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

[apropos]



Yeah, I thought the same thing. But the more I look at it, the more I see it as an anti-status symbol/branding watch.

For me, the biggest component of the appeal of the O&J watches is their design. I've thought a bit about why their designs appeal to me, and my initial impulse was to chalk it up to them having some sort of je ne sais quoi with a "contemporary" or "modern" flavour. That they fit into "modern life" well, or something like that.

When I thought about it a little bit more, I realised this could not be true. We've seen examples of this sort of (industrial) design before, in the past most prominently from Dieter Rams, and nowadays from Jasper Morrison, Jonathan Ives, and Naoto Fusikawa. The common thread with their designs is simplicity, intuitiveness, usefulness - and as little design as possible.

FWIW, from a design philosophy POV, similar watches to the O&J lineup include the Ressence watch, and the MIH watch.

Compare this to many modern watches, which either 1. take cues from historical models from a different era where a more baroque aesthetic movement was en vogue and design elements were more designed (the vast majority of watches discussed on this thread), or 2. invent their own cues and look somewhat futuristic (some MB&F, de Bethune, etc).

It is interesting to see that some folk here have interpreted the simplicity and apparent lack of design to be "childish" - I would say that given the motivation of their design philosophy that this is evidence it has fulfilled its function perfectly. Perhaps what people are picking up on is the lack of overdesign. After all, if something with a functional purpose is intuitive enough to be used by a child, it has to be well designed, no?

 

[in stitches]



Never placed a Roger Dubuis on the wrist, but that silver dial looks pretty sharp to me.

i once tried on a RB toub. it was amazing.

Stitchy: is the 5513 all original? Dial/hands show a little bit of that nice creamy fade.

i believe so. we bought it from the original owner. it has been sold. sorry, mimo.

 

[Hayward]

Great. Now I wanna buy another Sinn U1. If I do likely the SDR.




So if we're looking at modern design what do people think of the Tallon designed Lip watches?

 

[scottcw]



For me, the biggest component of the appeal of the O&J watches is their design. I've thought a bit about why their designs appeal to me, and my initial impulse was to chalk it up to them having some sort of je ne sais quoi with a "contemporary" or "modern" flavour. That they fit into "modern life" well, or something like that.

When I thought about it a little bit more, I realised this could not be true. We've seen examples of this sort of (industrial) design before, in the past most prominently from Dieter Rams, and nowadays from Jasper Morrison, Jonathan Ives, and Naoto Fusikawa. The common thread with their designs is simplicity, intuitiveness, usefulness - and as little design as possible.

FWIW, from a design philosophy POV, similar watches to the O&J lineup include the Ressence watch, and the MIH watch.

Compare this to many modern watches, which either 1. take cues from historical models from a different era where a more baroque aesthetic movement was en vogue and design elements were more designed (the vast majority of watches discussed on this thread), or 2. invent their own cues and look somewhat futuristic (some MB&F, de Bethune, etc).

It is interesting to see that some folk here have interpreted the simplicity and apparent lack of design to be "childish" - I would say that given the motivation of their design philosophy that this is evidence it has fulfilled its function perfectly. Perhaps what people are picking up on is the lack of overdesign. After all, if something with a functional purpose is intuitive enough to be used by a child, it has to be well designed, no?

Great point about the "childish" appearance. I think that could only apply to the Settimana and then only because of the orange crayon appearance of the numerals. Personally, I like it.

 

[no frills]

i believe so. we bought it from the original owner. it has been sold. sorry, mimo.

Dang, that wuz fazt.

 

[in stitches]



Dang, that wuz fazt.

it was. tho my record was a recent mint condition sub, sold in under 3 minutes i think.

 

[mimo]

I guess I'm just an old fart when it comes to watch design aesthetics. No bright orange for me, but I'm not against simplicity: happy day today as my small and simple old Omega is finally back from the hospital.

 

[jbarwick]

Here is my only watch currently. A daily wearer that sees its share of abuse.

 

[rnguy001]

Nice Hammie - deets? (size, movement, year you got it?)

 

[jbarwick]

Year: 2012
Size: 42mm
Movement: ETA 2824-2
Band Width: 22mm

Seems like the watch has been running fast in recent months but not too worried about it. I think about changing the band sometimes but it is hard to beat brown leather. Maybe a Nato?

The best part about it is that I did not compromise on the watch I wanted. Tried on a few different ones and when this landed on my wrist, I knew it was the one I'd buy. I like that the dial has a ring around the numbers that breaks it up a little bit.

I assume it is tough to give up your first love when something better comes along but since this watch has little resale value I'll keep it around for a long while.

 

[Dino944]

Yeah, I'm hoping His Royal Highness might deign to comment on RD as a maker. I can't say I fell in love with anything in the dealer, although I did like the second one once I was wearing it.


Yeah, looking again at the pics, the RD Excalibur's lugs are pretty prominent, whereas the larger PO seems to have shorter lugs in a softer shape. Definitely defines the feel a lot.

Hehe...Crockett & Jones Grasmere..nothing extraordinary but I like the scotchgrain texture, and they feel bullet proof and comfortable for travelling. Weird I was wearing those in the airport PO pic; I was just talking about them yesterday in another thread.

I definitely agree about having something "fun" or unusual, or just very casual. But I have to say for the money ($15k rrp, $11k easily enough), I'm not sure it delivers for me. Then again, some nerdy knowledge from Dino on how fabulous the movement is could change how I look at it - it certainly looks special with the micro rotor and whatnot. But right now I'm thinking that would buy a selection of recreational watches that I would enjoy - that phat PO for boats and beaches, and a basic Panerai for bikes and football, for example? Then again, it's not exactly a sports watch anyway; more a statement dress watch. Hard to place it, but then I guess that's what makes it individual.

Hi Mimo, Love the Crockett & Jones shoes. I have 2 pairs and they are great shoes for any occasion.

As for RD, I like a few of them mostly as styling exercises. I find non-round dress watches very appealing, so their Sympathie and Monagasque lines interest me only because they are a step off the beaten path a bit. They movements are nice, but as overall watches I don't really have anything good or bad to say about them. They really have never made much of an impression on me.

Its a brand that I've often struggled to understand. They originally wanted to stand out from other brands by being more exclusive and only making 28 pieces of each watch (now the exception could be the same watch made as 28 pieces in WG and 28 RG). RD (the man was quoted as saying he thought it would be terrible if 2 men on an airplane each had the same watch from his company, so he limited production). They chose an 8 at the end of however many pieces produced because 8 is a lucky number in many Asian cultures. However, I didn't see how they could be successful limiting production so drastically, when their name was barely out in the market place. Also as a small company doing so would affect their economies of scale if they constantly had to make changes because piece 28 or 88 was completed. I believe they have done away with this practice of limiting watches to 28 pieces, particularly now that they have been absorbed by Richemont.

I've heard people compare RD's work to PP, AP, VC,...but Im not sure they are comparable and I just don't think for what an RD costs I would buy one. Nor do I think RD's quality exceeds those of other major companies. I tend to favor watches from established companies where I know parts will never be a problem, service will not be a problem, and the reputation of the brand is enough for the watch to retain a reasonable amount of value. I do like a few independents (granted with Richemont backing RD is less of an independent today), but I'm just not sure I could feel comfortable committing a good amount of money to an indy, when issues about parts or serviceability could come up years from now. I think people should buy what they like, but the offering of a smaller company or an indy should be so special that it justifies going that route. An acquaintance bought a tourbillon from an indy and he spent about $135,000. Its nice looking, and exclusive, supposedly something like only 5 were built as of the time he took delivery. However, I didn't see anything that would make me choose his watch over a tourbillon from Patek, AP, VC, or Lange, Piaget, or JLC. In addition, should he ever tire of it, its such an obscure brand I don't think he could get anything close to what this watch had cost him. If he bought from a major company his watch while less exclusive and made in a larger number (relatively speaking as its a tourbillon), it would be worth far more. Obviously, he bought what really made him smile, he likes the exclusivity, and that he had some input in the watch...however, I his purchase left me thinking he should have purchased something else. Just proof no watch can be everything to everyone.

 

[mimo]

Yes to all that! Thanks Dino; wise words as always.

Stitchy, how much did that Sub go for? And do I still get the shoes just for asking?

 

[in stitches]



Stitchy, how much did that Sub go for?  And do I still get the shoes just for asking?

4600.

noap! sorry.

 

[RogerP]

Glad it is back safely and running well Mimo - looking good, too.

 

[mimo]

Thanks Roger! It's scruffy and simple but has a lot of sentimental history. After three months and more of being dicked around by the new mega-large AD, during which time it was sent to Dubai, then Switzerland and back again with nothing done, I went to the old AD who fixed it within 24 hours. For under $40. I'm delighted and disgusted at the same time!