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

[9thsymph]

I don't understand the allure of divers in general. At times it definitely feels like their target market is people who wished they lived more interesting lives than they actually do.

I like the aesthetic of divers, but for the reasons you mention, will always prefer Rolex GMTs to Subs (feels more useful to me...)

 

[symphvaria]

I like the aesthetic of divers, but for the reasons you mention, will always prefer Rolex GMTs to Subs (feels more useful to me...)

I will happily wear a GMT or an Explorer any day, but the Sub is the middle child which, for all its fame and unimpeachable reputation, I simply cannot see myself ever wearing or owning.

Just thinking about what each watch brings to the table, the GMT hand is extremely useful to me, while the Explorer is so simple and timeless that it's hard to think of any occasion where it wouldn't fit the bill. On the other hand, I cannot imagine any time in my life where I will ever need more than 100m or even 50m of water resistance, nevermind 300m, and it's not as if I'm particularly drawn towards the excessively bulky and almost overcompensated looks of a Sub either.

 

[mak1277]

I will happily wear a GMT or an Explorer any day, but the Sub is the middle child which, for all its fame and unimpeachable reputation, I simply cannot see myself ever wearing or owning.

Just thinking about what each watch brings to the table, the GMT hand is extremely useful to me, while the Explorer is so simple and timeless that it's hard to think of any occasion where it wouldn't fit the bill. On the other hand, I cannot imagine any time in my life where I will ever need more than 100m or even 50m of water resistance, nevermind 300m, and it's not as if I'm particularly drawn towards the excessively bulky and almost overcompensated looks of a Sub either.

The Sub and Explorer have the same use cases. I have never been in a situation where the Sub isn’t appropriate but the Explorer would be.

The Sub wins because of the very useful timing bezel.

 

[symphvaria]

The Sub and Explorer have the same use cases. I have never been in a situation where the Sub isn’t appropriate but the Explorer would be.

The Sub wins because of the very useful timing bezel.

I could see the timing bezel being useful, but the aesthetics of the Sub simply don't match the complete simplicity and versatility of the Explorer. I wouldn't want to wear such an unwarrantedly cumbersome and bulky watch with anything short of casual attire.

 

[Dino944]

Nice! (I will never understand the allure of the "hulk")

The Hulk is my least favorite Submariner variation.

That being said, I own a 5 digit ref Kermit Sub and a Batman GMT. I like both, but I find the GMT function far more useful than additional water resistance of the Sub.

 

[Keith T]

I took photos of watches at Pitti (when I remembered to ask someone whether they were wearing a watch) last week:

The Watches of Pitti Uomo 103 – Menswear Musings

www.menswearmusings.com

Nice post...a couple of real winners there. I especially dig the case shape on Peter's vintage DeVille.

 

[9thsymph]

The Hulk is my least favorite Submariner variation.

That being said, I own a 5 digit ref Kermit Sub and a Batman GMT. I like both, but I find the GMT function far more useful than additional water resistance of the Sub.

5-digit Kermit is a different animal...love it!

 

[mossrockss]

I don't understand the allure of divers in general. At times it definitely feels like their target market is people who wished they lived more interesting lives than they actually do.

I wish so much Henrik would've let me record him telling the story of his Submariner. It is truly interesting. Not the Hulk, but the one he got when he was a young man that the Hulk replaced. But he declined after thinking about it. The bits and pieces of his life he shared while we talked were very interesting indeed.

 

[pmeis]

I don't understand the allure of divers in general. At times it definitely feels like their target market is people who wished they lived more interesting lives than they actually do.

Frankly, I think this largely applies to all nice watches. 🤷‍♂️

 

[mak1277]

I could see the timing bezel being useful, but the aesthetics of the Sub simply don't match the complete simplicity and versatility of the Explorer. I wouldn't want to wear such an unwarrantedly cumbersome and bulky watch with anything short of casual attire.

I don't find it cumbersome at all, nor do I think it presents a different vibe at all compared to an Explorer. Neither are really "appropriate" with tailoring, although I can firmly say that 99.9% of people couldn't care less. I used to attend board meetings at several F500 companies and there were always multiple people (former senators, titans of industry, etc.) who wore Subs or Exp II's with suits.

 

[symphvaria]

Frankly, I think this largely applies to all nice watches. 🤷‍♂️

I'm of the opinion that some degree of fantasy/escapism is part of the allure for a large number of tool watches (divers are an obvious candidate, but I think a similar mindset exists for pilot watches and racing chronographs). For an everyday sports watch or any given dress watch though, I find that rather hard to agree with. They don't have a particular functionality or look tied to any given profession or lifestyle that makes it hard to separate the two.

I don't find it cumbersome at all, nor do I think it presents a different vibe at all compared to an Explorer. Neither are really "appropriate" with tailoring, although I can firmly say that 99.9% of people couldn't care less. I used to attend board meetings at several F500 companies and there were always multiple people (former senators, titans of industry, etc.) who wore Subs or Exp II's with suits.

I find dive watch cases combined with diving bezels in general to present a completely different aesthetic to the traditional Oyster case of the Explorer, especially the 36mm which is by far my preferred version. Wearing an Explorer with tailoring is not too far removed from wearing a Datejust or a Daydate, and to the layperson they probably look identical sans the cyclops. Though granted, it can also be argued that those watches don't technically belong with tailoring either, which isn't necessarily wrong.

 

[9thsymph]

I wish so much Henrik would've let me record him telling the story of his Submariner. It is truly interesting. Not the Hulk, but the one he got when he was a young man that the Hulk replaced. But he declined after thinking about it. The bits and pieces of his life he shared while we talked were very interesting indeed.

He was a butler, right? ;-)

 

[mossrockss]

He was a butler, right? ;-)

Haha yes, and that's his handle here too. Though I think that period of his life was only a few years.

 

[pmeis]

I'm of the opinion that some degree of fantasy/escapism is part of the allure for a large number of tool watches (divers are an obvious candidate, but I think a similar mindset exists for pilot watches and racing chronographs). For an everyday sports watch or any given dress watch though, I find that rather hard to agree with. They don't have a particular functionality or look tied to any given profession or lifestyle that makes it hard to separate the two.

This is no doubt a significant aspect of the appeal of these types of watches, but I don't think there is much wrong with it either (well at least until you get to the more ridiculously sized models). That said, while a nice dress watch maybe doesn't have the same implication of escapism, I don't see how wearing a Submariner would be that much different than choosing to wear a Patek Calatrava when you compare how many other potential watches could serve the exact same purpose with an arguably similar amount of elegance at a fraction of the price. (see the JLC's posted a couple of pages back).

There is the same fantasy for some people wearing/owning that special Patek that others have for the Submariner. I'm sure people have similar feelings toward the JLCs as well.

Personally, I've not had a lot of love for dive watches either. I own what I think is a very cool looking one now (Sinn U50), that isn't bulky and a pleasure to wear, but I mainly like it because I find it aesthetically pleasing. I don't fancy myself a wannabe diver or adventurer and neither did I when I had my Sub. I just think they look neat.

 

[mak1277]

I, quite literally, don’t even know how to swim, so I promise my Sub was not bought so I could pretend to be a diver.