The Watch Appreciation Thread - Part two (Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger LeCoultre,

[Newcomer]

I'm coming around on the Laureato. It competes with the Bulgari Octo Finissimo and the Chopard Alpine Eagle rather than the Royal Oak and Nautilus, and I like it more than the Bulgari and the Chopard. (Granted, the Bulgari is the only one I have seen in the metal.) If I was in the market for an integrated-bracelet, SS sports watch at the $15K and less price point, I would give it serious consideration.

As a result of price increases and general unavailability, the AP RO and PP Nautilus and, to a lesser extent, the VC Overseas, has created a niche for the $10,000 - $15,000 SS integrated sports watch. 5-7 years ago, I think most would say splurge for the AP/PP/VC. But the designs from GP, Bulgari, and Chopard are good, they feel more and more like their own thing (although they are somewhat derivative), and there is such a massive price differential that it is difficult to justify the cost of the AP/PP/VC - particularly on secondary where it is impossible to justify.

I still struggle with the fact that you can basically trace every element of the modern Laureato back to a Genta watch. The original was already pushing it with the octagonal bezel, but the case and bracelet were fairly novel and striking, all things considered. The modern one really just is a screwless Royal Oak with a Nautilus bracelet, and it's hard in my eyes at least to envision someone wearing one without having implicit undertones of "man I wish I owned a Royal Oak/Nautilus".

I find the Bvlgari to be a really interesting design because it's secretly a Genta design, and as a whole it takes the octagon motif to a much higher level than the Royal Oak ever did. From that point of view, it could be argued that it's the more integrated and cohesive design. I doubt it will ever be as iconic though, the silhouette is simply too complicated in comparison and it definitely doesn't have the benefit of coming second. I'm told it doesn't wear too well on the bracelet in practice unfortunately, too thin.

The Chopard is one I really don't like very much. It needs no saying where the unnecessary bezel screws come from, and the roman numerals look terribly out of place, being lost on a sports watch and being the exact same size and font as the other indices, so you get a watch that looks like it reads "12 1 1 3 1 1 6 1 1 9 1 1". I also really don't like the stolen ears from the Nautilus (which I didn't even notice until someone in this thread posted an angled shot of the watch), and last but certainly not least, it was pointed out to me that the dial looks like something of a blue puckered starfish. Just not a very inspired design and the original elements definitely aren't flattering either.

As a Bulgari Octo owner and wearer, have to disagree with your comment about it not wearing well. Easily my most comfortable watch.

 

[symphvaria]

As a Bulgari Octo owner and wearer, have to disagree with your comment about it not wearing well. Easily my most comfortable watch.

I’ve never actually tried one in the metal so I will have to concede, I was merely going off of hearsay. It would not shock me at all if it fit some wrists much better than others.

 

[Newcomer]

Why it needs to be a limited edition though!?

Watch brands have subscribed, whole sale, to drop culture. It is rather annoying.

I would be curious to see the number of releases per brand broken down by year over the last decade.

 

[Newcomer]

I’ve never actually tried one in the metal so I will have to concede, I was merely going off of hearsay. It would not shock me at all if it fit some wrists much better than others.

Yeah, you need flat wrists. If you have the right wrist and can get a good fit, it is extremely comfortable. If you have oval wrists, I can see it being extremely uncomfortable.

 

[Texasmade]

Yeah, you need flat wrists. If you have the right wrist and can get a good fit, it is extremely comfortable. If you have oval wrists, I can see it being extremely uncomfortable.

What about if you have really fat wrists and like to wear your watches really tight like it's cutting off circulation? Asking for the president of F.A.R.T

 

[Dino944]

The price increases are a very true point that I'd completely forgotten. We've gone from about $20k to $22.5k in the last 6 years, and there will be yet another price increase this year as always. I suppose with these sorts of things, sooner is better than never. Really, the only thing that's keeping me back is the nervosa that there may be a 39-40mm or similarly sized Overseas sometime in the future that would fit my (and most peoples', really) wrist better than the 41mm.

That Jumbo is stunning on your wrist by the way. I don't know if it's a watch I could pull off simply because the hard industrial aesthetics would clash with my sensibilities, but I kind of wish I could.


It's funny, because I've known for a while that the Laureato came before the Nautilus and the Ingenieur SL, but I always found it odd that the modern iterations also had an obviously Nautilus/Ingenieur SL inspired bracelet and I wasn't sure who copped the look from who. I guess I should have looked up a vintage Laureato to find my answer. Dated as it may look, I do think it's a way less generically Genta-inspired design, and I kind of wish they had put in the effort to modernize it rather than taking the easy way out.

Their price increase hasn't been too bad for a 6 year span, especially in it's price range. Still I know a lot of guys who waited on certain watches, and as the prices increased over time, it priced them out of the watch. I think VC would sell more Overseas watches if they went to 39-40 mm, but with the exception of their limited ultrathin model, the men's models have all been over 40mm for well over a decade. So I don't think there is any indication that they are going smaller especially since the current model was released just a few years ago.

Thanks for the comments on my Jumbo. It's not everyone's taste or style, but it's one of my all time favorite watches.

I think because Genta designed the RO and the Nautilus, and those are the two most famous luxury sports watches with integrated bracelets, that people often think they were released one immediately after the the other. However, the RO was released in '72, the Nautilus in '76 and between them (I think in 1975) the Laureato was unveiled. GP sadly seems to be a brand that is largely forgotten with a series of uninspiring collections in recent years.

I'm coming around on the Laureato. It competes with the Bulgari Octo Finissimo and the Chopard Alpine Eagle rather than the Royal Oak and Nautilus, and I like it more than the Bulgari and the Chopard. (Granted, the Bulgari is the only one I have seen in the metal.) If I was in the market for an integrated-bracelet, SS sports watch at the $15K and less price point, I would give it serious consideration.

I was always a fan of the Laureato, until I tried on a current model. I was very disappointed with how the bracelet felt sort of flimsy, the angle of the "Lug" area drop off is awkward on the wrist, so it didn't sit well on my wrist, and their blue dial in person is sort of a weird blue...dull and it reminded me of laundry detergent. I like the overall look, but I think if I ever went with a Laureato, it would have to be a vintage one.

 

[Dino944]

As a result of price increases and general unavailability, the AP RO and PP Nautilus and, to a lesser extent, the VC Overseas, has created a niche for the $10,000 - $15,000 SS integrated sports watch. 5-7 years ago, I think most would say splurge for the AP/PP/VC. But the designs from GP, Bulgari, and Chopard are good, they feel more and more like their own thing (although they are somewhat derivative), and there is such a massive price differential that it is difficult to justify the cost of the AP/PP/VC - particularly on secondary where it is impossible to justify.



As a Bulgari Octo owner and wearer, have to disagree with your comment about it not wearing well. Easily my most comfortable watch.

Love the Octo, main issue for me is the bracelet. Love the watch, love the design, but I don't like the look or feel of the bracelet on my wrist. That's a watch, that I'd want on a strap...which limits its summer use for me.

The Alpine Eagle, I love the bracelet. Very comfortable, really nicely made and I like the design...I wish I liked the watch as much as the bracelet. Its a very good watch, but it falls short of something I want to own. Maybe I need them to revise it but keep the current bracelet.

 

[symphvaria]

Their price increase hasn't been too bad for a 6 year span, especially in it's price range. Still I know a lot of guys who waited on certain watches, and as the prices increased over time, it priced them out of the watch. I think VC would sell more Overseas watches if they went to 39-40 mm, but with the exception of their limited ultrathin model, the men's models have all been over 40mm for well over a decade. So I don't think there is any indication that they are going smaller especially since the current model was released just a few years ago.

Thanks for the comments on my Jumbo. It's not everyone's taste or style, but it's one of my all time favorite watches.

I think because Genta designed the RO and the Nautilus, and those are the two most famous luxury sports watches with integrated bracelets, that people often think they were released one immediately after the the other. However, the RO was released in '72, the Nautilus in '76 and between them (I think in 1975) the Laureato was unveiled. GP sadly seems to be a brand that is largely forgotten with a series of uninspiring collections in recent years.

Yeah, I think it would be better for me not to fall prey to the "something better around the corner" mentality. It really is a shame that they insisted on following the big watch trend, because I think everything else about the watch is near perfect to my eyes. Well, I guess maybe the lack of hacking seconds and an instant date change is mildly annoying, but it's not like a certain other highly sought after integrated sports watch ran around without hacking seconds for the better part of a decade as well.

Though the Royal Oak has never appealed to my personal aesthetics, I've always found something a bit more charming about the bezel proportions of the Jumbo compared to the 15500. I suppose the less-dial look is a little more vintage and helps to keep the negative space to a minimum. A bit like the 36mm Explorer vs the 39mm, although the Explorer doesn't have a bezel that helps emphasize it as well.

 

[Omega Male]

What about if you have really fat wrists and like to wear your watches really tight like it's cutting off circulation? Asking for the president of F.A.R.T

I will be submitting a membership application to the said gentleman when my new piece of trash arrives, hopefully later today.

 

[pasadena man]

They used to make some decent stuff.

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I was aware of, but had never given much thought to, GP, except for some of their vintage chronographs, which have not been swept up in the vintage chrono boom yet, despite having excellent provenance and movements.

I started toying with the idea of getting a vintage style, gold, rectangular, watch though and discovered the vintage 1945 and vintage 1999 lines. To my eye they are an attractive alternative to the Tank and Reverso (with all due respect to those designs), particularly because they are dirt cheapish on the used market due to GP’s current, breathtaking, depreciation. Still might pull the trigger sometime, although not a priority.

 

[9thsymph]

I’ve been digging GP lately. The problem for me is finding them in the metal (No boutique or AD in Chicago that I’m aware of…). I travel frequently to NYC, though, so hopefully I can carve out some time to look at whatever Wempe has. Or perhaps there’s even a boutique in NYC?

 

[Edmund Dorf]

GP's Bridges...

A bridge too far.

 

[flipstah]

Only way it'll be interesting!

Why it needs to be a limited edition though!?

 

[Omega Male]

With my new Johnny-O SMU spirit quarter zip. Will probably have a brown calfskin strap made as it's for casual wear.

 

[Texasmade]

With my new Johnny-O SMU spirit quarter zip.Will probably have a brown calfskin strap made as it's for casual wear.

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Pure trash!