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

[Neognosis]

^take a look at White's boots. Very comfortable once you get accustomed to their arch system.

I have a pair of White's Retro Oxfords that are pretty well fitting, once I had them stretched out a bit. Like these oxfords, I'll order my semi-dress boots with a lowered heel, because I think that the arch ease thing is a gimmick based on a faulty premise. These oxfords became comfortable only after I had worn them enough to flatten out the arch anyway.

 

[dcg]



Beautiful - love it!

Thank you, it's really stunning in person. Always a risk buying a watch based purely on internet pics, but there aren't too many of these floating around. My main concern was that, even at 38mm, the cushion case would make it too large for my 6.5" wrist (as an example, I've tried on the Monaco in the past, and at 39mm square, found it much too large). Wrist shots at the angle/proximity I took tend to exaggerate the size of the watch, but in person I think it looks great. The curved lugs make all the difference.

Nice! That's a very difficult watch to find, especially in that colour. It's definitely a favourite of mine, and I think the dial quality is reference-grade in both design and execution. It's great to see another one out there.

Have been looking for one of these for a bit, and the pics you've shared in the thread helped convince me. I'm not sure how many creme dials vs black have been produced (and I ran across one blue), but the black does seem more common. At least on the used market - maybe those with the creme are more apt to hang on to them! Must admit that I love the overall design and started considering buying one with a black face, but am very glad I waited; this version is certainly more of a unique overall look, and I've already got a black faced chrono in the Speedy

Don't I know it

Where did you find it @dcg?

Have been scouring the net for a bit now - there's a black face version on eBay from Germany and also one on Chrono24 out of perhaps Italy (which I think has been reserved). A surprising number of these seem to have been available in Japan; have seen a few Rakuten listings for sold watches.

This one popped up on eBay last Friday night and was listed in NOS condition. The asking price was quite a bit higher than I've seen these go for; I submitted an offer a fair amount below the buy it now, but certainly at a bit of a premium vs where I've seen these sell, and it was accepted. On a more common watch I'd have waited, but given the circumstances I'm quite happy to have paid perhaps a few hundred dollars extra for the watch I wanted in pristine condition.

 

[dcg]

@Belligero, have you experimented with straps at all? Believe these are 21mm which makes things a bit of a pain. Nothing wrong with the brown croc (in fact, it's quite nice), but black looks fantastic as well:

Your looks to be a bit darker than mine, but I suspect we've got the same version and your has darkened with a bit of wear.

Ordinarily I'd look for a bracelet, but the bracelet for this model doesn't do much for me.

 

[Winot]

Yeah there were two on Chrono24 - the black one from Italy was shown as available but when I contacted the seller he said it wasn't. The gold one from Belgium has been reserved but the reserver still hasn't picked it up a few months on - despite this, the shop doesn't seem interested in selling it to me. Bizarre and frustrating - I can only think it's a high roller customer known to the shop.

 

[dcg]



Yeah there were two on Chrono24 - the black one from Italy was shown as available but when I contacted the seller he said it wasn't. The gold one from Belgium has been reserved but the reserver still hasn't picked it up a few months on - despite this, the shop doesn't seem interested in selling it to me. Bizarre and frustrating - I can only think it's a high roller customer known to the shop.

Just in case you hadn't seen this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/131773420809?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

 

[runner-guy]

Hey fellas. Did you happen to see this segment of Antiques Roadshow? Pretty cool:

 

[Winot]



Just in case you hadn't seen this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/131773420809?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Thanks - I hadn't. Quite tempting, but I'd rather hold out for a white-faced dial (ideally in steel like yours). Also, I have just bought a Lange so am trying to be good!

 

[dcg]



Thanks - I hadn't. Quite tempting, but I'd rather hold out for a white-faced dial (ideally in steel like yours). Also, I have just bought a Lange so am trying to be good!

All of a sudden, I am finding it harder to feel sorry for you....

 

[Winot]



All of a sudden, I am finding it harder to feel sorry for you....

 

[WSW]



Thanks, tiger. Anyone else? Much like elsewhere we've got responses ranging from mediocre to excellent, which again leads me to believe that 'finishing' is still a nebulous concept for most people.

I agree with tigerpac. It is well decorated: sharp inner angles, beautiful curves, polished jewel sinks and utilizing the less commonly seen fan pattern geneva stripes. Screw heads are nicely black-polished too.

 

[roomiller]

Congrats! Nothing quite like buying your first "real" watch. Wishing you many years of enjoyment. I like what Tudor's doing lately...Black Bay black may be in my future at some point.

Thank you! It really is a fantastic feeling. Its tough to explain to non-watch folk what makes this hunk of engineered metal that is 1000x worse at telling time than my iphone special, but y'all get it.

I've always felt a particularly affinity towards the Tudor brand that I can't quite explain. The snowflake hand just speaks to me on some primitive level. I know some people feel that they've been diluting their product line a little recently, and while I don't love the Black Bay dark and I hate the bronze, I think they're allowed to have a little fun with what I believe most might classify as the cheapest "luxury" diver.

Now where I would love to see them move next is a big block homage in the same style as the black bay: not a true replica but something modern with vintage queues that draw from the brand's history. The big block is an absolutely stunning watch, and a historically meaningful one at that, so I'm shocked this hasn't come to pass yet - I feel as though the new Daytona might have something to do with this. At least I have until next Basel to save for my imagined Big Block homage and should it not come to be, I can always 'settle' for an Autavia or a Speedy to scratch my chrono itch.

 

[Journeyman]

You could always just buy an original Tudor "Big Block" chrono in very good condition. They were made until the mid-1990s, I think, and you see quite a few around in pretty much mint condition for US$4000 to $5000.

Edited to add: The Tudor chrono is powered by a Valjoux 7750 movement, too, so it's reliable and spare parts are easily available.

 

[Belligero]



@Belligero, have you experimented with straps at all? Believe these are 21mm which makes things a bit of a pain. Nothing wrong with the brown croc (in fact, it's quite nice), but black looks fantastic as well:

Spoiler: ref 2598 on black

Your looks to be a bit darker than mine, but I suspect we've got the same version and your has darkened with a bit of wear.

Ordinarily I'd look for a bracelet, but the bracelet for this model doesn't do much for me.

Agreed that this is not a bracelet watch. And while I'm not usually a fan of black leather, that really does look sumptuous with the ivory dial, rose gold indices and blued hands. That would make for a nice alternative to the brown.

In fact, I haven't worn it on anything other than the factory one — which has indeed darkened over time — as it didn't look quite right to me on straps I tried out in 20 and 22 mm, so I didn't bother getting anything in 21 mm. The only other watch of mine with that lug width is the Explorer II, and there's not much crossover there.

It's pretty much impossible to find a thick 21/16 mm strap with curved ends off-the-rack, and I love the quality and the hand stitching of the original. The OEM supplier is Camille Fournet, and that's what I'll be replacing the original with when it wears out; it suits the watch perfectly. I'd go for the black version you posted if I ever wore black shoes and belts, or get the same design in a different brown (or green or blue or whatever), maybe with constrast stitching.

One thing that really prolongs the strap life is using a deployant buckle; I'd suggest sourcing one to keep the hide from getting damaged where it meets the buckle as it's fastened and released.

Enjoy that pristine watch of yours!

 

[Andy57]

On the wrist today.

 

[eton97]

Very very nice. @andy57 What dial? Mk4?

On my wrist yesterday