Bunkermagnet
Journeyman Pro
Do we have anyone who might fit that bill?, I have a question on a timepiece.
Cheers
Cheers
Horologists or watch geeks
- Thread starter Bunkermagnet
- Start date
CliveW
Tour Winner
Not me I'm afraid, but PistonHeads has quite a good Watch section on their forum. https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&f=187
Tashyboy
Please don’t ask to see my tatts 👍
There is a few geeks on here re watches, there has been a few threads over the years and this could be another good one. Is the question one that will be asked via pm or open question.
Bunkermagnet
Journeyman Pro
No problem with in the open....
I'm looking for opinions and thoughts on this piece..http://www.classicchronographs.co.uk/home.
D
Deleted Member 1156
Guest
Murph is your man. He is rubbish at golf so spends all his money on watches instead 
Foxholer
Blackballed
The movement is a pretty standard (if quite high end) one made by the biggest (I'm almost certain) Swiss manufacturer of movements (ETA)!
You should be able to get a similar spec watch, from any number of brands, for a lot less!
Also a warning about the particular colours! I had a (35mm) chronograph of similar colours that I simply could not read without donning reading glasses - so pretty much bleeding useless as a watch!
This might prove of interest! http://www.ebay.co.uk/gds/A-NEW-Bri...ronograph-Movements-/10000000000010729/g.html
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USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
Murph is your man. He is rubbish at golf so spends all his money on watches instead
Thanks!
USER1999
Grand Slam Winner
My only comment is on the brand. Its nice to have something different, but 1800 is a lot of cash for a brand that most people have never heard of. I wonder what resale values are like?
The movement is a good one, much used. ETA are supposed to be stopping supplying competitors, hence the likes of Cartier and Breitling now designing their own in house ones.
The movement is a good one, much used. ETA are supposed to be stopping supplying competitors, hence the likes of Cartier and Breitling now designing their own in house ones.
Bunkermagnet
Journeyman Pro
Its more the quality of design and individuality that appeals, plus he puts so much information on his web site about them including details on what appears an almost unbeatable warranty compared to others of similar costs.
Resale value is of no consequence, as it's a piece to be bought in memory of parents so really a legacy piece for me or my broher.
Resale value is of no consequence, as it's a piece to be bought in memory of parents so really a legacy piece for me or my broher.
oxymoron
Club Champion
If you like your timepieces look at Christopher Ward , lovely kit at very reasonable prices, so much so ,i have a few.
Unbeatable for the price , by the way i have to say i have no connection to the company i just like British product\design .
Unbeatable for the price , by the way i have to say i have no connection to the company i just like British product\design .
Foxholer
Blackballed
That's supposedly been due to happen for eons (well, nearly 15 years!).
I don't believe it's ever going to happen - at least not in the 'top of the range' movements, where the Swiss, having weathered the Quartz 'storm', are still the market leaders!
£1800 is a lot for a brand no one has really ever heard off.
You say re-sale value isn't important, but if you did want to sell it, you'd be lucky to get £200 back.
I'd look on the second hand market and go for a more recognised brand.
You say re-sale value isn't important, but if you did want to sell it, you'd be lucky to get £200 back.
I'd look on the second hand market and go for a more recognised brand.
SteveJay
Head Pro
+1 for Christopher Ward - stumbled across the company a few years ago and now have 3. Brilliant customer service too and relatively cheap service costs - should be a consideration when buying good quality watches.
British - with a money back guarantee if you change your mind, and a showroom in Maidenhead where you can try - though I haven't been there. Good website and forum online too if you google it.
Likewise I have no affiliation, other than as a satisfied customer.
I think you answered your own question in your last sentence. Buy them, and remember your parents with pride every time you look at the watches.
Simbo
Tour Rookie
Never heard of the brand before but that is a very nice looking timepiece. I like that.
Lorne
Newbie
You know Brian, I generally let comments about my watches pass, but I feel obliged to respond.
£1900 is actually very reasonable for a bespoke chronograph.
The base architecture of the movement is indeed an ETA 7750, built to a custom grade and then further modified by myself
The modifications aren't made up or minor ones - take a look at the day and date arrangement for example
No one's heard of the brand because I've only made a hundred. 'Recognised brand' isn't necessarily something good - unless you're a sheep of course.
No one that's bought one has sold it, so like you I have no idea what the resale value might be. However if you read the lifetime warranty on the website, you'll see that if you send the bits back after some disastrous accident then I'll send you a new one for half the price. This probably sets the minimum resale at about half the price of a new one, £950
The dial and hands are VERY legible. Read the website, understand my background and then have another go at commenting on legibility and engineering
I don't mean to be nasty in anyway, and I fully realise watch design is a very personal thing, but just occasionally I see the odd comment that is a little wide of the mark and feel I have to correct it.
All the best
SocketRocket
Ryder Cup Winner
Very good watches.British design and Swiss made. I have four and love them.
Tashyboy
Please don’t ask to see my tatts 👍
Welcome me to the forum Lorne ðŸ˜ðŸ‘
there are are a few geeks on here,tell us a bit more about the company and watches.
No problem Lorne,
I remember seeing the watch in 2016 on TZ-UK, it looks a well built watch and certainly individual.
My opinion about re-sale stays the same, the OP wants to keep it so it's not an issue.
My knowledge may not be as good as yours, I've only been collecting watches for just over 10 years.
No hard feelings.
All the best Brian.
Lorne
Newbie
I'm a bit of a fraud being on this forum, given that I don't play golf, have only made one post, and only came across it when the watch website showed a flurry of referrals.
As noted, I'd normally have read the comments and passed on, but I thought I'd reply to Brian's. And thank's Brian for not taking it personally.
Most things about the watches are on the website, which hopefully gives an idea of the level of engineering and design that have gone into them. However, since you ask....
My intent was simply to build myself the perfect mechanical chronograph without any regard to the cost, image, being 'British' or having 'heritage'. Simply the best, regardless.
The ETA 7750 is the best integrated chronograph base architecture, hence I use it. I modify it to adjust it to my liking, so day and date are at the 4 o'clock line instead of 3 o'clock, requiring a large part of the movement to be replaced with custom made parts, and I have non-standard materials in some of the other components, such as a small ferrous (iron) component in the main spring alloy. This means a slight susceptibility to main spring magnetism, but way better fatigue life. The image side of having a mainspring that could pick up magnetism if you stood inside a MRI scanner with it on is something mainstream watch companies will avoid, but as it's 'my' watch I'm more inclined to like the fact that the spring operates below its lower fatigue level so won't ever break, even when my son, or his son, is wearing it in a hundred years time. I like to do things correctly, possibly to an excessive level, but what the heck.
The company, Classic Chronographs, only exists because building a watch properly (as in not doing the kickstarter, all about the image, who cares if it's any good or not, only in it to make money) is quite an expensive thing to do, so to minimise the tax I do it through a limited company. This is also the reason I actually make and sell them. It was a slightly more expensive hobby to get into than I first realised, so when my wife figured out what I'd actually spent I promised I would sell some and make the money back. Just over a hundred made and not there yet!
That's the background, the incredibly reasonable price is simply the cost of build with a small margin to recoup some of that development cost.
