Post pics of your watches Part II

somebody_else

An early gift.
Was thinking about flipping it but now not so sure.

2shea

Wibbs

Slapped this on today, though I reckon when I go out later I'll swap to a leather strap watch as I came down a touch of wrist pleurisy just opening my driveway gate.



Now if you want a watch to get noticed and commented upon, this is the boyo in a big way.

redlead

Wibbs wrote: »

Slapped this on today, though I reckon when I go out later I'll swap to a leather strap watch as I came down a touch of wrist pleurisy just opening my driveway

Now if you want a watch to get noticed and commented upon, this is the boyo in a big way.

Is that HP as in Hewlett Packard?

Thirdfox

It's Lip - from France

Wibbs

What TF said.

Old French watch company. Very popular there. Innovated in Divers and Electronics and many Swiss brands like Breitling and Blancpain used LIP to distribute their watches. In the early 70's as sales drooped and industrial action threatened to shut them down, they decided to bring in a load of industrial and graphic designers to really rev things up. Which it did. It saved the company for a time, but the digital watch fad finally killed them off.

In the Swiss industry you had Genta, but he was a major outlier in being known as a "name", though not so much at the time and he penned numerous designs for which he got no credit. All the most iconic watches had a designer or designers but can anyone name the guys who designed the Rolex Sub, the Omega Speedie etc? The idea of bringing in "name" designers was unknown in the watch industry, especially bringing in designers from outside the industry.

The above watch was designed by one Roger Tallon. He also designed the new LIP logo by reducing it down to four vertical lines. Recognisable in France, clearly not so much now. It was labelled the Mach 2000, where he explored the very shapes that make up a watch and went nuts ran with that. So the crown became a smooth ball sucked into a negative space and the case was lugless and asymmetrical, the dial offset, with the hands and dial reduced to their simplest forms. Pure modernist industrial design and as untraditional as you can get. And very French.

The engineering is interesting too. Machined alloy case and everything is press fit, but the tolerances are so tight they could claim it as "waterproof". And he was able to achieve that using their existing and old fashioned machinery. They came with electronic movements and quartz and even an LED digital(all but the LED were their own in house movements too). The Quartz are rarer. My one is a preproduction example with a silver rehaut which the production run lost. They weren't cheap watches at the time either, but they were big sellers.

When he applied the same design to a chronograph he went even more colourful.



The above(handwind mechanical) were a hit beyond France and were popular in the US of A. He did a couple of other watch designs for them.

He also designed France's first high speed train TGV 001, both the outside and interior. He even coined the name Eurostar for another train he had a hand in.



Motorbikes



Even one of the first portable TV's and certainly the coolest one IMHO. When all other TV designs would have the screen as a separate thing, not him, and all the better for it.



Furniture, office equipment, interiors, typefaces and watches. He did the lot. An interesting and talented chap.

Ryath

Lip still seem to be pretty popular in France. Seen them in a few shops last year. The MACH 2000 was slightly tempting me.

Wibbs

I'd heard they had been bought by a small outfit who were producing their Nautic-Ski Diver(only bigger and automatic), but I didn't realise they had a range like that. Not too surprised in France, because they would have been as well known a brand as Renault for most of the 20th century.

The design to the right and left are also Tallon designs. Actually they're oddball in another way too. They are the only watches from the past I can think of other than WW2 B-Uhrs that have been brought into the present as reissues that are smaller than the originals. My Mach 2000 from '75 is 40mm top to bottom and 45mm side to side. Not only is it very different looking t'is massive too like.

redlead

All very interesting, thanks Wibbs. That TV wouldn't look out of place as a modern apple product.

Birneybau

I would have jumped on the above LIP at €189

Ryath

Like the look of that Nautic-Ski it's a Miyota movement though so not really worth €500

Seem to be still assembling watches in France, are honest that their cases come from China. Other parts are sourced in Europe.

https://www.lip.fr/en/content/7-maison-lip

Ryath

Birneybau wrote: »

I would have jumped on the above LIP at €189

€200 on amazon

Few more models direct from Lip shipping is €18 to Ireland
https://www.lip.fr/en/23-mach2000

Cyclingtourist

These Lip watch designs are so asymmetrIc I wonder about their adaptability. Not sure how practical they are for left-handed people like myself who like to wear a watch on the right wrist.

guitarhappy

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

Not sure how practical they are for left-handed people like myself who like to wear a watch on the right wrist.

Easily solved by putting your shirt on inside out.

Wibbs

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

These Lip watch designs are so asymmetrIc I wonder about their adaptability. Not sure how practical they are for left-handed people like myself who like to wear a watch on the right wrist.

The new models are smaller and that might be why, though putting the original larger version on my right wrist it doesn't seem to be a problem. The roundedness of the case helps I suppose.

Cyclingtourist

That's good to know Wibbs.

Still I've got this feeling that you'd need to Lip-sync your lifestyle to the watch. Imagine they mostly appeal to people who already have homes full of designer chairs, Philippe Stark kitchenalia and wear round glasses with thick orange frames. I mean the type who wear these watches as opposed to people who just collect them.

somebody_else

Funny enough, it is not LIP but homage of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBTWjc0gsgA

Wibbs

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

Still I've got this feeling that you'd need to Lip-sync your lifestyle to the watch. Imagine they mostly appeal to people who already have homes full of designer chairs, Philippe Stark kitchenalia and wear round glasses with thick orange frames. I mean the type who wear these watches as opposed to people who just collect them.

Could be. I would say that's the case nowadays alright, though less so in France itself. Their popularity originally would have been more a this is The Future type deal when that was more a thing. Funny enough the same designer also designed a pair of round glasses with very thick frame in yellow. I did a bit of a deep dive on the guy last night and it's crazy how many areas of design he was involved in and successfully too. He had 200 patents to his name, but unlike Starck didn't seek out or translate into the English speaking world. Well the world not so long ago was still quite regional and French design was always just that little bit different and even more regional than most. Well modernism arose in Paris like many art and design movements do, neatly bookended by the Eiffel Tower of 1887 and the Pompidou centre or 1977. Now such things as you note are relegated to collectors or lifestylists, often ironically. Hipsters of a vanished dream

somebody_else wrote: »

Funny enough, it is not LIP but homage of it.

The Blancpain Fifty Fathoms had an odd birth alright. A French military diver after trying other contemporary waterproof models and deciding they weren't up to it came up with the design; 42mm, elapsed time bezel, buckets of lume and 90 metres(50 fathoms) depth rating. He found it hard to get any manufacturers interested in it(though I suspect a couple were "inspired" to make their own), but the head of Blancpain was a keen diver so they produced it. They first sold them to militaries like Israel, France of course, America, Germany and a couple of others, mostly through Spirotechnique who were the French navy suppliers and later went on to make their own dive watch designs.

Civilian sales weren't a priority. Well in a market that was almost exclusively small "dress watches" massive for the time tool watches weren't nearly the trend they are today. Even most chronographs were gold or gold plated and small enough. You wore something like a dive watch when you were actually diving. Showing up to dinner or an office job wearing one would be akin to walking in wearing a dive compass and a snorkel. Sport diving was beginning to take off so they were eventually sold through outlets for that. Aqualung was the first. Jacques Cousteau's brand of diving gear. Those examples have Aqualung on the dial.

LIP were approached first as they were France's biggest watch outlet but somebody in their office turned it down on the logic of "why would anyone a portable clock? No future in that". When LIP's CEO an avid sportsman finally found out about it he contacted the head of Blancpain who he was actually friends with and they started to sell them with LIP on the dial. Then Abercrombie of all people got in on the act. They were a retailer of outdoor equipment so 50 fathoms got Abercrombie on their dials(you could quite comfortably write a book on the early dial variants).

It's kinda mad to think when Blancpain(bought off the shelf by Jean Claude Biver in the 80's after it went bust) is now a big luxury brand with equally big prices, but originally their most famous watch was never sold through jewellers and wasn't considered luxury. Quite the opposite.

LIP had their own divers later on. The Nautic Ski, aimed at as the name suggests sea goers and skiers(The Lip family were avid skiers). Both disciplines that need ruggedness and waterproofing. First they were mechanical LIP movements but when they developed their electric movement they were put into them using SuperCompressor cases. Here's my second series one from 69/70.

Cyclingtourist

Not my watch but might be. This is a Bulova Lunar Pilot on my right wrist today in a jewellers. They were quoting €470 for it on the NATO. Not going to buy immediately but it's a possibility for 2021. Also prefer it on a bracelet partly because as I understand it the bar-pins are located differently on the strap version and don't allow for retrofitting but the bracelet versions can be fitted with a strap. The £350 bracelet one (delivered to UK only) on Amazon seems to have been sold out.



It's a big watch but I knew that before trying it on. Too big for my 7.25 inch wrist?

Cassius99

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

Not my watch but might be. This is a Bulova Lunar Pilot on my right wrist today in a jewellers. They were quoting €470 for it on the NATO.

I know you said Amazon, but did you try .co.uk or .com? They are silly money in the UK and Ireland and a good deal cheaper from the US even after paying Amazons global import fees.

They're a big watch, I'd advise you to maybe look at the black leather strap version (with the date). That one doesn't have the mirror polish finish and so looks a little bit more subdued on the wrist IMO.

Cyclingtourist

Cassius99 wrote: »

I know you said Amazon, but did you try .co.uk or .com? .

The UK Amazon. Thanks for your advice.

Cassius99

Cyclingtourist wrote: »

The UK Amazon. Thanks for your advice.

I landed one from the .com site last year for a small bit under €350 I think. Even got a refund of €8 or €9 for having paid too much import fees. I'm all for buying local but I couldn't justify the €600 price tag in the local jewellers or in H Samuel.

One thing of note though was that the leather strap version although brand new had all the commemorative papers removed from the box...I presume that was a direct consequence of the lawsuit taken by David Scott and references made to him in them.

Cyclingtourist

Yeah Cassius just had a look on Amazon.com and the one you recommend is $374 including delivery and prepaid duty.

redlead

Wibbs wrote: »

snip

Okay, 24 hours ago I never heard of Lip and now I want one bad . I love this one. God this hobby!

Cassius99

Just one final thing to consider. I know you're aware of the differing bar positions on the various models, but it's not a watch that easily lends itself to changing straps for another reason.

The strap width is relatively small when compared to the size of the watch, and to my eye at least it can be difficult to get a suitable strap which doesn't look disproportionate. So just keep that in mind.

Wibbs

redlead wrote: »

Okay, 24 hours ago I never heard of Lip and now I want one bad . I love this one. God this hobby!

The LIP Nautic-Ski's run from about 500-1000 depending on model and condition. The very first one from 66 with the black dial and LIP on the two crowns would be near that top end, my one above with the blue dial in good nick figure around 6-700 mark. The later ones in the heavier looking compressor cases around the 500 mark. That's ebay private buyers values, for dealers add at least 30% or more to those figures. Had a quick root around and here's a nice looking one for 550 inc postage.

Iguarantee

Iguarantee wrote: »

I saw it in stock on two other sites, both €399. Neither site instilled confidence that I’d get it any time soon, not sure why I felt that but from the YouTube reviews and the seriouswatches website I was quite happy. Ultimately the colour isn’t the deciding factor in the deal, I think it’s just me projecting how I want to be perceived by people if that makes any sense. That’ll diminish over time.

I’ll put up some photos when I get it. Do people care about the packaging? Should I include photos?

When I was a kid a friend of the family had many watches. Really eccentric guy too. From what I can remember (25+ years ago) one of them had the gas release valve which fascinated me. From memory it was a Rolex with a black dial.

I’m now a mechanical engineer by trade, primarily working with 3D printed titanium. I’ve seen people mention the “tool” aspect of some watches. That’s exactly why I like these size and type of watches.

Will I ever be 30m below the surface never mind 300m? Who knows! At least my watch will be prepared if I ever do dive down

Received my OceanX Sharkmaster SMS1014 yesterday.

Very well packaged, not exactly environmentally friendly in that regard, it had reams of paper and plastic.

The watch feels heavy and solid and looks great, in my opinion.

It's nice to return to an analogue watch after using an Apple watch for the last 3+ years.

I'm not 100% on the size of it, though I'm a large enough person myself it still feels like a large watch, the Apple watch is so light in comparison.

I am satisfied with the colour chosen, it's a darker shade of blue than I'd expected, which I actually prefer.

Now that I own a reasonably priced watch which looks and feels far more expensive than it's price tag (in my opinion) I've now been faced with the dichotomy; what does a Rolex feel like, and is that something I'd ever even want? I truly appreciate well made things, in almost any realm of design. I'm very happy with the watch, but I haven't found myself wanting other watches (yet?).

unkel

Well wear! Yes a very big and heavy watch. Tall! Lovely colour too.

It's a great quality watch for the money, if I have just one criticism, it would be that I would have liked a glidelock type of adjustment system. If you're gonna copy everything on the watch, apart from the Rolex logos, you might as well copy that! And I believe it is no longer under copyright protection by Rolex. Didn't thirdfox post something like that?

Wibbs

One thing that Rolex divers always had were feckin fantastic bracelets. Even the vintage 60's examples have brilliant bracelets(and cases). Plus they show that they wear the years much better than others I've seen of the same age, or younger. Even after daily wear they stretched far less. If you got a 50 year old example, gave it a wash with fairy liquid, rebrushed it with the oul sandpaper* and presented it to someone today as new they'd not blink. Rolex; giving great bracelet since 1960.








*Fitz has now fainted. Proper back of the hand to the forehead and swoon too.

Iguarantee

Wibbs wrote: »

One thing that Rolex divers always had were feckin fantastic bracelets. Even the vintage 60's examples have brilliant bracelets(and cases). Plus they show that they wear the years much better than others I've seen of the same age, or younger. Even after daily wear they stretched far less. If you got a 50 year old example, gave it a wash with fairy liquid, rebrushed it with the oul sandpaper* and presented it to someone today as new they'd not blink. Rolex; giving great bracelet since 1960.








*Fitz has now fainted. Proper back of the hand to the forehead and swoon too.

And luckily it has a jewel encrusted bracelet retention device attached that also tells the time...only e10 grand

saccades

Wibbs wrote: »

One thing that Rolex divers always had were feckin fantastic bracelets. Even the vintage 60's examples have brilliant bracelets(and cases). Plus they show that they wear the years much better than others I've seen of the same age, or younger. Even after daily wear they stretched far less. If you got a 50 year old example, gave it a wash with fairy liquid, rebrushed it with the oul sandpaper* and presented it to someone today as new they'd not blink. Rolex; giving great bracelet since 1960.








*Fitz has now fainted. Proper back of the hand to the forehead and swoon too.

I hope that's sarcasm...

Thirdfox

unkel wrote: »

Well wear! Yes a very big and heavy watch. Tall! Lovely colour too.

It's a great quality watch for the money, if I have just one criticism, it would be that I would have liked a glidelock type of adjustment system. If you're gonna copy everything on the watch, apart from the Rolex logos, you might as well copy that! And I believe it is no longer under copyright protection by Rolex. Didn't thirdfox post something like that?

I got my dates wrong - the patent (rather than copyright) runs out in another 9-10 years I recall. ...But! I see genuine brands who aren't fakes have been making glide-lock-esque clasps too - see the Monta clasp.

So glide-lock(esque) is back on the table for the Equinox

njburke

All the posting on the lip watches spurred me on to get mine repaired. I found a R184 movement and a chap to fit it. Give me a couple of weeks and we should be sorted.

OldRio

Wibbs wrote: »

Maybe try(if you haven't already of course) this; pull the crown to the date setting position and turn it the opposite way to advancing the date. That's how a couple of my 70's day/dates work.

Hi Wibbs, I tried that. The crown pulls out to the first stop to change time. Then the second stop for the date. The date changes in both directions Clockwise and anti. Plus 1 ot minus 1 depending on direction. I've fiddled about a bit with the crown but alas. Nothing changes the day.
Never mind it's keeping great time. Thanks for your advice.

david

OldRio wrote: »

Hi Wibbs, I tried that. The crown pulls out to the first stop to change time. Then the second stop for the date. The date changes in both directions Clockwise and anti. Plus 1 ot minus 1 depending on direction. I've fiddled about a bit with the crown but alas. Nothing changes the day.
Never mind it's keeping great time. Thanks for your advice.

Worst case advance the time a few 24h periods to get the correct day?

cnocbui

Wibbs wrote: »

... Well modernism arose in Paris like many art and design movements do, neatly bookended by the Eiffel Tower of 1887 and the Pompidou centre or 1977. Now such things as you note are relegated to collectors or lifestylists, often ironically. Hipsters of a vanished dream...

The Pompidou Centre was designed by that absolute legend, Norman Foster, and some other notable British architects.

Ryath

cnocbui wrote: »

The Pompidou Centre was designed by that absolute legend, Norman Foster, and some other notable British architects.

Forgetting about an Irishman Peter Rice who made a lot of the design possible! Caught a very good documentary on RTE about him a few months ago.

Wibbs

cnocbui wrote: »

The Pompidou Centre was designed by that absolute legend, Norman Foster, and some other notable British architects.

It wasn't Norman Foster. It was Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano and Gianfranco Franchini. Two Italians and a half Italian English guy.

cnocbui

Wibbs wrote: »

It wasn't Norman Foster. It was Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano and Gianfranco Franchini. Two Italians and a half Italian English guy.

You are correct. I was confused because he and Rogers were partners in a firm called Team 4 and I thought they had both been in on it.

oknepop

HKED Bundeswehr V3

Wibbs

That's scarily accurate to the Leonidas(Heuer) design. The dial printing is better I reckon. Well the numerals certainly are.

banie01

oknepop wrote: »

HKED Bundeswehr V3

I've one myself and I bloody love it.
Don't wind it on the wrist tho, crown has already gone once in mine and as Wibbs said at the time....
Makes it an even better homage :pac:

fulladapipes

Quite dark out there today. Good lume opportunity for the Seamaster 600m. I just got it back after 10 weeks in Breretons getting its first service since 2007.

Omega Seamaster 600m

Thirdfox

banie01 wrote: »

I've one myself and I bloody love it.
Don't wind it on the wrist tho, crown has already gone once in mine and as Wibbs said at the time....
Makes it an even better homage :pac:

Did Ed sort you out about the crown? I don’t think you should need to be particularly careful about wrist winding - I’ve always wound the 1963 I had on the wrist without issue.

banie01

Thirdfox wrote: »

Did Ed sort you out about the crown? I don’t think you should need to be particularly careful about wrist winding - I’ve always wound the 1963 I had on the wrist without issue.

Yeah, he sorted it out asap in fairness.
No issues at all with that.

Apparently the original had a tendency to snap stems too and I'm a fan of better safe than sorry.

2shea

My Seiko DayDate 36mm:-)

njburke

2shea wrote: »

My Seiko DayDate 36mm:-)

That's a nice looking 5. I see the fabled snkl23 is available again after hodinkee put a rocket to demand.

somebody_else

2shea wrote: »

My Seiko DayDate 36mm:-)

Nice !

I went for black dial with black date and day and now can't see day-date :-(
(got NH36A movement so most likely gonna do the swap).

Cyclingtourist

Steinhart Ocean One and the 'true story' of U-Boat boardings (13) in WWII. Also describes the 'Irland' (Ireland) Code for concealing messages (such as the capture of Enigma machines) in private letters sent back to Germany from POW camps.

Iguarantee

unkel wrote: »

Well wear! Yes a very big and heavy watch. Tall! Lovely colour too.

It's a great quality watch for the money, if I have just one criticism, it would be that I would have liked a glidelock type of adjustment system. If you're gonna copy everything on the watch, apart from the Rolex logos, you might as well copy that! And I believe it is no longer under copyright protection by Rolex. Didn't thirdfox post something like that?

One things I’ve noticed with the OceanX SHARKMASTER is that the 12 o clock position on the rotating bezel doesn’t exactly line up with the 12 o clock on the watch face.

Is barely noticeable but now that I’ve seen it I can’t unsee it.