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What was your biggest watch disappointment??

26K views 107 replies 76 participants last post by  deledda 
#1 ·
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Easy question.

What was your biggest watch disappointment? What was the watch that you wanted to give a try, or one that you really really wanted, but when you recieved it, for whatever reason , just really didn't live up???

I'll start off. Back in my Invicta days, I had always like the Original Ocean Ghost watch, the one that was stainless and 18k gold.
Well, then they came out with the same case design in 45mm size in a tungsten and ceramic case. I really liked it, but didnt feel like spending that kind of cash on it.

So eventually they came out with an all stainless model, with plating around the bezel and down the center links of bracelet.

I purchased this one.



Well, as much as I had wanted this case style for a couple of years, this one just did not live up. Plating started to come off the center links after a week, and when going to set the time one day, the crown came completely out. ........It went in the trash...I didnt even bother attempting to get it repaired or replaced.

Another one was the Xezo Air Commando.

(NOT MY PHOTO)



Had seen a bunch of guys around here and elsewhere get it, and had to have one. Well, I finally got one, and though there was nothing wrong with the watch, for whatever reason, it just was not for me. For me , it was okay. I had wanted it for so long, and it just didn't do it for me.

What are your dissapointments?
 
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#58 ·
Probably the Vortex. Over-hyped, under delivered...





But, maybe it was the Benarus Moray I...the bezel was tight and the timing was poor...

Suprised at both of these selections. Pictures look so nice hard to see they didn't live up to the hype. I have a different problem. My picture taking skills suck so bad I can make an awesome watch look like a pos. Lol

sent via mobile
 
#3 ·
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IWG in General

specifically - i bought a SAN III GMT Automatic which I loved & lusted for a long time

well it turned out a couple of weeks after buying it -the GMT hand started going wacko on me

going fast by 12-13 -15 hrs at a time

I ended up selling it "AS IS" on E-bay - lost about 50% on the watch

in retrospect i shouldve done what i wanted to do - have the GMT hand removed - cause the rest of the movement was very accurate - but i was concerned that the movement might get bad so i just sold it

that was a big Let down as I felt the SAN III was an awesome design -

another watch like you Don - nothing wrong with it - just didnt fit to my expectations - was the NFW Autopilot

I had like 3 versions of this watch purchased and re-sold seperatley -each time

something about the watch just didnt vibe with me - it turns out -i just cant do the

Square watch look - not for me

nothing wrong with the watch -

 
#6 ·
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My biggest disappointment was the Deep Blue Master 3000. Now I know that there are many freaks who just adore this piece but I honestly found it ti be wanting in a few areas of importance to me, especially comfort. I'm a fan of Deep Blue but the M3K tops my list of biggest disappointments with watches in 2011.
 
#8 ·
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if it's ever, then it has to be the Invicta Russian Diver. i wanted to like that watch in the worst way but the canteen made the watch so impractical- it was like having a cast on your hand in that your were very limited in your range of motion.

the lume really sucked too. the "design" of it was cool as hell, but it lasted all of 10 mins before you couldn't read it at all. seriously crappy lume.
 
#73 ·
I appreciate these comments: I've been under the Russian diver spell lately but haven't gotten close to pulling the trigger.

But I have to say I've been VERY surprised at the number of posts expressing dissatisfaction with Deep Blue. I was under the impression that they were a really top-notch affordable watch brand.



if it's ever, then it has to be the Invicta Russian Diver. i wanted to like that watch in the worst way but the canteen made the watch so impractical- it was like having a cast on your hand in that your were very limited in your range of motion.

the lume really sucked too. the "design" of it was cool as hell, but it lasted all of 10 mins before you couldn't read it at all. seriously crappy lume.
 
#9 ·
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I think it has to be the Deep Blue 2K III. Had the money saved for a Cave Dweller and then the big release sale on shop NBC happened...and I felt at the time...man I need to jump on this at this price and Swiss ETA movement, it's a much better buy than the CD II Miyota.

Received it and it just didn't ring my bell. The orange lumed markers looked brighter than what I was expecting. Seemed to be more of a light orange than deep dark vibrant orange to me....and then the real kicker is that it was just too large for my wrists as it had slight overhang.

I learned 2 new lessons about myself in this hobby.

1) I figured out the importance of L2L measurement and what the max limits my wrist can handle.

2) most importantly I realized for me personally I care more about design than movement.

I quickly flipped the Dive Master...past the savings onto an fellow WIS in the process of getting the CD II I originally intended to get in the first place. Needless to say the CD II, even with it's non Swiss lower beat movement, blew me away.

Lessons learned :c
 
#12 · (Edited)
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My biggest disappointment last year was a Stuhrling Original Zeppelin 2 that i purchased just before a holiday in cuba. I never took it in the ocean as it does not have a screw down crown but it still managed to crack the curved caSE BACK WHEN I GOT HOME. i had it replaced and gave this watch to a waiter at the hotel in Cuba a few weeks later on a return trip to cuba. This man had seen the original watch on my prior visit and broke into tears when I gave it to him with all the paper work and presentatrion case. Anyway 3 months later he had the watch in his pocket at work at the hotel and the crown fell out of the watch and was lost in the Cuban sand. The Stuhrling is now repaired and will go back to him in feb when I return
 
#15 ·
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It was the Artego for me.

I found the paint on the bezel uneven or applied well, dial finishing not even, the links got marked immediately by the case design and the bracelet was hard to size for many people.

It had potential - but fell short for me.



 
#16 ·
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I have to agree the the "meshmeister". I have been diisapointed with deep bluefor the price point. This being stated I do like DB, and think Stan has done well for himself. AS far as IWG- I expect dissapointment from them, and avoid buying expensive pieces!
 
#17 ·
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Deep Blue also makes my list. I had the Sun Diver1K for just a few weeks. The size was great, but the detail was lacking. The bracelet felt cheap. I reasoned with myself that it wasn't a $1000 watch, but it didn't have the feel of a nice $300 watch either. To Deep Blue's credit, the Juggernaut I got a little later seemed like a much nicer timepiece, but the colors didn't work for me in the end and I flipped it.

The biggest disappointment for me in 2011, however, was the Lum-Tec 500m:

* Free spinning bezel that would move after contact with even my jacket sleeve,

* Rubber strap that was not nearly thick enough to support the weight of the watch and would allow it to shake like jello on the wrist, and

* A height of nearly one inch that rendered a silly look and lead to banging it on just about every door frame.

I still like Lum-Tec and many of their designs, enough that I would certainly buy another. I'll be looking close at their new diver, in fact. The 500m may have been a learning experience for the company.
 
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#18 ·
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For me, all time, it was probably the Bulova Accutron Astronaut that I bought in Hong Kong in 1964. It was the most accurate watch, on the wrist, that I had ever seen at the time but was not rugged enough to stand up to the daily battering received aboard a Navy ship from a junior enlisted sailor.

Considering getting a Bulova Precisionist as a very late replacement for it as I still remember the smooth second hand sweep with enjoyment. I doubt though that the new watch will hum to me like the Accutron did.:)
 
#84 ·
For me, all time, it was probably the Bulova Accutron Astronaut that I bought in Hong Kong in 1964. It was the most accurate watch, on the wrist, that I had ever seen at the time but was not rugged enough to stand up to the daily battering received aboard a Navy ship from a junior enlisted sailor.

Considering getting a Bulova Precisionist as a very late replacement for it as I still remember the smooth second hand sweep with enjoyment. I doubt though that the new watch will hum to me like the Accutron did.:)

None of the precisionist, nor the Accutron II models have sapphire crystals, so that limits any further purchases of either of them (have a precisionist dress watch).

If you ever seen one of the above with the case back removed, you would truly be disappointed, cheap plastic spacer and paltry looking movement.

Example

 
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#19 ·
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For me it was a Vostok Europe Ice Breaker... Sorry, no pics. Ran slow from the beginning and was very hard to grasp the crown for the semi-quick set date function or to pre-wind the movement. Then a gear started slipping when trying to set it and that was the end of it, with very little use. Took it to a watchmaker who immediately saw the "Made in China" stamp on the inside of the case and said it wasn't worth attempting to fix. On the other hand I had a Vostok Europe N1 GMT that was very good...
 
#22 ·
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Oh! Good one James!! How did I forget the horrible Artego!? I had two and both had horrible bezels and bad indices... Unacceptable even at hay price no matter what its fans say. Other brands get those things right for less.

TVDinner wrote:
It was the Artego for me.

I found the paint on the bezel uneven or applied well, dial finishing not even, the links got marked immediately by the case design and the bracelet was hard to size for many people.

It had potential - but fell short for me.



:c
 
#67 ·
Oh! Good one James!! How did I forget the horrible Artego!? I had two and both had horrible bezels and bad indices... Unacceptable even at hay price no matter what its fans say. Other brands get those things right for less.

TVDinner wrote:
:c

Yea, the Artigo is still my biggest disappointment to date.
 
#23 ·
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The biggest dissapointment for me was my Boschett Cave Dweller II. I love the watch, I just didn't realize that it was 16.5mm thickand IMO that is much thicker than necessary. I don't thinkthe thickness is proportional with the 44mm diameter. Again I love the watch, I just wish it weren't so thick.

 
#24 ·
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@fathertime: Yes, I like this one too! There's quite a few jump hour watches around that you can pick up for less than $100 but indeed, nothing that is of similar design as this one. I used to have a very nice Russian jump hour watch when I was very young (like 8 years old or something). I wanted to figure out how it worked so disassembled the movement and that was basically the end of the watch.... Still checking ebay occasionally to see if I can purchase the same watch.
 
#26 ·
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My biggest disappointment would have to be the TISSOT SEASTAR 1000. I always wanted this for years and finally had a chance to purchase it. The bracelet, IMO, was the weakest link....very "hollow" and not solid as others in the price range. It was also moderately noisy.

To top it off, the 12 o' clock pip(triangle) on the bezel did not align with the 12 o' clock index on the dial. Maybe I just got one that went through quality control too fast.


I did like the exhibition case back, bezel shape,dial colorand the domed sapphire crystal.:lol






 
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