Flieger Type A Modifications Plan - addendum 2

Continuation from http://andywristwatches.blogspot.my/2016/06/flieger-type-modifications-plan_22.html :

Looks like there were lots of onion crowns that would fit the ETA 2824-2 movements, and a search through watch sites and e-Bays produced many options. The hunt for a sterile crown should be a walk in the park then.

There were also sterile crowns from Laco, Archimede, Stowa, etc that could be procured, depending on the right fittings and whether the crown tickled your fancy.

LACO Flieger Special Edition 

ARCHIMEDE Pilot Original Limited Edition

STOWA Pilot Original Limited Edition

I have my regular watch smiths that could do case-polishing, servicing and regulating of movements, perform water resistance seal tests, etc but am looking for someone in Klang Valley that could do watch dial relume services. If any readers have any recommendations, kindly PM or e-mail me with the contacts and the approximate costs involved. 

Online searches had the below example, with an Archimede Flieger Type A relume to a spanking Superluminal C3; and boy does it glows thereafter!

Flieger Type A Modifications Plan

After I posted on my plan to requisite a Flieger Classic sans Logo @ http://andywristwatches.blogspot.my/2016/06/flieger-classic-sans-logo.html, I received quite a few PMs and e-mails from readers offering me their watches. For readers whom offered me, I don't mind a pre-owned piece as long as it was in good nick, sports an ETA 2824-2 movement, has a big onion crown, and preferably was from a German brand for the historical-linkage. For a pre-owned piece, I would set a budget of RM4k and below, for the initial purchase.

I may just go about with some personalisation or modification to make my Flieger more interesting. All Flieger cases that I have seen online so far were in brushed finish, so I may just polish the case for a different outlook and/or remove the side "FL23883" engraving. To match the sterile dial and sterile side case (polished-off engraving), I would locate a sterile onion crown sans logo too.

I would find a befitting strap (perhaps a carbon fibre strap for the modern flight connection) to add to overall looks of the Flieger.

Other upgrades include possible re-lume and servicing/regulating the movement to higher standards.

Let's see how the project takes flight from here. Thanks for chipping in!

Omega : Servicing @ Authorised Service Centres

Amongst the watches that I had sent for full servicing of movements and/or repairs and restorations, at the respective brands' authorised service centres included Rolex, Omega, Tag Heuer, and Ball. The watches that were sent in was for Rolex Datejust, Omega Planet Ocean, Omega Speedmaster, Tag Heuer Kirium, and Ball Hydrocarbon. In all instances, the customer service experience was enjoyable but special mention should be given to Omega for their real-time update vide their Customer Information System website, which made tracking an easy task at the tip of one's fingers.

Servicing for Speedmaster (on Cordura) @ RM2,300.

Servicing for Planet Ocean (on bracelet) @ RM1,800.

Case in point, I wrote that I had sent in my Speedmaster for servicing on Monday. After Omega's technicians ran through the tests, they decided that the watch needed a Complete Service, which mean an overhaul of the movements, change of hands and seals, etc. If the repairs were not covered under warranty, the cost for the Speedmaster would be RM2,300 as per the table above. Omega has 2 types of costing for the same job- and it depends on whether the watch in question was using a bracelet or leather/cordura/rubber strap. My Speedmaster had a Cordura strap. I previously sent in a Planet Ocean (on bracelet) for a complete servicing, and the normal cost would amount to RM1,800. Servicing for a chronograph was more complex and therefore, higher cost was the order of the day. The good thing from a full servicing was that Omega would extend an additional 2 years warranty pursuant to the servicing done.

Back to the CIS, customers could log in and access on the progress of the repair. This would be updated on a daily basis. For instance, for my Speedmaster, I could see that the hands and seals have arrived from Switzerland, and that the repair was in progress. Estimated completion was in mid-July 2016. Given that my Speedmaster was a certified chronometer, the service centre would ensure that its time-keeping was restored to chronometric standards, prior to release back to my safe-keeping. And this system was the reason that I gave high scores to Omega for their servicing updates and standards.

Flieger Classic Sans Logo

Here I was waiting in line at Omega Service Centre, Wisma Goldhill to pass my Omega Speedy for a full servicing. The polite CSR informed me that there would generally be an influx of watches sent to the SC prior to festive seasons- in this case, the upcoming Lebaran; so there would be pretty much a queue. So I took my queue no. and sat down to update my blog.

Running through my collection over the years, I realised that there was a certain model that had been missing from my collection i.e. Flieger Classic sans logo. I have concentrated mainly on the diver genre, as could be seen through my flipped list; and it was high time to add a Flieger Classic to my current collection. There were 2 main designs i.e. Type A and Type B, and my general preference was inclined towards Type A due to its cleaner dial. Further, I wanted to get a piece circa 42mm for easier wearability and with an automatic movement so that I could place it in the winder during rotational wears. And so, while seated in the SC, I started reading online on references towards the Flieger Classic Type A.

First stop was at Stowa's website as the brand was well-known for their pilot watches. It was the German war-machine that started the mass production towards the Flieger, so it seemed to make sense to get a German brand in this regard. The model that caught my attention was the following :

Stowe has great reputation in the Flieger Classic so it was a no-brainer that the watch would be in great quality. My only beef was that I would prefer for the crown to be in the classic big onion shape. Anyway, I searched for reviews on the Stowa above and chanced upon comparisons with another brand i.e. Archimede. An extract from one of the reviewers, Ivy Time was as per the following :

"The Archimede Pilot 39 H Automatic B-Watch is well-executed homage to a bygone era in aviation. The B-Uhr styling is readily apparent from the first glance to the moment it touches your wrist. On the wrist, the watch wears smaller than 39mm which is something to note. Going into this review, I thought 39-40mm was the perfect size for my 7.5in wrist but it truly depends on the other dimensions of the watch such as lug length and case thickness. Compact on the wrist, the watch accomplishes its three major tasks- legibility, reliability and accuracy. The ETA 2824-2 movement is known industry wide for being reliable and accurate. Combine this movement with the very simple/legible design of the dial, and you have a great package. I really appreciated the lengths Archimede went to make this piece historically accurate. Despite my gripes with the leather strap, I would recommend this watch to anyone looking for a very affordable B-Uhr style pilot's watch. This watch gets the job done while remaining true to its historical roots."

Going to Achimede's website, I saw that the 42mm Flieger Classic that I was interested was as per the following :

Some of the reviews indicated that the lume was nothing much to shout about, but owners' posts of the 42H lume looked acceptable as the below picture. In any case, I was not expecting the lume to be similar to my diver watches and the Flieger Classic addition was more for its infamous classic pilot design.

And here was a picture of both Flieger Classic from Stowa (brand on dial) and Archimede side-by-side. If you looked very closely, you would noticed that the tip of the hands on Archimede was not pencil-sharp, but rather "squared off" to an angle. I thought that it was quite unique a detail, which was noticeable only to the most discerning observer yet would be relatively invisible to most.

At the end of the day, both watches looked similar from online pictures although there could be quality differentiations while handling in person, given that Stowa's RRP : €1,067 while Archimede's RRP : €521. But I like the onion-shaped crown and the relatively low entry-cost to Flieger Classic ownership while still having the ETA 2824-2 workhorse, so I know which piece I would be adding to my collection. Keep your eyes peeled hereabouts for the review in due course.

Arriving Soon : Moto Koure MK1 Burgundy

I wrote earlier the year that I would be making more purchases towards micro-brands to gauge the design desirability, final product quality, and value-for-monies of such pieces that one can't easily purchase from brick-and-mortar shops. In a way, it was very much a leap of faith as you would be paying monies for something that you have not seen or touched in real life; and in cases whereby you were funding Kickstarter projects, you were forking out monies for products that hopefully would turned out similar to the drawing renditions that the project owners dished out to all and sundry.

One piece that I had been waiting for a few months now, and which was scheduled to be ready later this month, was a small start-up from Down Under helmed by an Australian named Justin Khoury. Justin designed his first batch of watches, aptly named MK1, based on his passion for automobiles from the 60s and 70s. He specifically drew inspiration from Jaguar MK-series in coming up with his MK1 watches.

Early purchasers could get some discount from the watch's final price. As it was, RRP : USD470 upon the watch's final completion but one could still pre-order and purchase at USD400 for the interim period. The specs of the watch were as per below :

Justin had been keeping early birds informed on the progress of MK1 vide routine e-mails, as per below :

I liked the design of MK1 that paid homage to vintage dashboard look-and-feel; and am eagerly awaiting for the arrival of my burgundy piece. Keep your eyes peeled hereabouts- to see if this was a hero or zero piece.

In the meantime, wear your watches in good health!