Quick photo of watch and coins

now that's a kool thing for a watch do be able to do is invoke feeling.

 

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I'm with you. My Invicta is the one I choose to wear, when I do wear one.

 

Great coins and watch, Sallent! I wear a watch. I chair a lot of group meetings at churches, hospitals, and rehabs and I make an effort to begin meetings on time to the second. Punctuality is one of my obsessions. Wearing a watch sends a message that you respect the time of others. Not beginning a meeting on time is unfair to those who made the effort to get there on time. “If you’re not fifteen minutes early you’re fifteen minutes late.” I think Vince Lombardi said that one. Here’s another one—“5 minutes early is on time—on time is late.” Enough preaching! Great coins!

 

I have an el-Cheapo mechanical watch from eBay. It does not hold a wind as long as I like (my previous one did until it died in a terrible accident. ), but it does work. I like never having to worry about a battery.

 

If you want Roman numerals, I definitely recommend this one: Longines La Grande Classique in automatic caliber L619, which is a beefed up version of Caliber ETA 2892-A2 (an excellent accurate and robust Swiss automatic movement). The watch will last decades with proper service and maintenance, and the leather straps are easy to replace (you can get some nice ones for $60 to $80 every time the originals start to get worse for wear.

You have to see this watch in person. The pics don't do it justice. A real gem, and definitely in my to-buy list at some point in the future. Since I'm in a tie and suit at least 3-4 days out of the week, dress watches get more interest from me than other watches.



And because you mentioned Gordian III roaches, here is a roach to keep this midlly coin related.



Don't you think Gordian III would have wanted a classy, yet not overly expensive, Swiss made Roman numerals watch like the Longines above to wear with his Toga to a Senate meeting? I think so.

Speaking of watches lasting longer than their straps, this is my one non-dress watch. A Hamilton Khaki King automatic. It is what I call my "beater watch". I use it when I'm not dressed in a suit or not dressed "business casual."

Basically for when I'm out and about doing things like shopping, working on my car, cutting the grass, painting, doing yard work, handling acid and other corrosive substances, working out, going hiking or hill climbing, etc. In other words, the kinds of places and activities you don't want to take a nice watch to. In the past 5 years, I have beaten the heck out of it to the point it now looks like road kill, but it still runs fine and keeps excellent time. The best $400 I've ever spent on an automatic watch...did I mention it's cheap enough to replace without shedding a tear if it gets messed up?

I've treated it so rough that I've gone through 6 straps in 5 years. Every time one breaks, I buy another $20 Nato strap and I'm back in business. Those James Bond Nato straps are quite "classy" in a functional way. I don't plan on servicing this watch ever as the top and sides of the case are so beat up it is probably not worth it. I'm probably just going to run it another 3-4 years until the movement stops from lack of service, and buy another just like it as a beater watch.





That is the kind of watch Julius Caesar would have worn in the fields of Gaul...a proper field watch with military heritage, understated luxury, not too expensive (wants to be seen as a man of the people by his soldiers), tough, reliable, extremely accurate, and very classic.

 

And yes, based on emperors' personalities I think I can take a pretty good guess at what type of watch brand they might have preferred if they came to the future in a time machine. I think Augustus would have been an Omega man, Tiberius a Rolex man (and with how cheap he was, probably a fake Rolex), Caligula was definitely a Patek Philippe snob, Claudius with his old fashioned and subtle approach definitely a Seiko Grand Seiko type of emperor, and Nero was a flashy and shallow Tag Heuer type.

 

The only coin related watch that I know of is unfortunately modern, and it's a Swatch



Q

 

It is so tacky that I rather like it. I could see myself wearing it with a tailored suit and bowtie to a mediation just to throw off the other attorneys, and send the message that I'm the type of person who doesn't give a f-word.

 

In 1999 I used to wear a watch with face made from the Connecticut state quarter. I also had one with the Rhode Island quarter. They were inexpensive (and cheaply made).

 

I used to wear it at work when I got it. Now the band is broken and it would be a bit out of fashion anyway

Q

 

Vespasian would have wanted to know what time it was so he might have been more impressed by a solar digital but so he would not be bothered by having the thing on his wrist, he might have a slave wear it and tell him the time when asked.

Imagine the effect on world exploration if the Romans had waterproof, shockproof, accurate to a fraction of a second timepieces. If they had command of longitude, they might have discovered Florida 1500 years ahead of time and Latin America might still be speaking Latin. There was a time that the measure of a timepiece was time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harrison

 

In some ways it still is. For all the ultra expensive Swiss, there are still plenty of Swiss watches brands with great automatic sub-$500 watches. And the Big 4 Japanese (Seiko, Orient, Citizen, and Casio) are alive and well with plenty of amazing quartz and automatic watches.

And it may surprise you to know many proper Russian and Chinese watch companies (the ones that make real watches instead of fashion watches) have huge cult followings among US and European watch enthusiasts. Especially the Chinese who can make you an excellent Chronograph automatic for $300 when the Swiss seem incapable of doing so for less than $1,500.00. So it's not all about expensive time pieces or flash, there are thousands of devoted watch fans that go after real time pieces at all price levels, no matter how obscure some might be.

In that respect it is a lot like ancient coin collecting. Some collectors like the expensive flashy coins, and others collect everything (even obscure and less desirable pieces for their merit and their history) even if they can afford the flashier stuff.

 

I have not worn a watch in 28 years and 4 months. I have a group Seikos and who knows what in a box somewhere, but I have not worn one since Feb 1989. I made a decision to free myself from the compulsion to check the time on my fancy (for me) watch.

Now I have a phone I check compulsively for more than just the time. There is no winner in this story.

 

ahaha! don't feel lonely.. i have 2 clocks in my sight(not counting the one on the puter) i can tell you the exact last date(Aug 26,2015) the last time i wore a watch. we aren't free from time, just getting it in another way

 

Local rules require all phones to be off in the courtrooms, and in the federal district where I practice cellphones are now prohibited in the federal court buildings. Which means when I go to multiple hearings, it is much more convenient to leave the cellphone in the car rather than worry whether I'll be turned away from a courthouse because I have the phone with me, or whether the phone will accidentally be left on and go off in a courtroom and I'll end up with a contempt of court charge, or being shewed out by a judge (as I've seen happen to others.)

Therefore, when I have multiple hearings and I'm trying to juggle time from one courtroom to another, or keep track of how much time I have left to speak in front of the judge, or how much time I have left for rebuttal arguments, or even double checking that the judge is accurately timing opposing counsel's time, a watch is a must. Believe me, I definitely don't want to be 2/3 of my way through my arguments and the judge to tell me he must move on and I'm out of time, and then have to scramble to ramble off a bunch of case citations in 30 seconds because I didn't manage my time properly. That looks very sloppy, and doesn't inspire much faith in you from your client who now feels you didn't do your best to represent his cause.

The fountain pens in my shirt pocket, however, are a personal vanity, so at least those I can't excuse at all based on some rule or whatever. But what's life without a few personal vanities to enjoy?

 

That's me!

 

I despise phones and all they represent (though I do of course use mine for a number of things, but not obsessively as most do in this modern age). Oz, what can you suggest? I am tired of cool looking watches that die out after a couple of years or even a decade of use. I want something to last my lifetime (I assume I have 25 good years left). I like Roman numerals, and in all honesty I like extra dials, but not useless crap like a 24 hour dial (I was in the military, I know what a 24 hour clock is), a stopwatch, etc.

Oh, yea, I dont want to spend a fortune!

 

A neat shot.

 

Ken,

there are lots of great automatic watches available for under 500.00. One place to try would be jomashop. I have bought from them and have always had a good experience.

Here is an example from their site. It is a Glycine, a respected name. It has an automatic movement and should last many years. This one sells for 299.00

 

The first thing that occurred to me after you posted this is that now someone will want to do this with an ancient coin.