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

[Find Finn]



This is some hot shiznit.

The original is better.

CNC'd out of a solid block of gold.

 

[Zac Duncan]

This is some hot shiznit.

It's really nice!!

 

[Hampton]

The original is better.

CNC'd out of a solid block of gold.

Bam way better that one!

 

[Find Finn]



Bam way better that one! 

Linde Werdelin makes some great stuff.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

I wanted to buy myself a nice watch, but all these price increases makes me feel I'd be quite a fool to do so. All this free money pouring everywhere for the last 10 years have really made luxury goods insanely expensive. Even some modest designer furniture I own have just been jacked up by 50% or so since I bought them in 2006.
!luc

 

[Find Finn]

Buy a vintage or used.

 

[mimo]

I wanted to buy myself a nice watch, but .... I'd be quite a fool to do so.

Buy a vintage or used.

Exactly so. I don't know what your budget is, Luc, but even if you're a cheapskate like me with very limited resources, "nice" does not have to be difficult. I watch this thread with fascination, and the idea of one of these fancy watches for thousands of dollars is pretty appealing. But like most people, I have other priorities. Maybe one day if I have a big win in my business, but until then, it has to be cheap.

So like Finn says, vintage and/or used offers a world of choice. Depending on your circumstances, maybe that means a $10,000 watch for half the price, or a respectable brand for a tiny fraction of that. But whichever it is, there's plenty around. As I've learned from reading this thread, people who collect or obsess about watches tend to change them like other people change their underwear. It's just one of those things, like guitar nuts or car nuts...there's always one more that MUST be had, which usually means there's one that has to be sold quickly. The second hand market in watches, from what I've seen, looks vast and lively, even in this economy (maybe even because of this economy?)

If you're the kind of guy who has to have a watch worth $7,000 if your friend buys one for $5,000, then dive in here with all the other admirably-insane aficionados. But if you're an ordinary guy like me, then I'll offer the bum's option, from which I have derived a lot of pleasure: a few weeks ago, I posted the picture below of my father's old Omega. It had been smashed to bits at some point, and had a scratched up face, non-original glass and one hand, and was decades overdue for a service. It was bought in 1970, and I'm guessing made just a few years prior to that. I spend about $200 having an original glass and hand added, a new crown and a full service from the dealer. I left the scratched face alone, and also ditched the bracelet for a more "old-fashioned" grain leather strap.











Of course I had mine fixed up because it has sentimental value. But the reality is for that $200-ish, you could buy something similar on eBay that's already in good order. It won't win any wallet-waving, bragging or pissing contests. But it does look smart, and even friends of mine with multiple Porches, large yachts and eye-wateringly-expensive watches, show a nod of appreciation for the integrity of a simple vintage Omega. If you want to compete, spend your thousands. If you just want something that's classy and garners respect, then the price can be remarkably low. And I'm sure even the high-rollers on this forum can recommend a dozen brilliant vintage choices between $100 and $1,000, that would be even better.

 

[Luc-Emmanuel]

Thanks Mimo.
I have a budget around 7,000 euros, but I really hate it when I see that 10 years ago I could have had the same thing for half the price!
So I think I'll probably buy used, yet it's the JLC moon 39 I want which may be hard to find used.
!luc

 

[mimo]

Thanks Mimo.
I have a budget around 7,000 euros, but I really hate it when I see that 10 years ago I could have had the same thing for half the price!
So I think I'll probably buy used, yet it's the JLC moon 39 I want which may be hard to find used.
!luc

Hehe...then skip straight past my cheap-assed advice. But the answer's in your comment: if they were half the price ten years ago, then get a ten year old one for less than half the price. It seems to me that a lot of people who own these watches wear them rarely, and look after them obsessively, so I'm sure you can find one that's recently serviced by an authorised dealer, and has spent most of its life on a kidskin covered-winder, on a raw silk cushion full of silica gel and love.

Anyway, isn't "hard to find" part of the fun? Go look; I'm sure there are all sorts of wonders out there within your budget, maybe the one you are thinking of and maybe something you'd never imagined.

 

[Belligero]



Great advice.

That watch looks spot-on, as well — heaps better than a sports model with that outfit.

 

[in stitches]



They're following the same strategy as many Richemont and Swatch Group brands: rolling out own boutiques everywhere and de-emphasizing AD in those areas. It's amazing that there wasn't one Panerai boutique in the US six or seven years ago and that there's now 8, including 3 in Florida alone...

sorry, g, missed this yesterday.

while i have heard that possibility, and i know is omega is pushing hard on that. i think i read in an interview from nick hayek jr that that was more about them being unhappy with the way ADs were presenting the watches. not enough product knowledge, and selling them as pretty jewelry, not fine watches. who knows if thats the real motivation, or what the real reason is.

anyhow, my sources here tell me that this particular AD lost the lines because he was ******* around with the wrong people. not sure if he was discounting too deep, or not paying on time or something, but something sketchy was happening. this place was THE watch spot, carried pretty much everything top to bottom, and all of a sudden they lose JLC, cartier, rolex and panerai, in one fell swoop. something aint right there.

 

[Find Finn]

Three of them are owned by the same company, so he only needs to piss of two people.

 

[gdl203]

The Richemont brands tend to be run independently though.

 

[ThinkDerm]



I actually wasn't paying close enough attention.
I didn't have the 5134. I had the earlier model, the 5034 with the hobnail finish.
It looked like this (not my photo)

this is gorgeous.

 

[in stitches]



The Richemont brands tend to be run independently though.

i would like to independently run a richemont brand.

this is gorgeous.

it sure is.