Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms What watches should I wear when driving a Morgan?

My 30 year old present from the long haired Brigadier is all I need if I am away from home and need to wear one, suits me perfectly she knows her man well.

Anyone ever made it to 200Mtrs in a Morgan then ?

They were discussing watches on QI XL last night. Sandi talked about her Dad saying something along the lines of 'always wear a watch that is valuable enough to get you home in an emergency' and said about how he'd once returned from some warzone 'sans watch'.

Thankfully, I don't think I'll get myself is a position where I'll need to do the same. Joanne McNally made some comments on the show which are more aligned to my sentiments

Sort of a well-heeled version of the sailor's gold earing 🙂

K

I have a small inadvertent collection which I’m trying to reduce.

I have my childhood sieko, my late father’s ingersol, and late uncles rotary - non of which are valuable to anyone other than me.

I have a battered Casio that I wear when working on the cars or DIY. I have a black Seiko night sky than my mum bought me shortly before her major surgery.

I also have a Crristopher Ward C3 Morgan watch and a Tag F1 that I no longer wear (and are for sale) now I have my Omega Seamaster. I bought the Omega with some of the money from my late mums estate as she always liked James Bond’s watches!

I’m not a Watch nerd I just like the look of them and (with the exception of the Omega) have accumulated the above more by default than design.

These are the two I use in the Morgan.



I think you recognize the one on the right.
The one on the left I found years ago at a classic car fair.
The color has faded over the years but for that cheap price I didn't expect anything else.
People often ask where they can buy one but there are no details on it, so probably Chinese.

Another problem arises every morning; what to wear?

WOW what a collection.

I thought that my 2004 Breitling Chromatic would go well with the Morgan, as it has to do with flying and driving in the old-fashioned way and it is mechanical with a brown leather strap in a similar way. While I acquired a few nice (to me) watches 25 to 15 years ago, including a Moonwatch, Explorer 1 in 39 mm, an Ulysse Nardin Blue Wave, and other such items, I have now come to realize that less expensive watches can be very enjoyable, not least because they can be worn more casually and carefree in a city. Two years ago, my children gave me a beautiful Smart Moonwatch “The Earth” for my birthday. I wear it the most of my watches now, and it's a wonderful gift that always reminds me of our children. A few years ago, I saw the movie “All is Lost” with Robert Redford alone on his sailboat in dire straits. I immediately fell in love with his Seiko, and now it is forever linked to the story of the film. The watch is no longer available new, but it has a beautiful successor that I intend to buy, also with driving in the Morgan in mind. I am already as excited about this inexpensive watch as a little boy. And it is a completely mechanical piece. It also like to have a dark blue NATO strap.

And in my eyes, it is a fully-fledged Seiko with its own identity and not a Rolex imitation, which it certainly does not want to be. At least, that's how I see it. We were last in Japan in November for the third time in 12 years, and wearing this watch reminds me of that beautiful country.

I forgot, stupid as I am.

I also have a lovely Laco. This reasonably modestly priced watch has a beautiful self winding mechanism and glass back.
It has taken a serious hammering as I use it when doing manual work etc.

https://www.laco.de/en/watches/pilot-watches-basic/altenburg-42/861759.2#product

I do recommend these, lovely quality.

The Laco is a very attractive watch, also in terms of price. However, it is perhaps worth to mention the watch's origins... without wanting to spoil the enjoyment. It is by no means a copy of the IWC Pilot's Watch. The design was created in the 1940s according to strict specifications from the German Reich Aviation Ministry. From this perspective, the Laco is still a very original watch from the manufacturer that still exists and that built it back then, alongside four other manufacturers:

IWC (International Watch Co., Schaffhausen)
A. Lange & Söhne (Glashütte)
Laco (Lacher & Co., Pforzheim)
Stowa (Walter Storz, Pforzheim)
Wempe (Gerhard D. Wempe, Hamburg

On its website, IWC is always a little bashful about the origins of the watch, which it also built for the Nazis at the time, making it just as original as the Laco. Well, the poor watch can't help its origins and the intentions that German pilots in WW2 should be able to read the time well. But it doesn't hurt to know the historical context.

What's missing from this thread is a watch with 12 o'clock oriented correctly for driving, a proper driver's watch like the Omega Chronostop Driver. Designed to be worn on the inside of the wrist so that when driving your classic car you can glance down and read the time without taking your left hand off the wheel.
If anyone wants one I could be tempted to sell it and for a suitable offer I would even throw in the custom watch cushion it's mounted on.