zOwie Omega Discussion Forum

David Moose came to visit, and we had a little business to attend to . . .

We made three stops and came away with "stuff" from each. The stops involved:

Clock

Pen

Watch

Then to my house, where there was copious alcohol and David cooked. Wow -- I would go to his firehouse for food anytime!!!! (David is a veteran fireman, as well as watch connoisseur.)

My clockmaker gave me a Chelsea clock, barometer and thermometer -- "to take home to see if I would like it". It was made for Abercrombie and Fitch.



My favorite pen store relocated while David, friends and I were on a trip to Las Vegas. This is essentially a whole store with nothing but pens in it, with good discounts on all of them.

David and I each came away with an inexpensive writing instrument. David's was less money, but mine was marked down much further: $379 to $65. Photos later in another watch + pen thread.

Watch . . . . well that comes below, where I picked up a new watch.





We had a great time with David and Donna . . . . very relaxed and very casual

David and I are very lucky to have these two women

So -- about watches:

Well, I think the ETA/Valjoux 7750 is basically butt ugly -- it looks like a pig: industrial, utilitarian, workmanlike, all business and no beauty at all.



without a rotor (7760)







with a rotor

Even IWC can't do a hell of a lot with it . . . . .

You can put lipstick on a pig, but it is still a pig. But, you know what I have figured out?



I really like pork





My first Omega was a "pig"; the Omega Speedmaster Day-Date (or triple date)













Omega applies pretty decent lipstick, but it is still clearly a 7750 . . .



















Interestingly, I found the only place on the watch the movement serial number appears is on the exterior of the case back. There is no serial number on the movement -- ????????






Another of my watches is "pig-based", the Seamaster ChronoDiver . . . .





















Nicer, but still . . . it's a pig



















Omega made a fairly limited Speedmaster Split Seconds in 2001

























Ever notice how rarely you see a 7750 in a exhibition back? There is a reason. Omega tried it once in 1991, with the Louis Brandt chronograph. The face is so beautiful, there is no need to turn the watch over . . . but they did it anyway.

























Even gold glitter lipstick isn't enough . . . . . . still a pig





So why is a butt ugly movement so popular and so successful?



Because you can do everything with it, it is accurate and durable, and a closed back is something I can live with.





So, I picked up a lipstick wearing pig . . . . a new IWC 3714, the Portuguese Chrono-Automatic









Cleverly closed back





















Since, we had two Portuguese handy . . . . comparison shots followed



David and Donna have a Portuguese 5001, 7 day movement

















A watch which is similar in size, but not thickness and movement



























The 7750 movement, in its most complicated delivered form is less than 8 mm thick. So why are so many 7750-based chronographs so thick?



The IWC 3714 is the thinnest 7750-based chronograph I have ever seen.



Louis Brandt vs. IWC 3714, two dress chronographs -- IWC is only 12.3mm (although I measure it slightly thicker)









Speedy Split Seconds; Louis Brandt; Day-Date; IWC 3714, in order of thickness







Speedy Split Seconds; Day-Date; IWC 3714









Let's see your "pigs"



Cause I really like pork