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

[Viral]

Hard to give useful advice when a person has already made up their mind =(

On top of that, he’s more worried about what others will think about him as opposed to actually getting the most value for his budget (which Rolex and Omega certainly provide).

Ironically, the same person asks the opinion of internet strangers [SMH]......

 

[Dino944]

Incoming! Well again as with the last purchase, as of yesterday.

Before I jump into the watch, you may or my not recall that back in December I finally took delivery of my 60th Anniversary Speedmaster. Well right around the same time I also purchased a 40th Anniversary Speedmaster, the 2014 model with the titanium case, PVD dial and sedna gold accents. I loved the watch. It looked like a dressy Speedmaster. It really is an incredibly underrated watch and part of me regrets returning it. That said I knew I had a different watch in mind that I wanted to move on, and while I know that just about every watch becomes available now and again, I had to make a decision to an extent because the budget is what the budget is. Actually I could have had both, but I know that I have other watches in mind for the future. Oh, and I was really having a tough decision as to what strap I'd put on the watch. Love the NATO it comes with, but felt the watch maybe needed something a bit more.

So spring forward (no daylight savings pun intended) to the past few weeks and after I thought I'd missed out, I came across the watch I wanted. Specifically I came across the watch I wanted, in the condition I wanted and at the right price. So I made the purchase, on Tuesday, and took delivery yesterday.

View attachment 942238

So yes, the Speedy Tuesday. And yes, another Speedmaster.

For me there's a lot to love about this watch. I don't know that I've ever said this here, but when I first started considering higher end watches (at least higher end than my VSA quartz divers) I wasn't really bowled over by the Speedmaster. Dare I say I didn't like it? Can't quite remember. Well fast forward a bit and now I love it. Clearly. If you know me (or at least my posts on purchases in the past) you're probably thinking "another Speedmaster?" Well this one for me represented something different. More on that a bit later. As for this particular reference, I simply loved the design. As I always say, I'm very aesthetically driven and I love the look of the Speedy Tuesday. Before I get into why, I think it's important to note that despite now having three Speedmasters I still do not have a Speedy Pro. So with the Speedy Tuesday I got some of the look of the Speedy Pro that my other two Speedmasters don't have including the case design. That said what really sold me on the watch was the reverse panda dial and the sub registers themselves. I really love that it's a radial dial and the way the numerals are spaced. I also love the reverse panda aspect too as I noted. However you're not done there as the sub registers have a great font used for the numerals and I just love the depth and texture of the sub dials. Sticking with the dial you've got the applied logo as well, but then I'm somewhat accustomed to that with the First Omega in Space. The second design element that I like about this watch is that the case and the hand set are all brushed. It's funny too because it doesn't look too brushed. For me though I like it because it differentiates it further from my other Speedmasters and the case and the hand set work well together. That leaves me with the case back. Nothing too out of the ordinary here, but I like how it says "RADIAL" and the way they engraved that in terms of positioning on the case back. I also like that it has a combination of referencing "Speedy Tuesday" the event if you will while at the same time the Alaska III Project which was the watches inspiration.

A few other things to note about the watch. The name "Speedy Tuesday" is something I'm pretty indifferent about. I actually think the phenomenon of Speedy Tuesday is pretty cool (though I have yet to ever think "it's Tuesday, have to wear a Speedy"). For me it doesn't hinder or enhance my appreciation of the watch. Nor does the fact that it was a collaboration. I think the watch was very well done and is so much better than the vast majority of other limited edition Speedmasters. I also don't think Omega or Fratello Watches will milk the idea with new "Speedy Tuesday" edition every year. Perhaps in five year intervals. Either way for me if the watch is worth wearing based on merit and not the name, how limited it is or whatever else, then I say so be it. That's actually my take on limited edition Speedmasters as a whole. If they're good, great. If they're not, then they're not. I don't care if Omega makes a limited edition every year so long as they make a nice watch.

The watch does come with some "extras" if you will. The leather watch case/roll, the black and white NATO strap, a cleaning cloth and strap changing tool. While all nice ideas, I think the execution could have been better. The case/roll is made of leather, but in my opinion it's a rubbery feeling leather and they could have done much better here. The cleaning cloth is what it is. The strap changing tool feels a bit cheap. The NATO is nice though, or at least nice looking since I haven't taken it out. All of that is housed in a somewhat cheap cardboard box. None of that is a big deal for me as I bought the watch to wear and it will just go in my watch box, but they missed a real opportunity to make a nicer watch case/roll with much nicer leather. Along those lines, I will also say that I have yet to wear the watch and will not do so until I change the strap. I have a few ideas on the strap I'll go with (more down to color) and the style will be similar aesthetically to the one that comes with the watch. (I just want to note here how many of these I've seen on the Snoopy strap or on a bracelet and how much it kills the look of the watch for me). However the OEM strap doesn't feel or look very nice. Second time I'm saying this about an Omega I've purchased.

I'll end this verbose mess with my thoughts on owning a few Speedmasters now and the Speedy in general. I like that despite having three Speedmasters I have some variety within my little group.

• First Omega in Space: 39.7mm, all black dial, different hand set, asymmetrical sub register hands, no crown guards, straight lugs, polished and brushed
• 60th Anniversary Speedmaster: 38.6mm, more of a tropical/faded black dial, broad arrow hand set, metal colored bezel, straight lug, no crown guards, faux patina, polished and brushed
• Speed Tuesday: 42mm, panda dial, radial sub registers, different hand set, crown guard, just brushed

So plenty of variety there. And that's what I like about the Speedmaster. You can get one and have a great watch, or you can multiples and have some great watches that give you different looks. If I were to give someone the option of taking any one of them off my hands for free, the last one they'd take would probably be the First Omega in Space. Still for me it's really no less a watch as it looks fantastic every time I wear it. Don't get me wrong here, I don't think the Speedy is the best watch ever. In fact in my own collection if I had to choose I take my Geophysic or Reverso over them. Still they're great watches and I understand why the're so popular.

One last photo. You'll have to pardon the shots from my iPhone an they don't do the watch justice, but there are plenty of great photos out there online.

View attachment 942274

Wow, impressive write up! Congrats on the Speedy Tuesday. While the name doesn't do much for me, and even though I'm one of those people who finds the number of limited edition Speedmasters ridiculous...this is my favorite of their limited editions. Wear it in good health my friend!

 

[Kierrane]

Hard to give useful advice when a person has already made up their mind =(

On top of that, he’s more worried about what others will think about him as opposed to actually getting the most value for his budget (which Rolex and Omega certainly provide).

Ironically, the same person asks the opinion of internet strangers [SMH]......

I still welcome suggestions. It'd probably still be some time before i actually buy the watch, so still very much welcome all opinions.

If you're about value for budget, then the best thing to buy would probably be a $10 plastic casio, or just rely on your handphone watch. Those are far more accurate than any $50,000 Patek ever will be. To a very large extent, all mechanical watches are more for show and prestige than anything else.

Writing or wrongly, in many parts of developed Asian countries such as SG and HK, Rolex and Omega (especially Rolex) are viewed pretty negatively, in the same light as LV or Gucci which are bought by the newly rich with more money than sense and simply want to flaunt how rich they are. That's the association people will make, and as a young 20+ year old trying to break into a very competitive market, that sort of image is exactly the opposite of what I hope to project.

 

[wurger]

Kierrane, I am from Asia too. I respectively disagree, I think that mentality comes from people who doesn’t have the resources to buy those brands, what’s wrong with new money rewarding themselves? People judge you on your overall presentation, manners etc, not one watch, or shoes for that matter. Datejusts and Constellations are common on the wrists of those people I think you are referring to, however, most of the members are not recommending those models.

Rolex is probably the most successful luxury watch company, not only it makes very good watches with in-house movements, it can make them in high numbers, it’s also very good at marketing. People should respect success, not despise it.

Disclaimer, I don’t have any Rolex or Omega in my collection at the moment, but I recommended a few friends to Rolexes as their first luxury watches.

 

[Article 26]

Kierrane, I am from Asia too. I respectively disagree, I think that mentality comes from people who doesn’t have the resources to buy those brands, what’s wrong with new money rewarding themselves? People judge you on your overall presentation, manners etc, not one watch, or shoes for that matter. Datejusts and Constellations are common on the wrists of those people I think you are referring to, however, most of the members are not recommending those models.

Rolex is probably the most successful luxury watch company, not only it makes very good watches with in-house movements, it can make them in high numbers, it’s also very good at marketing. People should respect success, not despise it.

Disclaimer, I don’t have any Rolex or Omega in my collection at the moment, but I recommended a few friends to Rolexes as their first luxury watches.

+1

In the interests of disclosure I own a Rolex, a (justifiable) practical purchase for when I worked in a physics lab some 10 years ago.

@Kierrane some of the most respected thinkers in the world wear a Rolex: pigeon holing is a dangerous business.

 

[Kierrane]

In the interest of not disrupting and sidetracking this thread, I'd stop here.

But I still believe Rolex is the equivalent of wearing clothing with huge LV and GUCCI logos plastered over them, despite the fact that plenty of respected people still have one or two pieces of LV luggage around

 

[am55]

That's the association people will make, and as a young 20+ year old trying to break into a very competitive market, that sort of image is exactly the opposite of what I hope to project.

I don't know what that market is, but I assume it is law, front office finance of sorts, or consulting, the only three professions where a statistically significant number of people care. Additionally, if you are Singaporean, government.

Watch/suit choice doesn't matter as much as (some) graduates think, at least in my experience actual ability (humility, intellectual curiosity, ability to make sense of instructions and deliver...) is much more important early in your career where you are surrounded by identically educated folks with an identical lack of experience and in professional services your boss is trying to get work done. Most industries are just too competitive.

If anything, buying an expensive watch too early might be a negative signal. Normal people, especially at the start of their career, just don't blow a month or two of salary in a piece of jewelry, at least not until they have been effectively forced to do so by a charming smile and a few months of increasingly distressed hints. Doubly so in (as you call it, "developed") Asia where billionaire dynasties shop at Uniqlo and take the MRT to work. The status watch here, I think, is the $10 black plastic Casio that shows self restraint and other qualities admired by those who run/own the country. Lee Kuan Yew allegedly washed his socks in the hotel sink...

As for asking for things on the internet, there's nothing wrong with that, especially in a forum/thread that has a concentration of very knowledgeable, tasteful chaps with good manners who are always willing to spend time and effort introducing others to their passion and offering ideas and facts that are relatively hard to get hold of elsewhere. One can have strong opinions and still consider other frames of mind and new ideas.

 

[apropos]

If you are a "young 20+ year old trying to break into a very competitive market", I don't know, maybe you shouldn't be buying an expensive watch?

Look, I sort of understand where you're coming from. Maybe you're trying to find your feet in life. Maybe you're sort of at a stage in life where you don't know what you are, but you know what you don't want to be. Maybe you're trying to define you through your purchases.

Fair enough, most of us have been there. I certainly have.

I was fortunate enough to have several nice watches handed down to me, and even then wore them sparingly to work for fear of judgement passed by peers or worse, my superiors. Eventually I worked out that no one really cares, because people one-on-one see the person before the watch - the person determines the reaction to the watch. You think the gold Rolex wearing folk are assholes because either you know them and they are assholes, or because you are viewing from afar and maybe hoping they are assholes because they wear a gold Rolex - because only assholes wear gold Rolexes amiright?

If I run into someone who is an absolute legend in every way and he's wearing a Hublot Big Bang - you know what, I'll probably think more power to him, and then think nothing of it again. If I run across someone who is a total asswipe, the fact that he's wearing a platinum Cornes de Vache with a custom pulsometre dial isn't going to change my opinion of him.

You're also making the classic newbie mistake of getting as much perceived bang for your buck. We've all (I've) been there too. First bespoke outfit - does the man get a sensible and flexible 2 button grey/navy suit?

No, the man (me) decides instead he needs a quarter-lined tuxedo in high-twist lightweight mohair fresco with grosgrain lapels, waterfall shoulders, his initials embroidered on the inside by hand, handmade buttonholes, and a custom fitted cummerbund.

I mean, come on - that FC is not going to age well at all. Go with sometime "classic" - or do what I do now: Save a picture on your computer/phone. Look at it daily. Still in love 2-3 months later? Cool. Buy it.*

Sorry for the long post guys.

* following optional steps omitted: Beg wife. Wife declines. Withhold sex. Wife threatens divorce. Recant and apologise as you realise withholding sex from your wife is like withholding a candle from the sun. Think about it (the watch, not sex). Have your unrequited desire for it slowly, inexorably gnaw at your soul (the watch, not sex). Show wife way more expensive watch. Pretend you want more expensive watch. Wife says no. Show wife original watch in lead up to birthday/anniversary/miscellaneous celebratory event in a shameless attempt to guilt wife. Wife gives in. Celebrate.

 

[DLJr]

Congrats on the Tuesday. I think Speedies are a watch I’ll own more than one of, whether I shell out for a 321 or add a FOIS, it’s a classic design and a watch with enough personal and historical significance to warrant it IMO. I think my biggest issue with the LE’s is the price jump with no change to the movement. I think if I fell in love with one though, that wouldn’t stop me. Congrats on the pick up.

 

[usctrojans31]

In the interest of not disrupting and sidetracking this thread, I'd stop here.

But I still believe Rolex is the equivalent of wearing clothing with huge LV and GUCCI logos plastered over them, despite the fact that plenty of respected people still have one or two pieces of LV luggage around

Let my preface my post with the caveat that I am not a Rolex fan simply because I don't care for the aesthetic of most pieces. I am not attempting to validate my own collection or feelings.

Your claim has the unmistakable aura of confirmatory bias. You've developed an opinion, and no amount of proof points to the contrary will change it. That's fine, but don't dig in your heels. You're doubling down erroneously.

Roger Smith, arguably one of the best living watchmakers, wears an Explorer as his daily wear. He consistently remarks how it's innovative and of an incredible build quality. That should be an indication that it's not just some gauche new money brand.

But whatever. Your choice, your life. Just don't make patently wrong claims.

 

[Viral]

In the interest of not disrupting and sidetracking this thread, I'd stop here.

But I still believe Rolex is the equivalent of wearing clothing with huge LV and GUCCI logos plastered over them, despite the fact that plenty of respected people still have one or two pieces of LV luggage around

Bruh - get your confidence up and do what you want. And that Frederique you posted is very meh - but maybe that’s your goal so more power to you. Enjoy!

 

[am55]

Roger Smith, arguably one of the best living watchmakers, wears an Explorer as his daily wear.

Or this chap:

 

[ericgereghty]

In the interest of not disrupting and sidetracking this thread, I'd stop here.

But I still believe Rolex is the equivalent of wearing clothing with huge LV and GUCCI logos plastered over them, despite the fact that plenty of respected people still have one or two pieces of LV luggage around

It basically sounds like anything well known is going to shine a negative light on the user/wearer, in your opinion.
More power to you if that’s the case (I don’t love Rolex), but let’s not pretend Gucci and LV are the equivalent. Rolex is a damn good product, personal preferences notwithstanding.

 

[Vinilo1969]

In the interest of not disrupting and sidetracking this thread, I'd stop here.

But I still believe Rolex is the equivalent of wearing clothing with huge LV and GUCCI logos plastered over them, despite the fact that plenty of respected people still have one or two pieces of LV luggage around

Here’s a Rolex that does not plaster logos all over.

 

[MrUnderwood]

That is what always bothers me about Rolex. They truly have a good product (quite overpriced for what it is thou) but not more overpriced than other designer things. Yet they also attract people who know nothing about watches but only pays the money for the brand - the people who think Rolex is the "best of the world". It unfortunately makes me avoid the brand.