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

[guest]



This sub-forum needs more pictures!!

I feel like my ploprof is too not dressy for this forum..

and my latest acquistion (sorry about crappy pic)

tried that as well. it's got character fo sho! pretty heavy too LOL!

have not seen the xxl 49mm railmaster.

 

[venessian]



So, just for fun, thought I would post my list for my next watch purchase. Still on the horizon... but I am working on it . Selling off a bunch of my wardrobe, so I figured I would start saving! Looking for something that is dressy [all I have now is a Damasko DC56 and Seiko Blue Sumo, so those are my go-to tool watches], but ideally something that could be worn with business casual. And here are the contenders--please feel free to offer suggestions:

Of these I prefer the Dornblueths: Dornblueth & Sohn 99.1 Dornblueth & Sohn 99.2 Jaeger-LeCoultre MC MUT or Grand Seiko Jaeger-LeCoultre MC RdM (not a fan) I actually prefer the Dornblueth Center Second over the 99.1 or 99.2.

Someone is having a custom Center Second made with date and power reserve, with raised numbers, apparently like this. It may turn out pretty nicely.

 

[vbuskirk]



is this thing really white faced?

 

[Achillus]

Spoiler

Just got this IWC 3714-01:

Great.

 

[vbuskirk]

Against a white background:

 

[Rambo]

Those Dornie's are hot.

I really wish JLC would make the Ultra Thin with the numbers in the 40mm size. Just gives it so much more character.

 

[Newcomer]

Interesting, surprised there were are so many Dornblueth fans. Personally, I love the aesthetic, especially the railroad numbering and the blued hands. I have heard the movement is especially beautiful, and I love knowing that I would have something with so many handmade parts. The 99.2 with the sweeping second hand is really interesting too Venessian... I would love to see that in action. I really like the idea though, especially because I am a big fan of date displays.

And thanks for the suggestions Warren--I will check out their BR location when I get the chance.

 

[jhcam8]

 

[xyz789]

is this thing really white faced? been looking for something in a true white. i already have silvery dress watches but no true white that is relatively in my budget.

it is slightly silvery, especially when compared to a white piece of paper. if you look at the date it seems slightly "whiter", at least to my eye.

 

[venessian]



Interesting, surprised there were are so many Dornblueth fans. Personally, I love the aesthetic, especially the railroad numbering and the blued hands. I have heard the movement is especially beautiful, and I love knowing that I would have something with so many handmade parts. The 99.2 with the sweeping second hand is really interesting too Venessian... I would love to see that in action. I really like the idea though, especially because I am a big fan of date displays. And thanks for the suggestions Warren--I will check out their BR location when I get the chance.

I love Dornbluth and really hope to own one someday. That Center Second 99.4 variant (99.5?) is going to look great I bet. The fellow started the project with DD over a year ago and the custom movement is now finished. Dornbluth has not allowed any images of the dial design to be released (but apparently it will have the date at 3 and power reserve at 9) but he has allowed images of the movement to be released. They are published on the Dornbluth forum so I guess it's OK to post them here. Very cool concept; absolutely stunning movement.

Photo credit: D.Dornblüth & Sohn Forum.

 

[Newcomer]

It is posts like that that make me wonder how one can choose anything other than a dornblueth. The one thing I worry aboutthem too is that they are just a family business, you never know how much longer the company may last. Makes one really want to order when he still can

 

[easy_golfing]

Where do you buy Dornbluth watches?

This one is (I like small watches)
http://www.dornblueth.com/flash.php?p=collection&s=refcal_09&ss=00

Also, anybody know the price on it?

 

[venessian]



It is posts like that that make me wonder how one can choose anything other than a dornblueth. The one thing I worry aboutthem too is that they are just a family business, you never know how much longer the company may last. Makes one really want to order when he still can

I agree. I love that they still keep things small, truly hand-made (no CNC, etc.), super high-quality, beautifully designed, etc. They are indeed a family business, but it looks to me that Dirk Dornbluth is still pretty young; they do have assistants; and if DD's son or daughter don't take over the business I assume some life-long employee will continue the brand, like Jorg Schauer has with Stowa. This interview was done just this past March, and DD's answer indicates a stable future:

YC : D. Dornblüth & Sohn have been making watches since 1999. It is still very much a family business, with a limited number of watches made per year. How many are you now producing annually, and are you planning to increase these numbers? DD : The only change we have made during this time is the location. We are still a family business and will soon have 6 employees. Our oldest colleague Roswitha will retire in about 2 years, so we have been very lucky to find a young watchmaker to take over her tasks. He will start within the next weeks and learn from her until Roswitha leaves our team. The annual production has not increased, it is still 120 pieces. Output is limited by the traditional way of watchmaking which we utilise in our Manufacture every day.

I think it is absolutely great that in 1999 Dirk D presented his father Dieter with a watch for his 60th birthday...the first in-house Dornbluth movement, which the father had designed (but never built) 40 years before! Such a cool story. Newcomer, If you haven't read it yet, this is also a very nice piece on Dornbluth, longer and with many good photos of the workshop.

Where do you buy Dornbluth watches? This one is (I like small watches) http://www.dornblueth.com/flash.php?p=collection&s=refcal_09&ss=00 Also, anybody know the price on it?

Obviously the best way would be direct from Dornbluth, but that takes more time as they are made to order. Otherwise the non-Germany ADs are listed here. The ADs, however, don't have large quantities as Dornbluth only produce 120 watches per year. Prices range from ~ $4,000 to ~$8,000, more for custom of course. easy_golfing, that 09 Jasmin you linked is the only women's watch Dornbluth produce, to date. 34.5mm.

 

[Newcomer]

Yeah, I read that article a while back--that is really what got me started on the Dornblueth! I still worry that they may start mass producing though, it is a temptation that even the best of us would struggle to resist. I really think I will stick with Dornblueth now. My heart has always said Dornblueth, despite the fact that it might make a bit more sense to go for JLC, IWC, or some of the better known brands.

 

[venessian]

Same here! Why do you think they would start mass-producing? That would require a huge investment by some major group, and I don't get the feeling Dornbluth wants to head that way. I think they are happy being part of this new generation of small, semi-custom, hand-made German makers. I mean, since they started in 1999 they have only made +/- 1600 watches in those 13 years. How many do IWC, etc. produce in 1 month? I just don't see Dornbluth in the mass market. Also, their line is very tightly defined, as are Hentschel, Schauer, Nomos, etc. I don't know if there is enough range to goi big (although I suppose Nomos produce far more watches than Dornbluth). If your heart has always said Dornbluth I think you have your answer. I too would love a Dornbluth over just about any other watch. I love the Center Second, but I agree with some that it might be a bit stark on the face. I'm not real keen on small sub-seconds, although I am intrigued by the 99.3, but it's $$. I can certainly understand why that fellow wanted to commission a Center Second + power reserve + pointer date. The power reserve feature is really nice on a manual-wind. But I bet that fellow's watch will top $10K since it is custom. On the other hand, the Lang & Heyne 'Markgraf Heinrich' that was posted as a comparison on the Dornbluth forum, which has the same complications and apparently the same base Unitas movement (although the LH is even more elaborated than the DS) and is a beautiful design (but I actually prefer the DS) sells for ~$75K!

I wonder what a Center Second with only power reserve would cost....

Damn, I'm fixated on these watches!