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

[Belligero]

My advice, if you've been waiting six years you should know to some degree what you want. If you don't, then really spend some time thinking about. That may involve doing plenty of research online as well as trying on watches. Once you realize what you really want, then go for it. In the meantime I'd say continue to save. Maybe in a year you're up to $5k.

As for Tudor, I've read about the odd watch having an issue,but overall I'm guessing you'd be fine. I've read recently that as Rolex becomes less attainable that Tudor might be it's "replacement" for lack of a better term when eventually those could go up as well. That said nobody really knows. I would just consider the "vintage" look of the Black Bay in certain colors as you may get sick of that in the future. Personally were I to go Black Bay I'd get the blue bezel myself. I'd also consider the Black Bay GMT if you're going Black Bay. Actually the steel and gold Black Bay looks like one of the best value Black Bays if you're going grey market.

Finally, if resale value is something you'd consider, then with your budget I'd look to get an Explorer I or maybe if you can an Explorer II (or just a Rolex in general) since you mentioned and "explorer-ish" watch. I'm referring to the previous generation of each of these. You might have to go slightly over budget, but not by much.

Spot-on advice.

For someone who's willing to spend around CAD 5K anyway, I think it would be much better to go for the watch they really want, even if it's slightly over budget. Certainly preferable to settling for the second choice and then always regretting not going for the real deal.

That being said, Tudor makes some of the best of the rest, especially the models with the newer Rolex-derived movements. And I'd also strongly consider Nomos; they're one of the few true watchmakers that exist in the under-$5K category, and their watches are excellent for someone who's into their distinctive style.

But at that price level and with those criteria, nothing's going to beat a steel Rolex, and the 14270/114270 Explorer and 16570 Explorer II would be top choices. Their simple and perfect 16200 is also well worth a look as an alternative; I think it's a highly underrated watch.

 

[chocomallo]

Spot-on advice.

For someone who's willing to spend around CAD 5K anyway, I think it would be much better to go for the watch they really want, even if it's slightly over budget. Certainly preferable to settling for the second choice and then always regretting not going for the real deal.

That being said, Tudor makes some of the best of the rest, especially the models with the newer Rolex-derived movements. And I'd also strongly consider Nomos; they're one of the few true watchmakers that exist in the under-$5K category, and their watches are excellent for someone who's into their distinctive style.

But at that price level and with those criteria, nothing's going to beat a steel Rolex, and the 14270/114270 Explorer and 16570 Explorer II would be top choices. Their simple and perfect 16200 is also well worth a look as an alternative; I think it's a highly underrated watch.

Exactly my point about the siren song of Rolex. It’s not that I have anything against this advice but all roads lead to Rolex and Speedmaster on most internet watch discussions. I cannot disagree that they are wonderful watches but buy what you like solely from your own opinion. Watches are not investments regardless of whatever you read on the internet. They do not generate income so you buy purely on speculation that you can sell to a bigger chump as an investment.

 

[Belligero]

Who said anything about investment, though?

The reason to get a Rolex is that it's a better-designed, better-quality watch that tends to look better with age.

 

[am55]

Makes me think more of rainbows than sunshine. Rainbows and unicorns maybe.

 

[chocomallo]

Who said anything about investment, though?

The reason to get a Rolex is that it's a better-designed, better-quality watch that tends to look better with age.

Quote from the guy (CBrown85) asking about whether to buy a Tudor that started this line of conversation: “Are the Tudors any good or will my money go further elsewhere?”

Is this not a question of whether they hold value? That is, is it a good investment?

You responded by recommending Rolex. This is the response about 99% of the time online. Nothing wrong with it but you told the guy don’t buy what you like. Buy something else.

 

[Delands]

about

Spot-on advice.

For someone who's willing to spend around CAD 5K anyway, I think it would be much better to go for the watch they really want, even if it's slightly over budget. Certainly preferable to settling for the second choice and then always regretting not going for the real deal.

That being said, Tudor makes some of the best of the rest, especially the models with the newer Rolex-derived movements. And I'd also strongly consider Nomos; they're one of the few true watchmakers that exist in the under-$5K category, and their watches are excellent for someone who's into their distinctive style.

But at that price level and with those criteria, nothing's going to beat a steel Rolex, and the 14270/114270 Explorer and 16570 Explorer II would be top choices. Their simple and perfect 16200 is also well worth a look as an alternative; I think it's a highly underrated watch.

I'll echo the recommendation for the Rolex 116000. The Oyster Perpetual is probably the most underrated line of Rolex and has many options in terms of sizes and colours.
I have a 36mm blue dial and could not be happier with it. It fits in all situations.

It will stretch your budget but is worth it if you really like it.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Anyone have experience buying from gray dealers in general and Prestige Time in particular? The discounts are pretty inviting, but I'm wary of not having a manufacturer warranty if something goes wrong with the watch.

 

[smittycl]

Anyone have experience buying from gray dealers in general and Prestige Time in particular? The discounts are pretty inviting, but I'm wary of not having a manufacturer warranty if something goes wrong with the watch.

I've bought from Jomashop before. Nothing fancy, just a couple of Hamilton's. Everything was legit.

Jomashop.com: Online Shopping for Watches, Handbags, Sunglasses, Apparel, Beauty, Shoes, Pens & more

Jomashop.com offers the best prices on watches, handbags, sunglasses, apparel, beauty, shoes, pens, and more with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Our site features a huge selection of Omega Watches, Rolex, Breitling, Gucci, Tissot, Burberry, Citizen, Michael Kors and More

www.jomashop.com

Never heard anything bad about Prestige Time.

 

[an draoi]

“Bringing home the Birkin”. A fun read

My wife regards this book as gospel and still recommends it to her Hermes-seeking friends, but lately she somehow (I suspect she drank the koolaid planted by Hermes influencer/stooge on a blog somewhere) became possessed of the idea that the Faubourg St Honore store was The One And Only where there was a remote possibility, if the stars were to align in accordance with some highly improbable ephemeris, of obtaining a Birkin or Kelly without first having to buy one or more of their other offerings or your own bodyweight in silk. Utter nonsense, I protested, but nonetheless on my trips to Paris I was despatched to the boutique, armed with a detailed wish list and a watertight deep cover story (I confess I got confused as to whether I was supposed to say that she did already own Hermes bags or claim that this would be her first, although I am certain I was forbidden to mention that she had ever sold an Hermes - as if any of this was going to make a difference.) The elaborate charade of my visits, until I convinced my wife of the futility of the exercise, did at least provide me with a certain measure of cynical entertainment.

"What model of bag are you looking for? In which size? What type of leather and in what colour? What kind of hardware?" Having dutifully noted the preferences, the SA then disappears for up to 20 minutes. Presumably this is intended to convey the impression that she is jostling with other SAs in a chaotic storeroom, furiously rummaging through piles of orange boxes, throwing leather goods around haphazardly in an earnest quest for your bag. And not just sipping an espresso in the staff room, gossiping with colleagues about whatever passes for Love Island in France. And as if she hadn't had numerous identical requests already that day. And couldn't just check SAP in any case. Finally and predictably she returns bearing (i) a baleful expression and (ii) several boxes containing bags of a type that no one buys, ever.

Still, at least my SA offered me handbags. I recall watching with a mixture of amusement and sympathy as a young customer, dancing from dainty Chinese toe to toe in evident excitement at having have secured an appointment* and thinking her Hermes moment had finally arrived, asked for a Kelly backpack and was presented with a pochette. Despite (or, more likely, because of) this violent cleaving of customer expectation from reality, the SA presented what was essentially a coin purse with the kind of reverence more typically displayed by Indiana Jones lifting a priceless indigenous artefact from its sacred resting place.

Interestingly, there was never any suggestion, explicit or implicit, that the purchase of one of these items would unlock the sought-after model I requested. Perhaps they simply assume that anyone who has successfully broached the inner sanctum of the FSH boutique has read of Tonello's secret diary and thus knows the rules.

* Yes, due to the number of Asian rough sleepers vying to be the first through the doors of the maroquinerie department, unless you have applied for and been granted an appointment, at the FSH store they won't even allow you to ask to buy the handbag that they will refuse to sell you (or even ask for one of the unpopular bags that they ought to be desperate to offload to you - presumably they cannot acknowledge the unpalatable fact that no one wants anything other than Birkins and Kellys). After multiple attempts, I achieved a success rate of 0% appointments through their website, and a creditable 50% (1 for 2!) at walking in off the street and charming them into giving me one. The unceremonious manner in which they direct most sans-apppointment customers (and their wallets) towards the door marked Do One is another source of entertainment, although I suspect this is more a Parisian trait than a formal feature of Hermes store policy.

In short, the Hermes sales and marketing strategy (certainly as applied at the FSH store) makes Rolex look like the model of reasonableness. Be grateful that your friendly neighbourhood Rolex AD deigns to permit you into his shop and has the decency to tell you upfront that he has no SS models for sale (even if you suspect that he has a bundle in the safe reserved for favoured customers and the mug willing to buy a "gate" watch).

P.S. - I saw a wrist-mounted Milgauss yesterday! Not an especially news-worthy event, except that only last week I was saying that I had never seen one in the wild. I found the green crystal pleasing, but the novelty seconds hand still kills it for me.

 

[Texasmade]

Anyone have experience buying from gray dealers in general and Prestige Time in particular? The discounts are pretty inviting, but I'm wary of not having a manufacturer warranty if something goes wrong with the watch.

I've bought from a gray dealer off the rolex forum. Watch came with a stamped AD warranty card. Some gray dealers can offer this some don't.

 

[am55]

My wife regards this book as gospel and still recommends it to her Hermes-seeking friends, but lately she somehow (I suspect she drank the koolaid planted by Hermes influencer/stooge on a blog somewhere) became possessed of the idea that the Faubourg St Honore store was The One And Only where there was a remote possibility, if the stars were to align in accordance with some highly improbable ephemeris, of obtaining a Birkin or Kelly without first having to buy one or more of their other offerings or your own bodyweight in silk. Utter nonsense, I protested, but nonetheless on my trips to Paris I was despatched to the boutique, armed with a detailed wish list and a watertight deep cover story (I confess I got confused as to whether I was supposed to say that she did already own Hermes bags or claim that this would be her first, although I am certain I was forbidden to mention that she had ever sold an Hermes - as if any of this was going to make a difference.) The elaborate charade of my visits, until I convinced my wife of the futility of the exercise, did at least provide me with a certain measure of cynical entertainment.

"What model of bag are you looking for? In which size? What type of leather and in what colour? What kind of hardware?" Having dutifully noted the preferences, the SA then disappears for up to 20 minutes. Presumably this is intended to convey the impression that she is jostling with other SAs in a chaotic storeroom, furiously rummaging through piles of orange boxes, throwing leather goods around haphazardly in an earnest quest for your bag. And not just sipping an espresso in the staff room, gossiping with colleagues about whatever passes for Love Island in France. And as if she hadn't had numerous identical requests already that day. And couldn't just check SAP in any case. Finally and predictably she returns bearing (i) a baleful expression and (ii) several boxes containing bags of a type that no one buys, ever.

Still, at least my SA offered me handbags. I recall watching with a mixture of amusement and sympathy as a young customer, dancing from dainty Chinese toe to toe in evident excitement at having have secured an appointment* and thinking her Hermes moment had finally arrived, asked for a Kelly backpack and was presented with a pochette. Despite (or, more likely, because of) this violent cleaving of customer expectation from reality, the SA presented what was essentially a coin purse with the kind of reverence more typically displayed by Indiana Jones lifting a priceless indigenous artefact from its sacred resting place.

Interestingly, there was never any suggestion, explicit or implicit, that the purchase of one of these items would unlock the sought-after model I requested. Perhaps they simply assume that anyone who has successfully broached the inner sanctum of the FSH boutique has read of Tonello's secret diary and thus knows the rules.

* Yes, due to the number of Asian rough sleepers vying to be the first through the doors of the maroquinerie department, unless you have applied for and been granted an appointment, at the FSH store they won't even allow you to ask to buy the handbag that they will refuse to sell you (or even ask for one of the unpopular bags that they ought to be desperate to offload to you - presumably they cannot acknowledge the unpalatable fact that no one wants anything other than Birkins and Kellys). After multiple attempts, I acheived a success rate of 0% appointments through their website, and a creditable 50% (1 for 2!) at walking in off the street and charming them into giving me one. The unceremonious manner in which they direct most sans-apppointment customers (and their wallets) towards the door marked Do One is another source of entertainment, although I suspect this is more a Parisian trait than a formal feature of Hermes store policy.

In short, the Hermes sales and marketing strategy (certainly as applied at the FSH store) makes Rolex look like the model of reasonableness. Be grateful that your friendly neighbourhood Rolex AD deigns to permit you into his shop and has the decency to tell you upfront that he has no SS models for sale (even if you suspect that he has a bundle in the safe reserved for favoured customers and the mug willing to buy a "gate" watch).

P.S. - I saw a wrist-mounted Milgauss yesterday! Not an especially news-worthy event, except that only last week I was saying that I had never seen one in the wild. I found the green crystal pleasing, but the novelty seconds hand still kills it for me.

You're doing it wrong:

"Tell me, Mr. Oei, does our bank have a relationship manager in Paris? Great. Will you call the fellow up and get him to make a call to this shop that I am at.”
[...]
“Oh, that wasn’t the banker. It was the designer himself. He told them he was rushing over to personally supervise my fittings. Your banker must have called him directly,”

 

[Riva]

My wife regards this book as gospel and still recommends it to her Hermes-seeking friends, but lately she somehow (I suspect she drank the koolaid planted by Hermes influencer/stooge on a blog somewhere) became possessed of the idea that the Faubourg St Honore store was The One And Only where there was a remote possibility, if the stars were to align in accordance with some highly improbable ephemeris, of obtaining a Birkin or Kelly without first having to buy one or more of their other offerings or your own bodyweight in silk. Utter nonsense, I protested, but nonetheless on my trips to Paris I was despatched to the boutique, armed with a detailed wish list and a watertight deep cover story (I confess I got confused as to whether I was supposed to say that she did already own Hermes bags or claim that this would be her first, although I am certain I was forbidden to mention that she had ever sold an Hermes - as if any of this was going to make a difference.) The elaborate charade of my visits, until I convinced my wife of the futility of the exercise, did at least provide me with a certain measure of cynical entertainment.

"What model of bag are you looking for? In which size? What type of leather and in what colour? What kind of hardware?" Having dutifully noted the preferences, the SA then disappears for up to 20 minutes. Presumably this is intended to convey the impression that she is jostling with other SAs in a chaotic storeroom, furiously rummaging through piles of orange boxes, throwing leather goods around haphazardly in an earnest quest for your bag. And not just sipping an espresso in the staff room, gossiping with colleagues about whatever passes for Love Island in France. And as if she hadn't had numerous identical requests already that day. And couldn't just check SAP in any case. Finally and predictably she returns bearing (i) a baleful expression and (ii) several boxes containing bags of a type that no one buys, ever.

Still, at least my SA offered me handbags. I recall watching with a mixture of amusement and sympathy as a young customer, dancing from dainty Chinese toe to toe in evident excitement at having have secured an appointment* and thinking her Hermes moment had finally arrived, asked for a Kelly backpack and was presented with a pochette. Despite (or, more likely, because of) this violent cleaving of customer expectation from reality, the SA presented what was essentially a coin purse with the kind of reverence more typically displayed by Indiana Jones lifting a priceless indigenous artefact from its sacred resting place.

Interestingly, there was never any suggestion, explicit or implicit, that the purchase of one of these items would unlock the sought-after model I requested. Perhaps they simply assume that anyone who has successfully broached the inner sanctum of the FSH boutique has read of Tonello's secret diary and thus knows the rules.

* Yes, due to the number of Asian rough sleepers vying to be the first through the doors of the maroquinerie department, unless you have applied for and been granted an appointment, at the FSH store they won't even allow you to ask to buy the handbag that they will refuse to sell you (or even ask for one of the unpopular bags that they ought to be desperate to offload to you - presumably they cannot acknowledge the unpalatable fact that no one wants anything other than Birkins and Kellys). After multiple attempts, I acheived a success rate of 0% appointments through their website, and a creditable 50% (1 for 2!) at walking in off the street and charming them into giving me one. The unceremonious manner in which they direct most sans-apppointment customers (and their wallets) towards the door marked Do One is another source of entertainment, although I suspect this is more a Parisian trait than a formal feature of Hermes store policy.

In short, the Hermes sales and marketing strategy (certainly as applied at the FSH store) makes Rolex look like the model of reasonableness. Be grateful that your friendly neighbourhood Rolex AD deigns to permit you into his shop and has the decency to tell you upfront that he has no SS models for sale (even if you suspect that he has a bundle in the safe reserved for favoured customers and the mug willing to buy a "gate" watch).

P.S. - I saw a wrist-mounted Milgauss yesterday! Not an especially news-worthy event, except that only last week I was saying that I had never seen one in the wild. I found the green crystal pleasing, but the novelty seconds hand still kills it for me.

All you have to do is have her rock a 6+ carat on the finger and neck and you'll get access to the storage room where she can freely choose any Birkin or Kelly she wants. Worked well in Paris at least 3 years ago.

 

[an draoi]

My budget, at the absolute highest end, is $4k CDN.

Maybe in a year you're up to $5k.

For someone who's willing to spend around CAD 5K anyway...

@CBrown85 if you ever needed proof that you should ignore all advice on the internet (including this advice), look no further than the rapid inflation of your budget...

 

[crazn]

My wife regards this book as gospel and still recommends it to her Hermes-seeking friends, but lately she somehow (I suspect she drank the koolaid planted by Hermes influencer/stooge on a blog somewhere) became possessed of the idea that the Faubourg St Honore store was The One And Only where there was a remote possibility, if the stars were to align in accordance with some highly improbable ephemeris, of obtaining a Birkin or Kelly without first having to buy one or more of their other offerings or your own bodyweight in silk. Utter nonsense, I protested, but nonetheless on my trips to Paris I was despatched to the boutique, armed with a detailed wish list and a watertight deep cover story (I confess I got confused as to whether I was supposed to say that she did already own Hermes bags or claim that this would be her first, although I am certain I was forbidden to mention that she had ever sold an Hermes - as if any of this was going to make a difference.) The elaborate charade of my visits, until I convinced my wife of the futility of the exercise, did at least provide me with a certain measure of cynical entertainment.

"What model of bag are you looking for? In which size? What type of leather and in what colour? What kind of hardware?" Having dutifully noted the preferences, the SA then disappears for up to 20 minutes. Presumably this is intended to convey the impression that she is jostling with other SAs in a chaotic storeroom, furiously rummaging through piles of orange boxes, throwing leather goods around haphazardly in an earnest quest for your bag. And not just sipping an espresso in the staff room, gossiping with colleagues about whatever passes for Love Island in France. And as if she hadn't had numerous identical requests already that day. And couldn't just check SAP in any case. Finally and predictably she returns bearing (i) a baleful expression and (ii) several boxes containing bags of a type that no one buys, ever.

Still, at least my SA offered me handbags. I recall watching with a mixture of amusement and sympathy as a young customer, dancing from dainty Chinese toe to toe in evident excitement at having have secured an appointment* and thinking her Hermes moment had finally arrived, asked for a Kelly backpack and was presented with a pochette. Despite (or, more likely, because of) this violent cleaving of customer expectation from reality, the SA presented what was essentially a coin purse with the kind of reverence more typically displayed by Indiana Jones lifting a priceless indigenous artefact from its sacred resting place.

Interestingly, there was never any suggestion, explicit or implicit, that the purchase of one of these items would unlock the sought-after model I requested. Perhaps they simply assume that anyone who has successfully broached the inner sanctum of the FSH boutique has read of Tonello's secret diary and thus knows the rules.

* Yes, due to the number of Asian rough sleepers vying to be the first through the doors of the maroquinerie department, unless you have applied for and been granted an appointment, at the FSH store they won't even allow you to ask to buy the handbag that they will refuse to sell you (or even ask for one of the unpopular bags that they ought to be desperate to offload to you - presumably they cannot acknowledge the unpalatable fact that no one wants anything other than Birkins and Kellys). After multiple attempts, I achieved a success rate of 0% appointments through their website, and a creditable 50% (1 for 2!) at walking in off the street and charming them into giving me one. The unceremonious manner in which they direct most sans-apppointment customers (and their wallets) towards the door marked Do One is another source of entertainment, although I suspect this is more a Parisian trait than a formal feature of Hermes store policy.

In short, the Hermes sales and marketing strategy (certainly as applied at the FSH store) makes Rolex look like the model of reasonableness. Be grateful that your friendly neighbourhood Rolex AD deigns to permit you into his shop and has the decency to tell you upfront that he has no SS models for sale (even if you suspect that he has a bundle in the safe reserved for favoured customers and the mug willing to buy a "gate" watch).

P.S. - I saw a wrist-mounted Milgauss yesterday! Not an especially news-worthy event, except that only last week I was saying that I had never seen one in the wild. I found the green crystal pleasing, but the novelty seconds hand still kills it for me.

Isn’t that book 10+ years old. That knowledge is kinda out of date

 

[CBrown85]

@CBrown85 if you ever needed proof that you should ignore all advice on the internet (including this advice), look no further than the rapid inflation of your budget...

Yeah, well, that’s SF for you. Come in asking for AE seconds and walk out the door with a pair of Greens.