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

[Kaplan]

Speaking of colours, this was new at SIHH 2013

Also stumbled across an auction from a little over a year ago, with both blue, red and brown reversoes from the early 30's. Some fetched 4-5 times the estimate. Picks here .

 

[ThatGuy]



Thatguy sounds like a Tag Heuer PR guy's wet dream

LOL... sure I am.

You guys seem like any "manufactures" wet dream.

BRB Richemont owns most of the brands you get all excited about.

Oh, my. Judging a book by its cover?

Haters gonna hate. Sorry, I don't do herd mentality

 

[apropos]

Now you sound like a Seagull PR guy's wet dream

Keep digging!

 

[apropos]



Speaking of colours, this was new at SIHH 2013

Also stumbled across an auction from a little over a year ago, with both blue, red and brown reversoes from the early 30's. Some fetched 4-5 times the estimate. Picks here .

That blue duo face is nice, but would have been nicer if the white face was... Well, nicer. It's sad and a little telling to see all the publicity photos showing the blue face but not the white one.

It would have been a home run if they had channeled one of the old reversos with the circle on the dial and the central seconds hand, the seconds centrale, for the white face.

I've heard some people say that it would have been great if JLC had released the new blue as another TTR 1931 edition, but I'm with Jerome Lambert on this choice - its not a winning formula to release multiple limited editions of the same model with minor superficial changes... A very refreshing pov from a ceo in these times (cough, AP, cough)...

 

[in stitches]



I will have to be a reverso buddy sooner or later

BTW Dino944, sure you're not going to reconsider not being reverso ebuddies with me? I may or may not have one on the way...

However, the real measure of the value of a watch is how you feel after you've owned it for a while. Does it have the qualities that make it a keeper or does it lose its appeal once the newness wears off.

have been on both sides of that equation, and i could not agree more.

 

[johanm]



Thatguy sounds like a Tag Heuer PR guy's wet dream

Tag is the latest company to shift focus to in house movements - http://www.calibre11.com/tag-heuer-movement-strategy-2012/

IMO, much of the WIS fixation on movements comes out of a desire to add intellectual substance to an otherwise pretty vacuous and inconsequential hobby. I'm sure that stamp collectors and furries have similar classifications and hierarchies to rationalize their pursuits. That said, there are many ways that an optimized movement can substantively improve a watch, in such areas as accuracy, reliability, dial configuration, case proportions, and useful complications.

 

[Dino944]

BTW Dino944, sure you're not going to reconsider not being reverso ebuddies with me? I may or may not have one on the way...

Very tempting

. I will certainly become a Reverso ebuddy with you one day. However, I think the MRS will have me shot, stuffed, and mounted above the fireplace if I buy anything major before we know where we stand with our taxes. So...DEETS please...

I am guilty of paying MSRP for one of my watches. It was just impossible to find this particular model at that time and I really wanted it. Am I am snob? No, I just wanted to have it - I know paying full price goes against SF rules

With regards to in-house vesus ETA, I couldn't care less. Give me a well machined case and a perfect dial and I'm a very happy customer. At the end of the day, how much hand finishing (e.g Pealage) do you really think goes into your watches?

Thatguy sounds like a Tag Heuer PR guy's wet dream

I've heard some people say that it would have been great if JLC had released the new blue as another TTR 1931 edition, but I'm with Jerome Lambert on this choice - its not a winning formula to release multiple limited editions of the same model with minor superficial changes... A very refreshing pov from a ceo in these times (cough, AP, cough)...

+1 on on Jermone Lambert's choice.

I am undecided on whether I like the blue Reverso. I think its a model I will have to see in person before making a judgment.

 

[rnguy001]

A little Portuguese today

 

[Dino944]

IMO, much of the WIS fixation on movements comes out of a desire to add intellectual substance to an otherwise pretty vacuous and inconsequential hobby. I'm sure that stamp collectors and furries have similar classifications and hierarchies to rationalize their pursuits. That said, there are many ways that an optimized movement can substantively improve a watch, in such areas as accuracy, reliability, dial configuration, case proportions, and useful complications.

I'm sure you know the original purpose of finely finishing/decorating a movement was to remove all rough surfaces and edges so as to reduce friction that could rob a movement of accuracy and power.

Today, with the machines that are currently available, most movements are quite accurate, and the finishing/decorating is IMHO about creating something of beauty and something thats not a disposeable good, such as a plastic quartz watch. This is true with many high end goods. Why do people buy a Kiton suit or a John Lobb shoes, or bespoke suit and shoes? There are suits and shoes that cost less that have nice fabrics or good quality leather and varying degrees of hand workmanship. Yes, someone might seek out a bespoke suit if they have an unusual build or issue that makes something off the rack a tough fit. But for a person of average build, a $1,200 suit and $400 shoes may last a person just as long as a $5,500 suit and $4,500 pair of shoes. So why spend the extra money? I've never seen anyone undo the buttons and roll up the sleeves on a suit jacket, when the jacket sleeves have real button holes. Except prior to making a purchase in a store you don't generally see people other than tailors or cobblers spend a lot of time looking at the stitching inside a jacket or inside a shoe. Anyone can buy a mass produced, machine made suits, shoes, watches etc. On some level hand workmanship on a watch, or finely finished item of clothing represents real effort, care and quality in a good. Its something to take care of, to enjoy, to admire for its history, its beauty and on some level its rarity. If none of these factors matter than why not wear a cheap plastic watch from the covenience store?

While some people don't care what movement is in a watch, there is no denying there is a vast difference between the movement found in a Tag, Omega, Breitling, or Rolex and say the movement found in a Lange. Granted the others are designed to be more rugged, and the Lange is a dress watch that can double as artwork for the wrist. I think there is more to the issue of interest in movements than simply being an act of inserting intelectual substance into a hobby, but to each his own.

 

[JonF]



Tonight's five to ten minutes worth of activity while waiting for a dryer full of clothes to finish a cycle. Picked up my old DSLR (Canon T1i) and figuring out how to take a proper picture of one of my watches. Wanted to highlight Patek's varying use of angles with the dial and subdials to enhance legibility while maintaining impeccable proportions with the fonts they use, the length of subdial hands and indicators, etc. Didn't quite accomplish my goal very well, I think. Might be the low light evening environment (watch looks very different in the bright sunlight versus the yellow light in our living room). The sapphire crystal is also picking up too much light by "12." But, in any case, it's lovely to stare at this lovely platinum piece through the lens, and even lovelier to stare at it in person! I'll get this right at some point. In the meantime, it's much, much easier to take great pictures of my daughters! I just point and click, and 95% of the pics I take come out fantastic, no matter the lighting. Clearly it's not because I'm a biased father, but because my daughters are far prettier and require much less "proper lighting" than any of the watches I own.

Gorgeous! One of my all time favourites.

 

[mimo]

I'm sure you know the original purpose of finely finishing/decorating a movement was to remove all rough surfaces and edges so as to reduce friction that could rob a movement of accuracy and power.

Today, with the machines that are currently available, most movements are quite accurate, and the finishing/decorating is IMHO about creating something of beauty and something thats not a disposeable good, such as a plastic quartz watch. This is true with many high end goods. Why do people buy a Kiton suit or a John Lobb shoes, or bespoke suit and shoes? There are suits and shoes that cost less that have nice fabrics or good quality leather and varying degrees of hand workmanship. Yes, someone might seek out a bespoke suit if they have an unusual build or issue that makes something off the rack a tough fit. But for a person of average build, a $1,200 suit and $400 shoes may last a person just as long as a $5,500 suit and $4,500 pair of shoes. So why spend the extra money? I've never seen anyone undo the buttons and roll up the sleeves on a suit jacket, when the jacket sleeves have real button holes. Except prior to making a purchase in a store you don't generally see people other than tailors or cobblers spend a lot of time looking at the stitching inside a jacket or inside a shoe. Anyone can buy a mass produced, machine made suits, shoes, watches etc. On some level hand workmanship on a watch, or finely finished item of clothing represents real effort, care and quality in a good. Its something to take care of, to enjoy, to admire for its history, its beauty and on some level its rarity. If none of these factors matter than why not wear a cheap plastic watch from the covenience store?

While some people don't care what movement is in a watch, there is no denying there is a vast difference between the movement found in a Tag, Omega, Breitling, or Rolex and say the movement found in a Lange. Granted the others are designed to be more rugged, and the Lange is a dress watch that can double as artwork for the wrist. I think there is more to the issue of interest in movements than simply being an act of inserting intelectual substance into a hobby, but to each his own.

It seems to me that although such a passion might be "inconsequential", making it about workmanship and, let's face it, difficulty, at least gives such a pastime some meaning. We live in a disposable age. I admire bespoke shoes or beautiful watches because they represent a human striving towards some kind of empirical, and impossible, perfection. It pleases me to think that someone worked hard for years to master an extraordinary skill, and then, perhaps with others possessed of complementary skills, produced something that could never have been made for a mass market.

Whether that's a classic piece of design and a brilliantly managed industrial process to give mechanical reliability, like Rolex, or some sublime and original limited edition from a "top three" maker, I can relate to that process and feel emotional about it. Even the aforementioned IWC with a generic movement, can represent to me a stylistic history and integrity that has merit over other watches.

I don't think anybody here really pretends that this passion is based on anything other than sentimental involvement in an idea. If we worried about empirical measures of timekeeping and value, we'd all have a quartz Sekonda (actually, I do). But just because a love of something is based on an unrealistic ideal, and items that are not inherently necessary, does not make it frivolous.

Perhaps it's not for me to say as a "noob" in this subject, but I think it's like this: this stuff is art. Real art, reflecting originality, ambition, and the constant desire for improvement that is the curse of the human condition. It's a history of modern civilisation - a nod to the incomprehensible acceleration of technology over the last two hundred years, while retaining the greatest love for what has survived as useful throughout all of that time. Why anyone should love one manifestation over another is for discussion - hence this thread. But that they should love it at all?

Ah, to know it is to love it. And now I'm starting to know, I'm in terrible trouble.

 

[johanm]



I'm sure you know the original purpose of finely finishing/decorating a movement was to remove all rough surfaces and edges so as to reduce friction that could rob a movement of accuracy and power.  

Today, with the machines that are currently available, most movements are quite accurate, and the finishing/decorating is IMHO about creating something of beauty and something thats not a disposeable good, such as a plastic quartz watch.  This is true with many high end goods.  Why do people buy a Kiton suit or a John Lobb shoes, or bespoke suit and shoes?  There are suits and shoes that cost less that have nice fabrics or good quality leather and varying degrees of hand workmanship.  Yes, someone might seek out a bespoke suit if they have an unusual build or issue that makes something off the rack a tough fit.  But for a person of average build, a $1,200 suit and $400 shoes may last a person just as long as a $5,500 suit and $4,500 pair of shoes.  So why spend the extra money?  I've never seen anyone undo the buttons and roll up the sleeves on a suit jacket, when the jacket sleeves have real button holes.  Except prior to making a purchase in a store you don't generally see people other than tailors or cobblers spend a lot of time looking at the stitching inside a jacket or inside a shoe.  Anyone can buy a mass produced, machine made suits, shoes, watches etc.   On some level hand workmanship on a watch, or finely finished item of clothing represents real effort, care and quality in a good.  Its something to take care of, to enjoy, to admire for its history, its beauty and on some level its rarity.  If none of these factors matter than why not wear a cheap plastic watch from the covenience store?

While some people don't care what movement is in a watch, there is no denying there is a vast difference between the movement found in a Tag, Omega, Breitling, or Rolex and say the movement found in a Lange.  Granted the others are designed to be more rugged, and the Lange is a dress watch that can double as artwork for the wrist.  I think there is more to the issue of interest in movements than simply being an act of inserting intelectual substance into a hobby, but to each his own.

Dino - I'm not sure we're on the same page on clothes and shoes. I appreciate bespoke suits and fine shoes to the extent that they function better than their downscale counterparts, generally either by doing more to improve my appearance or comfort or by lasting longer. That's not to say finishing is unimportant just because it's imperceptible to a layman. I appreciate the appearance of fine pickstitching or handsewn buttonholes or well designed interior pockets even though they contribute only marginally to the primary functions of the garment. Still, I would evaluate each of those on their merits - how well they achieve what they set out to do - rather than considerations of rarity, provenance, exclusivity, etc. or that they reflect "care" or "effort". I acknowledge that in many areas of the luxury goods market, reasonable people put a premium on artisanal workmanship. I guess it's just an idiosyncratic blind spot for me, as personally I would make no distinction in value between two functionally equivalent items (at least standardized, unlimited production, utilitarian objects, i.e. not art) just because one was produced by an esteemed artisan's hand and the other in a factory.

On watches, I have as much appreciation for anyone for movement engineering insofar as the purpose is to somehow improve functionality on the watch, as noted earlier, in areas such as accuracy, reliability, dial configuration, case proportions, and complications.

 

[in stitches]

fooling around with the camera again. hope ya'll find some of these pr0norifiC.

WITH A FRIEND!!!

Spoiler: MOAR!

 

[Keith T]



It seems to me that although such a passion might be "inconsequential", making it about workmanship and, let's face it, difficulty, at least gives such a pastime some meaning.  We live in a disposable age.  I admire bespoke shoes or beautiful watches because they represent a human striving towards some kind of empirical, and impossible, perfection.  It pleases me to think that someone worked hard for years to master an extraordinary skill, and then, perhaps with others possessed of complementary skills, produced something that could never have been made for a mass market.

Whether that's a classic piece of design and a brilliantly managed industrial process to give mechanical reliability, like Rolex, or some sublime and original limited edition from a "top three" maker, I can relate to that process and feel emotional about it.  Even the aforementioned IWC with a generic movement, can represent to me a stylistic history and integrity that has merit over other watches.

I don't think anybody here really pretends that this passion is based on anything other than sentimental involvement in an idea.  If we worried about empirical measures of timekeeping and value, we'd all have a quartz Sekonda (actually, I do).  But just because a love of something is based on an unrealistic ideal, and items that are not inherently necessary, does not make it frivolous.

Perhaps it's not for me to say as a "noob" in this subject, but I think it's like this: this stuff is art.  Real art, reflecting originality, ambition, and the constant desire for improvement that is the curse of the human condition.  It's a history of modern civilisation - a nod to the incomprehensible acceleration of technology over the last two hundred years, while retaining the greatest love for what has survived as useful throughout all of that time.  Why anyone should love one manifestation over another is for discussion - hence this thread.  But that they should love it at all?  

Ah, to know it is to love it.  And now I'm starting to know, I'm in terrible trouble.

It IS an emotional hobby.

If you're doing it right.

 

[Keith T]

Stichy: baked goods?! .... talk about emotional...