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Post pics of your watches Part II
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,145 Mod ✭✭✭✭
Join Date:Posts: 59074
That series of Marathon watches are very nice. Come in all sizes to fit all tastes and sizes of wrist. Built like tanks too. In a bar fight even a G-Shock would start to sweat.
IIRC they're the last watch manufacturer still providing officially issued watches to the US military(and to their specs) and as you say Canada. I seem to recall the Canadians got them for their coastguard. I had one of the entry level ones the plastic cased navigators. Gave it to a good mate of mine years ago. As usual the military issued stuff comes with a crap strap so I slapped a G10 on it. Like you said the tritium lume is great, by far the best out there(along with indiglo 
).
Speaking of lume, non tritium. Gave one of my trench watches another thin layer of the Seiko lume I have. Was awoken early this morning by a feckin fox hollaring and could still read it as plain as day six hours later.
The phone camera makes it look even brighter tbh.
I reckon it lasts so long because the old dials and skeleton hands were designed for hand applied thick layers of it, far thicker than most modern watches, so it stores more light energy for longer.Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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guitarhappy wrote: »I like that too. The case back says 26 millicuries, this photo. You probably know more about it than I do, but I think it's helium with an extra electron. As long as it stays contained in the glass tube, and you don't breathe it, one should live a normal-ish life span.
Hydrogen isotope - one proton with two neutrons (normal hydrogen should just have the one proton as element no.1 in our periodic table )
Very very weak radiation - we get a lot more from the atmosphere naturally - and this is of course if the gas escapes the glass capsules, escapes the watch *and* you breathe it in - might have the same effect as eating an extra bacon sandwich or something
T26 is low on the millicuries too if that's further reassurance - I was looking to put in T100 into the Sólás line (it would have glowed beautifully).Speaking of lume, non tritium. Gave one of my trench watches another thin layer of the Seiko lume I have. Was awoken early this morning by a feckin fox hollaring and could still read it as plain as day six hours later.
The phone camera makes it look even brighter tbh.
I reckon it lasts so long because the old dials and skeleton hands were designed for hand applied thick layers of it, far thicker than most modern watches, so it stores more light energy for longer.
Superluminova have even better lume out now - X1 superluminova which lasts/glows up to 20% brighter/longer. And yeah - lume strength mostly depends on how many layers you're applying - 6 is typical, 10 is a lot and the newest/lume-iest brands like Phobios use something like 15 layers of X1 grade lume - but you're probably just dolloping lume on the hands @Wibbs so it's less "layers" and more "millimetres" of lume on the watch 0 -
Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,145 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59074
Kinda TF... It's primarily a beta emitter which your skin will tend to stop. The glass of the tube or in older watches the crystal will stop it(though in any watch over 20 odd years old it's fairly dead). On the other hand gamma will go through all of the above like they're not even there. However beta is a stronger ioniser, which can be more damaging to soft tissue so you really don't want to breathe it in. In tritium tubes it's a gas so would disperse pretty quickly, I would reckon where it might be a danger, or at least something to be aware of safety wise would be working on the exposed dials and hands of old watches were it was contained in a binder. If it breaks down with damp and goes dusty breathing that in would be a bit of a concern. Nothing like the same concern as radium of course as it fires out gamma, beta and alpha and has a half life of 1600 years as opposed to 12.5 years and radium lume breaks down far more easily and into other nasties as it does so.Very very weak radiation - we get a lot more from the atmosphere naturally - and this is of course if the gas escapes the glass capsules, escapes the watch *and* you breathe it in - might have the same effect as eating an extra bacon sandwich or something
TL;DR? Tritium tubes are about as safe as you can get. Even if they crack, unless you're sniffing the dial like a cocaine fiend in need of a fix you'd be fine. Older binder based tritium should be treated with more respect, but it's mostly dead now. Real care should be taken with radium in old watches, though even there old watchmakers show no obvious extra mortality after working with same for decades. Promethium which was used for a time in the 80's can be safley ignored. Half life of 2 or 3 years IIRC. Kinda pointless as a lume really and rare to find a dial with (p) on it(Seiko IIRC had a few).
It would that, but down the line TF.T26 is low on the millicuries too if that's further reassurance - I was looking to put in T100 into the Sólás line (it would have glowed beautifully).
How dare you Sir! Dolloping? :eek::mad: I'll have you know... well kinda.Superluminova have even better lume out now - X1 superluminova which lasts/glows up to 20% brighter/longer. And yeah - lume strength mostly depends on how many layers you're applying - 6 is typical, 10 is a lot and the newest/lume-iest brands like Phobios use something like 15 layers of X1 grade lume - but you're probably just dolloping lume on the hands @Wibbs so it's less "layers" and more "millimetres" of lume on the watch :pac: Joke is not knowing the ins and outs I ended up doing thin layers quite by accident and lack of talent, because I haven't a millionth of the skill of those women dial painters so doing it in one go wasn't an option. I built it up like watercolour washes, very dilute, with more binder than pigment, number by number, leave it for an hour to flash off and go around again. I reckon four goes around, with a fifth for touch ups. The hands got two runs. I'd reckon the enamel dial helps too. It's very pale and bounces light all over the place anyway so is a good background for lume. Though being much smoother needs a stronger oil based binder I've found. Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,145 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59074
*searches Carry On film memes*You lads are obsessed with lume....do ye have lightbulbs in your houses??? Generally the things I do in the dark dont require I know the time., or take enough time that it requires tracking.
Oil lamps sir. I've upgraded. Actually I do have a couple of 19th century oil lamps and light them often enough in the winter. Well of course I bloody do...Wibbs I know you are on candles only, more authentic.
And bananas.26 mCi is almost exactly 1 giga Bq....which is a tiny tiny tiny amount of ionisation. The potassium isotopes in your body would give you a similar dose over time.... The smoke detector is looking guilty too and if you have any glassware from your granny that's a translucent and iridescent green... Personally speaking I think there's too much concern, nay panic over radiation from watches, even the radium dialled stuff. OK that is more of a worry, but so long as you don't open up the watch and don't wear it 24/7, you'll likely be fine. Many many men and women did wear them all their lives and were OK. Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,145 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59074
Art school eh G?guitarhappy wrote: »I went to art school. I should have known you lads would give me a thousand words on radioactivity....very cool.
Back on topic... *slaps wrist*
Wearing my French preproduction 1974/5 Roger Tallon designed LIP today.
PotatoCam(c) 2021
Huge 42mm+ daft and oddball old thing, that was a radical design departure from what the wristwatch is*, an artefact of modernism when it wasn't quite the dirty word it became because of our quiet disappointment at the promise that didn't quite pan out. I bloody love it. Well I would. And if you want to get noticed...
And if we define an artist and art as something that defines new forms no matter how clumsily, whereas craft is something that reproduces existing forms no matter how beautifully, then that daft oul French thing is more art than any Patek calatrava.
*try designing a watch. Try designing a completely new watch design language. It's incredibly difficult. I admire Genta because unlike outsiders brought in who didn't really give a feck, he was able to change that design language from within the industry, from within the traditional(and he paid his dues in the conventional) and today his designs have become the new authentic traditional.Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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Seiko "BFK" SKA369 today. I like this watch in all its colourways but particularly the Pepsi. "Found it" in my bathroom cabinet this morning.
An extraordinary bracelet, lovely action on the bezel. Good looking dial. Good lume (but not spectacular relative to some Seiko lower-end watches. Plenty of Seiko design madness on display, which I like. The case design is nice (I find recent Seiko offerings at this price point to be a bit slab sided but this has good lines, and a mix of brushed and polished finishes), and the curved lugs really work in terms of comfort and wearing nicely generally. It's a large watch that wears small because the proportions are just so good. The definition of a handsome divers watch in my view. Mine has some scuffs on the bezel but it wears them well.
The OEM synthetic strap for this watch is also excellent, comfortable and looks great with the watch - also one of the best matches to a MM300 if you have one, and available for about 40 yoyos sold separately. Strap changes are a breeze due to the lug design. I would definitely advise getting the strap if you have the watch. I particularly like to bring this watch as my "one watch" on a beach holiday and it's nice to be able to stick it on the strap if you want to take a bit of weight out of it, go for a run or whatever.
The only negative comments I would make are (a) the clasp is the "standard" Seiko stamped clasp design and does feel a little tinny when you put the watch on and take it off, but it is really good from a purely functional perspective and (b) the handset, while attractive and unique etc does look "a bit plasticky", most notably on the orange one (same problem with the Orange monster in my view).
The kinetic power unit is obviously capable of being a negative too - I've never mastered the art of charging it on a toothbrush charger and I am not going to splash out on a charging unit, which apparently do work. That said, all accounts I've ever seen would suggest the watch is genuinely a tough piece of kit capable of surviving a lot of abuse, which is obviously a plus.
I hadn't worn mine for months, maybe over a year but it popped back into life although I would say the capacitator is probably shot due to inactivity and it probably won't hold the charge. Will be interested to see how long it holds a charge/how long it takes to charge back up (planning on wearing it the next few days).
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Ordered this on New Year's Eve (not a good idea from Russia) and it arrived via UPS this morning. Delivery guy wanted €39 (€21 customs + €18 for 'other')
The black leather strap it came on is too short, only two pin-holes usable on my 7.25" wrist so I put it on a 22mm NATO I had.
Vostok Amphibia Classic 170548 aka Pamphibia.
I like the fact it's no-date and has a domed acrylic crystal. The sandwich dial is the main attraction. The finish on the backs of the lugs isn't great with sharp edges but you don't feel them especially when on the NATO. Case diam. 41mm.0 -
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Cyclingtourist wrote: »
Vostok Amphibia Classic 170548 aka Pamphibia.
That's a good looking watch. The crystal is lovely. I would probably look to get it on a strap in due course but well wear any which way.0 -
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Yes indeed - the cognac strap works well on the Speedy. Something like this (although there are plenty of variations):
micks_address wrote: »fulladapipes wrote: »All I'm missing here is a snifter of brandy.
Love it. Speaking of brandy I seen a speedmaster on a cognac patina leather strap that looked awesome. Can’t find a link to it at the moment0 -
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IrishPlayer wrote: »Wearing an appropriate watch for catching up on videos
It is amazing how small the watch looks compared to modern/20th century ones. But people were a lot smaller then. I've been to loads of military museums around Europe in particular, and am often surprised at how small the uniforms were for the average soldier. Even WW2 uniforms are tiny, so perhaps 'small' watches wore a bit larger when the men wearing them were themselves much smaller.0 -
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fulladapipes wrote: »It is amazing how small the watch looks compared to modern/20th century ones. But people were a lot smaller then. I've been to loads of military museums around Europe in particular, and am often surprised at how small the uniforms were for the average soldier. Even WW2 uniforms are tiny, so perhaps 'small' watches wore a bit larger when the men wearing them were themselves much smaller.
They had a great exhibit featuring some uniforms and watches at the Aeronautical Museum Methodius Vlach, fantastic place that along with the Škoda Auto Museum I visited made for a great trip to Mladá Boleslav :cool:
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,145 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59074
Well IP's particular 1930's design for pilot watches did come in a few sizes. I've seen 28mm up to 45mm from different brands. I'd reckon most were nearer the 40mm. I'm wearing my version today. The one on the right.fulladapipes wrote: »It is amazing how small the watch looks compared to modern/20th century ones. But people were a lot smaller then. I've been to loads of military museums around Europe in particular, and am often surprised at how small the uniforms were for the average soldier. Even WW2 uniforms are tiny, so perhaps 'small' watches wore a bit larger when the men wearing them were themselves much smaller.
Zenith Extra Special with centre second "complication"...
It's measures out at 43mm, not including the sticky outie crown(for winding while wearing gloves). The Longines on the left is 35mm, though actually has a slightly larger dial area. The dial area in the Zenith is smaller down to the rotating bezel. This particular design was the first to feature a rotating external bezel and pointer on a watch(for measuring flight intervals). Nobody has figured out where the design came from or who was the first brand to bring one out. The earliest dated example I've seen was a very late 20's Zenith. You do see a similar design minus the bezel made by Helvetia, who also seem to have been the main brand that produced this design at the time. Interestingly the only main Swiss brand who didn't were Rolex. I suspect because Rolex were more a British market watch, whereas this design was very much a European thing appealing to European tastes. British watch tastes were quite staid and you can even find WW1 Trench style watches still being made and sold into the late 1930's.
The size of these type of watches was also down to fitting a pocket watch size movement into a case. The bigger movement meant bigger (antimagnetic)balances and more power reserve which meant more accuracy. Longines Hour Angles/Weems and German Military B-Uhr(Laco, Stowa etc) would be other example of bigger watches using that principle. Again more a European mainland thing. Examples of issued British and American navigators watches were almost always smaller, even much smaller. 35mm, or in the case of one run of Longines Weems for the US market 28mm. Even the original Longines Hour Angles which were 40mm+ crept down under 40mm for the US market. It seems legibility wasn't so much a concern. Same for issued military watches for land and sea forces. Most were 35mm or under, though the slightly later British "Dirty Dozen" WWW issued watches were 35-37mm.
However that was an actual "tool watch" and wouldn't have been seen very rarely if ever in civilian life. It would have been deeply unfashionable, because most men's watches at that stage were like you note smaller, between 30-35mm, made of gold or gold plated and mostly 30's art deco style Tank watch designs. Men were generally thinner of wrist alright, but even so smaller was seen as better, except for very particular purposes(pilots and divers like the Panerai).Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,145 Mod ✭✭✭✭ Join Date:Posts: 59074
I say this ...
... and IP goes and fires up a pic of an actual example. Psychic or wha?You do see a similar design minus the bezel made by Helvetia, who also seem to have been the main brand that produced this design at the time. Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.
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