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Post by small on May 19, 2023 7:49:23 GMT -8
Picked up another homage to the 6105 this week. I'd bought a Sharky (HEIMDALLR) several years back, and when it find itself back on my wrist it stays for weeks...I saw this particular one used for less then $65 delivered. When I was looking for a homage I had seen any number offered from different places. I figured they would all be pretty close, maybe even using the same suppliers for their parts. The difference was going to be in the finished assembly. Steel Dive had some less than favorable reviews and while at the time I wasn't big on the Shaky logo. It definitely grew on me. Watch showed up yesterday in a decent plastic box with plenty of padding. Has a warranty card that looks like a credit card along with instructions. IIRC the Shraky had just an inner and outer box...It also came with a nice NATO strap. The colors I don't think work with eth blue dial/bezel at all so will put it in the bin for now, maybe using it w/a black bezel. Website said the watch had been sized already. I think it was sized for King Kong! Not sure if any links have been removed but there are plenty left. I didn't snap pictures of the differences but they are using different cases the lugs are a bit fatter on the Steel Dive compared to the Sharky. The Crown Guard is fuller at the back. The case back has a much deeper engraving and has a rough texture the lines are very sharp. Solid link ends made getting the spring bars out but they are made to a very close tolerance... I wound and set the watch last night after after adding a Blue Waffle Strap from Heimdallr. Got up this morning and it was running about 20 minutes slow. Reset the time and wound the hell out of it. Got to work and put it on the TG. You can see Dial up looks like some very nice clean lines dial down there is a bunch of snow, all positions show it is running fast. Yet about two hours after setting the watch it has lost 17 minutes! While the Website said no returns it did say all functions work...I'd have thought keeping time was one of the functions of a watch. Might be worth a call or email to see what they say. If they say get bent I'll pop off the back and see if I can't try and nudge the balance around...I'm guessing the noise in dial down has to do with a dirty cap stone? Might pop that as well, clean and add a touch of oil...        |
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Post by inscription on May 19, 2023 9:06:11 GMT -8
No idea about the noisy TG but I've encountered a fast watch on the TG but a slow watch in practise and it has been a slipping cannon pinion. I've found that setting my phone's stopwatch against the position of the sweep seconds for a few hours soon shows if this is the case.
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inboost
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Post by inboost on May 19, 2023 9:51:57 GMT -8
inscription is right on the money with this I bet. You can easily test for it by winding the watch around to a few hours before the date change starts (8:30pm ish) and let it go keeping an eye on it. After the date change continue to watch it and see if it does pick up those 90 seconds the next 18 hours.
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Post by saul on May 19, 2023 10:24:58 GMT -8
I recently bought a Steeldive SD1977T. I had been hemming and hawing over various Doxa Sub 300 "homage" (let's agree they are copies to varying degrees). I just couldn't pull the trigger. Not because of any "oh it's not the real thing-itis". I don't have any respect for the current Doxa IP owners and I think their watches are massively overpriced. Just that none of them (Seestern, Pagani, Tactical Frog) have really pulled it all together in a way that motivates me to spend the money. Although the Seestern 600T is growing on me. When I stumbled on this I just kinda stopped dead in my tracks. The bastard love child of a Seiko 6105-8000 and a Doxa Sub300 DivingStar. And cheap as chips as they say. The movement runs as well as anyone can hope for on a 4R/NH3x. No complaints at all. I would be more inclined to blame your performance issues on Seiko than Steeldive. Alas.
What really gets me about this case is how comfortable it is. I will likely never have a 6105-8000 (although I do have a never to be parted with 6105-8110) but I wouldn't be adverse to buying another one of these to mod, if I could think of something interesting to do with it. I think it may be about the most perfect dive case profile I have found. Makes me think about the current crop of -8000 case reissues except I cannot stand how they did the date as a little hole punch in the dial.
The included bracelet is crap. The male end links are a gross obstruction to ever having it drape naturally on my wrist, the link design is out of step with the vintage style of the watch, and it is heavy as s$$t. It's well constructed but utterly the wrong thing.
The oddest thing though is the bracelet doesn't use the drilled lug holes. There are a set of inner non-drilled. That is some lazy design. And of course it is not setup for 2.5mm spring bars. Can't have everything. While generally to be found on nylon or rubber (the Monster 4HX0JB is perfect) a shark mesh is the bomb diggity.
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Post by 69ChevelleSS on May 19, 2023 10:30:09 GMT -8
I guess for $65 it's not a huge loss but still . . . .
I think I will stick with my Dagaz TII Typhoon.
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Post by saul on May 19, 2023 10:36:48 GMT -8
I guess for $65 it's not a huge loss but still . . . . I think I will stick with my Dagaz TII Typhoon. Had a Dagaz a few years back. Sold it. Too damn chunky compared to an actual 6105-811x. Still, it does my heart good to see the market flooded with this case style. Seiko was so short sighted in their pursuit of "progress". If the SRP case had actually been the exact dimensions of the 6309-704x I would still have my SRP775. |
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small
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Post by small on May 19, 2023 13:52:09 GMT -8
I have the 777 and it does not wear as well as the Sharky and the Steel Dive wears closer to the 777 than the Sharky? Now inscription You have described what's up pretty well I will have to figure out why the pinion is slipping and how to remedy it if I can. I think it's just a matter of squeezing it tighter... I set the watch; hacked spot on to Time.is, at 11:12a, left it dial up until now, 4:47p, and it has gained 18 seconds? Oh and so far the emails gone unanswered. |
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Post by saul on May 19, 2023 14:27:10 GMT -8
Oh and so far the emails gone unanswered. Other than straight up replacement I just assume customer service will be like shouting into the wind on any of these companies. I just bought a Sugess version Seagull 1963 but through an Amazon storefront so if there was an issue Amazon would be the return interface.
So far though the ST19 runs pretty well. Losing about 6s/day and no positional variance improvement on the dresser overnight. Eventually I will take it in to the only shop in town I trust to regulate a column wheel chronograph. Next (and there may be a next time) I will shop with HK Ed. He apparently only uses AAA grade ST19 (I can only assume mine is A or AA at best) and qc the heck out of them and regulates them. |
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Post by inscription on May 19, 2023 14:54:56 GMT -8
I have the 777 and it does not wear as well as the Sharky and the Steel Dive wears closer to the 777 than the Sharky? Now inscription You have described what's up pretty well I will have to figure out why the pinion is slipping and how to remedy it if I can. I think it's just a matter of squeezing it tighter... I set the watch; hacked spot on to Time.is, at 11:12a, left it dial up until now, 4:47p, and it has gained 18 seconds? Oh and so far the emails gone unanswered. +18 seconds in 5.5 hours shows that your TG is showing a fairly accurate gain per day. CP over-oiled or not tight enough. It requires hands and dial etc off to remove it and rectify. |
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Post by small on May 20, 2023 4:01:33 GMT -8
Left the watch on my desk over night crown @3 It is now behind 3sec after 14 hours so it has gained back 15 that it had lost. I figure I can squeeze the tube a bit tighter but I have no experience of knowing too tight from too little. Only CP issue I have had was a 6309 that needed just the slightest bit more oil... From their CS, I got this last night; "Hi sir, Thanks for contacting us. We've forwarded your concern to our aftersales team and they will contact you after we get back to work on Monday. Pls kindly wait. Have a nice weekend!" As for CS from these company's I did have a Lume plot come off the Sharky early on. Emailed and they said either send it back (my cost) or they could send a new dial. I took the new dial. Took about a week to get. I just haven't installed it because I think it adds a but of character. Anyway I'll wait to hear back Monday; if it doesn't go my way, whatever that is, I will just have another project watch! And because everyone loves pictures. The differences in Lugs, crown guard, and case backs.     |
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Post by russtmurray on May 20, 2023 6:17:16 GMT -8
This is a great thread. It reminds me of how far things have progressed from those days when Seiko aficionados were clamoring for re-issues of the classics like the 6105-8000, 6105-8110 or the 6309-7040. Thankfully, Noah Fuller, Jake Boudreau (Dagaz) and Eddie Platts stepped up with some mighty fine re-interpretations to answer the call. Fast forward to the present and we're faced with a dearth of options so it's nice too see some reviews of them. I'll admit to being superficial and at times it just boils down to the name on the dial. Something tells me I'm not the only one in this regard  Be that as it may, I'm not oblivious to the trend of some brands getting resurrected either. I bought an Isofrane strap and a Doxa so reviews of these low cost alternatives can reveal the folly of being gullible at times. |
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small
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Post by small on May 20, 2023 6:39:14 GMT -8
This is a great thread. It reminds me of how far things have progressed from those days when Seiko aficionados were clamoring for re-issues of the classics like the 6105-8000, 6105-8110 or the 6309-7040. Thankfully, Noah Fuller, Jake Boudreau (Dagaz) and Eddie Platts stepped up with some mighty fine re-interpretations to answer the call. Fast forward to the present and we're faced with a dearth of options so it's nice too see some reviews of them. I'll admit to being superficial and at times it just boils down to the name on the dial. Something tells me I'm not the only one in this regard Be that as it may, I'm not oblivious to the trend of some brands getting resurrected either. I bought an Isofrane strap and a Doxa so reviews of these low cost alternatives can reveal the folly of being gullible at times. The name on dial. Many of these Homage watches allow for a sterile dial option. I think regardless of the name I want to see one...or a logo...The Sharky added 6105-8110 to the bottom to add to it's Homage the Steel dive did not go so far...Just starting to think about how many "dive watches" I now have...It isn't really even a segment I thought I'd be collecting! this might be #8! |
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Post by russtmurray on May 20, 2023 7:10:15 GMT -8
This is a great thread. It reminds me of how far things have progressed from those days when Seiko aficionados were clamoring for re-issues of the classics like the 6105-8000, 6105-8110 or the 6309-7040. Thankfully, Noah Fuller, Jake Boudreau (Dagaz) and Eddie Platts stepped up with some mighty fine re-interpretations to answer the call. Fast forward to the present and we're faced with a dearth of options so it's nice too see some reviews of them. I'll admit to being superficial and at times it just boils down to the name on the dial. Something tells me I'm not the only one in this regard Be that as it may, I'm not oblivious to the trend of some brands getting resurrected either. I bought an Isofrane strap and a Doxa so reviews of these low cost alternatives can reveal the folly of being gullible at times. The name on dial. Many of these Homage watches allow for a sterile dial option. I think regardless of the name I want to see one...or a logo...The Sharky added 6105-8110 to the bottom to add to it's Homage the Steel dive did not go so far...Just starting to think about how many "dive watches" I now have...It isn't really even a segment I thought I'd be collecting! this might be #8! Yeah. I would agree that including the 6105-8110 text is taking it too far. Having a sterile option is nice to have but insofar as amassing a collection of dive watches goes, well......good luck with that! |
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Post by saul on May 20, 2023 8:47:48 GMT -8
Since buying my Steeldive I have spent more time on the forums devoted to these homage watches and it is really disheartening. There are a plethora of sources for fake dials to take an homage into Seiko branded territory. Some of them are obviously something Seiko never made, some are damn close. I don't have an issue with 1:1 homage watches as long as there is no use of the IP of the real thing. Fakes are fakes and wearing one puts you in a special category of asshole.
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small
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Post by small on May 22, 2023 5:24:57 GMT -8
Well CS responded and said they were sorry, they check time keeping before they sent it out. Again if it is flat on the bench works fine, they wouldn't knowingly send out a broken watch. "Must have happened in shipping" Their refunding my money and told me to go ahead and dispose of the watch... I'd give them full stars for that resolution...
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Post by saul on May 22, 2023 10:13:31 GMT -8
Well CS responded and said they were sorry, they check time keeping before they sent it out. Again if it is flat on the bench works fine, they wouldn't knowingly send out a broken watch. "Must have happened in shipping" Their refunding my money and told me to go ahead and dispose of the watch... I'd give them full stars for that resolution... Wow. So service the movement or source a $50 replacement? Are they really $50? Everyone always said so on a 7S and I think "they" say the same about NH3x but is that really the price for a single unit vs buying a bulk qty? |
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small
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Post by small on May 22, 2023 13:53:59 GMT -8
Well CS responded and said they were sorry, they check time keeping before they sent it out. Again if it is flat on the bench works fine, they wouldn't knowingly send out a broken watch. "Must have happened in shipping" Their refunding my money and told me to go ahead and dispose of the watch... I'd give them full stars for that resolution... Wow. So service the movement or source a $50 replacement? Are they really $50? Everyone always said so on a 7S and I think "they" say the same about NH3x but is that really the price for a single unit vs buying a bulk qty? I think Hi-Beat had said that if he got ten to go in he was at $35 ea...never got enough interest though. There are a ton of Sellers on eBay that offer them, as well as Ali Express??? I think I'm going to give squeezing the CP a shot Not sure what to use??? May improvise with a vernier caliper and a small clamp. Use the blades of the caliper to touch where it need to and the clamp to apply some force??? Will finger pressure alone work??? I may look for an interchange and see if it's the same as the 7009's...I know some of the '9's and the 7S parts swap one for one...Maybe the CP will as well. Anyway I'm glad they stood behind; it even though unless they wore it, they would really have notice the issue. Anyway it gain 33 seconds over 10.5 hours today om it's side crown down. I know no point in timing it id I'M just going to strip it down anyway! |
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inboost
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Post by inboost on May 23, 2023 7:28:57 GMT -8
small - find a sewing needle or push pin that just slips through the canon pinion. Then leaving that pin in place ever so gently use a pair of nail clippers to squeeze atop of the original crush marks. Impossible to explain by words alone, but with just the right amount of squeeze you'll get what you want. The pin/needle is a safety belt to keep you from going too far. If this happens finding a larger gauge needle to push back through the canon pinon will usually reverse the problem.
If you go too far, the hand setting procedure will be very stiff and possibly even halt the movement while you are twisting the crown. If this is happening don't force it! Take it back apart and loosen as mentioned above and try again.
If it's too loose the calendar works will slip the clutch and ruin the timekeeping as you have now.
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small
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Post by small on Jul 17, 2023 3:52:21 GMT -8
Had some free time on Saturday and took the watch down. I was very leery about over pinching the CP. I Found that my .080 screw driver slid in nicely without much wiggle room. I'd originally over thought the whole thing and was go to make an adjustable stop on my nail clippers so not to over do it. I noticed that the indents normally found on CP were very faint on this one. I compared it to a CP from a 7009 and saw while similar they were different enough that I wasn't going to try swapping them. Very grateful to inscription and inboost for pointing me in the right direction. Also noticed that while it does not have a day wheel one could be added as it looks as thought the parts are there. One thing I noticed is the hands seem pretty cheap even compared to 7009's, I only have some hand installers not one of the fancy machines but I had a hell of a time keeping them parallel Not sure if it was my eyes playing tricks but after putting it all back together thought I noticed the seconds hand hang up... Watch has now lost about 4 minutes in 18 hours so I'll keep it one for a while and then toss it on the RG to see if I can't improve it some. I really like the turtle shape, but like the 777 this just doesn't wear as well for me. One hole seems a bit snug and the next a bit loose. That Sharky just seems spot on. |
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Post by small on Jul 17, 2023 15:28:59 GMT -8
Well It now looses time quite quickly on the wrist  maybe 5 minutes in 2 hours, reset it twice to be sure. Then after lunch I set it and laid it on my desk 6 hours it's lost 40 seconds...Might be too tight now! eBay new movement $42...maybe |
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Be that as it may, I'm not oblivious to the trend of some brands getting resurrected either. I bought an Isofrane strap and a Doxa so reviews of these low cost alternatives can reveal the folly of being gullible at times.
maybe 5 minutes in 2 hours, reset it twice to be sure. Then after lunch I set it and laid it on my desk 6 hours it's lost 40 seconds...Might be too tight now! eBay new movement $42...maybe