Are high end watches (e.g., Patek) gaudy?

[medtech_expat]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Just shipping a Lange properly to Glashütte for servicing costs an arm and a leg.

I've heard of terrific experiences with Alkis in NYC. No first-hand experience yet.

 

[gdl203]

medtech - apologies in advance if you own one - but the Lange TZ looks really awful IMO.

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by medtech_expat

I've heard of terrific experiences with Alkis in NYC. No first-hand experience yet.

I have had such great experiences with the factory staff that I really wouldn't consider going a different route.

- B

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by gdl203

medtech - apologies in advance if you own one - but the Lange TZ looks really awful IMO.

Yes.


- B

 

[gdl203]

FAIK, Alkis isn't exactly cheap either and he can have a really long queue at times. But I agree that people using him seem very happy.

 

[AnGeLiCbOrIs]

I have this uncanny ability to know whether Vox posted something snarky before even opening a thread.

 

[medtech_expat]

Originally Posted by gdl203

medtech - apologies in advance if you own one - but the Lange TZ looks really awful IMO.

Never pulled the trigger as it didn't suit me. I find the dial a bit of a bastardization of the L1, and the case at 41.9mm is too large for my wrist.

 

[voxsartoria]

Originally Posted by AnGeLiCbOrIs

I have this uncanny ability to know whether Vox posted something snarky before even opening a thread.

- B

 

[LeatherSOUL]

Originally Posted by gdl203

Without a doubt.

I just checked and 5110P prices have barely nudged 10% last year. Not exactly a crash of epic proportions....

Probably cause it's a discontinued model and afficianados like you are looking for it.

 

[Big A]

Friend of mine runs a pawn shop just over the bridge from Palm Beach, FL. Lots of action this year as islanders got "Subprimed," "Madoffed," "Stanford-ed" and "Rothsteined," (in that order).

He's pretty picky about what he buys, and he's paying between .20 - .30 on the dollar. Shipped $3.5 million of inventory to the last big show in Vegas. The only thing he could sell out there were Rolexes, Pateks, and one lonely Breguet (a gold 3211, I think). His other stuff didn't sell.

He said it was the worst year ever.

 

[acidboy]

^ friend of mine in the pre-owned market says Rolex and Patek are the only watches worth keeping if you're after retained value.

 

[Big A]

Originally Posted by acidicboy

^ friend of mine in the pre-owned market says Rolex and Patek are the only watches worth keeping if you're after retained value.
Some "smaller house" watches that will go up in value over time (like Foo's Big Pilot mentioned above). However, if you want a watch you can sell in a hurry without losing your shirt, I think Rolex, Patek, and possibly Pans are really your only choices. Even Patek is a little tricky. I had an older PP Travel Time I inherited that I finally sold. It was kind of an oddball watch, very rare factory gold mesh band that was WELDED to the watch, smaller size, and very very yellow variety of gold made it unpopular when I finally decided to sell it (it received much hate here, if memory serves). The rare band that made it a collector's watch in the early 90's made it a hard sell in the 00's. I think men's watches are trending away from the monstrosities guys have been wearing lately. Thinner is slowly coming back into vogue. I think the huge IWC pilots, for example, are slowly becoming a tougher sell, and I think that trend will continue as people look for less Flavor Flav, more Agnelli (watch size, not over the cuff implementation). There will still be a contingent of under endowed, Audigier-clad, forearm-shaving "bro's" who will wear Panerai, but I think they'll find their way out of the mainstream in favor of medium-sized timepieces. Note: This is all speculation and I'm usually wrong. If you're smart you'll start snapping up everything 44mm and above.

 

[medtech_expat]

I'm not a fan of Panerai myself, although now that they can be considered a proper manufacture they have the flexibility to scale down their cases to sub-42mm and target those of us who are not under-endowed, Audigier-clad nor forearm-shaven.

Seriously? Do people shave forearms??

 

[Eustace Tilley]

Originally Posted by gdl203

medtech - apologies in advance if you own one - but the Lange TZ looks really awful IMO.

Its my favorite Lange - I think it looks lovely. I'd love it even more if the case size were a bit smaller (~40mm)

 

[gdl203]

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

Its my favorite Lange - I think it looks lovely. I'd love it even more if the case size were a bit smaller (~40mm)

I think it's great that we don't all like the same watches.