u/richstillman — reddlx

How is the new app with the OG Steel?

I've been holding out with the old app because my testing with the new app on a spare phone showed problems. I haven't checked it for a while and I know there's been constant improvement in the app.

I have already unistalled and reinstalled the old app once and it's a pain on Android 16 since A16 blocks installation of older software like this. I'd like the next time I install the new version to be the last, but I'd also like to be able to switch between the Steel and my new PT2 as an actual watch, which requires the new version.

Does anyone have recent experience using the Steel with the current app? Let me know what you found. Thanks.

reddit.com

u/richstillman — 2 days ago

▲ 10 r/quartzwatches+1 crossposts

What do you do with the rotating bezel?

Here are two of my Citizen watches. The one on the left is pretty much my daily these days. The one on the right needs fixing - the minute and hour hand don't move, but the watch keeps accurate time based on the second hand and the movement of the date. Both watches have rotating bezels but neither has the lume dot needed for diving.

I use the bezel sometimes as a countdown timer or to measure elapsed time, but I'm curious what uses other people have found for this mechanical complication. I'm particularly interested in the bezel on the right, which has very little readable information on it.

Do you wear a watch like this, and if so, how do you use the bezel?

u/richstillman — 2 days ago

▲ 9 r/Vintage_bicycles

Some of my bikes: 1948 Raleigh Tourist

I just dug back in my storage room and unearthed a few bikes, which I'll put up here in some kind of order - interesting bike, best pictures (I couldn't move them all yet), age.

This one tops all three lists. This was my father's Raleigh DL-1 Tourist, which he bought and rode on AYH tours after leaving the US army post-WWII. The bike is in remarkably good shape and complete except for the chainguard which he removed and the saddle which just fell apart sometime in the 1970s. Even the frame pump is original.

The Sturmey-Archer AW 3-speed hub has a "48" date on the shell. There is a month also but I couldn't get under to read it. Classic trigger shifter from before they modernized the cover engraving. The front rod brake shoes are not on the bike but only because I moved them elsewhere to remove the front wheel the last time I moved the bike.

I'm not sure whether the tires are rideable, or how hard it is to get tires the right size and bead for 28 inch rod brake rims. I pretty much can guarantee, having ridden the bike long ago, that I wouldn't want to test the brakes on any street that isn't going uphill. Anyway, the bike weighs 45-50 pounds and I'm not going to take it off the ceiling hook just to snap a couple of pictures and put it back.

Enjoy the pictures. Between the giant wheels, the frame size I could just barely fit on, long wheelbase and the ridiculously shallow frame geometry, this bike was a hoot to ride back in the day. I could picture my father descending the back side of a mountain in the Catskills and wonder how he ever survived long enough for me to be born.

https://preview.redd.it/51zesob0fq0h1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9fa1633979aa7ccc80ab39443acbec3687bb9123

https://preview.redd.it/zudb9l65fq0h1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed997ff0b48cfc1fa851888e6d29e32a8044be59

https://preview.redd.it/hwm7c628fq0h1.jpg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=180f34b73bbb272196463ca8b2939ff2748051b7

https://preview.redd.it/42ebwp4afq0h1.jpg?width=4096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=587811c962984365b3908142fb75a706dcdf4f8a

https://preview.redd.it/owliju0dfq0h1.jpg?width=6560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b7d1f9163092daecedd65c18a1441bcffca0787a

https://preview.redd.it/oiw40b9xfq0h1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72664785d788e8029d07a72610cadb4dcbb5caaf

https://preview.redd.it/hpore7rdgq0h1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=23ce8df2a3d21a29faf38b9de68fb6712b74f9ca

https://preview.redd.it/l3h8i6wegq0h1.jpg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=02d7aad9c09ce221ab70b3d921f6c5fcdd397ea1

reddit.com

u/richstillman — 9 days ago

▲ 3 r/ChinaTime

Quality question - real vs. fake

A few weeks ago I bought this watch for just under $60 on dhgate:

https://preview.redd.it/1pb1f72uo40h1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f89dd7f1132783546e8e06e63dc57ee5f2fb7381

Overall I like it and I'm happy with my purchase, especially considering the price, but the one thing that bugged me is the off-center day display. It varies from one day to another - Sunday is well-centered, Monday is worse than the Saturday shown here - but for the price I'm willing to put up with it.

The other day I was walking past a local shop that sells vintage watches. Their inventory is well regarded and authenticated. This watch was in the window:

https://preview.redd.it/cdx2vyp8p40h1.jpg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d4e8470e684f120916acfada97afa1477ec3b35e

As you can see, the centering is even worse than mine. I'm not sure which of these possibilities is real:

Rolex is OK with off-center day registration, so I should be too.
The watch in the window has some serious damage, causing the registration problem.
The shop is selling a fake Rolex.
DHGate accidentally sold me a real Rolex that has the same problem as the one in the window. (A guy can hope).

Looking to this group for some insight. I've only bought the one watch and don't intend to grow the collection, but I'd like to learn how to spot a fake, which is the actual reason why I bought mine. Seeing this one for sale in a place that doesn't sell fakes made me wonder. Thanks in advance.

reddit.com

u/richstillman — 12 days ago

▲ 28 r/pebble

I got the watch April 20th with 51% battery. Ran it down to zero and charged for about an hour past full. Won't do that again but I wanted to get a full initial charge cycle. Just took it off the charger and updated the OS, and this is what Muninn reports. We'll see.

I was impressed with the 15 days I got on the initial shipping charge. I even turned off standby mode so it would drain faster. Now standby is back on and will see how long the thing lasts to 20%.

u/richstillman — 15 days ago

▲ 4 r/banjo

Hi all, I've just posted a YouTube video with sound clips of four banjos: a new Gold Tone Grandee, 1988 Gibson Greg Rich era Granada, a 1929 Gibson Style 6 original flathead 5-string conversion and one mystery banjo. The sound clips are audio-only, and there's a form for you to leave your opinions of the sound.

All of the Grandee reviews I've seen, including the comparison videos, show you the banjos as they're played. This is a chance to judge the banjos by sound alone. After enough responses, I will post another video identifying the banjos in the clips.

I proposed this video to Gold Tone a couple of months ago, and they were intrigued enough to send me a Grandee on loan. We've had no other conversation since, and they have not seen or had input on the video. To me, that shows tremendous confidence in their product, and as I've set it up and played it over the past few weeks I'd say that confidence is justified.

This video is purely about the sound. After the comparison test is over, I plan to post another video reviewing the Grandee itself, showing details of the banjo construction and pointing out some of the design differences between the Grandee and the original Granada design. I may also do a comparison (with video) of the Grandee and an OB-3 Twanger that I have owned for several years.

You can watch the video at https://youtu.be/aIAzY4MMGW4 . The link to the voting form is in the comments. Check out the sounds, and leave your opinion on the Google form. Enjoy!

u/richstillman — 21 days ago