The Watch Appreciation Thread - Page 1142

Thanks Dino re the Cartier TF advice, I was just overly worried it wouldn't be good for it.

Video of the JLC Gyrotourbillon here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQJTGPtYtqA

Nice for us mere mortals who'll never get to see one!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucan 

Thanks Dino re the Cartier TF advice, I was just overly worried it wouldn't be good for it. 

 Hi Lucan, based on the design of the TF, you really don't have much choice in terms of how to get it started (but don't worry its a very durable watch).  On most other watches, yes I'd use the winding crown.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff13007 


Thanks! and Yes if I'm not mistaken the movement used was their first manual wind non complicated movement produced in house in a long time. In regards to your comment on VC and the other big three i remember a quote along the lines of "Vacheron Constantin was the greatest watch maker of my grandfathers generation" Even my mother used to tell me how during my Grandfathers time it was Vacheron who was the watchmaker to beat and this is in Singapore so yes we do have some watch lovers here besides the Omega/Rolex crowd! . And honestly even though Patek or lange might have better movements or finishings or w/e Vacheron IMO makes the most beautiful pieces the movement might only slightly lose out to patek but the case itself is art. Strangely enough I've been asked about 20 times while wearing that VC i posted "is that a patek". And the number of times i have been asked while wearing my actual Patek is zero which is pretty ironic lol. Vacheron seems to have been making a comeback in recent years though but I'm glad the general population still hasn't heard of VC same can be said about Patek but in my experience even some people who know about Patek Philippe will have not heard of Vacheron Constantin

Hi Jeff, you are correct cal 1400 was the first manual wind time only non-complicated in house movement that VC had made in many years.  Prior to that many of their watches used F.Piguet or JLCs as a base.  Actually, my Carree uses a JLC Reverso movement as its base.  The quotes about VC being the greatest watchmaker of your grandfathers generation is interesting, but I am not surprised.  A friend that lives in Europe once told me if you talk to older generations, the two brands that are of the highest regard in their eyes are Vacheron and Breguet, he said they have little interest in AP, PP, AL&S.  In addition, several articles online or even in some books I've read described VC as the pinacle of watch making until roughly the 1950-60s when Patek took on that title.

Interesting that people have mistakened your VC for a Patek.  Although, I'm guessing they were not truly into watches, but know the Patek name.  I find the flared lugs on the case of your watch are pure VC and not something I'd expect to find on a Patek, AP, AL&S.  I agree that some people may have heard of Patek or AP, but not VC.  My Dad knew about Patek because he had an uncle that owned one in the 1950s, he knew about AP because when he had his first good watch a GMT Master in the early 1970s he met someone with an AP who showed him the watch told about them being one of the finest watches.  It was not until the mid 1980s that he heard of VC when another doctor told him about the brand, as this doctor had practiced in Europe for a while and bought a VC while over there. 

It is interesting how the landscape in the world of watches changes.  At one point VC was the top brand, and then it became Patek.  Some of it may be attributed to changes in ownership with VC, and at times I don't think they were well funded by their owners and their collections became a bit lacking in direction...although that has changed in the last 10+ years.  Patek certainly has been a step above in terms of movements, although at the level these watches are at, on some level the difference in quality (other than of an AL&S which seems to be the finest finish) is largely theoretical as tollerances are now so small.  I do like many Pateks, but for several years I found some of their designs too old for my taste, and VC were overall more appealing as their designs seemed bolder, more beautiful, and more suitable for a younger person.  I don't currently have a Patek in my collection, but I hope to be able to enjoy the ownship experience some day. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by apropos 

I really have no idea what attracts people to this marque. Are there any Hublot owners (make that real Hublots, not fake Hublots) on this thread who can explain their appeal to me??

 I don't own and Hublot.  They don't really appeal to me, maybe as I find them pricey and their Big Bang watches sort of remind me of a less attractive AP RO Offshore.  I do think they should get credit or being one of the pioneering companies to use rubber as a strap for their watches.  They were doing that back in the 1980s.  Overall its just not a brand that captures my interest. 

Back from a short sojourn with the family.  Here's another one from my collection.  I love the tonneau shaped case, really contrasts with the 3940P's more classic (standard? boring?) round shape. 

From a sartorial point of view, the yellow gold / brown strap also covers me whenever I'm wearing clothes or shoes for which platinum / black strap of the 3940P may not be the best choice.

Also, in line with the theme of display backs from a few pages ago, I do enjoy viewing the cal 240 movement with this one, which I am unable to do with the 3940P since the 3940s in platinum only came with a solid back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bruceposey 

This is my first post on this thread. Just wanted to share a pic of my daily warhorse. It's comparatively small by today's standards. But, it serves me well. I wear it all the time, even while playing golf. Looks good with a suit and tie and doesn't catch on dress shirts or pants pockets. Best of all it was a gift from my sister and my children for my fithtieth birthday.

I love it.  Is that the 114270 with a 36mm case?  I have that too.  It's elegant, fits my 6.25" wrist, not the most obvious choice for a Rolex (at least I don't see it around as often as Subs) and has a fine history behind it (descended from the 1016, fun story given the Everest summit (did Hillary wear it or not!?) and was established to be "the original James Bond watch" that Sir Ian Fleming wrote about, etc).  Plus, it can take one heck of a beating.  When my trips involve beaches, sand, sunscreen, chlorinated water or seawater, I tend not to bring my PPs.  I strap on my 114270.