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

[Neville Southall]

Still my favorite Rolex of all time.

 

[mossrockss]

New Omega burning garbage.

 

[Omega Male]

That's a very (em)phat(ic) hour hand.

 

[Texasmade]

New Omega burning garbage.

View attachment 1988695

Love the OG Planet Ocean. I've toyed with the idea of getting the POLMLE or the orange 2500 PO for awhile now. The POLMLE have been hovering around $9k-$10k for the past few years but seems like they're starting to come back down to around $8k range.

 

[New Shoes1]

Love the OG Planet Ocean. I've toyed with the idea of getting the POLMLE or the orange 2500 PO for awhile now. The POLMLE have been hovering around $9k-$10k for the past few years but seems like they're starting to come back down to around $8k range.

Omega would have a huge hit on its hands if it could figure out a way to issue a new PO with the 2500's dimensions. 44 mm case with 16 mm height is a chunk of steel.

 

[Texasmade]

Omega would have a huge hit on its hands if it could figure out a way to issue a new PO with the 2500's dimensions. 44 mm case with 16 mm height is a chunk of steel.

Each generation of the PO has gotten worse in terms of size. The current gen of 39.5 with 14.5 height and 43.5 with 15.5mm height are terrible.

 

[mossrockss]

Love the OG Planet Ocean. I've toyed with the idea of getting the POLMLE or the orange 2500 PO for awhile now. The POLMLE have been hovering around $9k-$10k for the past few years but seems like they're starting to come back down to around $8k range.

I got this via proxy from Japan for a great price. There are some LE's listed on Rakuten for ≈$6,6k with the weak yen. Every Wednesday-Thursday, the proxy service OneMap runs a 7% or 10% discount for items on Rakuten.

I debated whether I'd want to save my pennies for the LE over this one. Overall I like the proportions of the bezel and dial of the 8500 PO best, and one thing I like about the LE is that it has the bezel design of the 8500 caliber (narrower inner metal ring), while retaining the open 9 and 6, which I love too. Plus ceramic of course.

But what appeals to me most about this watch is its resemblance to the all-time Omega great, the 165.024. So I concluded the design of this watch works best with the matte features (vs ceramic of the LE).
I also strongly considered tracking down a WatchCo assembly of one the 165.024. But ultimately I decided I'd rather have a modern Omega with a modern movement and all the serviceability and reliability of that, vs. some rickety old 552. So my hope is they re-issue the 165.024 in a few years when the heritage 300 is up for a refresh.

I've grown to love the proportions of this model, and its various quirks. The best Easter Egg I only recently noticed are the hidden sword hands (the lume on the hands are sword hands, inverted).

 

[Newcomer]

Each generation of the PO has gotten worse in terms of size. The current gen of 39.5 with 14.5 height and 43.5 with 15.5mm height are terrible.

The older POs are such a good buy. Good choice, @mossrockss.

 

[mossrockss]

Each generation of the PO has gotten worse in terms of size. The current gen of 39.5 with 14.5 height and 43.5 with 15.5mm height are terrible.

The 39.5 thickness is fine with me IMO. It's 14.1, a hair thinner than this 2500, and wears just fine on my wrist. Thinner than a Pelagos.
I just don't like it because the proportions feel off to me all around. The handset feels a tad too large; the numerals are ugly; the lugs are too stubby.

 

[Newcomer]

I've been thinking about the new LV Tambour, and watched the painful Wei Koh PR video that @Newcomer linked (he looks like a midlife crisis chrome hearts stan...gross), but dang, I can't get the watch out of my mind.

It's honestly the platonic ideal for a subseconds sector dial for me. Everything is beautifully symetrical, nothing is cut off, everything feels extremely considered. All of the gripes I have about most watches are solved here in a really elegant way.

All of the numerals and indices are intact and the same size, and have this way of leading the eye from one dial subsection into the next. The hand length is perfectly in like with the dial subsections.

The bezel around the inner subsections is a consistent width, and perfectly cuts the subdial in half, a perfect proportion. In fact, it seems like the inner bezel is the same width as the outline on the numerals! The ikepod-style integrated case is also a winner, and truly awesome at just a hair over 8mm.

This could be my fav watch, aethetically, of 2023 to date.

View attachment 1988623

View attachment 1988625

The more I look at the Tambour the more I like it. I think that LV knocked one out of the park.

 

[Texasmade]

The 39.5 thickness is fine with me IMO. It's 14.1, a hair thinner than this 2500, and wears just fine on my wrist. Thinner than a Pelagos.
I just don't like it because the proportions feel off to me all around. The handset feels a tad too large; the numerals are ugly; the lugs are too stubby.

Agreed. It's not the overall thickness that's the problem. It's the thickness compared to the overal size of the watch. 14mm thick for a 39.5mm watch with an actual dial size closer to 38mm makes the proportions all off.

14mm thick to a 42mm watch with a 40mm dial size wears much better (basically Speedy Pro proportions)

 

[Kappelan]

To start the week off.

 

[Mark Anthony]

New Omega burning garbage.

View attachment 1988695

This is my daily wearer. Have it on the EOM rubber right now, though I find the various aftermarket rubber straps look and wear more comfortable.

 

[sussi]

Still my favorite Rolex of all time.
View attachment 1988637

center links need some work.

 

[mossrockss]

This is my daily wearer. Have it on the EOM rubber right now, though I find the various aftermarket rubber straps look and wear more comfortable.

Sweet! My plan is to get a shark mesh and a Zealande rubber for this. Maybe a sailcloth a la Artem but that would probably be redundant.