The Watch Appreciation Thread - Page 1256

Latest acquisition: Vintage 1967 Rolex Oyster Perpetual. Original hands and dial with soft patina.

^ Very nice Rolex. Enjoy it

 

There is another way.

 

I wouldn't buy a fake, an "homage", nor a "cheap" brand for $5000-$1000.  If it's "cheap", it might as well be my $30 Sekonda.  As the picture above shows, the way to go if that's your budget and you want something respectable and pleasing, is vintage.  There are plenty around from all sorts of wonderful makers, and even the less exclusive brands (Omega in my case) have a certain cachet if they're nicely restored and over a certain age.

 

My advice to the OP would be not to spend his $2000 on a new watch.  Either spend it on an old one - and it's a world of wonders for that price - or wait until he can breach the $4000 barrier at which point the brand new "luxury watches" truly begin, I think.

Well of course I don't speak for you. I speak for myself.

What I am trying to get you (and every other homage lover) to do is see that there is merit in my views, as opposed to the self-deluded groupthink BS that passes for reasoned thought in the homage forums, and which rises to the surface every now and then on this thread.

First - what is a "homage" watch meant to be exactly? The term homage implies an element of respect, and I would add that often oblique references are made to the original.

Most homages are anything but that - the references are not oblique, which more or less rules out their chances of being respectful.

I am all ears if anyone has any idea as to how (in the case of MkII Kingston) how following the Rolex design nearly to a tee, and then slapping on the MkII logo, has anything to do with respect for the original model. I'll let the photos below do the talking.



My point is the vast majority of homage watches are merely replicas which escape legal repercussion - and a replica by definition is trying to pass itself off as something else (better).

It doesn't matter as much whether the person who bought the Kingston is trying to pass it off as something else when the whole point of that homage watch's existence is to try to pass itself off as something else, or at least come as close as possible without inciting a legal backlash.

I have nothing against ebauches, though I prefer that watches above a certain price point not have them. I just think they should not inhabit cases that are poor copies of iconic models. Using an ebauche is sometimes a necessity, but even the poorest companies can take the effort to design a case dial and hands unique to them.
Edited by apropos - 3/8/13 at 11:58pm

At 78 degrees north this week, Svalbard archipelago. Sporting, of course, the 'polar' Explorer II on a custom Nato in Norwegian colours. Effectively minus 50 deg Celcius the first day, thankfully only in the 20s after.

My goodness. That is awesome.

Dear Mimo,

Thank you for your kind words yet again and for your faith in my passion and my endeavour. My watches are a passion project of mine and therefore one with which I regard with great personal pride. I hold and will always hold my watches to the highest possible standard that is attainable.

I believe in this so much that I am doing something unprecedented and offering a discretionary lifetime warranty, meaning that I will guarantee my watches for life, in all reasonable circumstances and usage. This is something that you will never find in watches costing 100 times that of mine. Among my collection of vintage watches, I have about a hundred Chinese watches that have survived for 30-50 years, proof of how well they were made. I sincerely believe that my watches will perservere likewise, and will hold them to the same standard. I hope that they will be passed on to the generations that succeed us.

I very much like the porcelain example as well. I think that I can source better quality porcelain and celadon than the watch makers themselves, given my other passion in tea and teaware, so the ones that I will source and supply them to use in future will be of unsurpassed quality. You can be assured that in the near future there will be a CELADON watch with an actual celadon dial, truly a world first.

Dear DLJr,

Thank you for your PMs and your interest, I think that the midnight blue resonates especially well within the sartorial community. It is unique and very subtle and elegant and can be very versatile as a dark shade, but not as sobre as black.

Will reply to your PMs in detail soon.

 

 

That is sweet!  Last year I parted with this classic from 1964 - I still kind of miss it:

 

aprorpos, you have correctly identified  self-delusion, but incorrectly identified its source.  Everyone needs a cause and I wish you the very best of luck with yours.

That. Is. Awesome.

 

Damn, mang.

 

I already tried to buy that one, but he promptly refunded me because my order was from outside the UK.

Emailed him to see if I can PayPal him to cover international shipping. We'll see what he comes back with.

That is sweet!  Last year I parted with this classic from 1964 - I still kind of miss it:



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Thanks -- it took me a while to find one that hadn't been refinished or "improved". And that Day Date looks great.

On the downside, getting the watch you have been wanting is like marrying your mistress. You create a vacancy.

Is this the location of SPECTRE's new base?



(Great looking watch, BTW).

I would suggest you end this line of inquiry, sir.