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Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Air Command

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Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 01:14 am

obsidian
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Skipdawg wrote: Aside from money falling in my lap from a inheritance or winning the lottery this Zenith could be a nice alternate substatute in a more affordable range. ;) If I behave myself in watch buying long enough I may try to find myself one at a good price for Christmas. :cool: Maybe? :D :)
The Zenith Rainbow on the left sure has a cool military look to it-- and the El Pimero can give the F. Piguet 1185 in the FF a run for it's money.
Plus it's a Flyback! . I recently handled the Bulgari Diagono Pro Acqua with flyback, and the function was so much fun to fool around with-- I'm sure I had such a goofy grin on my face as I hit the flyback pusher over and over again-- that the sales person looked like she wanted to say: "Give me that, your going to break it!"
:D :D :D

Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 01:19 am

Simon_Leung
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Message to self:

I've could have bought a
Movado Datograph with a Zenith
El-Primero Movement from 1969 !

Last edited on Sun Aug 10th, 2008 01:20 am by Simon_Leung

Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 01:25 am

obsidian
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Simon_Leung wrote: Message to self:

I've could have bought a
Movado Datograph with a Zenith
El-Primero Movement from 1969 !

I love chronographs, but I avoid buying vintage ones-- there are so many things that can go wrong with them, and they will certainly be expensive to fix.

Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 07:27 am

Simon_Leung
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I agree that vintage chronographs are expensive to repair,
but luckily for me after years of establishing contacts with
a local watchmaker for over 15 years,has helped to ease the
burden of watch repairs.

Parts are hard to obtain,but somehow my watchmaker has gotten
connection to every brand name in existence. How he does it I will never know.

For Example:

I bought a 1950's Chronograph with a Landeron 248 17 Jewel manual wind
movement from him and the split-second hand was out of alignment. He took the watch apart and noticed that the column wheel wasn't functioning. Two days later, I get a call from stating that he found a replacement part.

He gave me one year warranty for both the watch and the new column wheel.

Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 08:24 am

KenC
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obsidian wrote: KenC wrote: obsidian wrote: KenC wrote: canadajo wrote: man o man ! ..... that is a sweetheart ..... it go's without saying that Blancpain makes superlative watches.....I would think they are elite like Rolex , Vacharon Constatin and Patek , etc. ?
Yes...but, Blancpain does not, as a SWATCH owned company, use a proprietary movement as do the others mentioned...although one could argue that since SWATCH also owns ETA, the movements are proprietary!!!
Well, but Blancpain doesn't use ETA movements-- they uses much more high end stuff-- a number of which were designed specifically and exclusively for Blancpain. The caliber F185 in that FF Air Command is actually a F. Piguet 1185, which was exclusively designed for Blancpain by Frederic Piquet in 1988. At the time it was the world's smallest and thinnest automatic chronograph movement. Nowadays the F. Piguet 1185 is the base caliber for chronographs from Cartier, Audemars Piguet, and Vacheron Constantin. Not bad company.

I stand corrected...you are absolutely right...my mistake...ETA does not make Blancpain movements...their are made by F. Piquet which are excellent...which in turn, negates any claim of a proprietary movement. :dude:
But nobody made any claim of a proprietary movement, or lack there of..... except you.....

It just goes to show how silly and subjective all this talk of "inhouse" movements from "true manufacturers" can get. The Seiko 7S26 is a proprietary inhouse movement from a true manufacturer, yet if I was given the choice of either a Seiko Black Monster with the 7S26 movement, or a Cartier Seatimer with a non-proprietary ETA 2892-- I'm pretty sure I'd take the Cartier. :D

Knock it off please and stop trying to start a flame...we don't do that here. I was responding to a comparison of the other brands mentioned...not knocking the watch! You are trying...no, you are putting words into my mouth that I never said.

Your comparison of Cartier Pasha Seatimer @ $5,000 (+/-) to a $150 Seiko Monster, in order to prove a point that was not even proffered is simply ludicrous. Try, instead to compare perhaps the Cartier Seatimer with a Grand Seiko Automatic 9S55-0010... It has the highest grade Seiko movement (caliber 9S55) which promises to keep time within -3 to +5 sec per day. The range is even more stringent than for chronometer grade watches...and at a cost of less that half of the Cartier.

In the Cartier price range, one could get a Grand Seiko with Spring Drive. Quite frankly, your absurd attempt at comparisons are beneath the standards of any intelligent discussion!

Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 11:42 am

Skipdawg
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OK no saber rattling in my thread, I do bite. :D hehehehe :P

Now about Flybacks. :) They are just awesome and some amazing Chronos. Big drool factor KEWL watches. hearteyes.gif

Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 03:25 pm

KenC
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Skipdawg wrote: OK no saber rattling in my thread, I do bite. :D hehehehe :P

Now about Flybacks. :) They are just awesome and some amazing Chronos. Big drool factor KEWL watches. hearteyes.gif

Sorry, Skip...I do not suffer absurdly ridiculous comments well!

Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 04:19 pm

Skipdawg
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KenC wrote: Skipdawg wrote: OK no saber rattling in my thread, I do bite. :D hehehehe :P

Now about Flybacks. :) They are just awesome and some amazing Chronos. Big drool factor KEWL watches. hearteyes.gif

Sorry, Skip...I do not suffer absurdly ridiculous comments well!

Hay that is why I am here. :cool: For all the newbies when I post you have to wonder what is that crazy Dawg posting about now. heheheheehee :D

Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 09:17 pm

KenC
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Well Skip...there is a difference between a newbie and a fool trying to start a flame by attempting to spin a thread with the use of idiotic and absurd comparisons simply to create a problem.

Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 09:33 pm

goldengrr
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Let me chime in here as a Zenith owner...I love mine! Reasonable size, the flyback function is very cool, comfortable bracelet and the color version is very unique. Mine gets a lot of wrist time (I dont own many watches) as my dress up (work) watch during the week. Definitely get the bracelet version, IMHO

Posted: Sun Aug 10th, 2008 10:18 pm

Simon_Leung
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I agree that the El-Primero has one of the most comfortable bracelets on the market.

The Defy series,is one of the most hideous designs ever
produced by Zenith...It's like every time I look at one,
sends shivers down my spine.

Posted: Mon Aug 11th, 2008 08:57 am

Foster
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Swatch owns Frederic Piguet you know.

::ducks::

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