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

[IGotId]

Just wondering if anyone has ever dealt w/ Manfredi Jewelers? They seem to have a lot of watches listed on TZ & other sites...

 

[concealed]

Just wondering if anyone has ever dealt w/ Manfredi Jewelers? They seem to have a lot of watches listed on TZ & other sites...

they are legit

 

[Dino944]

Just wondering if anyone has ever dealt w/ Manfredi Jewelers? They seem to have a lot of watches listed on TZ & other sites...

Haven't purchased anything there. However, I have visited their shop in Greenwich, CT and they were very nice to me, and had some really cool watches in stock. I was wearing my AP 15202 and they brought out a Royal Oak Tourbillon for me to drool over and try on, and it was the first place where I got to try on a few pieces from Laurent Ferrier.

 

[Exdeath]



I'm curious to hear your thoughts on owning and wearing the Rad, particularly your comment about the size. My assumption would be that you wore it only casually. I'm sort of considering a 45mm fifty fathoms but worry a little about its long term wearability. I understand its not a daily driver; I have other watches for more elegant occasions. This would be purely for sports/casual wear, and without the benefit of experience, it would seem well suited for that purpose so I'm curious to hear why I hear guys here seem to regret buying larger watches.

As a current owner of one (for now, lol), it's pretty versatile. It wears smaller than its dimensions would make you think, closer to an older 44mm PAM - and definitely feels way smaller than a Deepsea or any other bulky sport watch. You can pull it off fairly dressily with the polished case.

TBH diameter isn't as important as thickness. Anything over 17-18mm is a dealbreaker for me, but I can go up to 47mm PAMs and above easily if it's relatively flat.

 

[alpyigit]

Just wondering if anyone has ever dealt w/ Manfredi Jewelers? They seem to have a lot of watches listed on TZ & other sites...

I have bought a handful of watches from them. All good experiences..

 

[in stitches]



I really and truly thought I was satiated in the timepiece world for at least a few years. It's been about 8 months and I am becoming weaker by the day...
I'll at least hold out until Baselworld but damn this stuff is addictive

Buy a 15300. You'll never want for anything again....








.......except maybe a Zeitwerk repeating.

 

[Renault78law]



If you like the watch, you know its purely a casual watch, and if its a good fit for your wrist size, and lifestyle...then what is your issue with long term wearability?  I'm not sure I understand the question.  Are you concerned large watches will fall out of favor?  Are you concerned you will tire of it or find it doesn't get much wrist time?  

If you really like the watch, its a good fit for your wrist, and it works well with your sense of style...then if people start favoring slightly more average sized watches why would that matter?  You should still be able to wear and enjoy it unless you are a slave to the latest trends.  If your concern is that you will tire of it or find it doesn't get much wrist time...well that is something only you can decide.  I think at least once everyone buys a watch that they keep for a few years and they either tire of it, or for whatever reason it doesn't get much wrist time so they sell/trade it.  But that is a very individual issue.  I generally think most watches larger than say 41-42mm are much more limited in terms of versatility, because they don't easily fit under dress shirts, don't usually look appropriate with suits, and by their sheer size they really are just for casual wear.  However, if you spend a lot of time doing casual things or sporting activities then I'm sure a 45mm 50 Fathoms would be a good addition to your collection.  Good luck with whatever you decide.  

I'm not concerned about trends at all. By way of analogy, some people are faced with this dilemma: buying a large house far from where they work, or buying a small house/condo close to where they work. Studies have repeatedly shown that people often underestimate the toll of their long commute, and overestimate the joy they might get from the size of their home. My question was directed to those who previously wore large watches who now say they'd never go back. At the time that person bought the watch, I'm assuming he bought it knowing that it was large, that it was purely a casual watch, and he didn't think the size of the watch was too cumbersome or uncomfortable. Subsequently, he decided 44+ mm is too big and declares 38-40 mm is optimal.

Going back to my analogy, does the guy who buys a large house in the burbs likely ultimately decide it wasn't worth it to live so far away from the office? Maybe more often than not, yes. Here, does one often initially underestimate the wearability or comfort of a large watch? I understand this is a personal decision but I just wanted to get some personal perspectives from those with more experience than me.

 

[firenze_rob]

I think it really depends on your horological pathos. For me, I'm quite aware of my draw to historicity. For example, I think modern B-uhrs and Panerais should point to the past in their aesthetic and size, and thus remain relatively large. Likewise, the Carrera reissue I posted a few pages back is the smallest watch that I have. Then again, I'm not a one watch kind of guy. I feel comfortable wearing anything from 36mm to 46mm. It does depend on the piece and situation.

 

[Dino944]

I'm not concerned about trends at all. By way of analogy, some people are faced with this dilemma: buying a large house far from where they work, or buying a small house/condo close to where they work. Studies have repeatedly shown that people often underestimate the toll of their long commute, and overestimate the joy they might get from the size of their home. My question was directed to those who previously wore large watches who now say they'd never go back. At the time that person bought the watch, I'm assuming he bought it knowing that it was large, that it was purely a casual watch, and he didn't think the size of the watch was too cumbersome or uncomfortable. Subsequently, he decided 44+ mm is too big and declares 38-40 mm is optimal.

Going back to my analogy, does the guy who buys a large house in the burbs likely ultimately decide it wasn't worth it to live so far away from the office? Maybe more often than not, yes. Here, does one often initially underestimate the wearability or comfort of a large watch? I understand this is a personal decision but I just wanted to get some personal perspectives from those with more experience than me.

Thanks for clarifying and sharing a very interesting analogy, particularly since I have a friend who did precisely that (moved to a big home in the suburbs, but on a good day spends 3 hours per day (round trip_ commuting to NYC...it can take longer if the weather is bad. Personally, I thought it was a bad idea, and although he hates the commute now, he still stands by his decision.

Anyway, I would say, that the difference (among many) with your housing analogy is one has to consider their family, the commute of a working spouse, or will the spouse need to find another job closer to the new home, new school for kids, new friends for the kids, and the time spent commuting that cuts into free time with family, not to mention the far greater financial outlay and potential difficulty/cost of moving back closer to work if the suburbs turns out to be a mistake. With the watch there are no where near the number of variables or issues, its largely how you feel about it as it really only affects you. Not to mention, the comfort/wearability of a watch can vary from person to person based on the shape of the watch in question, its lugs, how far the winding crown protrudes and the wearer's wrist shape/structure, some people have a boney wrists others don't. In the end, if you decide its not for you, trading or selling a watch is thankfully a lot simpler than selling a house and moving a family closer to work again. Wishing you lots of luck with whatever you decide.

 

[TheWraith]

I commute 4 hours a day (2 hours to work and 2 back again). I've been doing that for the majority of the last 23 years. You get used to it, you can do productive things on the train journey and my lifestyle is greatly improved by living outside Sydney while still being close enough to it to take advantage of its virtues (like watch boutiques ).

 

[Keith T]



I'm curious to hear your thoughts on owning and wearing the Rad, particularly your comment about the size. My assumption would be that you wore it only casually. I'm sort of considering a 45mm fifty fathoms but worry a little about its long term wearability. I understand its not a daily driver; I have other watches for more elegant occasions. This would be purely for sports/casual wear, and without the benefit of experience, it would seem well suited for that purpose so I'm curious to hear why I hear guys here seem to regret buying larger watches.

I've got me-self a Radiomir.

I do wear it regularly.

And and I have ...

"Not even a single letter?" LOL.

Of course, I'm a non-discriminatory watch whore

, meaning I have zero problem wearing a Panerai 210, or at the other end of the scale, a diminutive vintage Curvex.

I also happen to love the Fifty Fathoms, and have tried it on more than once (old pic below).

For me personally, I thought it did wear just a bit too large for a round watch. YMMV. Just depends on your own wrist size and shape.

I've often said that if BlancpaiN ever releases something like it in the 40-42mm range, I'd be all over it like ... something on something else that it's really attracted to.

LOVE the sapphire / lumed bezel, and of course all the history behind that watch.

 

[BostonHedonist]

Pretty cool. And under $6k

 

[IGotId]

they are legit

Haven't purchased anything there. However, I have visited their shop in Greenwich, CT and they were very nice to me, and had some really cool watches in stock. I was wearing my AP 15202 and they brought out a Royal Oak Tourbillon for me to drool over and try on, and it was the first place where I got to try on a few pieces from Laurent Ferrier.

I have bought a handful of watches from them. All good experiences..

Thanks!

 

[Kaplan]



I'm curious to hear your thoughts on owning and wearing the Rad, particularly your comment about the size. My assumption would be that you wore it only casually. I'm sort of considering a 45mm fifty fathoms but worry a little about its long term wearability. I understand its not a daily driver; I have other watches for more elegant occasions. This would be purely for sports/casual wear, and without the benefit of experience, it would seem well suited for that purpose so I'm curious to hear why I hear guys here seem to regret buying larger watches.

What I had was a 44mm Luminor (177), not a Radiomir. I was very happy to own and wear it for a handful of years and I definitely didn't regret my purchase (and I sold it for 50% more than I had paid for it). Yes, I wore it casually, but except for the occasional socialising, I'm very rarely in a suit. Also, there wasn't anything uncomfortable about wearing it - the prime reason I let it go, was that I basically had come to prefer the aesthetic of a smaller watch. I still very much like that watch (and some other larger watches), but I'm satisfied with enjoying them from afar.

 

[in stitches]

I think my range for watch size is 36mm on the small end to 44mm on the large end, with 40ish being my sweet spot.

Echoing Dino, trends will come and go, but the most important thing really is how it looks on your arm/wrist/hand, taking not just listed size, but also case/lugs/crown design into consideration.