Hobby Thread - June 15, 2024 [TRex]

Hobby Thread - June 15, 2024 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Do not adjust your interweb. This thread is going to have an edge. A spin of the Ace of Spades "wheel of hobbies" has come up with timepieces. Happy horology!

TRex is not wise in the ways of collecting or making watches, clocks, or other timepieces, but the horde has shown in various posts and threads that there is deep and wide interest.

Do you collect watches? If so, do you collect modern or classic watches? Do you have a watch that was handed down from an ancestor? Do you have a grandfather clock that chimes to mark each quarter hour? Do you have a story of finding a gem at a garage sale or antique store? Have you been on antiques roadshow with a rare Rolex with original box and paperwork? Do you repair or restore watches? Have you worked selling or repairing watches or other timepieces? Do you have a soft spot for old-style pocketwatches with a chain? Do you have traditions to give watches as gifts? Did you receive a watch as a special gift?

As usual, keep this thread limited to hobbies. Politics and current events can wait for other threads.

***

Let's get started with some Huey Lewis:

***

Top photo - the Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona is one of the few watches that you can't buy at a Rolex store. Rolex sponsors the 24 Hours of Daytona each year, a sportscar endurance race in Flordia. The winners get engraved watches that are based on the Rolex Daytona, but the winner versions are not publicly available for sale.

Five-time race winner Scott Pruett has a watch from each victory. Pruett tells the story behind each in this MotorTrend article.

***

This may be one of the most well known Antiques Roadshow moments:

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Did you know that Rolex watches is run by a charitable organization? Hans Wilsdorf, a Bavarian, was born in 1881. In 1903, he moved from Switzerland to London. In those days, watches were pinned to a garment or carried in a pocket. Wilsdorf thought that accurate wristwatches worn by lifelong owners would be the future.

In 1905, Wilsdorf joined with Alfred Davis, who provided funding. They put small and accurate watch movements from Aegler, a Swiss maker, in watch cases made by other companies. Early watches were stamped with "W&D" on the inside of the case. In 1908, they trademarked the Rolex name. The name was easy to remember and pronounce in any language.

British excise taxes caused the company to move from London to Geneva in 1919. Wilsdorf bought out Davis and renamed it as the Rolex Watch Company.

In 1945, Wilsdorf established the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation and gave his 100% ownership stake in Rolex to the foundation. His wife died in 1944 and he had no descendants. Hans died in 1960. The Foundation maintains ownership and control of Rolex. The ownership structure also means there is little to no public information about the Rolex business.

***

This thread won't be all about Rolex but how does Rolex test its diving watches?

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How a mechanical watch works:

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Looking for tips on collecting watches?

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This isn't the art thread, but how about an artistic interlude with a melting clock theme?

The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali

Dali reportedly said melting watches and clocks were inspired by the surrealist perception of Camembert cheese melting in the sun.

***

There are plenty of opportunities to get lost in Youtube videos showing restoration and repair of old watches. Check out this restoration of a 100+ year old pocket watch:

Since we've talked a little about Rolex and Rolex history, let's include a restoration of a very early Rolex watch (1923-1925 era). All the pieces are taken apart and displayed at about the 4:10 mark:

***

One of the most treasured possessions of Japanese Emperor Hirohito was his Disney watch, presented to him on a visit to Disneyland in 1975. When Hirohito died in 1989, he was buried with a few personal items - including his Mickey Mouse watch.

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The Dresden astronomical clock was manufactured between 1563 and 1568. It was one of the most mechanically sophisticated and artistically refined clocks of the period. It has lived in Dresden since its completion. It and many other scientific masterpieces are on view at the Zwinger museum in Dresden. More info and a video at the link.

***

Patek Philippe has a four-level museum in Geneva that looks amazing.

Patek Philippe is one of five watch museums on this list - the first is the National Watch and Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania (about 30 miles southest of Harrisburg). I've never heard of it either but it is the only one on the list located in the US. The others are in Germany, Switzerland, Japan and the United Kingdom.

***

Time for science. The word "minute" comes from the Latin "pars minuta prima," meaning "first small part." The word "second" comes from "pars minuta secunda," which means the "second small part." There are 60 seconds in a minute, but how how long is a second? Quartz vibrates at a consistent frequency when prodded with a precise electrical pulse. In a watch, the battery sends electricity to a small piece of quartz. The quartz vibrates at 32,768 times per second. The elecric circuit measures the vibrations and translates those into pulses to move the gears and hands of the clock around the dial.

What if quartz is not precise enough for you? Official sources of time currently rely on cesium atoms. The best of these clocks is accurate to within one three hundred millionths of a second per year. For perspective, a quartz wristwatch may be accurate to within about 15 seconds per month. Atomic clocks aim electromagnetic waves at a collection of cesium atoms that absorb this radiation and make a "quantum jump" to a different energy state. The frequency waves are consistent - 9,192,631,770 cycles per second. The waves are counted to determine the length of a second. Anything deeper than that makes my head hurt.

***

If timepieces are not your thing and you can't find something in the content that resonates with you, hijack the thread for your hobbying as you see fit. We will feature a different hobby next time around. Send thoughts or suggestions to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Thanks for being here. This thread may or may not have been endorsed by Flavor Flav.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Welcome Hobbiests

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 05:30 PM (fwDg9)

2 Skip for first!!

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 05:32 PM (IQ6Gq)

3 I inherited a pocket watch that is very old but not working. Probably needs to be cleaned and spring checked

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 05:33 PM (fwDg9)

4 Some time I should get pictures of a couple of wine cabinets I made and put them up. They don't have as much wine now as they did when I made them

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 05:34 PM (fwDg9)

5 So far, it looks like you and me Skip...

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 05:35 PM (IQ6Gq)

6 I have a 170+ year old gold pocket watch and a newer wrist watch made from wood.

And a dozen in-between including Rolex, Seko, Hamilton, Lucern, Tissot and Gruen.

And wear none.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at June 15, 2024 05:35 PM (Q4IgG)

7 6 I have a...newer wrist watch made from wood.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at June 15, 2024 05:35 PM (Q4IgG)
***
Hello and welcome. Wood?

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 05:36 PM (IQ6Gq)

8 Dali reportedly said melting watches and clocks were inspired by the surrealist perception of Camembert cheese melting in the sun.

That's a lot of words to say 'drugs'.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at June 15, 2024 05:39 PM (llON8)

9 > I have a...newer wrist watch made from wood.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at June 15, 2024 05:35 PM (Q4IgG)
***
Hello and welcome. Wood?
Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 05:36 PM (IQ6Gq)
-------------
Yup. Some sort of "eco-friendly" wood. Band is held together with wire. Face/band/case is wood, mechanicals are metal.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at June 15, 2024 05:41 PM (Q4IgG)

10 I wear a silver Citizen with a cobalt face to church. The only time I wear it.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory, deplorable clown at June 15, 2024 05:41 PM (qZEuM)

11 I have several watches, but I left the idea of collecting expensive automatics behind me long ago. My three daily watches are:

Rolex Submariner no-date, ca. 1978;
Rolex Date (the smaller dress watch), ca. 1971;
Steinhart GMT, purchased new in 2020

I have an Accutron Doctor's Watch from around 1967 -- got to find somebody to work on it; today's batteries don't work well in it. Also there's an automatic Titoni gold-and-steel dress watch with day and date, and an Atlantic dress model on a strap that Miss Linda wears more often than I do.

Currently I think I could use a Glycine Airman GMT with a white dial. No idea why.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 05:42 PM (omVj0)

12 I have two watches I wear, to Exotic Places, one a gold Poljot, Soviet, from the Lenin Steel Works in Ukraine or whatever it is. My brother worked there.
Another is Soviet Army watch with a NATO style band with colors of Brazil.
Last trip I wore a Casio Classic digital, they still make them! I gave to an engineer colleague who was THRILLED to have an actual Casio he could never have touched during Sanctions.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 05:44 PM (9yXr+)

13 I remember when Archie bought a fake watch from a buddy of his on the docks. He thought he had bought a Omega but it turned out it was a Onega which were crappy watches made in Mexico. Archie had been swindled.

One reason I stay away from expensive watches.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at June 15, 2024 05:45 PM (R/m4+)

14 My dad had one of those old 1970's red LED watches. I hope my sibling doesn't toss it.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at June 15, 2024 05:46 PM (IG4Id)

15 I've given away at least 3 watches in sketchy places that cemented friendships.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 05:46 PM (9yXr+)

16 My "go to" bling however isn't a watch.

It's a massive Black Hills Gold ring. Pink, yellow and traditional gold.

Takes up half a middle finger. Which is proper.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at June 15, 2024 05:46 PM (Q4IgG)

17 Casio F 91 is a great watch to wear anywhere in the world.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 05:48 PM (9yXr+)

18 I had (have?) several analog watches but I can't recall if I've ever had any digital. Seems like there must have been at least one...

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at June 15, 2024 05:49 PM (llON8)

19 Never done wall clocks or shelf clocks there are no visible clocks in the house except the stove and microwave.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 05:52 PM (9yXr+)

20 I used to own a watch. It broke c. 1990.
Had pocket watches after that. The last one broke c. 2005.

Haven't owned a watch since.

At the house I use cheap $10 wall clocks that run on a AA battery.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 15, 2024 05:52 PM (cOq4q)

21 Thanks much for the interesting topic/thread, TRex.

Posted by: Notorious BFD at June 15, 2024 05:52 PM (mH6SG)

22 Do more and more people use their phones rather than wear a watch? I wear a watch but admit to checking my phone here and there for the time first without really thinking about it.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 05:54 PM (IQ6Gq)

23 I got a rose gold Stührling skeleton i like to wear for formal occasions. Put a blue alligator band on it when the original leather one gave out.

But nothing beats a stainless steel Seiko 5. Mine has a green face. I love it.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 05:56 PM (BpZ5k)

24 In the TV original Japanese version of Ringu the main character, a journalist, has a really interesting watch made only for the Japanese market.
The original is on YouTube and I threaten my daughter to visit her in Japan wearing a cursed watch.
I can't find a single example so I assume they've been bought up, or were junky watches in the first place.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 05:57 PM (9yXr+)

25 I'm pretty much 50/50 on watch vs phone. Unless I'm not wearing my watch. Or I've lost my phone. Or I've lost my watch and my phone.

I... suck at life.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 05:58 PM (BpZ5k)

26
The most accurate alarm clock in the world is a dog telling you it's dinner time.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 15, 2024 05:59 PM (MoZTd)

27 22

The watch has been more integrated now into a Smart Watch.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 05:59 PM (9yXr+)

28 The most accurate alarm clock in the world is a dog telling you it's dinner time.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 15, 2024 05:59 PM (MoZTd)

Mine seems to run a half hour early for some reason.... (he's staring at me right now, as it happens)

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:00 PM (BpZ5k)

29 23 I got a rose gold Stührling skeleton i like to wear for formal occasions.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 05:56 PM (BpZ5k)
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Looked it up - quite striking! I like being able to see the innards and details.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 06:00 PM (IQ6Gq)

30 Good afternoon, horde.

I'm pretty good at guessing the time without a watch. But the biggest reason I don't wear one is that I don't like to wear jewelry, with the exception of small earrings.

Anything in my wrists or hands feels weird and gets in my way.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at June 15, 2024 06:01 PM (OX9vb)

31 My workplace tries to prohibit social media on phones which has proven hopeless with the new watches which stream social media.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:01 PM (9yXr+)

32 One of my high school graduation gifts from my parents was a wind up pocket watch on a chain. I used it through college as I didn't like having watches (or anything for that matter) on my wrists.

Posted by: Beartooth at June 15, 2024 06:01 PM (ivVQZ)

33 Today you can buy Rolex, Omega and Seiko knockoffs that are autos accurate to 4 seconds per day, with sapphire chrystals, waterproof to 300 m with lumes you can see from space for under $100 from Steeldive in China.

Posted by: Field Marshal Zhukov, now, where does a war hero get some lubrication around here? at June 15, 2024 06:02 PM (wBaIH)

34 Any sort of "bling" like a watch (regardless of its quality) or whatever makes you a target for a potential violent crime.

The ONE reason why I stopped wearing them.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at June 15, 2024 06:02 PM (Q4IgG)

35
My watches are all cheapo ones with no features beyond an illuminated dial. They're likely to be destroyed by the dogs anyway so why invest in something expensive?

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 15, 2024 06:02 PM (MoZTd)

36 I go to enough places with sketchy internet and even general societal electrics I prefer to wear am analog mechanical watch when out and about.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:03 PM (9yXr+)

37 Looked it up - quite striking! I like being able to see the innards and details.
Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 06:00 PM (IQ6Gq)

Me too! That was actually the watch that got me "into" watches. I went and studied all about how escapements and mainsprings and all that stuff works. My dream is to make watch mechanisms one day when I'm retired and rich from selling a company i started that does some bullcrap or another. One day.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:03 PM (BpZ5k)

38 Just had my mom give me my G.Great Grandfather's pocket watch. That thing has some miles on it. Obviously pretty custom looking at where the silver isn't worn down to the base metal.
Non functional. I'll probably leave it as is.

Posted by: Reforger at June 15, 2024 06:03 PM (xcIvR)

39 Wolfus, those Steinharts are awesome! My milsub gets the most wear.

Posted by: Dadbod Cargopants at June 15, 2024 06:04 PM (UBRzg)

40 I am in no way a watch collector or even a watch amasser. But I do appreciate finely made tools and watches qualify. My primary wrist watch is a now discontinued Citizen with all sorts of fancy features for pilots to judge fuel consumption and international times as well as an alarm feature. I don't use most of those things but the watch looks awesome. It also came with a metal strap big enough for my gorilla wrists. That watch has been reliable for almost 40 years. Considering how much it gets knocked around (I am rather wide), its continued existence is a tribute to superior engineering or proof that there is a God. Or both.

I recently got a new Citizen watch in case this one does go belly up. No where near as expensive or fancy but it is accurate and looks good.

Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 06:04 PM (zudum)

41 33

Look at these great brands! Sorny Magnabox Roleex Seika Cassion

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:05 PM (9yXr+)

42 When i was a kid i busted my arm pretty bad, and they had to bolt it back together and stitch it up. The scar was right where a watch would go, so i just wore my watch on my right arm instead. Did that for a long, long while, and i always figured at some point someone would give me grief over it. But no one ever did.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:05 PM (BpZ5k)

43 That restoration of that 100 year old pocket watch was mesmerizing. Absolutely incredible job. To be able to work with such tiny parts (I was able to, in my younger days) is very impressive. I love watching someone restore something that hasn't operated in many years. I love restoring old electronics, radios, early post war televisions, and record players. Keeps the brain working!

Posted by: thatcrazyjerseyguy now with twice the crazy at June 15, 2024 06:06 PM (iODuv)

44 40

TBH

Most of my problem with complex watches is I have to whip out my glasses to see what time it is.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:07 PM (9yXr+)

45 Wolfus, those Steinharts are awesome! My milsub gets the most wear.
Posted by: Dadbod Cargopants at June 15, 2024

***
They're a good bargain. My GMT seems to run about a minute slow every week, though I reset it and the other two to Time.gov every Monday morning. Maybe it's because I mostly wear it at night and it doesn't get as much active wrist time.

I don't travel or plan to -- so I have no idea why I'd want a Glycine Airman. Except that they look cool.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:07 PM (omVj0)

46 Logbook of the World still down. A whole month now. Yesterday's weekly ARRL Letter did not even mention the outage.

Posted by: gp Attempts To Gain Function, And Fails at June 15, 2024 06:08 PM (MvF+J)

47 I had a Hopalong Cassidy watch as a kid. It met an unfortunate end.

Posted by: Ronster at June 15, 2024 06:08 PM (xL9ol)

48 Huh. That watch museum isn't very far from me. I'll have to check it out one day.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:08 PM (BpZ5k)

49 There was that whole thread about the chronometer in England a while ago that was interesting

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:09 PM (9yXr+)

50 Happy horology!
Well, I never heard such language!

Posted by: Eromero at June 15, 2024 06:09 PM (o2ZRX)

51 The Accutron Doctor's Watch (with the Latin for "Count to Twenty Beats" on the dial) has an odd story. I purchased it from eBay in '98, I think. It came with the original box, instructions, and owner's card from '67. It turned out the original owner was a doctor. How do I know? Because one of my coworkers at that office had known him when they lived in Oklahoma!

The watch is small by today's standards, but very good-looking and in fine shape. Just no battery for the tuning fork movement.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:10 PM (omVj0)

52 Horology is such a strange sounding word

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at June 15, 2024 06:10 PM (Ka3bZ)

53 By coincidence, I ordered a new watch this week. It was supposed to be here today but USPS tracking said it will take an additional field trip over the weekend. Nothing fancy, just a stainless Seiko day date self winder. Just over $100, still made in Japan. I've been wearing a large face Timex quartz for about 12 years, but the last battery change wasn't too kind to the back and seal. Figure I should replace it before it goes. I can't get by without a watch.

Posted by: bill in arkansas, not gonna comply with nuttin, waiting for the 0300 knock on the door at June 15, 2024 06:11 PM (V5eKu)

54 "Longitude" starring Jeremy Irons. Very interesting.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 15, 2024 06:11 PM (dg+HA)

55 I have a Casio G-Shock Mud Master for outdoor activities or casual wear. My work-week watch is a Citizen Titanium that was given to me by a now-deceased friend.

As for hobbies, I got out and did a SOTA activation this morning. I need to pick a new summit - something a little more interesting but not too difficult to hike since I'm not exactly in peak condition (if I ever was). I did get good results with my new antenna configuration - RBN said I was over 40 dB about 600 miles away, and that's with 5 watts.

Posted by: PabloD at June 15, 2024 06:12 PM (Z6JZd)

56 52 Horology is such a strange sounding word

This is about me, isn't it?

Posted by: Sandra Fluke at June 15, 2024 06:12 PM (dg+HA)

57 I also retain a giveaway Burger King digital watch missing half its band featuring Michael Jordan when he still had hair. I wore that to X Place hence why half the band is missing.
If I recall when the battery is in there is a basketball that flashes on the screen. The battery ran out there and I've never replaced it, it's in a box with some other ephemera.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:13 PM (9yXr+)

58 Horology is such a strange sounding word
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby

" and a high pitch, right over the plate..."

Posted by: weft cut-loop at June 15, 2024 06:13 PM (IG4Id)

59 My Rolex Sub I purchased from an authorized dealer in Denver in '98. They dealt with estate models. The clerk said, "We have a late Seventies Sub coming in. We'll refurbish it before sale." I said, "Call me."

Two weeks later, in June, they did, and I went over. The Sub was great, with only some wear on the :20 are of the black bezel. It looked as though the watch had had some adventures. I said, "I've wanted one of these for thirty years. Let's do it."

Last year made twenty-five years; I've had it serviced as needed, and it's on my wrist now.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:14 PM (omVj0)

60 Not a watch fan, but I did very much enjoy videos about recent watch scammer Anthony Farrer. Here's one:
youtube.com/watch?v=rgThhshlqKI

Posted by: gp Attempts To Gain Function, And Fails at June 15, 2024 06:14 PM (MvF+J)

61 Timex Expedition. I buy a new one about every six years.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 15, 2024 06:15 PM (dg+HA)

62 I had a Rolex. Very plain stainless Oysterdate winder. I still remember paying $110 for it at the Danang PX. They had run out of Submariners which were going for a couple hundred. My Rolex wound up MIA in the divorce rubble. Still had the green box, which is probably worth more than what I paid for the watch.

Posted by: bill in arkansas, not gonna comply with nuttin, waiting for the 0300 knock on the door at June 15, 2024 06:16 PM (V5eKu)

63 One of the funniest things about watches, when I was in Tivat Montenegro I wore one of my old Soviet watches and it attracted some attention as there, everyone has a Rolex.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:17 PM (9yXr+)

64 The Date Rolex was at a Rolex dealer in Denver also. I'd seen it a few times, a gray-face on a black strap, in their cabinet, over the course of a year. In Dec. 2000, coming off a cold, I said, "If they still have it, and they will deal, I'll get it." They did, and they would, and I did.

I had Rolex replace the dial during a service with a sapphire blue, and it's been on an aftermarket Jubilee bracelet since about '04. One reason I love it: It dates from about the time of my high school graduation. I like to think this is the watch my parents would have bought me for that occasion, if they could have.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:17 PM (omVj0)

65 The famous(?) Rockford Regulators were manufactured a couple of miles from my QTH:
https://tinyurl.com/yc6euf9j

Posted by: gp Attempts To Gain Function, And Fails at June 15, 2024 06:18 PM (MvF+J)

66 Timex Expeditions for about thirty years, Seiko 5 Automatic for past mumble years.

Posted by: Eromero at June 15, 2024 06:18 PM (o2ZRX)

67 My other watch is a gold case pocket watch that came with the matching chain. It was a hell of an extravagance back in the day but it has been utterly reliable. I don't use it as much as the wrist watch but always feel a bit luxurious when I do. There is something calming, unhurried about pulling out a pocket watch and replacing it. If I wore vests more often I would use it more.

Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 06:19 PM (zudum)

68 My Rolex wound up MIA in the divorce rubble. Still had the green box, which is probably worth more than what I paid for the watch.
Posted by: bill in arkansas, not gonna comply with nuttin, waiting for the 0300 knock on the door at June 15, 2024

***
The dealer who sold me the Date found a green box from, he said, about the same time period. I have it still.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:21 PM (omVj0)

69 I wear a belt loop watch at work, have for... 10-20 years? Bought it Walmart for maybe USD$3 that long ago, it gains a minute every month.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:22 PM (9yXr+)

70 I bought pocket watches when I had the spare cash. They fascinate me. I have never been much for a wrist watch since I hate having things on my wrists.

Posted by: Kindltot at June 15, 2024 06:22 PM (D7oie)

71 65

They turn up around me often, estate sales and appear at antique malls I'm Winnebago County

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:23 PM (9yXr+)

72 I'm not Winnebago I meant IN that county sorry

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:24 PM (9yXr+)

73 If I wore vests more often I would use it more.
Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 06:19 PM (zudum)

I used to put mine in the actual watch pocket of my jeans, and clip the chain under my belt.

I'd be out and about gallavanting and carousing, and complete strangers would say "wow you actually have a watch in your watch pocket!" And I'd be all "Yeah!".

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:25 PM (BpZ5k)

74 Oh, and I have a digital watch with stopwatch functions. I use it when I work out. Miss Linda got me one of those step timer watches, no idea what brand, that keeps track of your elapsed time and distance, how many beats per minute your heart is going, your pace, etc. The only problem (aside from having to USB charge it): You have to tap the screen to move from one readout to the next. It's sensitive. If you tap too hard, it thinks you want to end the session, and does that.

So I wear the regular stopwatch model on the wrist, and the step timer on my forearm.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:25 PM (omVj0)

75 70

Worked with my hands my entire life, feel that. I have never been able to wear so much as a ring.

I wear a watch when I'm not working.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:27 PM (9yXr+)

76 I loved wrist watches, but electronic devices just ended that

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 06:27 PM (fwDg9)

77 73 If I wore vests more often I would use it more.
Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 06:19 PM (zudum)

I used to put mine in the actual watch pocket of my jeans, and clip the chain under my belt.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:25 PM (BpZ5k)
***
Some things go in and out of style. A pocketwatch and chain never goes out of style.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 06:27 PM (IQ6Gq)

78 73

I knew guys who truly believed that was for condoms

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:28 PM (9yXr+)

79 I knew guys who truly believed that was for condoms
Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:28 PM (9yXr+)

These days i use it for lighters.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:29 PM (BpZ5k)

80 76

Get a smart watch.
You might like it.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:29 PM (9yXr+)

81 79

Equally obsolete

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:30 PM (9yXr+)

82 I have my grandmother's watch. When I took it in for work, the jeweller and employees were fascinated by it. Might be a Lucerne but not in front of me. The warch has about 3/4 of inch gold curliqueoval around it. I haven't seen one like it. I wear it sometimes to church.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 06:30 PM (xjTDL)

83 71 Years ago I flipped a couple I found at auction. Didn't make much.

Posted by: gp Attempts To Gain Function, And Fails at June 15, 2024 06:30 PM (MvF+J)

84 I've read that watches are becoming popular again among younger folks but it's more a fashion than a tool. Apparently, many or most younger folks (under 50) look at their phones for the time, something I never got used to. Also, all my watches over the years have been analog. Digital displayed never appealed.

Not surprised about not checking my phone for the time. I have a typical smart phone but with rare exceptions, I would be happy with a landline and an answering machine.

Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 06:30 PM (zudum)

85 Equally obsolete
Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:30 PM (9yXr+)

At least a rubber might prevent you from wrecking your health...

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:31 PM (BpZ5k)

86 Horology does sound a bit socially unkempt said out loud

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:33 PM (9yXr+)

87 [ii]I had a Rolex. Very plain stainless Oysterdate winder. I still remember paying $110 for it at the Danang PX. They had run out of Submariners which were going for a couple hundred. My Rolex wound up MIA in the divorce rubble. Still had the green box, which is probably worth more than what I paid for the watch.
Posted by: bill in arkansas, not gonna comply with nuttin, waiting for the 0300 knock on the door at June 15, 2024

***
You could still buy those Oysterdate manual wind models a few years ago, when I looked, for less than $1000. Now, probably twice that -- but an auto Rolex of almost any date is going to be $3500 or more.

I've read that "Rolex," the word, was supposedly derived from the sound of winding a watch stem. Dunno.

Why do we bother with them? They hold value. My Sub may be worth a good deal more than I paid for it in '98. They are sturdy -- there are many stories of the watches surviving conditions that would have ruined an ordinary watch. And let's say you pay $3K for a used one, and keep it for 25 years. That (aside from servicing) is only $120 a year. (And servicing does not *have* to be done by Rolex.)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:33 PM (omVj0)

88 I do wear an Apple watch. It's my geezer watch. I live alone and don't want to be in a position where I've fallen and can't get up to call for help.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 06:36 PM (xjTDL)

89 A fellow member of the horde recently mentioned prowling ebay for pocket watch movements. The cases have been sold for scrap metal and sellers don't care about the innards, so they sell the movements. I don't know anything about good and bad value, but there are a lot on ebay for not a lot of money.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 06:36 PM (IQ6Gq)

90 Recently I had the Rolex Date put on a nice brown leather strap. It's fine . . . but it doesn't seem right. I have the tool and plan to put it back on the aftermarket bracelet.

The strap is smallish, and I don't know if it will fit any other watch I have. That's okay. I'll hang on to it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:36 PM (omVj0)

91 My BiL collects Rolexes. (Rolices?) He inherited one from his dad, and then got the itch. Now he's got a bunch of those goofy planetary autowinder display boxes for all of them.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:36 PM (BpZ5k)

92 My BiL collects Rolexes. (Rolices?) He inherited one from his dad, and then got the itch. Now he's got a bunch of those goofy planetary autowinder display boxes for all of them.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024

***
I've thought about getting one of those. Don't know where I'd put it or plug it in. But I have enough auto watches that a winder might be a good idea.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:39 PM (omVj0)

93 I've thought of selling both my Sub and the Date and buying a more recent Sub with the date function. Just can't bring myself to do it. And the Sub has that matte black dial and domed crystal that the newer ones don't.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:40 PM (omVj0)

94 I'm considering an apple watch. Right now I'm wearing sort of an activity monitor which also checks blood oxygen levels, pulse, blood pressure, number of steps, etc. But it's not very good. The instruction manual says right on it.
DO NOT USE FOR MEDICAL ANALYSIS
It was only about 40 bucks.

Posted by: gourmand du jour at June 15, 2024 06:41 PM (MeG8a)

95 But I have enough auto watches that a winder might be a good idea.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:39 PM (omVj0)

I can't decide if i love or hate the way they look. There's something silly about an expensive watch slowly gyrating, like it's getting hocked by a rookie on QVC who hasn't quite figured out Euler angles yet. .. but it's it good silly or bad silly?

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:41 PM (BpZ5k)

96 87

You'd fit right in on the Colt Forum which isn't even a gun forum anymore.
You should see what those guys have it's insane.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:41 PM (9yXr+)

97 Wolfus and other pipe smokers. Lately I've been enjoying burley blend tobacco. It started when Wolfus (I think) mentioned Mac Baren Golden Burley London Blend. Sadly, that was a limited run and is out of stock. I was able to get a couple of tins. But the Mac Baren HH Burley Flake is damn good and always available. I'm finding the better burley blends burn slowly and have a mild sweetness (perhaps there is some Virginia in the mix) and makes for a satisfying smoke.

Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 06:42 PM (zudum)

98 combined 2 of my interests: pocket watches and steam trains. Wife grabbed a bunch I'd collected and set up a display case that now sits on my steam train wall.
Thinks it's probably 25 years since I've worn a watch ... cell phone provides accurate enough time for a retired curmudgeon

Posted by: Wingnutt at June 15, 2024 06:43 PM (jibwD)

99 J has a Rolex - not sure what it is, has a light blue face. I have an Apple watch. 😂

Posted by: Piper at June 15, 2024 06:44 PM (PRqXW)

100 94

I blew up at Romneycorp (when am I not blowing up about something) when at Romneycorp they tried to introduce the FitBit on every employee to monitor their health.
I told my immediate supervisor if you try this shit you better run.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:45 PM (9yXr+)

101 Wifey got me a new Rolex Submariner 16613 back in 2006 for $8200. According to Bloomberg it's worth from $11k to $16k today. That's how you make Bidenomics work for you.

The watch is my go to for daily wear. I love it, Charlie Munger notwithstanding.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at June 15, 2024 06:45 PM (jXtns)

102 91 Now he's got a bunch of those goofy planetary autowinder display boxes for all of them.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:36 PM (BpZ5k)
***
"I have more watches than I can wear and I keep each in a box that automatically winds them for me." What a world.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 06:45 PM (IQ6Gq)

103 I love wrist watches. Wear one every day, don't have to, I want to.

Posted by: Ronster at June 15, 2024 06:46 PM (xL9ol)

104 Lately I've been enjoying burley blend tobacco. It started when Wolfus (I think) mentioned Mac Baren Golden Burley London Blend. Sadly, that was a limited run and is out of stock. I was able to get a couple of tins. But the Mac Baren HH Burley Flake is damn good and always available. I'm finding the better burley blends burn slowly and have a mild sweetness (perhaps there is some Virginia in the mix) and makes for a satisfying smoke.
Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024

***
JTB, I was hoping you'd be around! I just ordered a tin of Bell's Three Nuns and one of Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake. Both came today. The TN is supposed to be fairy strong stuff, so I suspect I'd better smoke only ten minutes of it at first to see. Have you tried it? Or the Best Brown?

The Mac Baren BLB was in stock earlier this year, and I grabbed two tins. Haven't even opened them. I'm turning into a tobacco hoarder!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:46 PM (omVj0)

105 What a world.
Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 06:45 PM (IQ6Gq)

Heh. Yup.

I guess he looks at it as investment. Yes, his watch and whiskey portfolios are fun to have and all, but he's also got a decent little store of durable value going.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:47 PM (BpZ5k)

106 Wifey got me a new Rolex Submariner 16613 back in 2006 for $8200. According to Bloomberg it's worth from $11k to $16k today. That's how you make Bidenomics work for you.

The watch is my go to for daily wear. I love it, Charlie Munger notwithstanding.
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at June 15, 2024

***
I paid about $1500 for the '78 Sub in '98, and about the same for the '71 Date in '00. Nowadays I look at prices for even the used models and shudder.

But Rolex never has a sale and sells every watch they make. If you want one, new or used, you should grab it now; they'll never be cheaper.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:49 PM (omVj0)

107 I always thought a mechanical mantel clock was nice. They were common when I was growing up. The ticking was soothing and the chime was usually a mellow, soft sound, not disruptive. The idea of winding it as needed is an appealing feature. Problem is we don't have a mantel or suitable place for one. Minor bummer.

Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 06:49 PM (zudum)

108 Apparently the autowinders help keep the watch in good shape, too, because the high end stuff doesn't like to sit around static with the mainspring slack. It's bad for all the pivots and whatsits and such.

I don't know. That's how it was explained to me.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:49 PM (BpZ5k)

109 By the way TRex, great thread.

Posted by: Ronster at June 15, 2024 06:50 PM (xL9ol)

110 I have a Seiko with a sterling silver band that I have never worn.
I do have a watch story though.

I had a very nice horse for sale and this guy really wanted him so he tells me , give me a couple of days to sell my Rolex and I will come get him. He later told me it was the best deal he ever made because he got a lot more enjoyment out of that horse than the watch.

Posted by: Ben Had at June 15, 2024 06:51 PM (7iAr4)

111 Apparently the autowinders help keep the watch in good shape, too, because the high end stuff doesn't like to sit around static with the mainspring slack. It's bad for all the pivots and whatsits and such.

I don't know. That's how it was explained to me.
Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024

***
I generally hand-wind the two I'm not going to wear that day. Probably that's not good for the stems either.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:51 PM (omVj0)

112 109 By the way TRex, great thread.
Posted by: Ronster at June 15, 2024 06:50 PM (xL9ol)

It really is

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:51 PM (BpZ5k)

113 since sometime in the 80's (I guess) I've been continuously wearing a series of Casio G-shocks, mostly the DW5600 ... typically set from WWV. I remember once using that record to prove to an A2LA auditor that my watch was, in fact, a calibrated instrument for laboratory test purposes, lol
current one is an upgrade; solar powered, WWV receiver built in, and the all-black face which makes it hard to read sometimes ...

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 15, 2024 06:51 PM (tQtDb)

114 I love watches and clocks but don't collect them. I'm a wrist and pocket watch destroyer. I will bash them to pieces within days; it's my superpower.

As a hobbyist my dad built grandfather/mother and mantle clocks from scratch - and bought and installed the movements. All were walnut and the movements were Tempus Fugit with the sun/moon phase.

I've got our grandparent's old Sessions mantle clock with half and hour strike.

Posted by: 13times at June 15, 2024 06:52 PM (K3B2k)

115 102

I keep it my McLaren that I just keep idling all the time in my rotary garage.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:52 PM (9yXr+)

116 Horology is such a strange sounding word
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby

" and a high pitch, right over the plate..."
Posted by: weft cut-loop

No politics in the hobby thread, so that pitch will dive at the last second. Most of the hor jokes are off-limits.

Posted by: mikeski at June 15, 2024 06:53 PM (DgGvY)

117
I keep it my McLaren that I just keep idling all the time in my rotary garage.
Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:52 PM (9yXr+)

Retirement present from Romneycorp?

I thought they just gave out elevators with the 50 year McLarens.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:54 PM (BpZ5k)

118 Casio is in fact the best.
Any of the original versions have not degraded.
Oh! They still make that absurd calculator watch.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:54 PM (9yXr+)

119 111 Apparently the autowinders help keep the watch in good shape, too, because the high end stuff doesn't like to sit around static with the mainspring slack. It's bad for all the pivots and whatsits and such.

------------

A mechanical winder is a must-have for an expensive auto-winding watch. Mine live in the winder when they're not on my wrist.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at June 15, 2024 06:54 PM (jXtns)

120 I have my grandfather's Elgin pocket watch which still works fine, but I rarely wear it. Instead, i picked up a 120 year old Waltham size 16, which is more accurate than a modern Rolex.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at June 15, 2024 06:55 PM (EoYLS)

121 110

...okay

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 06:56 PM (9yXr+)

122 No one has a pocket watch from your father who stuck up his ass to keep it from the gooks when he was a POW ?

Posted by: polynikes at June 15, 2024 06:56 PM (SHMXB)

123 122 No one has a pocket watch from your father who stuck up his ass to keep it from the gooks when he was a POW ?
Posted by: polynikes at June 15, 2024 06:56 PM (SHMXB)

My grandpa just shot the gook and kept the watch.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 06:56 PM (BpZ5k)

124 The Apple watch tells you it doesn't check for heart attacks but it does an EKG. It can check blood oxygen. It's not as acurate as my oximeter but close enough I don't have to carry that. Checks pulse rate. The sleep part has been most helpful. I thought I was getting a lot of sleep. The reality is I get about five hours a night, sometimes with no deep or REM sleep. I've been trying to improve that. I use it to check the weather too.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 06:56 PM (xjTDL)

125 Somewhere around here I've got a pair of cufflinks that have little round wristwatches on them. They belonged to my Grandpa. I have absolutely nothing to wear them with.

Posted by: An Expert at June 15, 2024 06:57 PM (vFG9F)

126 excellent, PabloD!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 15, 2024 06:57 PM (tQtDb)

127 Off little m moron sock

Posted by: fd at June 15, 2024 06:57 PM (vFG9F)

128 current one is an upgrade; solar powered, WWV receiver built in, and the all-black face which makes it hard to read sometimes ...
Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 15, 2024

***
When I lived in Denver, the WWV time signal was a local phone call. Later I was able to pick it up on shortwave frequencies on a portable emergency radio. I still have the radio, but I can no longer get WWV on it. So I've settled for using the Time.gov site.

There is a site with the ticking/pinging sound effect of WWV, and you can use it to set your watches, but it's not an official WWV site.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:58 PM (omVj0)

129 I like wound clocks. I built a grandfather clock frame and got a West German movement for it, not long before West Germany ceased to exist.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at June 15, 2024 06:58 PM (x/0BA)

130 The watch is small by today's standards, but very good-looking and in fine shape. Just no battery for the tuning fork movement.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:10 PM (omVj0)

I expect they used mercury batteries, which we cannot have anymore, because da Erf!!! Mercury batteries put out 1.35 volts, and stayed at that level almost to the day they were fully discharged. Very useful for watches, cameras, and instruments.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 15, 2024 06:59 PM (C/ApQ)

131 Like shoes, women will check out the watch you are wearing.

Posted by: polynikes at June 15, 2024 06:59 PM (SHMXB)

132 The greatest horologist of all time, bar none, was John Harrison. Look up the Burgess Clock B.

That is based on a 250 year old design by Harrison, and it is the most accurate pendulum clock (swinging in free air) yet. They thought Harrison had gone nuts there at the last with this design, as he threw out all the standard principles.

He claimed it could keep time to within 1 sec over 100 days. That was crazy.

The Burgess Clock B was verified by the Royal Observatory to be off by 5/8 s after 100 days in a test run.

Harrison was vindicated. Now, Clock B was constructed using modern materials and methods to better follow Harrison's design. In his day, it probably couldn't have been so accurate.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at June 15, 2024 06:59 PM (w6EFb)

133 122

I do not. But thanks for asking.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 07:00 PM (9yXr+)

134 Somewhere around here I've got a pair of cufflinks that have little round wristwatches on them. They belonged to my Grandpa. I have absolutely nothing to wear them with.
Posted by: An Expert at June 15, 2024

***
No watches on them, but I have a pair of Balboa cufflinks with a profile of the explorer on them. They are old, for me. I remember wearing them on a dress shirt when I was about seven or eight, and a few times on that kind of shirt in the Eighties, but not often since then.

I forget if Mom bought them for me, or if they were my father's, or what.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 07:01 PM (omVj0)

135 I would like to get a key wound clock. I may have to stop in Abilene again as they had some that were professionally worked on.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 07:02 PM (xjTDL)

136 132

Yes you posted this before it's fascinating

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 07:02 PM (9yXr+)

137 Cuff links, tie clips, suspenders and hats have all become rare as a fashion statement.

Posted by: polynikes at June 15, 2024 07:03 PM (SHMXB)

138 Watch face must have Roman numerals. I will accept no other. Gator leather strap.

I also have a drawer full of old Swatches. It's like a time tunnel back to the 80's.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at June 15, 2024 07:03 PM (FkUwd)

139 I have a very nice pair of retirement cufflinks from the Yugoslavian Railway.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 07:03 PM (9yXr+)

140 About time on if not a hobby at least a fan of now for decades in F-1 in qualifying two cars with the exact time for a lap the 1st who got it wins that tie. Last race was the first time I am sure I seen that. And times are taken to the hundredth of a second

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 07:04 PM (fwDg9)

141 I expect they used mercury batteries, which we cannot have anymore, because da Erf!!! Mercury batteries put out 1.35 volts, and stayed at that level almost to the day they were fully discharged. Very useful for watches, cameras, and instruments.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 15, 2024

***
My first battery watch was a Timex Electric, an Xmas gift in 1966. Like today's quartzes, the second hand jumped from one mark to the next; my friends and I had never seen that on a watch. And I could change the battery myself. No need to remove the back; there was a housing with a snap-on lid. Pop it off with a nail file, change the battery, and snap it shut. Done.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 07:04 PM (omVj0)

142 Posted by: All Hail Eris at June 15, 2024 07:03 PM (FkUwd)

Swatches do have a bit of. collector value.

Posted by: polynikes at June 15, 2024 07:04 PM (SHMXB)

143 >> Watch face must have Roman numerals.

Do you prefer "IV" or "IIII"? There is a long history and controversy over that on clock faces.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at June 15, 2024 07:05 PM (w6EFb)

144 I wish I could find someone to gift my hisband's top hat to. It's grey. He found it online and liked to wear it during the holidays. Folks alwsys commented on it. Now it just gathers dust.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 07:05 PM (xjTDL)

145 138

Swatches? Vintage?

Those are getting bigly collectible

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 07:05 PM (9yXr+)

146 Silly tangent, but it's kind of funny how "nip" and "gook" are only slurs because they're said with a bit of stank and malice behind them thanks to the whole Being At War That One Time thing. Nip is just "nipponese" and gook is just from Han-geuk, literally meaning Korean, poorly pronounced by round eyes as "han gook". Not saying it's fine to call anyone shit like that in anger, just amused by the goofiness of language is all.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 07:05 PM (BpZ5k)

147 WWV was the beginning of learning Morse code for me ...

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 15, 2024 07:06 PM (tQtDb)

148 I would like to get a key wound clock. I may have to stop in Abilene again as they had some that were professionally worked on.
Posted by: Notsothoreau

I really like them. In my house I have an antique my grandfather rebuilt, a schoolhouse my father built, the grandfather i built, and a cuckoo my sibling bought for me in Bavaria. I have to routinely wind clocks but power outages never make me late.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at June 15, 2024 07:07 PM (rWi3n)

149 And let's say you pay $3K for a used one, and keep it for 25 years. That (aside from servicing) is only $120 a year. (And servicing does not *have* to be done by Rolex.)
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 06:33 PM (omVj0)

I am wearing, right now, an "Ecosse" watch bought nearly ten years ago from WalMart. Gone through about 3 batteries. Cost me $11, I think. Batteries run around $7, now. So ten years for $32 is $3.20 per year. The crystal is cracked, and covered with welding spatter, as is the Twist-o-flex band, which may be worth more than the watch, now. It's a tool, not jewelry.

I have several nice old pocket watches. A railroad watch of some kind, and a South Bend and a Studebaker watch.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 15, 2024 07:08 PM (C/ApQ)

150 138 I also have a drawer full of old Swatches. It's like a time tunnel back to the 80's.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at June 15, 2024 07:03 PM (FkUwd)
***
I had forgotten about Swatch until poking around in prep for the thread. From the offerings on the website, it looks like a jumble of pop culture and bright colors. There must be a market somewhere...

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 07:08 PM (IQ6Gq)

151 143

VI man here.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 07:08 PM (9yXr+)

152 Whoops

IV man here

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 07:09 PM (9yXr+)

153 Whoops

IV man here
Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 07:09 PM (9yXr+)

Not IIIIII?

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 07:09 PM (BpZ5k)

154 & g'night everyone!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 15, 2024 07:09 PM (tQtDb)

155 Thanks, sock_rat_eez! I was running on little sleep, so my code comprehension (and sending) wasn't always 100%, but I got 4 contacts and 4 is good enough. There's a very active SOTA guy in South Dakota, and he's clear as a bell here on the left coast.

Posted by: PabloD at June 15, 2024 07:10 PM (Z6JZd)

156
You have to caveat Clock B as the most accurate in "free air" because of the master-slave vacuum pendulum clocks. You can look those up if interested. Until atomic clocks, those were the most accurate clocks for scientific and astronomical use.

At the time, they thought the accuracy was about 1s in a year. But they had nothing to compare it to. A recent paper found they accuracy was really 1s in 10 years.

They found these clocks were sensitive to variations in local g due to lunar and solar tidal variations. You could account for that, knowing how it behaved, and compensate and get 1s in 10 year accuracy.

They didn't know at the time, because they had no atomic clocks to compare it to....

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at June 15, 2024 07:10 PM (w6EFb)

157 150

Etsy.

Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 07:10 PM (9yXr+)

158 I happened to be watching that Rolex episode on Antiques Roadshow. I remember it well.

Posted by: Tuna at June 15, 2024 07:10 PM (oaGWv)

159 Not IIIIII?
Posted by: Warai-otoko

IIIIX.

Posted by: mikeski at June 15, 2024 07:11 PM (DgGvY)

160 Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 07:05 PM (BpZ5k)

What's weird is Kraut and Jerry are not considered slurs even if said in anger.

Posted by: polynikes at June 15, 2024 07:12 PM (rWvc2)

161 140 About time on if not a hobby at least a fan of now for decades in F-1 in qualifying two cars with the exact time for a lap the 1st who got it wins that tie. Last race was the first time I am sure I seen that. And times are taken to the hundredth of a second

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 07:04 PM (fwDg9)
***
That was extraordinary. Never seen an identical lap time in F1 before. The margin of victory at the NASCAR race at Kansas earlier this year was 0.001. Are you watching LeMans?

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 07:12 PM (IQ6Gq)

162 104 ... "JTB, I was hoping you'd be around! I just ordered a tin of Bell's Three Nuns and one of Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake. Both came today. The TN is supposed to be fairy strong stuff, so I suspect I'd better smoke only ten minutes of it at first to see. Have you tried it? Or the Best Brown?

The Mac Baren BLB was in stock earlier this year, and I grabbed two tins. Haven't even opened them. I'm turning into a tobacco hoarder!"

Hi Wolfus,
I found Three Nuns to be strong but not harsh. I've read it was CS Lewis' favorite tobacco. I preferred to smoke it in a smaller bowl pipe. Never tried any Gawith blends. I do have a tin of Gawith Squadron Leader but haven't tried it yet.

I, too, am in danger of becoming a pipe tobacco hoarder. So many blends, so little time. Starting to investigate cellaring. Supposedly, burley and aromatic blends don't benefit from aging the way Virginia, English and latakia blends do. More info is called for.

Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 07:12 PM (zudum)

163 IIIIX.
Posted by: mikeski at June 15, 2024 07:11 PM (DgGvY)

Well that's just silly.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 07:12 PM (BpZ5k)

164 Is weasel around? I thought he was into fixing up pocket watches.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at June 15, 2024 07:13 PM (USI5q)

165 Who you callin' a horologist? /gives everyone the side eye/

(I think the Sandra Fluke reference kept it squarely in the realm of 'hobbies'.

)

Posted by: GWB at June 15, 2024 07:13 PM (oGCzN)

166 What's weird is Kraut and Jerry are not considered slurs even if said in anger.
Posted by: polynikes at June 15, 2024 07:12 PM (rWvc2)

They're all like "Fuck yeah sauerkraut... what were we talking about?"

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 07:14 PM (BpZ5k)

167 I bought one of those small gold colored watches grandmas used to wear in the 50s. (Not mine, obviously). I was thinking about how folks wore them as jewelry. It keeps lousy time. I should have it checked out. Probably have another watch or two kicking around.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 07:14 PM (xjTDL)

168 139 I have a very nice pair of retirement cufflinks from the Yugoslavian Railway.
Posted by: LenNeal at June 15, 2024 07:03 PM (9yXr+)

--------

You must have been a valued employee. Most retirees got a bullet, right?

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at June 15, 2024 07:16 PM (jXtns)

169 144 I wish I could find someone to gift my hisband's top hat to. It's grey. He found it online and liked to wear it during the holidays. Folks alwsys commented on it. Now it just gathers dust.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 07:05 PM (xjTDL)
***
Just look for someone wearing a pocketwatch and chain. Even better if they have a monocle. They'll love it.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 07:16 PM (IQ6Gq)

170 I have my great grandfather's Patek Philiippe pocket watch. My dad would wear it when we took the train to Buffalo

Posted by: Jamaica at June 15, 2024 07:17 PM (IG7T0)

171 I used to put mine in the actual watch pocket of my jeans, and clip the chain under my belt.

I'd be out and about gallavanting and carousing, and complete strangers would say "wow you actually have a watch in your watch pocket!" And I'd be all "Yeah!".
Posted by: Warai-otoko

Same here. And I use the cigarette pocket in suit jackets when I'm wearing one.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at June 15, 2024 07:17 PM (USI5q)

172 My first battery watch was a Timex Electric, an Xmas gift in 1966. Like today's quartzes, the second hand jumped from one mark to the next; my friends and I had never seen that on a watch. And I could change the battery myself. No need to remove the back; there was a housing with a snap-on lid. Pop it off with a nail file, change the battery, and snap it shut. Done.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 07:04 PM (omVj0)

I had one of those, back in the same time period. Was not a quartz watch, basically and electrically-powered mechanical escapement. Mine died after a few years. I had one of the original Texas Instruments digital watches, too, that had a tritium capsule to illuminate the dial 24/7.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 15, 2024 07:17 PM (C/ApQ)

173 Wonderful idea for a thread. I've enjoyed reading.

Posted by: Frasier Crane at June 15, 2024 07:17 PM (CWMF2)

174 I also have a drawer full of old Swatches. It's like a time tunnel back to the 80's.
Posted by: All Hail Eris

I remember the fashion. 3 brightly-colored watches on the same arm.

Also the Fossil sundial, for high-school dudes. Talk about a pure fashion statement as a "wristwatch."

Posted by: mikeski at June 15, 2024 07:18 PM (DgGvY)

175 I bought one of those small gold colored watches grandmas used to wear in the 50s. (Not mine, obviously). I was thinking about how folks wore them as jewelry. It keeps lousy time. I should have it checked out. Probably have another watch or two kicking around.
Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024

***
NST, you mean the little square ones that women wore on black cords on their wrists? They're so tiny!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 15, 2024 07:18 PM (omVj0)

176 So that phrase "a stopped clock is right twice a day".... what would be the most wrong a clock could be? Outside of a trivial case with a perfect precision clock that was off being accurate by some constant offset... i guess you would just have an asymptotic limit where the closer it is to perfectly precise, the longer the period between instants where its actually "right"... which is kind of poetic. The closer you are to "right", the more time you spend being "wrong".

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 07:19 PM (BpZ5k)

177 I will finally get time to mess around with my new typewriters. I got a manual SCM Galaxie and an electric SCM Coronet, both from the 60s. I got two daisy wheel ones from the 70s. One was damaged in shipping. Not sure about the other yet. The Coronet is like a manual with power assist. Very noce to use. And the Galaxie is swell too. I got new ribbons and did a quick clean on my Skywriter and Silent Super. Those work better now.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 07:20 PM (xjTDL)

178 Yes, exactly. The one I got has a twist o flex band.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 07:21 PM (xjTDL)

179 I'm no math whiz, but I would say the most wrong a stopped clock could be is 6 hours.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at June 15, 2024 07:22 PM (USI5q)

180 I have a pocket watch that was given (not gifted - man I hate that) to my great grandpa when he retired. It has no crystal, but I have it hanging in a little bell jar kind of contraption. Pretty watch. I would love to get it in working order again. but, alas, it's lower on the list of Stuff What I Gotta Do. But, for now, it is safe.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, with a drawer full of pieces of flair at June 15, 2024 07:22 PM (hZc6Q)

181 170 I have my great grandfather's Patek Philiippe pocket watch. My dad would wear it when we took the train to Buffalo
Posted by: Jamaica at June 15, 2024 07:17 PM (IG7T0)

-----------

I believe that the most expensive watch ever sold at auction was a Patek Philipe. I find it odd since the watches themselves are fairly mundane in appearance and you have to look at the name to realize that they're anything special.

They're for the market that has money to burn, I guess.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at June 15, 2024 07:22 PM (jXtns)

182 Somewhere around here I've got a pair of cufflinks that have little round wristwatches on them. They belonged to my Grandpa. I have absolutely nothing to wear them with.
Posted by: An Expert

Have them modified into nipple studs.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 15, 2024 07:22 PM (pUmP9)

183 The closer you are to "right", the more time you spend being "wrong".
Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 07:19 PM (BpZ5k)

Which raises the question: what makes a clock "wrong"? If it causes you to be late for work, or to miss a plane, yeah, that's wrong. If it causes you to hit F5 prematurely, looking for the ONT, nah, probably not wrong.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 15, 2024 07:23 PM (C/ApQ)

184 The jeweler that worked on my grandmothers watch said he buys up all those parts when he can. It's the only way the older ones can be repaired.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 07:23 PM (xjTDL)

185 No one has a pocket watch from your father who stuck up his ass to keep it from the gooks when he was a POW ?
Posted by: polynikes at June 15, 2024 06:56 PM (SHMXB)

I bought a pocket watch from a friend who was raising money and needed it fast. I figured I would give it to his son when he and his wife had one, and the hypothetical son grew up old enough to know what it was
In the end he and his wife divorced, and I gave the watch to his daughter when she got married herself. I told her why I had her dad's watch, and she could keep it or sell it because I was tired of looking at it.

Posted by: Kindltot at June 15, 2024 07:23 PM (D7oie)

186 Boy F. can't tell time but wears a watch because everyone else does.

Posted by: Val recovered at June 15, 2024 07:24 PM (RIvkX)

187 I didn't check what channel LeMans is on, use to watch the race for 2 days.

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 07:24 PM (fwDg9)

188 I have a Seiko Contura I wear on special occasions. My daily is a Casio G-Shock. Inexpensive, so if I destroy it, I can get another without breaking the bank.

Posted by: johnd01 at June 15, 2024 07:25 PM (300Bg)

189 Have them modified into nipple studs.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 15, 2024 07:22 PM (pUmP9)

Confucious say: stripper with two tiny watches attached to her nipple rings never know what time it is.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 15, 2024 07:25 PM (C/ApQ)

190 182 Have them modified into nipple studs.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 15, 2024 07:22 PM (pUmP9)
***
And there it is. Does every thread on this site turn into a bewb thread? I'm surprised we've gotten this far without getting into food.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 07:25 PM (IQ6Gq)

191 It got moved to a cable channel I don't get these last few years.

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 07:26 PM (fwDg9)

192 I have a pocket watch that was given (not gifted - man I hate that) to my great grandpa when he retired. It has no crystal, but I have it hanging in a little bell jar kind of contraption. Pretty watch. I would love to get it in working order again. but, alas, it's lower on the list of Stuff What I Gotta Do. But, for now, it is safe.
Posted by: Pug Mahon,

Based on my experience, the people who can repair pocket watches are getting older and harder to find. Once it is repaired, you don't have to keep it running, just wind it once a month or so to keep the oil circulating. I would not wait too long. My two cents.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at June 15, 2024 07:26 PM (USI5q)

193 More on pipe smoking. Every year or two a local tobacconist has a visit from Erik Stokkebye (a very nice guy by the way) and offers discounts on fourth Generation pipes and tobaccos. As a Father's Day gift from Mrs. JTB and our Bichon pup I got two of them. These Fourth Generation pipes are designed by Erik but made by Nording, probably my favorite pipe maker.

They are large bowl models but the briar is beautifully air dried (must take years) and they are very light weight. Ideal for clenching. Also, picked up the last tins of the Freja and Loki blend they had. It was a hell of a nice present.

Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 07:27 PM (zudum)

194 187 I didn't check what channel LeMans is on, use to watch the race for 2 days.

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 07:24 PM (fwDg9)
***
Coverage is a mess in the US which is a bummer. You have to pay for streaming somewhere. I've got on-boards, timing and scoring, and radio le mans and twitter. That's been enough so far.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 07:27 PM (IQ6Gq)

195 One of my favorite wristwatches is by Mondaine, based on the Swiss Railway clock design. Very simple but elegant.

Posted by: Murph at June 15, 2024 07:27 PM (+jr58)

196 And there it is.
Posted by: TRex

That wasn't a bewb thread highjack, it was a nipple-stud joke.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 15, 2024 07:28 PM (pUmP9)

197 Supposedly telling a youngster it's quarter after they wouldn't know what your saying.

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 07:28 PM (fwDg9)

198
I discovered an aunt of my had a Patek Phillipe. We found it in jewelry box my mother had put it after she died. I forget, but I've got the information. It was a 1916 or 1906 vintage, and value would be around $10K give or take $2K.

It needs work. I got a "timegrapher" app for this stupid phone (using the microphone to clock the tick-tock rate). You could see it was "sick". The beat was varying a bit, indicating wear and/or corrorosion.

I forget the details (when you get to be 29, you forget new things you learn), but you can look them up. I "clocked" all the mechanical watches I have with that. It was fascinating.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at June 15, 2024 07:28 PM (w6EFb)

199 Notsothoreau, I had an SCM Coronet that I got for an HS graduation present. I kept it for about six years, and sold it for moving money. I did like it, it hummed all the time it was turned on, and it was a noisy beast unfortunately.

I have my Dad's Selectric which needs work to get the keys unsticky, and 3 manaul typrwriters. Oh, and my grandfather's Burroughs adding machine.
who would like a 60 lb mechanical adding machine that can do addition and subtraction?

Posted by: Kindltot at June 15, 2024 07:29 PM (D7oie)

200 I do have F-1 Timing and scoring,

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 07:29 PM (fwDg9)

201 Thanks all for being here and playing along. Been fun. We'll see what the AoS wheel of hobbies has in store next week.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 07:31 PM (IQ6Gq)

202 I've always bought nice watches for the males in my life. Nothing too expensive, it think the most I spent was on a Citizen sailing watch I bought for my ex husband. My boys, my farther, my boyfriend I dated for six years after divorce, he got a monogrammed pocket watch in gunmetal grey. It was cool.

None of them seemed to appreciate them.

Oh well.

Posted by: nurse ratched at June 15, 2024 07:32 PM (/fpim)

203 When I am not wearing a pocket watch I wear an eco drive divers watch. Solar recharging. My one and only paen to green energy.

You don't want to open a case on a diving watch to change a battery.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at June 15, 2024 07:33 PM (OoM0v)

204 Don't want to prematurely halt the hobby shenanigans. I just don't know when the next post is coming and wanted to make sure to say thank you before the "nood" signal was shown.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 07:33 PM (IQ6Gq)

205
Re the timegrapher. If interested, they're available on the silly "app stores".

Put the watch on a good sounding board, like a wood table, and lay the phone next to it.

One test you do is look at the beat rate over all positions. Watch face up, face down, then turn it sideways through four positions. You then see how the tick rate varies.

A good watch repairman can diagnose things pretty well by just looking at that behavior.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at June 15, 2024 07:34 PM (w6EFb)

206 OT kinda but a friend of mine used to have a record album that was one of the LeMans races, 1969 I think. Lots of sounds of cars passing by, In Stereo!, and the "announcer" would tell us what kind of car it was. I should try to find that album.

Posted by: fd at June 15, 2024 07:35 PM (vFG9F)

207 Kindltot,

Look for Just My Typewriter on You Tube. Her videos and good for working on manuals. I fixed the sticky keys on the Skywriter with a quick clean.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 07:36 PM (xjTDL)

208 197 Supposedly telling a youngster it's quarter after they wouldn't know what your saying.

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 07:28 PM (fwDg9)
***
I remember kids growing up saying "half past a freckle" or a "freckle past a hair" if you weren't wearing a watch but someone asked you for the time.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 07:36 PM (IQ6Gq)

209 Nurse,

Should have given them knives.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 07:37 PM (xjTDL)

210 177 ... "I will finally get time to mess around with my new typewriters. "

notsothoreau,

Hope you enjoy the manual typers. If you get a chance, try an Olympus SM3 or 4. (The only difference is how the tabs are set.) An SM4 from the mid 1950s is my favorite portable manual. It has the snappiest response which makes writing with it a pleasure. They also look really cool. That model is a carriage shift but with my less than delicate touch, that isn't much of a factor.

BTW, I have a Silent Super from the 50s. It is in my top three favorite portables. Those Smith Corona series from that period are great.

Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 07:38 PM (zudum)

211 TRex, Thanks for another fun hobby thread.

Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 07:38 PM (zudum)

212 209 Nurse,

Should have given them knives.
Posted by: Notsothoreau at June

My boys have both gotten multiple knives from me. And they have given me a couple nice ones.

But watches are classy.

Posted by: nurse ratched at June 15, 2024 07:39 PM (B96Jb)

213 206 OT kinda but a friend of mine used to have a record album that was one of the LeMans races, 1969 I think. Lots of sounds of cars passing by, In Stereo!, and the "announcer" would tell us what kind of car it was. I should try to find that album.

Posted by: fd at June 15, 2024 07:35 PM (vFG9F)
***
I miss motorsport with a wide and varied soundtrack. Glad I got to hear F1 cars in the V-8 and V-10 era and Ferrari 333sp 12 cylinder sportscars.

Posted by: TRex at June 15, 2024 07:40 PM (IQ6Gq)

214 The Ferrari Daytonas at Daytona made an awesome noise.

Posted by: fd at June 15, 2024 07:41 PM (vFG9F)

215 I feel certain I'll blow some more money on typewriters. This is not a good area to buy stuff like that so I wind up on Ebay.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 15, 2024 07:42 PM (xjTDL)

216 Burning a La Gloria Cubana Wavell Maduro (5” x 50).
Good stick. Fairly firm, decent burn, long ash.
Don't know if I would buy more. Came in a sample pack.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 15, 2024 07:44 PM (cOq4q)

217 There is something special about the sound of a Ferrari V12.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at June 15, 2024 07:45 PM (1+y/3)

218 THE MOVIE MARQUEE IS SHOWING

Posted by: Skip at June 15, 2024 07:47 PM (fwDg9)

219 Live actionbCartoons up.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 15, 2024 07:47 PM (cOq4q)

220 Dali - didn't know too much about this feller. I knew he was famous for being a loon.

Spend an hour reading up - and the easiest way to get up to speed is read George Orwell's interpretation of his autobiography. It's worth the read, if a little difficult to find maybe. It is archived at the WayBack Machine.

Orwell's thesis, this guy is a good artist. Really, really good. But it does not in any way offset the fact he was a disgusting human being and the rest of it. In parallels today, we're supposed to either praise Dali, or denounce him - but Orwell suggests this is not correct. You can't say that "Well, he was an evil MFer, therefor his art isn't any good" nor can you ignore his disgusting behavior simply because he's such a "great artist" and deserves some sort of pass.

Interesting way to describe the relationship between celebrity and fame, and getting away with .... who the hell knows. If Orwell writes a scathing editorial on you in 1944, you probably deserve one.

Posted by: Common Thread at June 15, 2024 07:49 PM (ZiK3d)

221 Loading square bales in the field I lost my Seiko. It was the first cutting of three that year. The following spring visiting Pop up in the country he pulls out a watch and asks, is this yours. Yep, it's my Seiko, still running and keeping time.

A farmer cracked open a bale and in the middle was the watch.
He took it to the hayman who asked around about the watch.
Seiko lay in the field of tractors, shredders and balers then spent
the winter nested in a bale of hay. Returned by some good honest
people.

Posted by: Braenyard at June 15, 2024 07:49 PM (TcbFC)

222 Up top I noted that I don't own a watch. Last one, my wife got me, broke and haven't one since.

If she got me a new one I would use it every day.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 15, 2024 07:50 PM (cOq4q)

223 TRex, Thanks for another fun hobby thread.
Posted by: JTB at June 15, 2024 07:38 PM (zudum)

Second that! (watch out for the pun; it sneaks up on you)

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 15, 2024 07:51 PM (t4dnB)

224 if you weren't wearing a watch but someone asked you for the time.

Nobody does that anymore do they? Arrybody got a cell phone. I always liked the people who tap their wrist at the same time demanding I tell them the time. F, I dunno. Look into the sun with squinted, shielded eyes "Oh, I reckon we're getting on nigh about 4, maybe 4:15".

Them: "What time is it?"
Me: "You mean right now?"

Posted by: Common Thread at June 15, 2024 07:53 PM (ZiK3d)

225 A farmer cracked open a bale and in the middle was the watch.
He took it to the hayman who asked around about the watch.
Seiko lay in the field of tractors, shredders and balers then spent
the winter nested in a bale of hay. Returned by some good honest
people.
Posted by: Braenyard at June 15, 2024 07:49 PM (TcbFC)

Good thing a cow didn't eat it. Would have had to be treated for ticks.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 15, 2024 07:53 PM (t4dnB)

226 Good thing a cow didn't eat it. Would have had to be treated for ticks.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 15, 2024 07:53 PM (t4dnB)

If a slow running cow eats a fast running watch does it all just even out?

Posted by: Warai-otoko at June 15, 2024 07:58 PM (BpZ5k)

227
If she got me a new one I would use it every day.
Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 15, 2024 07:50 PM (cOq4q)

----------

Somehow, this is kind of sad.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at June 15, 2024 08:01 PM (jXtns)

228 Coincidentally, I got offered an ad for a watchmaking kit just today.

I had no idea that there was such a thing as a watch kit.

Posted by: Cybersmythe at June 15, 2024 08:06 PM (iZEhM)

229 Kids don't know what clock-wise means, either. Or angels passing. (Ten of ten, the hands look like wings, you make a wish.)

Posted by: Wenda at June 15, 2024 08:09 PM (4GhzG)

230 > The Ferrari Daytonas at Daytona made an awesome noise.
---------
The Chevy Camaro Hendricks ran at last year's Le Mans was completely unique to any other car running. It blew the other cars away... all of them, with it's sound.

Respective showing for a one off too.

Garage 56

Posted by: Martini Farmer at June 15, 2024 08:19 PM (Q4IgG)

231 I love old key-wind pocket watches! I routinely carry either an 1863 Waltham (likely carried by a Union Soldier in the Civil War) or an 1871 Elgin or an 1881 Waltham. I'm probably one of the few people left who uses the watch pocket of my jeans for an actual watch!

I love these watches because they are so much like me- old and unreliable!

Posted by: plucky at June 16, 2024 12:32 AM (+tdlb)

232 On old watches that had radium "glow-in-the-dark" hands and markings. one will often see something like dust inside the glass and on the face.

That is where radium's energetic alpha particles blasted the zinc oxide phosphor into smatterings and stuck them all over the insides.

As this dust contains radium and the even more radioactive daughter isotopes, I recommending taking care in cleaning. Do not eat or inhale the dust and dispose safely. It is not that hot OUTSIDE the human body but toxic if it gets inside.

(I did a senior paper on radioluminescence in nuclear engineer school.)

Posted by: Whitehall at June 16, 2024 09:25 AM (LrOkn)

233 I had the pleasure of ‘visiting’ Burgess B at Greenwich while it was undergoing the time trial. The successful results are even more impressive when you consider that the workshop climate control wasn’t all that great.

Posted by: KA2CDK at June 16, 2024 08:58 PM (zY2O/)

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