As mentioned before my father in law died before Christmas. Funeral was held on Tuesday - a lengthy gap fillied by a huge amount of admin and clearance. Amongst the items "found" whilst looking for a significant piece of paperwork an item was found that really pleased me was a Sinclair Black Watch in a case. How I desired one of these back in the day, but they coast £17 .50 for a kit and 24.50 for an assembled one. How I coveted them in Samuel's shop window, but no way I could afford one. I saved my money and bought an Accurist LCD watch (which I still have and it actually still works) which was probably more reliable.....!
My brother-in-law bought the watch back in the day and assembled it with his father who was an elecronics engineer before joining the Police. I didn't mention my love of the Sinclair in case he thought I was angling for it....but he kindly gave it me....funny how the small things in life give pleasure...I have three premium watches but this really takes the biscuit.
Last edited by: R.P. on Thu 9 Jan 25 at 18:48
|
I totally get that RP. I would be the same.
Just for the sake of curiosity, because I am sure that you won't part with it, cased examples are up for between £250 and £400 on eBay!
|
|
Quite a shocker that, but in a way not a surprise !
|
Little things that please ?
Grown-ups here don't really do pressies at Chrimbo or Birthdays but our 3 kid's families just give us a bit of something. My bday is at Chrimbo so I was given 2 bottles of malt, and a £100 Amazon gift card.
The little things are great, my son made a pen holder shaped like a large 10mm socket with a face and arms on his 3D printer. It has legs that dangle over the edge of my desk. Some lurid socks and a Herald workshop manual followed but the piece de thingy was a Corgi Triumph Herald convertible in red with a black interior. A dead ringer for mine apart from different bumper colour and not having Minilite wheels or boot rack. It included a little Edie Pegden ( Thora Hird ) !
Result !
Ted
|
Little things....
At school in the late '70's / early '80's, there was a Casio calculator that played a numeric version of space invaders - model MG-880 and I have seen these go for about £90 to £300 on eBay for originals.
Chatting to an old school mate a few months back, we were joking about getting in trouble in class when playing with these and he said he didn't have one because his parents couldn't afford one at the time. They were probably £9.99 back then, which would be about £40 today.
So I managed to track a modern copy down on Amazon Japan and imported it for £20 ish.
I got a phone-call on Christmas Day from one very happy mate.
Last edited by: zippy on Thu 9 Jan 25 at 13:23
|
>> I totally get that RP. I would be the same.
>>
>> Just for the sake of curiosity, because I am sure that you won't part with
>> it, cased examples are up for between £250 and £400 on eBay!
They are the non working ones! With its box, &papers, working and in pristine condition, expect to pay 800 +
|
>> They are the non working ones! With its box, &papers, working and in pristine condition,
>> expect to pay 800 +
>>
Wow!
|
I've an old Bulova Accutron knocking around somewhere. SWMBO bought for me after she fininished teacher training and before we had kids.
Terrible timekeeping and no-one could regulate it!
|
|
...so much for SWMBO, but what about the watch?
|
>> ...so much for SWMBO, but what about the watch?
Nothing changes in fifty-odd years.
|
As it happens, I have a Casio "Marlin" s/s digital watch in a drawer.
T'internet seems to think it dates from 1980, but, given where I bought it, I suspect I must have got it by 1979 at the latest.
As an everyday watch for many years, it carries some "patina" (from car mechanics, DIY, rock climbing, etc.) but with a new battery fitted some years ago it still functions perfectly and keeps very good time.
45 years isn't bad for an early(ish) electronic digital watch.
|
Somewhere around the very early 1970s a school pal turned up one day wearing a digital watch which his father had allowed him to use. We had never seen such a thing before. Red display that had to be activated by a button. Pulsar maybe? Seiko perhaps? Not sure. Anyway, he claimed it was very valuable at the time.
I seem to wear digital G Shocks pretty much all the time now since I retired. I have had one for years but previously it only got used for biking/swimming and so on. No real need for dressy watches any more unless someone dies or gets married.
The one I favour most is solar powered, radio signal controlled, water resistant to 200m, has a compass, barometer, world time, blah de blah de blah etc.
Ugly thing mind ;-)
|
I go down the " £15 off Amazon, buy another if battery fails " route. I lost a very nice Rotary in a fight in Port Street, Manchester about 1967. No more expensive watches....or fighting !
How does one activate the guarantee on a watch accurate to one second in 345 million years...if it isn't ?
Ted
|
>>
>> I go down the " £15 off Amazon, buy another if battery fails " route.
I bought a cheap watch case spanner off eBay, which generally makes replacing a battery cheap and easy. (but might not retain full waterproofing)
My current everyday watch is a long-owned Seiko which, as I couldn't initially easily source a compatible bracelet when the old one gave up, I replaced with a solar Citizen.
Nice watch, but when I finally found a compatible bracelet, the old friend is now back in favour.
|
>> fight in Port Street, Manchester about 1967
Just on the edge of the Northern Quarter, you bohemian, Ted!
(When did they start calling it that? Must go to Manchester, probably haven’t really been for twenty years or more.)
|
>> Ugly thing mind ;-)
(continuing the theme), and the watch?
|
The ugly watch is part of a defence mechanism to deter female sexual predators. I used to be quite flattered by it all, but frankly I’m sick of it now. They just treat you with such disregard for your feelings don’t they?
;-)
|
|
Yeah, I never had any luck when I was younger until I changed my watch.....
|
My current usual choice is a G shock. Its gimmick is whizzing its hands around when you change time zones.
The alarm is just for bragging rights. I can barely hear it.
www.amazon.co.uk/CASIO-Analog-GA-B2100C-9AER-Amarillo-strip/dp/B0B1Q5PPQG
|
The digital Marlin is very collectable. Its successors are still on sale.
Worth mentioning, because like many Casios it's phenomenal value, is the analogue Marlin.
A genuine 200m watch with screw down crown and screw back, quartz naturally.
www.amazon.co.uk/Casio-MDV106-1AV-Analog-Watch-Black/dp/B009KYJAJY
|
Small obect of desire - 1975 - zippy
