eagle wrote: ↑Wed Dec 08, 2021 9:40 pm
What do you guys think about this strap for a Chronosport SQ30? I'm getting a Tropic Strap, and will primarily use it for my SQ30, but I like the look of that NATO style strap, and the orange stripe down the middle would bring out the minute hand on the SQ30.
You will love the Tropic Strap. My Squale Militaire came with one. It's, by far, the most comfortable strap that I own. It's holding up well, too. It accompanied me on 8 dives this year - down to 74 feet so far. Easily straps on top of a 5mm wetsuit. I expect it will last a long time.
Best,
To The Regiment
That’s interesting to know. I always thought they were relatively short. Didn’t think you’d be able to fit it over a wetsuit. I use a seven mil up here and typically need some good length for that. My most comfortable rubber strap is the one that came stock on my Seiko turtle. Good to know the original topic is more than just a handsome high priced trademark.
I'm not sure about the vintage tropic straps - I've never seen one in person. The one that came on my Squale is new. I haven't measured it yet, but it appears to be a typical, standard length strap. It's, by far, the most comfortable strap I've ever worn. I guess whether or not it works with a wetsuit depends on the wrist size.
As an aside, I've recently acquired a Seiko SPB151: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/seiko ... ntroducing. It's a modern version of the iconic Seiko 6105-8110 "Captain Willard" that Martin Sheen famously wore in Apocalypse Now. I replaced the factory bracelet with a "chocolate bar" strap from Uncle Seiko. A great strap, btw. But it seems to be a little shorter than the Squale tropic strap. Not sure how the WillardX on the Uncle Seiko chocolate bar strap will work with my wetsuit. It'll probably be spring before I find out.
To The Regiment wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 12:27 am
I'm not sure about the vintage tropic straps - I've never seen one in person. The one that came on my Squale is new. I haven't measured it yet, but it appears to be a typical, standard length strap. It's, by far, the most comfortable strap I've ever worn. I guess whether or not it works with a wetsuit depends on the wrist size.
What Squale do you have? I was only introduced to non-luxury-but-nice watches on this forum, in this very thread I think. Squale makes several models that I like (most are Gnomon exclusives). I really like the Tropic GMT Ceramica. I'd also like to take the Maio GMT Ceramica and replace the bezel insert with a Pepsi one, thereby making myself a Pan Am GMT.
To The Regiment wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 12:27 am
I'm not sure about the vintage tropic straps - I've never seen one in person. The one that came on my Squale is new. I haven't measured it yet, but it appears to be a typical, standard length strap. It's, by far, the most comfortable strap I've ever worn. I guess whether or not it works with a wetsuit depends on the wrist size.
What Squale do you have? I was only introduced to non-luxury-but-nice watches on this forum, in this very thread I think. Squale makes several models that I like (most are Gnomon exclusives). I really like the Tropic GMT Ceramica. I'd also like to take the Maio GMT Ceramica and replace the bezel insert with a Pepsi one, thereby making myself a Pan Am GMT.
It's the 1521 Militaire with a blasted finish: https://www.squale.ch/en/1521_militaire_blasted. It's tough as nails with a waterproof rating down to a ridiculous 1,694 feet. Much farther than I'll ever dive, lol. Very comfortable, too. Lumes for days. Bought it from a dealer in the US.
To The Regiment wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 12:27 am
As an aside, I've recently acquired a Seiko SPB151: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/seiko ... ntroducing. It's a modern version of the iconic Seiko 6105-8110 "Captain Willard" that Martin Sheen famously wore in Apocalypse Now. I replaced the factory bracelet with a "chocolate bar" strap from Uncle Seiko. A great strap, btw. But it seems to be a little shorter than the Squale tropic strap. Not sure how the WillardX on the Uncle Seiko chocolate bar strap will work with my wetsuit. It'll probably be spring before I find out.
Best,
To The Regiment
I love these!!! Have wanted an original for years and these are so darn cool. I'm leaning more towards smaller watches lately, though. But the Willard keeps drawing me in.
"How fiendishly deceptive of you Magnum. I could have sworn I was hearing the emasculation of a large rodent."
To The Regiment wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 11:30 pmIt's the 1521 Militaire with a blasted finish: https://www.squale.ch/en/1521_militaire_blasted. It's tough as nails with a waterproof rating down to a ridiculous 1,694 feet. Much farther than I'll ever dive, lol. Very comfortable, too. Lumes for days. Bought it from a dealer in the US.
This looks vaguely familiar. Where have a seen a design like this before?
To The Regiment wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 12:27 am
As an aside, I've recently acquired a Seiko SPB151: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/seiko ... ntroducing. It's a modern version of the iconic Seiko 6105-8110 "Captain Willard" that Martin Sheen famously wore in Apocalypse Now. I replaced the factory bracelet with a "chocolate bar" strap from Uncle Seiko. A great strap, btw. But it seems to be a little shorter than the Squale tropic strap. Not sure how the WillardX on the Uncle Seiko chocolate bar strap will work with my wetsuit. It'll probably be spring before I find out.
Best,
To The Regiment
I love these!!! Have wanted an original for years and these are so darn cool. I'm leaning more towards smaller watches lately, though. But the Willard keeps drawing me in.
The Seiko SPB151 "Willard" wears really well. It's very comfortable, has bright lumes and is the most accurate of my automatic watches. I'd like to have an original Willard 6105-8110 from my birth year, but I haven't found one yet. Here's a great story on the Willard with several cool, historic photos: https://www.thewristorian.com/post/how- ... ve-watches
To The Regiment wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 11:30 pmIt's the 1521 Militaire with a blasted finish: https://www.squale.ch/en/1521_militaire_blasted. It's tough as nails with a waterproof rating down to a ridiculous 1,694 feet. Much farther than I'll ever dive, lol. Very comfortable, too. Lumes for days. Bought it from a dealer in the US.
This looks vaguely familiar. Where have a seen a design like this before?
Very nice. I like it.
That's exactly why I bought the Squale! The overall look reminds me of TM's Chronosport Sea Quartz. And it's truly a tough-as-nails tool watch. The blasted finish is awesome. The only knock against it: my particular Squale tends to run a little fast.
And give the writer Jason Heaton https://www.instagram.com/jasonheaton/ a follow. He's a talented writer, watch aficionado and a big fan of the CWC watches - which feature the Monnin style case.
eagle wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 1:51 pm
Wow, he wore two variants of the Chronosport? What were they?
Also: no kidding on the prices! Maybe I got the last of the "reasonably" priced ones.
It seems inflation is driving up the prices on everything from cars to houses to vintage watches. Or maybe this is the long-term trend as the popularity of vintage watches continues to grow? Could a $3K Chronosport Sea Quartz fetch $5K or $10K in a few years? The prices of other vintage dive watches - Seiko's 6105-8110 "Willard", for example - continues to rise and rise. Where will it end?
eagle wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 1:51 pm
Wow, he wore two variants of the Chronosport? What were they?
Also: no kidding on the prices! Maybe I got the last of the "reasonably" priced ones.
In the pilot, he wore the earliest version with no numbers on the dial. Not easy to spot but it’s clear in a few shots. I’ve got some screen shots somewhere. Later, of course, he wore the one with just “Quartz” on the dial.
Those two and the one noted on eBay (Sea Quartz 30) are the three dominant variants. There are a few weird ones I’ve spotted over the years but I’m not even sure if they’re real.
I’ve got a buying guide I’ve been working on for years that I was going to approach Conch about hosting on the site. I’ve just got to finish it up.
"How fiendishly deceptive of you Magnum. I could have sworn I was hearing the emasculation of a large rodent."
Styles Bitchley wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:55 pm
In the pilot, he wore the earliest version with no numbers on the dial. Not easy to spot but it’s clear in a few shots. I’ve got some screen shots somewhere. Later, of course, he wore the one with just “Quartz” on the dial.
Those two and the one noted on eBay (Sea Quartz 30) are the three dominant variants. There are a few weird ones I’ve spotted over the years but I’m not even sure if they’re real.
I’ve got a buying guide I’ve been working on for years that I was going to approach Conch about hosting on the site. I’ve just got to finish it up.
Cool, thanks, I'll have to watch the pilot again to look for that. I wonder if those were Selleck's watches, or Magnum's. The Rolex Pepsi GMT was Selleck's, wasn't it?
As seen in the pics I have posted, mine is the later "Sea Quartz 30" variant. I'm not disappointed in that and don't regret it one bit.
Last edited by eagle on Fri Dec 17, 2021 5:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
