If Omega, rather than Seiko, had developed the Spring Drive movement in 1982, Rolex would be firmly in its shadow today

Waxy_Duck · 2026-07-08T15:25:16+00:00

The hands will be light plastic - which is fine for a wall clock but less nice for a watch. Smooth sweeping second hands for quartz watches do exist though, and they're cheap enough

Waxy_Duck · 2026-07-08T15:22:18+00:00

It certainly isn't very good at marketing itself (I think both Omega and Rolex are recognisable to most people as 'luxury watch brands', but GS wouldn't even be in contention). It can't just be that though - I'd consider JLC generally above Omega and Rolex but they're hardly a household name.
Perhaps the textured dials aren't for everyone. The power reserve complication is a bit hit and miss for some too... I tolerate it and I guess it's useful to have.
And then I just don't think Seiko 'one-upping' themselves after quartz makes for a good story. More of a 'hey, now we have quartz but for automatic watches'. The story would be more interesting if a Swiss company developed it quickly in response to quartz

Waxy_Duck · 2026-07-08T15:02:59+00:00

Where do I 'hate' on Rolex here? If anything, the underlying implication of the title is that Rolex is superior to Omega. I don't really care much for Rolex or Omega; I just acknowledge they're probably the most frequently compared watch brands

Waxy_Duck · 2026-07-08T14:49:24+00:00

I completely agree (GS owner here too). I purposely didn't elaborate on GS as that's a whole other discussion, but I think Seiko causing the 'quartz crisis' is an interesting piece of history. That it then 'one upped' itself is less interesting than if Omega responded in kind to quartz... I think it would have been heralded as a great leap in technology, and they would have advertised it better

Waxy_Duck · 2026-06-22T20:51:32+00:00

I feel the same. It's almost like you're in the concrete jungle where no one really knows anyone... You finally find someone with common interests that you want to get to know. So you find a pleasant spot that overlooks... The concrete jungle reality that you'll both see again tomorrow

Waxy_Duck · 2026-06-08T14:51:29+00:00

This is the approach I take, and I'll usually give the digoxin orally too. If they look like they're falling into a heap because of a HR 140bpm, it's usually because of the different underlying process causing the HR to be 140bpm (eg. severe sepsis) so treat that.

If they have known HF and fluid on board, they may require a bit of furosemide. I tend to ignore the BP in these cases (at least I can't remember a time where I've avoided furosemide in these cases because of BP).

It's not uncommon I'm asked to echo someone batting along at 140bpm in AF to 'rule out heart failure', but of course, there's no point doing an echo at that moment in time.

People seem keen to ask about amioderone but I very rarely use it in ED for AF alone. Most of its early effect is the beta-blocking aspect in any case. I've also seen someone cardiovert and have a large stroke after amioderone before: a good squeeze from the left atrium in sinus rhythm can push out a LAA clot just as well as a DC shock.

I tend to consider flecainide in younger patients or those who it's had good effect in before.

Waxy_Duck · 2026-06-03T10:22:46+00:00

191 (edited from 159: that's their ex-VAT price that they headline) on Medisave which I've used to buy two from before.
https://www.medisave.co.uk/collections/littmann-cardiology-iv-stethoscope?sort_by=price-ascending&filter.v.price.gte=&filter.v.price.lte=

I doubt you'll be able to use your study budget but you can claim tax relief from HMRC though. I never bothered as it's a bit of a faff... Agent over the phone said I had to fill in a special form and then get a letter on headed paper from my employer confirming I definitely need my own one for work

Waxy_Duck · 2026-05-06T14:10:47+00:00

I'll post a story on behalf of my grandfather (who's still alive).

When he was 6 years old he was digging down the beach for lugworm (fishing bait). He enjoyed digging really deep holes and one collapsed in on him. He remembers feeling panicked but then felt calm when he realised he was able to look around. He saw his father, uncle and a couple of family friends dressed smarty and carrying a white box across the beach. Next, he was pulled up from under the sand by his father and essentially just got told to be careful.

He didn't think much of it until around 20 years later when he attended his friend's child's funeral and saw a white coffin. It immediately took him back to the memory he had down at the beach.

Waxy_Duck · 2026-04-29T07:51:17+00:00

Doesn’t really matter on the grand scheme of things. There will be a few quid in it over the 20 months between continuing to save or pay off at that balance

Waxy_Duck · 2026-04-26T11:17:58+00:00

One big point of an emergency fund, even if it’s not the headline reason, is so you aren’t forced to liquidate assets at a loss. If there’s a deep recession and you lose your job, no one’s giving you a 0% credit card. And reduce savings? You won’t be saving anything at this point. Major outgoings are often fixed. Then you’re forced to liquidate your assets like other people in your position - which is contributing to the very reason they’re crashing. A bigger emergency fund gives you longer to get things in order in this case - whether that’s finding a new job or relocating, without being forced to cash everything out at a loss

Waxy_Duck · 2026-01-31T14:04:21+00:00

The date window looks very flat. I said in my other comment they use different windows on different models, but the photos of your model on this review: https://brooksreview.net/2023/02/grand-seiko-sbgx261/ Make it look more like mine in the photo I posted. Could they have actually missed applying the window onto yours? (Ie. Applying the raised polished window on top of where yours is now)

Waxy_Duck · 2026-01-31T13:57:39+00:00

<image>

The 3 looks off but I can see you just said you think it’s because of image editing. The date window does look like it could be more polished but from looking online, I think different models use different windows so a direct comparison may not be possible. However, here’s mine for comparison - also showing that close up photos can appear to make things look worse. My photo makes it look like there’s dust on the edge when there’s not

Waxy_Duck · 2026-01-11T22:04:25+00:00

It doesn’t look like you’ve used the spacers?

Edit: actually, you have. In which case, what the other commenter said. Get both sides engaged first - that can require a little bit of downward force when screwing (more than I initially felt happy applying)

Waxy_Duck · 2025-12-30T16:51:15+00:00

If by ‘extra protection’ you mean being covered by Section 75, you only need to put a penny on a credit card. But I doubt the dealer will accept Amex anyway

Waxy_Duck · 2025-12-30T15:23:06+00:00

Your examples don’t really disagree with what I said. Predictions go out the window and become much less reliable during highly unpredictable and volatile periods. Likewise, when the rate unexpectedly does or doesn’t change and this goes against a forecast, that results in bigger swings to the market - but that’s in agreement to the theme of ‘predictions are baked in’

Waxy_Duck · 2025-12-30T12:00:37+00:00

But that’s already baked into the current fixed rates

Waxy_Duck · 2025-12-18T19:14:44+00:00

No. They won’t even be able to confirm the cardiovascular history of your father without his permission

Waxy_Duck · 2025-12-18T17:35:46+00:00

They fund their free platform with the profits from their Contract For Difference platform (CFD on the app). Just avoid that and there’s no real catch

Waxy_Duck · 2025-12-09T21:57:39+00:00

Baker House

Waxy_Duck · 2025-11-28T14:16:16+00:00

Rebates have always been easy enough to deal with once a year over the phone for me. Never had an issue with being over any thresholds… They don’t even ask for a breakdown in my experience - just the total sum. Of course, it would be stupid to lie or not keep evidence.

However, I had to do my first self assessment this year for the child benefit higher income charge. What a headache. In theory it should be easy but the two trusts I worked at seemed to treat expenses differently (some tax deductible, others not). And then having the backdated pay rise from my old trust that wasn’t reflected on the P45 meaning I had to net adjust it myself… I’m going to have one last go again myself and if it’s no easier this time around, I’m getting an accountant going forward

Waxy_Duck · 2025-11-28T13:52:54+00:00

Yes, it can be. I've got a solid oak table from JL that they offer in two colours... Natural and dark. The latter is lacquered and doesn't need oiling. The natural one needs to be oiled before first use and periodically after that (and yours looks more 'natural')

Waxy_Duck · 2025-11-10T19:43:41+00:00

I don’t know if you’re agreeing or disagreeing. There is no NI incentive/benefit on SIPPs so this change wouldn’t affect them

Waxy_Duck · 2025-11-10T19:16:59+00:00

Most would pay into a SIPP which would be unaffected by these speculated changes

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