The Under £200ish Watch and occasional Opera Thread! Vol2

[Drooles]

wibble cb said:

I don’t like the strap, but do like the watch



Might switch to a silicon/ rubber strap

I have the same watch and I thought the same… I put it on a NATO for a while and that didn’t work for me, then I tried distressed leather… didn’t work either. So, it’s now back on a canvas strap but not the original, but one from Barton. Seems to be less scratchy

[wibble cb]

Drooles said:

wibble cb said:

I don’t like the strap, but do like the watch



Might switch to a silicon/ rubber strap

I have the same watch and I thought the same… I put it on a NATO for a while and that didn’t work for me, then I tried distressed leather… didn’t work either. So, it’s now back on a canvas strap but not the original, but one from Barton. Seems to be less scratchy

I don’t get on with NATO straps either, silicon it is, so much more comfy

[SWoll]

Budget dependent, but I've got a couple of straps from here and they're great quality and not particularly expensive.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/watchandstrapco

[Dal3D]

Has anyone had and of the Avi-8 watches? Are they decent?

I've seen the new Hawker Typhoon one and I quite like the bold but easily readable faces - some good detail too.

https://avi-8.co.uk/



https://avi-8.co.uk/pages/hawker-typhoon-rb396-she...

[Barchettaman]

They do pop up on here, people like them, they won’t hold much value but they seem well built and if you like the look, go for it.

Their Spitfire ‘Eric Lock’ edition keeps appearing on my Instagram feed, now obviously they’re clever buggers with the filming they do, but it does look very smart indeed on the promotional video….they’re £150 on Amazon.

[Malcolm E Boo]

Just been away and forgot my Tudor so wanted a cheap watch to wear. Fits the bill nicely. £50 at the airport. Keeping perfect time too.

[Bobberoo]

Malcolm E Boo said:

Just been away and forgot my Tudor so wanted a cheap watch to wear. Fits the bill nicely. £50 at the airport. Keeping perfect time too.

Be careful, it's a slippery slope I tells ya!!!

[blue_haddock]

Well my fifty quid depth charge has arrived and it's great.

I wasnt keen on the bracelet with polished links so swapped it out straight away for a rubber strap.

The spec for the money is amazing - nh35 with sapphire glass and ceramic bezel.

[RSTurboPaul]

blue_haddock said:

Well my fifty quid depth charge has arrived and it's great.

I wasnt keen on the bracelet with polished links so swapped it out straight away for a rubber strap.

The spec for the money is amazing - nh35 with sapphire glass and ceramic bezel.

That looks great, and not just 'great for the money'!

[RSTurboPaul]

Although I'm not personally a quartz fan, these 'new in' models from Lotus are looking cool for summer:

https://www.watchshop.com/watches/lotus/mens.plp?o...



I really like the top ones!

https://www.watchshop.com/watches/mens-lotus-stain...

https://www.watchshop.com/watches/mens-lotus-stain...

https://www.watchshop.com/watches/mens-lotus-stain...

[Barchettaman]

blue_haddock said:

Well my fifty quid depth charge has arrived and it's great.

I wasnt keen on the bracelet with polished links so swapped it out straight away for a rubber strap.

The spec for the money is amazing - nh35 with sapphire glass and ceramic bezel.

How the heck did you get it at that price? Was it a one-off special deal?

Looks terrific BTW.

Edited by Barchettaman on Sunday 28th May 09:33

[Drooles]

Edited by Barchettaman on Sunday 28th May 09:33

[/

Barchettaman said:

blue_haddock said:

Well my fifty quid depth charge has arrived and it's great.

I wasnt keen on the bracelet with polished links so swapped it out straight away for a rubber strap.

The spec for the money is amazing - nh35 with sapphire glass and ceramic bezel.

Totally agree. What a great watch! I really don’t need another diver but this has made me want one!

Edited by Drooles on Sunday 28th May 15:53

Edited by Drooles on Sunday 28th May 15:54

[105.4]

What are the collective thoughts on Dunhill watches? They seem to fall into the £200-£250 price range.

[CharlesdeGaulle]

105.4 said:

What are the collective thoughts on Dunhill watches? They seem to fall into the £200-£250 price range.

We're an easy going bunch here. I suspect the general view will be that if you like a watch you should buy it.

I confess that I rather expected Dunhill watches to be a premium brand so costing significantly more than 200 quid.

Regardless, you like it you buy it. It's the thread way.

[Bobberoo]

CharlesdeGaulle said:

105.4 said:

What are the collective thoughts on Dunhill watches? They seem to fall into the £200-£250 price range.

We're an easy going bunch here. I suspect the general view will be that if you like a watch you should buy it.

I confess that I rather expected Dunhill watches to be a premium brand so costing significantly more than 200 quid.

Regardless, you like it you buy it. It's the thread way.

[RSTurboPaul]

Is it the case that Dunhill is a 'fashion' brand now (so one might put them into a 'cheaper quartz stuff that looks alright' category) but there are older watches that are more expensive?

A quick look at Chrono24 seems to pull up some somewhat expensive older stuff!

[105.4]

RSTurboPaul said:

Is it the case that Dunhill is a 'fashion' brand now (so one might put them into a 'cheaper quartz stuff that looks alright' category) but there are older watches that are more expensive?

A quick look at Chrono24 seems to pull up some somewhat expensive older stuff!

I quite liked them as a teenager for some reason, (30+ years ago), but it was just one of those watches that I never got around to buying.

A customer of mine was smoking Dunhill cigarettes the other day, (duty free from abroad I suspect), which jogged my memory about Dunhill watches from the 80’s-90’s.

A quick look on eBay shows a few working ones available for around thread budget, (£200-£250).

I’m not sure it’s something that I’d wear much though tbh, which probably is a que for not buying one in the first place. I’m not sure that a Dunhill would really ‘fit’ wearing cargo trousers and a hoody, (or shorts and a t-shirt if it’s hot), whilst running around a bit of a rough housing estate all day at work

[Barchettaman]

If there’s any one you like the look of, and you think ‘holy hell, I’ve absolutely got to have that to rock on my wrist’, then go for it.

I’ve only looked at 2, out of curiosity. Both were Quartz dive style watches and weren’t my bag at all. Your tastes may differ.

[pistonheadforum]

When perusing the extremities of Ali Express and a brand you have never heard of (and might sound naff) offers the sterile dial with no logo how often do you choose to go with the logo or brand name?

I feel as though not having a watch with "Triffon", "Blato" or some other dire name is just not cricket and try to choose the branding version.

[Barchettaman]

I know I’ve said it before, but although nobody buys a mechanical watch for its accuracy it isn’t half gratifying when a cheap automatic watch outperforms expectations!

My €60 Citizen Promaster has been on my wrist for about a week now and is keeping rock solid time. I mean, the movement doesn’t hack so ultimately its accuracy is pretty pointless but after 7 days it’s bang on. Minus 20 last weekend, minus 20 today.

Remarkable really.

The scratches and scuffs on the mineral crystal are 95% removed with Polywatch. I would recommend the stuff.