I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

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funksoulava

I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by funksoulava » 05 Dec 2012 13:44

Hi guys,

My first purchase was a Seiko Sumo and love the movement. While researching for my next potential Seiko purchase with a better movement and being confused about which to choose, I read some posts here regarding Steinhart watches and initial thought was that they are expensive timepieces. However, after more reading, it seems they fall into the value-for-money category, which is right up my alley since I just started this fascination with watches. The net is teeming with information when I googled so hope to seek the advice from collectors and hobbyists here.

My budget is around $1.2k so any models to recommend? As I'm a big fat guy I like big watches and if possible, lots of pointers on my watch =p Please also advise whether I should get from Gnomon or online (Ed.Teo please help =p) and will the difference justify the hassle? How do the Steinhart movements compare to Seiko (especially the 6R15)?

All input will be appreciated, kam sia juay juay =)
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 14:04

Steinhart uses eta 1824, 2893, Unitas 6498, 6497, and valjoux 7750.

Not sure how familiar you are with these movements but these are tried and tested movements used by brands such as iwc, breitling, panerai and Tudor to name a few.

I reckon the track records speak for themselves.

As to whether to get direct from steinhart or go through gnomon, it's your call.

I prefer to get locally cos if there are issues with the watch, I can conveniently call them and head down to their shop to have it looked at. Personally, I have not had any bad experiences from them. I've bought 11 pieces from them since July this year.

You probably pay pay about 10% less on average if you buy from steinhart directly but I read that they tend to short ship or ship the wrong stuff.

Furthermore, should there be any issues, you have to send the watch back to them. If I understand correctly, if they can't find anything wrong with the watch, you have to foot the freight bill.
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 20:14

Bro, did any specific steinhart model catch your eye?

You have a sumo now, so are you planning on sticking to the diver theme or are you looking at other watches like pilot etc?

Since you are you're comparing against the 6r15, I assume you're more keen on an auto than annual winding.

If you're into auto and would like another diver, the popular ones from steinhart are the ocean 1, ocean vintage military and the ocean vintage gmt. These are pretty much Rolex hommages. The triton range and ocean 2 are their in-house designs.

If you wanna have variety, then why not check out their aviation and pilot range?

Based on the local prices, I reckon most of the chronos will be beyond your budget but if you get direct, they should be marginally off your budget.

Iirc the on-going promo at gnomon is if you purchase anything with with leather straps, you'll get another pair free. If you purchase one with bracelet, you'll get a NATO strap free.

I personally do not like to buy on-line cos I like to try the watches on and feel the real thing before making the decision.

Also I do not appreciate the anxiety of waiting for the watch over a period of time after I've made my payment.

But that's just me.

IMHO, do check out their pilot and aviation models.
Mobilenerd

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by Mobilenerd » 05 Dec 2012 20:14

@rouge_hog : 11?? Wow!

Personally I don't mind paying a little more if they have stocks on hand. But these Steinharts are usually out of stock for the popular models. For me I only bought 5 from Gnomon and one direct cos Gnomon had no stocks and I had an itchy trigger finger. Luckily no mishaps with my straps and watch order.

Ocean Vintage Military
Image

Ocean Vintage GMT
Image

Ocean One GMT Ceramic
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NavB-Uhr 47mm
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Aviation GMT
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NavB chrono 2
Image

All poisonous. Don't get bitten.
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 20:39

Haha let me join in the fun.

Image

I can't show the 11th watch till either tomorrow of Friday.
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 20:41

Yeah sometimes the popular models do sell out very fast at gnomon.

I'm actually contemplating getting the nab-b dlc 44mm chrono and the boutique edition soon as both are in stock now.
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 20:42

Sorry forgot to mention if the 11, some are other brands.
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 20:43

Bro mobilenerd, I think I met you at the shop recently. Your surname starts with "C"?

You were making a purchase then, aviation chrono?
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 20:44

Sorry should be aviation gmt. You were contemplating on whether to get the chrono.
Mobilenerd

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by Mobilenerd » 05 Dec 2012 20:59

Not C, It's Y. Yup that was me.

Moving office soon. Will be further away. So now thinking of grabbing what I can now. Haha
These Steinharts are poisonous. Now thinking of the pink gold models also. Argh!!!!

Out of the 6, I rarely wear the Nav B Chrono ii, and Ocean Vintage GMT. My daily beater is now the OVM!
Retired my Pam and Rollie.
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 21:03

Haha same here. I was the guy at the counter with the lap top.
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 21:10

My Pam and Rollie and even iwc taking it easy now. Your first name "P"?
Mobilenerd

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by Mobilenerd » 05 Dec 2012 21:15

Matt.

The pink gold NavB is catching my eye, just like the Aviation goldie. But now considering that over the Ocean 44 GMT.
Lately been getting GMT watches. Grabbed a Marina Militare GMT from Chris recently also. Haizz...

Poison poison poison.
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 21:21

Hmm... I personally don't quite fancy the ocean 44's. the chapter ring looks pod and the dial somehow is too tiny.
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 05 Dec 2012 21:26

I prefer the 42mm ocean gmt with Alu bezel.

The dievas voyager gmt is ont radar now.
funksoulava

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by funksoulava » 05 Dec 2012 23:21

Thanks rogue_hog for your very informative reply. Models that interest me right now are 'Triton 30ATM', 'Triton 100 ATM stainless steel', 'Ocean 44 Automatic', 'Nav B-Chrono 47 mm' & 'Apollon Automatic'. One thing though, the price of the chronograph Nav B costs slightly more then a Tissot automatic chronograph I saw. Seems strange........
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 06 Dec 2012 00:25

I cant explain why the price is higher for the steinhart nav-b Chrono. and I'm not sure which tissot are you referring to but If you like big watches, you should check it out. I'd strongly encourage that you try out this watch first before making a purchase. it's fitted with a diamond crown. and it can be pretty painful as it can dig and cut into the flesh at the back of your hand if your hand is too fleshy.

Most, if not all the models that are on your radar now are in stock at gnomon at the moment. have a chat with anders, while you are there. he can be very helpful.christine, the sales manager there can look unfriendly but she's ok.
Ed.YEO
Senior member
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Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by Ed.YEO » 06 Dec 2012 05:48

Sorry for the late reply dudes...
Been knocked out since 1800hrs yesterday becos of tiredness.

Okay...

On the topic of where to get...
Brudder ROUGE had explained most of the pros and cons of getting from here or Germany in details... so i think i won't repeat on that. Just to add a little on the warranty thingy though... Actually there's an option to claim warranty from STEINHART even in SG. Let's say, should there's an issue with your movement particularly, you need not to send the whole piece back to Germany. All you need to do is to send them an email of "request for permission" before you go to any watchmaker here in SG, descriptive on the defect found, and wait for their reply. Should they give green light, you may proceed to visit any watchmaker you knows for the servicing. But, take note that the amount you claim, is only up to a value of 30eu.

On the topic of pricing...
Definitely, straight from Germany will cost you much less, taking advantage of the current low value of EURO vs SGD exchange rate. Gnomon's pricing high is becos of the factoring in of their operational cost, not only rental of the shop front @ the prime district, not only the sales staff in his shop, but now also a team of watchmakers under him to do post servicing of the watches covered under the stated warranty period. Hence the higher price tags.

On the topic of TISSOT vs STEINHART...
This is fun... STEINHART is not a major big brand for all wee know, but where should it be positioned, in a crop of European timepiece labels using ETA movements? In other forums, people are comparing STEINHART against TAG, here we're comparing it against TISSOT... okay... fair enough, since the movements used on STEINHARTs are mostly not so niche...
When comparing the 3 hander movements, STEINHART have a slight winning edge in pricing, if you compare their Ocean Ones against the SEAMASTERs from TISSOT. STEINHARTs built quality is more sturdy as well.
On to the Chronos... ha~~~ this is the most interesting part. If we're to make comparisons, we have to look into details... here... i'm talking about the movements used... Let me give you an example...
TISSOT PRC200 Auto-Chrono against STEINHART Nav.B SS Chrono
Image vs Image
Both looks sleek from far, right? When come closer, TISSOT have that sportier look than the more classic STEINHART. Look more closer you'll notice a difference on the dial... TISSOT have only 6hrs counter, while STEINHART have 12hrs counter. Yes... the difference of movements used. TISSOT with C01.211 while STEINHART with ETA7750. The C01.211 is more cheaper in cost than ETA7750.
So... if we're to make comparisons, we need to compare what are we getting, in details of the content.
For your reference, I'll use the cheapest 7750 movement powered TISSOT from AceJewelers
Image
priced @ 904eu with VAT, against
STEINHART Nav.B SS Chrono priced @ 840eu with VAT from Germany...
Image

Both are 7750 powered, bears same limited WR @ 30m... which will you pick?

Btw... you should be able to tell how marked up the TISSOTs are sold locally...
yan sang yew guo dak fai lok, zao yew dui yan hor see zou luo jik xing geh fan sik yu goon cha, ng hai zou yoo chun mong mok dek pan duun... yoo guo yi liong din doh mou geh wa, yat gor yan geh yat sang zao guo dak gey pok gai loh...
Solanum88

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by Solanum88 » 06 Dec 2012 07:55

Ill join in the fun, dont own any Steinharts at the moment but they do come in and out of my collection pretty often.

Steinhart Vintage GMT
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Apollon
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Triton 100ATM
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Nav-B 47mm DLC
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Nav B 42mm
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Aviation
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Ocean One
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I only bought two of them locally as for the rest they came directly from Steinhart Germany. Personally I prefer to deal directly with Gunther Steinhart, Anna and the rest of the team at Steinhart. I have not encountered issues with warranty issues and defects/errors dealing with the team. My only gripe with Steinhart is I wish they would reduce the size of their original designs, you could see from the pictures above I have a small wrist and those triton, Apollon and Aviation are huge on my 6.5" wrists.

Little things that the team does do put a smile on my face at times
Image
rogue_hog

Re: I need some Steinhart POISON please =p

Post by rogue_hog » 06 Dec 2012 09:51

Bro funksoulava,

I think you can more or less gauge the popularity of the brand now. But it's kinda an even split as to whether to get the watch directly from steinhart or gnomon. It's really up to you personally.

But personally, and this applies only to me, I feel that the price difference is rather negligible and outweighs the inconvenience and anxiety of purchasing on line.
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