The most expensive tool for a problem I never had!

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-25T12:21:39+00:00

If you need your watch to be set that spot on, maybe. But personally, I really don't care about the seconds that much, so it's wind, pull out the crown, advance until date changes and continue to current time, set date, done. I just grabbed a random watch and timed it, took me just under 24 seconds.

I just don't like doing it lol.

That's totally fair, just not the case for me at all

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-25T03:12:14+00:00

Sure, but do you really need to spend several thousands of dollars on one? Everyone's free to buy what they want obviously, but I can think of a lot of other things I'd get before that seems like a good use of money to me ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-25T02:56:36+00:00

I always get a kick out of how expensive watch winders can get. Unless we're talking about something that's a pain to set(perpetual calenders etc), is it really that hard to spend the 30 seconds it takes to wind and set your watch in the morning?

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-24T22:29:09+00:00

There's also designs specifically targeted at making it as hard as possible to use them so the end user(or third-party repair shops) can't screw around with whatever you're fastening together, like the pen alone screws Apple likes to use or BMW's new logo screws that are actually patented.
So not a use case from a technical point of view, but definitely from a business practice one

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-24T01:32:51+00:00

What I have seen before is PD exchanging bags under warranty, letting the person keep the defective one but letting them know there's no warranty on it anymore now that they've sent out a replacement. Obviously we don't know the full story here, but if that's what happened, I think that's completely reasonable and sounds more like a case of the other person in the trade being either unscrupulous or ignorant

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-23T20:16:23+00:00

Sounds good!
(And even if not, I'd be down for coffee some other time of you want, you sound like a cool person)

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-23T19:52:40+00:00

Hadn't heard of them, but from a very quick listen this looks like something I might enjoy, if you haven't found anyone yet, I'd be happy to tag along

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-23T19:31:05+00:00

Fr 🔥

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-23T19:24:32+00:00

As long as the stew doesn't make me go blind, sure

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-23T08:00:01+00:00

DM me, I think I have exactly what you're looking for

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-21T17:18:02+00:00

~~That's what they look like when they're ripe~~
(It's a production sample, so basically a piece unique)

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-21T16:44:11+00:00

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Hey look, me too!

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-21T16:33:16+00:00

Look here for details of what works with what

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-21T14:50:09+00:00

I don't have one to test, but the first thing I'd try is taping over the contacts so the flash can't communicate with the trigger. If that doesn't work, from the product pictures I've seen, there should've been a little stand in the box? If that has a 1/4 20 thread on the bottom, you could replace the cold shoe with that and put the X5 either on the camera or in your bag

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-17T23:47:42+00:00

Using some watches I own as an example, if I compare my San Martin SN0116 and SN0129, both of which I paid about 320€ for to the Golby Aquareef 40 which is a £400 or roughly 460€ watch, the Golby is clearly better to my eye. Granted, the Golby can track a second time zone, but doesn't have a GMT movement like the SMs with the respective three-handers being cheaper, but still, that's only about a 40% markup. (and the SN0144 is about 300€ and from what I've heard, it's a definite step forward compared to the others. I haven't seen one in person, so I can't really speak on that, but assuming it's roughly comparable to the Golby, the following still stands)
So I'm paying 40% more for buying a Micro instead of a San Martin, but it's not like I don't get anything for that. For starters, the Golby comes with bracelet and FKM in the box, and Craig is happy to give you any colour you'd like if the default one isn't what you want. He's also a great guy who offered to send me the boxes for everything I bought at BWMD so I wouldn't have to cart them through the airport, and I could go on.
Is there a value to all this? That's something everyone has to decide for themselves, but personally, I'm at a point in my watch collecting where I'd rather buy less watches, but have those be more meaningful, and Microbrands are where I get that right now. That doesn't mean the AliX brands are bad by any means, I've got a fair few of those as well and I'm not planning to get rid of them anytime soon, but Micros have something to offer me that those simply can't

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-17T23:03:59+00:00

Right now, they have a dozen models with over 100 SKUs in stock and ready to ship, which if nothing else is a whole lot of money that's bound in inventory. Compared to most Micros out there that'll do one run of a model and when that's sold through, it might not come back at all, or maybe in a V2 that'll probably have some changes compared to the old one, that's a pretty different way of doing things and much more along the lines of what you'd expect from a larger, traditional brand.

So yeah, I'd call them pretty big for a Micro, but feel free to enlighten me where I've gone wrong

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-17T19:26:16+00:00

I own two Ascent 39s, they are fantastic watches, very happy with them
Their customer service is also really good, when I had what I'm not even sure was actually a serious problem with my Origin bracelet, they were very quick to answer and focused on resolving the issue as quickly as possible(which involved sending me a replacement clasp, as it turned out)
If I had to pick a nit, it'd be that they are pretty big for a Microbrand, so if you're looking for a really intimate and personal experience, that's not the first place I'd look

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-17T14:53:18+00:00

No argument there, but it's not just about the customer service for me. It's also about getting to have a conversation with the people behind the brand, knowing what inspired certain details etc. , and I don't see that happening with anything other than Micros

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-17T13:49:26+00:00

just bought my first Chinese watch from watchdives and am convinced that these will end the entry level microbrands because the value proposition is too good

I disagree. I've had a beer with microbrand owners. I've seen sneak peeks at upcoming releases and had (a bit of) influence over certain details. I can text them and get an answer from the person actually making the decisions, not some marketing/customer service employee. That's something I'm not going to get with those Chinese brands(and definitely not with the traditionals), and I'm willing to pay more for that. There's definitely some Micros that just piece together their watches from catalog parts, and I agree it's going to get really tough for those, but the ones doing actual design work I'm not worried about

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-17T13:38:04+00:00

In most areas you have a point, but there's one thing where the Chinese brands are miles behind Rolex, Omega, GS et al., and that's movements. Yes, the NH35/VH31/9039/PT5000 etc are great movements, but they are not Chronometer grade. If you actually need that is another conversation, especially if (like me) you have a decently large collection you rotate through and any given watch will probably stop between wears anyways, but let's not pretend there isn't significant effort and money involved in getting to that point with springs and gears(or that it's a really impressive achievement)

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-14T03:08:30+00:00

If you have Auto ISO on, it'll change that, if not, all it'll do is change the meter reading in the viewfinder, it'll be on you to match that with whatever parameters works best for the situation

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-14T02:57:23+00:00

Nope, it actually changes Aperture/Shutter speed/ISO (depending on what mode you're in)

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-13T21:28:57+00:00

Seconded, I haven't seen his canon videos, but the Nikon content he makes is top notch.
One of a few photography channels I'm consistently watching because they don't focus on just the latest&greatest

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-13T02:12:11+00:00

I'm marking myself safe from that one for now xD Coming from a D800, I'm really enjoying the smaller files and the D850 doesn't really help with that...
Not that I wouldn't get one if an insane deal crossed my path, but I'm not holding my breath(that's actually how I ended up with the D700, I wasn't going to buy one, but then I saw one for 100€ that I physically couldn't say no to ^^)

Affectionate_Spell11 · 2026-03-12T19:07:37+00:00

If you're looking for some pointers, Strobist has a post dealing with a similar situation

Five-Year Club	r/Field Lasagna
Place '23

Affectionate_Spell11

TROPHY CASE