404 Club

[AndyHull]

Pad printing (also called tampography, or tampon printing).

Wikipedia article -> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pad_printing

 

 

 

[Bearman]

Evening everyone,

I thought I'd start the year off easy with a bit of a quartz-a-thon. I needed to do something with the growing pile of '404' (or less) quartz watches I've acquired (along for the ride with the mechanical ones) over the last few years.  I guess I'm not the only one with this sort of issue?

After a couple of nights work I've this lot. The ones that were too far gone I've scrapped/salvaged usable parts. It's been an education in terms of modules and materials used. Who knows what sort of metal the cases/straps were made of the ones that I scrapped...... 

I'm planning to offer them to my local charity shop, to give them another life. I'm sure some else will enjoy them more rather than leave them to fester in a biscuit tin.  

[RichardHarris123]

I've just sold a job lot of quartz watches for bugger all.  Why, I've no interest in them and would prefer someone to have use of them, rather than putting in the bin.  Yes, part of a job lot, where I wanted the mechanical movement. 

[Bearman]

I did consider selling them off too. But being a collection of either cheap quartz/fashion watches I thought better of it. They don't seem to fetch much after fees/postage and the such on ebay. You can buy quartz watches by weight it seems!

After chatting with my local charity shop and seeing that these seem to sell for them. I thought this could be a good way of moving them forward.

[RichardHarris123]

2 minutes ago, Bearman said:

I did consider selling them off too. But being a collection of either cheap quartz/fashion watches I thought better of it. They don't seem to fetch much after fees/postage and the such on ebay. You can buy quartz watches by weight it seems!

After chatting with my local charity shop and seeing that these seem to sell for them. I thought this could be a good way of moving them forward.

I totally agree, only sold them because most of them didn't work, the charity shops would have no interest and neither do I.  After postage, I  probably made £1 but someone might repair them, which is better than being thrown away.  

[Neverenoughwatches]

Who likes working on ladies watches ? Personally i dont mind it, some of the watches i started with were pretty small, in a roundabout way it makes working on bigger men's watches more pleasurable. All of these where described as ladies watches, how many do we think are not ladies watches. Its a shame that almost no folk want to wear them or want to work on these such small mechanical marvels. All but the expensive brands are not considered worthy of repair, but there many makes that still deserve some  attention. A few here might be Oris, roamer, helvetia, medana, and  opening them up may have a nice surprise or two. These work out at £1.13 each, there is one that i think is worth the grand sum of £42 that i paid ?

[rehajm]

A nice haul and I’m glad someone is back to posting watch photos. I’m always amused by 12 ligne being described as women’s or junior watches- this was the appropriate men’s size back in the day. The dinner plate sized watch came along later as the size of a John Thomas shrunk (I might be making that part up)…

I’ve received some luxury brand ladies sized as ‘extras’ in a few buys- longines, Omega. When you have to give them away…

Edited February 14 by rehajm

[Neverenoughwatches]

24 minutes ago, rehajm said:

A nice haul and I’m glad someone is back to posting watch photos. I’m always amused by 12 ligne being described as women’s or junior watches- this was the appropriate men’s size back in the day. The dinner plate sized watch came along later as the size of a John Thomas shrunk (I might be making that part up)…

I’ve received some luxury brand ladies sized as ‘extras’ in a few buys- longines, Omega. When you have to give them away…

12 ligne these days considered as women's watches,some of these here I'm thinking date to the 40s possibly earlier and I'm sure a few were sold as mens. Did you find the gem in the second picture ? Haha cant believe you came out with with the old John Thomas ( figuratively speaking ) . Big cars big watches , by coincidence i drive a mini metro. 

[RichardHarris123]

I drive a Hummer and strap a wall clock to my wrist!!! Hehe.  I  have over 100 genuine ladies sized watches and movements.  I'm never going to do anything with them, so free to a good home.  

[rehajm]

Here in the states there’s been a trend of the ladies wearing the dad/boyfriend jumbo. In Boston Giselle is hocking IWCs on a building sized photo- tiny wrist, huge watch…

29 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Did you find the gem in the second picture

Don’t believe I have- Oris, yes. There’s a couple looking like they may hide a rebberg…

[Neverenoughwatches]

11 minutes ago, rehajm said:

Here in the states there’s been a trend of the ladies wearing the dad/boyfriend jumbo. In Boston Giselle is hocking IWCs on a building sized photo- tiny wrist, huge watch…

Don’t believe I have- Oris, yes. There’s a couple looking like they may hide a rebberg…

Ah no the one i had in mind had a strong reflection on the glass hiding the name. An Invicta trench watch, i forgot it was in the lot, the biggest by far at 30mm its a canny looking thing. Full of crud but its trying to run managing around 15 seconds. No idea what it is yet , rubbed in jewels so I'm hoping for the best as that is not my thing at the moment.

[spectre6000]

Women's watches are a special challenge, both in terms of the skill required to work on those ultra tiny pieces, but also what to do with them once you're done with them. My wife has a Tissot she wears when we go places, but that's such a rare event these days that she doesn't really need more than the one watch. My daughter is 4, and while she has a watch (a Timex with a butterfly second hand), it's more toy than tool. She's interested in watches and clocks because I am, so maybe she'll be a women's watch repository down the road if I play my cards right!

[rehajm]

59 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Ah no the one i had in mind had a strong reflection on the glass hiding the name. An Invicta trench watch, i forgot it was in the lot, the biggest by far at 30mm its a canny looking thing. Full of crud but its trying to run managing around 15 seconds. No idea what it is yet , rubbed in jewels so I'm hoping for the best as that is not my thing at the moment.

Wow-  that click spring!

[LittleWatchShop]

39 minutes ago, spectre6000 said:

Women's watches are a special challenge, both in terms of the skill required to work on those ultra tiny pieces

Very true.  Nevertheless, I have serviced a half a dozen for friends...because they were special.  I do not enjoy it.

[Zandr]

2 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

12 ligne these days considered as women's watches,some of these here I'm thinking date to the 40s possibly earlier and I'm sure a few were sold as mens. Did you find the gem in the second picture ? Haha cant believe you came out with with the old John Thomas ( figuratively speaking ) . Big cars big watches , by coincidence i drive a mini metro. 

That tank that's bottom center in the first photo reminds me of my favorite "dress" watch, a Zvezda: 7.75 ‴ x 12.75 ‴ License-built Lip T-18.

I drive a Miata with a 6.2L V8, so I'm either all the stereotypes or none.

[Neverenoughwatches]

18 hours ago, spectre6000 said:

Women's watches are a special challenge, both in terms of the skill required to work on those ultra tiny pieces, but also what to do with them once you're done with them. My wife has a Tissot she wears when we go places, but that's such a rare event these days that she doesn't really need more than the one watch. My daughter is 4, and while she has a watch (a Timex with a butterfly second hand), it's more toy than tool. She's interested in watches and clocks because I am, so maybe she'll be a women's watch repository down the road if I play my cards right!

  Call me a bit crazy but I kinda like doing them, the small scale is challenging. But no there is very little market for them now, women dont want tiny watches that they have to wind up. Probably years ago there was more interest, but i think men's watches have always dominated that might explain why the good quality women's can be found still in great shape. There is a roamer and a helvetia here with perfect plating on excaliber bracelets, will have been a few bob when they were purchased .

17 hours ago, Zandr said:

That tank that's bottom center in the first photo reminds me of my favorite "dress" watch, a Zvezda: 7.75 ‴ x 12.75 ‴ License-built Lip T-18.

I drive a Miata with a 6.2L V8, so I'm either all the stereotypes or none.

That is nice, a bit wider than the one in my photo. But i do like tank watches, they look much better on the wrist than a round watch of a similar size.

[Waggy]

9 minutes ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

there is very little market for them now, women dont want tiny watches that they have to wind up

I quite like working on women's watches too, you can get a very high quality movement for very little money (Omega <$100), which is a small fraction of the men's equivalent cost. It's nice to work on such quality movements rather than fight with more rudimentary (?) men's movements. 

My wife was lamenting on the hassle of having to wind up a watch (1st world problems?!?!), then her Fitbit thing died. Gave me immense pleasure to point out  that it took hours to charge her smart watch up, but only 30 seconds to fully 'charge' my mechanical watch.

[watchweasol]

Hi Waggy. Dangerous ground trying to score brownie points on the wife, if she had been a Yorkshire woman you would have been looking for a dentist.

[Waggy]

3 minutes ago, watchweasol said:

if she had been a Yorkshire woman you would have been looking for a dentist.

She's Canadian  so just apologized and ate her poutine 

[Neverenoughwatches]

11 minutes ago, watchweasol said:

Hi Waggy. Dangerous ground trying to score brownie points on the wife, if she had been a Yorkshire woman you would have been looking for a dentist.

If i remember correctly WW , you are speaking from experience. Feisty yorkshire women are not to be trifled with, i have the added bonus of a redhead

[watchweasol]

Hi @Neverenoughwatches fiery  eh.  And the bumps to prove it.  Well done Waggy. A strategic retreat.

[Neverenoughwatches]

20 minutes ago, Waggy said:

I quite like working on women's watches too, you can get a very high quality movement for very little money (Omega <$100), which is a small fraction of the men's equivalent cost. It's nice to work on such quality movements rather than fight with more rudimentary (?) men's movements. 

My wife was lamenting on the hassle of having to wind up a watch (1st world problems?!?!), then her Fitbit thing died. Gave me immense pleasure to point out  that it took hours to charge her smart watch up, but only 30 seconds to fully 'charge' my mechanical watch.

Within this lot a few of them fall into that same category at that time. 

7 minutes ago, watchweasol said:

Hi @Neverenoughwatches fiery  eh.  And the bumps to prove it.  Well done Waggy. A strategic retreat.

Haha i landed myself a double whammy of a women. Wouldn't have her any other way, if we encounter trouble i can just step back and let her deal with it. 

[rehajm]

 

2 hours ago, Waggy said:

quite like working on women's watches too, you can get a very high quality movement for very little money (Omega <$100), which is a small fraction of the men's equivalent cost. It's nice to work on such quality movements rather than fight with more rudimentary (?) men's movements. 

Indeed. This one let me have free reign horologically speaking. It’s not 404 but the strap cost more…

[Neverenoughwatches]

11 minutes ago, rehajm said:

 

Indeed. This one let me have free reign horologically speaking. It’s not 404 but the strap cost more…

Nice, Aegler specialised originally in ladies pocket watches, from what I've  read this is how wilsdorf convinced them into making those wrist wearable. I wont ask you to open it but can you remember or did you find out what movement this has ?

What do you mean by it let you have free reign ?

Edited February 15 by Neverenoughwatches

[rehajm]

8 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

Nice, Aegler specialised originally in ladies pocket watches, from what I've  read this is how wilsdorf convinced them into making those wrist wearable. I wont ask you to open it but can you remember or did you find out what movement this has ?

Yes, well done. I believe you are on the correct path- Rolex 600, 9 3/4"'....and I have a few pics..

8 hours ago, Neverenoughwatches said:

What do you mean by it let you have free reign ?

The wife really wanted this one. She loves it and wears it often. 'Free reign' means after this one I became the spouse that's the economic conservative related to horology. 

Edited February 15 by rehajm