# Laco Lacher NINJA=SUPERB



## song31 (Mar 31, 2007)

loving this guy- came in a few days ago- wears like none of my other 45mm's thanks to the taper design, nice sturdy ETA mvmt- great service from guys at timequest-


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

Ninja? You got me with that thread title. I was expecting some model I hadn't seen before, but nice catch; the Einsatzuhr is a special piece. It's on my wish list, so hopefully it'll still be available when I'm ready to buy. Funny thing with particular watch, it doesn't appear too many people fool around with strap choices. Are you planning on keeping it stock or trying a few different straps?


----------



## song31 (Mar 31, 2007)

haa- yeah- sorry to excite and such  agree on strap- I could see a leather black working and may try it- I do like the rubber- feels "right"


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

How did you manage the Mirrorred image?


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

Janne said:


> How did you manage the Mirrorred image?


Looks to me like he was holding his left arm over the right side of his chest and took a picture of the watch in a mirror, which would explain why it's upside down and backwards.

Song31, it certainly does fit you well. That's one of the great features of the Squad, it works equally well for righties AND lefties. Brilliant.


----------



## Highwayman (Apr 26, 2011)

I got this watch eariler this year & it's my favorite out of the 18 that I own. This particular LACO--I wear only as an "On-Duty" watch as I patrol the freeway's of California. I went through a lot of watches in my career and this one takes a beating and doesn't miss a beat! I'm a fan of the stock strap. A great battery operated winder in my locker keeps it running & the guys at Timequest were awesome. Wearing at $650-750 watch on the road may seen crazy, but the quality FAR out weighs the cost! Great catch!


----------



## Rusty_Shakleford (Jan 19, 2011)

Highwayman said:


> Wearing at $650-750 watch on the road may seen crazy, but the quality FAR out weighs the cost! Great catch!


That's where we all differ from regular people. That seems like a reasonable price range to wear in the field. I'm looking for a used Squad right now with the intention of wearing it in Afghanistan so I definitely get where you are coming from...

RS


----------



## Zenrag (Jun 6, 2011)

Just purchased one of these from Tony at Timequest. Great transaction; quick! Really looking forward to receiving. I may not be using in a "work" or field environment, but the watch is a real good looker of one!

Cheers!


----------



## song31 (Mar 31, 2007)

I got bored very fast of her sadly- wears weird on the wrist, doesn't sit quit right, but thats me- at first loved the reverse shape of case thickness but then it tired


----------



## Rusty_Shakleford (Jan 19, 2011)

I kept a WTB post alive for about a month looking for a used one but had no luck. I ended up doing with a Tactico TC1 for my new watch. I'd still like to get one of these but it'll be a while at this point unless I score a wealthy benefactor somehow. Not much chance waiting on that so I'm back to slowly saving up.

I think that a Laco Squad would fit perfectly into this part of my meager collection...


----------



## gretsch (Nov 17, 2011)

I've had my squad for about a week (thanks to Tony from timequest.us), the day after it arrived I decided to buy a Sinn 103 st sa from a forum member (locally), I thought I would or could sell the Laco to offset the cost (when I saw the Sinn I knew I had to have it, sort of made me think my Laco purchase was a perhaps a newbie mistake). After getting the Sinn I decided I still want to keep the Laco. I like the weight (heftier and larger than the Sinn), also really like the simplicity of the Laco, unique enough I think to keep (also I don't want to wear the Sinn when doing physical type tasks so will keep the Laco as my go to tool watch). I was intitially drawn to the Laco fliegers and I still really like their dials. The squad seems to be +/- 5 sec/day so very happy with the timekeeping. After having the squad for a few days I was thinking that the 3 marker rings (the dial, the hour numbers, bezel font/markers) are all different styles, I wasn't sure if it had a thrown together sort of look or if that gave it that look of a bit more utility. I showed it to a friend that appreciates watches and he said it reminded him of Deiter Rams (the well known German industrial designer with many recognized consumer products made for Braun), my jeweler liked the dial, he said it actually looked like a gauge or cockpit dial more than some watches that are designed specifically for that look (also my really picky sister likes it!). I showed it to a very sweet gal that said it looked cheap, which for some reason made me feel good! I really like the knurled sides of the rotating bezel, very tool like (the watch to me in my hands feels like a real tool, like a gun sight or an accessory for a military instrument). After getting the strap broken in it feels very solid and right on my small 6.5" wrist (I was really worried about that!), I actually like how the bezel is elevated above the wrist (I like that I can hook the cuff of a shirt under the bezel if necessary). Here are some wrist shots I had my friend take with his new iphone (sorry for the dust, "I do stuff" when I am wearing the watch, also sorry about the gross close-ups of my tired old skin!). Also I had it on my right wrist because I had the Sinn on the left!


----------



## Ian in Ottawa (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks very much for the pics and info gretsch. I recently had to choose between this watch and the Steinhart Triton 100 ATM Black. I chose the Triton and while it hasn't arrived yet I can say that I intend to purchase the Laco Squad Ninja as well. It's just too cool and different to resist. Whereas the Triton is a pretty traditional diver's style watch the Laco is different enough that having both won't be like owning duplicates. I was concerned about my 6.75 inch wrists, but your photos have resolved that issue for me so thanks again.


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

Ian in Ottawa said:


> and while it hasn't arrived yet I can say that I intend to purchase the Laco Squad Ninja as well. It's just too cool and different to resist.


More temptation for you Ian :-d:

















(my wrist in 7 inch FYI so not far off)



Uwe said:


> It's on my wish list, so hopefully it'll still be available when I'm ready to buy.


Strange thing is I don't see it on Laco's site any more (I got it off amazon just recently) - so maybe it's at end of line ??
(Unless I've missed it somewhere)


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

watchma said:


> Strange thing is I don't see it on Laco's site any more (I got it off amazon just recently) - so maybe it's at end of line ??
> (Unless I've missed it somewhere)


No, only the quartz version is currently available - and it's the SS version. Laco rolled out new Squad watches last year and I suppose that put the writing on the wall for the "older" model. If need be I'll have to buy the quartz version; as a rule I don't buy quartz watches, but to miss out on this unique case design would be a real shame.


----------



## Ed.YANG (Jun 8, 2011)

watchma said:


> View attachment 819326


Just couldn't help... Whenever i see the LACO NINJA... I would kind of compare it to...








Which one of these 2 is more suitable for the tactical force use?


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

@Ed Yang - hmmmm maybe .... 

I love the look of the Laco , I've given it the nickname of the dinner plate LOL

Uwe - Maybe you can find it somewhere? , there seems to be stock around, like I said Amazon had it here (I only got it a week or so ago) , Laco's model number is (was) 861632 if you didn't know


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

Ed.YANG said:


> Just couldn't help... Whenever i see the LACO NINJA... I would kind of compare it to...


I don't think it looks anything like the Triton; there's certainly no similarity in their cases. Either way, the Triton is a dive watch, so I don't see how it would be better suited for tactical use. Even the bezel on the Squad (why have people started calling it a "Ninja"?) is better suited to tactical use as it's a count-down timer as opposed to the Triton's elapsed time bezel.


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

watchma said:


> Uwe - Maybe you can find it somewhere? , there seems to be stock around, like I said Amazon had it here (I only got it a week or so ago) , Laco's model number is (was) 861632 if you didn't know


You're probably right that it could be found somewhere. I'm certain you can still pick one up on eBay. However, I'm on a watch purchasing hold right now until I find a new job; in the meantime I'll be keeping it on my "Wish List".


----------



## Ian in Ottawa (Sep 9, 2012)

Thanks very much watchma. I can tell you that my jello-like resolve melted and I ordered the Squad Ninja from Tony at Timequest. He still has a couple of the black ones left and a few in silver. Interestingly, the black one I'll be getting has a different face and bezel than the ones pictured above. I'll post a pic when I get the watch but basically it is all lines instead of numbers on the face and the bezel (is the proper term hash marks?) and actually has a pretty cool look. The silver ones he has left are the same version as the one you included in your post. It's interesting that Ed.YANG in his post also mentioned a comparison between the Squad Ninja and the Triton 100 ATM. Guess I'll see in person soon enough. The Squad should be here by the end of this week, but the Steinhart will be a while yet since it's not due to ship until the end of Sept and will be coming from Germany - CAN'T WAIT.


----------



## Lencoth (Apr 29, 2008)

Sort of begs the question: what do you need for tactical force use. BTW, are you planning to use the watch actually in that kind of setting?


Note: This was in reply to a post that has now disappeared, strange!


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

Ian in Ottawa said:


> Thanks very much watchma. I can tell you that my jello-like resolve melted and I ordered the Squad Ninja from Tony at Timequest. He still has a couple of the black ones left and a few in silver. Interestingly, the black one I'll be getting has a different face and bezel than the ones pictured above. I'll post a pic when I get the watch but basically it is all lines instead of numbers on the face and the bezel (is the proper term hash marks?) and actually has a pretty cool look. The silver ones he has left are the same version as the one you included in your post. It's interesting that Ed.YANG in his post also mentioned a comparison between the Squad Ninja and the Triton 100 ATM. Guess I'll see in person soon enough. The Squad should be here by the end of this week, but the Steinhart will be a while yet since it's not due to ship until the end of Sept and will be coming from Germany - CAN'T WAIT.


LOL_ Excellente

Interesting - you should quote the laco item number that should be on a sticky label on end of box and on the plastic tag attached to the watch itself, both usually have the euro price on there too.

Maybe they had to sub a dial in at the end of production or something?



> and a few in silver


If that's the 2824 driven model and not the smaller quartz , I thought they'd all gone long (ish) ago ?, they certainly have over here in euroland


----------



## Ian in Ottawa (Sep 9, 2012)

LOL_ Excellente

Interesting - you should quote the laco item number that should be on a sticky label on end of box and on the plastic tag attached to the watch itself, both usually have the euro price on there too.

Maybe they had to sub a dial in at the end of production or something?

If that's the 2824 driven model and not the smaller quartz , I thought they'd all gone long (ish) ago ?, they certainly have over here in euroland[/QUOTE]

Hey Watchma, here's the info on the black Squad I've ordered. I've never tried to attach a photo to a post so have no idea if this will work but here goes.


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

Yeah it worked ;-)

Weird , it's not the model I was expecting , right price - same as mine, same movement

But its like a countdown bezel instead of my elapsed - or is that the other way round, and the 1-12 inner ring on mine and you've got minutes - there's a name for that I think , gotta go for five 0 battery gonna dump on me 

maybe they do a different model for different territorys?


----------



## Ian in Ottawa (Sep 9, 2012)

Tony at Timequest said he did have the same model as yours but they were all sold out and he only had a couple of these left. Said he had bought all of the remaining stock of Squads from Laco and once they were gone that's it with the replacement coming out soon at about $100 more than the original price of this model. I thought it looked nice so took the leap. They tried to deliver today while I was at work so will have to go and pick it up tomorrow. Then I'll try to post an on-wrist shot or two.


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

As far as I know right now there is no like priced replacement, you have this lot https://shop.laco.de/en/Squad-Watches.html

Maybe they'll bring another out later this year

The thing that puzzles me is the August 2012 in your PDF, I was around way before august this year looking at Laco's , I didn't see it on the website then?

Try googling Laco 861605 and all you come up with is this thread more or less??, put Laco 861632 in and its all over the place - I'm stumped


----------



## Ian in Ottawa (Sep 9, 2012)

HMMMMM - now I'm stumped. Well, I should know one way or another by tomorrow but I'm a little concerned myself. Perhaps I'll send that .pdf (which Tony at Timequest sent to me) to Laco in Germany and ask them for more info on that model.


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

It's a bit weird, all I can think is it's a special model for a certain territory/retailer/distributor? , but why it doesn't come up on google with multiple hits like every other Laco model number I've checked recently is a mystery.

Timequest is a big outfit over there isn't it?


----------



## Ian in Ottawa (Sep 9, 2012)

Timequest is a Laco distributor in the U.S. I live in Canada but there are no Laco dealers that I could find here and since I'd seen on this (and other) forums that Timequest was a great place to deal with I went to them (and I'm quite sure all is on the up-and-up). You're probably right about it being a one-off model, end of run model or something like that, but I think I will ask Laco because it would be neat to know the story behind this particular model.


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

Ian in Ottawa said:


> but I think I will ask Laco because it would be neat to know the story behind this particular model.


Darn right!  Let's know what they say|>


----------



## Ian in Ottawa (Sep 9, 2012)

watchma said:


> Darn right!  Let's know what they say|>


OK - here we go. First off here are some pictures of the watch. Second here is the response from Laco when I asked about this model:
_*The model 861805 is our Navi special watch, which is the forerunner of model 861632 squad watch. We produced the model 861805 again in a small quantity for TimeQuest Watches this year. The specification you attached on your mail is our official one for this watch*_. And finally as you've no doubt noticed in the photos the bottom link to which the rubber band is attached has the cut out for the crown same as the top link. I've sent a question to Tony at Timequest asking why and have sent the same question to Laco. Overall, I'm very pleased but would prefer that the bottom link not have the cut-out like the other Squad watches I've seen.


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

as I guessed a special batch - still interesting 

Re the cutout , I'm only surmising but I expect they were using up excess parts bin ? would have added to their costs to have some noncutout ones made for this last batch ?


Looks cool if you can look past the double cutout, maybe Laco can supply a noncutout for you if you really want as a spare part?


----------



## Ian in Ottawa (Sep 9, 2012)

I sent Tony an email and a picture. He's ordered the proper link and will send it to me. Hopefully replacing it is something I can do myself, or perhaps I should take it to a jeweller to do.


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

Cool
With something like a Bergeon 6767F it's easy job


----------



## pavel36 (Mar 20, 2012)

Uwe W. said:


> No, only the quartz version is currently available - and it's the SS version. Laco rolled out new Squad watches last year and I suppose that put the writing on the wall for the "older" model. If need be I'll have to buy the quartz version; as a rule I don't buy quartz watches, but to miss out on this unique case design would be a real shame.


I also tried to track down the PVD version of Laco Squad (ref. 861632) , but no luck so far. 
Talked to Tony from the timequest, but he is out of stock as well. Though he does have couple left in the stainless steel version (46 mm automatic) and that other PVD version that has no numbers on the face that looks strange... 
Anyhow, while waiting for a response from couple more shops, I inquired with this watch availability to Laco directly, and got a response that this model should be available again early next year .... 
So I guess I will be checking laco shop site until it appears and for now admire wrist shots on wus...


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

pavel36 said:


> I inquired with this watch availability to Laco directly, and got a response that this model should be available again early next year .


----------



## pavel36 (Mar 20, 2012)

watchma said:


> View attachment 843368
> View attachment 843369


In a mean time, I was lucky to find one on amazon.co.uk at discounted price of 364 pounds...not bad ... Ordered yesterday and is in in the mail now


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

pavel36 said:


> In a mean time, I was lucky to find one on amazon.co.uk at discounted price of 364 pounds...not bad ... Ordered yesterday and is in in the mail now


meh  that's not discounted......;-)

That's where I got mine this summer a few weeks back now, but I got it for £314 after deducting a summer (£50 off any amazon watch over £200) discount they were doingb-)b-)b-)b-)b-)

*That's discounted !

Still.... you'll love it - it will have the laco euro tag on showing €490


----------



## pavel36 (Mar 20, 2012)

watchma said:


> meh  that's not discounted......;-)
> 
> That's where I got mine this summer a few weeks back now, but I got it for £314 after deducting a summer (£50 off any amazon watch over £200) discount they were doingb-)b-)b-)b-)b-)
> 
> ...


...actually I gotta thank you, the only reason I checked the UK amazon is because I saw a post here in show you laco thread saying that you got that model on amazon UK... Prior to that I contacted every retailer who had that watch from US to Europe and Asia - all without success... I am very excited as I should have it by the end of the week


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

I'm glad you're gonna finally get one after searching one out so heavily|>


----------



## pavel36 (Mar 20, 2012)

Well it is here.. and i still consider myself lucky getting in for £364..Now they are listed for £569.71!!!
I ordered the last one they for had for £364 on Monday and am wearing it now...


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

pavel36 said:


> Well it is here.. and i still consider myself lucky getting in for £364..Now they are listed for £569.71!!!
> I ordered the last one they for had for £364 on Monday and am wearing it now...


Are they on drugs or something ???!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

The amazon price of the whole LACO range has now gone completely bonkers ?????

For instance:

a rostock from Laco is 350euros, amazon now have it at £463 ?!?!

a munster from Laco is 650euros, amazon now have it at £828 ?!?!

a paderborn from Laco is 650euros, amazon now have it at £916 ?!?!

I could go on but .........

Do they know something weird about the £/euro exchange rate that we don't:-d:-d:-d

At the other end of the scale an Augsberg that's 198 euros from Laco, amazon now want £249

Something tells me they now don't want to sell Laco?, there must be a bargain that they've missed out in the lineup:think:


----------



## watchma (Jul 11, 2012)

5 days later and they've all(?) dropped again to more normal prices

How weird is that, that Paderborn that was 916 is now *5*16

and your ninja is back down to £364


----------



## RunningLate (Nov 21, 2012)

_*Laco Squad/Dive/Ninja*_ - 46mm Automatic

Here is a 46mm automatic Stainless Steel Laco listed on eBay [link to ebay auction deleted].

I have also been told these Laco Squad watches are out of stock across the nation, and I do not know if the Stainless version is even being made again. As mentioned in a previous post, Laco is allegedly raising prices $100 bucks when they start producing the PVD version again. I have also read where a few owners question the PVD durability, which is why I am drawn to the stainless steel version.


----------

