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Hi, Rusty!
I have just looked at a picture of your Casio watch.......it looks neat!
My "old" Ladies' resin watch was also a Casio...I had it for about twenty years!
Very reliable...and it managed to resist being magnetised!
I only replaced it recently when the casing itself broke.
Ah, I never thought of a Cockneyism as simply being a dropped aitch...I was looking for a rhyming slang!
Thank you for explaining that!

Hello, Elle!
Yes, the Casio is a smashing watch.
They describe it as a "retro classic".
I've had quite a few over the years. All identical.
If I went to the cobbler to get a strap for it, I'd be dearer for the strap than I am for the new watch.
When it arrives, I'll test it to make sure it is not a counterfeit watch.
If it is, I'll send it back and let eBay know.
I've noticed there are much less London/ Cockney related clues lately.
I prefer it that way.

Rusty, Elle, I too had Solti in yesterday's puzzle - but only from the 'Maestro' bit. I've just looked at the Times blog/website and the explanation didn't help me much! The solution comes from musical terminology. If you use a certain key (musically), the G in the clue gives Sol and the B gives Ti. I can see that, but I feel that solvers didn't get much to steer them towards the musical stuff - 'GB possibly' doesn't indicate much to me!

PS My explanation might be slightly garbled, my eyes glazed over when I read the tonic sol-fa stuff.

re Solti (Maestro in GB possibly)

in Music - notes of the Sol Fa scale
C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C = Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do.

(taken from the Times blog)

Apologies Malone. My typing and reCaptcha took longer than expected

Thanks, Cerasus. I still feel 'in GB possibly' didn't give solvers much to go on!

I agree there was no definite indication of GB being connected with music

Thanks again Cerasus - I just took your musical notation stuff as a tidier version of what I'd been trying to say!

I agree that there wasn't really enough to make the link with the musical scales, notes.

Good morning Malone And Cerasus!
Gee whizz!
I would not have parsed that clue in a million years.
The setter is away ahead of me on that one!
My knowledge of musical notes is minimal.
Anyways, thank you for explaining it.
It's good to have a loose end tied up!

Rusty, glad we could help - well, glad we could pass on some 'helpful' information! I was relieved that you didn't answer with 'ah, of course, I see that now'.