I've always loved machines and engines.
I like a bit of nostalgia too.
Here's a 1962 Twin Tub in action - I spent many happy hours in the company of a machine just like this as a child!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvs1aJ7ES60
Have you got a favourite machine or engine?
My Princess was metallic bronze - exactly the same as the one in Gaydon museum. I had a beige Marina for a while too.
The UK is expert in producing high-end and specialist vehicles.
There are two problems with mass car manufacting - the first is that cars are too reliable these days - they just keep working. Cars used to rarely get to 10 years in the past - now, a 15 year old car is still almost like new.
The second problem is globalisation. The venture capitalists create a new car factory in some backwards 3rd-world country and they produce perfectly competent, bland, boring little cars for tuppence. They get badged as a new Ford or VW and sold for a fortune in the West. Factories based in the west cannot possibly compete.
The manufacturers are trying to blame everyone and everything for their managerial incompetence but the public now see cars like a washing machine so it's getting more difficult to shift their overpriced products.
The Princess was great
I liked my dad's, it was very nice and roomy. His was that BL/Austin beige that they used on so many cars, Itals, Marinas, very much of it's time, but that's the appeal. Unfortunately his ended up absolutely wrecked. The brakes on his were faulty. Thinking of it though quite a few design points on the Princess and Ambassador have stayed around now that you point it out.
It really is a shame what has happened here. The Leyland DAF factory, gone, Rover, gone, Land Rover, on the brink, Jaguar, on the brink, and for public transport and Metro Cammel, gone. All of these factories were a big part of the community here. I can walk to the Jag factory in 15 minutes. I used to walk to work past the visitors entrance, and there was an XJ220 and an F1 Jag in a big glass building. 10 feet from the pavement. The worlds fastest production car at the time, and an F1 car made just down the road. I walked past them everyday. They're gone now, and from the rumblings I hear from people that work there Jag might be at risk too. They made the Spitfire engines in that factory. Shame if it's gone.
All mechanical movements "tick" - it's just a case of how noisy it is. When you're setting a watch to rate the watch timing machine works by using a microphone to record the movement noise, and you adjust the rate of the watch by changing various things to get the different sounds the movement makes to occur at the right frequencies.
I know that all movements tick, but with a higher beat rate, it's not noticably audible to me. I mean the 3600 BPH, tick. It irritates the life out of me, lol. I use Audacity and a microphone to regulate. It's very precise, and Audacity is free. I own quite a few decent microphones for recording music. It works just as good as a timegrapher. I always keep to the reccomended BPH for the piece though. Have you ever regulated a watch to run at a totally different beat rate? Say 28800 BPH to run at a 21600 BPH? I'd imagine the wheels need to be changed to a different ratio.
For every day wear I prefer a nice simple face. I like the face style of the early "field watches" and "fligers" too, but I'd want a sapphire crystal in the back so I could watch them working :-).
Yeah, I'm that type of guy too! I'm not even that keen on a day function, sometimes a date is a bit unnecessary too. I like the Hamilton Khaki Field mechanical that was recently released. No date, and that faux old radium feel is really nice. ETA movement but my main gripe about ETA's, isn't a factor because they actually harden the crown wheel. Sinn is a brand that has some nice display backs. Hamilton Khaki King is one other watch that would spring straight to mind. I see display backs as a potential weakness. I got rid of my Hammy for a Seiko Alpinist. The 6R15 is a movement I like, plus the 20 ATM water resistance appealed to me. It's a "marmite watch", but I've found it much more practical. Archimede and Aristo make some nice stuff with display backs. Sapphire crystal of course! I don't know why Seiko palm Hardlex off on the rest of the world, but manage to use Sapphire in a lot of JDM models.
The thing is, for a "Swiss" watch, how much the watch costs bears very little resemblance to what movement it has in it.
I've seen a few "designed by ...." boutique "jewellers" watches, that cost over 20k with 2824-2 movements.
And many of the "Swiss watches" have ETA movements.
I've seen German and British watches with Selitas and ETA's. The German brands such as Sinn, do put some of their own touches in and harden stuff. I'm a guy who does give his auto a "bump" sometimes by winding. Stock ETA's really don't like winding. I'm actually quite enamoured with the Miyota 9015, because it loves to be wound. Ugly as *** but that is a nice thing.
The ETA movements often go back to the earlier manufacturers who were bought up by the Swatch group on the cheap when the Swiss watch industry was taking a battering from Japanese etc. Quartz and digital watches.
Lol, yeah, the "Quartz crisis" worked out well for Swatch. The scooped up some prestigious brands!
I spent a year doing a watchmaking course part-time, and compared to Chinese knock-off versions of an ETA movement the ETA version was light years better quality and far easier to work with!
That's something I'd like to do myself. Must have been great! When we're talking Chinese knock-offs, you mean Seagull, not Selita! The Selita is pretty good. The SW300's especially. I would say that though Sinn use them, and I'm a big Sinn fan. Some say over-engineered but I've never had to de-mag a Sinn, never had the case fog, and never had a scratch on one!
I'm quite partial to some of the IWC, CWC, Laco watches.
You are a man of taste! IWC love the anti-magnetic stuff. Soft iron shell, anti-mag "faraday cage", CWC are British history, and Laco make some wonderfully simple but classy designs. I like Sinn, Hanhart, JDM Seiko, and there's a Canadian microbrand called Halios I like, original designs, robust, and they don't make too many of a piece.
Yay proper old school .... a kickstart AND a carburettor ;-)
If you ever get to visit Ryhope Engines Museum near Sunderland when the machines are operating you are in for a treat! Here's a video - it's even better in real life of course as you can smell the coal, oil and grease! m.youtube.com/watch
Simple but very satisfying!
That is really fascinating! I've never known anything about Larry Adler's campaigning work.. must have slipped past me somehow. I've got a vague recollection of the Gershwin album - will follow up both of these leads - thank you!
Totally understand the emotion - I was tearful when a Spitfire flew overhead when we were at a regatta then waggled its wings to say goodbye.
And I'll never forget a Lancaster appearing out of nowhere at an air show and roaring overhead (oh joy, I've just found a YouTube called Merlin engine sounds!)
I get to do lots of bird of prey things - my daughter does displays for the public.
This is her latest little boy.
We did Bovington recently too - also, Monkey World is just around the corner.
All mechanical movements "tick" - it's just a case of how noisy it is. When you're setting a watch to rate the watch timing machine works by using a microphone to record the movement noise, and you adjust the rate of the watch by changing various things to get the different sounds the movement makes to occur at the right frequencies. Clocks can be rated differently depending on the movement.
For every day wear I prefer a nice simple face. I like the face style of the early "field watches" and "fligers" too, but I'd want a sapphire crystal in the back so I could watch them working :-).
The thing is, for a "Swiss" watch, how much the watch costs bears very little resemblance to what movement it has in it. And many of the "Swiss watches" have ETA movements. But you could find an ETA movement in a relatively inexpensive watch, but also the same ETA movement in a very much more expensive watch. The ETA movements often go back to the earlier manufacturers who were bought up by the Swatch group on the cheap when the Swiss watch industry was taking a battering from Japanese etc. Quartz and digital watches.
I spent a year doing a watchmaking course part-time, and compared to Chinese knock-off versions of an ETA movement the ETA version was light years better quality and far easier to work with!
I'm quite partial to some of the IWC, CWC, Laco watches.
