Uzi – low cost Tritium

Can’t think why I haven’t posted this watch before as I wear it often enough, especially when off on weekend trips and so on. Somewhere that I don’t have my bedside clock and need or certainly prefer in the middle of the night to be able to tell the time immediately. Of course Tritium light source watches are the answer. Non of this Super-luminova that seems to vary in consistency between manufacturers, but a light emitting source that is bright, bright, bright! To this end I have to show you the UZI –

Uzi01 — The Uzi Defender – 001-N – Tritium

Not a bad looking watch at all and especially when you consider it has Tritium illumination, a military look and here fitted to a black matching silicon deployment strap. I’ve had this one for quite a few years now and it still impresses me as to it’s accuracy and it’s ability to still look as new as the day I bought it!

Hardened Mineral Crystal in a tough resin case, screw down crown with a Water Resistance of 200m (that’s 660ft), a black dial plus a one way rotating outer bezel, can’t be at all bad and especially for the price – I seem to recall somewhere around £70.00. It is a decent size too at 43mm diameter and 14mm depth, but it wears SMALL – it simply does not look big – probably as across the crystal face is only 28mm – but that doesn’t seem to detract from the fact that it’s really quite easy and clear to read despite the UZI yellow logo just below 12.

Uzi02 — Easy read face of the Uzi Defender – Note the light source points.

This particular older model is all black unlike I believe the current ones which have an olive green bezel perhaps? though I prefer the darker look and the night ability is exceptional. The tritium light source capsules are @12, 3, 6 and 9 – the hour and minute hands are also “tubed” light source and the natty centre second hand is red tipped with a luminous coated tip, which although in the dark is not as bright – it can be seen. The @12 position has double tubes and is not green as the other points, but orange. Note there are also luminous dots on the hours. So this watch is definitely for those who like the darker side!

Uzi03 — Mated to a black ribbed silicon deployment strap.

A screw down crown (as you would expect with this WR), and interestingly as I understand it this particular model at the time I bought it stated just a quartz movement (maybe Thai?) with Swiss components. I have to say whatever it is, it has been superb. Maybe not a Ronda, but it works VERY well and the proof as they say . . . .

The fact that this is resin cased means it is very light indeed and very, very tough. No marks on this one at all, so it wears extremely well. And here I have to mention the price again.

This is one really good value watch, especially when you consider it has Tritium and when put against others with this system – and I even mean the others in the Uzi range. It is available currently in Stainless steel – but at a premium £150.00, then there’s black stainless steel at £165.00 and to cap it all, a Titanium one at up around £230.00!

To me I really can’t see these premiums at all – this model shown here at the price I bought it for, does the business – hands down. And most metals scratch with use – and this? – well – it doesn’t! It’s also very lightweight and tough and with the silicon strap it will certainly do me a long, long time.

And against other manufacturers, such as Traser, or Nite, or Smith and Wesson, or Swiss Military and Luminox and so on, it represents tremendous value and I have to applaud them for it.

Uzi04 — 4 point screw down sealed back – 200m WR.

Now after all this – I was sure I had posted this watch here before, but I’m unable to find it on my site at all – so maybe this was one I deleted inadvertently a year or so back – whatever. I post or re-post it here anyway and I’ll treat it as a “re-visit” after some years of quite extended use and say again what a smart, value watch this has and continues to be. I’m off on a trip soon and guess what? I’ll be taking this with me – Oh Yes!

Addendum – 6th August 2023
Last reviewed 2012 and it’s still working perfectly and the last battery fitted was way back in 2019 and it’s still going, so power wise it seems to be very low usage. Perhaps as everything about this watch is so light.

The Lume (Tritium) so far, is still good and accuracy is as good as I need. Shows the time and the date and is still very water resistant at 200m, not a bad spec’ for a cheap watch at the end of the day.

It’s one of these models that appears to have got everything right at the best possible price – and that is worth a lot!”

However as with all Tritium light source Capsule dials, they do indeed have a shelf life. By that I mean is that the often quoted 20 years is simply not on. Some Tritium models quote a light guarantee of 10 years and for me that’s just about right. I have others and after 12 years they are dead – so at night forget it. You will need a torch!

I am going to check it out in 2025 – I will post the results here.

And here we are it’s March 16th 2025, 13 years later and I tested it out last night. The result was pretty good I have to say. I can’t make out the little seconds tip, that’s gone, but the hour and minute hands and the 4 x markers at 12, 3, 6 and 9 are easily visible. And this really pleases me as it looks like this watch might just out perform the more expensive Traser models I have. This Uzi Defender model cost around £70 when I bought it and I note the current model called the Protector, which seems identical to me, costs around £148 now and it looks like the same minimal Tritium arranged dial display. Once again great value. Next test in 2 years (2027)

Uzi05 — Uzi on the wrist – even my small wrist – looks OK for a 43mm diameter.

Lacroix Sphere

Maurice Lacroix are an interesting Watch Company today in that they are one of the few Independent Swiss Watchmakers around. A luxury watch supplier for many years they came into their own I suppose around 1989 when they took over case maker Queloz S.A who were based in Saignelégier. As a Company they were formed as part of Desco von Schulthess of Zurich in around 1975, but since the early to mid 1990’s have expanded to become one of the leading Watch brands today.

They make a wide range of models from high end mechanical to mid range quartz – such as this one – the Sphere.

MLSphere01 — Maurice Lacroix Sphere in stainless steel

I managed to get this pre-owned model in an auction recently as a sort of “yours or mine Dear” watch for day or evening wear. I say this as this particular one is a mid size or unisex as they say today at 34mm diameter and suits my 170mm wrist perfectly, but also fits my Wife! So what could be more even handed that that!

This is a really neat looking watch in stainless steel with a highly polished case and subtly contrasting brushed stainless top bezel, with interesting elongated lugs and case design. The round faced case has a pronounced curve and the original tan soft leather strap is specially formed to fit this as the spring bars actually fit a little back from the end of the strap.
As to the watch face, the dial is white with hourly applied silvered markers, quarterly applied Arabic numerals and owing to the thickness of these are quite clear to see. It has a date aperture @3 with a slightly off white/silvered textured background for clarity which is effective.

MLSphere03 — Extreme curved case & elongated lug design

The hour and minuted hands are a slightly chunky (lanzenform) infill style, though whether specified as luminous is doubtful, being as easily seen as my wallet last night! The stainless steel case is very solid in appearance and as an ensemble is a high quality construction with a strong textured “snap on” back also in stainless steel. It is marked 50m Water Resistance. The crystal is a strong looking Sapphire and the crown unobtrusive @3 but with a decent knurled profile for setting.

This model is certainly not a current one, though I have noticed it is still around and for sale in a couple of different sized versions as new old stock I assume, so can be had for, I would hope, discounted prices.

MLSphere02 — Mid size Maurice Lacroix on a 170mm wrist – looks good.

Well – as I said, when it’s fitted to my wrist I think it looks pretty good and I’ll certainly wear this on occasion I’m sure. However I’m also sure my Wife will wear it too and I just have this feeling that she may acquire it as her new “daily beater” and I might just never see it again –

But hey! – that’s life!

Astro revisited

I’ve revisited this watch and posted it here today again as I decided this morning to wear it for a while as my “daily beater”. And not for the first time as I put it on, I realized this is a darned good watch, especially in these darker days here in the UK. I can also confirm that I’ve had it for a few years now and it has been utterly faultless in every respect.

No fancy studio shot here, but a quick (today) snapshot of it on my wrist, indoors on a very dull day and it certainly shows that it’s a pretty clear watch to read. The slight blurry look is me and my camera by the way, not the watch!). The Superluminova coated hands already starting to glow in the low light conditions. Now whilst this watch came with a bracelet and a leather strap, which has to be great value, I’ve since put on a Silicon deployment strap, simply because I find them so easy to put on and take off and they are very comfortable.

I must have used the chronograph functions last time it had an outing and this morning the small seconds/1/20th counter sub-dial hand @6 was not zeroed. Nor was it ticking off the seconds, though the watch was keeping perfect time. Of course I had forgotten how comprehensive the OS80 Miyota Quartz movement is – and it IS an excellent movement by any standards. It’s quite an interesting one and the first thing I remembered was that the sub-dial in question has a double function – firstly as a seconds hand and also when the chronograph is used, as a 1/20sec counter.

So I reset the hand to zero by pulling the crown out to position 2, pressed button A (@2) to ensure the large center second chrono hand was at 12, then pressed button B (@4) to reset the little seconds hand to top position – so everything looked good. I then returned the crown to the normal position.

So now the watch was functioning or indicating correctly, but with no seconds hand visibly ticking away it’s always slightly disconcerting at first glance, as to whether the watch is going or not. With the OS80 movement however, simply pressing button B (@4) again starts the small seconds hand ticking away just fine. So now we have the watch functioning just as I like it. Use the chronograph function however and the small seconds hand instantly reverts to the 1/20sec counter which really races round the small dial.

Now I have no connection to AstroAvia whatsoever, but I really have to hand it to them. They produce really good looking watches that are practical and of very good quality – what I would call “honest” watches – or what you see is what you get watches – good value and very reliable.

In fact I’m so pleased with it now that I’m wearing this one again – it’s prompted me to check out their new range, and who knows I might, just might get myself another one!

Elegance revisited

Yesterday was a busy day here in the UK as any watch collector might tell you. It was – put the clock back day! – Where BST or British Summer Time ( Summer has to be a joke right?) officially ended on Sunday morning at 2am. So a good part of the day was setting the quartz clocks and watches and one or two mechanical watches that I wear through the week. Now trying to remember how all these different movements like to be changed can sometimes be a bit of a challenge. Especially on some of the Moonphase or Complication movements, where you definitely end up rummaging around for either the instructions or those “notes” you took all those years ago.

Anyway it was during this “changing the clock” business that I came across my lovely and elegant Dugena Triple Date Calendar Moonphase. And OK I’ve posted much of this information in a previous post, way back in March 2009, but I felt I had to feature it again and as I thought I’d have trouble setting it, I might have to feature an instructional post.

But no as fortunately I didn’t get round to altering the time until today. Could be a problem I thought as it also had not been worn for a few months and the date was out by some margin (I think it was at the 25th) plus the moon was nowhere in sight! BUT I say fortunate – as today is a full moon and this is SO useful when adjusting a Moonphase watch.

DugenaNew02 — Moonphase close up – Dugena

So all I had to do was change the Moonphase to the top position and that was it really, then alter the date as the Day and the Month were still OK. I remember that this Dugena uses the Miyota 6P80 movement and as with quite a few of this series you have to be careful as to when you set anything. For example the Date can change anywhere between midnight and about 5.30am and can’t set the Date between 9pm and midnight and as for the month – well you can’t set it between the 26th and the 31st, or certainly not the quick set feature. So a tricky watch usually to remember what you’re doing, but fortunately this time not only did I have the original instruction booklet, but it was also a Full Moon – so easy!

Anyway at 10:30am this morning I pulled the crown out to the 1st position and clockwise turned the Moon to the top position, then in the same crown position turned it anti-clockwise to set the date pointer to the 29th. Pulling the crown out further to the 2nd position adjusted the hour and that was it! I didn’t set everything with the second hand at 12 however, as I simply don’t need to be that accurate. One of the side effects I think of now owning a One Hand watch (a very recent acquisition) which I hope to review in a future post.

DugenaNew03 — The elegant Dugena Moonphase

For those unfamiliar with the name “Dugena” I repeat my old post information here – The watch Brand of DUGENA has its origin in the Union Horlogre, a coalition of Swiss watchmakers in 1900. Some 17 years later watch manufacturers Biel-Genf and Glashuette joined to form the Vereinigten Glashuette ALPINA, which quickly started producing in Germany under the name of “Alpina Deutsche Uhrmachergenossenschaft”.

In 1942 Berlin, Alpina was finally changed to DUGENA, and since then the triangle-in-circle logo has stood for watch manufacture of the highest standard in Germany.

I note that looking at the various Dugena models available today, whilst there are some very smart watches there, none appear to match the sheer elegance of this model with it’s sleek and rounded case and Moonphase. Such a real pity as it is a really beautiful watch and one of my very favourite Quartz dress watches.

When I first started collecting I wanted a watch that was absolutely accurate and to the second – so a Radio Controlled one it had to be, then I got the mechanical bug and accuracy went out the window (well almost) and now I’m “estimating” with One Handed watches.

How times change!

Classic Seamaster (Omega)

Delving into my vintage collection I came across one of my old favourites – the Omega Seamaster. This particular model according to serial number is the 1950 collection series steel version with sweep second hand.

OmegaSea04 — Classic Omega Seamaster 2577-6 – Cal 351 – 17 jewel Auto

I particularly like this model as it is about as good pre-owned condition as it gets – The serial number dates it to the beginning of 1950 and it has a great condition Cal. 351 auto mechanical “Bumper” 17 jewel movement inside. This has an early bumper rotor with a fairly short range of perhaps 300 degrees as Omega originally designed. It has around 36 hours spring reserve which is pretty decent. It is matched nicely by the classic detail of the outside.

Omega Cal 351 model 2577-6 17 jewel Automatic Seamaster circa 1950

It has a wonderful dial face with applied dagger batons and numerals. I note it has the original luminous ‘Radium’ dots applied to the markers (not the numbers). The hands are also still ‘Radium’ filled and and unusually (I’ve not seen one before) and amazingly the luminous infill hands, apart from being intact, are actually still visible in total darkness and this from a 74 years old watch

Then there is the sweep red coloured second hand with arrowhead pointer. Very unusual, but in closeup looks absolutely of the time – I find that just so cool!

The naturally aged patina of the dial itself gives it a nice 2-tone pan effect owing to the dial curvature and if you look closely you can see in the centre, the Omega logo directly embossed logo on to the original Hesalite crystal directly above the hand pivots (Hesalite initially named and used back in the 1940’s by Omega – which is basically an acrylic, so fairly soft but shatter proof – note there are no scratches on this one).

The case is stainless steel and in very good condition and the back is a very clean screw down original back.

The crown is original with Logo and the leather strap a standard Omega 18mm fitting, which completes the whole thing.

Dimension wise it’s just 35mm diameter and 42mm lug to lug, so a compact size for today and of course – there are many versions of the 2577 series and always good value as they are a quality and classic watch. Just shop around for the best quality and finish you can get and you won’t go far wrong.

In short, this is an absolute classic early model Seamaster and as it’s still in good original condition I am pretty pleased to own it. For me it is a true collectors choice.

That “singular” watch

My “Single Handed” watch model choice (well this week anyway!) would have to be the MeisterSinger Perigraph, which I think embodies the best of the Modern and the Classic. A most elegant steel cased Single Handed Date Watch.

Whilst the rest of the affordable Single and One Hand 24hr offerings appear to offer a more modernist approach, the MeisterSinger has that classical look, that as a watch collector I just love. What I call a “proper watch” and one that I can wear both for everyday and for evening wear – in essence a rather refined, under-stated and elegant watch.
Two sizes are available, 43mm and my personal preference this 38mm model, with it’s slightly old world Ivory coloured dial face and with the neatl date ring complication (the Date Perigraph) is about as refined as you can get. It is also a really Traditional time piece sporting a good mechanical Automatic movement – the Swiss Sellita SW200 (similar and as good in my opinion as the ETA calibre). With a 48hr power reserve, a full 50m Water resistance, scratch resistant Sapphire Crystal and the very precise 144 markers denoting 5 minute intervals on the outer chapter, it’s a cracking watch.

The date ring is very clear, the days nicely figured and the single hand is blued steel – showing excellent contrast and no worries reading this watch. When the date changes it makes a nice satisfying click as it moves to the next day. The large and properly knurled crown, exhibition crystal back and decent leather strap completes what for me, so far, is my very favourite Single Handed watch.

However with reference to the previous post and the Botta series of more modernist watches, there are quite a few others on the scene – such as these shown below.

new — Defakto Uno, Detail & Danish Design – 24hr Single Hands

The models in the above montage are –

The Defakto Eins Automatic Swiss movement ETA 2824-2. At 42mm diameter Stainless PVD coated case, 9.8mm depth and 50m Water Resistance, Luminous hand and indexes with leather strap. With 15 minute indexing, but a little clunky for my personal taste. Note – this is Single Hand AND a 24hr watch.

The Defakto Detail model is a much finer affair with indexes at 5 minute intervals (short lines), 15minutes (medium lines) and Hour markers (the longest), which are very fine, so a high degree of accuracy is achieved in comparison to the Previous model. The case body carrying a Ronda Quartz 715 inside means the sizing is neater at only 6.6mm depth. A Sapphire crystal with an inner Anti-reflection coating completes the specification and I understand this is the latest model to come out of Pforzheim, in Germany. Note – this is Single Hand AND a 24hr watch.

Danish Design (DD) IQ19Q820 Black Titanium Mono – again Quartz powered but with a dial design very like the others with the addition of a date window @6. Also as neater and better dimensionally to the Defaktos at 37mm diameter and only 6mm depth – quite a nice performer. Again Note – this is a Single Hand 24hr watch.

Of these three examples I think I prefer the Danish Design quality look and feel and if in the market for one of the “modern” style 24hr models, I would be looking very seriously at the Botta Uno 24 or the Danish Design.

And of course there are a few more that are much more expensive, such as Pita, Stark, Schauer, Angular Momentum and my out of reach and very expensive – Jaquet Droz Grand Heure. But for now or until I win the lottery and at not too monstrous a price is the MeisterSinger Perigraph, which I think combines both the modern and the classic to perfection.

But really if honest and bearing in mind my budget, it has to be the MeisterSinger every time!

One handed

Having owned a Botta Argos for a few years I can confirm these are stylish and neat watches and ones which always draw comments when worn. So I thought I’d check out today’s models to see what’s available.
As always there’s an ulterior motive (watch collectors illness) as I’ve developed a sort of sneaking admiration for the One Handed watch and Botta have a range of models that are really attracting me. And one of the reasons for my interest is my fixation of “legibility” or “can I easily read the time on this thing!” – and in a perverse sort of way these One Handed watches would appear to provide a pretty neat solution – maybe.

Snap_2012.09.09 20.49.40_002 — Botta Uno 24 One Handed Watch – Black Special Edition

One of my favorites so far is this Uno 24 model – the Special Black Edition, which shows a very clear display indeed with the positioning of the 24hr clock as “the day” – in other words – the time can be seen as an entire day, at a glance.
The single hand completes just one complete rotation over 24hrs and the hand virtually replicates the position of the sun as it travels across the sky in a day – very intuitive actually when you think of it. In fact just a quick glance at the watch indicates roughly the time of day, how the day has flown by in fact and a visual take on how long to go before nightfall – instantly.

The dark lower half of the dial surface suggests evening approaching and night to follow and a very thin vertical line shows when one day changes to the next. As the 24hr hand passes that line at the very bottom of the dial, the date changes instantly to the new day exactly as it should.
This arrangement graphically shows the entire course of a day in analog form – pretty clever I think. And as to clarity, the very precise scaling and numerate markers used shows the time of day with amazing accuracy, certainly within 5 minutes and with a little familiarity you can bring that down virtually to the minute.
Being Botta Design of course the watch is a very neat affair, at 40mm diameter, easy to see but with only a tiny 7.5mm depth, means that the stainless case is still only 43g. The movement is the excellent Ronda Swiss 515.24 Quartz movement and the whole dial visible under a sapphire crystal. Water Resistance at 3 ATM and the complete assembly Made in Germany.

The price is around £250 to £350 bracket +vat in the UK and comes with bracelet or strap options. Not bad in my opinion for a Single Handed 24hr watch.

Now of course I’m in big trouble! I do like this watch the more I speak or write about it – I told you this might cost me money!

But there are others of course that use the more conventional dial arrangement, such as the Botta Solus (below) but for me at least just don’t have that wonderful graphical progress of your day of the Uno 24.

More conventional display as a 24hr watch the Solus is a Titanium cased watch, 39mm diameter and that slim profile again at 4.9mm depth. 23g weight this time courtesy of the Ti casing, a Ronda 1003 Swiss Quartz movement and plane Sapphire Crystal.

A big plus however must be the Super Luminova coated hand – something my own Botta nor the Uno have and make no mistake it is a big plus. BUT – that superb graphical, oh so clever dial of the Uno 24 attracts me so much, that I might just fore-go the luxury of waking in the middle of the night and being able to read the time on my wrist. I’ll just have to make use of the nice digital alarm bedside clock my wife bought me some years ago – and being honest? – I use it now anyway!

Cool watches

I’ve been having a trawl round looking at various watches and noting the incredible range of styles and ideas that proliferate the market today. It’s interesting to note the number of Fashion and Designer Companies that are into producing and/or marketing their unique “take”on watches and indeed how we read time. They are also being taken much more seriously I think as the apparent quality seems to be improving, though as I’ve found “quality” is to me a much maligned word today! But for those who wish a more modern style to the simple old watch on the wrist, these models are certainly “something different” and shows perhaps the personality of the wearer in a bold light.

Anyway I hope to spotlight a few of the cool, odd, big or small and often downright interesting watches I’ve recently spotted and will feature them here and who knows I might even manage to buy the odd one (but not too odd I hope).

First off is the DIESEL DZ7250 in colored stainless steel with leather strap and one BIG watch it is too (far too big for me). . . .

Definitely not for the faint of heart. Four separate watches in one apparently (including a chronograph, digital and two analog clocks) allows you to navigate multiple time zones without losing a second or so the adverts say and it IS big at 66mm x 57mm and 13mm depth. A 27mm leather strap is also fitted and it has a Water resistance of 3ATM – so no diving I’m afraid, which is a pity – but there we are.
This an example of a Fashion house timepiece and pretty impressive it looks too, though for my smallish wrist, alas not a contender for me. Diesel watches are certainly noticeable and without doubt Diesel design timepieces will get you noticed. They also feature a huge array of functions, very modern materials and interesting colour schemes.

Italian design and pretty decent workmanship means Diesel have quite a following – not least owing to the range – and as shown here – yet another but quite different model –

Now this model for me is much more practical, being a nice 45mm x 38mm and with the very clear digital readout, and whilst it reminds me strongly of the very much more expensive Seiko Active Matrix EPD, this doesn’t feature ink technology, it is however still remarkably legible. The Diesel design house touch is very noticeable here and it certainly looks good on the wrist.
It also for me is better looking and better value than the Ventura V Tec Kappa, the Junghams Mega 1000, or the Citizen Aibato M and a huge improvement on the older Casio W96’s you used to see everywhere (though of course these were a budget watch). However this one at around £89.00 I would have to say is pretty good value if you’re in the market for a digital readout watch.

My last spotlight watch is another digital concept, but not Diesel and in fact a much older and better known watch producer LIP – they had and still have some wonderfully innovative design concepts in time reading, as you can see with the following model – the wonderful iconic mechanical “jump hour” Mach 2000. From a design concept of the 1970’s, a case & bracelet design by Roger Tallon, the jump hour display of Prince Francois de Baschmakoff, put together into an new concept by designer Prisca Briquet.

Snap_2012.09.08 14.56.38_006 — LIP iconic design Mach 2000

Here three separate discs for hours, minutes, and seconds rotate exposed on the dial and line up in the vertical viewing loop located at the foot of the dial. Powered by a Swiss Quartz movement, surprisingly this watch is NOT big at all but has a very neat 35mm square case, although the wide stainless bracelet arrangement camouflages this very well. To keep the sleek look the crown is neatly recessed into the case/bracelet at the 12 o clock position.

Known as the Mythic Metal Jump watch (in brown) it can be found for around $289.00 today with a bit of searching around.

So three designer watches and I can easily see me wearing two of them! – that’s not bad for a small wrist guy. Don’t know about you, but I found this post quite intriguing (and I wrote it!) – and it looks as if I’ll be trawling around some more and might even devote a special page to “Designer Cool Watches” or similar, but it could easily start to cost me money!!! LOL

Omega style

Recently picked up this nice Omega Cal 1444 Quartz 6 jewel Swiss movement watch. This is a Constellation chronograph with day and date sub-dials in a white dial with gilt zone counters model dated around 1987 in stainless steel with a solid gold bezel and sapphire crystal. It also has lume filled main hands and a center seconds sweep.

From the Omega International Collection which started off life in 1984, the basic premise is still around today, though the T bar is actually quite rare. At only 35mm although a Gents watch, today it is very much a unisex item and can be worn equally by the ladies. In fact my wife borrows it already!

Omega04C — Croc strapped T bar Constellation

Solid press fit back with silicon washer and 30m Water Resistance completes a neat model and is a good addition to my Omega case.

Omega02C — Classic 1987 with solid Gold bezel

Omega05C — Neat Omega Constellation 6 jewel Quartz

So what does a watch like this cost?

This one was in auction and cost under £200 which was a very, very good buy.
It is in about as good a condition as any pre-owned watch I’ve seen with virtually no scratches, a perfect sapphire crystal. Even the Omega gold sticker is still applied to the back, which is pristine with no tell tale “opening” marks that you see so often on older watches. The dial is perfect and the strap though not original is a very high quality French Crocodile leather and more importantly is a perfect match to the T bar lugs and IMO as good as the original.

The quartz movement once I opened it up was a pristine – 6 jewel, Cal 1444 M903 Swiss marked DC398.1069 which is a high quality Omega original which takes a Renata or Maxell 371 or SR920sw 1.55v silver oxide battery.

So very pleased with my purchase – but now I’ve just to pry it away from my wife!

Affordable Cartier

When most folk mention Cartier, they think that this is a product that many really cannot afford and perhaps out of reach price-wise.
But today and certainly in the world of “pre-owned” watches, this certainly is not the case. Take the watch shown below as an example –

Cartier05 — “Must-de-Cartier” Quartz, Vermeil (gold on silver) dress watch.

A lovely little watch in pretty much pristine condition and hardly worn at all.

This is the round cased Vermeil version (Vermeil = gold on silver) and in this case we’re talking 20 microns of 18k gold on a solid Silver (925) case. This one as said is pre-owned and in very very good condition and whilst you can see these pre-owned models around, the prices asked vary anywhere from around £750 up to around £1200 depending on condition. However there are also watch auctions and at these you can often pick up a real bargain – simply look carefully at the condition and use your common sense.

Cartier03 — Cartier Strap and signed deployment clasp

This little gem for example cost me less than £350 and is complete with the original Cartier authentic Caiman strap with a fitted signed Cartier deployment clasp – so this is a bonus.
So as said, this is the round cased Vermeil (gold on silver) cased “Must-de-Cartier” Swiss Quartz dress watch.
It has a midi sized 32mm case diameter including the Cartier blue sapphire cabochon crown and very slim at 5mm depth. White patterned dial with the classic Cartier blue steel hour and minute hands giving excellent contrast, gilt Arabic numerals on the even numbers and markers on the odds, bordered by a minute track. The glass is a sapphire crystal and the case has central “T” lugs supporting the strap screws and strap.

Cartier06side — At 5mm depth – a very slim neat watch

Case back details give watch data such as model reference number, watch series number, the gold micron figure, a 925 Sterling Silver mark, Vermeil and Swiss made.

Quite small I suppose these days, but it is an excellent unisex size and for me with a smallish 170mm wrist, it is perfect as a dress watch. Equally my wife on occasion can wear it too and it looks great on her as well.

Cartier01 — Affordable classic Cartier design.

Now OK I know it’s not the most expensive Cartier (goodness these can really set you back) – but it IS a genuine Cartier, it is a decent 20 microns of 18ct Gold plate and it IS a solid Silver case (stamped 925), it’s Swiss made and allows you at VERY reasonable cost to “join the club” – a Cartier owner!

Now that can’t be bad – can it?

It’s quite possible that once you have the taste for the classic (here it is the Cartier of course) you just might start looking for more bargain pre-owned ones – maybe that “tank” version that epitomize the Cartier style more than any other and perhaps that bit more recognizable too.

And at these prices IF you can get them – it’s also lot’s of fun!