No 248 - Le Jour Chronograph

“I feel the need, the need for speed.” You know how it is being a watch maniac constantly looking on peoples wrists. Tom Cruise’s black chronograph sure doesn’t go unnoticed in the classic Top Gun from 1986; one of his best movies ever.  After a quick research you learn that it probably is an Orfina Porsche Design chronograph with the Lemania 5100 movement. You also learn that there are tons of watches from different manufactures from the very same era that pretty much look the same and that the prices can vary a lot. I’m not really sure which the true original is but have been assuming it’s the Heuer Pasadena that all the others derive from (read more here) but I'm not sure at all. The newer ones are usually equipped with the Valjoux 7750 movement instead of the Lemania and are often cheaper. The used Orfina's you find are usually quite expensive and are also very often quite worn. I would of course have preferred the real deal from the start but I felt there was so much to learn about all the different models that I barely had begun to scratch the surface. I instead decided to go for one of the cheaper versions just to quickly get that Maverick vibe going.

#248 - The Le Jour chronograph. Not entirely sure about the correct reference.

I found my Le Jour head only to a decent price but in the need of service because its 7750 movement had a loose rotor and wouldn’t self-wind. After the service it was fine though and worked perfectly. I quickly realized that one of the hardest parts when you purchase one of those old PVD military style chronographs is to source a good bracelet for it. Usually all used watches are sold on some ugly leather bund strap (I can't stand them!). I searched forever and ever after a suitable vintage bracelet but finally settled for an oyster type bracelet from Hadley Roma that seemed to be of a rather decent quality. I had plans on making the bracelet look a little more vintage to match the worn surface of the watch case but instead I switched it for a Bonetto Cinturini 295 rubber which also gave a good vintage feel to it. 

OK. So maybe I didn't became as cool as Maverick with my Le Jour but it really opened up my eyes for chronographs even more just like the Tutima and the Tudor's did and I can honestly say that my venturing among the 80's and 90's Lemania and 7750 chronos is far from over.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 189 - Tutima Military Chronograph

I had been starting to look more and more for cool chronographs and wasn’t as focused on dive watches as I used to be. I used to hate chronos but when I saw this bead-blasted Tutima military chronograph, a.k.a. the NATO chronograph, that had a screw down crown and was water resistant to 200m, I had to look into it. It had the legendary Lemania 5100 automatic movement that I had heard and read so much about but I had never owned a watch housing it. The shape of the case, its hidden pushers and the president-like bracelet really spoke to me designwise. The list price was quite hefty so I kept looking for a used one. I had also decided that I wanted the destro ("lefty") version with the crown at nine o’clock and mirrored dial. It just looked so tactical and it really felt like the design had a purpose for military use. 

#189 - The Tutima Military Chronograph, ref. 760-22.

I found this one on WUS. It had just been completely overhauled. It was delivered to me on the bracelet, no box or papers, just the service document. I’m not sure from which year it was but it was the steel version with the old block font and not the newer one made out of titanium and with the script logo. I loved this watch. It was badass. I remember wearing it quite much. But absolutely no one knew what it was. Everyone was like “What the hell is Tutima?” Even in watch societies people were asking me about what it was. And I loved that. It was great having a watch that no one knew nothing about and hadn’t seen before. 

On the balcony.

My favorite dish: Janssons frestelse. Potatoes, onions, cream and anchovies. Amazing! Usually a traditional Swedish dish for Christmas but I eat it all year round.

It was really hard selling this watch on a Swedish watch forum. No enthusiasm at all for this type of watches. Christ! It took forever. The good thing about that though was that when I finally sold it it ended up with someone who actually knew what he was buying, knew the Tutima brand and who was aware of its cool history. That felt really good.

Captured at an unforgetable and legendary crayfish party. (borrowed with permission from its owner)

Out having dinner with my wife at Le Pot in Stockholm, August 2013.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 187 - Tudor Chronograph 79273P

Received this one in a trade for my Ball Skindiver back in August 2013. I’d really start to love the Tudor chronographs after owning the 79270. Such great watches! So when I got the opportunity to try out the same chrono but in a twotone version it was a no-brainer. I actually thought it looked awful when I first saw it with the white dial and its red details but I knew it had potential to become something else. I think I received the watch on a black leather strap, not sure, but I had it replaced with a 22mm croc strap that I managed to squeeze in without having it look too terrible. A watch colleague helped me to source a black dial with gold indexes for it which turned out to be a perfect match. Looked fantastic!  And when I had had the new dial installed I changed the strap to a brown crocodile leather which made the watch look even more awesome. Some thought that a black leather strap would have been a better match but seriously, there are few things that look uglier than black leather straps. I had plans trying to find a working twotone bracelet for it but never found one. That would have been so cool. 

#187 - The Tudor Chronograph ref. 79273P.

Having a beer in our old kitchen.

I honestly don’t know why I sold this one. It was even complete with box and certificate. It looked freakin’ fantastic! I probably needed cash for something else or just got bored as usual. Stupid. But damn, looking back on the pictures I really feel that I could go another round with this one. It’s crazy how the prices for these 90’s Tudor chronographs completely have gone through the roof. I even lost about $350 when selling this one because of the dial change. God that hurts. 

With the white dial it came with. Not a big fan.

Here on the 22mm croc strap.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 167 - Tudor Chronograph 79270

Was I going through a Tudor phase here? Well, yesterday I told you I felt a bit reluctant wearing the Tudor Submariner. This chronograph was a different story. “But that’s a Daytona rip off!” some of you might say. But is it? Really? No, I don’t think so. OK, the case design and the pushers might make you think of the Daytona but the 79270 has a 6/9/12 subdial setup (Valjoux 7750 movement) while the Daytona has the 3/6/9 setup. The 79270 also have a date and a bezel that turns. I would say it might be inspired by the Daytona but the 79270 definitely stands on its own legs and does not feel like a wannabe Rolex. On the other hand, the reference 79280, with steel tachymeter, would be a closer call. 

#167 - The Tudor Chronograph ref. 79270.

Tudor shield on the crown.

I loved this one. It was great to look at. Beautiful! It felt like a good allround beater chrono. The lug-holes for example; a great feature! Just as the turning bezel. A much more useful chronograph than the Rolex Daytona. I’m happy I got it on the oyster bracelet. I’m usually a big fan of jubilee bracelets but Tudor’s version of the jubilee just looks awful. I bought it as a full set in the end of March 2013 with box, books and certificate in great condition. The watch itself wasn’t far from being NOS. I had plans to buy a black dial with white subdials for it but it didn’t get to stick around that long. This model is another great example of a watch that has more than doubled its value in the last three years.

This watch ended up in a trade for a NOS Omega SM300 (Watchco) which I will present in the near future.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 158 - Certina DS Podium Titanium Chronograph

This is really not my kind of watch. Or at least it didn’t used to be. Found this one really cheap and just had to see what quality it represented. Titanium watches really doesn’t age well and neither had this one. But it was a totally fine quartz beater. Didn’t pay more than $100. Newer Certina’s is nothing that turns me on. They express nothing about its wearer. Still, the brand has got a lot of history and has a whole line of sought-after vintage dive watches. Even though Certina are mass-produced by the millions today they still uphold a high quality in their segment of watches. Hadn’t this one been made of titanium it’s most likely I wouldn’t have bothered giving it a try and even though titanium looks terrible it still is a cool material that suits a tool watch. 

#158 - The Certina DS Podium Titanium Chronograph. Not sure about the ref. but I think it's a C536.7129.12.66. Please let me know if this is wrong.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 68 – Tag Heuer F1 ref. CAC1112

As I’ve mentioned in some of my earlier posts I’m a huge fan of Formula 1. It all began when I was a kid with cheering for Mika Hakkinen and then went on with Kimi Räikkönen who still is my number one favorite even though Sweden since last year has got its first driver since the early 90’s.

Product image.

So, when I one day in March 2011 came across an old Tag Heuer ad with Kimi wearing a Tag Heuer watch from the days in McLaren-Mercedes, I figured “hmm… I wonder how much these cost today”. I did some quick searches at my usual spots and found a used one in France. Full set in decent condition. On the product images from Tag Heuer it looked really nice. In reality not so much. But I did like the bracelet and the rubber details.

#68 - The Tag Heuer F1 ref. CAC1112 with Kimi's ad in the background.

When the watch arrived it was dead. The bracelet was also way too short. I contacted a local Tag Heuer AD in Stockholm and paid about $80 for a battery replacement, pressure test and two link pieces. Felt like pretty reasonable deal to me.

I can’t say I wore it very much. I like quartz watches but I’m not much of a chronograph guy. It went out for sale on my local watch forum. Not one single answer for weeks. Finally I put it up for sale on a more commercial site and it disappeared quite quickly. I remember it was a dad who bought it for his son’s graduation and he really wanted a Tag Heuer F1 chronograph. 

Some people hate Tag Heuer. I’ve owned a few by now and I must say I’ve started to like them more and more over time. The resale value is really bad so if you have decided to get a Tag Heuer make sure to look for it used and you can end up making a really good deal. 

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.