I want to buy one of these. I found one online last year, but I dawdled two days too long. It had been online for a while, so I figured I had time to think about it. Too bad I missed the opportunity. It was NOS (new old-stock), in the box with the original papers.
If I can find another one exactly like this one, I’ll buy it.
this guy has one. You might e-mail him and ask him condition and if if he would sell it.
If you’re interested in Bell-Matics generally this unsold Ebay Bell-matic (ended 04/01/02) probaly the nicest one I’ve ever seen condition wise.
Thanks, astro. I e-mailed the guy.
Yeah, I saw the Seiko on eBay. The one I saw that was exactly like dad’s was new in the box and $300. I’ve seen working Bell-Matics for as low as $25 online. So it’s not the priciest (and it is very nice), but it’s not exactly like dad’s. I really like that blue face.
I wonder how many people know what a mechanical alarm watch sounds like anymore?
The guy e-mailed back. He’s not selling, but I can understand why.
Well, I got one. I paid too much for it; but it’s a bird-in-the-hand, as it were.
Now if only I can find an inexpensive watch winder…
These guys take their watches very seriously: TimeZone
I’m a believer in the virtue of mechanical watches, and I’ve never failed to get good information here. If anyone can point you in the right direction, I would think the regulars here could.
My husband’s grandmother gave me her old mechanical Bulova. I took it to get cleaned and the watch repair guy was ecstatic to know a young person was wearing and maintaining a mechanical watch.
It broke and I’ve been puttifng off spending the $$ on fixing it. You’ve inspired me now.
Mechanical watches are great. When I was wearing my Seiko Sports 100 Chronograph, I’d always be checking to see if the seconds hand was jumping two seconds – the sign it needs a new battery. Ironically, the last time I checked it was still running. Nevertheless, I like the idea of not having to buy a battery. I also like the sound of mechanical watches and the sweep of their seconds hands.
Of course they do have a disadvantage: They wind down if you don’t wear them (or wind them if it’s not an automatic). This isn’t a problem if you only have one, but I have half a dozen. I don’t wear my old Timex (my very first watch) anymore, nor do I wear my G.I. surplus stem-wound Stocker & Yale. I’d switch off between the GMT Master II and the two vintage Submariners, but the GMT II has a date feature and I don’t feel like setting it when I want to wear it; so I wear it all the time.
The “new” vintage Seiko that is the subject of this thread also has a day feature. It’s a royal pain to set the date, since rocking forth and back around midnight changes the day and not the date so you have to advance the hour hand 24 hours for every date. I’ll just have to change between the Rolex and the Seiko daily to keep them both wound. Or find a winder.
I hope you get that Bouliva repaired, Cranky. It’s fun to wear something so intricately engineered.
Gah! My first reply got eaten by the “quick reply” feature. Note to self: log in FIRST.
Anyway. I wanted to use this thread as well. I’m looking into some Russian mechanical watches, like this Poljot alarm watch. A mechanical watch, the movement build on 1950’s ETA machines, for 70 bucks?
Where’s the catch?
Does anyone know a little bit more about Poljot, or other (Russian) cheap mechanical watches? Their reliability, accuracy, stuff like that. Thanks!
Oh, and that’s an awesome Seiko, Johnny. I have a Seiko quartz chronograph myself, early 90’s (“Age of Discovery” series). But the fact that the interior is as cheap as the first $10 watch bothers me to no end, since I paid $400 for it 10 years ago. A pretty watch, but I want a real one now. And since the money for that Jaeger-LeCoultre is still underway… 
The catch is here in the description:
“Solid stainless steel back”
“Water resistant, but not waterproof”
Not that that should be a deal-breaker, but at least understand that this watch has no pressure rating, and I wouldn’t even trust it in the shower, and that that entire case is not stainless. You will eventually get some discoloration, likely on the lugs and crowns first. Still, not at all a bad introduction into mechanical watches.
Another intro-level mechanical that many people swear by: Invicta. With some leg work, I’m sure you can find a price comperable to the Poljot.
Thanks, Coldie. I’ve always liked the bright blue face. I was wearing dad’s watch (the very one in the photo) one day and a woman remarked about it, as she was looking for a gift for her boyfriend or husband. She wanted to know what kind it was. When she found out it was a Seiko she lost all interest. Well, what did I expect from a patron of a Porsche/BMW/Mercedes/Jaguar/Land Rover/Ferarri mechanic? Hey, I like it, and that’s all that matters.
I don’t know much about Poljot watches. I suspect that they’re inexpensive because of the Russian economy. They make a lot of them and that probably keeps the price down. Here’s the middle of three pages from The Sovietski Collection. The top watch is called the “Submariner”, but it’s only water resistant down to 20 meters. Probably okay to shower with it, but not for diving. (BTW: Who showers while wearing a watch? Weird.) Its case is chrome-plated brass, which also helps keep the cost down. It costs $50.
That’s a nice-looking watch you linked to. Very “European looking”. (I go for the “sports watch” style myself though.)
The Invicta watches Waverly linked to seem to be somewhat popular. I think I’d trust them more than a Poljot. they’re water-resistant down to 200 meters and only cost $109. (I’ve seen the same watches on The Home Shopping Channel – no, I don’t watch it, I just happened by – for $259.) Invicta seems to like to make Rolex copies. I looked at a couple of their other watches at random, and they seem to be sports watches rather than dress watches.
When I was looking for “dad’s” Seiko I found many mechanical Seikos on eBay by searching on “seiko”, “automatic” and “new”. It looks like they’ve either started making mechanical watches again, or they have always been making them and I’ve just noticed them. Here is a new Seiko S-Wave with a striking red face and leather strap for $75 with the “Buy it now” option (retail $235). Here’s a black face one that you could put a leather strap on if you wanted to for… damn, the page isn’t responding. I think it was $80.
In any case, I’d get a Seiko before I got a Poljot or Invicta. do the seiko-automatic-new search on eBay and you’ll get two pages of listings. You might also want to do a search for “vulcain”, a Swiss watch that I’ve heard will be re-introduced to the U.S., and “zodiac”, another Swiss maker of attractive mechanical watches.
I remember in the 1980s when digital watches seemed to be a good idea. Everyone was enthralled by their accuracy and by just seeing the time instead of having to interpret angles :rolleyes:. They’re certainly still popular. But I have a feeling that automatic watches are making a comeback.
LMK what you think about the other options, eh?
Coldie: Here are some suggestions. (eBay auctions, so they’ll be gone in a week.)
NEW Seiko S-Wave Automatic Watch SKX541 for $90.
Vulcain Cricket alarm watch
Zodiac Marine Life MIB (Mint, in box), blue dial for $169.
One of my greatest watch related disappointments was a Zodiac Seawolf taking on water and having the repair bill exceed the cost of a new watch. Zodiac’s newer watches aren’t in the same league as their older models.
As long as we are flogging our favorites:Hamilton is no longer a fine American watchmaker, but they still make exceptional mechanical watches.
Citizen Promaster comes with a solar driven (automatic but not mechanical) movement.
And I still love the Bulova Snorkel (this one will go for higher, but they should not sell for more than $200-250US.)
Thanks for the suggestions, Johnny and Waverly!
Yeah, the Poljot seems to have a few design drawbacks. Not that I’d ever take a leather strap watch into water anyway. And for the price, it’s no big deal if the chrome on the case will fade in 5 years. What I AM curious about is the accuracy of the movement. It sounds good enough, but is it? I’ll have to do some more research.
The Invictas have a drawback that many other watches have. They look great, but when I put them on, the magic’s gone. Big shiny watches don’t look good on me, for some reason. A leather strap helps a lot, and a classic design too. Although I’m also fond of bells and whistles (think chronograph). See the dillema I’m in? 
This problem applies to most of the Seikos, Citizens, Pulsars, et cetera. All brands who make decent automatics, or similar systems (not sure what to think of Citizen’s EcoDrive, since it’s a quartz movement powered by kinetics, or sunshine, or something - the Modena series look awesome, though).
I’ll have to see it on first, I’m afraid.
Not a big fan of big diver bezels, so the Bulova’s out. Thanks for the other suggestions, guys, I’ll keep looking!
I just got my first automatic watch, and I love it. I’d show you what I got, but Omega’s site seems to be down. 
It’s a Seamaster Professional in titanium.
Mine runs (supposedly) plus or minus about 4 seconds per day. That’s what they say, anyway. I’ve noticed that it actually may keep better time than that. When I bought it, I thought three minutes a month off was a lot, not knowing a lot about automatic watches, after hearing that quartz watches are three minutes or so off a year.
-20 or +40 seems to be really off to me, but if you wear it everyday, you could just make it part of your routine to reset every once in a while.
Coldie, I have a Citizen EcoDrive watch, this one to be specific. It’s very sweet; the face is a solar panel. One minute of exposure to full sunlight will power it for a full day; three and a half hours will power it for about 6 months. And since it never needs a battery, there’s no need for a removable back panel, so the watch’s outer body is one solid piece of titanium, meaning that it’s waterproof to practically any depth. I am loving this watch. Still, it’s my “dress watch”, so I don’t wear it every day. I’ll wear it to court on Monday though, you betcha.
Necros: no need for a link, I know that Omega. Suh-weeet
Yeah, the margins on the Poljot seem rather disconscerting. I dunno. Maybe I ought to wait until I DO have the money for that Jaeger, and settle for a decent cool looking watch a la Citizen for now? I mean, I’ve got friends who’ve paid almost USD 700 for a TAG Heuer with a simple quartz movement. Now that’s just nuts. I’d rather buy a Citizen with a quartz chronograph and all the bells and whistles for USD 250. Brands are fine, but only if you’re paying for the mechanics instead of jus the badge.
Max? “Court on Monday”? You OK, dude?
Oh great, now I want to buy a new watch!
That new Seiko S-Wave with a striking red face is the coolest! Also the KGB watch in the Sovietski Collection, fun for aWhite house dinner I’m sure. I was also looking at this one but I’m guessing it’s more than a hundred bucks (!)
So what’s the deal? Is there a mechanical watch I can buy that won’t get screwed up by simply not wearing it? How about a winding watch, will it deteriorate if I leave it unwound? I’m not worried about accuracy, but I would not be wearing such a watch every day, just special occasions.
Stay AWAY from Russian-made watches, particularly the chronometer models. They are actually very old designs, and are made very cheaply. If you buy one and it breaks, throw it away-the cost of repair will easily exceed the cost of the watch. Mechanical watches can be highly accurate-but be aware that they are expensive to maintain-cleaning and oiling a mechanical chronometer can cost about $150.00.
Oh yeah. Remember, I’m a law student. It’s just my final exam for Trial Advocacy.