The Watch Appreciation Thread (Reviews and Photos of Men's Timepieces by Rolex, Patek Philippe, Brei

[TheTukker]



.... Do deployment/fold over clasps on leather feel as good as a buckle?

Better.

 

[Betelgeuse]

Nothing fancy like you guys

 

[Cleav]

Looks great BetelG

Black face, tan strap combo rocking

 

[in stitches]

looks good, B.

 

[Newcomer]

That is a handsome watch. I am digging the tan ostrich

 

[Betelgeuse]

"A Dank" (in stitches, 2013) guys!

 

[akatsuki]



Nuke's suggested reading of the day:

Some good ones.

Thanks for the collection of links. Initial thoughts...

Cartier came out heavy with a ton of new designs:

• I dislike the skeletonized Tanks - it is hard to see the time, and I think this matters a lot to me. Perhaps the contrast between arms and background is greater than what is shown in the picture.
• Rotonde Day and Night is the most interesting, but the moonphase at the bottom feels too modern versus the top - sort of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde approach
• Calibre Diver - this one is a bit hard for me. The Calibres have always felt they are trying too hard, but, at the same time, they are not vanilla like so many others. May have to see in person

Jaeger

• Hybris 11 looks sweet. Could be slightly smaller than 42mm, but this, to me, was the clear star of the show.

Lange

• Terraluna - not sure about this one either. Overlapping dials look a bit confused and busy. Moonphase on the back is just beyond pointless
• Saxonia MOP - the editor wishes they were larger because of this stupid trend of women wearing men's sized watches. That trend can die a million deaths right now.

Montblanc

• Meisterstück Heritage Perpetual Calendar - they should be embarassed to show this watch - the dials are so pressed into the middle, it is obviously a tiny movement in a large case
• Montblanc Meisterstück Heritage Pulsograph - looks pretty good on the other hand

And Hodinkee should stop printing press releases as articles. The guy never met a watch he didn't gush over (witness the Bremont Codebreaker article - a $22K steel Valjoux watch)

 

[Betelgeuse]

That is a handsome watch. I am digging the tan ostrich

Sometimes I switch it to a croc dark brown but I think this one gives a more casual look. I like.

You can see it a bit on this pic.

 

[no frills]

In honor of Nuke's FYI about the Hodinkee article on perpetual calendar chronographs I am wearing this beauty today.

 

[Cleav]

@Betelgeuse thats a great pic there

Frills

 

[Betelgeuse]

@Betelgeuse thats a great pic there

Frills

Thanks!

And I second Cleav on @no frills watch!

 

[Newcomer]

Hey Frills, you are missing a chronograph pusher!

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Made you look

 

[no frills]

Hey Frills, you are missing a chronograph pusher!

Made you look

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

 

[Dino944]

So, cushion shaped watches with wire lugs. Seems these were less rare in the 20's and 30's, like this Omega:

Does anyone currently produce something similar, besides Panerai's Radiomir models? Ideally not as vintage looking at that Omega, but smaller than the Radiomirs.

(Interestingly, when searching for this I learned that the cushion shaped first Panerais from 1936 weren't an original make up, but were using existing Rolex case designs.)

Vacheron makes the 1921 American, which is a cushion shaped case, although it does not use wire lugs. Beautiful watch, but the price has skyrocketed over the last few years. When originally released its MSRP was around $24,995 now its about $40K.

Been away from TWAT for a bit but I was lurking in the shadows.

Over the wedding weekend I got some hands on time with my father-in-law's Rolex 2-tone Submariner which he bought in the 90s. Instead of the more modern ceramic bezel it has the old metal insert that has had some abuse. To add to the abuse some of the 18kt gold links have been dented, the bezel does not turn, and it is scratched to high heaven other than the sapphire crystal.
In its 20-year life it has not been serviced but I mentioned he should probably have it done since he mentioned it only keeps power for 24 hours after wear. He lives a couple blocks away from the Dallas headquarters so I joked about the watch never being far from home if service was done there.

It is interesting to see how people treat their watches given the cost of these things initially. In his case it was beat up being a father and travelling as his profession is not one conducive to watch abuse. Others treat their watches like treasures that are rarely worn and just sit in a safe. He also has an example of this in his YG Rolex Day-Date President which if I remember correctly has which has the proper fluted bezel and sticks with black face.

Its important to remember that years ago watch collecting interest and prices were not anything close to what they are today (back in the early 1980s, very complicated PPs, VCs, and APs were selling for $2K-4K. No one wanted them. They were old technology). In the early 1990s a two tone Sub listed for $5K but could be purchased new all day long from ADs for $3,500. These watches had hollow center links and the old style clam shell bracelet attachment rather than solid end links. These were good solid watches, but they were relatively common and no one babied them back in the day.

People actually wearing their watches, not babying them, etc, is one of the reasons that vintage watches in pristine condition are so rare. People didn't buy PPs, APs, and VCs to put in a safe and wait for values to go up. They wore, them, banged them up, lost them

, and they were not considered the assets that they are today. Today people purchase new models and put them in their safes...waiting for values to increase. They will never be as rare as vintage models from the 1980s and earlier when people wore their watches and didn't baby them. There will almost always be plenty of new or like new high end watches available even when production of a model ends....because so many have been put away in safes and never worn.

Thanks for the collection of links. Initial thoughts...

Cartier came out heavy with a ton of new designs:

• I dislike the skeletonized Tanks - it is hard to see the time, and I think this matters a lot to me. Perhaps the contrast between arms and background is greater than what is shown in the picture.
• Rotonde Day and Night is the most interesting, but the moonphase at the bottom feels too modern versus the top - sort of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde approach
• Calibre Diver - this one is a bit hard for me. The Calibres have always felt they are trying too hard, but, at the same time, they are not vanilla like so many others. May have to see in person

Jaeger

• Hybris 11 looks sweet. Could be slightly smaller than 42mm, but this, to me, was the clear star of the show.

Lange

• Terraluna - not sure about this one either. Overlapping dials look a bit confused and busy. Moonphase on the back is just beyond pointless
• Saxonia MOP - the editor wishes they were larger because of this stupid trend of women wearing men's sized watches. That trend can die a million deaths right now.

Montblanc

• Meisterstück Heritage Perpetual Calendar - they should be embarassed to show this watch - the dials are so pressed into the middle, it is obviously a tiny movement in a large case
• Montblanc Meisterstück Heritage Pulsograph - looks pretty good on the other hand

And Hodinkee should stop printing press releases as articles. The guy never met a watch he didn't gush over (witness the Bremont Codebreaker article - a $22K steel Valjoux watch)

Most of those watches didn't interest me at all. The Cartier Day/Night is an interesting watch, but not as pretty as the original model from 2006, which was part of the Privee Collection. The original model had a more elegant guilloche, didn't have the distracting moon phase indicator at the bottom of the dial, nor did it have the protruding rectangular plate with the Cartier name on it. A friend of mine has the original 2006 Rotonde Day/Night and IMHO it just might be the most interesting and elegant round dress watch I've seen. Even a few watch snob acquaintances that are usually only interested in the "Big Three" looked into acquiring one, but acted too late to get one (something like only 250 were made).

 

[in stitches]

dat PP