Citizen watch - Am I making a mistake?
Mike
Well, she watches while I lust after watches.
I told her while shopping, that I am interested in two things:
1. Skeleton back
2. Automatic
I showed her an Oris watch and a Concord that were cool.
Recently, since I cannot afford those, Ive been looking on pmwf.
So Im thinking of maybe a Seiko 5, or a Sandoz.
Anyway, for Valentines, she got me a watch, a Citizen Eco-Drive.
Model BL5140-51L, it has a perpetual calendar.
She went to a watch store and told them that she wanted a watch that
didnt need batteries (I guess she misunderstood what a automatic was)
So is this a good watch? Seems like a really good one, I think it
looks great.
I told her about pmwf after she had bought the watch already, so she
said that if I want, she will take the watch back, and get me one from
pmwf.
So, am I making a mistake to trade this in for a Seiko 5?
John Rowland
news:b9ddd551.04021...@posting.google.com...
>
> Anyway, for Valentines, she got me a watch, a Citizen
> Eco-Drive. Model BL5140-51L, it has a perpetual calendar.
>
Trading in a quartz-accurate watch with no batteries, 6 months power reserve
and perpetual calendar for a mechanical which will keep bad time, and will
stop completely if you don't wear it for a day? I'd call that a mistake,
without even bringing the never-look-a-girlfriend-in-the-mouth issue into
it. Others will disagree.
--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Transport Plans for the London Area, updated 2001
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A man's vehicle is a symbol of his manhood.
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Mike Lipphardt
news:c0q3vt$63o$1$8302...@news.demon.co.uk...
> "Mike" <mike1...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:b9ddd551.04021...@posting.google.com...
> >
> > Anyway, for Valentines, she got me a watch, a Citizen
> > Eco-Drive. Model BL5140-51L, it has a perpetual calendar.
> >
> > So, am I making a mistake to trade this in for a Seiko 5?
>
> Trading in a quartz-accurate watch with no batteries, 6 months power
reserve
> and perpetual calendar for a mechanical which will keep bad time, and will
> stop completely if you don't wear it for a day? I'd call that a mistake,
> without even bringing the never-look-a-girlfriend-in-the-mouth issue into
> it. Others will disagree.
>
> --
> John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Gotta agree with John on this one - if you want an automatic, go ahead and
buy one. 5s are cheap on the 'bay, Reto sells some good ones on PMWF for a
reasonable price, and they're decent watches for the money. But don't dump
the Citizen. It's a good watch. It will keep your girl happy, too - always
worthwhile.
Mike
R.L. Horn
<dontspamm...@ameritech.net> wrote:
> But don't dump the Citizen. It's a good watch.
Don't listen to him, it's worthless junk. But, since I'm feeling generous,
I'd be willing to trade a fine Slava automatic for that Citizen POS.
--
If you can see the FNORD, remove it to reply by email.
omniscient idiot
Do you mean what you say - or just trying to be sarcastic?
Anyway, one advice I used to hear often was: if I buy an electronic
(say, quartz) watch, avoid any which is powered by anything but a
primary (that is, nonrechargeable) battery. Such watches (such as
Seiko Kinetics, Citizen EcoDrive, etc) were, or so the advice went,
too novel for their own good, reliability wise. But I heard that
advice some three or four years back.
Is it still true now? I do know one friend who complained about the
(un)reliability of his Kinetics, and another who complained about his
EcoDrive (although one complaints for each kind may not be reason
enough to conclude anything). However, I think Casio also have their
solar powered watches (and many companies make solar powered
calculators), yet I don't recall anyone complaining about those. Is it
a different ball game, or am I out of touch?
Regards, oi
"R.L. Horn" <ne...@eastFNORDcheap.org> wrote in message news:<slrnc31d7l...@hani.compact.bogus>...
Stan Stocker
My usual daily wear watch is a Seiko Kinetic with a 5M42A movement.
Perfect operation for a bit over 3 years now. There were quite a few
problems reported related to the original capacitors used having a short
life, but I *think* (hope?) the A version sorted that out.
Probably won't be easy to find capacitors to "restore" these in 20
years, but that's the trade off.
I do have the Seiko LCD solar power watch I received for high school
graduation ('76), can't find a battery for it unfortunately.
Cheers,
Stan
Olaf Peuss
[trading in a Citizen Eco-Drive with perpetual calendar for a Seiko 5]
> So, am I making a mistake to trade this in for a Seiko 5?
Well, just imagine how disappointed you would be if you bought your
girlfriend an expensive present and she would want to trade it in for
something else... I mean, even if she said you could trade her Valentine
gift watch for another watch you fancy more, you should know what women
REALLY mean when they say things like that. ;-)
As far as precision is concerned: who would want to have a not too
accurate time keeper like the Seiko 5 (mine ran fast for almost two
minutes per week even when I wore it regularly!) if you can have a
precise quartz watch that comes without a battery and will be fast by
only 5-10 seconds a month when worn regularly? Your heart might say
"Rolex", "Omega" or "Breitling" (or whatever luxury brand you fancy),
but does it really say "Seiko 5?" The Seiko 5 is a run-of-the-mill,
fully automatically produced - thus cheap - self-winding watch,
reliable, of average time-keeping precision for a mechanical, but
nothing very special, nothing that raises your pulse or makes your heart
beat like a drum.
If you just look at value for money, the mind says "quartz" anyway, you
just can't get any mechanical watch of quartz precision for the money
that a Citizen Eco-Drive costs.
My advice would be to keep the Eco-Drive, thus killing two birds with
one stone as you will keep
1. the better watch to yourself and
2. - much more important - your girlfriend happy.
Kind regards,
Olaf
--
E-Mail only to reply-to address, please.
R.L. Horn
> Worthless junk?? Why?
> Do you mean what you say - or just trying to be sarcastic?
It's just a hoary old usenet joke. Another variation might be, "That thing
will explode and take your hand clean off. Better send it to me for
immediate disposal."
As far as the original poster is concerned, my _serious_ advice would be to
look his girlfriend straight in the eye and say, at the very least, "I love
it! It's the best gift ever!" And MEAN it. :-)
Richard Lanham
1. Watch A - $80
2. Watch B - Couple of hundred dollars.
3. Woman who tries to please her man - Priceless.
Ric
Mike
> one stone as you will keep
> 1. the better watch to yourself and
> 2. - much more important - your girlfriend happy.
Ok, I MUST be an idiot, because I am considering this...
I found out that the watch cost $320.
I found a place on the internet that has it for 220.
Savings of $100.
Would I be a total idiot, if I tell her to return the watch, BUT
instead buy it from the cheaper place, and then use the difference in
money to get me a Seiko 5 also. ?
She ends up spending the same amount, but I get 2 items...
Yeah, it sounds horrible...so for my own safety, I shouldnt even
suggest this right?
John Rowland
> > thus killing two birds with one stone as you will keep
> > 1. the better watch to yourself and
> > 2. - much more important - your girlfriend happy.
>
> Ok, I MUST be an idiot, because I am considering this...
> I found out that the watch cost $320.
> I found a place on the internet that has it for 220.
> Savings of $100.
>
> Would I be a total idiot, if I tell her to return the watch, BUT
> instead buy it from the cheaper place, and then use the
> difference in money to get me a Seiko 5 also. ?
>
> She ends up spending the same amount, but I get 2 items...
[puts hand over eyes and shakes head, laughing quietly]
--
John Rowland - Spamtrapped
Richard Lanham
<mike1...@yahoo.com> wrote:
Yes, don't suggest it, stop even thinking it. You could no longer wear,
let alone HAVE, the watch SHE personally selected for YOU. A
replacement watch would not be the same.
Rick
Carl West
>
> On Mon, 16 Feb 2004 11:56:29 GMT, Mike Lipphardt
> <dontspamm...@ameritech.net> wrote:
>
> > But don't dump the Citizen. It's a good watch.
>
> Don't listen to him, it's worthless junk. But, since I'm feeling generous,
> I'd be willing to trade a fine Slava automatic for that Citizen POS.
Dump the watch, go get what you want.
Dump the girlfriend, she obviously doesn't listen to you, send her to me.
--
If you try to 'reply' to me without fixing the dot, your reply
will go into a 'special' mailbox reserved for spam. See below.
--
Carl West carlD...@comcast.net http://carl.west.home.comcast.net
>>>>>>>> change the 'DOT' to '.' to email me <<<<<<<<<<<<
If I had six hours to chop down a tree,
I'd spend the first four sharpening the axe.
- Abraham Lincoln
Stan Stocker
>
> Ok, I MUST be an idiot, because I am considering this...
> I found out that the watch cost $320.
> I found a place on the internet that has it for 220.
> Savings of $100.
>
> Would I be a total idiot, if I tell her to return the watch, BUT
> instead buy it from the cheaper place, and then use the difference in
> money to get me a Seiko 5 also. ?
>
> She ends up spending the same amount, but I get 2 items...
>
> Yeah, it sounds horrible...so for my own safety, I shouldnt even
> suggest this right?
Uh Mike,
No offense intended, but are you sort of new to this "girlfriend" thing?
At least to "girlfriend" to the extent that expensive gifts are involved?
It isn't the watch, it isn't the deal, it's the gift! My wife happened
to buy me a number of nice books last Christmas, including a dupe of
DeCarles lathe book. She then noticed that I now had two copies. She
couldn't return it, and got a bit bummed. I told her it's a very good
book that I enjoy reading (did NOT tell her I preferred Goodrich!) and
said that I thought I'd keep the copy she bought me and give my "older"
copy to the NAWCC library so they would have a spare copy to lend. Not
the copy she bought, the "older" one. Very important :-) The fact that
I couldn't tell you which one is which isn't relevant here, it's the
perception that makes someone happy, and of them feeling you are made
happy by their gift.
Happy wife, thoughful gift that I appreciate, all is well.
Enjoy the watch, keep your girlfriend happy, appreciate that she made an
effort to make you happy, and a few months down the road buy a Seiko 5
or whatever. Mention it's a beater watch to knock around in so you
don't scratch up the watch she gave you. Wear the Citizen when you go
out for fancy evenings, as a dress watch.
If you end up connected for the long haul, you'll still have that watch
when you're an old man and be happy whenever you see it. Even if it
hasn't run in 50 years.
Now back to your regularly scheduled horological programming...
Cheers,
Stan
Kat
<skst...@adelphia.net> writes
Sensible thoughtful man!
I would be quite upset if something I'd gone out of my way to get for
someone was rejected, no matter the price or the logic.
Let me know if your wife ever gets fed up with you (but I doubt that
will ever happen ;-))
--
>Kat< Not everything that can be counted counts,
and not everything that counts can be counted.
~Albert Einstein~
Mike
> At least to "girlfriend" to the extent that expensive gifts are involved?
> Enjoy the watch, keep your girlfriend happy, appreciate that she made an
> effort to make you happy, and a few months down the road buy a Seiko 5
> or whatever. Mention it's a beater watch to knock around in so you
> don't scratch up the watch she gave you. Wear the Citizen when you go
> out for fancy evenings, as a dress watch.
Ok.
Thanks
Olaf Peuss
> Ok, I MUST be an idiot, because I am considering this...
> I found out that the watch cost $320.
> I found a place on the internet that has it for 220.
> Savings of $100.
>
> Would I be a total idiot, if I tell her to return the watch, BUT
> instead buy it from the cheaper place, and then use the difference in
> money to get me a Seiko 5 also. ?
>
> She ends up spending the same amount, but I get 2 items...
>
> Yeah, it sounds horrible...so for my own safety, I shouldnt even
> suggest this right?
Hm, if you wanted to get rid of her, maybe it would be a good idea to
start with the kind of "psychological warfare" you've suggested. :-)
Even if she agreed to what you've suggested in your article, it would
sting her and leave a sour taste, something like "he didn't appreciate
MY gift to him enough to keep it, he's such an egoist and materialist."
You've obviously found somebody who really loves you and goes out of her
ways to make you happy. Why would you hurt her feelings by suggesting
such things to her - when it's so clear that she wanted to get you
"something better" than a Seiko 5, probably thinking that the best she
could afford was just good enough for you.
Thus you should engrave the following words into the inside of your
skull: "it's not important what your partner does for you, it's only
important with which intention she does it." And her intention was
obviously as pure as fresh snow in the mountains. IMHO you owe her at
least a romantic candlelight dinner in order to "celebrate the new
watch," which you should be wearing at that occasion - and I don't mean
dinner at McDonald's. :-)
People like your girlfriend are harder to find than gems in the street,
and you may have as many watches in your life as you wish or can afford
to buy. Finding somebody like your girlfriend, however, might only
happen once or twice in your life, so be careful with her heart. (This
as a piece of advice from someone who's been married for almost a decade
and has always paid as much attention to his wife's feelings than she
has paid to mine.)
HTH.