Good, cheap watch thread.

[Time Waster]

I imagine you are talking about Phoenix Watches of Liverpool Here
View attachment 733565

I have always found them polite and professional, and not hoity-toity in the slightest. If they say it isn't economic to repair, I would believe them. That doesn't mean it cannot be repaired or have a new movement of course, just it costs more than the watch is worth. In point of fact they are currently servicing my father in-law's Omega, which I inherited 18 months ago - I have no doubts that it will come back as good as new

Could be. As I remember it you head up the main shopping street past m and s on the opposite side and back then it was not really signed as a watch repairer. This was years before Liverpool 1 got built. IIRC m&s was towards the top end of the main shopping area that spread, in my mind, from central station. The old George Henry Lees shop, opens and opens, etc. The watch place was the other end from central and further up than I usually went.

Things are totally different in Liverpool from when I went there as a kid. Unrecognisable and the main shopping seems to have moved to L1 shopping mall and nearby streets, the old ones seem less frequented. GH LEES was empty when I last that way.

Thing with watches, unless you get an expensive one, they're disposable except for strap and battery changes I reckon. This watch repairer simply made that clear. If it had any sentimentality linked to it then perhaps it would have been worth it. I had the same opinion of my old accurist moon phase watch I got given for my 18th. He opened it up in front of me. It was dirty/greasy. However it needed a bit more than a good clean out. No idea where it is now. Not working that's for sure

 

[FrankCrank]

Not having a go at Citizen, they make nice watches, but having had one in the past, thought it worth a mention. A big selling point of their EcoDrive range is that you never have to replace the battery, which is true in a way, being as it doesn't have one. It does however have a capacitor type cell, which stores charge from daylight. This cell has a shelf life, and will need replacement eventually, if the watch itself proves to be long-lived. Mine was on it's third cell when it finally died. Also, they now have it stated on the caseback that it is a dealer only task to fit a new one. Like I say, just pointing this out.

 

[ExBrit]

I'm glad you posted this thread. I've been thinking about buying a new watch since my smart watch died. After reading this, I remembered my daughter bought me a Timex indiglo many years back. I just popped the back off, ordered new batteries, and I'll be using that.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Not having a go at Citizen, they make nice watches, but having had one in the past, thought it worth a mention. A big selling point of their EcoDrive range is that you never have to replace the battery, which is true in a way, being as it doesn't have one. It does however have a capacitor type cell, which stores charge from daylight. This cell has a shelf life, and will need replacement eventually, if the watch itself proves to be long-lived. Mine was on it's third cell when it finally died. Also, they now have it stated on the caseback that it is a dealer only task to fit a new one. Like I say, just pointing this out.

Not too onerous - c£20 to diy, or c£50 for a specialist to do it.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/25580737.../sg0Wq6zJ5ZgMEgXkltQ01Z3lA==|tkp:BFBMpp6z3P9j

 

[johnnyb47]

I daily watch is a Casio Edifice solar watch with a sapphire glass.
I managed to get it with £100 off for £80.
It's been fantastic for the last couple of years and the glass has remained free of scratches thanks to the sapphire glass

 

[Time Waster]

I think Rotary use hypoallergenic bracelets, that's what I was told in H Samuels. I cant wear metal bracelets as they bring me out in a rash and this is what the lady said.

I'd not listen too much to H. Samuels staff personally. They're just salespeople without the specialist knowledge of jewellers of the past.

No idea about watch straps but Titanium is used within the body due to the way it doesn't trigger a response from the body's immune system. I studied biomaterials as an extra, subject at university, out of interest but I wasn't enrolled. The lecturers let us sit in on electives we hadn't elected if we were free for the lectures. The human body is one of the most severe environmental for materials in that there's cells that actively reacts to foreign materials.

Iirc if you're having reactions it could be due to lower quality materials, impurities, etc. Good stainless steel shouldn't cause a reaction. Metals such as gold and titanium can be better and less n reactive to them. AIUI in jewellry silver, gold and platinum are better the more pure they are. I'm sure if you've ever bought cheap earrings and had a reaction that's likely due to impurities in the metals.

You have to watch out with cheap silicone straps too, they're often causing reactions. My old fitbit surge used to. You had to keep washing it and drying it to stop this. In fact and watch strap benefits from being kept clean and dry to help reduce risk of reaction.

Whatever works for you. Nylon straps and leather I've found ti be good options anyway.

 

[Reynard]

Not sure that's completely true as it was my gran who showed me the place. You'd not find it without knowing where it was so she took me there. It was where she took her watch to be fixed and she had watches that were a lot cheaper than mine were. He fixed cheaper watches as well as expensive ones. My gran used sekonda and cheap lorus watches.

Mmmm, but you have to bear in mind that many years ago, watch servicing / repairing was much more of a "thing", irrespective of whether it was a one-jewel skin diver or a fully-jewelled and gold-cased dress watch.

Now it's much more of a "bin it and buy a new one" which is fair enough, but adds to the ever-growing mountain of electronic waste. I won't touch on this further as it is heading towards NACA territory. But I take my hat off to anyone who is keeping an old(er) watch running, and gets it repaired whenever needed. However, there are now quite a few modern (and not particularly cheap) watches that now have plastic movements that are completely non-serviceable.

That said, there are far fewer watchmakers around than there used to be, and to a certain extent, they can pick and choose. But that's still no excuse for dismissing you out of hand. Besides, cheap and affordable means a different thing for everyone, and there's no need to get sniffy.

 

[MichaelW2]

How about a Lorus Luminbrite field watch.
Cheap as chips from Argos

I picked up a used Lorus field watch for a few quid. Seiko movement, day marker in English and French. Reliable, accurate, 100m proof and field watch looks.

 

[Time Waster]

Had my seiko in the window for two days second hand moves stutteringly. Then I read a tip about pulling the crown our two stops to stop the timing mechanism then put in the sun. Woke up this morning and the second hand moves smoothly.

So it's in a very bright window and it's been blue skies, string sun into that window from dawn. Only just gone a bit cloudy recently.

I'll leave it in the window a bit longer and perhaps store it in the window from now on.

 

[Reynard]

I'll leave it in the window a bit longer and perhaps store it in the window from now on.

I believe that's what you're supposed to do anyway, with a solar watch, to ensure the charge is kept at a good level.

 

[Time Waster]

A lot of them seem to have a 42 hour reserve. I wonder what the output of the solar cell in them, how long to top up to the max reserve?

 

[mustang1]

I reckon a Citizen eco drive (whatever style you like, stay away from those GPS ones since you want super simple) or a Seiko 5 automatic.

There's also Orient, Lorus, Timex but I reckon for your budget, the first two will be great. Just choose whichever style and strap/bracelet options you like.

 

[Illaveago]

I have a Citizen Eco drive which I've had for years. I bought it in an auction with another Eco drive and another wind up watch. I don't know how old the Eco drive is but it must be over 10 years that I've had it. I usually leave it in the window when I'm not using it. It is just a simple gold plated watch with date. I expect that I paid around £30 with commission, that was before watch collecting became popular.
I have got a Lotus quartz which I've also had for years. It has been really good and has a good movement inside. I was hocked when I took the back off my Seiko to find a cheap movement inside. I thought they were supposed to be good watches?

 

[Illaveago]

I used to pick up watches at the auctions. Some of them were just grouped together in a box so it was a bit of pot luck as to what worked or not . I found an Ellesse mans watch , date with metal strap. At first it wouldn't work due to some corrosion on a battery contact . I cleaned it off with lime juice , fitted a new battery and had been working since. The movement inside looks to be pretty good .
I also have a Klaus Kobec. I call them Klaus Cobblers! Nobody else bid on it so I won it cheaply. It is a chronograph with a fancy leather strap. I took the back off yesterday as it needs a new battery. The movement looks like a Citizen and a lot better than the one I found in my Seiko.

 

[Illaveago]

I wasn't impressed by the look of this movement in my Seiko watch!