The Breitling Watch Source Forums

Another reason (although not as amazing as Roff's father): a lot of older nurses wear their watch with the face on the wrist so that they can use it to take a pulse with the same hand. Nowadays there is almost always a clock in the room or another form of timer, and wearing a watch is somewhat discouraged because it is a site where germs can accumulate. My wife is a nurse, and she deliberately does not wear a watch at work for this reason.

Construction workers and other people who do a lot of work in environments with physical hazards can sometimes wear the watch this way in order to protect it from accidentally hitting something.

What I find interesting is the contrast in reasoning between the nurses and the construction workers. The nurses generally buy cheap watches because wearing them face-inwards increases the likelihood of damage. The construction worker, on the other hand, wears them face-inwards in order to decrease the amount of damage the watch takes...especially if it is a more expensive timepiece. The same behavior for completely oppositional reasons, and yet both are correct.

Mofongo

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." --Dave Barry

That is awful! I would never try to operate or wind anyone else's watch without their permission...it's just simple respect for the property of others. Of all people you would expect a jeweler to be the most conscientious.


I think that sales people get jaded by handling so many watches all the time. But that is no excuse. This separates the good jewelers from the bad. What boggles my mind is just how many bad/annoying/disrespectful watch dealers there are out there. I mean, the idea behind the whole authorized dealer system and paying them these huge price markups on the watches, straps, and bracelets we buy from them is so that they can provide a quality customer experience. When I get better customer service from Costco (who, IMHO, does provide quite good customer service at near-zero profit margin), then something is wrong. Watch manufacturers should demand higher service standards from their dealers.

When I got a new strap for my Steelfish, I wanted the dealer to put it on for me because I did not yet have my springbar removal tool. They ended up putting a gash in the lug-facing ends of both pieces of the strap. You can barely see them when the strap is on the watch, but I still can't figure out how they managed to do that. It also took them like 5 minutes to figure out how to remove the bracelet and install the strap. So much for me letting "the experts" handle it. Next time I will use trained monkeys...they will probably do less damage.

Mofongo

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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness." --Dave Barry

That damn white background in the date window on most watches!
I don't understand the logic behind the white background for the date that most watch manufacturers seem to insist on. I have a new Breitling Seawolf, which actually looks good because the other letters and the large markers are also white. However, I have been put off by so many other models, because of this date thing. For example, the beautiful Cockpit with the big date at 3 o'clock. Unless you have the silver/white dial, the focal point of the watch seems to be the date. I guess a date is such a big thing to most people, that having the white background somehow makes the date more legible.
I have seen other watches, like the Blackbird, which has a black date background to match the dial, where the date is still perfectly legible.
I buy my watches primarily to tell the time, and not find out the date. I just find that this date thing intrudes a lot of the time on the aesthetics of the watch. One of the things I like most about my new Omega Aqua Terra, is the effort they have made with the date window. The background matches perfectly the dial colour, and the font colour matches the font colour of the other numbering on the dial. Sorry about the quality of the photo, but it does demonstrate my point:

Cheers,
Carl

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'63 Omega Seamaster, 2014 Omega Speedmaster MarkII

"Those who possess a sense of entitlement are seldom satisfied"

Good point, Carl. The black date background is something I have always liked about my Planet Ocean.

Personally I don't like it when the date is placed at an angle, e.g. between 4 and 5 o'clock. You find it on some quality watches, and some of my favourite brands are not immune, but to me it just looks like an afterthought.

, too. Either at 3 o'clock or 12 o'clock like the Blackbird. Actually, the date on a watch is something I would be more than happy to do without. Apart from telling time, to me a watch is a fine piece of jewellery, and something that I like to admire more than a few times a day. Most of the time, I find that the date just interferes with the beauty of the dial, rather than enhancing it. To me it is a true work of art, when the complications enhance the beauty of the watch rather than intruding on it.
Cheers,
Carl

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'63 Omega Seamaster, 2014 Omega Speedmaster MarkII

"Those who possess a sense of entitlement are seldom satisfied"

My biggest peeve is guys who don't wear watches. GRRR!!

That Steelfish isn´t made with a clear white dial!

The date location thing is a difficult one for me. I agree that colour co-ordinated date wheels generally look better and given a choice I personally like to see the date window at 6 (like on my BP) as it keeps it discrete. However, that said, the position of the date window bothers me INIFINITELY less than a watch that doesn't have a date at all! I've only ever owned one watch that didn't have a date - a Tag Aquagraph - but it really irritated me. It was only after owning it that I realised how much I used the date!

In fact the lack of date is literally the only thing that slightly bugs me with the Zenith Defy Classic...... but not enough to prevent me wanting one!

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Driver8

Site Moderator

There is a nice big date on the... http://www.zenith-watches.com/scripts/g ... eid=3_5_13

I totally dig that watch!

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Chronomat, Steel/Gold, MOP Dial, 2-tone band (2008)
Super Avenger Black Baton Dial (2009)
Bentley B04 GMT Silver Dial (2013)
Avenger Blacksteel Baton Dial (2014)

Yeah I've seen that beauty before.............. but then I've also seen the price before too! I'm hoping they're going to put the Big Date El Primero in a steel Defy Classic case at some point.

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Driver8

Site Moderator

Flitz metal polish works great for tiny scratches on stainless steel
watches.

I don't know Carl, I personally use my date ALOT throughout the day...and in doing so, I get to admire my watch more often without drawing attention that I am oogling my own watch in public! I miss the date option on my Herc...it would be perfect with a big D at 12!
I agree with the positions though...12 or 3. I'm not a fan of the lower offset positions...it throws off the balance of the face I think.
I love the Blackbird and it's big D at 12!

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Cheers,
Christopher

Currently...
Blackbird, Black Hercules, PAM 000
Down to a humble three...