I was watching Corporal’s Corner down in the Reclusium as I waited for glue to dry and goofed off. For you younger guys with kids… if you want ideas for cheap and wholesome entertainment and activities with the kids - camp and bushcraft is something to take a good hard look at. The Corporal has the coolest toys and was asked about his watch. It turned out to be your typical chit house bargain basement Casio digital.
They’re $20.00 on Amazon right now. If I remember his story, he was walking out of some military base after finishing up his enlistment back in the late 90s/early 2000s. He was in the parking lot when he looked down and spied one a these cheapo time pieces with a broken strap that someone had dropped. He took it to the store, bought a replacement strap and battery and he’s worn it ever since. I think he said he puts batteries in it every 7 or 8 years.
Joe Rogan cracks me up. The guy’s too dumb to be taken seriously, but too smart to be written off as an idiot. I guess he bought a $10,000.00 Rolex Submariner and was rather disappointed in it. “Every month it loses a couple minutes,” he whined. “There’s something wrong with it…”
Welp… no, Joe. That is right in spec for a top flight mechanical self winding watch. In years gone by it was the pinnacle of the watchmaker’s craft too. But times change. Today the Japs build the exact same watch movement for about $600.00 and they are commonly used in high end Rolex knockoffs and reproductions. The Japs literally build a better Rolex than Rolex does. They did the same thing to Harley Davidson too, the little bastards… but I digress. Joe has a vintage status symbol with a reputation for mystique and romance, earned in better times when we were better people.
I have a couple old Casio geek/nerd watches with the tiny calculator, phone number directory and minuscule buttons that I can’t even see anymore unless I take off my glasses. I lost the first one down in the dungeon and bought another one. I re-discovered the first one behind the scrap lumber. My daughter’s rotten cat - Smokey Joe - must have stolen it off the work bench and taken it to his lair. I found a bunch of his toys and some stolen tools there too. I just flumped down and savoured old memories when I found Joe’s hoard of plunder. They’ve both been gone forever. I blew the dust off the watch and squinted at it. It was still running. I gathered up the tools and put them away, I put the toys in a box on a bench, and put the watch in a drawer upstairs. My eyes are bad, and I needed something with a bigger display.
I started shopping in my underwear at the computer table late one night over a scotch and quit the second I saw this:
$850.00…😞
Screw it! Add to cart!!! 😜👍
I got the watch 8 years ago, took about a half hour to set it up…put it on and forgot about it. I even use the functions once in awhile. It looks like a beast but it’s feather light, and fits so well you forget it’s even there. For years, I’ve worn this thing virtually every day, -40C to +35C… banging around in the shop, getting beaten up by tards and dawgs, rain, mud, snow, sleet… and that thing hasn’t lost a second of time since.
It’s not the watch for everyone. The collectors flip out because of the solar power. I’ve heard a few experts on OyTube say that the thing’ll die on cloudy days. What those idiots don’t understand is that this watch is meant to be worn. It’s a piece of gear, but also a precision instrument. Several precision instruments, actually. If you take it off, put it in the drawer and leave it there, the watch goes into hibernation mode. The hands stop, the display goes out, and it tracks time internally. The small onboard battery will keep it going for two years in that mode. If you wear it every day it will run like a top off of ambient light. No, this thing will not fail on cloudy days. Sheesh… fuggin “experts”…😡
The thing doesn’t have great lume on the numerals for night time. That requires tritium but that’s illegal now. It has a backlight so for me it’s no big deal. The price tag is awful but I think they’ve come down a bit now that they’re established in the marketplace. The only real gripe I’ve had with mine is the strap. Mine finally crapped out.
No special tools required. 4 hex bolts, 4 retaining pins… remove the moulded plastic…and the strap is off. An unsavoury note…under those mouldings that retain the strap… I had an accumulation of dead skin, grease, sawdust, hair… and I didn’t even know it was there! When the thing is together you can’t see it or get at the space with a bristle brush. I took the opportunity to give it a good scrub and clean… 🤢
In the for-what-it-is-worth category:
ReplyDeleteThe late and lamented Remus over at the Woodpile Report used to sell high-end watches after retiring from his "real" job. He sold many, multi-thousand dollar watches.
His daily "wear" was a Timex Ironman in the $30-to-$40 USD range.
If you HAD to have a Seiko or other high-end mark, the brands sold their "blems" in Latin America for about thirty-cents-on-the-dollar and most blems were invisible to the unaided eye.
I miss Ol' Remus. It reminds me of how old I actually am.
DeleteYup. The Expeditions were good cheapo watches too.
DeleteI took my watch off when I retired in 2006, except for the day I had to take my nephew & his bicycle to school, and return him home.
ReplyDeleteDid you view the watch and time keeping as adversaries in your career, St. B? When my dad retired he carried around a day timer for a few months just out of habit. I know in my line of work, I couldn’t plan or schedule anything. Those were fond but unachievable goals! 😂
DeleteI WISHED I could be punctual and ordered… but that was for other people to enjoy.
I tried a lot of different watches over the years. I had a Casio with a calculator keypad, one that you had to push a button to light up the red numerals, several self-winders and mechanicals, and a bunch of digitals. The problem I always had was the watch band. The plastic and leather ones made my arm sweat. The metal ones pinched and pulled out my arm hair. I finally started carrying a pocket watch and I really like them. Now I just need to remember to take it out of my pocket before the pants go in the washer.
ReplyDeleteWhat brand is it UO?
DeleteI have 3 watches, Tissot Swissmatic for formal occasions such as court appearance, Casio Tough solar for hard routine in the field, and an Steeldive Capt. Willard homage daily wearer. Bought the Casio at Costco 15yrs ago and keep it on the window sill. The Steedive gets comments from those who know and as an extra I added an button compass to the strap.
ReplyDeleteChutes Magoo
I've loved all my Tissots but my EDS is a cheap backlit Timex.
DeleteBack in my early teens i started wearing a watch everyday, had a battery and glow in the dark hands, was a very nice but inexpensive piece i got one year for my birthday.
ReplyDeleteIn my early 20's I had a job were we couldn't wear watches or jewelry on our hands/wrists. It would have been very bad if we had gotten it caught on the machinery. So at first i switched to putting it in my locker, then only wearing it on weekends then just stopped wearing it.
I just never got back in the habit, maybe i should start wearing one again
Exile1981
I just feel better with one than without….
DeleteWow, you're one of those rich snobs, I'd have to sell my truck to get one of those. My dads self winding, old, plane Jane Rolex was stolen out of my work locker back in the 70's. I'm not over it. These days, anything with a battery seems to keep near perfect time. My years in tree service killed a bunch of Timex, battery powered $10-20 wonders. Occasionally they would last long enough to need a battery. Walmart was my fren.
ReplyDeleteI am not rich, but I’m free. It came at a terrible cost…. And a good watch is one of the rewards I allow myself.
DeleteI've read before that these days 99% of the people, when asked what the time is, will grab for their phone first even if they're wearing a watch. That means for 99% of the people wearing a watch, it's nothing more than male jewelry.
ReplyDeleteSince I've been wearing a watch since forever, I have a $100 Citizens for civilized wear and a $20 Casio for uncivilized wear. I could lose both tomorrow and not worry about it. Both are simple dials that only tell time. The Casio has a light so I can read it in the dark.
I've been tempted by a G-shock before, but I have skinny nerd arms and that thing is way too big. I almost have to shop women's watches these days to get something in the size I like.
Yeah it’s chunky. A big case is the price you pay for ruggedized electronics. They are not for everyone…
Deleteeven the solar g-shocks will die...they average about 10 years give or take a year before the internal battery will stop charging/holding a charge...i have the all blacked out solar/atomic g-shock...love the thing...got it in 2012...i sent it to g-shock here in the states and i think i paid $25-30 bucks and they put in a new solar battery...good as new...if you got 8 years on yours and start noticing it won't hold a full charge any more, they can replace the battery...and for what you paid for yours i would def get it replaced when the time comes...
ReplyDeleteHmpppfffff. Curious.
DeleteThe new Casio Tough Solars say the batt. Should last as long as the watch and not need replacement. You can check the battery status on the Mudmaster and the power level on mine has never dipped below HIGH.
https://support.casio.com/en/support/faqlist.php?cid=009001001#:~:text=About%20Tough%20Solar,-Most%20Read%20FAQ&text=Though%20there%20is%20no%20need,any%20other%20periodic%20maintenance%20required%3F&text=Can%20I%20charge%20the%20watch%20under%20fluorescent%20light%3F&text=The%20display%20of%20my%20watch,What%20should%20I%20do%3F
wish i could find the original post i found on reddit that explained it...i have the 3195...it was about 10 year mark when my charge indicator wouldn't go above mid...started looking around the internet and found some posts stating most of the solar batteries last about 10 years...yours is more expensive, may have a better battery?...all i know is they fixed it and i'm happy...
DeleteI have an extensive watch collection with everything from $5 beat up Tissots to a ‘52 Patek.
ReplyDeleteDaily wear is a Casio G-Shock 5610 much like the watch pictured.
Solar powered, atomic time sync, and damn near indestructible. If it gets destroyed, I probably lost an arm when it happened, so I don’t worry about it.
Ironman is my first choice. Just went back to one from a G-shock. For 30 years I’ve worn either brand continuously. Sleep, shower, swimming, it makes to difference.
ReplyDeleteCasio F-91 W for the win. Cheap, reliable, and as a bonus it's the only watch that flags you as a terrorist with the department of Homeland Insecurity and Thousands Standing Around.
ReplyDeleteThat said I prefer a dial watch.