[Aroy]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

My Omega Speedmaster Pro 1974) has finally given up the ghost, Omega refused / could not service, and a local could not fix all of it. Are they available, and the approximate cost of the same?

What is wrong with it. As far as I know, Kapoor Service Centre which is authorised service centre for Omega, Rolex and Tag do replace critical part or the whole movement if required. You can try getting it checked at their South Extension-II service centre.

https://www.kapoorwatch.com/
http://in.ypgo.net/Kapoor+Watch+Comp...re-18399741036

[Biohazard]

Originally Posted by PPS

Hi, how did you find the prices in Singapore compared to India? I'm flying to Singapore later this month & plan to check out some of the brands there.

I would also recommend checking out some preowned watches there. You can get some good brands for a price that is a lot more affordable than buying new. Plus they're generally in great condition. Google JW Watches.

Originally Posted by RiGOD

As you already know, HMT doesn't sell them anymore. So I looked into the ebay listings which had fresh pieces and finally zeroed down on this. The movement is genuine HMT 17 Jewels, but the white dial is after-market. It doesn't give away on the first look, but someone who is into horology can spot it in no time. Compare the pictures with this, which is the real deal. And yeah, it didn't come with a HMT box, warranty card etc. The movement is solid so far and keeps good time. Moreover, it looks classy

True. I've had a few Pilots in my collection, but when I heard HMT was stopping production, my brother and I visited their showroom and bought their last four pieces

I plan on keeping them stored away for a long long time!

The trouble with E-BAY is the sheer number of fakes being sold. More often than not, they repaint a dial of a different HMT model to make it look like the Pilot. Now HMT isn't known for it's quality, but you can still tell the difference between a repainted dial and an original. HMT did have a few coloured dial Pilots as well, but they're quite rare and most of the ones you see on eBay are fake. So exercise caution when purchasing one there.

The only way to get a genuine Pilot, though it's getting increasingly difficult, is to enquire with the small, yet old shops that used to carry them. But even they've figured out there is money to be made here, and might try to palm off a repainted dial as an original.

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

So, the Bambino is finally here. Ordered it on May 4 and it arrived today morning at my office. Its just so darn beautiful, every bit as lovely as it looked in the pictures! In fact, I'd say it looks even more beautiful than some pictures on the net would lead you to believe. Just stunning, price point notwithstanding.

That's a beauty! Congrats!!

Originally Posted by sgiitk

My Omega Speedmaster Pro 1974) has finally given up the ghost, Omega refused / could not service, and a local could not fix all of it. Are they available, and the approximate cost of the same?

If you're lucky to have a reputed watch repair guy (who has experience in servicing older models), please get it checked out. There isn't much that can go wrong with a mechanical watch.

If you want to go one step further, you can always send the watch to the Omega headquarters in Switzerland. Contact the Indian office and they'll explain you how to go about it. I know Omega claims to be able to fix almost any watch they've produced till date!

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by RiGOD

So I looked into the ebay listings which had fresh pieces and finally zeroed down on

Moreover, it looks classy

Thank you - I am a bit skeptical about eBay purchases, but happy to know that you had a great experience. I dearly repent that I did not buy HMT watches when I had a chance.

On an unrelated note, I have two mint condition Hegde and Golay watches with me - hope they will pick up in value one day

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Its just so darn beautiful, every bit as lovely as it looked in the pictures! In fact, I'd say it looks even more beautiful than some pictures on the net would lead you to believe.

WOW!! She is a beauty. That blue hands looks so awesome. Now you are tempting me more to get the Bambino with sunburst green dial.

Originally Posted by kicha

Got the seiko recraft retro series few months back. Model-SKNM97, 21 Jewels , 7S26 Caliber, automatic, brushed steel case, transparent back, shiny green dial.

This is in my shortlist for a long time - I call this a poor man's Alpinist. I am still in two minds about buying this - on one hand, I want the Alpinist but it will take some time for that to happen, so on the other hand, I want to buy this so that I can have a green dial watch in my collection.

Now I am more confused after seeing the Orient Bambino series - there is a very beautiful vintage looking Bambino with green sunburst dial, so now the confusion is three ways

--Anoop

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

WOW!! She is a beauty. That blue hands looks so awesome. Now you are tempting me more to get the Bambino with sunburst green dial.

Now I am more confused after seeing the Orient Bambino series - there is a very beautiful vintage looking Bambino with green sunburst dial, so now the confusion is three ways

--Anoop

Hi Anoop,

Thanks, Im loving my wrist time with the Bambino. The blue hands are indeed awesome. On your point between the Bambino and Alpinist, my understanding is that they are from two separate price segments, and for two different purposes altogether. The Bambino Ver 4 (green dial) is an out and out dress watch well suited for formal wear. The Alpinist on the other hand is part of the SARB series, quite a bit smaller on the wrist, and is much more versatile (can be dressed down or up as the situation demands). Both are extremely solid value for money offerings in their respective price segments, a typically Japanese trait. From what I also understand, they are both extremely reliable movements, with great build quality and attention to detail on the watches themselves.

If budget permits, have both in your wardrobe. Otherwise, if I were to pick one, Id say go for the Alpinist due to its versatility. I myself am eyeing the SARB 033 due to its versatile nature, but budget constraints at this point.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Hi Anoop,

Thanks, Im loving my wrist time with the Bambino. The blue hands are indeed awesome. On your point between the Bambino and Alpinist, my understanding is that they are from two separate price segments, and for two different purposes altogether. The Bambino Ver 4 (green dial) is an out and out dress watch well suited for formal wear. The Alpinist on the other hand is part of the SARB series, quite a bit smaller on the wrist, and is much more versatile (can be dressed down or up as the situation demands).

If budget permits, have both in your wardrobe. Otherwise, if I were to pick one, Id say go for the Alpinist due to its versatility. I myself am eyeing the SARB 033 due to its versatile nature, but budget constraints at this point.

Thank you for the detailed views - They are from two different segments and two different price points and if I had my way, I would buy both of them at the blink of an eye

It will sound stupid, but for me the main criteria is the green dial - does not really matter if it is a dress watch or something I can use at different occasions.

An Alpinist with a brown crocodile pattern strap looks pretty sharp and if push comes to shove, I think it can do the dress watch duty also. But due to budget constraints, I will have to wait for some time before I can buy it. The Bambino, on the other hand, if quiet affordable and I can spring it later this year itself.

The current dress watch I have is Seiko SSA243, with the 4R39 Caliber movement.

--Anoop

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

My Omega Speedmaster Pro 1974) has finally given up the ghost, Omega refused / could not service, and a local could not fix all of it. Are they available, and the approximate cost of the same?

Sir,
Omega watches can always be serviced and looked after.
Try Ethos watches.

I got my ( originally Grandpapa's and subsequently my Dad's and now mine) antique Omega Seamaster serviced and its glass (rare domed plexiglass) also replaced. It was sent off to Switzerland as far as I know OR the part was procured from there.

I did this in 2007 and since then, it continues to work brilliantly right up to now and I use it almost daily just because I love its antique look!

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

....Here you go! The blue hands are a little more legible now:

Sheer class, this watch!

I am thinking I ll also splurge on one of these asap!

Did you grab it off Amazon Global Store? They seem to be offering it at a nice price including the Import Duty etc...

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Sheer class, this watch!

I am thinking I ll also splurge on one of these asap!

Did you grab it off Amazon Global Store? They seem to be offering it at a nice price including the Import Duty etc...

Yes sir, I did grab it off the Global store, because this is not directly sold off Amazon India. However, I think this particular model is now sold out, so if you are keen on this, you might need to wait a while till its back in stock. I believe the same build with black dial is still available, however. There are quite a few variants on offer from Orient, so lots of choice! Super bang for your buck, this.

If you dot get it on the Amazon global store, you can try the Orient India website, where stocks might be in better shape. Happy shopping!

[kicha]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

....Here you go! The blue hands are a little more legible now:

Awesome!!! Brilliant!! :-)

Sorry for the delay in replying, was away from the pc for sometime.There are few well established watch showrooms near where I live, I usually give it to them.The HMT glass got damaged after I hit it accidently on the edge of a door one day.Ever since I got it replaced at one of the shops here, the watch internals started gathering moisture during rainy/cold weather conditions.That, later on corroded the internals and now it is beyond repair :-(

The Seiko is a brand new one!!Yeah, I have been using it for 4-5 months now. Eversince I bought it, I have kept the other watches aside for sometime and this has become my daily wear to work.Few scratches have formed overtime due to my constant usage.I will post better quality pictures soon :-)

[kicha]

This is in my shortlist for a long time - I call this a poor man's Alpinist. I am still in two minds about buying this - on one hand, I want the Alpinist but it will take some time for that to happen, so on the other hand, I want to buy this so that I can have a green dial watch in my collection.

Now I am more confused after seeing the Orient Bambino series - there is a very beautiful vintage looking Bambino with green sunburst dial, so now the confusion is three ways

--Anoop

Agree, the sunburst dial color in recraft is real good especially in outdoor lighting conditions.The case is 'Cushion/Pillow shaped" and it does really go well with a wide variety of watch bands.Casual and formal attires, on both it will look classy.I was also eyeing the bambino green dial, but I wanted something that looked similar to my old HMT.The recraft series doesn't have glow in the night markings on needles or on numericals, so few might find it difficult to find the time in low light conditions (example:driving in a car at night). But I am happy with the purchase and it is infact one of the series I will be following for sure.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Yes sir, I did grab it off the Global store, because this is not directly sold off Amazon India.



If you dot get it on the Amazon global store, you can try the Orient India website, where stocks might be in better shape. Happy shopping!

Yes it is sold out there. I just bought the last piece of the Blue Dial Bambino V4 today with black calf skin strap.
It should arrive in ten days time or so.
Will keep the forum posted!

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by kicha

Awesome!!! Brilliant!! :-)

Ever since I got it replaced at one of the shops here, the watch internals started gathering moisture during rainy/cold weather conditions.That, later on corroded the internals and now it is beyond repair :-(

This is my worry exactly. Im not sure which watch servicer would be a reliable one in Bangalore, when the time comes to service these beauties.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Yes it is sold out there. I just bought the last piece of the Blue Dial Bambino V4 today with black calf skin strap.
It should arrive in ten days time or so.
Will keep the forum posted!

Awesome choice! That blue sunburst dial is really lovely, especially in direct sunlight. One of the options I was eyeing as well, before I settled for the V2. The V4 is the latest in the series, and has some real great choices in terms of dial colours. Looking forward to pics once its in your hands!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Awesome choice! That blue sunburst dial is really lovely, especially in direct sunlight. One of the options I was eyeing as well, before I settled for the V2. The V4 is the latest in the series, and has some real great choices in terms of dial colours. Looking forward to pics once its in your hands!

The last Blue dial watch I had was the Swatch James Bond From Russia with love commemorative edition with a red star where the 12 should be.

Sadly I lost that one long ago and never ever was able to replace it.

I recently saw a top class Titoni slim domed crystal diver watch with rubber strap which somewhat resembles that Swatch and now this Orient.

But I didnt buy the Titoni though the chap at Ethos offered a very fair price.

Im going to keep quiet for a while now until I save and buy a classic Rolex Oyster Perpetual or a Rolex Milgauss or the Omega Globemaster.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Im going to keep quiet for a while now until I save and buy a classic Rolex Oyster Perpetual or a Rolex Milgauss or the Omega Globemaster.

These names are way way, way beyond my league any time in the foreseeable future. However, I have to admit am happy to see that my current wristwatch, the humble Bambino, is being uttered in the same few sentences as these

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

These names are way way, way beyond my league any time in the foreseeable future. However, I have to admit am happy to see that my current wristwatch, the humble Bambino, is being uttered in the same few sentences as these

Note that I didn't say when I would consider buying any of these....or how long it will probably take to save enough to own one of these! Maybe in time for my next big milestone birthday probably, but not likely before that!

A year or two ago, some colleagues were all huddled around one fellow's laptop - upon going nearer, I noted that they were all busy buying themselves HMT watches from some website. Of course, the price being around 2000 I also asked for one and promptly a few days later, received a simple, elegant black dial PILOT with leather strap. This is the same watch my Dad bought for me in 1980. That one sadly got broken or lost in school and I never got one like it again, until this replacement described above.

Saying that, I do remember that that old watch's case etc was generally far better finished and much smoother, than this newer one. Still, it gives me the "look" that I like and I do wear it occasionally.

I am privileged to have with me, a number of very nice wrist watches and pocket watches as well along with a few clocks too, including a few "big name" prestige/luxury examples, amassed over the last many years, some inherited from the family, some bought by me out of sheer passion for Horology.

However, there is NOTHING quite like one of those beautiful classic analogue dial, automatic or hand wound watches with leather straps. Those will always be evergreen.

One of the scenes from the film Von Ryan's express always comes to my mind when thinking of a good watch - when the Gestapo chap is desperate under any circumstances, to trade some black market nonsense like cigarettes and nylons and so on in exchange for Frank Sinatra's US Army Pilot watch when the prisoners are all escaping on the train through Italy to Switzerland. That was a heck of a simple, elegant yet functional watch! Wonder whether that watch was an Elgin or a Hamilton or Bulova whatever. It looked so nice, though one never gets a close view of it in the film.

Horology is a lovely science, art and passion. I was privileged to know Mr Pradipto Mohapatra of RPG Group who was a very well known horologist with a fabulous collection of beautiful vintage and antique watches of famous marques! I enjoyed several conversations with him about this mutual passion, before he passed on.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Aroy

What is wrong with it. As far as I know, Kapoor Service Centre which is authorised service centre for Omega, Rolex and Tag do replace critical part or the whole movement if required. You can try getting it checked at their South Extension-II service centre.

https://www.kapoorwatch.com/
http://in.ypgo.net/Kapoor+Watch+Comp...re-18399741036

I first gave it to Rupani, Lucknow who is an ASS. Got no joy. Then we gave it to the Kolkata centre. After four months they returned the watch declaring it irreparable. So we caught a local chap who got some parts and got it parftly functional.

One idea which I will explore is the movement replacement. Thanks for suggesting it.