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

[gyasih]

Checks + watch = BMW logo. Impeccable!

But the pinstripe jacket is a jarring misstep!

I appreciate the compliment, I didn't even think about the check and watch combo. Stripes and checks worked out fine, as an outfit.

 

[firenze_rob]

I put a down payment on the Speedmaster. I can switch it over to the Seamaster or the Railmaster if I'd like and assuming they are available and I think they will be based on what I've heard. For now am sticking with the Speedy despite already having a FOIS, but if for some reason I get an opening on a Speedy Tuesday I might go that route. Very tempted by the Railmaster. Even the Seamaster to a degree, but of all three that one has one thing that I don't like. I don't like that look of that lume pip on the bezel. In the shots I've seen it doesn't look great to me. Otherwise I like it.

I do think the Speedmaster is the best of the bunch in the triology. I have a '57 Replica which has the same broad arrow hands. They are too similar in my opinion to justify getting another Speedy. When are they delivering the triology watches?

 

[Andy57]

This whole "one watch" business is a form of collective insanity. Advocates need to seek treatment. I advise heading to the Turks & Caicos, where I am at present. Here are the two watches I brought with me:


I can't say enough good things about the Stowa. It takes a licking and keeps right on ticking. It does not have a screw down crown, but it is waterproof enough for an old man splashing about in the sea. It's clear and readable and has an elegance about it that belies how rugged it actually is. Plus the sea (it's a Marine Auto) is its natural element. I have it on a cotton strap that dries quickly, is comfortable, and is fading very attractively.

The other is a Chris Ward C11 Vintage. Almost never wear it, so I brought it along at the last minute to give me a watch to wear while the Stowa was drying out. It is a decent watch and I do like it, but it never quite gets the wrist time it deserves. It is on a Gas Gas Bones chunky leather strap that I though might be fun but which I'm growing tired of. Time to swap it out when I get home.

I brought with me no watches or jewelry of any real value except my wedding ring. Why take the chance?

 

[BLAUGRANA]

I like the Railmaster, BLAU. But not needed now that I have the BB36.

Interesting you say that as I've read a few comments where people have stated how much they like the Railmaster, but that they have an Explorer I and thus don't need it. I think that's a fair argument, but there's also need vs want. They are watches, right? Either way, with a BB36 do you really need anything else?

I do think the Speedmaster is the best of the bunch in the triology. I have a '57 Replica which has the same broad arrow hands. They are too similar in my opinion to justify getting another Speedy. When are they delivering the triology watches?

No idea. I think they're going to deliver either later this month or July for sure, but I would think that it's going to carry on past that. I just moved on it last month so I'll likely be later down the list assuming they don't release them randomly (which is what I read they were doing with the Speedy Tuesday).

Yes, if you have the reference I'm thinking of they are indeed too similar. Of course you could always swap them... For me I think it's different enough than the First Omega in Space. The broad arrow hands, faux-aged lume and silver bezel are enough of a departure. I'll also be adding a leather strap (Hodinkee aged great leather strap is the idea) of a different color to the one on my FOIS, but it will be somewhat similar. Anyway, while I'm of the mind that they do indeed make too many Speedmaster variants, if they get it right and there's enough differentiation between them I can see owning more than one.

If anyone wants to get a Speedy I think they probably still can, but that the window is shutting rather quickly.

 

[TheWraith]

Interesting you say that as I've read a few comments where people have stated how much they like the Railmaster, but that they have an Explorer I and thus don't need it. I think that's a fair argument, but there's also need vs want. They are watches, right? Either way, with a BB36 do you really need anything else?

I try not to get anything too similar, as that affects the wrist time a watch will get I've found. Exceptions for me are dive watches. I have a few of those and I don't mind swapping those for each other, depending on the mood and environment.

 

[BLAUGRANA]

Well as I noted yesterday I had an incoming. It came today.

So at some point on Tuesday night, and I think they put out notice kind of late unless I just missed it, I saw that Hodinkee had a special announcement slated for Wednesday and 1pm EST. So we all know what that means. Well I had to work the next day and our Wi Fi is down so I knew I wouldn't have access to my phone. The tablets at work are a bit crap and run rather slow, especially with third party sites, but at least I get a connection. So I went to my office promptly at noon (I'm CST) and went to the site. Of course the piece after a refresh or two came right up and there it was. So had a few looks. First impression was that I preferred the original Skipper, but I did like this one a lot and there was a lot that appeals to me personally. I'm a big fan of things "nautical" and I'm to a large degree about a watch being both seasonal and working with what you're wearing. So this for me was a great Spring/Summer option that would work well with my wardrobe. So having been considering another watch despite having a down payment in for an anniversary Speedmaster I decided to pull the trigger. I knew I'd have to be pretty quick considering how fast the Hodinkee releases go and with only 125 on offer. So I went to checkout. Checking out they gave you the option of one of their aged moss green leather straps with a Heuer buckle at about 30% off what they normally charge. Since I already have that strap (and love it) for my First Omega in Space Speedmaster, the lugs are 19mm and straps for those can be tougher to find, you get the Heuer buckle and I thought the strap would look great with the watch I decided to throw that in. So I tried paying with PayPal and of course the damn tablet was wonky with that so I had to submit my information on the site. It went through though.

Odd thing perhaps was that in my haste I didn't read the full piece they did until after checkout. While at first I wasn't thrilled with the date, I appreciated it more after reading about the Dato 45 inspiration. In fact the watch being an inspired piece rather than a direct copy I liked that as well. I also learned how rare the 7754 was and that I'd never have one of those anyway.

Initial impressions weren't what I expected. The first thing that struck me upon seeing it in the metal was the size. If you've read my ramblings in the past you'll note that I always think watches look big in pictures and when you get them they are small by comparison. The details all seem different, but richer. This was of course no exception. On the Heuer blue leather racing strap it didn't read "Skipper" so much to me. I actually think it will sing on a Nato or that Hodinkee strap though. Initially on the wrist it felt a bit thick. Then I compared it to my First Omega in Space. It felt as thick and looked as thick initially. After further reviewing them both side by side I could tell it wasn't. I think the thicker mid-case of the Skipper is threw me off with perhaps the domed crystal. Also, oddly enough, the cases and especially the lugs on the Skipper and the FOIS are very similar. Where the watch differed though was in the diameter. It definitely felt more than the .7mm smaller than the 39.7mm FOIS. What really struck me though was how it compared to my Geophysic 1958. It felt even smaller still to that and the Geophysic is .5mm smaller at 38.5mm. So by comparison based on what I own the Skipper definitely wears smaller than it's 39mm size. In fact to me based on these comparisons it wears about 37mm which is in my opinion quite notable.

Spending some more time with the watch I really took to it. It wasn't so much anything different from the photos but rather just that I loved it based on the same things I loved about the photos. The blue sunburst dial is just great. In the daylight you get different shades depending on how the light hits it. Now this might have you rolling your eyes, but it's so fitting for a watch named "Skipper" too as it brings to mind the different shades of the sea. It really does. What's also interesting is that the tri-colored sub dial is more matte in finish and so it stands out. In fact the markers and hour and minute hands are polished in appearance which coupled with the dial give the watch a somewhat shinier appearance, yet it still doesn't read dress watch at all. Anyway, I love the tri-colored sub dial. The colors are all great and the white sub hand works perfectly. I also love the orange chronograph seconds hand. Just adds to the "nautical" theme if you will. The hour markers are cool as well. I've seen them in photos of other watches, but never in the metal and they look even better in person. Marking the hours though brings me to another favorite part of the watch. You may laugh, but I love the white lume plots at each hour. Just another small detail that for me brings it all together. Would the watch be ruined without them? No, but it wouldn't be as nice. The lume plots really play back to the "Heuer", "Skipper" and Swiss as well. In fact when you factor in all the colors and how well it's put together, it's almost as if a Heuer designer brought his work home to his wife who just happens to work for Nomos. Going further from the center of the dial finally leads me to the outer track. I absolutely love that as well. It's subtle and just adds more to look and feel of a the watch as a tool watch. All that's left for me to address is the elephant in the room. That date window. Now you should note that I'm not a fan of date windows. In fact I think that probably a good 99% of watches out there that have them are generally ruined by them. I don't need to see the date on my wrist. What the hell do people think the iPhone is for? Making calls? I digress. All of that said, this date window absolutely works for me. The got it right by framing it. What I really like though is that it helps to balance the dial. So first watch with a date window and I'm fine with it.

On to what I would do differently. I would just note that I'm quite picky and this list is rather short and nothing on it is remotely a deal breaker:

-Just a bit thinner.
-Thinner mid-case.
-Solid caseback with a sailing vessel or something nautical related engraved. Movement actually isn't that bad looking, but it's not a Lange or something like that and this is of course a tool watch.
-The Heuer strap is quite nice (notably better than the strap that came with the FOIS), but too "racing strap" of a look for me. I get that it's a Carrera, but doesn't jive with the Nautical feel of the watch despite the great navy color. Also, while I've never worn a deployant clasp and have yet to even clasp this one my wrist the size of the clasp seems quite big. Again though, really nice strap otherwise.
-The date window could have been just slightly closer to the center of the dial so that the hour marker at 3 was symmetrical to the hour marker at 9. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they had to do it for something related to the movement.
-A different box. The box will be stored away so not a big deal the leather Heuer box in brown isn't bad, but I would have preferred something to "match" the watch if you will. White box with some of the color details of the watch inside specifically the sub dial details which were inspired by the Intrepid on the original.

Sorry for the long post, just thought I'd share. At the end of the day I really love the watch. In fact it's telling that Hodinkee can go to Heuer and get this watch done. For me Hodinkee has literally come up with the best or one of the best watches for each of the respective brands they've partnered with. With regards to Tag Heuer I feel as though they have maybe 3-4 watches in their entire lineup with consideration and yet Hodinkee goes to them about this and it's arguably their best watch.

Crappy iPhone picture:

 

[apropos]

That looks absolutely great, and I'm very happy for you. Great watch!!

 

[ljrcustom]

Congrats on the pickup! A few friends of mine purchased one too.

And yes, the vintage skipper that this is based on is very rare.

Well as I noted yesterday I had an incoming. It came today.

So at some point on Tuesday night, and I think they put out notice kind of late unless I just missed it, I saw that Hodinkee had a special announcement slated for Wednesday and 1pm EST. So we all know what that means. Well I had to work the next day and our Wi Fi is down so I knew I wouldn't have access to my phone. The tablets at work are a bit crap and run rather slow, especially with third party sites, but at least I get a connection. So I went to my office promptly at noon (I'm CST) and went to the site. Of course the piece after a refresh or two came right up and there it was. So had a few looks. First impression was that I preferred the original Skipper, but I did like this one a lot and there was a lot that appeals to me personally. I'm a big fan of things "nautical" and I'm to a large degree about a watch being both seasonal and working with what you're wearing. So this for me was a great Spring/Summer option that would work well with my wardrobe. So having been considering another watch despite having a down payment in for an anniversary Speedmaster I decided to pull the trigger. I knew I'd have to be pretty quick considering how fast the Hodinkee releases go and with only 125 on offer. So I went to checkout. Checking out they gave you the option of one of their aged moss green leather straps with a Heuer buckle at about 30% off what they normally charge. Since I already have that strap (and love it) for my First Omega in Space Speedmaster, the lugs are 19mm and straps for those can be tougher to find, you get the Heuer buckle and I thought the strap would look great with the watch I decided to throw that in. So I tried paying with PayPal and of course the damn tablet was wonky with that so I had to submit my information on the site. It went through though.

Odd thing perhaps was that in my haste I didn't read the full piece they did until after checkout. While at first I wasn't thrilled with the date, I appreciated it more after reading about the Dato 45 inspiration. In fact the watch being an inspired piece rather than a direct copy I liked that as well. I also learned how rare the 7754 was and that I'd never have one of those anyway.

Initial impressions weren't what I expected. The first thing that struck me upon seeing it in the metal was the size. If you've read my ramblings in the past you'll note that I always think watches look big in pictures and when you get them they are small by comparison. The details all seem different, but richer. This was of course no exception. On the Heuer blue leather racing strap it didn't read "Skipper" so much to me. I actually think it will sing on a Nato or that Hodinkee strap though. Initially on the wrist it felt a bit thick. Then I compared it to my First Omega in Space. It felt as thick and looked as thick initially. After further reviewing them both side by side I could tell it wasn't. I think the thicker mid-case of the Skipper is threw me off with perhaps the domed crystal. Also, oddly enough, the cases and especially the lugs on the Skipper and the FOIS are very similar. Where the watch differed though was in the diameter. It definitely felt more than the .7mm smaller than the 39.7mm FOIS. What really struck me though was how it compared to my Geophysic 1958. It felt even smaller still to that and the Geophysic is .5mm smaller at 38.5mm. So by comparison based on what I own the Skipper definitely wears smaller than it's 39mm size. In fact to me based on these comparisons it wears about 37mm which is in my opinion quite notable.

Spending some more time with the watch I really took to it. It wasn't so much anything different from the photos but rather just that I loved it based on the same things I loved about the photos. The blue sunburst dial is just great. In the daylight you get different shades depending on how the light hits it. Now this might have you rolling your eyes, but it's so fitting for a watch named "Skipper" too as it brings to mind the different shades of the sea. It really does. What's also interesting is that the tri-colored sub dial is more matte in finish and so it stands out. In fact the markers and hour and minute hands are polished in appearance which coupled with the dial give the watch a somewhat shinier appearance, yet it still doesn't read dress watch at all. Anyway, I love the tri-colored sub dial. The colors are all great and the white sub hand works perfectly. I also love the orange chronograph seconds hand. Just adds to the "nautical" theme if you will. The hour markers are cool as well. I've seen them in photos of other watches, but never in the metal and they look even better in person. Marking the hours though brings me to another favorite part of the watch. You may laugh, but I love the white lume plots at each hour. Just another small detail that for me brings it all together. Would the watch be ruined without them? No, but it wouldn't be as nice. The lume plots really play back to the "Heuer", "Skipper" and Swiss as well. In fact when you factor in all the colors and how well it's put together, it's almost as if a Heuer designer brought his work home to his wife who just happens to work for Nomos. Going further from the center of the dial finally leads me to the outer track. I absolutely love that as well. It's subtle and just adds more to look and feel of a the watch as a tool watch. All that's left for me to address is the elephant in the room. That date window. Now you should note that I'm not a fan of date windows. In fact I think that probably a good 99% of watches out there that have them are generally ruined by them. I don't need to see the date on my wrist. What the hell do people think the iPhone is for? Making calls? I digress. All of that said, this date window absolutely works for me. The got it right by framing it. What I really like though is that it helps to balance the dial. So first watch with a date window and I'm fine with it.

On to what I would do differently. I would just note that I'm quite picky and this list is rather short and nothing on it is remotely a deal breaker:

-Just a bit thinner.
-Thinner mid-case.
-Solid caseback with a sailing vessel or something nautical related engraved. Movement actually isn't that bad looking, but it's not a Lange or something like that and this is of course a tool watch.
-The Heuer strap is quite nice (notably better than the strap that came with the FOIS), but too "racing strap" of a look for me. I get that it's a Carrera, but doesn't jive with the Nautical feel of the watch despite the great navy color. Also, while I've never worn a deployant clasp and have yet to even clasp this one my wrist the size of the clasp seems quite big. Again though, really nice strap otherwise.
-The date window could have been just slightly closer to the center of the dial so that the hour marker at 3 was symmetrical to the hour marker at 9. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they had to do it for something related to the movement.
-A different box. The box will be stored away so not a big deal the leather Heuer box in brown isn't bad, but I would have preferred something to "match" the watch if you will. White box with some of the color details of the watch inside specifically the sub dial details which were inspired by the Intrepid on the original.

Sorry for the long post, just thought I'd share. At the end of the day I really love the watch. In fact it's telling that Hodinkee can go to Heuer and get this watch done. For me Hodinkee has literally come up with the best or one of the best watches for each of the respective brands they've partnered with. With regards to Tag Heuer I feel as though they have maybe 3-4 watches in their entire lineup with consideration and yet Hodinkee goes to them about this and it's arguably their best watch.

Crappy iPhone picture:

View attachment 802125

 

[ljrcustom]

Whelp, call me a hypocrite but I can't turn down a free drink. I'll be at the Hodinkee event in Soho tonight. I'll try to catch some pictures of the new Tag.

If you're also going, I'll be the young, 6'7" guy in the white button with rocket pops on it. Come say hi.

How was the event? I was stuck in meetings and wasn't able to make it.

 

[Dino944]

Well as I noted yesterday I had an incoming. It came today.


Crappy iPhone picture:

View attachment 802125

Congrats and enjoy it!

 

[roomiller]

Edit: pics did not upload well from mobile. I'll give it a shot later on desktop

The event was good fun. The watch really is fantastic in person. The sunburst dial and matte subdial really play off of each other. A special thanks to @BLAUGRANA for paying for 1/125 of the free Vueve and cocktails the fiance and I enjoyed.

Didn't know anyone else in attendance, but wound up unknowingly speaking with Jack Forster for a good 30 minutes and then also met the founder of the RedBar crew. Jack was a pleasure to talk to and regaled the fiance and I with some fantastic stories.

This being my first event like this, a lot of people already knew one another, but once the event wore on and people stopped catching up it was easier to slip into conversations and meet some new WIS.

 

[BLAUGRANA]

Cheers lads! On a side note, someone who bought one put it up for sale on TRF yesterday and sold it for almost a 50% markup. I just plan on enjoying the watch myself, but crazy how people get. It also hasn't been lost on me that Tag might release something similar as Zenith did.

The event was good fun. The watch really is fantastic in person. The sunburst dial and matte subdial really play off of each other. A special thanks to @BLAUGRANA for paying for 1/125 of the free Vueve and cocktails the fiance and I enjoyed.

Happy to oblige.

Sounds like a fun event. I probably should have hit the event in Chicago, but they announce them so last minute and travelling downtown can be a pain with traffic and I'm not sure there'd have been a late enough train to get me back. Of course I was off that day so I should have just gone, but even then parking would have been outrageous. Just would have been fun to meet some like minded enthusiasts.

Surely you are in one of the photos, but then I don't know you so just speculating. However I did see Jack and that bloke from RedBar.

 

[Keith T]

And now, some words I never thought would ever, in a million years, come from my keyboard:

"Hey, that watch looks great on an orange NATO."

 

[roomiller]

Correct! Here I am, and I'm on the edge of another shot looking real doofy.

Congrats on the incoming! I've begroaned these LEs before, but even I have to admit that it really is a fantastic watch. As you mentioned, it perfectly hits that spring/summer style. Throw it on a cloth strap and it's a super fun alternative to a dive watch when around water.

Selfishly, I do hope that Tag releases a similar non-limited edition.

 

[md2010]

Question for watch collectors with 2+ watches. How do rotate your watches? Specially with time/ date setting and such. I can't seem have more than 2 in my rotation.