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

[cjmruns]

I love my FC and and have my eye on another. Bang for the buck is good.

I do agree they need to decide - the whole "love" theme and heart shaped cutouts makes them look so very cheap.

 

[dbln79]

I had the pleasure of attending a JLC/Govberg dinner this week. The watchmaker there, told me he loves the movement in my Dualtime/Hometime. I also drooled over the new Hometime Aston Martin edition. I wish I took some good pictures but the light was low and I was much too busy absorbing knowledge.

 

[no frills]

I had the pleasure of attending a JLC/Govberg dinner this week. The watchmaker there, told me he loves the movement in my Dualtime/Hometime. I also drooled over the new Hometime Aston Martin edition. I wish I took some good pictures but the light was low and I was much too busy absorbing knowledge.

Awesome news and great experience. Govberg does put together some interesting events!

 

[AriGold]

wow looks exactly like the JLC!

Very nice ML! The dial is very, very well proportioned. What is the size on it though?

Also, Hodinkee just posted and article on the FC Slimline Moon, with some pictures. I really like the fact that everything is set through the crown.

Quite impressive. At the $3,000 price point, that is about as good as you can get. Well, it would be if it was not for the 42 mm size.

 

[scottcw]



I'm getting a vibe that you're relatively new to watches, and would like to say that picking a colour scheme via consensus is not a good idea. This is not the same as asking for opinions re: various watches.

Following up on this from a couple of days ago... I am relatively new to watches. I got a rather large tax refund this year and decided to replace a vintage Heuer self winding deluxe that I lost in Berlin a couple of years ago. My budget is $3 - 4,000. I could either go with 3-4 watches around the $1K mark, like a chrono, a diver and a dress watch OR get one watch that I can wear with everything from a t-shirt and jeans to a suit and tie for business meetings.

As you can tell from my postings, I have been struck by the Habring2 watches, but I would appreciate input on other brands and specific models within my budget. Keep in mind that the idea is to buy one watch to rule them all, not to start down the slippery slope of collecting or upgrading if avoidance is possible.

A few criteria...

• I don't like gold or two-tone.
• Must slide easily under a long sleeve shirt cuff (see suit comment above).
• Don't need a date function. I (usually) know what day it is.
• My wrist size is 7.5 inches if that matters.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Newcomer]

I think Habring2 is a really cool indy. Especially the new doppelchrono. If I can offer you any suggestion... be patient, and wait for what you really want!

Also, I think that an Omega Speedmaster is a SUPERB choice for you. But I am a bit biased.

 

[scottcw]



I think Habring2 is a really cool indy. Especially the new doppelchrono. If I can offer you any suggestion... be patient, and wait for what you really want!

Also, I think that an Omega Speedmaster is a SUPERB choice for you. But I am a bit biased.

Well, the doppel is not in my budget, but this chrono ZM (center seconds and minutes counters with one push button) is:

 

[Newcomer]

Have you considered / rejected the Speedmaster? Remember, one of the problems with independents is that their future is not certain. And with that lack of certainty about their future, comes a lack of certainty about future parts.

 

[AriGold]

The speedmaster is an amazing watch. I don't think anyone who's bought it regrets it.

Interestingly, even though it uses a standard ETA movement, it gets alot of love!

 

[scottcw]



Have you considered / rejected the Speedmaster? Remember, one of the problems with independents is that their future is not certain. And with that lack of certainty about their future, comes a lack of certainty about future parts.

I have considered it, but I don't see it with a suit. A little too sporty.

 

[Newcomer]



I have considered it, but I don't see it with a suit. A little too sporty.

I definitely agree with that. Although I do not think that the Habring2s that you have listed are necessarily much less sporty. Maybe a little bit, but not much.

I am not trying to force it on you, of course, but one of the beautiful things about the Speedy is its versatility.

For a one watch though, you cannot do much better than the Omega Aqua Terra:

Another possibility is the Jaeger LeCoultre Master Control. A gentleman's watch if there ever was one!

 

[Hayward]

The Habring ZM is interesting. Reminds me of the Sinn EZM1 or Tutima Commando, but in mufti.

 

[CornToast]

As I'll be applying to college soon, I think it's about time I get myself a watch. However, with my budget, I'm willing to go maybe $250 max for a watch. I don't want anything too extravagant, if there are any in this price range, but nothing cheap like a swatch watch. Does anyone have a recommendation of a good watch that might fit my needs?

 

[Hayward]

Seiko 5.

 

[Belligero]



The speedmaster is an amazing watch. I don't think anyone who's bought it regrets it.

Interestingly, even though it uses a standard ETA movement, it gets alot of love!

Only some automatic versions of the Speedmaster use ETA movements. The proper manually-wound ones use a Lemania-based movement; Lemania and Omega have been associated to varying degrees since 1932. Although Lemania is within Swatch Group today (and Swatch Group has essentially decided to kill the Lemania name), its rich history is distinct from ETA and its predecessors. A large factor in the real Speedy getting a lot of love is that it doesn't use an ETA movement!

The Speedmaster originally used the Lemania 2310 base, which Omega referred to as the c.321. The movement was modified to be easier/cheaper to produce by getting rid of the column wheel in favour of a shuttle and cam system, thus becoming the Lemania 1873/Omega 861 used in the Speedmaster starting in 1968. It was slightly modified again with a plastic brake in 1996 when it became known as the 1861. While it's not easy or cheap to service, it's a seriously good movement in any version.

The Lemania 2310 ébauche and its derivatives have been used by (among others) Breguet, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe; it's been finished to extremely high grades, and it was arguably the top chronograph ébauche of its time. Compared to something like the 7750, for which low production cost was one of the main design goals, it's far more refined and visually appealing. I'm not saying that the 7750 is bad by any means, and its performance and reliability are remarkable, but there's no question that it was explicitly designed to be inherently cheap. That's not an entirely bad thing; the practical 7750 is fantastic in its own ways, and without it, there would be a lot fewer affordable mechanical chronographs around. It's also a fair bit easier to service than a 2310-based movement, despite the additional complexity of automatic winding.

But the non-ETA engine is a big part of the watch-nerd appeal of the Speedmaster compared to 7750-based chronographs; you get an old-school high-quality movement in a reasonably-priced watch instead the nowadays far more common scenario of a utility-grade movement in a luxury-priced watch.