Ah well. Didn't know that we have watch discussion here or if I have, i've forgotten it
I'm a 2018 graduate from Finnish school of Watchmaking.
Didn't really care about watches before going to school. I did like Submariner (still do), my mom used to work in auction house so I knew what Patek or AP was, but not who Kari Voutilainen was, who I got to meet at school.
First heart warming one that hit me hard was Seiko Helmet Chronograph 6139-7100, sitting on some class and class mate strolling through watches casually when I saw it. Had to have it and at the end got one, in such bad shape and no parts available, so it went forward to someone who had parts and motivation.
I was given womens Zenith, IWC tank from 1930's and 1942 MIDO. At the time we were still learning how to service wall clocks and pocket watches so made a deal with 3rd grade student that he can keep the Zenith (he had same model for male and got this one for his lady) if he services the two other ones for me.
Watches were handed me by neighbour, older gentleman who said that I'll have more use for those than they will. IWC's dial was blank and couldn't see the brand as it was faded. Casually opened the watch case with knife and used loop to see better, then in shock realized that it was IWC and was happy to find that I had been careful and didn't scratch it. Did contemplate about getting the IWC dial painted, but at the end wanted to keep it original.
MIDO went to my mother in law and IWC to my mother, didn't really have any use for those.
School mate came to show me he's latest acquire, a Seiko 7A28-7210, aka RAF pilot chronograph. Quite rare and liked watch that I didn't know a thing, I just gave him doodoo for going mental after an quartz watch, a big no no for me at the time. I don't know why by the watch didn't leave me alone. So started to search and learn more, best mechanical quartz chronograph movement ever made it was said about it. It was James Bond watch. And there was small forum for 7A38, that why would you have forum for 7A38 when the 7A28 was the star. Live and learn, 7A38 the same but with day/date. Same movement was used in Cartier's Ferrari watches and so forth. Fell in love and had to have one, as my 40th birthday present for myself. Found really cool, all black version from eBay and pulled the trigger. While happily waiting I joined the 7A38 forum just to find that my purchase was first on "don't buy this" topic. There was two earlier eBay adverts where you could see all the faults that had been photoshop'd from the latest one. Oh the joy.
Got it, it was junk and sent it back after fighting with angry seller.
Well that was that then I thought. Until I walked to 3rd grade class and friend of mine who serviced the watches pulled plastic back full of cheap quartz watches and asked would I want it. Well I did indeed, because all I saw was AP wibe 7A38 with no brazelet. Took it, turned around and offered the bag to my classmate who had gasped that "I want that, why did you give it to him".
Changed battery and no luck. Left it in drawer to wait for the 3rd grade quartz movement course. Month later found out that it had started to tick, thick oil had given up and it had started to work. So I left the chrono on over night and indeed it had started to work too. Found good quality repro brazelet for it trough said forum. It was my most expensive watch sofar with 38€ invested into it.
So on third grade I gave it full service, the digital quartz part had been ruined by leaking battery, just a slightest touch and contacting bridge was dead and after hour of searching through our schools warehouse I found Ferrari branded Cartier movement that I used as parts movement. Putting the movement back together was fun, learned why it was more expensive to get it serviced than normal chrono movenent. It had 13 axles, three of those were magnetic micro motors that pulled everything towards, and all under one big bridge that was size of whole movement, it took me good part of 3 days to get it all back together. It got new saphire glass and flaking gold from bezel was polished out after I heard that gold plating a stainless stell bezel would have cost me almost 500€.
Friend of mine brought a Rolex to me, asked if I could take it to school and ask for their opinion. It was he's cousins and he had bought it from Thailand for 750€. Oh yes, oh no and a facepalm or maybe even double facepalm... Well took the watch knowing that it is shit, walked into 3rd grade glass and as soon as I opened my hand to show it, friend of mine 10ft away who's into Rolex, works at Gibraltar Rolex nowadays, shouted "TAKE IT OUT! Do not bring that shit here!"
Well I told him why and what and he gave up and took a good look at it. It was franken watch, good news were that all the parts were genuine Rolex, bad news was that movement, dial and case were from different watches and year models. And it was worn out.
Took it back, told what I knew and friend of mine bought it from he's shock'd cousin for 250€. He's interest ran out fast and he couldn't bear to use it and so he wanted to sell it to me. Good price, only for you my friend, 250€. No, not even nice no and I'll offer you 50€ perioid and full stop. It went back and forth every time we met, every time I told him that 50€ is what I offer, I know it is real, but also knew what it is. After year and half of back and forth he gave up (he'd got his first Submariner date by then) and said that "Ok, you can have it for 50€".
Ill be damn, 50€ for real Rolex, maybe not the greatest, but damn it still a Rolex. And what can you expect for 50€. My dopamine high lasted for a week. Man, where I'm from only people you saw wearing a Rolex was on TV, no straight minded Rolex owner would've walked around wearing a Rolex there. So now I had a Rolex! Childhood friend wanted to hold it, just to be able to say that he's worn a Rolex.
Friend bought the clasp to it and bitterly said that even this is worth more than 50€, it did, what can I do.
Well you get what you pay and didn't take too long until it gave up. Friend had started to work at Gibraltar by then and he took it and gave it a service, cost me all 36€ on parts and 10 bottles of our apple juice and few liters of our own exellent apple cider. It was nice and I was happy, all good until my sisters oldes son wanted to loan it and as it tends to happen, things don't get better on loan. It came back broken, stem had been pulled out. It went to box were it still hiding.
Nowadays I mainly use my Seiko and Steinhart Ocean One that I got while ago for next to nothing.
The day I quit spending all my money into cars and motors I will acquire Kermit submariner, marine chronometer, Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso and 19019 Oysterquartz day date with a blue dial in that order.
Those of you who's interested, here is my class and workmates
Instagram.
While we made one watch in school, he made seven, one of them being a retro grade movement.
He then, after shcool made
tourbillion movement watch by himself, without any computer help or CNC machining, just lathe, milling machine, home made jig borer, hand tools and he's own ideas. Not a small feat knowing that before CNC machines became common there had been made under 2000 Tourbillion movements.
