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

[Kaplan]

Also, older Must models were 'vermeil' aka gold plated silver. So if you go vintage, they may have more or less of that gold plating worn off, letting the silver shine through.

 

[ntempleman]

Tank LC doesn’t use the Piguet any more, it’s a JLC 846 manual wind now, rebadged as 8971 MC

 

[Vocans]

Wednesday's watch choice...

Stunning, what's the reference on this?

 

[Dino944]

Tank LC doesn’t use the Piguet any more, it’s a JLC 846 manual wind now, rebadged as 8971 MC

Yes, the memory is failing me . You are correct, the current model uses a JLC, and I edited my summary to reflect that. Thanks!

Stunning, what's the reference on this?

That watch was part of a past collection known as Collection Privee Cartier Paris. This model is Tank Louis Cartier XL. I'd have to check on the reference number. These don't come up for sale very often as they only made 200 in rose gold and 50 in platinum.

 

[patrick_b]

Interesting/interactive animation of a mechanical watch.

Mechanical Watch – Bartosz Ciechanowski

Interactive article explaining how a mechanical watch works.

ciechanow.ski

 

[troika]

There isn't really a guide, beyond buying some books about Cartier Tanks and/or some of those Wristwatch Annual magazine/books that you can buy through Amazon. There have been many different Tanks over the years, and even some Tanks that look similar use different movements. The least expensive Tank for many years was the Tank Solo, which came in a few sizes. There were quartz models and automatics. The case was a bit flatter than the Tank Louis Cartier. The Tank Solo has been replaced by the current Must. The top surface of the Must case is rounded like the Tank Louis Cartier, but again it uses a quartz movement in the small and large models and an automatic in the XL size. The classic Tank Louis has usually used a manual wind movement but their have been quartz models (and even an automatic in the 1970s known as the Jumbo). The Tank XL I posted used a Piaget movement. Current manual wind Tank Louis Cartier uses an JLC movement (edit). That's sort of a brief version on a few of the Tank models, hope that helps.

Thank you for this, really helpful!

For your CPCP tank xl, how does the engraving on the movement get made? By hand? Or is it laser etched?

 

[Neville Southall]

Just released.

 

[Dino944]

Stunning, what's the reference on this?

That version of the Tank XL is reference number W1551451.

Thank you for this, really helpful!

For your CPCP tank xl, how does the engraving on the movement get made? By hand? Or is it laser etched?

I'm glad you found that helpful. With regard to the engraving on the movement, a brief review of one Cartier catalog for the Collection Privee Cartier Paris watches simply says, "The watch movements are distinguished by a characteristic item of engraved decoration: the Cartier motif, comprising the intertwined double C cipher of Cartier. This item of decoration highlights key components, such as the bridges and oscillating weight on the automatic movement." As these watches had a lot of hand workmanship, I always presumed they meant that the engraving was by hand.

 

[mosy]

Does Hodinkee have a page here?
I'm considering a watch they carry and had a question about it. I emailed them an inquiry and their auto response was:

We’ve received your request and will be in touch shortly – while we strive to address all emails within 24-48 business hours, our recent increase in volume may mean that our team falls just outside of this timeframe. We assure you that your message will not be overlooked.

In today's uber competitive market, why would a company like Hodinkee take 24-48 hours or possibly more to respond to a customer inquiry. Most retailers, especially watch dealers, have a chat button for during normal business hours (and some even beyond). And if not, they usually have a 24hr response time. 24-48+? That seems crazy.

 

[troika]

Bro, chill. It's literally 2 days.

 

[mosy]

Bro, chill. It's literally 2 days.

I’m chill. I’m just stating my surprise. Why would I wait two days (or more) for a reply when I can get one instantly it within a few hours from another AD? Seems like bad business in today’s instant communication environment.

 

[troika]

I've contacted many high end watch shops that have had a similar turn around.

Most of those chat boxes are misleading btw - they're not instant, they just file a support ticket and someone gets back to you. Sometimes it can be instant, but only if someone working at the AD has time to answer.

 

[mosy]

I've contacted many high end watch shops that have had a similar turn around.

Most of those chat boxes are misleading btw - they're not instant, they just file a support ticket and someone gets back to you. Sometimes it can be instant, but only if someone working at the AD has time to answer.

Yes, but my experience has been to receive a response by the next business day, not 24-48 hours or more.

 

[LA Guy]

Does Hodinkee have a page here?
I'm considering a watch they carry and had a question about it. I emailed them an inquiry and their auto response was:

We’ve received your request and will be in touch shortly – while we strive to address all emails within 24-48 business hours, our recent increase in volume may mean that our team falls just outside of this timeframe. We assure you that your message will not be overlooked.

In today's uber competitive market, why would a company like Hodinkee take 24-48 hours or possibly more to respond to a customer inquiry. Most retailers, especially watch dealers, have a chat button for during normal business hours (and some even beyond). And if not, they usually have a 24hr response time. 24-48+? That seems crazy.

Probably the answer is staffing.

 

[takashi78]

Friend bought this recently.
My first time ever strapping on a MB&F, very impressed. When looking at the pics i thought the time would be hard to read, but seeing it in person, not so.

If i were to nit pick, the flaps on top of the watch is a little loose.
Also the strap is very soft and so 98% of the weight is up top.