Budget Bond Collectors Resource

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  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    @RonBerry That looks great! But if you're still in contact with them, I would strongly recommend that they remove the mention of Bond in the product sub-title. Apparently some people have been having issues when they promote a non-Eon endorses product with the character. And I'd hate to see them run into any trouble since they're offering a solid (and very traditional) product at a fair price.

    I'll include it in an upcoming post with credit to you for the work!

    Cheers!

  • GaryorangeGaryorange Posts: 160MI6 Agent

    How about this from our reliable friends at Mango for Orlebar Brown Octopussy Jacket?



  • goneontheroadgoneontheroad Posts: 168MI6 Agent

    Has everyone seen the behind the scenes shots of Knives Out 2? Looks a lot like some of the looks just featured in John’s “the golden age of Hollywood” might be fun to pick that look apart while we wait for the bond release. Would love to know the shades and love the pink, linen cocktail cuff.

  • The Red KindThe Red Kind EnglandPosts: 3,119MI6 Agent

    Nice work Ron. That woolypully looks like a good alternative.

    "Any of the opposition around..?"
  • emtiememtiem SurreyPosts: 5,686MI6 Agent


    That looks a terrific job, well done.

    Oh yes Goodwood is amazing: something tells me you'd love it! :)

  • RonBerryRonBerry Posts: 17MI6 Agent


    Thanks John @canoe2 ,

    I've spoken with their team and they are going to revise the name to exclude James Bond.

    Cheers all

  • Westward_DriftWestward_Drift Posts: 3,085MI6 Agent

    It's 4th of July Weekend in the US, so there are a number of sales going on.

    Billy Reid has 25% off clearance items with code EXTRA25

    East Dane has 25% off with code SUMMER

    And if anyone is interested in the O'Neill Bamboo Shirt as an alternative to the DAD Brioni Havana Shirt use the code SUMMER25


  • CheverianCheverian Posts: 1,446MI6 Agent

    canoe2, you've pulled your old CR Armani alternatives. I'm sure the links were outdated. But I seem to remember that there was a leather jacket manufacturer from the UK that wasn't Wested (wasn't in the replica business at all but simply had a passable alternative). Do you recall the name?

  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    Hey! Sorry, just heading back from a 5 day road trip with the family. Yes, I removed that post because it was way out of date. Give me until tomorrow and I'll check the back up to see if I can find the name of the company.

    Cheers and happy 4th to those of you in the U.S.!

  • kristopherm3kristopherm3 Posts: 156MI6 Agent
    edited July 2021

    Hey Cheverian, this is what the Wayback Machine internet archive is for! Is this the info you're looking for? https://web.archive.org/web/20190121220314/http://www.iconicalternatives.com/2016/05/03/casino-royale-armani-leather-jacket

  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    @kristopherm3 Wow that was a blast from the past! I didn't even think IA was big enough to get stored in the Wayback Machine 😂 Anyway, thanks for doing that and I hope that gave you the info you wanted @Cheverian

    New post: alternatives for the Lazenby/Moore/Dalton era Rolex watches

    Hopefully I got all the details right. But if one of you watch experts sees anything I screwed up, please let me know and I'll fix it (with credit to you for catching my incompetence!)

    Cheers all!

    John

  • emtiememtiem SurreyPosts: 5,686MI6 Agent
    edited July 2021

    Lovely choices! I've not seen that WMT before, I agree that value-wise it doesn't make a huge amount of sense but I think it's one of the more handsome ones there. And the branding is actually very pleasant, unlike a lot of homage houses. No idea what their quality is like though.

  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    Yes, there are some nice ones out there right now. I agree on that WMT. Nice looks, but I just don't know what the extra cash gets you. So many of these micro-brands screw up on the logo. The Pablo looks like great bang for the buck on paper. But a first-time watch from a new company? I don't know if I'd risk it. If I was buying, I think I'd go with one of the Steinhart Oceans. Good specs, decent price and the company is pretty ethical and has been in the market for a while. Here's a good review of the watch from this year (very honest):

    Cheers!

  • emtiememtiem SurreyPosts: 5,686MI6 Agent
    edited July 2021

    Yes they are supposed to be good (although the conclusion of that review is rather mean-spirited and snobbish). Again, San Martin do a very well-regarded submariner homage (not the one I posted above), although perhaps not to the model numbers you're looking at here.

  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    @emtiem I agree with you about the end of that review. Definitely had a tone of, "well, if you have to buy a cheap watch ...". But I did appreciate that there was a decent amount of honest information in it.

    If anyone feels like taking some time off from watching the match, preparing to watch the match or recovering from watching the match (😁) there's a new post on IA. 4 Favorite Bond Looks with Jake Gerba!


    Jake is a really talented bass player, movie lover, super creative and one of the nicest guys I know. If you haven't seen his videos on IG, I strongly recommend checking them out. They always put a smile on my face at a minimum. He shared his favorite Bond looks with me and then I tried to recreate them using affordable alternatives.

    Cheers all!

    John

  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent
    edited July 2021

    I also have to include this video Jake did for the post:

    Enjoy your Sunday, everyone!

    John

  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    Time for a new Best Budget Style Finds


    @RonBerry I included the WPG commando sweater with credit to you for making it happen! Also, there's a solid option for Bond's CR La Perlas from a company called D'Amont. They are offering IA readers a 20% discount on the price (the swim trunks are on the expensive side). I'm not getting paid to promote them or anything like that, but I thought it was nice of them to give us a bit of a break.

    Cheers!

    John

  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    Morning all! New post is up in the Summer of Adventure series: How to learn to SCUBA Dive!

    The guy I spoke with, Ryan Hoffman of SCUBA Network, is also offering us a 20% discount on the e-learning component of the Open Water course, which is pretty nice! Next post I have planned in this series is on rock climbing. And this weekend I'll have the next post in the Summer Style Icons series on Riviera style in the 60s, so that should be fun!

    Cheers!

    John

  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    Happy Sunday! Well, a small technical melt down erased half of this morning's post. So I woke up at 4:30 to basically re-write 50% of it. And here it is: the next entry in our Summer Style Icons series looking at Riviera Style in the 60s and 70s

    I'm gonna head outside away from my computer for the rest of day. Good chance I'll throw it across the room if another glitch happens. Cheers!

  • CheverianCheverian Posts: 1,446MI6 Agent

    I was glad to see you taking inspiration from Delon: definitely a huge style icon.

  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    Oh yeah! Delon definitely proved that style is 90% attitude. I've been wanting to explore other style icons for a while so it's been fun digging in and researching all these. I'm looking forward to doing the next one on Hollywood cowboys and rebels. Should be some interesting finds!

    Cheers!

  • The Red KindThe Red Kind EnglandPosts: 3,119MI6 Agent

    Another great article John. It was the golden era of style. I'm very happy to see such a resurgence and return to this style in recent years.

    "Any of the opposition around..?"
  • SpectreBlofeldSpectreBlofeld AroundPosts: 364MI6 Agent

    There's a new AliExpress NTTD Seamaster homage that is the best looking one I have seen yet:


    It's called the 'Octopus Kraken' (Octopus being the brand and Kraken the model).

    Call me crazy, but I dig it more than the original, which has 8 (!) lines of text on the dial (if you count the Omega symbol and ^ symbol). Love the comparatively clean look, the name with the logo built into the word OCTOPUS that looks like a Bond movie poster logo. It doesn't hurt that the logo is an inverted octopus symbol (the same one on crown and on the second hand), and when inverted, it looks like the gunbarrel logo.

    The usual downside for these homage watches are goofy brand names, ugly logos, etc. IMO this one actually surpasses the original, at least in photos. I actually prefer the solid hands (vs skeletonized) and the coin edge bezel to the beveled one.

    Info for the watch nerds:

    >PT5000 Automatic movement, 28,800 VPH 4hz (Omega's 8800/8801 beats at ~25,200 VPH).

    >Sapphire lens with blue anti-glare coating

    >Lumed ceramic bezel (most homages don't have the lumed bezel).

    >Swiss C3/BGW9 superluminova lume

    >A claimed 300m water resistance (!). That's equal to the Omega...

    >Helium escape valve (assuming functional, assuming the depth rating is true.

    >Signed crown and caseback.

    >316L stainless steel case (vs titanium, making the Heimdallr still the only homage I know of with a titanium case).

    I ordered one yesterday, couldn't resist. Came out to a hair under $300 after shipping. They have a website, but it's about $50 pricier there than AliExpress.

    I've had the Pagani Designs homage since last month sometime. If you guys want, I can do a comparison between the two when the Octopus Kraken comes in. I'm eager to compare the lume, because that's easily the weakest aspect of the Pagani. I'm also eager to evaluate the PT5000 movement, as I've only read good things about the accuracy so far (it's still pretty new). Calibur Corner's test unit incredibly had perfect accuracy in their testing, without losing or gaining a second all day, regardless of orientation: https://www.instagram.com/p/CLqYQ6xHQsB/

    Meaning the movement at least has the potential to be as accurate or moreso than the Omega (though may need to be regulated).

    It'll probably be a few weeks before it arrives.

  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    @SpectreBlofeld That one looks nice! I'll be updating the post on the NTTD watch in September and would love to share your feedback on it and the Pagani.

    Sorry for the absence, gentlemen. There was a sad (but not unexpected) death in my family and so I had to do some travelling these last two weeks. But I'm back at it now and have just updated the post on the Brosnan (and CR) era Seamaster 300M.

    I'm sure I've missed some great alternatives (I also seem to when it comes to watches 🤔) so I look forward to hearing your suggestions!

    Cheers all!

    John

  • emtiememtiem SurreyPosts: 5,686MI6 Agent

    Sorry to hear that John, thanks for the new article!

  • HalfMonk HalfHitmanHalfMonk HalfHitman USAPosts: 2,324MI6 Agent

    Condolences, John. Hope all is well.

  • BodieBodie Posts: 211MI6 Agent

    Sincere condolences John

  • The Red KindThe Red Kind EnglandPosts: 3,119MI6 Agent

    My condolences John. Wishing you and your family best wishes.

    "Any of the opposition around..?"
  • canoe2canoe2 Posts: 2,007MI6 Agent

    Thanks guys, and apologies for falling behind again. Still catching up with some the family stuff which is taking a bit more time than expected. But I really appreciate the understanding!

    Cheers all,

    John

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