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

[rnguy001]

I like the grey and blue combination, but it's a YM so in the end... nope.

Would love seeing the grey/blue combo on the Sub/SD models.

 

[Joenobody0]

Anything besides red on a sub or sd would be cringeworthy. The YM is the diver'ish platform where Rolex does that sort of design.

 

[eton97]

Here's some double red

 

[Joenobody0]

That's a nice example. The case looks sharp and fat. I should have bought one 15 years ago.

 

[eton97]

Thank you. Yes the dial and case are immaculate. Here's a better shot of the lugs

 

[Joenobody0]

Indeed. Superb lungs, and very nice lugs too.

 

[eton97]

 

[PartagasIV]

60 pages back, working my way through the last six months...don't think I've posted this yet. Heuer Solunagraph, developed for Orvis, retailed in '60's-'70's. Believe this is gen 1, used to time the lunar hours for friskier fish/upland birds, based on Valjoux 21.

 

[tigerpac]

Got to play with this one in the metal recently.... Just lovely.

 

[OzWino]

My knowledge of vintage watches is somewhat limited, so I'm definitely at the 'learning more' stage of my journey. But ive been looking at 1960's Heuer (Carrera) watches and someone also recommended Zenith. A brand I have even less knowledge.

So how would you compare Zenith vs Heuer in the 1960s/70s. Ie is one a better 'brand' from a resale point of view, or does one have a better movement, anything to be cautious of? Given that they are now both part of LVMH I assume they are both NOW of comparable quality.

Thanks for your learned opinions.

 

[Joenobody0]

I think it's pretty naive to assume that brands owned by the same luxury conglomerate are in any way comparable. I guess ALS must be the same quality as IWC since they're both wholely owned by richemont.

 

[mimo]

Anything besides red on a sub or sd would be cringeworthy.

Zenith vs Heuer in the 1960s/70s....I assume they are both NOW of comparable quality.

I don't know enough to compare how they were in the 70s, but in your shoes I'd be happy buying either: they're both looking good value compared to the likes of Rolex and Omega who spend so much on their modern brand image, boosting their vintage prices (and the number of dodgy fakes). I'm sure there are plenty of old ones that have been patched up cheaply, but not many that anyone would bother actually trying to replicate.

As for their modern incarnations, LVMH seems to be positioning Zenith above Tag Heuer: that seems to be their entry/aspirational luxury watch brand, while Zenith is going big on its history (El Primero) and dress watches, and Hublot catering for the gangsters and boy bands.

 

[grizzlybear]

On the way to work today

 

[Journeyman]

My knowledge of vintage watches is somewhat limited, so I'm definitely at the 'learning more' stage of my journey. But ive been looking at 1960's Heuer (Carrera) watches and someone also recommended Zenith. A brand I have even less knowledge.

So how would you compare Zenith vs Heuer in the 1960s/70s. Ie is one a better 'brand' from a resale point of view, or does one have a better movement, anything to be cautious of? Given that they are now both part of LVMH I assume they are both NOW of comparable quality.

Thanks for your learned opinions.

I don't know enough to compare how they were in the 70s, but in your shoes I'd be happy buying either: they're both looking good value compared to the likes of Rolex and Omega who spend so much on their modern brand image, boosting their vintage prices (and the number of dodgy fakes). I'm sure there are plenty of old ones that have been patched up cheaply, but not many that anyone would bother actually trying to replicate.

As for their modern incarnations, LVMH seems to be positioning Zenith above Tag Heuer: that seems to be their entry/aspirational luxury watch brand, while Zenith is going big on its history (El Primero) and dress watches, and Hublot catering for the gangsters and boy bands.

I agree with Mimo that Tag Heuer is generally (with a couple of exceptions) a more "entry level" watch brand in LVMH's stable, whereas Zenith is regarded as being on a higher tier and is generally more expensive as a consequence.

Interestingly, though, vintage Heuers seem to be valued considerably more highly than vintage Zenith watches.

There are no doubt some exceptions but you can pick up vintage Zenith pretty cheaply, whereas most "classic" Heuer models (Carrera, Autavia and Monaco in particular) are now worth a pretty penny. Autavia models from the 1960s/very early 1970s (the round, Carrera-style case versions), in particular, have skyrocketed in value over the past decade.

As I think that we discussed a couple of months back in this thread, TAG Heuer put out a re-edition of the Heuer Carrera with a manual-wind Lemania movement back in the late 1990s, which are very nice and can be found for quite reasonable prices nowadays. They're rather like an Omega Speedmaster but look a bit dressier as they don't have the external bezel of the Speedmaster.

Here's an article on the re-edition, which is worth having a look at:

http://www.calibre11.com/heuer-carrera-1964-re-edition/

TAG Heuer also put out a re-edition of the 1970s Autavia in the late 1990s or very early 2000s, but it wasn't terribly popular - I think that it was too large and, unlike the Carrera re-edition, it said TAG Heuer on the dial, instead of just having the vintage Heuer logo.

 

[Joenobody0]



I really hate that watch. The design is an embarrassment to Rolex. I won't say more.