Watch Site
 

You may be interested in this site:

http://www.broadarrow.net/sale.htm

a bunch of watch people have various and sundry info. They tend to like "traditional" self-winding watches, but do have the 'G-shock' on the sale page.

Wow you guys have great taste in watches. I have a Casio triplesensor ATC-1200? I know I have had it at least 5 years but maybe longer I really dont remember. I know the year after I got it they came out with one with indiglo which is easier to read. I have only had to replace the bad and one battery since I had it.

Would really love to have a Rolex GMT someday though.

for what reason? there's lotsa neat gadgets and stuff on the modern watches...
of course, you don't need a battery for a GMT Master as long as your heart is still beating...

If it was the watch of choice for SEALs and SF back in the day then it had to be one fine watch. I have met a older gentlemen who had one and they said if your gonna get a watch get one these son. I'm a gadget freak but some things cant be improved on sometimes.


Incidently I met a guy a few years ago that was retired SF. I went into his hospital room and he was laying there sporting a sexy hospital gown, OD green wool socks, a very neat gray/white flattop, and a Rolex GMT that looked like it had been around. He complimented me on my flattop when I dropped to one knee to draw his blood and I asked if he was retired SF. He said he was but I dont remember with what group now. I complimented him on his choice of gown accessories and he said his wife had mailed him the watch in Vietnam while he was doing some diving with some SEALs. I saw him a few more times over the next few days and he was a really great guy.

When I was logging and high climbing, I carried a pocket watch. That ended the year I started high climbing, I was breaking a watch per week.

My farrier has the Timex ccrn shows here because it works good and he won't lose much sleep when it gets broken by a rank horse.

Casio must be a hell of a watch from what I've read.

I wear a Suunto Advisor.
Battery change only in the couple years I've worn it. I like it in the mountains with barometer and altimeter, numbers are big enough I can see what day it is when writing a check under pressure.

just wondering...i've had mine for 25 years, through a lot of jumps, Somalia, Ranger School, a good deal of mountaineering and eleven years of land surveying...it works fine for me...

just don't refer to me as an older gentleman...not yet...

Yes sir!

As a product of my upbringing I refer to most men as sir. This particular older gentleman probably had grandchildren older than me.

same here...southern upbringing, call most men sir, most women ma'am...except when i'm calling them a ###$#$$@%%%^^^ and stuff like that...

I guess that getting the Rolex is a matter of tradition. I know that I saved a long while for mine, and was a long way off from being able to afford one, when I came across an unbeatable deal on a new GMT-Master in the Canal Zone back in...what? 1980? It was a hell of a long time ago, and this watch has aged gracefully, and it just keeps on ticking.

I outgrew the band, at one point....and then I lost the freakin' spare links that I had saved over decades and through several moves....so it languished in a box for a few years. I tried to get it worked on, get some new links....and the snooty lady wanted like $800 for cleaning and I do not know what all.....that was more than I paid for the watch in the first place. I just laughed at her. Rolex stores are very stuffy, and apparently their clientele think nothing of just giving money away for no good reason. I can still remember how the lady looked at me when I laughed at her. Kind of goggle-eyed...and definitely offended.

:)

On a whim, I took it to Baghdad with me when I went the year before last. I guess that I figured that I might be able to get it worked on in Jordan or Dubai or someplace. I do not remember how the topic arose....but after awhile I was working with this great guy....a Sunni Arab.....and he "knew a guy"...a master watch guildsman in a bad neighborhood....and he took my watch to him.

It took awhile to come back...and I admit that there were days where I wrote it off, and I thought that I had been ripped off....but sure enough...one day, my friend returned my watch to me....it was like new. The crystal had been replaced....new sapphire.....it had been cleaned....and it had new links. Genuine Rolex links.

The bill was $45.

The watch has not been off my wrist since.

I think that wearing a Rolex is an old SF tradition. I wanted one because the guys that I idolized when I was young all wore them.

It amazes me to this day.....when I go to a watch shop here in Bangkok....and I see the prices that are charged for new GMT-Masters. In excess of $3k USD.

I paid $600 for mine.

This watch is 25 years old. It just purrs along, loses no time, gains no time....it just does what it does: it tells me the time at a glance, and the date. And for some reason....people covet them. I do not know why, but a Rolex has cachet. The manager at the Foodland on Sirinakarin Road admired it out of the blue one day, when I was consulting him on a matter of professional importance (a whiskey recommendation). Somehow, Thais can tell at a glance whether you are wearing a genuine Rolex or a cheap knock-off. I cannot tell. The knock-offs that are sold in Chinatown here look utterly authentic, to me.

When you consider the price that I paid for it....and its durability and quality....my Rolex is one of the best investments that I ever made.

:)

I've only had my Rolex GMT Master II for 17 years. I had to have the crystal replaced once and cleaned at the same time. It still looks brand new and keeps great time. I did have the work done at the dealer my wife bought the watch at. It was expensive as I reall. I get t pressure tested on occassion, when the Rolex dealer offers to do it for free.

Most of the Rolex knockoffs that I have seen were battery operated and if you watched the second hand it didn't tick like the real Rolex it moved with that jerky motion one second at a time. I was always going to buy one of them in Hong Kong when I passed through there but never did. I've seen them in Mexico too.

i had to have the crystal replaced on mine shortly after i got it...we were climbing in the Alps and i was belaying the guy above me...i had the watch in the top pocket of the rucksack, for reasons i can no longer explain (i have since used the watch as a climbing aid)...anyway, the guy knocked loose a rock, i ducked into the side of the mountain and a chunk of limestone the size of a steel pot hit the top of my rucksack, damn near sending me off the belay stand...it cracked the crystal pretty bad...when i took it to Franz Bauer's shop in Munich (he coulda been a spy for the Russians, he'd sold a watch to almost every SF guy in BT) he said he'd never seed a crystal break that badly...it still kept great time...

i wonder if i can get mine upgraded to a GMT Master II...i told my wife that when i made LTC, i was going to get a gold GMT Master and a turbo Porsche...i think that's why she insisted i retire as a major... :eek:

I don't even recall how I broke mine, it was awhile ago. Yeah, I love those Gold ones with the blue dials.

Was it you that mentioned the old "SF List?" I don't remember the whole list now, but as I recall, I collected most if not all of it. Rolex Watch (1), Randall, Knife (2), (1) SF Gold Ring w/blue Star Sapphire Stone, (1) Red Sports Car (Miata, actually my wifes.) (I don't think Porsche was on the list; however, over the years I owned (3) First a 74 Silver 914, then a Blue 75 911 Coupe and in 78 a Silver 78 Targa.) Of the three my favorite was the 75 911 Coupe it really handled good!

I drive an Audi (99 A-6) right now, so when I get it serviced I get to drool over the new Porsches there at the dealers. The prices on those things now, are way out of my reach . :boohoo

it wasn't me, but i seem to recall divorce papers were on some of the lists...

Upgraded to a GMT II ? Wouldnt they have to replace just about all the guts to do that?

Archangel - Here's your vote of thanks (or you're in deep kimchee - I haven't figured out which). (Had to do something to break in on all these FOGs bragging about their Rolexes.) Actually, thanks to everybody who has contributed to this thread. I misplaced my G-shock about two weeks ago and the thread helped me make up my mind on a replacement. I used the link you gave to get myself a ProTrek (Pathfinder) the solar powered, 3-sensor PRG50YT1VDR. Got the FedEx delivery this morning. As I feared, the instruction booklet weighs more than the watch. So far it seems fairly intuitive at the basic level, and as I expected, I'll probably never use some of the functions. I do have to say it's the nicest Casio I've ever seen though. It's also huge. We'll see how it holds up over the long run. Later - Peregrino

beats me...i ain't no watch mechanic...

Good choice Peregrino. I haven't decided on a watch yet, as there are too many things that are on my list to buy before I go back to the sandbox.
I have my eye (no pun) on some Oakley Hatchets as my next purchase. :D

http://www.sunglasses-int.com/images/items/05-883.jpg

you're just jealous...you probably never had a demo knife either... :D

Hmmm! Well I had one of those too, with the one who was with me most of my active and SF time. :boohoo

Yes - I am jealous. :p The Rolex was/is the only status symbol on the "list" that I actually wanted my first 5 or so years in Group. I was on a dive team when they were still issuing the Tudors. The status symbol for us was the Submariner w/the Helium release valve. Never understood why - none of us were ever going to do saturation diving. The one time in my career when I had the opportunity to get one, I was married and never seemed to have any money - despite lucrative TDYs. Finally wised up and got rid of the parasite that was sucking the life out of me but by then I was back in the States and couldn't begin to afford one. As for demo knives - actually I've had 5-6 of them over the years. It was an OK status symbol in the early 80's because they were so hard to find/acquire but they really weren't that great. (Personal opinion.) Most of mine went to make up shortages in the demo bags at various change of command inventories. (No - not the ones I acquired them from in the first place. :D Never steal from your own!) The rest of them were gifted to counterparts or just misplaced/lost. I'm sure most of us have had similar experiences. I finally started carrying a Swiss Army knife because it was a better utility pocket knife and nobody could accuse me of acquiring it nefariously. FWIW - Peregrino

I am seriously considering one of these
to replace my TechnoMarine TMY

The Technomarine convinced me that the Swiss are, in reality, not good for anything, as it had to go in for repair twice in the first year and the stopwatch is screwed up again. I got a good deal on it, so I wear it. The best watch I have is a Fossil titanium that has lasted since junior high (and no wiseasses, that wasn't just last week)

Also,
Being in retail, I have found that you can pretty well judge a person's taste by the watch they wear. For example: Rolex/omega, show him the Les Baer and Wilson Cmbat. Tag Heuer/Seiko, show them the Baer, but lean toward a slightly less expensive Kimber or Springfield. Fossil/G-shock, show them the Sigs, Glocks, HKs. High polish Chrome anything with flaking gold accents, politely inform them that we do not carry Lorcins/ravens/hi points/tec nines.

there you have it folks, one salesguy's take on "Watch Profiling"



good times
Blake

the bottom line is this...a watch is a tool, not unlike a compass or demo knife...Rolexes are good watches, unreliable alarm clocks and not that great for determining direction...modern watches have a lot of features that make them useful, but i've never been one for the Swiss Army Knife approach...a watch is a watch, a compass is a compass and a calculator is a calculator...to each his own...

when i was a young pup in the 307th Eng. Bn., the guys that had been in the unit awhile would always tell the cherries to sharpen the demo knives...of course, there was a notion going around (unverified by me) that once a demo knife had been sharpened, the non-sparking compound on the blade had been damaged and the knife was no longer safe to use, thus had to be discarded...i had been through the Skills Development Base at Leonard Wood (basically a one or two week add-on to AIT where one either learned carpentry, demolitions or tracked vehicle operations) and knew better, but every one of the more experienced guys in the squad had a demo knife that had been discarded...

You were doing fine till I read:

"Fossil/G-shock, show them the Sigs, Glocks, HKs. "

Get down and knock'em out.

TS

Roger that TS


Whats wrong with Glocks?


Man, you don't like 1911s, don't like Glocks, You are quite possibly the only person I know who is so devoted to HK handguns.

Ah well, go with what works for you, and from all I have seen/heard, you are a monster with those HKs.

I can run my Glock pretty well if I may say so myself ;)

Since you asked young man, the glock is one of the few off the shelf guns I cannot shoot bullet hole through bullet hole. The trigger sucks as does the excessive "shocking" recoil. Having taken and shot a glock recently I now know why so many cannot shoot straight, firing 50-100,200 rounds through a glock feels like someone slapping a cold hand with stick and one quickly develops a numbing feeling. This is caused by a very lightweight gun, lightweight recoil spring etc. Now I know why so many good LEO’s do not shoot so well when the issued sidearm is a glock. Sorry glock people sometimes the truth hurts.

A 1911 off the shelf, no problem shooting a bullet hole through bullet hole! (Until it requires, trigger work, throating work, disconnector work, sear work, etc.etc.etc. let's keep those 10,000 gunsmiths employed!)

TS

Thank you TS for the enlightenment

Yes, I have liberated a few demo knives too, I agree they are not that great. I have one now, made by the same company that makes them for the Services (Camelious?) . The International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators, had them made up for sale to members. Instead of US Army on the body it has IABTI and the main blade is serrated, other wise its the same knife. When I went through HDS at Redstone Arl s. they gave me a linemans kit with a linemans knife and crimpers instead of the pliers. (Cheap skates!) :lifter

You'd better smile when you say that. I've got underwear with more range time OCONUS than you do CONUS.

TS

Why does everybody idolize the Glock? It's the original disposable POS handgun. It's why we have Lorcins/ravens/hi points/tec nines, etc. etc. They're for the ones who can't afford even a Glock (as evidenced by your watch stereotypes Air.177 - which I like and agree with BTW). They're for people who can't master real handguns - as evidenced by the LEO who couldn't get the TS's HK to fire. LMAO!!! (Part of the reason cops love Glocks - no training required! And they still manage to shoot themselves with their own guns at regular intervals. Regular Barnie Fifes.) Loved the female LEO who told us about going to work/range, coming home, dissassembling her Glock - and putting it in the DISHWASHER for Christ's sake. I've since been told by another LEO that that will eventually kill the springs. I want to know - HOW DID HE FIND THAT OUT? OK - Back on my head. Got to get some work done. Peregrino

ugh. Yeah, I "acquired" a demo knife somewhere along the line over the years....I also did not really like it. It is still in my gear somewhere, in storage. I vastly prefer Swiss Army knives, genuine Victorinox. I have owned a few of them, and always have one somewhere nearby.

I also owned a Randall knife....I cannot remember, I think it was a Randall number 1......it was beautiful. Except...I could not justify taking a hundred dollar knife to the field (1982 non-adjusted dollars), and it was not useful....for the sort of thing that I used a knife for the most: setting up good poncho hootches....configuring a free-floating poncho roof over my hammock (old-style GP Medium net)...whittling stakes. I never had the opportunity to take out a sentry....or engage in a knife fight.

I ended up leaving the Randall at home, and carrying the same old Air Force survival knife for years and years. It never broke, it always took a nice sharp edge and held it....and aside from its sentimental value, which has accrued over the years.....it cost me like ten bucks, and would be simple to replace. At some point....someone coveted my Randall....and I was rather nonplussed about it....so I sold it. I regret it now. It is probably worth ten times its original value. I think that the guy I sold it to still has it. I will ask him.

As for the ring....I bought a sapphire ring in Seoul....but it was sterling, and I really did not like it. No idea whatever happened to it. It may be in storage somewhere. Last year....or the year before...I finally laid out the big bucks to Jostens to buy a military class ring....with SF and Ranger crests on it....a topaz gemstone....and combat jump wing encrusting, in 18k gold. It ran me...hard to remember....I want to say it ran about $850 bucks. I had wanted such a ring since the early 1980's when I saw one that my buddy Scott Watson was wearing.....and I was temporarily wealthy...so hell with it: I bought it. I wear it every day. I like it. I have been admiring a ring that a friend here in Bangok, Zippo Smith, wears. It is gold, and appears to have ornate Thai dragons on it. It looks like a higher grade of gold than mine....and you can get some wicked gold work done here. If I am ever temporarily rich again, I will go and get a new ring, this one with the classic star sapphire.

As for pistols....I had a sweet .45 at one time...I sold it to DDD. I think that I needed the money, for some reason. It was a long time ago.

Since then...I have become a Glock man. Glock 17, to be precise. I like it for one reason: in a relatively small form factor, it holds twenty two rounds with the plus-2 magazine extenders and one in the snout. I prefer the "full-size" Glock 17 to the smaller Glock 19 or other variants. With a shoulder rig, I can carry sixty rounds of ammo, and it weighs the same as my old .45. With Glasers or LeMas rounds loaded, I no longer concern myself with the old ".9mm vs .45" controversy. I do consider the Glock to be a work gun, though.

When I am rich again, I will seek out and buy a collector's quality ASP. I have always wanted one. (I really want the ASP revolver...I think it was .44 magnum... that was built in limited quantities back in the early 1980's....but I have yet to see one in any gun catalog. The semi-auto .9mm ASP still is floating around, in limited quantities.)

What is left on the list? Oh, yeah. Divorces. Got the t-shirt. And spent the money. That is why I do not already have those few items still remaining on my personal list.

;)

Magician: "I finally laid out the big bucks to Jostens to buy a military class ring....with SF and Ranger crests on it....a topaz gemstone....and combat jump wing encrusting, in 18k gold. It ran me...hard to remember....I want to say it ran about $850 bucks. I had wanted such a ring since the early 1980's when I saw one that my buddy Scott Watson was wearing.....and I was temporarily wealthy...so hell with it: I bought it. I wear it every day. I like it."

My ring is from Jostens as well. Its gold with the airborne tab over the regimental crest and over master para wings on one side the other side has the shoulder patch over master para wings. The front around the stone says "US Army" Special Forces. I wear it every day (My initials on the inside TCR)

The reason I put the initials, etc., is that I had my first one stolen in a house burglary a few months ago. Just in case someone trys to sell it to some one here. :D

I have cleaned Browning Hi powers more than once in the kitchen/hotel bathroom sink with the water as hot as it will get. I have done the same with my Glock and I have had zero issues thus far. I would use the dishwasher if I thought I would live through the ordeal.

Please don't paint all LEOs with the same brush! There are many that are accomplished weapons people with backgrounds in most of the Special Operations community. Like most military and para-military career fields, there are those people that do not excel in the weapons area, especially with pistols. I knew people in SF, when weight was a factor that would rather carry more ammo for thier rifle or more H20 then a pistol. (I'm not one of those.)

As far as choice of pistols for LEOs, not to many departments give you a choice, they issues you a pistol that the department has chosen. For whatever reason a large percentage of departments have chosen the Glock in .40 Cal. Perhaps low bid? Yes, and a number of departments like it because it is simple to operate, no levers or switches. Easy to take apart and put back together and has the same trigger pull for each shot.

I have always perferred H&K or Sig's in .45 or .40 Cals. over the Glock. I say this, yet my everyday carry pistol is a Glock Model 27 w/night sights. Why? Mostly, because it is small and easy to conceal, holds 10 rounds and is dependable. (I also carry a 15 Rd mag. when I think I might need more Rds.) I have a great amount of pistols to choose from too! :D

TW - All of your points are legitimate, I stand appropriately chastized. I also stand by my opinion. The LEO in question was supposed to be a firearms instructor and a member of the local SWAT Tm. (His personal pistol is also a Berretta 92 if that helps put things in perspective.) It was probably funnier than it should have been given the circumstances but you had to be there to really appreciate it. In his defense, he's a nice enough guy and now he's also smart enough not to shoot against the TS. Personally I think the major reason so many departments adopted the Glock was economics. Inexpensive (at least when they started) with minimal additional training required. That is no longer as true as it was but the weapon is now entrenched in mainstream law enforcement. To the point that I'm considering getting a Springfield XD40 so I'm able to carry on a meaningful conversation with the "point & pull" crowd. Still have to think about that one though. Not that any of this has anything to do with watches. Hijack over - back to the thread. Peregrino

Glocks, well, we can only carry them or S&W, so the choice was a no brainer. Glock is now the nation's number one selling handgun for LEO's. Use to be a S&W, but not now. Our Captain in training is as big a d!ck as they come and "knows it all" so are chances of getting to carry anything we wanted within reason is gone with the wind. We wanted 1911A1's from SA, Colt, Kimber, or Para-Ordnance but he was worried that in a moment of passion we could hurt ourselves with the weapon cocked and locked. Bottom line is most Politicians (read: MY BOSS) around here suck and just when you think you are now a man, they turn around and treat you like a five year old again. :mad:

I almost had me own brother trading me for a Pathfinder after consuming 4 bottles of Napa Valley 1997 Cabernet (brand?, I cannot remember for some reason). :) I slipped him my Timex Expedition for it. The next day I had my Timex back and was suffering from "flu-like" symptoms.

A Rolex is nice but I would have to start selling Crack, guns, grenades, and my organs in order to get one. You know what they do to us if we end up in prison? :munchin I am not going to wear a skirt and put Kool-Aid on my lips and be called Loretta for anybody. :D

The local SO here switched from S&W to Glock a few years ago. I asked why he didnt go with HK since that is what he carries as a back up. He told me he tried to get HK but they had a real attitude if you were not looking to purchase for military use. I have heard that from another Sheriff here so not sure if its an HK issue or just the regional salesperson here.

Getting this thread back on target, thanks for all the great info about timepieces.

I bought my first new watch in nearly 2 decades today. I picked up a Casio Pathfinder Solar Triple Sensor with a barometer, altimeter, compass and thermometer.

why ever would we want to do that? :D
no GPS, cell phone, or wireless internet? you wuz ripped off... ;)

Go with the Panerai.......I sold my Rolex when I retired, and replaced my Omega with the Panerai recently. Of course I still use my Suunto Observer for field work (I'm not stupid, the frickin Panerai cost more than my car).
DDD

Don't know if you will read this, but if you do I would recommend the Oakley Dartboards, I don't know if you have seen them yet, but they are my top choice, Own a pair right now and I put them through hell I use it for everything, daily use, ATV riding, went sailing with them and dropped them numerous times and there still in great shape. Its just a suggestion because many people haven't even heard of the dartboards.
Chris