New and looking for advice

JustJess
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Hi all!

Thank you for welcoming onto the forum. I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I’m Jess and I know nothing about watches! That said, my dad turns 70 this year, and I’d love to get him a special watch and so I was looking to pick up some advice/tips/ideas so hopefully you’re ok with me picking your brains.

I’ve already done a bit of lurking on the sales page! I’ve seen a Glycine Airman 1967 that I like the style of but not sure if this is hard to service/maintain as some parts are no longer available (not sure if I’ve understood that correctly?)

Help/advice gratefully received!
 
Walrus
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Hello, welcome. Sorry can’t give you any specific info as I don’t know a lot about that watch. I think it’s cool you are seeking something unique for your pops and whatever you end up getting will mean a lot to him. I wanted to give your question a bump as I know there are a few members with vintage glycine. Good luck.
 
wagudc
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Unless your Dad is already a collector of vintage watches, I am going to echo the recommendation for a modern mechanical watch. Hamilton is a great Swiss brand (formerly American). You may want to check out reissued vintage style watches, often called heritage. I am a big fan of Longines' collection.

https://www.longines.com/watches/heritage/heritage-collection

Most have been scaled up to modern sizes, but a few years ago they did a true-to-vintage sized one at 35mm that I think is stunning with rose gold on back. You can still find them new:

https://www.jomashop.com/longines-watch-l16114522.html

It is so classy in my opinion. There are also larger versions as well.

Also, be sure to avoid busy dials or low contrast, e.g. silver markers on a white background. Those of us with aging eyes have a hard time reading them.
 
Dan S
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Welcome. For what it's worth, I tend to think that a vintage watch will be more special than a new one, although it will obviously take more research on your part.

There are a few nice ones listed right now, depending on what you're looking for. It would be helpful to know more about your father's tastes. The Airman is a pilot's watch. Is that something that resonates with your father? It also has a 24-hour dial, which is interesting, but a bit obscure and can be hard to use.
Edited:
 
marcn
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Welcome Jess, and what a wonderful thing you’re doing for your dad!

Tell us a bit about your dad, what you think his tastes in watches might be, how his eyesight is, how active he is, is he a big guy, etc.

If you’re leaning towards mechanical, an automatic may or may not work so well if he’s sedentary, and you may need to consider manual winding. If his eyesight isn’t great, consider larger watches or hands/dials with good contrast.

You could go the route of vintage and maybe consider a birth year watch, one one that fell on a previous milestone year, like the year when he turned 18. I’d wager more than a few here could help with that route.

And don’t dismiss quartz. For most normals a nice quartz watch is a mind blowing gift to receive all by itself.

Also, if you’re comfortable saying publicly, what price are you looking to stay below?
 
JustJess
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Thank you so much for all the replies! I will try to answer the questions as best I can

1) size - not looking for anything too big, he is an average size man
2) Interests/activity - pretty active plays tennis and does quite a lot of walking
3) pilots watch question - for a vintage watch of this age it resonates as at the time he was involved in RAF related stuff, he is interested in history and RAF/WW2 it being something that he grew up involved/knowing about. He is also a longtime F1 and motor racing fan
4) New vs vintage - I'm open on this, had the idea of getting something birth year/milestone year for the sentimental value but its not a must. He does like watches and is knowledgeable but doesn't have many/something special so I know this is a gift he would really appreciate. He has an Orient that he currently wears daily, I think it is orient men's 'mako ii' Navy blue colour. I think this is the style he likes but I would like it to be different as its a special gift so perhaps a different colour etc.
 
wagudc
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A vintage watch from the 50s or earlier will most likely not be water resistant, and parts will hard to come by. For a someone from the UK interested in WW2 history, a WWW watch is great. One sold here recently:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/omega-www-“dirty-dozen”-ck2444.130164/

The Timor brand has been resurrected and sells modern reissues of their WWW watch, but they aren't available right now. However, a member is selling one here:

https://omegaforums.net/threads/timor-heritage-field-2020-edition.127306/

You might also consider the Freese 53 watch which he explains in this video:

The previous video shows the previous version, this video shows the most recent: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJBtNxPCn34/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

upload_2021-4-14_8-4-48.png


Chronographs fit the racing theme. I like Hamilton Intramatic ( https://www.hamiltonwatch.com/en-us/h38416711-intramatic-auto-chrono.html )

h38416711.png

or the Yema line (there are quartz versions as well):

https://yema.com/collections/montre-chronographe
upload_2021-4-14_8-1-51.png
 
upload_2021-4-14_8-1-51.png upload_2021-4-14_8-4-48.png
marcn
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JustJess JustJess
3) pilots watch question - for a vintage watch of this age it resonates as at the time he was involved in RAF related stuff, he is interested in history and RAF/WW2 it being something that he grew up involved/knowing about. He is also a longtime F1 and motor racing fan

Stowa has an interesting collection of vintage-inspired pieces, along with modern styles that may appeal. Maybe one of their pilot watches would do the trick? I've only bought once from them, a number of years ago, and was impressed by the quality. With many models you can choose date or no date. Automatic or hand wound. Logo or no logo. I love that they let you choose!

I'm 6'1" and I personally try and stay below 42mm, but it can depend on the style/shape of the case and other factors to find a good "fit".

https://www.stowa.de/en/shop/

https://www.stowa.de/en/Flieger+Klassik+40+Verus.htm
upload_2021-4-14_9-8-3.png



https://www.stowa.de/en/Flieger+Classic+40+blue.htm
upload_2021-4-14_9-8-54.png



https://www.stowa.de/en/antea_back_to_bauhaus+_355_limited_silver.htm
upload_2021-4-14_9-10-31.png
 
hamster
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@JustJess , that glycine is a thing of beauty! @noiseboyuk , are they difficult to service or have you found a super watchmaker?!?
Some great suggestions on this thread too! Good luck hunting/choosing/buying!
 
TimeODanaos
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Welcome @JustJess - your dad sounds a lot like a slightly older version of someone I know quite well! What you're planning for him sounds wonderful, and there are great suggestions coming up. So just a quick 2c from me, at the risk of stating the obvious. A lot of us, even those who are looking further back than forward, if you know what I mean, tend to associate the styles of their birth year with their own parents; what we really like are things that remind us of being 18-25! Today's 70 year-olds were youngsters in a pretty darn cool era, so I think anything with a 1970s vibe might be of interest, particularly for a F1 fan. For example, that Yema up above looks pretty funky and captures the vibe, perhaps without the eye-watering expense of "collector" chronographs of the period. Good luck with the hunt!
 
SkunkPrince
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TimeODanaos TimeODanaos
Today's 70 year-olds were youngsters in a pretty darn cool era,
Wouldn't he have been a "youngster" in the 50s instead of the 70s? I'm nearly 56 and I started high school in 1979.
 
Dan S
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JustJess JustJess
Thank you so much for all the replies! I will try to answer the questions as best I can

1) size - not looking for anything too big, he is an average size man
2) Interests/activity - pretty active plays tennis and does quite a lot of walking
3) pilots watch question - for a vintage watch of this age it resonates as at the time he was involved in RAF related stuff, he is interested in history and RAF/WW2 it being something that he grew up involved/knowing about. He is also a longtime F1 and motor racing fan
4) New vs vintage - I'm open on this, had the idea of getting something birth year/milestone year for the sentimental value but its not a must. He does like watches and is knowledgeable but doesn't have many/something special so I know this is a gift he would really appreciate. He has an Orient that he currently wears daily, I think it is orient men's 'mako ii' Navy blue colour. I think this is the style he likes but I would like it to be different as its a special gift so perhaps a different colour etc.

The Orient Mako II is a diver's watch, 41.5mm diameter. So a vintage dive watch would be an option if he likes that style. That is a very popular category for collectors and there are some good options from the 60s and 70s across a very wide price range. I'm a fan of vintage dive watches, so that sounds appealing to me. But you may want something different ... 😀

If he prefers to wear a 41.5mm watch, you probably want to keep size in mind to some extent. Many vintage watches are under 35mm in diameter, which may seem small to him. People have become accustomed to much larger watches in recent decades. In general, the larger vintage watches tend to be chronographs and sport watches (including divers), although there are some exceptions.
 
eugeneandresson
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Welcome! And great initiative! A bit of info on your Dad might help! Does he like Motorsport? Swimming? Was he an outdoor guy? Casual or elegantly styled? Hobbies? Is he a large guy with big wrists? Surely he had a watch (or several) that you can remember that might give a hint as to his taste. Lastly, it will come from his child, certainly it will be very special regardless of what it is, but kudos on the effort of trying to pinpoint something extra special for him.
 
hamster
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wagudc wagudc
I am a big fan of Longines' collection.

https://www.longines.com/watches/heritage/heritage-collection

Most have been scaled up to modern sizes, but a few years ago they did a true-to-vintage sized one at 35mm that I think is stunning with rose gold on back. You can still find them new:

https://www.jomashop.com/longines-watch-l16114522.html

It is so classy in my opinion. There are also larger versions as we
I love that dark longines! I have the following saved to my favourites, feels like the one that got away. Annoying because there were two or three up at the same time!
https://omegaforums.net/threads/pri...-rose-gold-conquest-ref-9025-6-cal-291.75408/
 
hamster
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wagudc wagudc
That one is a beauty. I like how the date at 12:00 windows in the vintage ones are wider than they are tall. I wish the reissues were like this rather than the other way around.
Yes, I’d buy a reissue in a heartbeat. They’re so rare. There’s been a couple on eBay for a looooong time. Don’t know enough to trust myself though hahaha!
 
wagudc
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marcn marcnorth
Stowa has an interesting collection of vintage-inspired pieces, along with modern styles that may appeal. Maybe one of their pilot watches would do the trick? /QUOTE]

If @JustJess' dad is interested in history and RAF/WW2, might not be interested in a Stowa. During WW2 they made watches for the Luftwaffe not the RAF.
 
TimeODanaos
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SkunkPrince SkunkPrince
Wouldn't he have been a "youngster" in the 50s instead of the 70s? I'm nearly 56 and I started high school in 1979.
Well, I think a gentleman just turning 70 now would have enjoyed his college years early 1970s - my point was, some people want to commemorate that period in their lives rather than when they were still little kids, or in the cradle. I mean, I do have birth year watches myself, but because they're great watches, not because I remember those days! 😉
 
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