**** Mfas IV - The Voyage Home semi-final ****

[is that my watch]

For those that may not have seen them before we do a comp every now and then when members ask for it been doing them from almost the start of IWL... so the plan buy a watch has to cost under £20 pounds ( or what ever your local currency is to that sum ) plus post (here most try to get the post as part of the £20 pounds - but did say a small amount was over look-able if not excessive )

Then you wait for them,and clean and fix them up if they need it and see whose one wins the most votes and they win a badge .. the glory ..bragging rights... etc etc and a prize of a Chinese 1983's mechanical goddess watch

We are down to the last three watches so changing up the rules for this round it will be multiple choice voting for this round with the highest two voted on going forward to the head to head .

These being .

crownpuller and the zila .

After much deliberation and thinking about last year's 'full restoration job'; I've decided to go the opposite end of the scale with the one that required/requires next to zero effort.
Even though I prefer (visually) both the Avia & the Mira, they both need a bit of fettling and I figured it'd be more in keeping with the spirit of the game if I submitted one 'as bought'.
So, after a rub down with a microfiber cloth; I present:

The ZILA



Purchased as one of a joblot of 6 for £18 (inc. P&P), it ran 'sweet' from the first wind. I've not put it on the Timegrapher yet but it's within a few seconds a day of my Zodiac (chronometer). It came on a Speidel expanding bracelet which is a bit 'yellow' for my liking but kind of goes with the watch; and it's at least wearable... though I probably won't very much.



There's not much to see around the back....



... until you remove the back:



... then it's rather attractive. I can't/won't pretend this wasn't a factor in my decision to submit this one. There's a couple of fine tool marks on it but otherwise as clean as can be.
It's a FHF25 (identified by our competition host ) from circa 1950, and as mentioned above is running very well.

vs

pip and the 1976 citizen crystron lcd .

Well here is my entry: a 1976 Citizen Crystron LCD which is amazingly on its original bracelet with signed clasp. The beautifully modern UFO cased watch comes with a date feature but not the alarm of its slightly younger and much more common fancy pants brother.

I’m still stunned that I got this within the rules of the competition, these rarely come up for sale, even more rarely in working order on original bracelets, and have gone for in excess £200 previously if my research is right. For the sake of full disclosure, the light doesn’t work and I haven’t had time to investigate yet. Other than that it’s fully functional and keeps incredibly accurate time.

So a vote for Team Pippy is a vote for 1976, when the future was still full of spaceships, and every town would hope that one day it would have its own computer...











Argh! An alien UFO!



And almost forgot to show the movement





vs

djw and the Baoxuan

So my entry is this great condition Baoxuan watch made in china .Measuring just the right size for me (lately) 37 mm (Inc crown) and 44 mm lug to lug and 18 mm band. I have been very lucky this time as it came in a little wooden box and looks to be in nearly new condition and with a light polish and a Darlena strap was ready to go.
The beating heart of this 17 jewel beauty is a SN2 movement from the southern Chinese city of Jieyang and apparently a low cost but reliable and accurate thing with about 50 hrs of go in it. There is a link to a tear down by Watch Guy which as usual is fantastic (you can see it here: https://watchguy.co.uk/teardown-serv...watch-factory/

So far it has been quite accurate only gaining about 1 minute a day (which is just great for me)

I really like it especially the red jewel on the second hand and it would have been something i would have bought anyway, and for £16.09 all in and a spare strap i had i think it’s a bargain.











Some of my text has been borrowed from that great Chinese collector Saskwatch . Many thanks.

voting will be done as a view-able vote so those on tapacrap who want to vote can just say here and then when voting finishes will add those to the score on tallying up .. every one is welcome to vote whether they enter anything or not

As always Ismy

[is that my watch]

remember this is a multiple choice vote but once voted that it so you need to vote at one time

[OhDark30]

Tricky.. :-)

[tribe125]

Very tricky. Still thinking about it.

[is that my watch]

yeah I had the advantage of knowing I was going to put the three together gave everyone a warning yesterday to give them chance to think and to remind every one that they could vote for more then one of the watches .

[tribe125]

Zila and Citizen for me.

The Zila has looked like a winner from day one, and for me it’s the most fully-realised design here. It’s also strongly reminiscent of its era. It beats the Baoxuan, and I’m not keen on the short hands that seem to be common on Chinese watches.

The Citizen gets my second vote for its striking contrast to the first, and for its own symbolic representation of its era.

[Matt]

The zilla gets one vote easily for all the reasons tribe mentioned. I still feel shallow going for the Chinese watch, but I'm still going to - Tribe's right about the hands, but even then, it's a beauty.

[Pip]

Wow, a 'medal' position, I'm a little bit thrilled! Down to business: I've had good look at all three again and I like Tribe I have gone for the Zilla and the Citizen as the two that I would wear most out of the three as the Baoxuan hands let it down. If only the second had were a long needle reaching the dial edge it may well have gotten my vote.

[is that my watch]

voting coming along nicely remember multiple choice votes on this one and any one can vote

[Pip]

voting coming along nicely remember multiple choice votes on this one and any one can vote

I’m guessing a few only voted for one - 12 voters and 19 votes so far, which means that only 7 out of the 12 voted for their top two and 5 voted for just one watch. YMMV which in this case means Your Maths May Vary!