Reply With Quotecan never be too careful
Amen, mah bruthah.Originally Posted by funkstar
I buy my watches to wear, not as display items. That said, I work in an office and have a "gardening" beater which I wear when working on the car, in the garden or anywhere else obviously watch-unfriendly. Weirdly, it's in remarkable condition given I've been wearing it carelessly since I was 16.
I am conscious of my watches but I don't baby them. They mostly have a few marks (especially the vintage ones) but I'd not see the value in having them if they just sat in the sock drawer un-worn.
can never be too careful
I walk around with my left arm raised an wrapped in bubble wrap. Some days I wear a watch too.
You could always do what John Travolta does to baby his Breitling...
Last edited by jwg663; 25th October 2012 at 11:22.
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Jim.
Brilliant. I shall have to remember that one.
I'd be more worried you refer to it as A) a jumper!! b) how it can scratch a watch. My kids have jumpers, I have sweaters :)
I protect my watch well, specially the leather strap, which is difficult to protect in summer. For wristwatches, protecting is important.
Perfect quote. But what does that make a GTG / Passround?
"Bite my shiny metal ass."
- Bender Bending Rodríguez
Is there even an excuse for desk diver swirlies? You can wear them under your shirt cuff when typing.
im certainly more aware of my watches than someone who has no real interest in them.. but thats pretty much par for the course round here i think.
however.. if i buy a mint watch.. i definitely take care to try and keep them in the same condition.. which i manage because theyre usually worn under sleeves etc.
but.. if i buy a watch that already has some swirls/signs of life.. i feel a quite free from the babying element.
Do you even check the time, or prefer to leave the watch in a static position in order to avoid contact with anything other than fresh air?
Whatever the answer may be, wearing a watch does not suit you, honestly.
I am in the 'Just Wear It' Team, but I also select the watch based on what I am doing. If out hiking with the dogs or going diving I always select the watch that I am going to worry about least if it gets damaged.
So actually, maybe I do take care by swapping watches all of the time.
<just tucking my Omega Speedmaster Quartz back under my sleeve>
Phew!
Think I had 4 watch changes yesterday
Also been glad several times to be wearing long sleeves, as my watch thunks off a door frame (always door frames for me?!!), and survives thanks to a 'protective' layer.
I keep all mine safely locked up in a safe.
By the way, anyone know what time it is?
I have a bit of an internal fight between sides of my personality wrt looking after watches - I'm a believer in watches needing to be worn, but I do like mine to be kept in good nick. The problem I especially have is with watches that I perceive to be "delicate" - I end up not wearing them for fear of damaging them. My IWC Portuguese 5001 was the worst - it was a true grail, but I hardly ever wore it for fear of catching the bezel on something. So it had to go. I'm not too bad with "tool" type watches - they normally get much more wear. (My PAM 312, Sub and Fifty Fathoms probably get the most wear).
I also have an issue with straps - I don't like them to get damaged and worn, so I nearly always take the original oem strap off, put it in a box, and put on a third party one.
I've never been worried about water resistance though - I'll gladly swim in any watch with decent WR rating.
actually.. i am much more preoccupied with keeping watches clean rather than keeping them clear of swirlies.
with the exception of my g-shock.. i have one vintage and one with a 30m resistance.. so no schooshing under the tap with a tooshbrush for them.. which means im left with the polishing cloth option.. this drives me nuts.
i HATE a dirty watch.. and dust in between the lugs is an irritation.
unless the bracelet already has swirls, i tend to get melhick to make me a nice leather to save the bracelets.
other than that, nothing seems to stay in my box long enough to get really dinged - i'm too much of a tart and i don't think i've kept one watch for even one year yet!
ktmog6uk
marchingontogether!
I have never been one to worry about getting marks on watches or bracelets, even before I learned about WABI.
A marked, used watch is honest. Once marked, you can forget about babying it.
I've been a soldier and a policeman. I couldn't afford to worry about marking a watch in either occupation.
What did you do to 'scratch' the crystal that 'badly' ?
I'm as careful with my watches as I am with everything I have. That is, I look after them as best I can and try not to mark or damage them at all.
I am as fastidious about servicing them and keeping them clean as I am with my car.
If I am going to be doing something that might "harm" the watch, I'll take it off..I really baby them.
You da man.
The more damaged they are, the better they look when restored.
Brendan
webwatchmaker.com
I think ''wabi' is an accumulation of wabi inflicted by several owners culminating in ''MEGA wabi'' which is only evident when you get a well wabied watch....phew lol.
I wear them and not worry about it at all. I'm not clumsy and I don't work on a building site, so my watches get very little abuse. Also, I rotate them frequently, so each watch gets limited opportunity to get damaged.
You sure there's no vested interest there?
Ah, this old chestnut.
I'm in the "wear it and don't worry" camp. If you can't afford to wear it and fix it if it gets bashed then should you have bought it in the first place?
I'll admit I generally wear my G-Shock for cycling or badminton but I have (more than occasionally) forgotten that I'm wearing my Ulysse-Nardin and not worried about it once I realised. I even swim in my Sinn Arktis!
I'll just go and get my flame proof pants now, ready for the torrents of abuse!
Cheers,
I treat my watches like my cars. They get used for the purpose intended which involves some wear and tear. Just as with my cars, I don't aim my watched up wrist thoughtlessly at a gate post.
I do like to keep them clean and well maintained which could involve a refinish at servicing if required - the cars and the watches.
Gray
Simple.The Carrera RS 17 was purchased for work on the rubber strap and will/has taken a lot of knocks unnoticed .The Sub LV comes out only for best and is wrapped in cotton wool
regards
T
Great analogy. I also treat my watches like cars. Unfortunately in my case this borders on OCD in both cases! I'm currently gutted that after keeping my 19" alloys in pristine condition for over a year and nearly 30,000 miles, I've managed to acquire some kerb damage to both front wheels in the space of the last 2 weeks. And just like the time I scuffed the bracelet on my Sub on a rock when I slipped whilst out walking, I'm sure I won't sleep well until I get them refinished!
Can somebody recommend some treatment??
Just have lots of watches and spread the wear evenly. Also, take the thing off when using devices expressly designed to cut through metal or glass, because, when your bastard file slips and gouges your new bastard watch, you can feel very irritated.
Last edited by notnowkato; 25th October 2012 at 23:50.
That really depends on the watch you're wearing / what your plans for the day are, no?
When wearing a cheap Casio, I'm not really being careful. When wearing something pricier or rare, I'll be very careful. And of course the cheap watches will be chosen to do for example some garden work, while for a day at the office I'll choose something nicer.
Sounds logic, no?
I cannot wear a watch I have to be careful of.
I don't need further aggravation and worries.
If a watch can't take it, neither can I.
I am very careful with my watches but it does not stop me wearing them. I have learned to live with the inevitable scratches that come from doing this. It was not always like this though!!
With some of them I don;t dare to tell anyone..............
Daddel.
Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!
Nope, wear them all without much worry. I don't wear leather straps when exercising or swimming or what have you but other than that I just wear them. That said, I don't have anything that's very high value.
Yet.
If working on a car or doing DIY, I don't wear a watch. Otherwise, I'm naturally careful but don't overly mother my watches (bar one).
Like many, I regard "tool" watches as pretty much cannon fodder for a little wabi. I often buy pre-wabi'd pieces, so there is little pain in adding the odd scratch here or there (although to be honest I don't actually do much in the way of damage other than the inevitable desk diving scuffs on the clasp).
I did find, however, that when I bought the PRS-9 CAF earlier this year, whenever I wore it I was hyper-conscious of keeping it clear of potentially dangerous situations. If I'm honest, it was too beautiful for my peace of mind, and I would pirouette around the supermarket like Darcey Bussell to avoid rampaging toddlers in case it got looked at too hard. So I guess I have the capacity to care about a nice shiny watch...
I am very careful with my watches. No dinks, no scratches. I seemed to have developed a radar around my watch arm. It's especially active in the summer when I am wearing short sleeves. I also polish out any near invisible scratches from time to time with a Cape Cod. I also have a fine sanding block for scratches on brushed finishes.
I am the kind of guy who never drops his phone and scream when I scrape up my alloys.
you people who actually wear your watches are living on the edge. And as for taking them outside, well i am speechless.
Ah, a thread designed just for me! For many years I had but the one watch, a Citizen eco drive chrono and I wore it to work (hard labour) and for play (harder labour) and it acquired over the years, welding splatter on the dial and bracelet, marks from a bench grinder, bits of metal ingrained into both the head and the bracelet and it was ( and still is) the definition of "Wabi"! I would post a picture of it, but I fear it would cause suicides amongst the more delicate flowers of the forum!
Then I semi retired (due to ill health rather than old age) and my latent WIS was allowed full reign. When I got my Speedy pro with it's dreaded hesalite crystal, the first thing I did was scratch the bastard so new skills had to be learned. I am now a master at polishing out scratches on plastic crystals, a veritable Demon at removing evidence of wear from bracelets with my varying degrees of sandpaper and scotchpads, and fine lines and scratches on polished surfaces are but feeble opponents for my tube of special polishing creme (who's name I've forgotten 'cos I'm a senile old cretin).
If I am doing anything likely to involve a potential for damage then I wear my faithful old Eco-drive, otherwise, I wear which ever watch I fancy. Nowadays I wear them for a few days at a time and then, before they go back in the watch box, they are examined under a 10X loupe and ANY damage/scratch/mark is fully erradicated before it is allowed back into the polite company of other watches! I have been known to spend an entire evening removing a scratch in a clasp that even I'm not sure is anything but a trick of the light!
My bought new WG Daytona is my most marked up watch and I'd wear it almost any wear without too much concern :)
It's just a matter of time...
I'm with you on the alloys. I bought a lovely new set of BBS alloys for the wife's car and having lectured her on how to park, I managed to put the first mark on them (a 5mm nudge on the rim). She'll never let me forget that.
It's more dangerous inside. That's where the shower is, and we all know that dive watches dissolve under a warm shower.
Right, shower, hot tub and a soap. That is more dangerous than acid.
I had a brietling navitimer for 15 years ( i still have it but now rarely wear it) and wore it nearly everyday, it took a fearsome pounding, no one will buy it as it is, but some of the marks have interesting stories ( one big gouge in the case from when i scraped down the door frame of a twin otter when skydiving). .
Earlier in the year i bought an old sea dweller, for the first few weeks i didn't wear it when working ( i work on motorbikes and engines), then forgot to take it off for a couple of days so decided "sod it" and just left it on.
And there it's stayed, on my wrist ever since through work rest and play. Strap is getting a bit stretched, but it's holding out well for the moment.
Last edited by steptoe; 27th October 2012 at 21:20.
How about the dreaded stress on the bracelet? It pains me when carrying heavy luggage or shopping in my left hand because the bracelet links are subject to unnecessary strain . Half-joking here but I am still pretty conscious of it..sometimes there's no choice though.
(I realise I am probably seriously winding up some folks by now - sorry).
My general day-to-day life doesn't put any undue stress on my watches, beyond the risk of an accidental collision with a coffee cup or desk top, so I'm generally of the wear and forget persuasion. If I'm doing anything significantly more likely to cause a battering; gym, car washing (to protect car as well); ridiculous night out, etc, then I'll remove and either wear something more appropriate or go without. I don't baby my watches, but similarly I've no desire to beat sh*t out of them when there is a more suitable alternative.
Only remove them for speed w@nking, don't want a broken rotor
I did change the oil in my car once with subdate firmly strapped on, more becuase I never thought about it though
Respect the past, live the present, protect the future
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