View Full Version : Time for a decision
Motorbike Man
05-12-2004, 19:00
Hi Folks,
I'm looking for a new watch and it's decision time.
I've got three choices
1 - Broadarrow PRS10 (Top) (http://www.timefactors.com/military.htm)
Likes - The price is quite a bit cheaper than the other choices, it's got a steel case and looks good as well. Dislikes - From what I've read, a bit limited on strap choice and not tritium.
2 - Marathon US Military Mechanical - New Old Stock 1991 Model 46374E (Second one down) (http://www.timefactors.com/military.htm)
Likes - looks good, as a self confessed gadget freak, I do like the tritium light source and the fact that it's military surplus appeals to me as does the fact that it's mechanical. Dislikes - Two things really, first the case. I've not had much luck with composite cases in the past, but then this does meet military specs so I would expect it to be rugged and sturdy, and the second concern is the age of the tritium light source and just how bright it still is.
3 - H3 Traser Type 3 (This One) (http://www.h3-watches.co.uk/traser_type3.htm)
Likes - looks good, brand new tritium light source, probably easier than the Marathon to get fixed if something goes wrong. Dislikes - Same concerns as Marathon about resin cases
Any comments on the above would be gratefully recieved
Cheers Guys
beachlover
05-12-2004, 19:14
Got a traser and wouldnt swap it for the world! It also keeps really good time as well as looking good and being extremely functional.
My opinion.
The G10 is bombproof, That said, I've had no experience of the other two so no basis for comparison :?:
Squidders
05-12-2004, 19:26
Out of the three I would go for the Broadarrow G10... but I had a different list when I was shopping.
Kath and I have Trasers and so far they've survived 2 years of hammering intact with little case damage. I like the idea of mechanical but quartz is less fuss ... given that I'd go for the Traser ...
arctic hobo
05-12-2004, 20:12
I hear wonderful things about the traser... I'd say get that one.
Motorbike Man
05-12-2004, 20:17
Kath and I have Trasers and so far they've survived 2 years of hammering intact with little case damage. I like the idea of mechanical but quartz is less fuss ... given that I'd go for the Traser ...
Do you have the plastic cased ones or the metal cased ones. Martyn on BB has a plastic cased one and his now pops of off the strap where the pin locating holes have rounded out.
i would go for the trazer but would choose that model :wink:
Resin case ... with no sign of any wear in the pin holes.
Great Pebble
05-12-2004, 22:07
I've got a metal cased Traser that I bought on drunken impulse a few years ago. One of my better drunken decisions.
How about Luminox? They're the ones that make the Trasers IIR
http://www.woodlandorganics.com/shop/luminox/index.htm
Motorbike Man
05-12-2004, 22:11
I've got a metal cased Traser that I bought on drunken impulse a few years ago. One of my better drunken decisions.
I hate to think what some of the worst were :o):
If not, H3 are good, I've got the commander and it's a great watch.
Motorbike Man
05-12-2004, 22:19
How about Luminox? They're the ones that make the Trasers IIR
http://www.woodlandorganics.com/shop/luminox/index.htm
Out of my price range unfortunately, at least from there any way.
Resin case ... with no sign of any wear in the pin holes.
If you don't mind me asking Adi, do you and SWMBO wear your Traser all the time? What sort of punishment DO they get? The choice seems to be (head says) PRS10 or (heart says) Traser
I hate making decisions!!
Some people find the 46374E to be a little on the small side at 33mm or so, I have several of its mechanical ancestors 46374D/GG-W-113/DTU-2A-P going back to Mar 67 in the beadblasted stainless cases and I love em but do check out the size, not the toughest watches ever made but should be perfectly adequate. If you do want one they can be picked up from here http://www.mwrforum.net/cgi-bin/mwr.pl for about $75 USD or less which aint much at the current exchange rate.
Eddie at Timefactors is a good bloke to deal with and his PRS line of watches have a large band of loyal followers, Ive got one of his Speedbirds, very well made, good value and fairly exclusive. Again the PRS10 is a very small watch by todays standards.
Im not keen on resin cases but thats just me, dont like quartz either ;)
If you buy a NOS tritium dialled watch (Tritium is my fav lume when its new) be aware that even the watches with the tritium sealed in tubes will be losing their glow after 10-15 years. Also The tritium vials are not the toughest things in the world, they can break if the watch gets a hard shock and they can break lose of the dial/hands.
Interesting that all the watches youve picked have acrylic crystals, which some people like some people dont, I like the look of acrylic and I like mineral glass/saphire too!
Have you checked out Marathon Navigators, http://www.mwrforum.net/cgi-bin/mwr.pl?read=112954 quartz, tritium similar to your shortlisted watches but with timing bezel and I think slighly more water resistant, afraid I cant offer any other alternatives, well I could but theyd all be mechanical :)
Best
Jason
Motorbike Man
05-12-2004, 22:45
Some people find the 46374E to be a little on the small side at 33mm or so, I have several of its mechanical ancestors 46374D/GG-W-113/DTU-2A-P going back to Mar 67 in the beadblasted stainless cases and I love em but do check out the size, not the toughest watches ever made but should be perfectly adequate. If you do want one they can be picked up from here http://www.mwrforum.net/cgi-bin/mwr.pl for about $75 USD or less which aint much at the current exchange rate.
Eddie at Timefactors is a good bloke to deal with and his PRS line of watches have a large band of loyal followers, Ive got one of his Speedbirds, very well made, good value and fairly exclusive. Again the PRS10 is a very small watch by todays standards.
Im not keen on resin cases but thats just me, dont like quartz either ;)
If you buy a NOS tritium dialled watch (Tritium is my fav lume when its new) be aware that even the watches with the tritium sealed in tubes will be losing their glow after 10-15 years. Also The tritium vials are not the toughest things in the world, they can break if the watch gets a hard shock and they can break lose of the dial/hands.
Interesting that all the watches youve picked have acrylic crystals, which some people like some people dont, I like the look of acrylic and I like mineral glass/saphire too!
Have you checked out Marathon Navigators, http://www.mwrforum.net/cgi-bin/mwr.pl?read=112954 quartz, tritium similar to your shortlisted watches but with timing bezel and I think slighly more water resistant, afraid I cant offer any other alternatives, well I could but theyd all be mechanical :)
Best
Jason
Hmm....some interesting comments there Jason, I'd always thought that the tritium capsules would have been pretty bombproof as they're issued to the military. I must admit, I hadn't really paid any attention to the crystal, but mechanical watches are fine as well, particularly if they're in my price bracket.
Jon...Im seriously biased, I love mechanical watches, perfect miniature engines ticking away on our wrists (imagine an electric Ducati.... :rolmao: .) and I wouldnt swap em for quartz anyday, I could waffle on for ages about why I think mechanical is better but for most people quartz is better, more accurate, more reliable, cheaper, lower maintenance and less hassle so dont let me sway you unless you want to be swayed. The PRS10 is available as handwind too I think ;)
As for the Tritium tubes theyre just tiny thin walled glass vials glued in place, they can give problems, I dont think its a massive issue and I wouldnt let it stop you buying the watch but worth knowing.
Jason
The military generally prefer acrylic crystals because theyre more shatter resistant than glass and from a users point of view though they scratch fairly easily they can be easily polished with toothpaste or autosol, mineral glass scratches easily and is more trouble than its worth to polish, saphire glass is nearly impossible to scratch but heavy abuse will still chip or shatter it. Domed acrylic has a warmth that flat glass doesnt ;)
Jason
Motorbike Man
05-12-2004, 23:23
Cheers for the info Jason, in the end, the heart one and I've gon for the Taser after finding one from an American supplier for £53 including postage. Thanks for all the input folks, it's always good to hear from people that actually use stuff
:You_Rock_
If you want real bang for your buck I would say check out Seiko, I know some snobbery comes into play and they dont have much "street cred" but they have much going for them. You can pick up a 21 jewel Seiko auto for $50/60 US brand new on ebay, in house movement (most watch manufacturers buy movements in, only when you get to Rolex and above will you find in house movements) Seiko have a fantastic history in watchmaking, many design innovations and though theyve never really broken the western market (yet) they do make prestige watches comparable with the better Swiss makes in terms of quality and price (their high end stuff isnt easily available in the west), I have Seiko autos here that are 30+ years old and running to within Rolex (COSC) specs. They have plenty of military history, the big 6309's and 6105 divers were favourites of US army in 60's 70's 80's and have a legendary reputation amongst those that have used and abused them, check out Martin Sheen's 6105 Seiko diver in Apocalypse now (and my heavily modified version below). Seiko 7A28 qaurtz chronos were standard issue to UK RAF Helicopter pilots (I forget which squad sorry...).
Seiko military with sterile dial fitted, this conversion runs at about $140 or £75 quidish
http://www.mkiiwatches.com/seiko_field.html
Standard version with Seiko/d/d dial for $50/60 on ebay
http://www.skywatches.com.sg/seiko_military/Seiko3.htm
I have a quartz version of that watch, my only quartz and its a good looking watch, keep meaning to sell it though...
My 6105..... this is a big heavy brute of a watch but its pretty much my daily wearer, not everyones taste I know but bulletproof ;)
http://www.jasonbhall.freeserve.co.uk/front.jpg
http://www.jasonbhall.freeserve.co.uk/back.jpg
Jason
Cheers for the info Jason, in the end, the heart one and I've gon for the Taser after finding one from an American supplier for £53 including postage. Thanks for all the input folks, it's always good to hear from people that actually use stuff
:You_Rock_
Oops sorry, Im too slow posting!
Enjoy your Traser!
Jason
I've got a Hamilton W10 made in 1973 that keeps better time the my Tag :rolmao:
I wear mine pretty much 24x4 indoors/ourdoors/DIY/car repair and apart from the velcro strap looking a little rough it's fine. The tritium vials are ace for night time and the rotating bezel useful.
It keeps excellent time and both are nearly 24 months old and going strong.
I've got a Hamilton W10 made in 1973 that keeps better time the my Tag :rolmao:
Another tough classic, if its that accurate I guess youve got the CWC quartz version? Ive been hoping to stumble on a Hamilton handwind G10-98 going cheap for a while now but no sign....:(
Jason
Cheers for the info Jason, in the end, the heart one and I've gon for the Taser after finding one from an American supplier for £53 including postage. Thanks for all the input folks, it's always good to hear from people that actually use stuff
:You_Rock_
Well done Jon :biggthump
I'm not much better at making decisions either :o):
Me I've got a cheap (£25 or so) Timex Expedition. Worn it for 2 yeats now and had no problem.
Taken plent of abuse climb in it, surf in it that rear knackers watches. I also wear it on my left hand - I'm left handed so it really does get some hammer, I destroyed expensive watches, with scratch resistant mineral glass (oh really) in less time than I've had this.
Another tough classic, if its that accurate I guess youve got the CWC quartz version? Ive been hoping to stumble on a Hamilton handwind G10-98 going cheap for a while now but no sign....:(
Jason
Jason,
I don't know much about this watch all I can tell you is whats on the back. It's a hand wound with lots of numbers; 523-8290 W10-6645-99 16952/73 it has the rounded acrylic glass that a break regularly :cry:
I'll do a couple of piccies later
a little late now but for others out there pondering on which watch to buy, may i bring the st-mortez titan 2 to your attention.
a solid titanium case
antiglare sapphire face
luminous face (not tritium sorry)
Alarm (unusual on an analoge watch this one even has a snooze function)
a stop watch (good to one tenth of a second)
date window
kevlar watch strap
http://www.st-moritz.com/pages/titan.php
also as a note. H3, traser and luminox brands are all exactly the same and manufactured by the same company
FWIW - after donkeys years of wearing cheap casio digital's that were bombproof I decided to go Upmarket to a £150 Seiko quartz analogue chrono - worst money I ever spent - crap value - crown unscrewed itself and I bent the spindle without noticing when it dug in the back of my wrist. pins on the strap fell out. The pseudo bezel scratched up in no time and the sweep second hand persistently zeroed to 1 sec past 12. But at least it didn't leak.
Got a new MWC military divers for £50 off ebay and it's bombproof by comparison. Even when I planted it in the first week going A over T off the mountain bike.
300M waterproof solid steel case and crystal face. Far better value.
Only whinge is that the luminous markers are high output but not tritium. Charge them with a flashlight and they blaze like a Xmas tree, but if the watch is up your sleeve in the dark all day, it's only (& barely) legible once your eyes have adapted to pitch black.
I'll go for a new, steel cased traser type as and when I find the right bargain but for now £50 on ebay for an MWC with £150+ list price is a good deal.
Cheers
Squidders
06-12-2004, 12:42
alick Shocking about the seiko... I have had mine years and it's been bomb proof. I abuse it to hell as well, probably more so than most people here would as I take it rock climbing all the time, it's even supported my weight while I fell out of a crack i was jamming up.
It's scratched really badly all over but I trust it more than any other watch I have owned.
Two plane crashes and an explosion (http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=78440&messageid=1007952539)
FWIW - after donkeys years of wearing cheap casio digital's that were bombproof I decided to go Upmarket to a £150 Seiko quartz analogue chrono - worst money I ever spent - crap value - crown unscrewed itself and I bent the spindle without noticing when it dug in the back of my wrist. pins on the strap fell out. The pseudo bezel scratched up in no time and the sweep second hand persistently zeroed to 1 sec past 12. But at least it didn't leak.
Cheers
Sounds like you were really unlucky Alick, though to be fair, chronographs are amongst the most fragile of watches with all the holes in the case for pushers, difficult to seal and complicated movements. I have quite a few watches from Rolex right down to Timex, I also own a number of allegedly "tough" military issued watches from the last 100 years, and I can honestly say the Seiko divers are some of the toughest watches I know.
Here are some testimonials from people who have used Seiko watches in extreme environments for 10's of years, these watches have survived explosions, plain crashes, saturation diving, you name it....
Seiko abuse (http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=78440&messageid=1011235402)
http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=78440&messageid=1012611881
Two plane crashes and an explosion (http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=78440&messageid=1007952539)
Seiko dive watch frozen into a block of ice then thawed in boiling water...with pics (http://www.chronoguy.com/horology/seiko/)
You must be real tough on your watches....;)