Tag Archives: Wednesday

by Anthony Baker | August 25, 2021 · 6:00 am

Wednesday Watch Day! The Next Best Thing

A Guy’s Gotta Dream

Welcome to another episode of Wednesday Watch Day. I hope you are enjoying these weekly trips into my personal horological world. However, my best assumption is that you’ve almost got to be a watch nerd to read past this sentence 😉

Anyway, are there things in your life that you wish you could have, but reality has whispered in your ear, “Get real”? I’m that way with a particular brand of watch – Tudor.

See the source image — Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41 (Retail: $3,050)

And when it comes to Tudor watches, there are three that I sometimes daydream about. One of those is the Heritage Black Bay 41 with a black dial (I’ll tell you about the other two, later).

Now, I don’t want to go on and on about the Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41, but some details may help lend perspective. This particular watch is 41mm in diameter, made of stainless steel, and has a scratchproof sapphire crystal. It also has a screw down crown at the 3 o’clock position, a screw down solid case back, and has a water resistant rating of 150 meters (500ft.).

Inside the Tudor is the caliber 2824 movement (based on the Swiss-made ETA 2824) which has 25 jewels and bits at 28,800 vph (vibrations per hour). Besides being very accurate for a mechanical watch, this smooth movement give Tudor an approximate 38-hour power reserve.

Reality Ain’t So Bad!

Here’s the reality: unless I become a famous painter, author, or pastor of a church with a big, golden globe rotating behind me when I preach, I’ll be saving a long, long time for a Tudor.

However, just because I can’t afford a Black Bay 41, that doesn’t meant I can’t have the next best thing, a Seiko SRPE55!

Honestly, I love my Seiko and wear it more than any other watch in my collection. To be specific (because I have an app on my phone that track all this stuff), my SRPE55 has a wear rate of 12.5%, compared to the next-most-worn watch at only at 7.5%!

And why shouldn’t I love it? I mean, look, if you didn’t know anything about watches, a quick glance at both would make one question the huge price difference. They look very similar and the Seiko even has a day/date complication and a longer (41 hour) power reserve!

My watch on a page from a Tudor catalogue. Left-Right: Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41; Seiko SRPE55; Tudor Heritage Black Bay 36 (all to scale)

Look, there are real, honest-to-goodness reasons why Tudors cost 10 times the amount of a Seiko (although you can pay over $5 grand for some Seiko’s). The 4R36 movement in the SRPE55 has 24 jewels and operates at 21,600 beats an hour, but it’s not as smooth at the Tudor. Neither is the water resistance rating of 100 meters as good, partly due to the push/pull crown.

But that’s not all the differences; the Seiko only has a “Hardlex” crystal, not sapphire, which is more prone to scratches. But the real differences go much deeper than a casual glance can see, and these differences are what demands a much higher premium for one and not the other.

However, the Seiko DOES have a pretty open case back 🙂

True Beauty

You know the old saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

There’s another saying you may know. It goes like this: “True beauty is more than skin deep.”

But if true beauty is more than skin deep, and if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, who can actually see the true beauty?

I know Who! He’s even the One who invented time!

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the LORD sees, for humans see what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 CSB, God speaking to Samuel regarding Eliab, one of David’s brothers

Samuel listened to God and didn’t choose the “next best” option. Looks weren’t everything.

But I think the Lord would still prefer me stick with what I’ve got 😉

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Filed under watches, Wednesday Watch Day!

Tagged as horology, Seiko, Tudor Black Bay, Tudor Watches, watches, Wednesday, Wednesday Watch Day!

by Anthony Baker | August 11, 2021 · 6:01 am

Wednesday Watch Day! Vintage Vostok

Vostok or Bostock?

Spellcheck is having a difficult time with this one. For some reason it thinks I want to talk about a fancy kind of French toast, not a Russian-made watch.

Then there’s all that Russian alphabet craziness that makes things even more confusing – the English transliteration is “Boctok.” It’s pronounced “Vostok,” even if you spell it as Vostoc or Vostock.

Anyhoo…

Welcome to the first weekly instalment I’m calling “Wednesday Watch Day!” where I will dedicate each post to a watch that is currently in my personal collection.

The Komandirskie

What was that? Oh, that’s another Russian word. It means “Commander.” And it’s my vintage Vostok Komandirskie that will be the focus of today’s post.

Why this watch? Well, this is not the oldest watch I own, but it is the watch which I’ve owned the longest (30 years!). It’s also the watch that I bought in the most unusual place.

Back in August of 1991, while on a mission trip to the newly-opened Romania, I spent a few days in Budapest, Hungary. Budapest is divided by the Danube River, and the beautiful Széchenyi Chain Bridge, which spans from Buda to Pest, is where I picked up this piece.

I had already spent half the day walking all over town, but then I came to the bridge. No more than 100 feet across I was stopped by a guy that reminded me of the men in movies with long trench coats. He asked, “Buy a watch?” Well, I think that’s what he asked. I mean, he offered me this cool-looking watch with a Russian star on it and seemed to want my money in exchange.

Honestly, by the time this moment had rolled around, I was looking for anything at all that I could take back as a souvenir. I had no idea if what I was buying was legit, overpriced, or a great deal. All I know was that I paid around 25 dollars for this watch, which was more than likely what they were going for new at the time, at least over there. But you can pick a new one up these days for literally less than $50.

Memories

I have a very eclectic collection of watches. None were purchased as investments, and only a few have any real resale value. The fact is that most all the watches in my collection hold sentimental value or are attached to some story in my life. That’s why this watch is one of the most important ones.

When I bought this watch back in 1991, I had just about concluded a month-long trip to eastern Europe during which I rode an overnight train through Transylvania, saw Roman ruins, gave out hundreds of Bibles to people who hadn’t seen one in 70 years, and led nearly 80 people to Christ! Every time I wear this watch I remember those days.

Specs

So, let’s finish up with a few important details. First off, Vostok is a Russian watchmaker that in 1965 was contracted by the Soviet government to create and supply watches to the military. The Kamandirskie was the first model developed and is still be manufactured with very little changes. It is a simple, manually wound tank of a watch that mirrors the non-complexity of the typical Russian weapon. It ain’t fancy, but it works – and will keep working.

Case diameter: 39.8mm
Thickness: 11.5mm
Lug width: 18mm
Lug-to-lug: 40.8mm
Screw down crown
Screw down case back
Stainless steel case
Omni-directional, friction based bezel
Plexiglass crystal
17-jewel manually wound movement

So, that’s it for this week. Next week we will look at my next-oldest watch, one my wife bought for me 🙂

Bible Translations, Wisdom Literature, and Daddy-Daughter Conversation

If the title of the post wasn’t enough to intrigue you, what else can I do?

As everyone knows, churches aren’t able to have normal services these days. That is why whatever we do is either being shared live on Facebook or YouTube, or else we are pre-recording content to be shared at regular service times.

Well, this past Wednesday my daughter Katie and I sat down and discussed Proverbs 26. It was such a blessing for me, mainly because we don’t get to see our children that much anymore. On top of that, she’s getting married, soon.

If you have a few minutes, why not watch the attached video? Besides talking about a few key passages in Proverbs 26 (especially verse 10), I share my thoughts on Bible translations, especially my personal reasons for not being KJV-only.

But before some of you get upset, let me go ahead and set the record straight. I believe in the verbal plenary inspiration of the Word of God. I also believe that it is without error (in the original manuscripts) or contradiction.

Yet, for the most part, I still use the KJV when I study and preach. I would just encourage you to listen to my full, heartfelt explanation of my beliefs on the matter. Even though there’s a few of you who disagree with me on this subject, I hope you will understand that I still hold a very high view of Scripture. It is the final, revealed Word of God.

Have a great weekend, everyone! And if you want to join us live on Facebook this Sunday, look up @BethlehemBaptistWarthen at 11 a.m. 🙂

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Filed under baptist, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Bible Study, Church, Family

Tagged as bible study, Bible translations, Family, proverbs, Wednesday

by Anthony Baker | September 25, 2019 · 8:11 am

5 Reasons to Stay Home On Wednesday Night

Hey, don’t be ashamed! Listen, you don’t have to feel guilty for NOT going to church on Wednesday night. It’s not like it’s the Lord’s Day, or something, right?

Look, should that crusty, old, Bible-thumping preacher come at you with a large-print Ryrie, using words like “backslidden” and phrases like “God rewards faithfulness,” just hold your ground. There are actually several reasons why staying home while the faithful few gather to pray is perfectly acceptable.

5 Reasons to Stay Home On Wednesday Night

1) The Genesis Argument. Wednesday was not the day on which our Savior was resurrected, nor is it the Sabbath; it was the day the sun, moon, and “lesser lights” were made. Therefore, should we “go back to Genesis,” the most logical thing to do on Wednesday is enjoy the sun till the moon comes out, then rest under the lesser “night” lights until Day 5.

2) 2 Timothy 2:15. Even the Apostle Paul would approve of you staying home on Wednesday night instead of heading over to where the worshippers are gathering. Was it not Paul who told Timothy to “study to show thy self approved”? Hey, you’ve got homework to do! If you make a bad grade you WILL be ashamed.

3) Old People Like Saving Money. Only the old people go to church on Wednesday night. Modern people, especially the younger ones, aren’t used to going to church “every time the doors are open.” For crying out loud in an unknown tongue, everybody knows the doors are open too much as it is, anyway.

Seriously, staying home to watch a movie…going out with friends…making ready for the weekend to the the lake…hey, all of those things would save the church money by not having to keep the lights on for an extra hour and a half. Don’t the older, depression-era saints like saving a penny?

4) We Can Pray Anywhere. The older generation needs to get with it! We don’t have to meet on Wednesday nights to pray; we can pray anywhere and anytime – that’s in the Bible! And for that matter, if we could just do a group message on Facebook we’d all save a little gas and driving time. Besides, this generation would rather text than shake a hand or hug a neck.

5) Sunday Is More than Enough. Let’s be honest, all the Christianity one needs can be gotten on Sunday morning from 11:00 to 11:47 a.m. (no need to stay for an invitation or after-service chit chat). Early Christians met on the Lord’s DAY, not night.

So, even though there are millions of people in the world who daily risk their lives to go to church whenever they can, this is America; we’re getting along just fine. Besides, the fewer times we meet the less risk we run of a church split, and who in the world needs that?