The Watch Appreciation Thread - Part two (Rolex, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger LeCoultre,

[Journeyman]

For me, the gold doesn't sit well with the watch's military credentials. As a result, it looks like gratuitous bling.

Me, too. Also, being Panerai, it's almost guaranteed to be hideously expensive for what you get.

 

[bawlin]

I totally get the military aspect clashing with the precious metal aspect, however in person the watch is about as far from "bling" as a gold watch can be. Regarding price, sticker is pushing $20k but I have a pending deal for $12k.

 

[rnguy001]

^ I wouldn't let the military credentials hold you back. There are plenty of other companies that make robust/tool/dive/ watches who also use precious metals. Indeed most fans of Panerai don't just buy for the military pedigree. And although it is historically very cool, let's be honest -these days Panerai doesn't seem synonymous with any current military outfit unless you're the Expendables.

I'm a big Panerai fan and I think their gold offerings are nice IF that's what you want. But I do completely agree that the price is likely to be bananas..

 

[Dino944]

Thoughts on the Radomir 1940 Oro Rosso?

I've been wanting a timepiece in a precious metal (rose gold because I find yellow gold to be too garish for me), and after trying the Panerai on at the AD, I can't get it off my mind.

Yes, its a military design, but big deal. No one I've seen wearing one has been in the military, and no one I've seen/known has actually used one for diving. I really like how it looks in rose gold. I think its a nice change from all the steel or titanium Panerais out there. Still, even if the MSRP is $20K, I just don't think I could put over $10K into a Panerai. But if you love it then go for it.

 

[tim_horton]



For anyone on the fence on a Journe Chronometre Bleu, I played around with some macro photography yesterday. Honestly, if you have ~20k to spend on a watch this is THE PIECE to buy.

Looks stunning but I have heard a fair amount of chatter about the reliability of Journe watches (and the extremely high service costs...)

 

[IGotId]

these days Panerai doesn't seem synonymous with any current military outfit unless you're the Expendables.

 

[cchen]

Finally had my FPJ back on the wrist yesterday

The the weather turned

 

[Farhad19620]



Thoughts on the Radomir 1940 Oro Rosso?

I've been wanting a timepiece in a precious metal (rose gold because I find yellow gold to be too garish for me), and after trying the Panerai on at the AD, I can't get it off my mind.

This watch would be lovely in SS or a black metal! Lovely watch, thanks for sharing.

 

[SteveH35]



Looks stunning but I have heard a fair amount of chatter about the reliability of Journe watches (and the extremely high service costs...)

I've owned many and never had an issue

 

[pmeis]

Now for something a bit different..had this on order since April and was supposed to be delivered in May. Was looking forward to it as a summer knockaround watch, but I guess it'll work as a fall watch Not a huge fan of the typography choice and at one point it really bothered me when I first noticed the choice they made, but now I'm over it. Had my eye on one of these for awhile, but it was lower in priority compared to my other three watches. Glad to finally have one.

 

[Belligero]

^
At least it isn't Arial.

Choosing Helvetica may not get too many points for creativity, but it is a legitimate typeface. Funny that the Germans get that right, while the Swiss tend to use the lame knockoff version of something whose very name references their own country.

 

[atia2]



I like the typeface. There is something of the departures board about it. Consequently, it feels functional, efficient, and makes me think of foreign travel. Congratulations.

 

[Kaplan]



What do you guys figure?

While I appreciate some of the more rugged leather straps on something like a Panerai, and while I sometimes wear a sub or a mk xv on a nylon RAF or NATO strap (would only be on the simpler RAF type if they were easier to come by), I must admit that leather NATOs always look bad to me.

Speaking of straps, mention of some of the PP models led me to this site with a beautiful 570 (in what seems like a perfect 36mm), shown on a few different straps. The leather NATO may (unsurprisingly) be the worst pairing of the bunch, but I think the 7 or so other options were pretty bad too. Oh well; finding the right strap for this watch is a problem I would love to have...

 

[Belligero]

@Kaplan, @Keith T, @DLJr
Ha, thanks for the feedback, fellas.

I just thought I'd see how it worked in comparison to the horological holocaust that is 116520 on NATO, which I once tried for about thirty seconds:

So it certainly could be worse, but that's setting the bar rather low.


Edit:

The only Rolex that I find to wear decently on that type of strap is the matte GMT with a faded black insert. While there's maybe a bit of cognitive dissonance in putting a water-resistant watch on leather, in practice, I find that it handles a dunk in the sea just fine. It doesn't seem any worse for wear after a rinse in fresh water and the occasional bit of wax or whatever to keep it from cracking, either. It's nice not to have to worry about messing up the original bracelet sometimes, and lug holes make it a very easy swap.

Regarding the 570 in the link, I'm not seeing any winners there, either. It's remarkable that such expensive-for-what-they-are straps look a bit cheap on a gorgeous watch like that. Anyway, I bet a plain (i.e. no contrast stitching) brown alligator strap would solve the problem perfectly.

 

[bawlin]



Yes, its a military design, but big deal.  No one I've seen wearing one has been in the military, and no one I've seen/known has actually used one for diving.  I really like how it looks in rose gold.  I think its a nice change from all the steel or titanium Panerais out there.  Still, even if the MSRP is $20K, I just don't think I could put over $10K into a Panerai.  But if you love it then go for it.  

Appreciate the input (as always, whether it's about cars or watches).

I think I'm going to sleep on it for a bit. The watch I really want is the 15300OR but the challenge is finding one for a price I can stomach.