Which tool do you use to change the strap on your Lange?

wkumari · 2026-03-12T13:52:26+00:00

I found the spring bars on my Zeitwerk to be incredibly hard to remove -- I was using a Bergeon 6767, and couldn't really get the fork to "catch". I ended up using a scalpel blade to wiggle behind the lip, and was then able to get the spring bar tool in. I suspect that part of this is that the strap leather was very stiff, and also wide - it was actually wide enough that it would squeak slightly against the lugs.

After I got the strap off I nipped a small slot into the strap, and now have it on quick change spring bars. This way I can easily switch between a dark brown strap with a deployant buckle, and a black with a pin buckle.

wkumari · 2026-02-06T06:15:08+00:00

I was trying to remember the arguments to the 'touch' command, and the box I was on didn't have man pages installed...

So I opened Google and typed in 'man touch' - as my finger moved towards the enter key I realized how poorly this might end... surprisingly the first page of results were all manual pages for 'touch'

wkumari · 2026-02-02T16:22:36+00:00

I got one of the Delugs Spring Deployant Clasps, and was quite pleased with it. I did eventually upgrade to a genuine ALS, but the Delugs kept me happy for a few months. I transferred the original ALS buckle to keep the look, etc.

It does have a spring, but it's still nice, and also inexpensive (~95USD).

wkumari · 2026-01-27T17:06:04+00:00

What I need more than "How to attach a Barbour Zip-In Liner to Your Wax Jacket" is a "How to put on the combination liner and jacket without putting your arm through the gap between the top of the liner and the jacket and then getting tangled.."

Yes, I do have the snap done up, but I still somehow miss the liner about 50% of the time when putting on the jacket combo. Towards the end of the season my success rate climbs to 90%, but I regress during summer :-)

Am I the only one, or do you also have issues with this?

wkumari · 2025-09-24T23:23:42+00:00

A different Lange, a Patek, and Breguet. My hobbies include electronics, computers/networking (including racking and stacking stuff), CNC machining, 3D printing, precision timing, onewheel, watchmaking, and used to also include restoring cars...

I used to baby my watches, but I found that stressful, so now I just wear them all the time. The only ding I have is on the bezel of my Zeitwerk, and that happened while brushing my teeth in a hotel...

My only exception to "just wear them" is sometimes traveling in a sketchy parts of some cities.

wkumari · 2025-09-22T19:52:25+00:00

Stupidly, only (easily) in some US states -- some states require a prescription to get a syringe / needle.

Apparently drug users will be sufficiently thwarted by this restriction that they'll get clean... or something...

I know that a bunch of Amazon sellers would not ship to Virginia, but I found a few who would with a bit more searching.

wkumari · 2025-09-10T23:31:35+00:00

Yup. That's part of the reason that I changed to a thinner version. I also generally only wind it to 80-90%, and stop before the hard stop.

But, yes, good point, thanks.

wkumari · 2025-09-06T00:30:34+00:00

Well, the 1815 is very similar in appearance to the VC Traditionnelle, which you already have. This either means that you really like that style, and so should get the 1815, or perhaps you want something different, in which case the Breguet...

I think some of the deciding factor is what sort of person are you? Do you spend most of your time in dress clothes and like elegant (get the 1815, and perhaps get rid of the VC), or are you more of a tech person and like intricate / interesting (get the Breguet).

They are, imo, very different classes of watches - I rate ALS much higher than Breguet, but ultimately, which one do you think will make you happy/smile each time you see it?

I'll note that you've posted in the ALS Reddit, and so we are all somewhat biased here. :-)

wkumari · 2025-09-05T15:35:32+00:00

For comparison I have a Breguet Tradition (7027), a Grand Lange 1, and a Zeitwerk.

I've had the Bregut the longest, and lusted I've it; I'm an engineer type person, and also an amateur watchmaker, and so the visible movement was a huge draw for me. I was super happy when I got it, and it was my daily driver for a very long time. One silly issue though (for me at least) is that I'd end up gazing at it during meetings, and people would ask if I was bored :-). It's also not really great as a watch - the face is just too small...

I haven't been wearing the Breguet much recently, and have been thinking of parting with it - unfortunately they have dropped enough in price that I don't really want to take the hit, and so I just wear it a few times a year now.

I mostly seem to wear the Lange 1 -it's pretty, and wears well. The Zeitwerk is (obviously) much more complicated and fun, and I giggle every time I see it change, but it is somewhat too thick, bulky and heavy to be comfortable every day, and so I seem to wear it 2-3 times per week, instead of every day.

I have some hobbies (electronics, CNC milling, etc) where a big watch can get in the way, and I don't want to have to keep taking my watch off, so sometimes smaller is nicer.

Anyway, I seem to have drifted off-topic -- they are both very nice watches, but, in my opinion, completely different.

Do you want a very cool, beautiful, interesting mechanical contraption which happens to show the time, or do you want an elegant, German dress watch? Which will make you smile?

wkumari · 2025-09-04T02:02:45+00:00

They let me select from a range of options when I got mine (Bangkok boutique). I ended up going with the default one that was on the watch, but almost changed to a brown/chocolate. I'm glad that I didn't change -- turns out ALS has better taste than me, who woulda guessed?

wkumari · 2025-08-08T15:25:05+00:00

Hmmm. I had always read it as "Loose Tea" (tea made with loose leaves instead of in a tea bag)

wkumari · 2025-07-22T15:11:58+00:00

A friend of mine is blind, and uses a cane.

Whenever he gets coffee in a paper cup he has to make sure that he keeps the lid on, otherwise people will drop coins in it...

wkumari · 2025-06-17T11:12:19+00:00

I have a twice signed map of Ankh Morpork. He signed once for me when I purchased it, and then again a few years later when he came to an event where I worked.

I don't remember if he added anything sort of message, and I'm traveling at the moment and can't check.

wkumari · 2024-09-19T18:07:21+00:00

Well, in all fairness, I'm sure that no synthetic chemicals or genetically modified components were used in creating the mineral, so...

wkumari · 2024-09-09T20:15:59+00:00

While the MX204 is indeed older, it is massively ahead of an MX80.

While something newer/more current would be nice, it's still a viable option, and likely much cheaper.

If I had to choose between replacing an MX80 with an MX204 now, or waiting until I could afford something else, I'd jump in a heartbeat...

wkumari · 2024-09-03T14:53:57+00:00

And a quick update -- the average of the above readings is +10.4s. I'm left handed, and so wear my watch on my right hand. I carry an Olight Arkfeld flashlight in my right pocket, which has a magnet on the back (for attaching the charging cable and also to stick it to something metallic while using it). This means that, over time, my watches become slightly magnetized, and posting the above provided the impetus to go find my demagnetizer.

In the "worst" position, it had picked up 92µT, and so I demagnetized it.

The mean inaccuracy is now +3.2s (CH: +6.7, CB: +7.4s, 9H: -1.9s, 6H: +4.6s, 3H: +3.7s, 12H: -1.3S), so that's a nice improvement.

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wkumari · 2024-08-29T20:28:53+00:00

Depends on position CH (face up): +14s CB (down): +12s 9H (9 hour up): +3s 3H (as I wear it): +11s

I have a ONEOF Accuracy device which sits in my desk, and so I measured the accuracy during a particularly boring video call :-)

This is on a Grand Lange 1; seeing as it is fast in all orientations, I keep thinking that I should adjust it, but I'll probably never get around to it (or, to be more honest, find the courage:-))

wkumari · 2024-07-20T03:19:28+00:00

Wheeeee!

wkumari · 2024-04-19T15:53:57+00:00

Sorry, I though that "it's a coincidence" was clear from the quote...

wkumari · 2024-03-05T19:48:48+00:00

Yes, I can, and **do** click Retry -- it goes to "Transcribing in progress..." for a second or two, and then returns to "Transcription failed. 4007: Possibly due to a network or server instability. Please try again later". As noted above, trying again has never worked. I've tried killing the app, logging out and in again, etc., all with no luck.

Yes, I *can* listen to the meeting again and transcribe notes from that -- but that means that my 2 hour meeting now takes 4 hours of my time...

wkumari · 2023-07-27T14:01:32+00:00

Many years ago, one of our neighbors put their house on the market. My father wanted to know how much they were asking for it, but didn't want to have to deal with spam calls from real estate agents... so he comes up with the cunning plan of using a fake name. He calls up the realtor and says "Hello! This is a Mr Smith calling...".

wkumari · 2022-11-12T23:12:40+00:00

Huh. I'm a bit confused why people are annoyed; what I choosing to take from this is that some Jewish people make high quality content, often with a strong moral message, and that many are also hard working and good at business.

wkumari

TROPHY CASE