Why... Why... Whyyyy!!!!! Why this thread!! I just got over Maratac Mid Size Pilot... Now this!!!! I WANT IT!!
I drooled over these for over a year before I got one. I celebrated a new awesome job by getting the larger pilot one and I never regretted it. My GF wigged over the price point but almost every time I wear it out I get wide eyes and people ask me about it. Its heavy and well built and I love the weight of it. Pretty durable and water proof. I don't wear it daily but I savor it when i do wear it out. This is such a nice timepiece I kind of don't care about other watches I look at. I don't need all the crazy stuff offered in high end watches. This watch is going to be passed on or I'm going to be buried with it lol.
I had one of the Large Pilots for about six months. I have a 9 ΒΌ wrist and loved the watch, hated the thin sword/pilot style hands. If it had Tank, Sinn, Explorer or a Military Ladder style hands I would have kept it. Good thing is I sold it for $25.00 more that I purchased it for and bought a Hamilton.
Same with @sammyblades, I love mine. Well built, robust, and lots of presence on the wrist. Love the design, very minimalist and utilitarian.
Great watch. Clean looks. Hard to find something like it in the price range. I have owned the original large pilot, and now have the large red pilot. I think I am going to sell it. lol. I have a problem with not holding onto things.
If you want the real deal, take a look at LACO. Very interesting story behind this watch. you can find them on amazon
Don't own one, but every time I go to their site, their shipping policy ($9 min per item, two item onwards, $17) turns me off. Of course, this is no reflection of the quality of the watch, but I avoid dealers with shady shipping practices. If you want one, look on the watch forums - they turn up a few times.
I've had one for about two-three years. It has gone back to CountyComm twice for service because the movement keeps getting stuck at the same time. I wasn't expecting much from a Miyota movement, and after my experience with CC, I don't expect much from their customer service. At the end of the day, it's hard to be mad, especially for how cool the watch looks at the price point. It's not built to last forever and could benefit from better internals, but overall, I love the original-style mid pilot.
And their ship times are beyond slow. Usually when they show up second hand, they seem to have an inflated price. I read about this before. I don't know if it was your case I read or not. But it seems like for the most part people are very happy with the watches and the level of quality. Its the customer service that leaves something to be desired. I have owned several of these watches and have to say that I have never run into an issue with the movements. I have run into a couple of shipping related issues, and they were remedied immediately with almost no response given.. just a resolution mailed. Overall, for the price it is a great watch.
When I ordered my Maratac Pilot Watch on a Friday they took multiple weekdays of the following week to get it shipped, which meant that it wouldn't arrive until after the next weekend and well into the second week. You know how it is when you've ordered an item you've been lusting after for a while, and the order just sits there for days before it even ships. I sent an email expressing my disappointment, polite, but I did say something along the lines of "pretty weak guys" Boom. That was all it took for a representative that identified himself as Steven to cancel the order, have UPS intercept the package mid-shipment and order it returned it to CountyComm (wish they could have been that ambitious about shipping the product...) When I (aka the customer) called CountyComm to apologize for my strong language ("pretty weak guys") and ask that my purchase be completed, he was unsympathetic. He advised me that their watches weren't for everybody and that obviously this one wasn't for me. All in all it was an educational experience. His tantrum cost the company around $11.00 to $15.00 for the UPS interception, plus whatever it actually costs to ship and handle packages. Because he apparently didn't understand how the internet works I got one of the watches from them anyway just over a week later. And I got a little insight into Steven's character at CountyComm. So in short, if you're dealing with CountyComm, I don't advise pressing them, they're sensitive.
ah.. internet. it's wonderful and very wonky at the same time. things happen. glad you got your watch.
Wow I had just the opposite experience ordered on a Friday talked to Steve that Sunday he told me he was packing it up as we spoke got it 4 days later. Guess you never know.
I don't own one of the Countycomm watches, but I will say that if the quality is anything like the rest of the stuff I've gotten from them, it's not really worth it. The nylon gear I bought was shoddy at best, the SOLEDs were mediocre, the widgy seems a little soft (might just be me), the trauma shears were nothing special. The two things I like were the Zulu watchband and the steel skull bead. Like I said, I don't own a Maratac watch so take my opinion with a couple of grains of salt. Many people seem to love theirs and they don't seem to have quality issues, but I wasn't impressed with the other Maratac products I have bought. I won't be ordering again.
Don't know if it's bc I live in S. Ca so shipping isn't very far but I've ordered a good amount of stuff from them over the years and I've always gotten my things within two days (ordered tue am would receive thu etc). And all the products I bought from them were of good quality. Heck even one time right after ordering a copper Maratac I emailed mike to see if he could throw a diffuser in my order and it came with one maybe I've just been lucky And I've been happy with my pilot
I read some County Comm horror stories on here, too but purchased a Maratac Mid Pilot a couple months back. An hour after placing the order I got the UPS notification that they'd created the shipping label and the order shipped out later that afternoon. Aside from slow ground shipping times and the requirement of a signature upon delivery, I had no issues with County Comm. While I didn't feel they held my hand and updated me every step of the way, I had my watch a week after placing the order. Love the mid pilot. It's my first watch that costs more than $50 and doesn't require a button battery! I get some watch compliments in the cockpit, too.
You widgy was soft? I have pryed open metal cabinets and broken up heavy floor boards with mine i even jumped on mine when opening up the wood planks, still as new.. (Exept for very rusty.. All my cc prybars have rust on them)
I dropped mine on linoleum and the edge was noticeably dulled, I had to remove a hinge pin once and there is now quite a large nick taken out of the inside edge of the nail notch. Still usable and it's a tool, so I don't mind it getting used but it just seems a little soft for me. Almost as if it was annealed steel.
