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

[Ambulance Chaser]

See my tip #1.

 

[city74]

Well even "reputable" dealer sometimes...

View attachment 1092451

If they are selling a watch with a fake part then they aren’t reputable. Duh

 

[city74]

See my tip #1.

Knowing the watch is one thing. Knowing the seller is another.

 

[Riva]

If they are selling a watch with a fake part then they aren’t reputable. Duh

Yes but the guy has been selling legit watches for a while with no problem. He moves quite number of pieces too. Now a single fake part slipped through and we're just talking about the visible one not even the inside which resulted in a legal battle thankfully won by my friend. Now he's in for a beat down for denying his mistake in the first place.

 

[alpyigit]

matchy matchy

 

[Riva]

matchy matchy

View attachment 1092497

The good ol days

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Thanks @Dino944 and @Belligero for your detailed answers on watch servicing. Both of you say that parts are the limiting factor on a mechanical watch's lifespan. Do you also see the possibility in the not-too-distant future of not enough people with the knowledge to work on mechanical watches, particularly more complicated ones? Not sure how many younger people want to go into the field.

 

[Dino944]

I'm not sure if it's been said already, but my $0.02 on the precious metal convo, is that the metal doesn't matter. They're collector's items that are never going to be smelted down for face value (heh), which means it's a matter of preference. Tastes will change, collectors will want different things. Why is it so crazy that steel will be more valuable than gold sometimes? It might swing the other way soon, or towards another metal.

Steel watches have been more valuable than gold ones in limited circumstances, and often based on rarity, but sometimes based on extreme demand. For example I've seen auction results where a vintage Patek Perpetual Calendar or Patek Chronograph was made in a very small batch and maybe 12 exist in gold, and only 3 or 4 were made in steel, and the steel model sells for far more than the gold ones have. Or with the steel Lange 1s, of which I think it is estimated that fewer than 30 were made, relative to gold ones that have been in production now for nearly 3 decades.

Then there is the case of the Rolex 16520 Daytonas. The steel were the least expensive models when new, in the early 90s with a price of $3,800, when the steel & gold model was $6,850, and the all gold was $17,750. Back then extreme demand for the steel ones meant they were often flipped and had a second hand value of roughly the same as the steel and gold ones when new. Fast forward several years, average steel 16520s sell for close to the price of gold ones and then O. Patrizzi notices a defect in the dials of some of the steel models, caused by the varnish used, which results in the subdials changing color. Collectors love these color change models, and the steel ones with the so called Patrizzi dials easily command $10,000 more than their all gold siblings.

Will these circumstances change, sure its possible. However, with Patek and Rolex having such strong followings of collectors, it is doubtful. In the end, perhaps buyers today should just look at the all gold models as a relative bargain

 

[Dino944]

Thanks @Dino944 and @Belligero for your detailed answers on watch servicing. Both of you say that parts are the limiting factor on a mechanical watch's lifespan. Do you also see the possibility in the not-too-distant future of not enough people with the knowledge to work on mechanical watches, particularly more complicated ones? Not sure how many younger people want to go into the field.

The issue of whether there are or will be enough people becoming watchmakers has been in issue in the industry for a number of years. Many years ago, after college I considered going to watchmaking school, but other things came up and I chose a different path. I know watch companies have been concerned about this issue and from some articles I've read in the last 10-15 years more companies trying to encourage young people to go to watchmaking school, by offering scholarships, and assisting with job placement. In addition, prices of servicing watches have gone up which probably allows companies to not just make a profit servicing the watches, but to pay watch makers better salaries and benefits. I know Rolex's NYC service center was charging approximately $325 to service an automatic chronograph back in the year 2000. While in 2016, the base price if no additional parts were needed had gone up to $1,000 to service an automatic chronograph.

I know a lot of industries struggle to entice younger to enter their field. I visited a very high end car restoration shop, and they said most people go to trade schools learn the basics of auto repair, and go on to a dealer. Working there is different, the idea is something is broken, replace it with a new part, then go on to the next car. At the restoration shop it requires patience, learning how to repair, rebuild, and in some case manufacture new parts that are no longer available. They say it isn't for everyone. I think similarly when places that graduate people from watchmaking school, there are some who can fix a basic time only piece or a chronograph, and then there are the people who become the next Felix Baumgartners, or Roger Smiths...and those guys are few and far between.

I would like to think that with the watch market being bigger and stronger than it was 10-20 years ago, that young people will see becoming a watchmaker as a viable option where they can earn a good living and have a job they enjoy. But only time will tell.

 

[MathewMC]

"If they are selling a watch with a fake part then they aren’t reputable. Duh"

This all day.

 

[CHRK33]

Curious if anyone knows of an online resource that definitively tells you the strap size you should be ordering for a watch (@Dino944, not sure if you might know). I measured the strap width on my PP 5130 and I "thought" it came out to 20mm x 16mm, but the lug width per PP is 21mm. Not sure if the 1mm difference I seemed to have found is due to the strap needing to be slightly smaller than the lug width or whether PP already accounted for that in their lug width measurement. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks and happy holidays.

 

[Riva]

Curious if anyone knows of an online resource that definitively tells you the strap size you should be ordering for a watch (@Dino944, not sure if you might know). I measured the strap width on my PP 5130 and I "thought" it came out to 20mm x 16mm, but the lug width per PP is 21mm. Not sure if the 1mm difference I seemed to have found is due to the strap needing to be slightly smaller than the lug width or whether PP already accounted for that in their lug width measurement. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks and happy holidays.

Go by measured. But strapmakers like Combat usually already know the strap width required for the model.

 

[Riva]

Holiday spirit for the wife

 

[an draoi]

Saw this in The Rake but couldn't find it online, so thought I would post it. Looks odd in bronze but it may appeal to some. 150 pieces.

 

[Riva]

Saw this in The Rake but couldn't find it online, so thought I would post it. Looks odd in bronze but it may appeal to some. 150 pieces.
View attachment 1093504 View attachment 1093486

Rake special edition should be available from their webstore.