some pics

Mark

Hello all,
Figured I should introduce myself properly.
So heres my watch story...
Both grandpas knew what nice wat hes were...one had a rolex, the other an omega, dad quit wearing his because tlit apparently wasn't good for his skin, my eldest brother got given a nice one from a lady friend and had a couple others, so about high school I decided I needed one. I bought an Armitron from Kohls for like $50...thought it was a mint...then a skagen when that got beat up. Then I found a fossil got that, then another fossil, then promptly lost the skagen. After i graduated I got a diesel chunk of something, then a nixon I loved...then presently got generally dissatisfied. Shinola opened a store in town and my cousin bought one, I caught the bug...bought one used for $300 was absolutely giant weighed as much as a tank but I felt like a bada**. Eventually went to the Shinola headquarters up in Detroit and fell in love with the runwell chronometer...came home and bought it one day cause i was bored. It kept having problems, and I finally started actually getting into watches, movements, learning about Swiss vs Japanese, VPH and other intriguing things. I exchanged it for the Lake Superior Automatic as they wouldn't give me my money back, figuring I could sell it and buy something nice. Problem was I ended up loving it!! I then found OF, fell in love with my brothers vintage Seamaster and bought one for myself. Have either sold or given away most of my other crappy ones, now just wear the Lake Superior and Seamaster! Dream watches for me are an Omega Globemaster, Grand Seiko GMT (SBGM235) and a S&G Submariner. The problem is I still cant afford any of them 🤦... in the nearish future I hope to acquire an early Jumbo Constellation (or Memomatic), and a Tudor of some sort...love several versions of the Black Bay but the Ranger is super clean too...hopefully will update with new purchases soon!!
This forum and the guys on it absolutely rock for their experience and helpfulness...I feel like I've ticked a couple off asking stupid questions...very sorry about that. Seeing everybody's watches and hearing their stories is awesome and hopefully I can learn enough to help someone else on here some day!!
Mark

Hello everybody,
I'm 34, I live in Italy and I discovered almost one year ago my passion for watches.
I'm a mechanical engineer and I've always been fascinated by mechanisms and their technical characteristics.
Almost one year ago I found an old Seiko bell matic from the 70's in my father's drawer and that's was the spark to ignite the interest.
I started reading some Italian forum and buying some other Seiko, some microbrands and an Hamilton, now my interest is growing and I started to look for information regarding more famous and technical advanced maisons, Omega is one of my favorite and I decided to join this forum to know more about it and find people that can help me to build my knowledge.
I really hope I can learn a lot from all of you.
Thanks.
Michele.

Hello everybody! This forum seems like fun!
I am a 25 year old Swedish watch guy and been in deep on watches probably the last 4 years. Started out with a Rolex Explorer II 16570 white dial but soon realized it's fun to sell & trade to ease the soul. Long story short, what got me here is that I kind of realized the Omega Speedmaster is my favourite and am currently in the hunt for a 145.012.

Here are the current collection:

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak ref 15189st. A charming and quite rare 36mm watch made for the employees at a Swiss investment bank as the company celebrated their 200th birthday. Some present!

Omega Speedmaster 145.022-74. I've had this lovely watch soon 3 years and this is what really got me in to Speedmasters. Totally love it! The patina is just amazing. Kind of sad but this one I will sell to fund the 145.012. Everything has it's time, right?

Seiko spb077 aka MM200, currently on a Uncle Seiko rubber strap, such a nice summer watch!

I'll see you on the forums! If you want to follow me elsewhere you can find me on instagram @steffewatches 😀 Looking forward getting to know you!

My name's Brad - been a reader of the forum for awhile but not much of a poster. Fairly new to the mechanical watch world but have definitely caught the bug and put together a small collection over the past year including my Alpina Alpiner 4 GMT, Seiko Turtle, and Omega Seamaster GMT "Great White." Spent a bunch of time over the past couple weeks learning about the history of the Speedmaster in the lead up to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Might be looking to pull the trigger on 3592.50 or 3572.50 with tritium markers in the near future if the right one shows up.

Hello,

I've been hanging around here for a bit and thought I'd introduce myself. I've always loved watches even though my work often precludes me from wearing one. I got my first watch, a mechanical Timex, at age 6. I was very excited about this present from my parents with it's glass dome and mechanical mystery inside. I wore it all the time and everywhere I went. It would only come off at night to be neatly laid on the dresser near my bed.

Sitting with a friend on the concrete steps to our school I was showing off my awesome new watch. We were both noting the "Waterproof" and "Shockproof" stamped in bold letters on the back. I think there might have been "Dustproof" as well. "SHOCKPROOF?" What does that mean? It won't electrocute me?? That doesn't make sense... Or lightning can't hurt it?? Well, here is where my friend's story and mine diverge. He remembers saying if you drop it it won't get hurt. I remember him saying something about throwing it and it won't break. Well, it probably didn't matter at the time who said what because nothing was going to stop what I was going to do in the next instant, 6 year old genius that I was... I threw that watch down on the concrete step imagining that it would merely bounce up unscathed. I was sure I would watch it survive and prove that it was indeed "Shockproof. But what I saw was more parts flying in all directions than I knew could exist in such a small little package. Crying... not just upset that I broke the watch but thinking of what were my parents going to do to me, I tried to pick up all the pieces and put them back in the case. Funny how it seemed there were more parts than what could fit in that dented little case. A teacher gave me a small envelope and I placed the remains inside and waited for the school bell to ring so I could walk slowly towards my fate at home.

My parents surprised me... They understood it was all just a big mistake and saw that losing the watch was plenty of punishment. I did finally get another... that new one kept excellent time. We decided it kept such good time because my reputation got around to all the other watches. It knew better than to give ME the wrong time lest it receive a "shockproof" test. I'm glad to say I treat watches much better now and my friend at 6 is still my friend all these years later.

Hi all,

I've been lurking the forums here for a few months, and figure it's time I actually start posting and engaging with others. With that said:

I'm a JR Sysadmin at a somewhat prestigious college in southern California. When I'm not doing web-dev and server administration, I'm studying watches and watchmaking. I'm actually gunning for the Patek watchmaking program and have made it to the in-person interviews that take place this November, which I am simply amazed and excited for. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

-Audio

Greetings all. I've been on OF for some time now, but don't comment much. Thanks for having me. I'm currently a resident of Virginia, Physician Assistant(not medical assistant!) by trade, and dad to 4 boys. I've always loved watches. I don't really know why. I just started scratching the itch a couple of years ago. Started out with a Bulova Quartz, then Seiko 5(traded)-> Sinn 556i(sold)->Seiko SARB035(returned due to defect)->Christopher Ward C65 Vintage(sold)->Seiko SARB035(again returned due to defect), Omega Seamaster Deville, Vintage Waltham Diver, Vintage Universal Geneve Salmon Dial Cal 262, Seiko Mini Turtle PADI. Lots of coming and going as I figured out what types of watches, brands, and sizes suit me best. At the moment I think the Omega and UG are probably going to get sold or traded to consolidate for something a little more robust. I'm thinking Datejust 16013 with a linen dial or a vintage OP with a Mosaic dial. My job is not kind to watches, and my little boys are even worse when they get a hold of one.

Again, thanks for having me.

Drew

Hello,

Stefan here, Omega fan from Sweden. Seems like a great forum! Joined earlier this year and been lurking until now. Current watch setup are three Omegas, Aqua Terra late 2017, SMP 2254.50 and the latest SMP. I also have a Rolex 214270 from early 2017.

Cheers!

Hello all,

I've been a lurker for a while but decided to finally join. I found out about OF when I was purchasing my first Speedy, and I've been browsing occasionally ever since. I got into space at a young age and had the privilege to work in the field for a bit, so when I got into watches not only did the Speedmaster's looks make me want to buy one, but the heritage sold it.

I'm looking to branch out in the near future so I figured I'd get a head start and learn what I can / chat / meet like-minded folks on the forums and grow with the community!

Hello all,
New to this forum but looking forward to contributing. I’ve been a watch hound since I was given my first no-name digital in kindergarten. Over the years I’ve owned many, though, nothing “real”. The last number of years has mainly been Seikos and Citizen.
My day job finds my maintaining equipment for a world-class pharmaceutical company. Next year looks to include a couple trips to my company headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, so I fully intend to visit Bienne and the factory and museum.
I inherited a Speedmaster Pro from my grandfather before my wedding, and seek more knowledge. It is in and need of service and will be making a trip to the mothership very soon. 145.022-69 with the pre-moon case back and the original 1171/633 bracelet. I need a link or two should anyone have a source...
My daily these days is an 8500 Planet Ocean. I recently added the nylon NATO strap, and am enjoying the change in look.
Thanks for the add, looking forward to learning more.

Hey Everyone!

I have always had an eye for value watches, but have always dreamed of building a higher end watch collection. I am now in a place in my life where I can do that and not half-ass it. My first watch in the $3,000-$5,000 range has to be an Omega. I have had my eyes on this forum for an very long time, and I’m excited to begin to participate.

I am still deciding which watch to get, but I have been leaning towards the black Mark II reissue. Anyways, I digress. Thanks for letting me join this community!

-B

Hello all

Time for me to join this forum. I’m a vintage and watch enthusiast from south Sweden. My interest for watches actually started with Speedmasters many years ago, sounds familiar😀, and my first “serious” watch also became a Speedy Pro 3570.50. After that it accelerated and I went on with a Tudor, a Rolex, a Breitling, Seikos, more Rolex, IWC you name it. Many of them are sold but I have a box with space for 10 watches that I use as limit for a small collection. During the journey I realize that vintage is the real deal. As a consequence my Speedy from 2005 got less wrist time. Some time ago I asked myself, why haven’t I considered vintage Speedys? May be a certain 50-year anniversary of a moon landing has something to do with it😀. At the same time a friend of mine had a Ed White -64 for sale. An all correct but not perfect one. I did hesitate but once on my wrist I was hooked. I believe I never experienced any watch giving that direct feel good experience. So, what to do with my “modern” Speedmaster? Only one thing, gear up to a 145.012 -67. So I’m back where all begun, Speedmasters, and joining this forum to be a part of Omega community.

Thanks OF for the opportunity.

Ville_W

PS! English isn’t my first language so accept some grammar and wording errors

Hello all,

I don't think I've ever introduced myself on here but, here it goes.
I'm Derek, work in aviation, and am a big car lover on top of enjoying watches. I started really getting into mechanical watches 3 years ago when I first purchased a Bremont. Since then Ive purchased quite a few more, nothing over the top high end (the Bremont and Breitling are the highest side of things I currently have) but I also dont Have a 10k watch purchase cleared by the wife yet. But anyway, I'm here to learn as I still only know the basics of a mechanical watch. And would eventually like to buy a tool set to start tinkering with a few of the older less valuable ones I own. My current collection:
Breitling Transocean day/date
Bremont Special edition for KC135 crew
Omega Seamaster 166.036
Omega Seamaster 166.023
Hamilton Intra-matic Chrono panda dial (arrives monday)
Tissot PRC 200 Automatic chrono
Seiko SKX009K2
Orient Bambino V2
Citizen Eco-drive Stiletto
Casio G-shock
1950s Longines era Wittnauer with small seconds hand
1950s era Bulova automatic with date (needs service, not in photo)