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

[Ilovelobbs]

Ahahaha!

Dayum. The wife is still torn between the LN and the LV. She has yet to make a decision but it appears my wrist has cast its own unsolicited vote:

LV = Green for me ;-)

 

[no frills]

Frills, why not a GMT? If you have the ND Sub and are getting the new SD, I would vote GMT to switch it up slightly. But if you're feeling the green, go for it. Remember what a wise frog once said, it ain't easy being green.

Good suggestion; it would work well in that rotation and the blue/black version could add a bit of colour and variety.

Unfortunately this really will be the wife's decision - not going to be in my rotation (except for the odd lucky day she wears one of her other watches and I want to wear this one). She is leaning towards the LV right now.

 

[in stitches]



Trying to buy a house in the Bay Area. BLNR dreams will have to be put on hold. Probably all watch buying for a bit... I was thinking I'd console myself with an older GMT/sub.

bummers, but getting a house is awesome. do that. then buy a watch as a prize for getting a house!

 

[Dino944]

Me neither. And I'm not sure I like this in general: I mean, it's neat and everything, but until I get used to it, all those Cartier design cues look incongruous to me. I kind of wish they'd gone for a clean sheet of paper with this - it feels like a Ballon Bleu in jeans andIi'm not digging it. Maybe it will just take a while to internalise the idea of a Cartier diver.

Hi Mimo, although I'm a fan of Cartier, I can't see myself choosing this piece. I find its most interesting feature is a luminous subdial for seconds...most dive watches I've seen have a centrally mounted seconds hand. Still not really a watch for me...I'd probably go with a SubC or SD if I wanted another dive watch. I was merely expressing that if I were to get it I'd probably go with the bracelet version. With the exception of the now discontinued or as the say at Cartier, "Retired"... 38mm Pasha (another Genta design), I've never really been into their sports watches.

For the most part when it comes to Cartier I prefer their dress watches. As I mentioned earlier they will be releasing a steel version of their Rotonde watch (its previously only been offered in precious metals) sometime this fall. Its case is really handsome with bold lugs that still seem to fit my average to small wrist quite nicely. It will have some features such as 2nd time zone, day/night indicator, and I think a grand date, all powered by an in house movement. I think that watch will cause quite a stir at under $10K retail.

 

[Gianni Cerutti]

Ahahaha!

Dayum. The wife is still torn between the LN and the LV. She has yet to make a decision but it appears my wrist has cast its own unsolicited vote:

You stole me?

I have the same ... and it's always nice ...

 

[zippyh]

Maui and G-Shock.

 

[no frills]

The new SD4000 has made landfall at various ADs, and a bunch of TRF users have begun posting incoming threads. Most love it. It appears comparable in size and thickness to the SubC ND.

One user expressed disappointment that "it wore smaller than the SubC." The lugs certainly appear less chunky (which would satisfy those who don't like the look of the new Subs) and the crown guards also appear less thick. Here's a pic from TRF of the new SD4000 side by side with the LV.

Some users have balked at the $10400 MSRP (US) especially since few discounts can be had for such a new in-demand release versus seemingly comparable SubC's that have been in the market for a longer time.

What say you TWAT brethren? Check out the new pics via TRF. Does it still hold your fancy?

Speaking of the SubC LV, well, it was a tough choice for the wife between that and the LN but a few minutes ago she made her decision:

 

[tifosi]

I have to go check our the new SD. And your wife made a great choice!

 

[Belligero]



[...]One user expressed disappointment that "it wore smaller than the SubC." The lugs certainly appear less chunky (which would satisfy those who don't like the look of the new Subs) and the crown guards also appear less thick.[...]

Ahhhhh, it's still so gratifying that they've undone some of the bloat. After messing up the Explorer I and II, it's a welcome change.

Good choice on going green, by the way; a bit of colour is good to have among all the black dials.

PS: Although there are a few sharp folks there, I wouldn't put much stock in what the average main-forum TRF poster opines. That place makes the WUSsy public forum seem erudite at times.

 

[TheWraith]

Getting chilly now:

 

[no frills]

Belli - indeed re: TRF

 

[jbarwick]

Congrats on the pick up Frills!

I just wrote a long post on my tire kicking experience at an Omega boutique and looking at Speedmaster's but somehow it didn't post. So I am going to sum it up by saying a Speedmaster is not on my watches to purchase list anymore. I tried on a Speedy Pro manual wind, racing, Speedy with the 9300 movement, a Speedy with hesalite crystal and nothing. Little quirks on the watch bothered me like the gaps under the bezel at 12 and 6 o'clock. The bezel in brushed SS or painted SS did nothing for me and overall I thought the watch sat a lot higher than my GMT. I tried it on multiple times and wore it around the store as the SA showed me other watches and nothing. The pictures made me lust after one and then seeing it in the flesh just fell flat. Oh well...everyone has at least one watch where pictures made it look awesome then you put it on your wrist and it doesn't sing.

I thanked the SA for her time and went on my merry way. I wish we had better boutiques here so I could try on some of the Mimo wrist candy but that will have to wait until bigger cities. Have a nice Sunday evening y'all.

 

[no frills]



Congrats on the pick up Frills!

I just wrote a long post on my tire kicking experience at an Omega boutique and looking at Speedmaster's but somehow it didn't post. So I am going to sum it up by saying a Speedmaster is not on my watches to purchase list anymore. I tried on a Speedy Pro manual wind, racing, Speedy with the 9300 movement, a Speedy with hesalite crystal and nothing. Little quirks on the watch bothered me like the gaps under the bezel at 12 and 6 o'clock. The bezel in brushed SS or painted SS did nothing for me and overall I thought the watch sat a lot higher than my GMT. I tried it on multiple times and wore it around the store as the SA showed me other watches and nothing. The pictures made me lust after one and then seeing it in the flesh just fell flat. Oh well...everyone has at least one watch where pictures made it look awesome then you put it on your wrist and it doesn't sing.

I thanked the SA for her time and went on my merry way. I wish we had better boutiques here so I could try on some of the Mimo wrist candy but that will have to wait until bigger cities. Have a nice Sunday evening y'all.

Jbarwick - sorry to hear, but hey, you tried it in the flesh and it just didn't work. A far better way to decide versus shelling out money for a watch you just saw in 2D, online, from some seller you've never dealt with. On to the next hunt!!!!!!

 

[Belligero]



I'm not a fan of a rubber strap on nice watches...so I'd want to see it on a bracelet.  I have seen the Calibre bracelet on the standard model.  I'm curious to see if it gets modified at all, for the diving version.   Its a nice watch, but probably not for me.  Although, a few friends that are big Cartier collectors are very interested in acquiring one.  

I'm genuinely surprised that there would be any appeal to a serious collector; Cartier's idea of a diver's watch looks like a complete mess to me. It's an unmitigated typographical train wreck, and the faux-altimeter-look triple date window — usually confined to badly-drawn pilot's watches, though the infection is spreading — just adds to the theme of ineptitude and confusion.

If they'd done the bezel, subdial, date wheel and depth rating in Roman numerals too, it would have at least made for a pretty sweet parody of the expensive fashion diver's-watch trend. As it stands, it just looks like something that a person who's into modifying Seikos would come up with.

PS: Harr-umph!

 

[Belligero]



[...]As related above by DLJr, I am in a unique position right now where my expenses are low, and my income is (relatively) high. I also have no one who can tell me what I can and cannot splurge on. So I have a unique opportunity to make an irresponsible decision, and plunk down some cash on a Journe, VC, Patek, AP, etc. I feel like the window is ever-decreasing. Once marriage comes along, so does home ownership, furnishing said home, bills, etc.

The Extreme Lab 2... sooooo cool. Have you seen that youtube video?[...].

Service requirements could easily turn some of those into regrets once spending priorities change, especially if you're stuck dealing with Richemont on an exotic-ish movement.

Dario at Kronosblog had an enthusiastic write-up on the Extreme Lab II when it came out, although I'd be wary of anyone that states "a watch that is made out of over 500 parts!" like it's a good thing. It's technically impressive in its complicated way and it's certainly successful as a concept watch, but I personally wouldn't want to wear that design, and I definitely wouldn't want to be holding the bag at maintenance time.