Aeromatic 1912 anyone know about this watch?

[Solo]

Thanks altro, and if I mis-read your intentions then I apologise for any incorrect aspersions cast your way. It is hard to get a correct reading of someone's "tone" when posting on these forums and easy to make a wrong assumptions sometimes.

As previously suggested I probably should have posted this thread in the "affordable" forum, even though many of the watches they discuss even there are not "affordable" to me. I posted it here thinking it would draw the most attention and thus the most response.

I mainly only wanted to know general info on the watch brand and specificly if the site was reputable to buy from because I liked several of the watches they have. I can understand your point of view on the navitimer lookalike without the proper slide rule setup. Strangely enough they have a couple more similar watches that actually DO have the proper slide rule as far as I can tell. I don't know why they have one that doesn't.

Since this all began I've talked with a couple of different people who own an Aeromatic or Tauchmeister brand watch and are happy with the quality and operation of their watch though neither of them are the navitimer lookalike.

So still not having the info I wanted on the watch site in question I began looking at the watches on ebay and found a slightly used one from an individual in England for a really nice price. While it is one of the navitimer type knockoffs this one appears to me to have the full slide rule set up on the dial and the moveable bezel ring. Mind you, as I said I'm not a pilot and will not actually need or use the slide rule on this watch any more than I use the one on my Seiko pilot chronograph. I just like the way it looks but I would prefer that the watch have the proper set up.

The picture below is the one from ebay which frankly aint all that great but the seller assures me the watch is in like new condition, only worn a time or two for dress occaisions. At less than $50 I ain't complaining and if it works out I'll feel more comfortable buying other watches of this brand later on and brand new. If it doesn't work out I'll just chalk it up to experience. If you still hold to the opinion that these watches are "crap" or whatever designation it was you gave them then that's ok. I'm over my initial irritation and feel I know better now where you're coming from. Let's just say I probably have different criteria for defining "crap" than you do ok?

If you want to comment it's ok, I don't mind even if you still have a problem with it being a "knockoff". I will point out that it does not have the word "Navitimer" or Breitling anywhere and while it is an obvious copy it isn't a 'replica' watch and any watch person would know that. My mind is easy because there is no copyright or brand infringement I'm aware of.

I'll post better pics once the item arrives in the mail hopefully the end of this week.

[altro]

Thanks altro, and if I mis-read your intentions then I apologise for any incorrect aspersions cast your way. It is hard to get a correct reading of someone's "tone" when posting on these forums and easy to make a wrong assumptions sometimes.

Solo,

Thanks for your good thoughts - much appreciated.

I don't think I used the word "cr*p" in describing the Aeromatic watches... but I cannot think of a much better description :-D

Ok are you still here? But let's just agree to disagree - hey we are talking and that's something!

Right, on the small or not so small matter of money - I have never spent $5000 on a watch. However I have to confess I have owned a series of watches that you might regard as expensive - all bought used. And yes the value of my current collection is many thousands of dollars... BUT... don't go away... just yet anyway.....

Here are details of the past few watches I have bought - all cheap, and all good... NOT cr*p.

GB £36 - 1989 CWC, RAF issued with Royal Navy service code

GB £39 - 1984 Precista, RAF Regiment issue

US $198 - 1985 USAF (or USN?), pilot/navigator watch

GB £31 - 1980 CWC, British Army issued watch

GB £52 - 1979 CWC, mechanical RAF issued watch

EURO142 - 1974 Hamilton, mechanical RAF issued watch.

They all happen to be military but you can buy many many decent and interesting non-mil watches for under let's say $100.

It simply is not necessary to buy junk or knock-offs etc if you don't want to spend much money.

My earlier comment about hanging on to your money and reading the various forums was not meant to sound patronizing - we all started somewhere. I would be willing to bet that you will very quickly tire of the kind of watches you have mentioned so far as you spend more time looking at watches and reading posts B-)

6 months max and you'll be hooked on "proper" watches!!!

Regards,

[Solo]

It simply is not necessary to buy junk or knock-offs etc if you don't want to spend much money.

My earlier comment about hanging on to your money and reading the various forums was not meant to sound patronizing - we all started somewhere. I would be willing to bet that you will very quickly tire of the kind of watches you have mentioned so far as you spend more time looking at watches and reading posts B-)

6 months max and you'll be hooked on "proper" watches!!!

Regards,

Hey WOW! I made it all the way through your post without busting a blood vessel! :-D

Seriously though I understand what you're saying. Unfortunately I've always had to learn things the hard way.

As you suggest, we'll just have to agree to disagree on the definition of "cr*p". Currently my definition runs something like this;

a) A watch that is butt ugly, is "cr*p" to me no matter how much it costs or how well it's made.

b) A watch that doesn't run or doesn't keep time is "cr*p" to me.

c) An out and out copy (replica) that violates copyright and or trademark law is "cr*p" to me.

d) A watch that is way overpriced (in my judgement) is "cr*p" to me.

That's pretty much it. As to what I like and will buy mostly it's anything that I see that I like and the price is fair and affordable to me. I'm not looking for a piece of history, a piece of "art" or any particular "name" brand and I'm not hung up on whether it is a mechanical or Quartz or any particular make of movement (although I am partial somewhat to Seiko).

The Aeromatics pretty much met my criteria and I talked to some owners of them who were happy with their appearance and performance and that was all I needed. If the watch I bought on ebay lasts a year I figure I'm ahead of the game, that's roughly .13¢ a day for a watch I enjoyed while it lasted which I never expected to be forever to begin with.

I have no intention of collecting watches as an investment. My collection consists of daily wear watches purely for my enjoyment to change with my various moods and wear as I please. When one dies and goes in the trash bucket it's just an excuse to buy another.

I will of course continue to observe and learn more about watches and I will always buy the best I can afford at any given time.

In the interest of my further enlightenment, maybe you could share your thoughts on what it is you define to be a "proper watch". I assume of course that each of the watches you listed above is to you a "proper watch" but what about them makes them "proper" in your estimation?

[Solo]

Well, I said I'd post after my watch arrived so here it is. I've had the watch going on three weeks now during which time it has gained a total of precisely three seconds.

The leather band is very comfortable and has that wonderful new leather smell. All pushers and the crown work smoothly and fit and finish is excellent for a watch in this price range.

All sub-dials work perfectly and you'll note that the slide rule is fully functional and despite my lousy photography is easy to read even with my eyes. Amazingly the moveable outer ring is easy to move in either direction and yet maintains position when left to itself, it doesn't move around by itself with normal wear even when I sleep with it on. And speaking of sleeping, the lume is not the brightest but is easy enough to read at 4am without eyeglasses on.

This still may not qualify as a great watch to many but it does to me and I feel I got a bargain.

Despite the poo pooing by some of the "Limited edition" claim by Aeromatic, the fact is they only make certain quantities of each style, mine is #87 out of 100. Is this a big deal? Probably not, we're not talking Rolex or Breitling here but I think it's pretty neat.

Sorry the pic of the watch back didn't turn out good enough to post.

[JAD3703]

Solo,

I've taken the time to skim this entire thread. It hsa been an interesting read.

I own watches ranging from $5K down to $20.00. I collect watches based on their movement, accuracy, relaibility and robustness. I am also not a quartz snob - I have several quartz that I use when I head out-of-country because of work and need a zero-maintenace, reliable and accurate watch that I don't mind beating the snot out of.

Having said all of the above, I bought a Tauchmeister 1937 600M "Professional Diver". I also have a Aeromatic 1912 "Navi Flight Computer" with alarm on the way. While I realize that they'll never be on par with my Doxa, Tag-Heuer, Chase-Durer, Broadarrow or Omega, my Tauchmeister 1937 is a nice looking, reliable and robust watch that is a great addition to my collection. And I expect the Aeromaster 1912 to be the same.

I am a firm believer that you, as the buyer, get what you want because you like it, and not for its really great movement, or brand-name, or because at some point in the future it will be a great investment.

But, I also think that it is also a bit more obviously "buyer beware" when buying not-so-well-recognized watches, especially via the Internet. The trade-off with higher end watches is that, unless it is a grey or black market time piece, the top tier manufacturer tends to back their products up very well.

Having said that, I have a Trias Blue Skeleton which has been an incredible watch, accurate and beautiful. A great time piece that is impressive, dressy and very accurate (2-3 seconds per day, after a bit of tuning by my friend the local master watchmaker).

So I guess it all boils down to whatever works for you. Take everyone else's opinions, observations and reviews with a grain of salt - you can have just as bad an experience with a $10K Rolex as a $50.00 Tauchmeister. Just ask my Chiropractor about his Rolex!

And people will undoubtedly say that Trias (or insert any watch brand that someone has a negative opinion about, here), is garbage ... etc, etc. Hence, my belief that you should take everyone's opinion's on watches with a wee bit of skepticism, although all perspectives help to paint a bit better and more accurate picture of a watch. Especially if someone actually owns one, which is not always the case when people comment on them!

Anyway, congrats on getting a watch that works for you and that you like.

Regards,

James

[Chascomm]

No idea of the quality of that watch, but you can get a roughly similar handwind skeleton based on a Chinese movement for $25 or so shipped most weeks on Ebay. (IMO--any time a brand isn't specific about where the movement is from, you can bet on China) If you want to see what the movement of the $25 version looks like in person, most WalMarts have a pocketwatch with that (wristwatch-sized) movement.

Actually if you look a bit closer, that is a wristwatch with a pocket-watch movement; a Siberian-made Molnija 3602. Which is substantially better quality than the Chinese standard skeleton (the wristwatch movement often used in cheap pocket-watches).

There are skeletons and skeletons. Even from China there are differeing grades of skeleton movement, both auto and handwind (not to mention chrono and tourbillon).

[Solo]

Thanks James and not to worry I always take the opinons of others with a grain of salt. I read, I research and then I get what I like not what someone else says I should like or want. Actually I usually do pretty well as I have a pretty good instinct.

I bought a panasonic cordless phone once that consumer reports said was crap and failed their "drop test". I used that phone for at least five years, dropped it many times on concrete and hard tile floors and it never failed me and it was the best cordless I've ever owned to this day.When I got tired of it I sent it to my mother who used it for another four or five years and finally put it to bed for a newer model with caller ID. This instinct has served me well over the years and I don't even read consumer reports anymore.


Chascomm; great observation!

[IronHide]

Adding some fuel to the fire, I too just received my first and only Aeromatic 1912 - the "Werner Von Braun Auto Classic Sextant" found here:

http://www.wernersflyingwatches.com/....asp?ProID=138

This is my first ever watch review, so please bear with me but I suppose it may help those who are looking at this product. I am a true believer in you get what you pay for as has been mentioned earlier in this thread. That being said, I think this watch *meets* all I expected for $120 shipped.

It came in a round silver tin with ample protective foam. No little warranty card thingy or printed instruction booklet, rather just an inkjet print covering all watches/movements/functions but good enough.

The watch itself is very crips looking. Matte finish case is decent, the onion-ish crown is a bit big for my liking, but that's a personal matter. I like how the front mineral glass sits flush with the outter edge of the case - unlike some of the more expensive Russian brands I have where the glass protrudes a few mm above. The face itself is simple and effective, although the hour indicator (numerals) are a bit tiny, but then again that is just the "design" of the watch. The lume is definitely sub-par, too little and too faint. The clear case back is ok, as someone mentioned earlier, you can see all the plastic around the outter edge.

The light brown 20mm leather strap is so-so. Supple yet a bit too flimsy for my liking, somthing that I think will start to show signs of early wear but we'll see.

Overall, I think, as I said, it's a decent watch for the money, really. I would consider purchasing a few more of the Aeromatic brand as I'm content right now to buy multiple cheap watches rather than one "nicer" watch, but that's just me. If I had 4Gs to drop on a new watch each month, well, that would be pretty cool and a very, very different story.

I've attached two pics, of which I must apologize for their quality. I don't have my light box here with very little else to work with. BTW - supposedly this is a "Limited Edition" watch...I know, I know. But mine is number 15/250, so hurry up and get yours!:-D

So, how did I do? I'm still very much a noob but my lurking around the forums has taught me so much!

Rock on!

[Solo]

Congrats on the new watch Ironhide, I'm still enjoying mine!

Nice job on the review I thought and the pics were pretty good too. Nice Watch! Hope you get many years enjoyment out of it.

I'm like you I preferr to be able to buy more less expensive watches than trying horde money back for that "special" BIG purchase. I'd have to be a pretty wealthy guy to consider spending 4K on a timepiece. I just buy what I like that I can afford and if it breaks or wears out in a couple years or so no big deal.

Right now my 1912 is the most accurate watch I own, it gains about a second a week, of course it's a quartz not an automatic, a citizen/myota (sp?) movement modified for this particular watch.

I was pleasingly surprised by the band on mine and like you I love the way the Crystal is shaped and meets flush with the moveable bezel ring and the slightly convex shape makes the dial easy to read.

[IronHide]

Thank Solo - glad to hear you're still happy w/ your purchase as well. And thanks for the good words on the review/pics - a daunting task among such informed peers!

You know, the way I feel about these "inexpensive" watches can be akin to the whole quantity over quality issue. Much like you say, if they last a few years maximum, then no big deal. I'm happier having a new watch arrive every-other-week than once a year - sort of makes me giddy like a little school girl. Now, that's not to say I don't enjoy an expensive, quality watch. My fiance is currently scouting for an engagment gift for me which I believe will be in the form on a Hamilton Auto X-Wind, or some other Hamilton model. A nice "mid-range" I suppose it would be called.

I do plan to purchase one or two more Aeromatics, then move on to a Stowa or something like that. Of course, I understand the argument can be made that we're not seeing the forest for the trees in that if we saved that money, we could indeed purchase a smaller quantity of better-made watches, but that is a very personal matter which only the buyer can resolve!

Enjoy it to the fullest!