Club Obi Wan

For those looking for a good 'new' period style watch to wear with the gear, here's one that just popped up at Wings for your consideration.....

http://www.uswings.com/watches.asp#BenrusWatch

Regards

Michaelson

Man... why'd you have to post that? Now, I want one.

Doug C

Burry it in the sand and wait for a thousand years, it becomes priceless.

What I like is the fact it's a Swiss 17 jewel mechanical movement rather than a quartz 'wannbe' retro wristie.

Regards! Michaelson

That's my favorite watch of all time. I love the simplicity and pure functionality of the design. My godfather owns one from his Vietnam days. I've owned a couple of cheap copies, from Timex, but they were @#$%. Thanks for posting this, I may have to pick one up.
'Blues

My pleasure!

Regards! Michaelson

Yep, well I couldn't resist...went ahead and ordered one just now. I've been thinking of getting myself another watch lately anyway. I also ordered the original pilot sunglasses that they sell (got the black frames as opposed to the gold, 52mm) and a pair of the leather US military gloves (short gauntlet) with wool inserts. Those two items were on sell. They have a cool leather flying "helmet" (think WWI) and some other items that I may get from them later - I never studied their site very well before. Thanks again Michaelson for the heads up.

Oh and I know I should have asked this before ordering but what does this mean, just that it need to be wound up?

the fact it's a Swiss 17 jewel mechanical movement

Doug C

Yes, the mainspring of a standard mechanical watch will run the watch for approximately 36 to 42 hours on one winding. A Swiss movement is about as good as it gets, and it being 17j means it has a ruby jewel 'bearing' at the end of each wheel pinion of the movement 'train'. Any additional jewels are really not needed in a fine watch, though they went as high as 25 jewels in railroad watches....those extra jewels do nothing to improve the operation or accuracy of a watch, and really only make them more difficult to service.

So, it's a fine mechanical movement that will only require a daily winding to operate, and no batteries to buy.

My kind of watch. (grins) If I didn't already have a bunch to wear/carry, I'd order one myself.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:

Yes, the mainspring of a standard mechanical watch will run the watch for approximately 36 to 42 hours on one winding. A Swiss movement is about as good as it gets, and it being 17j means it has a ruby jewel 'bearing' at the end of each wheel pinion of the movement 'train'. Any additional jewels are really not needed in a fine watch, though they went as high as 25 jewels in railroad watches....those extra jewels do nothing to improve the operation or accuracy of a watch, and really only make them more difficult to service.

I am impressed. You certainly are the Knower of All Things. I just wish you'd quit comimg up with ways for me to spend my money
Seriously, there are few on this board, if any, whose opinion and knowledge I respect more.

Well, THANK you, IB!

HIGH regards!

Michaelson

Ah, you guys just gave him another excuse to talk watches, that's all.

8-[ Who? ME?!

Regards! Mark

And here I thought it was going to be a pocket watch.

Michaelson wrote:For those looking for a good 'new' period style watch to wear with the gear, here's one that just popped up at Wings for your consideration.....



Regards

Michaelson

Ah, but would this be something Indy might wear?

I'm thinking an adventurer WOULD prefer a wrist watch over a pocket watch.
A bit more secure ?

zeus36 wrote:I'm thinking an adventurer WOULD prefer a wrist watch over a pocket watch.
A bit more secure ?

Yes, probably.

Man that's a nice watch! An one could "Indylize" it by putting a leather strap on it, as Indy did with his MK VII.

Thanks for posting Mark.

Regards,

Marc

Regards! Michaelson

I haven't received my watch yet, should get it soon though. I don't think this watch was around when Indy would have been, also the nylon web strap probably wasn't invented yet (I'm guessing) either. But my current everyday watch is a Swiss Army watch with a leather strap and I'm really looking forward to the web strap 'cause it's soo different.

Doug C

One like it WOULD have been available during WW2, so if Indy can carry a WW2 era bag, I'm sure he could wear one of these reproduction 17j military wrist watches. The band is correct to the WW2 era as well.

Regards! Michaelson

Good point..

Doug C

What I like is the fact it's a Swiss 17 jewel mechanical movement rather than a quartz 'wannbe' retro wristie.

I hate quartz wannbes. I have owned many wrist watches, but here is what I sport nowadays. Got it two years ago. It is the Swiss Army Officers Model, I think, 25 jewel, automactic(I love self winders) and keeps great time. Sorry for the blurry pic, but you can get an idea of what it looks like. Think it cost me 279 bucks at the time. I replaced the original sharkskin band when I finally wore it out with this one, as I am fond of leather straps too. Here it is.





I love the above model from Benrus as well. Not a bad price either. Fedora

hehehehe,,,I just sold one of those on ebay! Hated to do it, cause it's an excellent watch! The movement is absolutely spectacular!! Of course you have to wind it every day

P.S.- Sportsmansguide WAS offering these at 89.00 -no more

TR

Beautiful one, Fedora. I love the look of that one. :junior: -IJ

Here's a couple pics of the watch. This is the one I sold on ebay, I opted to keep the Citizen ecodrive version. It's almost identical, only never needs a battery or winding. Same olive drab type band, leather backing. The Benrus was a little smaller, which I kinda liked, but the edges of the casing were cut with quite a sharp edge on them. I also liked the military time numbers on it, the Citizen doesn't have that,,oh well, it's more comfortable and just fit better. It has a bit more of a curve to it too.

Besides, my honey got me the Citizen

[img][img]http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/5816/0000045ni8.th.jpg[/img][/img] The Citizen is one the right, it's ... .jpg[/img][/img][/url]

[img][img]http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/7254/0000046kd7.th.jpg[/img][/img] [img][url=http://img139.imageshack.us ... .jpg[/img]

These are the buckles,,a slight difference.

TR[/img][/url]

Interesting TR, I received my Benrus a couple of days ago and the strap is somewhat different than the one in your pics. Mine is more of a nylon webbing type material and not at all as dark green as yours, actually I'd say mine is more tan than green if you can imagine that...light in color. Oh and one thing that struck me as soon as I had the watch in my hands is how small it is... this watch could almost be considered a ladies size in comparison to most modern watches. Guess I'm just used to wearing big, bulky watches. With that said though, I do really like this watch and am becoming accustomed to the size. Great watch!

Doug C

The small watches WERE the norm up until the mid 60's. I'm wearing a 1950 Bulova wrist watch today, and it would be about the size of a ladies wrist watch in today's terms. During the psychadelic 60's, it was normal to break away from ANYTHING that had been created by the 'establishment', so fashions changed dramatically, and watches started to grow in proportion. The biggest wrist watch I've ever seen was from 1968, and amost the size of a small alarm clock!

Once you get used to wearing period and period correct reproduction sized watches, it's pretty hard to go back. I know, as I have a 1987 Caravelle Quartz divers watch my daughters got me for fathers day, and it gets worn on rare occasion, as it just seems so HUGE now....and back then, it was actually considered a small watch compared to the then current models!:shock:

Regards! Michaelson

That is interesting, Doug. I actually would prefer a tanner colored strap, so you lucked out in my opinion!

I agree on the size of the watch. It is small, as evidenced in those pics. I like the small size, as I have small wrists and hands, but the comfort and ergonomics were just slightly better on the Citizen, so I stayed with that one. I'm thinkin' of switching to a tan strap though.

TR

Those Citizen Eco-drives are the business, no winding, no batteries, no heavy self winding mechanism.

I have a fully titanium one, it's light as a feather. Are those ones still generally available? I think I need to look one up. TR do you have a model number?

Those self winders used to be called 'slammers' in the business, as it required the back and forth movement of the wrist to wind the watch, and the counterbalance winder would 'slam' back and forth ratcheting the winding arbor.

The term seemed to fall out of favor in marketing, as it seemed 'to violent' for the average customer to wrap their brain around, so user friendly phrases like 'self winders', and 'eco-drive' was invented to ease the user/buyers sensibilities.

But, they're slammers none the less.

Personally I don't move around enough to keep one of those wound, so I've never owned one long enough to get comfortable with it. 8-[

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:Those self winders used to be called 'slammers' in the business, as it required the back and forth movement of the wrist to wind the watch, and the counterbalance winder would 'slam' back and forth ratcheting the winding arbor.

The term seemed to fall out of favor in marketing, as it seemed 'to violent' for the average customer to wrap their brain around, so user friendly phrases like 'self winders', and 'eco-drive' was invented to ease the user/buyers sensibilities.

But, they're slammers none the less.

Personally I don't move around enough to keep one of those wound, so I've never owned one long enough to get comfortable with it. 8-[

Regards! Michaelson

Ah Michaelson,

The face in the ecodrive is a solar cell and it charges to an internal battery. I do have a nice automatic I bought in Switzerland many years ago, it still works perfectly and has the glass back so you can see the slammer and the movement inside is beautiful, it also has 17 jewels. I was just tickled by the solar tech of the other one. For those ouf you wondering, once it's had it's initial charge the watch recharges with any ambient light, Citizen says it will continue to work in the dark for several months if need be.

Thanks for the lesson on automatics I didn't know the rotatey things were called slammers.

Yes, Kt is correct. No 'slamming' mechanism here just a solar cell. I also have a self-winder 'slammer'. It's a Bulova. Beauty of a watch, one of my favorites. It's thick, awesome, built like a tank and has a see-thru back so you can see the pendulum that winds it. Pretty cool but not "Indy" at all.

TR

p.s. Kt, I'll try to get the model number today. These are clearanced out now, they used to be about 175 bucks, but you should be able to get it cheaper now! I got mine for 50 bucks, since my sweetheart manages the fine jewelry counter

Thank you, KT, TR. I stand corrected on the EcoDrive description. That particular movement was included in a discussion on 'slammers' at the NAWCC forum a while back, so they got it wrong as well.

Regards! michaelson

I can confirm that an Eco-drive movement will continue to power a watch for a considerable period of time without light. My wife has a dress watch with an Eco-drive movement that she wears for our too-infrequent 'posh' events. It will run for at least a month in the dark in a box and seems to charge quickly on being restored to the light.

I have a theory that the noisier the winding rotor ('slammer') on an automatic, the better the watch. I have automatic Omegas and Rolex that are virtually silent but soul-less. The ETA in my Sewills rattles like a cheap bangle, but is in a fantastic watch. The best, IMO.

Kt, here are the numbers for the watch.

109800
Style #BM8180-03E
Citizen Eco

Hope ya find one!

If you are that interested in one, I can ask her to check with other stores and she can get it cheaper than we can Then I can get it to you. Just let me know!

TR

Just bumping this to say I did find one. Well you know that cos I got you to buy one for me! Well it took a whole month for it to get here by "airmail"! Dunno some idiot must have damaged the tail rudder or something!

Anyway... here's a pic, I swapped out the strap for an old one I had... the grommets on the holes were a touch too fussy for my taste.

Cheers TR.

Yeah, I can understand about the grommets. I've gotten used to 'em. That was what I liked more about the Benrus, the less obtrusive band. Your band was more Khaki than mine, I actually liked it more

Great pic!

TR

Here's another pic of both of my "Indy" watches . I think both are good 'period' looking watches, that's why I chose them. They both happen to be by Citizen.

The left one is my 'dress' Indy watch (jacket,tie) , and the right is my 'field' Indy watch (gear).


[img][img]http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1848/0000312yc8.th.jpg[/img][/img]


TR

Thanks for posting the pic of your watch, T.R. I went and picked one up for myself today. It is a great looking watch, and I got it for $100.
Not too shabby. Only problem, I may have to locate another strap.
I'm on the next to last grommet, and the two keepers are bunched up against each other. I wonder if Citizen sells longer bands??
'Blues

Yes, they do. I had to have one put on my wife's Citizen a while back (she just doesn't like tight watch straps), and they do indeed sell extra long straps.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:Yes, they do. I had to have one put on my wife's Citizen a while back (she just doesn't like tight watch straps), and they do indeed sell extra long straps.

Regards! Michaelson

Thanks once again,
'Blues

No problem. Find a local jewelry store that sells and sevices Citizens watches, and they should be able to take care of you.

Regards! Michaelson

Or you can get an aftermarket military band. Here is a great website here, you can get Zulu watch straps, which is one of the absolute best, even better than a Rhino (which is excellent too). Check 'em out, they have great color choices too!

http://www.westcoastime.com/newzulbanare.html

TR

Just a heads up,,Duluth Trading Co. has a nice looking watch similar to this one! It should be pretty sweet at only $49.50!

http://www.duluthtrading.com/57024.aspx

And here's one with a leather band, and it's an automatic! $99.50

http://www.duluthtrading.com/store/4215 ... =Product_4


TR

Zulu time. Wow, there's a term I haven't heard for years. When I was a cripto operator in the distant past, every message I encripted and sent was in zulu time, or GMT. I still remember the atomic clock phone number that I had to call every morning to set my clocks and watch when starting my work day.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:For those looking for a good 'new' period style watch to wear with the gear, here's one that just popped up at Wings for your consideration.....

http://www.uswings.com/watches.asp#BenrusWatch

Regards

Michaelson

I'm visiting family in Canton, Ohio this week and due to your post I found out that U.S. Wings is about thirty minutes up the road. I'm gonna check 'em out tomorrow.
Thanks!

PS They have a few brown web belts in the clearance section......

Get some pics of their sale jackets please!

Oh, and tell them to stop being so ridiculous with thir international shipping... they are loosing so many sales due to that.

KT, old friend, with the number of jackets they sell to the U. S. military, jackets sold through film contracts, as well as industrial contract sales such as power companies like the Tennessee Valley Authority for example, I'm afraid a change in overseas shipping for a few jacket sales is just not all that high on their list of things to do. At least that's what I've gathered in past readings, PM's and emails.

They have nothing against overseas sales, and of course welcome them...but for them to enter into different international shipping contracts with companies other than the one they DO have huge contracts with in order to handle a relatively few sales for our hobby..., well, it just doesn't make good business sense, especially when you have Wested Leather right at your front door.

Regards! Michaelson

Ok, OK! I'll stop going on about it.

I still maintain it's simple maths: There are more people outside the US than in. Of course not all of us are potential US Wings customers, but it is blinkered of them to still use this sort of business model when there is no need to. We are now in, and this forum is a testament to this, a truly international marketplace.

Call me a snob but I only wear Tag Heur.

Doctor_Jones wrote:Call me a snob but I only wear Tag Heur.

I cant remember if it was TAG or HEUR (before they merged) but one of them made a really cool watch for the west German air force back in the 50's or 60's. It had a black leather strap with a round leather patch behind the watch and the face had a black bakelite dial (a ring similar to that on divers watches) It's a beautiful vintage watch, I wish I could finde one

-K

EDIT: link to pic of the strap
http://www.antiquewatchonline.com/engli ... dstrap.htm