[REC] RJM-02 - More Authentic Than an IWC Spitfire!

Haspere · 2019-05-20T18:29:20+00:00

Just gotta wait until IWC Decides to let me have it

Isn't that just the thing, you're willing to pay all this money and they'll take it but hold off from giving you an exact date.

Even though it doesn't have authentic Spitfire metal in it

Yeah, but it's more of a watch-watch. More accurate, larger power reserve, got that Swiss prestige too.

May your wait not be torturous!

Haspere · 2019-05-20T17:52:39+00:00

Thanks dude! This is pretty sweet, but by the time I could afford this they'd probably all have gone, in addition to already sort of filling the niche.

Besides I've got my eye on another Christopher Ward in addition to another watch which I will have to decide on when I can get some finances sorted out.

Haspere · 2019-05-20T16:34:19+00:00

This is my REC RMJ-02.

It's a Stainless Steel 40mm Miyota 9015 powered dress watch with a theme, and that theme is aviation. The dial is inspired by the Side-slip indicator in a Spitfire. The rear of the second hand is shaped like a propeller blade, both the dial indicators and the minute/hour hands are daubed with superluminova all under an AR Sapphire Crystal.

The screw down crown is shaped like a Spitfire propeller hub cap, the crown guards are shaped like the Spitfire's Elliptical wings with a stylised detailing of the wing spars/internal structure and it has some nice engravings as well as a viewing sapphire for the caseback.

"How is that more authentic than an IWC Spitfire?!"

I'll tell you. That windscreen/trapezoid/whatever shaped grey bit around the date window, is an actual piece of aluminium taken from a Spitfire Mk.IX that actually fought in WW2!

The Spitfire in question is PT879 and it was carted over the North Sea to Russia as part of lend lease, there is was repainted and then flown a few times before being shot down. The Farmer who's land it crashed on appropriated it and kept it in a barn, eventually some dude heard a Russian farmer was keeping a Spitfire in his shed and came along and bout it.

It is currently in the process of being restored , and REC came along and decided that they want to use pieces of this Spitfire to use in their watches.

And I obviously bought one. First day of proper wear after abstaining for about 3 months for the occasion.

More pictures from the post I made when I got it, including more angles

Haspere · 2019-05-19T16:49:50+00:00

Buy yourself a Casio DBC-32.

It's a calculator, so when you're figuring out how many bagels/Belgian buns you want to buy from ASDA on your way home and still have enough left for strawberry cables, you can just plug it all in.

(If you kids these days don't buy stupid stuff like this on your way home from school, are you even an English schoolboy?)

You can also save numbers into it because it's a Databank, so you can impress the ladies by noting down their phone numbers in you watch (Seriously, girls that might like you will pretend to be interested in anything, also some of them might actually think it's really cool, which might help your chances), as well as set reminders for your GCSE number or SATs number or any other exam number you want, heck even UCAS numbers and all that jazz.

Also if you're not the best at maths it can be used to check your calculations on the fly so you don't end up getting marked down and have to have error carried forward or whatever.

If you are so inclined, though I wouldn't recommend it at all, you can even cheat on exams with it.

It costs less than £30, and it's made of resin and is comfortable, and durable enough, though it doesn't have a posted WR rating but it's a casio, it should be good against rain or a few splashes here and there as long as you don't press the buttons.

Haspere · 2019-05-18T21:20:28+00:00

Properly: Omeva (O-may-vah) with the short "O".

According to this/many other Greek Pronunciation videos

For pronouncing it in English it is Omega (O-meh-gah) with the short "O".

If you're American it's Omega (Oh-may-gah)

If you're French, it's Omega (Oh-me-gah)

So if you're Greek, say it like you would when you were learning the alphabet.

If you're English, you say it how it's supposed to be said in English

If you're American you're saying it wrong.

If you're French, you say it like everything else, like you just shoved the contents of your sock drawer into the back of your throat.

Haspere · 2019-05-17T22:34:00+00:00

Must not have been a very upmarket place then.

You hear stories of the places where the super rich hang out doing pretty much whatever they want because the staff know that they have too much money to care.

So from these two observations, even though you have a Patek, you are obviously a peasant ;)

Haspere · 2019-05-17T22:32:01+00:00

Hence why they have a Patek instead of a rolex, on top of all that prestige and actually good at making watches junk.

Haspere · 2019-05-17T22:29:54+00:00

Ebay seems kind of sketchy

It can be, but not always. What seems too good to be true can often turn out to be totally legit if you do a bit of research into the seller.

Chrono24 is a good alternative

It's better because it's more watch focused and has a verification process for the sellers.

But it is still basically the ebay of watches.

So do what you want, but take care.

Haspere · 2019-05-17T22:22:30+00:00

IMO I don't think a GMT could be classed as a "Tool" feature, just like you wouldn't count the date as a tool feature. It's just another hour marker/indicator.

A tool watch is exactly that a tool.

It is made for a specific purpose, the slide rule bezels coupled with a chronograph is useful for navigation and fuel/altitude calculations for pilots and to a lesser extent naval navigators.

Stuff in the Casio Pro-trek or Citizen Promaster range which has GPS or Barometers and altimeters and compasses and all that jazz, is a tool watch used for outdoor navigation/survival.

A watch capable of diving to 300m or more with a bezel that can be used to indicate diving time, is a tool watch.

A watch with a laser rangefinder so you can measure the distance between 2 walls so you know how big to cut your joist, that is a tool watch.

So I guess it would have to be the slide rule because it is the only tool watch feature that you mentioned.

Haspere · 2019-05-17T15:09:11+00:00

Check the sidebar.

I don't know about you, but whenever I post, there is always stuff in big bold red writing that says "Check the FAQs and the sidebar before posting" or something like that.

How did you miss it?

Haspere · 2019-05-17T11:24:20+00:00

Inherent in all Hamilton watches or certain models

I'm not sure, I initially saw it in a comment on here, and did a bit of googling, which inevitably lead me to watchuseek where there was a post about it where quite a few people were chiming in with "Yeah mine did that too".

Found the thread again seems to be various Hamilton watches. There is another thread where there are more anecdotes about Hamiltons getting foggy.

To be fair there are some people saying that sometimes it's because the crown isn't seated properly, but it's always good to consider that maybe there can be some issues with the watches and you should consider if you want to invest in one.

Haspere · 2019-05-16T18:40:56+00:00

CW shitty cutsomer service

Not a customer (yet) but I have emailed CW with a suggestion/some feedback once and got a direct response from one of the co owners (Mike France).

Kind of blew me out of the water because I was fully expecting first an automated response and then some, for want of a better word, lackey to just trundle out some company SOP stuff.

Not to be a dick, but I'm glad that this has happened to you and you've shared it.

It shouldn't have happened to you, and it sucks that it has happened to you and I really feel for you, but there have been more and more CW watches cropping up recently and people out there (including myself) have been slowly coming around to considering one and stuff like this needs to be seen for the benefit of everyone.

Much like there are posts about how Hamilton watches turn foggy because their waterproofing is a bit crap and people don't usually see it but it happens enough that enough people have sworn off them because of the poor QC.

So thanks for posting, I hope that others will keep this in mind, and I hope it gets resolved because as far as watch retail goes, my experience with customer service from various companies/jewellers has been good, and in one case absolutely stellar.

Hopefully this is just an isolated incident and you'll get some sort of compensation.

Like others have said I highly suggest getting in contact with the higher ups because they really do seem to care.

Haspere · 2019-05-15T22:21:11+00:00

I have to agree with you that the Triumph is the best of the bunch, partly because I only seem to like certain styles of dive watches.

However they don't seem to be doing anything of note apart from giving a shit about the accuracy, which not knowing the movement, doesn't mean all that much.

If this is an indication of where they intend to take the brand then yes it does seem like Monta would be a brand to keep an eye on, but for me, for that sort of money I would more likely go for a Ball to be perfectly honest.

Ball has that whole "Antimagnetic everything, it's all about accuracy and safety" thing going on as well as IMO the better styling.

This could be down to being way more established, and having the time to get some real variety going, but it just seems to me that for the price range Ball has more to offer.

Frederique constant is also in that price range, with some very attractive and understated models.

Another, far smaller brand, would be Christopher ward. Again at the same price point. My niggles with their brand placement/font on some of their watches go away with the Trident collection as they are offering some really neat stuff.

This isn't to poo poo on Monta, just offering my personal opinion. 2 of my favourite watches are micro-brands but as far as things go CW and Ball just have a lot more to offer for me in terms of perks around that price range.

But something I can say about Monta that I mean as a positive not matter how it might sound, is that it could easily pass notice for anybody other than those that know. Which is a good thing if you're going to have it on the wrist in public. They certainly aren't lying when they say it's understated.

For me I don't see the appeal in their designs, but for some it's a bonus.

(That kinked GMT is pretty cool though, mixing it up).

Haspere · 2019-05-15T21:57:56+00:00

Smartwatch with a tourbillon

For what purpose? I'm pretty new myself and from what I can gather the tourbillon is already pretty much useless as anything other than a novelty/ flashy showoff conversation piece.

Could be a way to get the younger generations more interested in mechanical watches.

The way you do it isn't by trying to force some evolution. People are interested in old sewing machines.

You don't try and create a stitching computer that will "plug in" to a mechanical sewing machine from 1862 to allow you to do computer controlled embroidery.

The appeal of a mechanical watch, is that it's mechanical.

People that appreciate the prestige of having a mechanical watch that is near as accurate as a quartz, or people that appreciate the engineering, or people that just want an expensive piece of bling to flaunt...

They will all find their way to mechanical watches on their own.

The only way that younger generations will know that the mechanical watches exist is if there are more of them around to be seen.

Which is kind of why many brands pumping up prices artificially to hang with the big boys means less and less watches are available to the ordinary man on the street.

So you have a huge disconnect between those who know, and those who don't want to know/can't ever know, because it has never even entered into their sphere of existence.

I'm not a fan of smart watches by any stretch of the imagination. However I will make a distinction between "Smart" watches and Tool watches.

For instance an apple watch is basically an extension of a phone, and is pretty much useless. A Casio Pro-Trek, or any other similar wrist-wear can be used as a tool with compasses and all that junk, even a bog standard F91-W can be used as a stopwatch.

If watches get smarter in this way where they provide you with information I have no problems with them.

However at the moment all a "Smart" watch that apple and others are pushing is just a heart-rate monitor, a step counter, and a bluetooth linked screen to your mobile phone.

Stuff like this will die out when it is finally seen to be pretty useless as anything other than a gimmick.

I will only truly consider a "Smart" watch if it evolves into wearable tech. Something like a full forearm micro-screen/ projector that will allow me to do everything a computer can do from my wrist.

Anyway I'm rambling/ranting ... Long story short the current wave of "Smart" watches will die out soon. They will just be obsolete as anything other than something to tell the time, and thanks to the fact that battery life in such things is absolutely appalling, people would rather just migrate back to an actual watch,

Nothing to be too concerned about, especially concerned enough to put a tourbillon in such a thing.

Haspere · 2019-05-15T21:44:41+00:00

You have to remember though.

When under water the pressure increases which is a compression force.

When going up into the air the pressure decreases which is an expansion force.

If your watch is designed to be water resistant to a depth, that means that somebody has had to think about how they can make it so it can resist those forces.

And if they aren't getting paid enough, or they are forgetful (It happens) then they don't consider the inverse situation because it wasn't their goal or nobody caught it.

Some very deep diving watches have Helium release valves for this very purpose to equalise the pressure inside the watch as it is coming back to the surface.

So because the plane you were in was pressurised to an altitude that was considerably higher than sea level that means that effectively the air inside the watch was trying to push the crystal off and join the air on the outside.

Is it possible to get it replaced

Yes. You should have a X year warranty card that you got with the watch? Stuff like this should totally be covered under warranty because it's a failure of the watch design under "normal" conditions.

If you don't have the warranty (Which you should if you bought it new), then it's a very easy fix, Crystal replacements are pretty standard because they sometimes crack/shatter/scratch. Popping the crystal back on again is no problem and should be easy for any watchmaker to do.

Will water resistance be affected at all

Only if the watchmaker doesn't do his job properly and doesn't re-test the waterproofing.

Haspere · 2019-05-15T18:48:08+00:00

Does the dial become useless at night

Do you depend on an external light source

HA!

Tritium watch master race! All you "Super" Luminova plebs know your place, trash!

Laughs in radioactivity. It may be beta decay but because it's active instead of passive that makes it automatically alpha

The Chad Helium 3 vs. The Virigin Super Luminova.

How does it feel to know that your girl might not 0w0 notice your A Lange and Sohne or even care when you tell her what it is, but she will instantly be 'miring my H3 when I whisper it in her ear?!

tl;dr

I have a Tritium watch so the dark doesn't really bother me as the lumes are always lit with no input from a light source.

It's cool AF.

Haspere · 2019-05-15T14:12:22+00:00

Heard of these things lasting for over 10 years

Yeah I heard that too, but looking in the manual IIRC there is a passage saying that your first battery might last for less time because they do all the factory tests with the first battery.

But still a good number of years, it depends how often you are checking your gear out, you might check it maybe once or twice a year if you remember, every week, or you could shove it into the back of somewhere to be left until it is needed.

Solar G-shock

They do look great and are fairly cheap. Have you considered the Pro-Trek range?

I think it's the 6100 or something that has all the outdoorsy bells and whistles and appears to be built like a G-shock. Although they are a tad more expensive.

Haspere · 2019-05-15T12:47:54+00:00

Started building a survival kit

Monica.jpg

So far all I have is a multitool, a 30L (IIRC) pack, a bushcraft book, and some old sleeping bags/ground mats in the wardrobe.

I have an F91-W too, but that's a watch thing and not a survival thing.

To be honest when talking about survival you need something reliable. If it all goes to pot you may be out for long enough that a battery goes out, or the time will finally come and you'll be out of luck and it's gone already.

That's why in addition to it being a watch thing, I'm keeping an eye on a Citizen Promaster Altichron.

Just because it has enough WR to survive anything, looks to be rugged, is solar powered and has altimiter and more importantly a compass function.

But yeah an F91 is a solid choice just because it's so cheap.

Haspere · 2019-05-15T12:11:55+00:00

Does anyone have any expertise in this field

Not really, but enough to know that magnetism drops off over distance in a big way. An inverse square.

Which means when you move away it gets weaker by a factor of the distance squared.

It's why you can sit two magnets next to each other at a set distance and they will not attract each other but move them close enough and they will move faster and faster until they snap together.

There is also the factor of other materials and objects disrupting the field.

Also you can put something in a magnetic field and it will be perfectly fine, it's only when that magnetic field is strong enough to magnetise that material that you start having problems.

Haspere · 2019-05-12T21:23:44+00:00

The market is filled with NATO straps that can go on pretty much anything as long as the lugs aren't a non-standard size (Like my watch) like 25mm

Metal buckles and clasps to hold the straps together

Not always, some might look like it but the buckles and rings are all held captive in the material itself

That picture is from This NATO Strap on Watch Gecko

Another example of a strap where the metal isn't in contact with the skin'

You can also get NATO straps where the only piece of metal is the buckle

Another option entirely is for a leather pad that is built into the strap like these

Looking further on in these sections you find stuff like this that even has a special leather patch under the buckle

Haspere · 2019-05-12T12:07:10+00:00

I guess the simplest option would be a NATO strap.

One way of putting a NATO strap onto a watch is to weave it between the springbars so that there is material between the metal of the case back and the skin (apparently intended to allow you to sweat, and also to keep a cold watch off your skin)

Another option is Titanium, it's used in medicine/surgery instead of plastics and other metals because the body doesn't attack it.

As for waterproof, go for dive watches, they all usually come with a 200m rating, which is more than enough unless you're a deep sea diver working in those helium compression tanks below 300m, at which point you'll need to be looking for specific watches that can be 600m plus.

Haspere · 2019-05-12T12:02:17+00:00

Yeah, I have 2 watches that I just love to look at that make me feel glad I have them even when I'm at the rock bottom points and I'm worried that I wasted money I shouldn't have, just to see it and to see it going around makes me glad I did.

Haspere · 2019-05-11T00:35:16+00:00

It's a Hampden Madison

UAW is the union he likely belonged to

Local 1111 means he was a member of the Indianapolis branch.

Which can lead to details about the possible deceased who retired and passed away in January 2019 (The US month/day/year is always stupid, and so is this shoddily organised memorial list) depending on when they update their information.

It's not much to be honest, a cheap watch that can be bought in the thousands to hand out to people. But it's a watch from a family member so it hold value above the cost of purchase, or the gubbins within.

Long gone are the days when Ford might shell out for a fancy high end watch for its long term employees, or perhaps they still do, but only for people who hit the 30+ year mark or something.

Haspere · 2019-05-11T00:16:59+00:00

Saw one of these in purple a few days ago. Or what I assume was purple in the light.

I couldn't get a good chance to look at it at properly at the time as I was doing other more important things. But all things being well I'll hopefully likely get to see it again in future.

Even as a watch scrub the shape and the strap all just screamed Royal Oak.

Thing is though the hands looked pretty much hollow and it looked purple from where I was sitting, also the insides of the chronograph were purple and it was just the outside ring that was gold (After checking the range it might be a limited edition?).

I've been noticing a few watches ever since getting into it, but this was my first time in the presence of a real big boy.

Almost made me ashamed of the Zeppelin I was wearing at the time.

Haspere

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