Happy New Year! Another year has flown by. Time flies when you’re having fun.
The start of a new year is the perfect time to reflect on the past year and to plan for the brand new one.
This is an overview of the watches I bought and sold in 2019 and my wishlist and plans for 2020.
Watches that I’ve bought
Nodus Retrospect II Silver Sky
I was looking for info about the STP 1-11 movement and I stumbled upon the Nodus website. The guys from Nodus have an honest and no-nonsense approach. That very same day, I ordered the Nodus Retrospect II Silver Sky.
Watches that I’ve sold
Squale 1521
Squale is a brand that made cases for famous companies, but also made some popular diving watches of their own. They still make high-quality but affordable diving watches, so I was curious to try one.
It’s a very sturdy watch. It’s built like a tank, and the bezel doesn’t have any play whatsoever. Unfortunately, it’s slightly too big and bulky to be a comfortable everyday watch. Also, it’s too high to wear with a dress shirt unless you wear a custom-made one with extra clearance on the side you wear your watches.
Longines 12.68Z
This is one of the best-looking Longines dress watches with a 12.68Z movement that I’ve seen. The dial and hands still look very clean, apart from the freckles that give it some character.
It turns out that I’m not a big fan of gold(colored) watches, and I don’t like to keep watches that I don’t wear.
Zodiac Super Seawolf 53 Skin
The Zodiac Super Seawolf 53 Skin is a fantastic watch. With those hands and lume triangles, it has the same appeal as the original model, but it has a few upgrades. The most notable one is that the bezel is solid steel instead of a plated one, and the new model has a screw-down crown.
The movement is a disappointment, though. It runs great, but the keyless works are a weak spot. If you Google STP 1-11 issues or problems, you’ll find plenty of complaints. Mine worked fine, but suddenly I couldn’t set the time forward anymore. It would just skip and rattle, like an overturned screw.
Parts for the STP 1-11 are very hard to find, so you’re forced to bring it to an AD for repair.
Nodus Retrospect II Silver Sky
On paper, the Nodus Retrospect II is the perfect watch. It has modern dimensions, but it’s not too big. The movement is reliable and the lume is fantastic.
Still, I didn’t wear it because I prefer the weight and the looks of the Nezumi Baleine.
Alpina bumper automatic
This was my first and only bumper automatic. It wasn’t working when I bought it, but it was brought back to life by a friendly watchmaker who had some spare parts.
Sadly, all it did was gather dust in the safe with the rest, so I decided to sell it. Luckily, Mike bought it, so it has found a good home.
Wishes for 2020
Looking back at the wishes for 2019, I scored 3 out of 5. Not bad at all.
Watch cleaning machine
I managed to buy a second-hand Elma cleaning machine. The old one worked fine, but it was impossible to regulate the speed. Either it was spinning too slow or way too fast. So, I was afraid to clean the movements with the balance assembly installed.
The new one works like a charm, except for the alarm, but that was easily fixed. I keep a simple egg timer next to it.
Jewelling tool
There’s some good news and some bad news. I bought a brand spanking new Horia jewelling tool and an assortment of pushers and anvils. The bad news is that I’ve only used it once. This year, I hope to use it a lot more to adjust the endshake on a watch.
Webshop
Last year, I added a webshop, but it didn’t work out. The monthly fees for Shopify and the app for foreign currencies almost canceled the income from the sales. So, I decided to delete the shop and sell the donor movements and straps on eBay for n0w.
That leaves the macro lens + lighting system and the new workbench for 2020.
Watches
As far as watches go, I’m not looking for any watches. However, if Tudor decides to produce a Black Bay GMT in the Black Bay 58 dimensions, I’ll jump on it like Sir Mix-A-Lot.
What are your plans for 2020? Let me know in the comments below.
