Poor Man's Watch Forum
Avatar New combo and fresh photos hot off the camera.
Ricky Lee
December 15, 2008 08:12PM		 Registered: April 2005
Posts: 1,124 (2008-12)

As much as I love the Balmer Commander on the Staib mesh bracelet, I couldn't help but wonder how some of my other watches would work with it. You might even say it's been gnawing at me. Wink, wink ...

Well, it finally got to the point where I just couldn't resist. I am smiling... Looking over my 22mm-lugged watches, the choice was obvious;

Mondaine Big-Date GMT

Click HERE for supersized photo


Note to Colby - you'll note that I was careful to keep it synched to GMT for you this time. Wink, wink ...

Alas, it didn't occur to me 'til after I'd pulled the crown that my accuracy test, started on Fall Back Day '08, was now kaput. I am sad... Ah weel, I'm pretty darned sure that the accuracy level of this watch is acceptable, in any case. Laughing!

Had to shoot one in Portrait Mode..

Mondaine Big-Date GMT

Click HERE for supersized photo


Also note that, bored with the same ol' 10:10 photos, I went with an alternate setting. I reckon 9:40:13 works tolerably well...

Zoomed in a bit closer...

Mondaine Big-Date GMT

Click HERE for supersized photo


I even attempted one of my patented Depth Of Field Foto Farkles© where I shoot two photos, one focused on the clasp and the other on the caseback, then stitch them together.

Mondaine Big-Date GMT

Click HERE for supersized photo


I'm not real happy with the result - the seams are pretty darned obvious. I am sad... But perhaps that's because I know the history of the shot, and am looking for the seams? What say you? Is this concept worthwhile? Or should I give it up? Or, alternatively, perhaps I should just replace my vintage digicam with something that truly can achieve the DoF I'm after? Wink, wink ...

And yes, of course I shot a Wrist Shot for you fellers. Laughing!

Mondaine Big-Date GMT

Click HERE for supersized photo


Feels Grrrrrrrrrr8! on the wrist! Thumbs Up!

OK, I know you're asking yourself "That's all well and good, Ricky. But what about the Balmer?" Glad you asked! It's back on the..

Balmer Commander Unitas 6431


..navy blue 22mm NATO, my 2nd-favorite combo for the Balmer. I think that's because, while putting my most VRM watch on my most VRM bracelet makes sense, it also tends to subtly steer the focus away from the watch itself. Not something that I'm keen on for my most expensive watch! The generic sub-$25 NATO focuses one's attention more keenly on the watch, I think, and I see that as A Good Thing. Does that make sense to anyone else?

As always, t'anks for lookin'!

-Ricky

p.s. - I gotta 'fess up. I first shot this photo sequence with a totally different backdrop. A hunk o' beige carpet remnant...

Mondaine Big-Date GMT

Click HERE for supersized photo

I was totally discouraged with the results, though, for two reasons. A} I didn't like the way the leading edge of the watch sunk into the pile of the carpet and B} the color match just seemed wrong somehow. So I basically scrapped it and repeated the entire shoot from scratch. Did I do good? Or am I ?

New combo and fresh photos hot off the camera. Post contains pictures (views: 115)
Ricky Lee -- December 15, 2008 08:12PM
Looks very daggone nice -- Good combo! Thumbs up for that watch! (n/t) (views: 2)
Riddim Driven -- December 16, 2008 02:48AM
I am drooling That works! You got me adding the cost of a mesh to every wish-list watch I have I am smiling (n/t) (views: 3)
Brian Uziel -- December 16, 2008 12:21AM
A bad influence, am I? Wink, wink...  I confess I find myself trying to justify another... Crazy! Loco! (n/t) (views: 0)
Ricky Lee -- December 16, 2008 02:22PM
Wow... that looks fantastic Thumbs up for that watch! (n/t) (views: 2)
PaulGeo -- December 16, 2008 12:01AM
Great combo and pics! Thumbs up for that watch! (n/t) (views: 3)
Dave Murphy -- December 15, 2008 10:03PM
Thank You! Dave! I'm happier'n a slopped hog with it, I must say. Post contains pictures (views: 4)
Ricky Lee -- December 16, 2008 12:52AM

-Ricky Lee December

Watch-Idiot-Savant Of The Month (December 2008)

Lookin' good Ricky. Thumbs up for that watch! Thumbs up for that watch! (n/t) (views: 2)
Mark C. -- December 15, 2008 09:43PM

Avatar Second full day with the Mondaine Big-Date GMT. It does have a couple of idiosyncrasies...
Ricky Lee
October 24, 2008 10:27PM		 Registered: April 2005
Posts: 1,124 (2008-12)

The Big-Date feature seemed odd to me at first. This is my first Big-Date watch, so I figured no biggie, I'm just not used to it. And that's the case, I guess. But I finally figured out exactly what it is I find disconcerting about the design - Simply put, the two dates wheels are not on the same plane. The 10's digit is about .5 mm below the surface of the dial, and the 1's digit it about 1.5 mm below the surface of the dial. Again, no biggie, now that I figured it out. I assume that this little idiosyncrasy is part and parcel of the Big-Date complication? Anyone else find this a bit distracting?

The second niggle actually bothered me quite a lot, at first. You see, it takes a bit of technique to get the GMT dial in synch with the main dial. When I initially set the watch, I put the 2 dials dead-on the same minute. When I looked a little later, I noticed the GMT was a couple of minutes slow! Crazy, man! A little experimentation showed that the GMT lags by 2 minutes when you set it. Once I figured that out, I simply 'lead' the main dial by 2 minutes with the GMT, and they synched up perfectly. Not a deal-breaker, as the technique's easy as pie (unlike my Alpha GMT, which requires an Act Of Congress to get the main and GMT hands synched Scary! ). But I definitely didn't expect this of a quartz movement! And experience tells me that it's not inevitable - I've never had this issue with a Seiko 7T32 or 7T62, for instance.

These should be taken more as observations rather than complaints - all in all I'm still loving the watch! And obviously neither's a real problem.. Just thought I'd share. And am particularly curious if others note the same 'depth of field' oddity on other Big-Date watches.

On the plus side, I'm loving the look and feel of the watch. We had rain all day yesterday, and it got doused several times. No problems with water resistance! And the accuracy shows no discernable error over 48 hours. No surprise, from a quartz, but I had to check. I am smiling... I (somewhat reluctantly) replaced the buckle with a butterfly deployant, as it looks and fits much cleaner that way. Those pesky ankle-sized wrists, remember. I am sad...

Thanks for readin'!

-Ricky

Second full day with the Mondaine Big-Date GMT. It does have a couple of idiosyncrasies... Post contains photos Post contains linked URL (views: 119)
Ricky Lee -- October 24, 2008 10:27PM
Same as my trias auto. Just wait for the 32 of the month I am smiling I am smiling (n/t) (views: 9)
chrise2469 -- October 25, 2008 04:30AM
Yeah, but it's still a good looking watch....and Ricky...by the way >> (views: 13)
greg honeycutt -- October 25, 2008 12:54AM
I'm trying to set up a get together here in the 'ham. I had thought about late November (the 22nd), but with holiday travel and such, I decided to slide it back to mid December or maybe mid Jan........either way, just a heads up. I want to give everybody at least a months notice before the date, if anyone wants to come. We'll not be able to afford boat tours or t-shirts and we might just gather at a Hooters, but we'll have some good times!!!!
Sounds good to me, Greg! I'll take the scenery at Hooters over t-shirts and boat tours any ol' day of the week! Thumbs up for that watch! Rolling on the floor laughing my ass off! (n/t) (views: 3)
Ricky Lee -- October 25, 2008 03:44PM
Have not noticed the "big date issue" with my Longines. (views: 29)
Chris L -- October 24, 2008 11:36PM
Perhaps I'm too dazzled by the rest of the dial to look into the windows. Wink, wink ...

I don't see it in photos either, so a higher-end automatic may not have the problem.

Copyright Chris Larson, all rights reserved

Yeah, I'd never get to the Longines' date. I am drooling! I am smiling But you got me curious.. (views: 3)
Ricky Lee -- October 25, 2008 03:51PM
..as to whether I can capture the effect on film. I was plannin' on a wee photo shoot today anyway, so perhaps I'll give it a go.

I suspect that the date wheels on your Longines are thinner, and stacked much closer than on the garden variety Ronda quartz mvmt the Mondaine uses...

-Ricky

At least you can see the GMT setting at a glance......... (views: 18)
Allan Zirlin -- October 24, 2008 11:34PM
The GMT hand on this model is hardly visible even in good light against a black dial.

Copyright Allan Zirlin

ETA and others are addressing the big date issue >> Post contains photos Post contains linked URL (views: 23)
cgrif -- October 24, 2008 11:34PM
in a couple of different ways. The new ETA 2826-2 big date movement has both digits on a single wheel, as Daniel Roth, Gerard Perregaux, and maybe a few other manufactures have done. But with the ETA, we'll finally start seeing more big date watches without the two windows, which are of course used to hid the gap between the wheels.

ETA ebauches

Europa star article re. ETA 2826 big date

Daniel Roth

Girard-Perregaux

I know Glashutte has single window displays using two wheels, but has put a lot of work into perfecting alignment and narrowing the gap.

Glashutte Original

Glashutte S.A.

I like those Mondaines... Very cool! (n/t) (views: 5)
jeffc -- October 24, 2008 11:05PM
Thanks for the insight, Ricky....I really like that one :) (n/t) (views: 3)
Jake B -- October 24, 2008 11:00PM
your right on with the big date issue >>> Post contains photos (views: 24)
fox -- October 24, 2008 10:37PM
this Zodiac is the same way. You can almost see it in the pic. Doesn't really bother me, but it's definatley noticeable.
Photo by fox

Whew! I was hopin' 'tweren't just me! LOL! The small parralax effect.. >> (views: 5)
Ricky Lee -- October 25, 2008 12:40AM
..is juuuust enough to royally mess wi' these olde eyes Scary! trained as they are in 3+ decades of noticing such things, from a machinist's perspective. When the light shadows the date windows at an oblique angle, it's noticeable in the extreme.

-Ricky

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