Cameras and watches.

Here's a county -pecific presentation. All made in Japan. The Nikon is joined by the Seiko Liner, a manual wind watch, a Kuoe field watch design (contemporary, styled in Japan, with a Miyota movement -- self winding, and hacks (movement stops when the crown is pulled all the way out), and an Orient Star -- the prestige line of Orient automatics. This has an Orient in-house movement and an open-heart face, allowing you to see the movement working. It also has a "reserve indicator" on top, letting the viewer know how much "reserve" is in the mainspring, measured in hours. Altogether more precise and fancier than it has to be. Love 'em.L1090977-Nikon Orient Kuoe Seiko Liner.jpg
 
Yokosuka_Mike said:
My Orient Pocket Watch

From my archive
Image is lower resolution than original​
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And finally (for the day): A random collection of watches. @ Yokosuka Mike, this one's for you because of the Orient Star (making a repeat appearance)

Left to Right:

Orient Star: automatic Orient movement. Supburbly made in Japan and a bit of a stealth brand in the US.
Kuoe: Direct to customer Japan retail: Love the styling on this one. It is a pretty good reproduction of a WWII military watch, 38mm face (not like most of today's honking huge watches), Miyota automatic movement, classy, but understated. I like what this company is doing. Feels like there might be one person doing the design, if you know what I mean. The thing is perfectly proportioned. If I lived in Japan, I'd see whether I could seek one of these out. I prefer their automatic watches to the battery operated ones, but that's just me.
Seiko: Alpinist. Kind of to Seikos what the M3 is to cameras, in my opinion, anyway. But modern manufacture. Automatic with a Seiko SARB017 movement.
Watham: A brand from the golden age of American manufacture, you know, when we still made stuff in the good ol' USA. Waltham was one of many New England based American watch companies that did not survive the Quartz revolution of the 1970's. After Seiko could produce a watch with 10x the day-to-day accuracy of any mechanical spring driven watch (even the best Swiss stuff) at a fraction of the cost, the entire American watch industry went into a bit of a tailspin, from which it never really recovered. In a mechanical watch, I think the best value today is from Japanese companies, but that's another story. Cleaned up, the Waltham runs as well as it ever did, and you get that mid-centry styling that I think is so great.
Spinnaker: One of the most copied watches of all time is the Seiko SKX007, which is a classic chrome and black dive watch (now discontinued, of course). The things were bomb-proof and reasonably affordable. An entire cottage industry emerged just for folks who wanted to copy or modify the good ol' SKX007 in various ways. Folks replaced the dials, the hands, the rotating bezels, the crowns, swapped the crystals for more durable sapphire and so on. Eventually there were so many aftermarket parts that companies like Spinnaker, Island Watch etc. began producing entire copies of the design, but with the most common upgrades already built in. The Spinnaker shown here is just such a watch. Sapphire crystal and bezel, Mercedes style hands, deep yellow indexes on the face. All built around a Seiko R435 movement -- which you can hand-wind, and which hacks, compared to the SKX007 movement the 7S26, which doesn't have these features.

Am I Nuts? Absolutely. There is certainly as much to know about watches as there is about cameras. . . . and for all the detail above, I am but a mere sprout compared to "watch guys" who get deeply, deeply into these details. But do I have a problem? Clearly.

L1090974 _ Random Collection of Watches.jpg

All pics: Leica M9 and a 50/2.8 on a tripod. Mostly at f:16 due to the need for depth in photographs with both cameras and watches.
 
Benjamin Marks said:
I'll be honest: still life composition is not my forte -- and I am genuinely conflicted about the best way to show off these pieces on a flat surface. I kind of like by-tor's approach, because the top plate is where a lot of Leica's styling choices are visible. I went "face plate" but I am not sure it is the best presentation. Here's an M5 and a Seiko Liner -- this has the benefit of being a 1970's pair. Who cares? Not me, but it was what Leica and Seiko were doing in the 1970's with manufactured consumer goods.

View attachment 4824988
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Thanks, you did well on both matching and the photos!!!

I kind of like the era matching as well.😇
 
Benjamin Marks said:
And finally (for the day): A random collection of watches. @ Yokosuka Mike, this one's for you because of the Orient Star (making a repeat appearance)

Left to Right:

Orient Star: automatic Orient movement. Supburbly made in Japan and a bit of a stealth brand in the US.
Kuoe: Direct to customer Japan retail: Love the styling on this one. It is a pretty good reproduction of a WWII military watch, 38mm face (not like most of today's honking huge watches), Miyota automatic movement, classy, but understated. I like what this company is doing. Feels like there might be one person doing the design, if you know what I mean. The thing is perfectly proportioned. If I lived in Japan, I'd see whether I could seek one of these out. I prefer their automatic watches to the battery operated ones, but that's just me.
Seiko: Alpinist. Kind of to Seikos what the M3 is to cameras, in my opinion, anyway. But modern manufacture. Automatic with a Seiko SARB017 movement.
Watham: A brand from the golden age of American manufacture, you know, when we still made stuff in the good ol' USA. Waltham was one of many New England based American watch companies that did not survive the Quartz revolution of the 1970's. After Seiko could produce a watch with 10x the day-to-day accuracy of any mechanical spring driven watch (even the best Swiss stuff) at a fraction of the cost, the entire American watch industry went into a bit of a tailspin, from which it never really recovered. In a mechanical watch, I think the best value today is from Japanese companies, but that's another story. Cleaned up, the Waltham runs as well as it ever did, and you get that mid-centry styling that I think is so great.
Spinnaker: One of the most copied watches of all time is the Seiko SKX007, which is a classic chrome and black dive watch (now discontinued, of course). The things were bomb-proof and reasonably affordable. An entire cottage industry emerged just for folks who wanted to copy or modify the good ol' SKX007 in various ways. Folks replaced the dials, the hands, the rotating bezels, the crowns, swapped the crystals for more durable sapphire and so on. Eventually there were so many aftermarket parts that companies like Spinnaker, Island Watch etc. began producing entire copies of the design, but with the most common upgrades already built in. The Spinnaker shown here is just such a watch. Sapphire crystal and bezel, Mercedes style hands, deep yellow indexes on the face. All built around a Seiko R435 movement -- which you can hand-wind, and which hacks, compared to the SKX007 movement the 7S26, which doesn't have these features.

Am I Nuts? Absolutely. There is certainly as much to know about watches as there is about cameras. . . . and for all the detail above, I am but a mere sprout compared to "watch guys" who get deeply, deeply into these details. But do I have a problem? Clearly.

View attachment 4824991

All pics: Leica M9 and a 50/2.8 on a tripod. Mostly at f:16 due to the need for depth in photographs with both cameras and watches.
Click to expand...
Looks like you didn't mention the one between the Waltham and the Spinnaker (i.e. second from the right), unless I am misreading this. Thanks.
 
KoNickon said:
Looks like you didn't mention the one between the Waltham and the Spinnaker (i.e. second from the right), unless I am misreading this. Thanks.
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Edit: right you are! That is actually the Seiko Liner I wrote about in the slightly earlier post. Japan domestic market -- sleek and stylish to my eye. An ebay find, to tell the truth. These are slim, manual wind watches. There were a number like it: the SkyLiner, the Crown, versions of the King Seiko. Seiko actually had competitions among their various factories to see which team could design the best watch. Hard to imagine that happening with an American company of the same era.
 
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someone mention Waltham?

$9.99 in CVS (battery replacement alone in my Arcadia neighborhood Chinese Supermarket is $7-$14 now)

San Marino, Los Angeles County, USA

Img by Taipei-metro

Panasonic G6,
Zuiko 14-42

i bought an American Stuhrling Original (US Amazon) run by Miyota ( Citizen Japan ) quartz ( picture later when i find it) and it look exactly like a Citizen Diver...maybe Citizen own Stuhrling now...oh well
 
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Waltham, like a lot of American watch brands (Hamilton, Elgin, Bulova) is now owned by a non-US company. According to Wikipedia, Waltham is owned by the Japanese Company, Heiwado & Co., and now makes inexpensive quartz watches. Bulova is owned by Citizen. Hamilton is owned by the Swiss consortium that owns Swatch etc.
 
well, Swatch owned

Blancpain,
Omega
Longines
Rado
Mido
Tissot
Hamilton and

many many more...
i almost bought a System 51 automatic from Swatch...at least it'a a Swiss Made


Swatch Petite SECONDE Blue
 
I know what you mean about the System 51 automatic styling. Quite appealing. The only thing keeping me from looking more seriously at that Swatch is that the design is not (apparently) user serviceable. Crazy sounding, I know. But I can at least get in and regulate most of my watches. Never had one down to the component pieces . . . but I am working on it.
 
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well it's all about money making, no need to be too serious about it, buy another one, no need to 'work on it'

sealed, fixed System 51 (in house) mass produced automatic movement from Swatch can be had for $150...(and Swiss made, not Shenzhen, China)

lately they came out with a 'Swatch x Omega MoonWatch' ( made w bioceramic (?), supposed to be $250, now it's a lot More, smart move

collect all 13 of them which cost the same as a Omega Moon Watch $6,500


Swatch x Omega Bioceramic Moonswatch Mission To Earth-Brand New Fast Shipping✈️ - Picture 1 of 5
 
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i believe Stuhrling is still owned by American (?), their parts are from China, Japan and Switzerland, both automatic and quartz movements

i bought this diver watch (screw-down crown, US Amazon) bcs it looks the same as a Citizen diver, that got me curios


Img by Taipei-metro ( Panasonic G6, Zuiko 14-42, Neewer Speedlight fired)

so a homage, a replica, a copy... by Stuhrling, USA

Citizen Diver


Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster Diver Mens Watch
 
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Taipei-metro said:
sealed, fixed System 51 (in house) mass produced automatic movement from Swatch can be had for $150...(and Swiss made, not Shenzhen, China)
Click to expand...
Those Omega x Swatches look pretty good, but at the time of my last visit, the Honolulu Swatch store had none to sell. For $150, definite "maybe". BTW, apparently the back is actually aluminum, and pops off in the normal way. Dunno what the movement is, but wouldn't be surprised if it was a Swiss-made Ronda. Have seen basic Ronda quartz movements selling for $5, and yet they keep good time, and even can be serviced, if someone cares to service a $5 movement.

 
JeffS7444 said:
Those Omega x Swatches look pretty good, but at the time of my last visit, the Honolulu Swatch store had none to sell. For $150, definite "maybe". BTW, apparently the back is actually aluminum, and pops off in the normal way. Dunno what the movement is, but wouldn't be surprised if it was a Swiss-made Ronda. Have seen basic Ronda quartz movements selling for $5, and yet they keep good time, and even can be serviced, if someone cares to service a $5 movement.

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the video shown is a counterfeit replica from some Chinese maker, Ronda or not it doesn't matter, it's a quartz, one of my other $79 Stuhrling has a Swiss quartz, my beautiful $25 Nakzen has a Citizen quartz

many youTuber have it that, many of the Chinese SwatchMoon replicas are better built than the SwatchOmega Plastic Moonwatch, as i said, Swatch is trying to make big bucks by selling Omega name, the $250 initially is now doubled, and hard to get the one you want

Swatch System 51 is with a sealed, In House automatic movement you can buy from US Amazon for $150 with many different models, tell me how good it gonna be...it's Swiss made, $150!
 
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Here's another pairing: An Olympus Pen with a Seiko Presage. The contemporary Seiko Presage line has very nice 4R and 6R movements, often a ceramic or lacquer face, and a dressy set of selections for hand, indices, etc. This one has a power reserve indicator, although not all do. I think of these as a best buy in the sub $300 used automatic watch market, even if the watch is slightly larger than what I consider elegant. If I still had my RD-1, I could have pictured them together. Epson, which made the RD-1 (first commercially available digital rangefinder) is a subsidiary of Seiko, which made the power indicator and shots-remaining dials for the top plate of that camera. But the RD-1 went to fund the M8, and the M8 went to fund the M9, and so it goes.

The Pen is not, of course, not a rangefinder. . . but its styling clearly calls out the M3 of yore. I have been thinking about how older digital cameras that sell for very little can produce perfectly acceptable results. I made these pictures with a Canon 20D, which I bought last year used with a warranty from Roberts Camera for $50. Not too shabby, as each is cropped and de-res'd from its native file size for posting. I have moments when I think that this encapsulates the basic problem that Leica and the other digital camera makers have. If you can get this quality for $50, it is tough to sell cameras at $8K. Just sayin.

IMG_2587 Olympus+Presage_2.jpg

IMG_2584 Olumpus + Seiko Presage.jpg
 
Nixon is an American watch company, based in Carlsbad, California,

i bought this Nixon in T J Maxx Glendale, Los Angeles County,

design q to,... Hublot or a little homage there (?)


Img by Taipei-metro

Panasonic G6,
Zuiko OM 50mm F1.8 a fullframe Lens made in Japan
Neewer n-TTL Speedlight fired
 
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