Wruw :)

[Smashie]

Nice John

A bit of shameless bling for me today

[Fuzzbucket]

Nice John

A bit of shameless bling for me today

(Image removed from quote.)

I was going to comment on your nice knife, then I saw the make of your watch... 

[twiliter]

Nice John

A bit of shameless bling for me today

Nice one Smashie, a Swiss classic!   

[jalind]

Nice John

A bit of shameless bling for me today

(Image removed from quote.)

Excellent Smashie! 

John

[jalind]

Android Corsair 45 (mm) Silver
AD718AS; SII NH35A; 2016

Made shortly before Wing Liang shut down Android brand to take a short, well-earned vacation, retool and reopen as Aragon. The 45mm wears well on smaller wrists with its short, downward curved lugs.









John

[jalind]

Seiko Arcadia Perpetual
SLL181; Cal. 8F32; Jan 2001

A true perpetual calendar with ten year battery and a high accuracy quartz movement running at 192 kHz, 6X the standard 32 kHz. Battery changes in these are not straightforward and involve a process of resetting the movement before it will start running again, and, if necessary, reprogramming the day, month and year within the four year leap-year cycle with the back off. The movement circuit board is paper thin and extremely fragile. Not following the battery replacement procedure properly can easily destroy the circuit board. That and Seiko's release of the Kinetic and Kinetic Auto Relay plus general public antipathy toward high accuracy quartz movements with substantially better accuracy than standard quartz movements resulted in their being discontinued about 2008-2009.



John

[McStitchy]

That's very interesting John   
Now I wonder how it looks inside 
... will Google it, no worries.

Casio solved that problem using Radio sync.
Hmmm... that gives me an idea. Next short month I'll cover my G-2000 analog from the radio sync and see if it forwards the date from the 30th to the 1st still 

Edit: I suppose it will, it's preprogrammed, right?

[AlephZero]

 

[McStitchy]

(Image removed from quote.)

 

woah... 

[AlephZero]

What? That's just a cheap-smurf G-shock... Although someone did call it "properly blue" before

 

[twiliter]

It does look otherworldly. 

[jalind]

Another Seiko Perpetual today, this one a GMT.
SLT081; Cal. 8F56; Oct 2003

Same specs as the watch worn yesterday, with the addition of a GMT complication. The GMT on this one allows adjusting the 12-hour hand independent of the rest, a feature that frequent travelers who set the 12-hour time to their local time zone find more advantageous. One must be observant when moving the hour hand as doing so across midnight will change the date. Those with nothing better to do at midnight on Feb 28th (or 29th on leap year) can sit and watch the date increment from 28 (or 29) through 31 to 1 for the first day in March. The kick of the date wheel to the next date is electronic stepper, not mechanically driven by a wheel train from the hour hand. Style of this one's case, crown and integrated bracelet were very directly derived from Seiko's popular Arctura line of quartz kinetic and kinetic auto relay watches.







John

[McStitchy]

Very nice John 

[jalind]

Very nice John 

Thanks

[twiliter]

I like your Seikos John. I actually have one I received as a gift, and it's got a lot of sentimental value, but I don't wear it because it has a metal band that's stainless and irritates me. It's a quartz chronograph, not sure what model, but it is a nice watch. I would like to find a strap that would work on it, but it has those weird lugs that are really narrow, like 10-12 mm or something. Never could find a good synthetic strap for it unfortunately. Now it needs a new battery too. 

I have been reading up on the Seiko movements, and evidently they have some highly rated automatics also. 

[jalind]

I like your Seikos John. I actually have one I received as a gift, and it's got a lot of sentimental value, but I don't wear it because it has a metal band that's stainless and irritates me. It's a quartz chronograph, not sure what model, but it is a nice watch. I would like to find a strap that would work on it, but it has those weird lugs that are really narrow, like 10-12 mm or something. Never could find a good synthetic strap for it unfortunately. Now it needs a new battery too. 

I have been reading up on the Seiko movements, and evidently they have some highly rated automatics also. 

The Seiko automatics are workhorses and have been for some time, not just the current 7S26/36 and 4R36 families. The 4R36 family isn't a drop-in replacement but it is clearly an evolution of its 7S36 predecessor. Seiko's movement robustness and reliability goes well back into the 1960's when GIs bought them at the PX (or BX) to wear in the jungles of Vietnam. The numbers here refer to the movement calibers. First was the 6217 (aka 62MAS) "diver" but it took off (went viral) with the two generations of 6105 (differentiated by case shape) in 1968. These were among the first true dive watches Seiko made, rated for 150 meters. If you've seen Apocalypse now, Captain Willard wears one of the iconic 6105 Seiko of that era (Martin Sheen; if you don't know the film's age you'd swear it's his son, Charlie). They were immensely more water resistant than other watches lower ranking enlisted GIs could afford. It was followed in the latter half of the 1970's by the 6309 "turtle". Find a 6105 in both original and excellent condition and you'll pay a fortune for it. So many have had aftermarket mods now, or thoroughly thrashed over the years, and there are frankenwatches that have been created to leverage on their high value. It's why I bought the Prospex PADI homage to the 6309 which is now starting to get expensive on the used market.


One of the reasons Seiko has kept the 21.6 kbph beat rate in its workhorses is the extremely high reliability and long-term durability of a mid-beat movement. A high-beat imposes considerably greater stresses on movement components with the forces needed to drive an escapement at that rate. It's one of the reasons there aren't that many high-beat beyond ETA and the 36 kbh is quite rare after there was some toying with it a few decades ago in the 1970's (Zenith in particular; AFAIK Grand Seiko still makes some). Miyota (Citizen subsidiary) has finally ventured into the 28.8 kbph realm. Their long-term durability and reliability will remain to be seen as there's only so much accelerated life testing that can be done to simulate long term operation. Seiko has been and continues to be Japan's #1 watch company. It's not revenue or numbers of watches, it's the reputation and prestige that goes with it (BTW, #2 using the same criteria is Orient, not Citizen).

John

[jalind]

Yet another Seiko Perpetual . . .
SLL183 Cal. 8F32 Nov 2001
Same movement as in the Arcadia worn two days ago.

[jalind]

What? That's just a cheap-smurf G-shock... Although someone did call it "properly blue" before

 

There's a reason the G-Shock has long been a favorite of US soldiers and marines since a few years before Desert Storm. Has a lot to do with its indestructibility and price. Provided water resistance isn't compromised by someone not putting a back on properly they will run forever. 

Very nice blackout!

John

[jalind]

Android Corsair 45 Blue
AD718BBU; SII NH35A; 2016

Another Android acquired when Wing Liang was liquidating his existing Android stock in preparation to shut down that brand and restart as Aragon. His company runs under a different name and was never closed down. Only the brand and its logos. The NH35A is the SII caliber number on movements sold to others. It is identical to the 4R35B caliber number Seiko puts on the movement for its own watches. Within that family, the NH35/4R35 is the only one I'm aware of that's off by one on the letter revision (A vs B).



One of the things that set Android apart from most others in its class, and does now with Aragon, is attention to design details, as with this cabochon crown with an Android logo embedded in it.



No shortage of Luminova on this one . . .



The "cyclops" is under the crystal, not on top of it. Not the only company to do it, but very uncommon.



John

[McStitchy]

Great one John. 
Thanks for the excellent pictures too
So much details to discover.
Like the logo at the second hand, the brush strokes on the casing, the 13-23 markings etc.
I don't think I've seen an inside cyclope before.

[HarleyXJGuy]

What? That's just a cheap-smurf G-shock... Although someone did call it "properly blue" before

 

There's a reason the G-Shock has long been a favorite of US soldiers and marines since a few years before Desert Storm. Has a lot to do with its indestructibility and price. Provided water resistance isn't compromised by someone not putting a back on properly they will run forever. 

Very nice blackout!

John

Spent 21 years in the Army and wore a G Shock the whole time.

Well maybe three or four of them over the years. They were cheap enough that when the battery died I would just throw it away and buy a new one.

Five combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Panama as an Infantryman and 13 years in the 82nd Airborne Division as a Paratrooper and I never once broke one.

[jalind]

What? That's just a cheap-smurf G-shock... Although someone did call it "properly blue" before

 

There's a reason the G-Shock has long been a favorite of US soldiers and marines since a few years before Desert Storm. Has a lot to do with its indestructibility and price. Provided water resistance isn't compromised by someone not putting a back on properly they will run forever. 

Very nice blackout!

John

Spent 21 years in the Army and wore a G Shock the whole time.

Well maybe three or four of them over the years. They were cheap enough that when the battery died I would just throw it away and buy a new one.

Five combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Panama as an Infantryman and 13 years in the 82nd Airborne Division as a Paratrooper and I never once broke one.

 
Thank you for your service.

John

[twiliter]

What? That's just a cheap-smurf G-shock... Although someone did call it "properly blue" before

 

There's a reason the G-Shock has long been a favorite of US soldiers and marines since a few years before Desert Storm. Has a lot to do with its indestructibility and price. Provided water resistance isn't compromised by someone not putting a back on properly they will run forever. 

Very nice blackout!

John

Spent 21 years in the Army and wore a G Shock the whole time.

Well maybe three or four of them over the years. They were cheap enough that when the battery died I would just throw it away and buy a new one.

Five combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Panama as an Infantryman and 13 years in the 82nd Airborne Division as a Paratrooper and I never once broke one.

 
Thank you for your service.

+1

[jalind]

Hamilton MIL-W-46374B; 1982



Served me extremely well from 1982 - 1997 starting six years into my career (what I had been using didn't do the job very well). Rotated between this one and another nearly identical Hamilton. Had it overhauled about ten years ago. Told them not to replace the crystal but they did that anyway. Don't wear it often now, but today is one of those occasions.

John

[twiliter]

Hamilton MIL-W-46374B; 1982



Served me extremely well from 1982 - 1997 starting six years into my career (what I had been using didn't do the job very well). Rotated between this one and another nearly identical Hamilton. Had it overhauled about ten years ago. Told them not to replace the crystal but they did that anyway. Don't wear it often now, but today is one of those occasions.

John

Lots of miles on that one I guess.  Any specifics John? Quartz or mechanical?

[jalind]

Hamilton MIL-W-46374B; 1982



Served me extremely well from 1982 - 1997 starting six years into my career (what I had been using didn't do the job very well). Rotated between this one and another nearly identical Hamilton. Had it overhauled about ten years ago. Told them not to replace the crystal but they did that anyway. Don't wear it often now, but today is one of those occasions.

John

Lots of miles on that one I guess.  Any specifics John? Quartz or mechanical?

Hand-wind mechanical: 7 jewel INT Durowe 7420/4



Yes, many miles. Looks much better today than it did in 1997. The crystal had a few deeper scars not worth polishing out completely which is probably why the watchmaker replaced it (in spite of my instructions).  ;-)

John

[twiliter]

Pretty straightforward, no wonder it lasted so long! A keeper for sure. 


Thanks for the additional info. 

[McStitchy]

What? That's just a cheap-smurf G-shock... Although someone did call it "properly blue" before

 

There's a reason the G-Shock has long been a favorite of US soldiers and marines since a few years before Desert Storm. Has a lot to do with its indestructibility and price. Provided water resistance isn't compromised by someone not putting a back on properly they will run forever. 

Very nice blackout!

John

Spent 21 years in the Army and wore a G Shock the whole time.

Well maybe three or four of them over the years. They were cheap enough that when the battery died I would just throw it away and buy a new one.

Five combat deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Panama as an Infantryman and 13 years in the 82nd Airborne Division as a Paratrooper and I never once broke one.

That's the beauty with the G-Shocks.
You strap them on and don't need to care too much about them.

And thank you for your service 
You've been around I see 
I've been a speSmurfpillst at the Airforce repairing Radar systems and Avionics. A totally different area.
I have a friend at work (IT) being an ex para trooper from the Spanish Army. He often mentions he's missing being as fit like back in those days 

[pfrsantos]

Just got me a G-Shock 7900-B. I think it'll be my EDC watch from now on.

 

[Ricardomfs]

Looks nice