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

[double00]

This feels like an incredibly niche article from The Onion:

OPENING OF “F.P.JOURNE LE RESTAURANT” | F.P.Journe

Geneva, November 1st, 2023

www.fpjourne.com

reminds me of GWARbar (voted 3rd best dive bar in richmond va in 2022) or maybe the Giger bar in chateau st germain

 

[am55]

This feels like an incredibly niche article from The Onion:

OPENING OF “F.P.JOURNE LE RESTAURANT” | F.P.Journe

Geneva, November 1st, 2023

www.fpjourne.com

As I was exploring the new AM Garden lounge in DOH, walked past the LV "lounge" which is probably the ultimate in such things. You can't enter AM Garden unless you're flying full fare business or first so you already are dealing with a filter on eligible customers. Then take your normal centre-of-big-city hip cafe, mix a few global cities, multiply prices by three, and you have the menu. For example a single date (yes, the fruit) is $11. This is somewhat bewildering as lounge dining is actually really good, probably one of the few places airside in any airport where you can get a high quality fillet cooked black and blue on order, the champagne whilst not the vintage wonders of the onboard list is still quite decent, and it's of course all free and in bigger and less crowded spaces.

Anyway, the place has had customers every time I've walked past it this year.

Amazingly, the AM gym still hasn't opened, according to the QR FlyerTalk thread (my last flight was a few months ago). But you can get ripped off by LV since day 1. Priorities...

 

[am55]

This is a very traditional French jewelry brand that also made watches (not sure they still do). I don’t know much about the actual movements (if there are any), but they used to have their own and also used some from Piaget and other brands. Their watches are more like jewelry imho.

Edit: just red the article and there is a mistake, they say Boucheron didn’t facture their own movements, but they did - or had some made under their own name. I recently took my mother’s one to see if it could be repaired, the Watch was opened and has a movement with « Boucheron » written on it.
My late uncle had one, all black carrée, that was a thing of beauty but that was stolen or lost (funnily I was talking of this watch that I remember well with his daughter a couple weeks ago).

All superior to their Cartier/Vacheron counterparts IMO:

 

[Scuppers]

Had forgotten about this

 

[Scuppers]

Didn't know the brand, but the designs in the piece look really interesting and sophisticated.

Vintage Watches: The Golden Age Of Boucheron Wristwatches

Why a jewelry-first brand from Paris might be the next big thing in watch collecting.

www.hodinkee.com

Boucheron is not known to you!!! WOW. Of the Great traditional jewellery houses Boucheron falls into the top 10.
Whether stylistically or not, that is always subjective.

 

[Scuppers]

This is a very traditional French jewelry brand that also made watches (not sure they still do). I don’t know much about the actual movements (if there are any), but they used to have their own and also used some from Piaget and other brands. Their watches are more like jewelry imho.

Edit: just red the article and there is a mistake, they say Boucheron didn’t facture their own movements, but they did - or had some made under their own name. I recently took my mother’s one to see if it could be repaired, the Watch was opened and has a movement with « Boucheron » written on it.
My late uncle had one, all black carrée, that was a thing of beauty but that was stolen or lost (funnily I was talking of this watch that I remember well with his daughter a couple weeks ago).

Could be argued Mellerio is traditional…

 

[JamesInLondon]

After an almost five year wait, here it is. In my opinion the finest English wristwatch ever made - and for those of you crying "What about Roger Smith?" I must remind you that the Isle of Man is not England.

 

[Dino944]

All superior to their Cartier/Vacheron counterparts IMO:

I like those piece in the photo, but I'm not sure I'd say superior to VC or Cartier. Back when those were probably produced, VC and Cartier had some really beautiful and creative designs.

Boucheron is not known to you!!! WOW. Of the Great traditional jewellery houses Boucheron falls into the top 10.
Whether stylistically or not, that is always subjective.

I don't know where the OP is located, but at least in the US, they have little to no presence and are largely forgotten, with the exception of their fragrances that can be purchased at a bunch of department stores. They don't even have a boutique in the the US or Canada. Their watches and jewelry are only sold through 6 retail stores consisting of a few Saks and Neimans locations. Sadly, it looks like they only make one watch that is unisex, and only one size that isn't a quartz.

I know of the brand, and they make nice pieces, but again because of their lack of presence I don't even think of them when I think big names in jewelry or diamonds. I generally think Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, Bvlgari, Harry Winston, Graff, Tiffany & Co.

After an almost five year wait, here it is. In my opinion the finest English wristwatch ever made - and for those of you crying "What about Roger Smith?" I must remind you that the Isle of Man is not England.

Congrats! I'm not familiar with the brand. Overall, it is quite handsome. I really like the case, lugs, and the hands. The dial feels a bit busy with what remind me of "Royal Warrants." Perhaps I'm just used to a dress watches having a minimal amount of writing/images on the dial. 🤷‍♂️

 

[9thsymph]

Simple

 

[edmorel]

After an almost five year wait, here it is. In my opinion the finest English wristwatch ever made - and for those of you crying "What about Roger Smith?" I must remind you that the Isle of Man is not England.

Not sure what is more insane. The five year wait or that you think Manks would want to be considered part of England.

Is that an enamel dial? I am a sucker for simple dials so I find it very appealing, the seals I could do without, maybe the case back would be a more appropriate place. Any movement pics ?

 

[JamesInLondon]

Not sure what is more insane. The five year wait or that you think Manks would want to be considered part of England.

Is that an enamel dial? I am a sucker for simple dials so I find it very appealing, the seals I could do without, maybe the case back would be a more appropriate place. Any movement pics ?

A Detailed Look at the Charles Frodsham Double Impulse Chronometer Wristwatch | SJX Watches

English quality channeling the spirit of Daniels and Pratt.

watchesbysjx.com

Here’s a detailed account of the watch.

 

[symphvaria]

Screwdown crown on my old 5 digit Datejust is refusing to cooperate. Any tips or is the thing going to have to go to my local Bucherer?

 

[am55]

Is that an enamel dial? I am a sucker for simple dials so I find it very appealing, the seals I could do without, maybe the case back would be a more appropriate place. Any movement pics ?

Ceramic:

"Though the dial appears to be enamel (which is melted glass powder), it is actually ceramic, specifically a type of zirconium dioxide. While traditional dial materials like enamel and porcelain are fragile and often develop cracks over time, ceramic is much more durable. The dial should look exactly the same even after decades.

The fresh ceramic disc is too thick for a dial, so it has to be lapped to reduce it to the required thickness, and then given a fine surface that is almost glassy smooth. A dial is actually made up of two ceramic discs stacked on one another, which is why the seconds sub-dial sits in a recess with bevelled edges."

 

[double00]

Ceramic:

"Though the dial appears to be enamel (which is melted glass powder), it is actually ceramic, specifically a type of zirconium dioxide. While traditional dial materials like enamel and porcelain are fragile and often develop cracks over time, ceramic is much more durable. The dial should look exactly the same even after decades.

The fresh ceramic disc is too thick for a dial, so it has to be lapped to reduce it to the required thickness, and then given a fine surface that is almost glassy smooth. A dial is actually made up of two ceramic discs stacked on one another, which is why the seconds sub-dial sits in a recess with bevelled edges."

the numerals are amazing on the double-ceramic dial , love the translucent shadow

 

[JamesInLondon]

the numerals are amazing on the double-ceramic dial , love the translucent shadow

The dial is constructed in the same way old enamel pocket watch dials were - there is a substantial hole drilled in the dial, at the 6 position and then the subsidiary seconds dial is fitted from the rear, at a slightly lower height than the main dial.

The most impressive thing about the dial is the text, it isn’t printed like a normal dial, rather the text, cyphers and railway minute track are applied via physical vapour deposition. This enables lines as fine as a few microns to be perfectly applied to the dial.