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#23324 - 01/14/04 02:11 PM Opinion on Chase-Durer watches...
Polak187 Offline
Veteran

Registered: 05/23/02
Posts: 1403
Loc: Brooklyn, New York
Friend of mine swears by them as a survival watch. Especially the underwater demolition model with is about 500 dollars... Any opinions on durability, design, functionality?

How about tritium being as bring as luminox stuff?

I have Omega SeaMaster I bought me self when I graduated but I will not use it in the field. It is my official tuxedo, suit, 007 night out watch that sits in my gun safe. Other watches that I have are source of my complains and those are Luminox navy seal and Marathon. I'm still looking for a perfect watch.

Matt
_________________________
Matt
http://brunerdog.tripod.com/survival/index.html

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#23325 - 01/14/04 03:40 PM Re: Opinion on Chase-Durer watches...
Anonymous
Unregistered


I believe there is no such thing as the perfect watch for a person on the go, so to say, at least those of us who get our hands dirty.
Your policy of having a "suite" watch and a work/activity watch(s) is best.
When did you ever buy "one" of any gadget and be satisfied with it? People who come to this site are "gadget freaks" by nature and as such, we will most likely want a variety of whatever we want to own, price permitting.
I too have "suite" watches, I tend to go with TAGs.
For camping, hiking, etc, I have an assortment of different makes, etc.
My most reliable and best all around "outdoors" watch is a Westclock, believe it or not. Wind up, stop watch, glow in the dark, etc, about 30 years old, a gift from my parents prior to going overseas while in the army.
Also picked up the obligatory Seiko while there. Works fine, but too bulky.

We always go to the watch counters to see what is new and what will catch our eye.
I tend to go with the analog versions rather than digital.

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#23326 - 01/20/04 05:10 AM Re: Opinion on Chase-Durer watches...
red_jeep Offline
Journeyman

Registered: 01/22/02
Posts: 54
Loc: Raleigh, NC
I received a Chase Durer Blackhawk Mach 3 as a gift a few months ago. So far performance has been excellent as far as reliable timekeeping and durability go. I've only changed it at Daylight Saving Time changes, and doing a hack with a GPS or NTP synchronized time source always yields the correct time, as far as my eyes can discern. Chronograph and Tachymeter functions work nicely. The alarm is a bit difficult to set to a very specific time, but woks well for an analog wristwatch alarm. This model doesn't have the full-fledged E6B flight computer, but I'm not a pilot, so I don't really miss it.

The only thing I've found lacking is the "Tritium/SPO" illumination. This is not a gas-filled glowing vial, but a compound requiring activation from an outside light source. It does, however, last longer than standard "glow in the dark" compounds.

Hope this helps!
-Matt

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#23327 - 01/26/04 10:04 PM Re: Opinion on Chase-Durer watches...
Anonymous
Unregistered


I've had a Blackhawk for about 5 years now, and here's my 2 cents....

-keeps time: excellent. Once when I was really bored, I did the 'track via "atomic" time to see if it keeps accurate time' bit, and it hardly lost or gained a second throughout a week. A month later, it was still within a second or two.
-design: the plasti-rubber/steel bracelet is a letdown; if they offered a pure steel band, I'd go with that. Normal wear and tear of day to day wear led to the near breakthrough of the plastic (polymer?rubber?compound?...whatever...not the steel part) portion of the bracelet. Taking it in for a battery change, they broke the band completely, but paid to replace it. If it's on your wrist, it's durable...just don't put it in an envelope and then jam it into a briefcase.
-durability: excellent. I'm too chicken to actually wear it in a SAR operation, or any field use where it could get broken in a...uh...'non-compliant suspect' arrest. (Department might pay for a Timex...but no way in heck will they foot the bill for one of these.) But it has been around on vacation, surviving bangs that would scratch other watches. The crystal is still perfectly clear after all these years of bumping into the junk I carry on my belt.
-chronograph: keeps perfect time when compared to digital. Mind you, digital *much* more useful and easy to read *all* times. On the Blackhawk, you'll need 20/20 to discern the actual minute and fractions of seconds...particularly if the hands are blocking that particular portion of the watch face.
Since the bezel is marked in 10 minute times, and not a 'real' flight computer, this isn't the watch you want as a backup if you are a pilot who is looking for a flight computer backup. The numbers for those calculations are a bit on the small side...
It's possible though...just not easy.
Also...the bezel has an annoying tendency to rotate a few minutes when you're wearing winter gear and it rubs against your jacket wrist cold-flap thing or gloves. Since it's unidirectional, you've got to crank it all the way around, hoping you don't go one click past 12.
-alarm: mediocre. Not the most accurate thing to set, not very loud. Has limited 'snooze' capacity. When alarm is on, watch isn't waterproof...be warned.
-night use: depends on situation. The illumination is 'painted' on the dials, not little vials of tritium like some others. Very bright when 'charged' (particularly with blue light...mine seems to glow for a loooong time when charged with it). 'Charge' wears off in time...it's much better than those with luminous markings which disappear in seconds. You can actually read it throughout the night. However, say you're driving...the light from various sources will be enough to throw off your night vision, and that glow on the hands, which is perfect for darkness, becomes difficult to read.
-'cool! Let me see that watch, dude! factor' <img src="images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> : extremely high. Even if you're dressed very casually, salesmen and casino hosts at certain places realize that you're good for a few hundred bucks, seeing as how you bought a watch like that and will treat you like a sucker...er...like a valued customer...accordingly.

Cons:
-since there's no way to gauge battery life, one day you'll check your watch at noon and see it's five o'clock. Then you've got to bring it to a jeweler for a battery change...and make sure they don't tear the gasket, or waterproof goes out the window.
-bracelet/band isn't very adjustable; you may find it slides up and down a few inches on your arm, or is too tight. I'd get an all steel band if they made one for the Blackhawk.

Perfect watch? Nah...but not bad. The perfect watch would be the Omega X-31 or X-33...whatever...the "Mars" watch...loud alarm, digital displays for variety of info, along with an insurance policy that asks no questions when it's broken for whatever reason. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

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#23328 - 01/28/04 01:16 PM Re: Opinion on Chase-Durer watches...
Polak187 Offline
Veteran

Registered: 05/23/02
Posts: 1403
Loc: Brooklyn, New York
Squido,

thanks for your input... it is definiatelly an eye catcher and a conversation starter... I have it since last thursday and allrady did quite a few calls with it. It is a solid piece and I expect it to last me quite a few years. Problems with bazel and hand glow you described I have already experienced. I wish the illumination was little brighter and with my luck they will come up with imporved version in few months. But it is a good watch and I'm really looking forward to put it to test during sping kayaking season.

Matt
_________________________
Matt
http://brunerdog.tripod.com/survival/index.html

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#23329 - 01/28/04 10:53 PM Re: Opinion on Chase-Durer watches...
Anonymous
Unregistered


You won't have to worry about an 'improved' one coming out. After plunking down the cash and being unhappy with the light, I had a few emails with C-D. They said something along the lines of the tritium illumination they use is adequate, and they weren't able to do the vials which some other watches have. When I pressed them on this, I got the impression from the person I was speaking with that they knew of the inadequacy, but some corporate suit was concerned about lawsuits should "liquid concentrate tritium" be released in a breakage. So, while I guess they'd 'like' to fix the problem, they *can't*. If you notice, all of their lines, even ones that are larger and have a deeper face that could accomodate vials, don't.
I blame the "McDonald's Hot Coffee Lawsuit" for this mentality.
Enjoy your watch...just remember to keep it dry when the alarm is on, and make sure down the road the jeweler doesn't tear the gasket.
And you wear it on calls? Man...you're braver than I am! <img src="images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

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