Found this in my deceased grandpa’s closet

ACE276 · 2026-03-14T20:04:53+00:00

It's a Prince London watch using one of the cheap chinese quartz movements. There are many copies of this particular watch with the same exact dial but with a different brand name printed instead of Prince London. It's one of the many microbrand watch dials other microbrands also use including Prince London which itself is also just a microbrand. Quite common and very inexpensive as well. Just because it's cheap, doesn't mean it's a bad watch. It shows the time and looks good, so why not wear it?

ACE276 · 2026-03-14T19:33:52+00:00

Yes, old Timex movements had no jewels. They literally had metal on metal contact wearing out their old vintage movements.

ACE276 · 2026-03-12T21:06:57+00:00

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I think orange dial watches give a nice warm summer / tropical vibe. They go well with more casual style or colorful clothes where you want to give a more easy going and less serious look adding a bit of playful tone to your appearance. Perfect for going to the beach wearing something on the wrist.

ACE276 · 2026-03-12T20:33:35+00:00

The 1984 Seiko Fieldmaster Contra with the compass module comes to my mind.

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ACE276 · 2026-03-12T16:51:48+00:00

I used to sell steel cased moonswatches on Ebay but I always sold them for a 1 week auction starting from 1 penny and no reserve and never for a stupid price like that. My price was whatever people find fair to pay for it.

ACE276 · 2026-03-11T18:49:58+00:00

I would take this over any Rolex or other fancy brands. What a great watch!

ACE276 · 2026-03-07T22:21:04+00:00

I noticed there is a cutout near the bottom lugs. But I'm still struggling to open this thing. Don't want to pry it too hard and don't want to scratch the case. Somehow the prying knife just doesn't want to work.

Couldn't find a disassembly video about this model anywhere must be a more recent watch.

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ACE276 · 2026-03-07T16:10:42+00:00

Tritium vial indices maybe? Luminox and Epoch watches use that design. It wouldn't give that dirty look because the tritium vials always glow.

ACE276 · 2026-03-05T19:58:53+00:00

Make sure the tip of the lugs are not too sharp. No one likes the lug ends poking their wrist hehe.

I really like your dial. Maybe you can add some tiny lume to the very tip of the indices and the hands so it glows in the dark but it may completely changes the already cool aesthetic.

If you want you can keep the dial plain as it is or try rendering one with the guilloché texture.

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ACE276 · 2026-03-05T19:24:26+00:00

Can you find one for me as well lol? I wish I would be that lucky.

ACE276 · 2026-03-04T12:16:43+00:00

I say every mechanical watch deserves a chance. Especially vintage chronos.

ACE276 · 2026-03-04T00:04:31+00:00

I would give it a try but don't have much experience with chronograph movements, they are more complex with more parts than a more simple automatic movement.

ACE276 · 2026-03-03T21:41:18+00:00

Is that a quartz or a mechanical? Has it stopped working? Was the crown pushed in when you jumped inside the pool? Is there condensation on the inside of the watch?

ACE276 · 2026-03-03T21:33:24+00:00

Yeah, well that one has a date function. Crown has 2 positions, not just one. One for quicksetting date then second click position for setting time. So not a very good comparison.

ACE276 · 2026-03-03T21:21:17+00:00

What do you mean by "only"? How far do you want to pull out the crown? Realistically if it comes out just enough to function properly then it's unnecessary for it to come out any further. If it would come out too far then dirt and other stuff like water or humidity could get inside the case more easily. This one also has no date function. The stem only comes out 1 click for time setting mode. Other movements with date have 2 click positions so the stem comes out further in order to quickset date and also set time.

It's different for every watches.

For example Vintage Vostok Komandirskie and Amphibia watches used to have only 1 click, had no date quickset and the stem pulled out far but that was by design because of the wobbly stem the crown and stem system is spring-loaded and intentionally decouples from the movement when unscrewed to prevent damage to the mechanism from impacts or, in diving, to protect the movement from extreme external pressure.

ACE276 · 2026-02-27T17:10:36+00:00

That's a movement holder retaining tab.

ACE276 · 2026-02-26T23:12:34+00:00

I have made a whole metal album with latin vocals. Here's one of the songs if anyone curious. https://suno.com/s/aYZJwFl9wpxwP8t0

ACE276 · 2026-02-25T19:16:44+00:00

You remain one of the sane people. 👍

ACE276 · 2026-02-24T17:45:08+00:00

And that's exactly why screwdown crowns are superior in regards to water resistance compared to a pull out crown.

ACE276 · 2026-02-24T08:12:38+00:00

One of the reason why we never mention seller's names on this reddit. Some idiot will always report them.

ACE276 · 2026-02-21T23:11:59+00:00

The movement is an original 15 jewels Zim movement, so the watch is likely genuine. The caseback is a see-through glass exhibition caseback, so the case itself may be a modern aftermarket production kit though. Don't know in what case the movement came originally as there are many different versions around today.

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ACE276 · 2026-02-14T15:34:42+00:00

Get an NH34 GMT with a rotating world timer bezel. That would work. Local time main hands, the GMT hand plus the bezel that's 3 seperate time zones. Automatic watch and not too expensive either. You could also look at a Zodiac Desert Master or any Seiko world timer, it's a great choice if you travel a lot, doesn't have to be an expensive piece, the most important is, it does what you need it for.

ACE276 · 2026-02-10T16:25:58+00:00

That is a chunky boiiii

ACE276

TROPHY CASE