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All this recent eFlay browsing was bound to Come To No Good. Eek! Yeah, I got Incoming!.


Ricky Lee
October 26, 2011 03:48PM
 Registered: April 2005
Posts: 17,866 (2012-03)

Sure, I stumbled across One I Couldn't Resist. Oops!

Several things combined to make this so. First, it's a brand that's on My List though, granted, not right up at the top.

Then, too, it's not only Running/Keeping Good Time, but is billed as just having had a fresh COA Service.

The cosmetic condition's quite good. Dial is supposedley original, not refinished as is so often the case. Hands are OEM, too

But enough blathering! Let's have a look at the seller's photos...

eBay photo

eBay photo


Yup, a black-dialed Kohinoor 17-jewel handwind. WIS Honeymoon

The thing that really tipped me over-the-edge was the low price. How low? Well, try US $14.99 shipped! Thumbs up! Is Happy Day!

I confess that the HMT that I've really been stalking, for years, is a sure 'nough Military-issued Jawan model, like this:

eBay photo


However, these typically go for several times the price of the Kohinoor, even ones which are 'as-is' and unserviced. Eek! This'n is Close Enough For Rock 'N' Roll, I reckon. Laughing

So. Now Waiting The Wait. Whistle

Thanks for readin' y'all!

Cheers!

-Ricky
Messages In This Thread

All this recent eFlay browsing was bound to Come To No Good. Eek! Yeah, I got Incoming!. Image Attachments

 Ricky Lee 196 October 26, 2011 03:48PM

It is a handsome HMT,congrats Ricky! smile (n/t)

 Bock 34 October 27, 2011 11:12AM

Congrats Ricky.Thumbs up! (n/t)

 Mark C. 31 October 27, 2011 06:22AM

Lovely vintage mechanical watches!SmileThumbs up! (n/t)

 IF 42 October 26, 2011 11:46PM

Nice score Ricky Thumbs Up And a word of warning >>>

you might have to toss the springbars that came with it. I found that some of my handwind "hmt" had too thin spring bars that went straight through the drilled lugs. I only noticed that when I photographed them and moved the leather strap around.
 Reto 41 October 26, 2011 10:55PM

Thanks Reto. Thumbs up! When it arrives I'll inspect the springbars straightaway. (n/t)

 Ricky Lee 48 October 27, 2011 05:53AM

Great catchThumbs up! I've been eying the military model as well (n/t)

 pumpkin2001 47 October 26, 2011 09:30PM

You might want to check out..


..eBay seller limras_watchstudio then. He's usually got a few freshly-serviced Jawan models for sale at decent prices. Mind you, many of (if not all of) his watches are redials, though they appear to be quite well done. Nor does it appear to me that many of his Jawans are actual military-issue.

Nor should you take this as an endorsement for this particular seller, as I've never bought from him. But his stuff is.. intriguing. Smile
 Ricky Lee 46 October 26, 2011 10:48PM

That might be the same one I was looking at.

The watches look very nice but as you said they were all resurfaced dials.
 pumpkin2001 33 October 27, 2011 10:41PM

Cheers! (n/t)

 arutlosjr11 30 October 26, 2011 07:09PM

Nice! Can't wrong with that price. Thumbs Up (n/t)

 Archibald Goodwin 42 October 26, 2011 06:18PM

Very Nice Ricky!!!!! Congrats.....

Very underated watch. I love mine!!
 dano0 47 October 26, 2011 06:14PM

Ricky glad to see you here at the PMWF, keep healing smile (n/t)

 BILLANAGNOS(GREEK) 43 October 26, 2011 06:10PM

Awesome one and great price! Thumbs up! Congrats! (n/t)

 Need_Omega 46 October 26, 2011 05:40PM

Clapping!for those (n/t)

 ncmoto 39 October 26, 2011 05:00PM

Nice.. classic and simple.. can;t beat that..

or the price!

Cheers
Harold
 Flasharry 50 October 26, 2011 04:36PM

Very solid looking Indian and you can't beat that price.

I'll have to look a little closer at HMT.
 Paul J Costa 44 October 26, 2011 04:24PM

HMT = Hindusthan Machine and Tool company....

I got a used HMT Vijay 17J manual wind with 231 movt. off the 'Bay (american seller) about 18 months ago for around $10 and have been very happy with it...good value for the price !
 tingrin 43 October 27, 2011 07:50AM

Like the second one!Smile (n/t)

 DRFP 28 October 26, 2011 04:04PM

Me too Smile (n/t)

 Adam in NYC 39 October 26, 2011 04:08PM

As do I. Obviously.

But the Kohinoor ain't exactly Chopped Liver, either. I am angry!

IMHO. Laughing I hope. Rolling on the floor laughing my a.. off
 Ricky Lee 40 October 26, 2011 04:18PM

Is Happy Day! HMT Ashok 17-jewel Handwind - First Impressions & Mini-Watch or Accessory Review

November 12, 2011 06:11PM

First, Dear Constant Reader, if you recall my incoming post you're likely thinking "WTH? I thought he ordered a Kohinoor!". Well.. you're absolutely right. The auction said Kohinoor! So I was a bit taken aback when I unpacked this..

HMT Ashok
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

.."Ashok", and not a Kohinoor. However, after some reflection, I'm not really upset about this. The case is basically identical, and the seller was clear that "The Pictures Shown Are Stock Pictures..Rest Assured, The Quality & Condition Will Be At Least At Par With The One Shown In The Picture". And the Ashok model is slightly less common than the Kohinoor, so that's a Good Thing. Mind you, there are a few other aspects of this watch which do disappoint me, to some degree..

* I'm pretty sure this is a refinished dial, not OEM as indicated I am confused

* It doesn't say "India" on the dial Frowning

* The packaging, while safe & secure, was a royal PITA to remove I am crying

But if it's a redial it's a pretty good one. The lack of Country Of Origin on the dial's no deal-breaker, though I was rather counting on it. And, of course, I can't really hold the latter against the watch, though it's a pet peeve of mine. The watch was, you see, encased in bubble-wrap, then completely covered with clear cellophane packing tape. Worse, once I got the bubble-wrap off, I found that the watch was in a small zip-lock bag, and that too had been completely encapsulated in packing tape. Eek! 'tis almost enough for me to leave this joker negative feedback! I am angry!

One good thing is that the acrylic crystal is quite clear. And..

HMT Ashok
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

..while not exactly pristine, the all-SS case is not over-polished, and in decent enough shape. It's a nice size at 36mm X 41.5mm x 10.5mm, accepting an 18mm strap. The caseback..

HMT Ashok
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

..is screwdown, quite clean, and the thread engagement is A-OK. It looks to have a brand-new gasket, too. The crown is a push-pull, appears to be SS, nicely knurled, and is 4.5mm in diameter.

One area where there was no disappointment is..

HMT Ashok
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

..the movement. WIS Honeymoon It'd never win any beauty awards, but it's freshly serviced, clean as a whistle, and runs just Jim Dandy! Thumbs up! Way too soon to make a call on the going-rate, but over the past ~ 3 hours it appears to be running spang-on in synch to Atomic Time. WooHOO!

One thing's sure..

HMT Ashok
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for supersized photo

..it wears Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr8! Cool And, yeah, I chose that strap especially for you, Bro, Murphy. Laughing

I suppose I should also mention that the strap the seller supplied was a bit of a let-down. A black 18mm genuine leather, tapering to 15mm at the buckle, the quality was actually quite decent. But it had a gold-tone buckle and, for me, that's a no-go on a silver watch. Thumbs down Mind you, the point's basically moot since, as usual, 'twas way too short to fit me ankle-sized wrist. One thing that did cheese me off is that the seller used..

Stock photo

..single-shoulder springbars Oops! and I was forced to cut them in order to remove the strap. Thumbs down I managed to do so without destroying the strap or nicking the watch, but it was dicey. Eek!

So. Bottom line. While it might appear that I had more niggles than Is Happy Day! with this watch, I'm actually pretty darned happy with it. Cool Indeed, when I think about the fact that I can now strike from my List Of Watch Brands I Will One Day Own, I'm positively stoked! WIS Honeymoon

Thanks fer readin', y'all!

Cheers!

-Ricky
Messages In This Thread

Is Happy Day! HMT Ashok 17-jewel Handwind - First Impressions & Mini-Watch or Accessory Review Image Attachments URL

 Ricky Lee 593 November 12, 2011 06:11PM

Will a Titan or Timestar be on the "list" next? (n/t)

 tingrin 50 November 13, 2011 03:47PM

Actually a Titan already IS on The List. Wink Image Attachments URL


What I was really after was a Made-In-India watch, so it was kinda sorta HMT or Titan.

Now that the HMT has arrived, I almost struck Titan from the list, too.

However, I'd really love to own one of the Edge models, which are..

Photo by Reto

..one of the thinnest watches in the world. So, for now, stays on The List. Smile
 Ricky Lee 42 November 13, 2011 05:04PM

So exotic. Very cool Ricky Thumbs Up (n/t)

 JP 39 November 13, 2011 11:22AM

Handsome watch and solid reliable movement, congratulations. (n/t)

 Paul J Costa 46 November 13, 2011 09:16AM

Good watches !SmileThumbs up! Enjoy it, Ricky! (n/t)

 IF 49 November 13, 2011 05:41AM

Very nice. I have two HMT watches and both run pretty much flawlessly. Great strap choice! (n/t)

 AlbertaTime 46 November 13, 2011 04:27AM

Congrats Ricky! It does look good! So if your happy with it

I'm happy for you.
 Timemiser 40 November 12, 2011 11:16PM

Great! Thumbs Up RL, Can you not see >>

>>where it says INDIA on the dial? I can see it in your first photo, just outside the minute chapter, from 33 to 31 minutes. I see it on my monitor. laughing
 Dave Murphy 58 November 12, 2011 09:13PM

Well, on my monitor.. Jpeg Attachments


..'tis more like . I am confused

But, yeah, I see it now. Blushing

This is a case where "The Camera Is Merciless" works as an advantage, 'cause that is not legible to the naked eye! Eek!

No! I swear! Crazy! Loco! Laughing
 Ricky Lee 47 November 12, 2011 10:14PM

+1, I now see it too Laughing (n/t)

 Need_Omega 53 November 12, 2011 09:31PM

NICE find! Thumbs Up Cool Congrats Ricky! (n/t)

 cmoy 49 November 12, 2011 08:16PM

Congrats Ricky. Do you know what's on the dial below "17 Jewels"? TIA Smile (n/t)

 Adam in NYC 71 November 12, 2011 06:30PM

At first I thought 'twas a letter from the Hindi alphabet. But.. Gif Attachments

Stock photo

..that would appear not to be the case. Oops!

So.. no, I don't have a clue. Blushing
 Ricky Lee 68 November 12, 2011 06:46PM

I really like those HMT's......great looks......nice movements.....great prices.......

Congratulations.....this may also put a check on another geometrical location of watch brands in your collection too heh?
 dano0 60 November 12, 2011 06:26PM

Yup, as my first Indian-made watch, it does indeed expand my Watch Geography. Smile (n/t)

 Ricky Lee 44 November 12, 2011 06:42PM

Well, it does look pretty good Thumbs up!Thumbs up! (n/t)

 Need_Omega 43 November 12, 2011 06:25PM

Update! Watch related news! on my latest acquisition.

November 15, 2011 01:39PM

That would be the Ashok 17-jewel handwinder. Smile

HMT Ashok
Click HERE for larger photo or HERE for Watch or Accessory Review

Sure, I checked the PR and Going-rate.

On the one hand, the Power Reserve more than lived up to my expectations at 45h 52m. For some reason, I thought I'd see under 40-hours. I am confused

OTOH, the going rate is mildly disappointing at -8 sec/day.

As I've mentioned many times in the past, a slow watch drives me bat-guano Crazy! Loco!, to the point where I'd much prefer +80 sec/day over -8. Crazy! Loco!

However, I tend to cut vintage watches more slack, and especially so if they don't hack. (And this one doesn't hack.) So, while I'd much prefer that the going rate to be on the positive side, for right now I'll call it Close Enough For Rock 'n' Roll. Thumbs up!

Cheers!

-Ricky


"They can tak' oour lives, but they cannae tak' oour troousers!" -- Battle cry of the Nac MacFeegle
Messages In This Thread

Update! Watch related news! on my latest acquisition. Gif Attachments Jpeg Attachments URL

 Ricky Lee 135 November 15, 2011 01:39PM

Very nice looking watch, Ricky.Thumbs up! (n/t)

 Mark C. 45 November 16, 2011 07:34AM

Why not just adjust it?

Nice-looking watch, Ricky. I think it deserves a nice black leather strap.
 Smaug 48 November 15, 2011 09:05PM

I just don't want to fool with it at this point. Wink


Partly to give it a chance to "settle in". It's just had a COA service, remember.

Then, too, -8 sec/day really ain't bad, my prejudice against a negative going-rate aside.
Quote
Smaug
Nice-looking watch, Ricky.
Thank you!
Quote
Smaug
I think it deserves a nice black leather strap.
Well.. I'm not much of a Leather Fan, remember. Wink

But, yeah, I reckon that'd look pretty good! Mind you, finding an 18mm XL to XXL leather strap for less than the $14.99 I paid for the watch is a bit of a challenge... Laughing
 Ricky Lee 41 November 15, 2011 10:44PM

More info for you...I think the logo under the jewel cound on the dial is actually the HMT logo....

I have it on my Janat, which means public in american. That is the only thing I could figure.
 dano0 49 November 15, 2011 05:29PM

Doh! Oops! Thanks Bro. Dan, you are absolutely correct. Gif Attachments


I checked the Official Website, and snagged this logo...



Also, seems they are much more focused on..



..tractors nowadays. Laughing

In fact, as far as I can tell, all the links to their watch content are defunct. I am confused Makes me wonder if they are currently still producing watches at all...
 Ricky Lee 51 November 15, 2011 10:28PM

Good to hear it isn't too bad Thumbs up! (n/t)

 Need_Omega 35 November 15, 2011 04:23PM

SmileThumbs up! (n/t)

 IF 33 November 15, 2011 01:41PM


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