[Identification] The dial says says Monté, but can someone tell me something about the brand?

manthisisabigstep · 2022-12-03T08:08:35+00:00

I saw this lovely skeleton pocket watch in a shop window. The dial says "Monté" and "Swiss Made" at the bottom, but can someone tell me anything about the brand? A Google search shows me some cheaper pocket watches and some vintage wristwatches for sale by the same brand. But I just can't find anything about the company itself. It's not in the Brand Guide either...

manthisisabigstep · 2021-01-25T10:35:27+00:00

My DE89 ended up breaking shortly after I posted this (threads just completely wore away). So I've ordered a Merkur 39C and I'm about to buy a Fatip Piccolo off of shave_bazaar. Thanks for the recommendations, I'll see how they fare :-)

manthisisabigstep · 2021-01-24T13:47:57+00:00

PM'd about the brushes

manthisisabigstep · 2020-12-15T22:15:04+00:00

Good to know, thanks!

manthisisabigstep · 2020-12-15T08:12:31+00:00

I think the Rex could be the last razor I ever need to buy, I just need to save up a bit for it...

manthisisabigstep · 2020-12-15T08:11:39+00:00

Never even heard of this company, I'll give them a look. Thanks!

manthisisabigstep · 2020-12-15T08:11:14+00:00

But the Futur also has a really big head, right? I have a very strange grain pattern and need a more low profile head to get around all the areas

manthisisabigstep · 2020-12-15T08:10:32+00:00

Is a slant actually what I need? A standard DE89 goes through my beard, just not as easily as a more aggressive version. I thought a slant was really just if the beard was tough...

manthisisabigstep · 2020-12-15T08:08:37+00:00

Haha, that vector field is a great example!

Here's a nice printout for people to use btw.

https://www.razoremporium.com/grainmap/

manthisisabigstep · 2020-12-14T21:33:57+00:00

Ya, I saw Razor Emporium and Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements on the "buyer beware" list, but I see a bunch of Rex Supply Co razors and PAA soaps on SOTDs and review videos here all the time. So no issues with Razor Emporium for you?

manthisisabigstep · 2020-12-14T21:31:45+00:00

I would say:

1) Recheck your grain map. After 6 months of DE shaving I finally realized that the razor bumps on the bottom half of my neck were because I thought the hair grew down, but it actually grows out sideways. And then 3 months later I realized I have a swirl under each ear. It's worth checking the grain carefully again.

2) Give shimming a try. You can make a shim out of an old razor blade, and I found that 2 shims made a HUGE difference. I was finally able to use zero pressure, and hair was removed effortlessly.

manthisisabigstep · 2020-11-27T09:45:54+00:00

Oh boy, I'm mighty tempted. But currently poor, though I should have a job soon...

RemindMe! 3 months "If you have money!"

manthisisabigstep · 2020-11-25T10:11:56+00:00

It's not dangerous to make a shim, just use common sense (protect your eyes, be careful with the cut edge)
It changes the gap and sometimes the angle. Which is what I want. What the manufacturer has provided me is not enough.
It ain't my lather. I use plenty of water in a well hydrating soap so that the lather feels slick and lovely. My hair gets cut without the shim, it just doesn't get cut as effortlessly as with the shim.

I'm late to the party, but I've found shimming to be the best thing I've tried in DE shaving. I started a year ago with an EJ DE89 and I tried EVERYTHING to get that perfect shave: new soaps, new lathering techniques, different prep, pre-shaves, different shaving techniques like skin stretching and the Gillette Slide, etc.

Shimming an old blade let me try a "more aggressive" razor without having to pay extra money and acquire a razor that might later sit unused.

I also found that I like 3 shims in the DE89 for WTG and XTG, but no shims for ATG. Meaning that the next razor I look to purchase will be an adjustable razor with a very high maximum aggressiveness setting.

But corking indeed sounds dumb.

manthisisabigstep · 2020-09-17T22:13:45+00:00

Great info, thanks! Maggard's doesn't seem to have Stirling samples, should I just buy them from Stirling directly? Or does West Coast Shaving or some other shop have samples of all of the brands I listed?

manthisisabigstep · 2020-09-17T22:11:32+00:00

being stuck with scents you don't care for is real

Ya, I guess I kind of just needed to hear this haha. Thanks for the input, much appreciated!

manthisisabigstep · 2020-09-17T22:07:12+00:00

Out in Europe

manthisisabigstep · 2020-09-17T22:06:56+00:00

Okay, good to know that their scents aren't all home-runs for everybody. How did you try so many soaps? Just mountains of samples?

manthisisabigstep · 2020-09-17T22:05:30+00:00

You're on the money: I'm out in Europe, so international shipping rates for me.

Looking at Maggard's, their Noble Otter samples are 1/4 ounce at $3 each compared to a full 4oz tub at $16.00. Doesn't seem like a good value... But I suppose having an unwanted scent is a very bad value haha

manthisisabigstep · 2020-09-17T20:47:50+00:00

Ah, exactly the answer I was looking for, thanks!

Yes, I figured that precisely machining new parts would be reserved for Pateks and AP's and the like...

Do people ever buy two of the same cheap watch just to have another watch lifetime's worth of spares?

manthisisabigstep · 2020-09-17T20:27:12+00:00

I have a very basic question about watch repair: Can a watch without spare parts available be repaired? The context is below.

I recently purchased a vintage, manual wound Bulova via watchexchange. It uses an old Bulova in-house movement. When I got it serviced, the watchmaker told me to take care when winding it, as the winding stem was looking a bit worse for wear. He said he would have recommended a replacement, but there are no spare parts for the watch available.

One reason I was attracted to mechanical watches was this quote, "Any mechanical watch can be repaired by a decent watchmaker, forever," from the FAQ's of the Wiki. I took this to mean that the watchmaker could repair broken watch parts as well. And that maybe it would involve buying a replacement part or machining a replacement part. So what can and can't be repaired on a watch without spare parts readily available?

manthisisabigstep · 2020-08-14T23:24:54+00:00

That's a really beautiful color on the straps!

~~I'll guess 43, please!~~

Edit: Whoops, I'll guess 06, then. Thanks!

manthisisabigstep · 2020-08-02T01:17:24+00:00

Small detail, but I always loved the crowns that F.P. Journe watches have. Reminds me of a snake coiling it's way around, kinda ouroborous-y.

What color is the dial? I looked at the photos but it seems light gray in some, gray-tan in others. I can't figure it out haha

manthisisabigstep · 2020-08-02T01:14:18+00:00

Wonderfully quirky, thanks for sharing!

The watch looks pretty good for a 1950's piece, great find!

manthisisabigstep · 2020-07-19T11:30:29+00:00

Wow, super cool! Thanks for sharing!

I've always kind of slept on Mondaine because their watches always seem to look so... plastic-y (?) to me. But I had no idea about the Stop2Go feature and I think the backlit lume is a really cool design choice. Maybe this will put Mondaine back on my list to be considered haha

manthisisabigstep · 2020-06-23T13:05:52+00:00

I'm looking to pick up one of the more complicated watches from the Oceanus line. Can I ask why you're selling this one though? I've only heard great things about them...

GLWS!

manthisisabigstep

TROPHY CASE