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

[am55]

Look at Buffet's spending patterns.

He bought his wife a mink fur coat as soon as he could afford it, extended his house as much as his neighbourhood and its plot would permit, flies private (on the "Indefensible", which to be fair was bought second hand), and wears a solid gold President Day-Date. In "The Snowball", Alice Schroeder often brings up the contrast between his actual tastes and the PR.

 

[Texasmade]

It's not like Buffet has some $300M mansion now and a $300k one off Patek watch. He's been in the same house for like 40 years and his Rolex is somewhat obtainable for large amount people.

 

[crazn]

He bought his wife a mink fur coat as soon as he could afford it, extended his house as much as his neighbourhood and its plot would permit, flies private (on the "Indefensible", which to be fair was bought second hand), and wears a solid gold President Day-Date. In "The Snowball", Alice Schroeder often brings up the contrast between his actual tastes and the PR.

View attachment 1229869

Second hand. Li Ka Shing wears a Casio. Everybody has an indulgence.

 

[Belligero]

View attachment 1229618
Oyster Perpetual 116000

A perfected watch.

 

[robinsongreen68]

@LA Guy

these older models are beautiful, one thing to bear in mind though is that a black dial will make a 34-36mm watch wear even smaller. i have a 34mm air king with silver dial that i love, bought another with black dial but ended up selling for that reason.

 

[Belligero]

So, I'm considering a Datejust - it seems like a good daily wearer, and it will fit on a fob nicely at that smaller size. I'm open to a date as well, and the 6694, being manual wind, appeals to me, without the extra volume from an automatic movement, as well as the inherent robustness and also, the smaller 34mm size.



That aside, would you guys go 1601 or 1603 on the datejust? I like the quickset feature on the 1603, as changing the date when travelling seems like a huge PITA without it. However, I love the white gold fluted bezel on the 1601. I saw a 1603 fitted with a white gold 1601 bezel, at a super reasonable price, which would have been perfect, but it quickly sold.

I have also read that that 1570 movement in the 1601 is more robust than whatever is in the 1603. Someone give me some advice. I think that I'd like a black dial or something interesting like grey linen. Not sure about a regular silver dial, unless the patina is very nice and creamy.

Great choice on the classic Datejust; I don't think there's a better watch out there as a daily wearer ...or, uh, fobber.

The 1601 and 1603 are identical apart from the bezel. Both use the 1565/1575 movements that went a long way in establishing Rolex's reputation for accuracy and durability — although some have winding bridges marked 1560 or 1570, which refer to the non-date variants.

This generation of movements has a date mechanism that requires cycling the hands through a full twenty-four hours to change it. It's a lot slower than a quickset movement, and in my experience, it can eventually become a mild annoyance if the watch is worn as part of a rotation — I've pretty much stopped giving a **** what date my plexi GMT shows.

On the plus side, this setting mechanism works going both forward and backward, so the most you'll ever have to adjust is by fifteen days instead of thirty. (This applies to all Explorer II and GMT II models, too.)

If you want the quickset date and the white-gold fluted bezel with a plexi crystal, the model you're looking for is the 16014. It began production in the late seventies and looks the same externally as the earlier four-digit references, but has the newer 3035 movement, which introduced the quickset date feature and higher 28,800/h beat rate that Rolex continues to use.

If there's any difference in robustness between the 30XX movements and the 15XX which began production in the mid-fifties, I'm not aware of it. They're both rock-solid and will withstand a lot more than the wearer's wrist can. Practicality- and longevity-wise, I'd recommend the newer movement because it's a newer design and will be part of Rolex's standard service category for longer.

The only reason I'd go for a 1601 over a 16014 would be if I absolutely had to have a specific dial that's not available in the later model; e.g. the bevelled-edge "pie-pan" type (the later watches were only available with flat dials) and the flat-out gorgeous blue linen.

These are definitely watches to check out in person, as I find that still photos don't really do them justice. A big part of the appeal of the DJ how the flats on the bezel, the lens effect of the plexi crystal, and the sunburst finishes on many of the dial options give them so much liveliness.

The old-school plexi look with the modern movement is a tough combination to beat. I doubt you'd regret buying one; the only trick is finding one in the right condition at the right price.

FWIW, my brother is now wearing the linen-dialled 16014 that I bought a few years back, and he absolutely loves it.

 

[usctrojans31]

He bought his wife a mink fur coat as soon as he could afford it, extended his house as much as his neighbourhood and its plot would permit, flies private (on the "Indefensible", which to be fair was bought second hand), and wears a solid gold President Day-Date. In "The Snowball", Alice Schroeder often brings up the contrast between his actual tastes and the PR.

View attachment 1229869

There's always a delta between perception and reality. With those whom we perceive as authentic, that delta is relatively small.

Buffet has been relatively transparent around parts of his taste. He noted that he likes his house, which is why he won't move into something else. He flies private because he thinks it a better use of his time. These are active decisions, perhaps like the original Saturn driver.

 

[Dino944]

Saw an older guy (mid 40s?) next to us at the fruit stand today wearing a hulk Rolex sub- got into a mid 2000s Saturn and left with his wife. So many questions. Not judging, but that watch was easily worth triple (or more) what the car was.

As others have said, some guys collect watches and have no interest in cars. The reverse is also true, I know some guys with Porsche 911s, who wear $500 watches and they think it would be insane to spend a few thousand on a watch.

However, the other possibility is that some people who love watches and cars, have a beater/daily driver car. I put a ton of miles on my daily driver every year and parking at my office isn't good (we share a parking lot with the school department). When I used to drive a nice car to work it would piss me off to come out and find door dings. So my sports cars stay home, and I have a 2010 Subaru that now has 235,000 miles on it. Its got plenty of door dings, scratches, bumper rub markers from idiots who think parking requires them to rub their bumpers against other cars, and some significant dents from drivers who have damaged my car and driven off without leaving their insurance info. So the Subie goes to the grocery store, it goes to pick up potting soil when Mrs. Dino wants to do some gardening, it goes to restaurants where parking is tough, and it goes to work. During the work week, whatever watch I'm wearing is always worth several times what my daily driver is worth. In addition, almost all of my friends with nice sports cars have some type of daily driver that they don't care about for grocery shopping and other chores.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

I don't have a watch, or a car, but I have a closet full of bespoke clothes.

 

[LA Guy]

Great choice on the classic Datejust; I don't think there's a better watch out there as a daily wearer ...or, uh, fobber.

The 1601 and 1603 are identical apart from the bezel. Both use the 1565/1575 movements that went a long way in establishing Rolex's reputation for accuracy and durability — although some have winding bridges marked 1560 or 1570, which refer to the non-date variants.

This generation of movements has a date mechanism that requires cycling the hands through a full twenty-four hours to change it. It's a lot slower than a quickset movement, and in my experience, it can eventually become a mild annoyance if the watch is worn as part of a rotation — I've pretty much stopped giving a **** what date my plexi GMT shows.

On the plus side, this setting mechanism works going both forward and backward, so the most you'll ever have to adjust is by fifteen days instead of thirty. (This applies to all Explorer II and GMT II models, too.)

If you want the quickset date and the white-gold fluted bezel with a plexi crystal, the model you're looking for is the 16014. It began production in the late seventies and looks the same externally as the earlier four-digit references, but has the newer 3035 movement, which introduced the quickset date feature and higher 28,800/h beat rate that Rolex continues to use.

If there's any difference in robustness between the 30XX movements and the 15XX which began production in the mid-fifties, I'm not aware of it. They're both rock-solid and will withstand a lot more than the wearer's wrist can. Practicality- and longevity-wise, I'd recommend the newer movement because it's a newer design and will be part of Rolex's standard service category for longer.

The only reason I'd go for a 1601 over a 16014 would be if I absolutely had to have a specific dial that's not available in the later model; e.g. the bevelled-edge "pie-pan" type (the later watches were only available with flat dials) and the flat-out gorgeous blue linen.

These are definitely watches to check out in person, as I find that still photos don't really do them justice. A big part of the appeal of the DJ how the flats on the bezel, the lens effect of the plexi crystal, and the sunburst finishes on many of the dial options give them so much liveliness.

The old-school plexi look with the modern movement is a tough combination to beat. I doubt you'd regret buying one; the only trick is finding one in the right condition at the right price.

FWIW, my brother is now wearing the linen-dialled 16014 that I bought a few years back, and he absolutely loves it.

With all of that in mind, I think that I like the 16030 most, with a black dial. I really like the bezel on the 1603 and 1603 vs the 1601, I think. I also like the engine turned bezel on some examples of the smaller 1501, and I could have a silver dial on that even smaller size, maybe grey, in addition to black. I think that I'd be happiest with a 1501 or a 16030. The former might actually fit my needs better, since I wear it on a fob in my pocket, so the smaller size is sometimes appreciated.

I think that something like this is pretty beautiful:

1972 Rolex DateJust 1603 with Grey Linen Sigma Dial

Case & Bracelet Excellent case that shows light wear from use. The stainless engine-turned bezel is also in excellent condition and shows light wear from use. Excellent 62510H D-link jubilee bracelet with 22 links and 555 end links. The clasp is stamped with an RS3 (2010) date code) Dial...

www.hqmilton.com

For vintage Rolexes, yes, I'd either go in person, or with a very reputable vintage dealer that allows returns. There are just too many really good fakes out there, and while I think that I've learned enough to identify fakes and at least blatant redials, and the ability to ask questions and do some investigating that will give some ideas about the seller, for the much less lucrative vintage Omega market, I am definitely not confident about my ability to assess ANY Rolex.

 

[ter1413]

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

A vintage DJ with gray linen dial is the one Rolex I would seriously consider buying, now that the 1655/1675/16750 are out of my price range.

 

[dan'l]

Saw an older guy (mid 40s?) next to us at the fruit stand today wearing a hulk Rolex sub- got into a mid 2000s Saturn and left with his wife. So many questions. Not judging, but that watch was easily worth triple (or more) what the car was.

I don't have a watch, or a car, but I have a closet full of bespoke clothes.

I remember a colleague explaining how her husband bought a new 65" TV with 4k resolution and it was such an extravagant purchase. When she told us how much the TV cost, my other colleagues agreed that it was expensive, and I silently thought to myself that I've bought shoes that cost more.

 

[bdavro23]

I remember a colleague explaining how her husband bought a new 65" TV with 4k resolution and it was such an extravagant purchase. When she told us how much the TV cost, my other colleagues agreed that it was expensive, and I silently thought to myself that I've bought shoes that cost more.

We got robbed (burgaled) a few years ago and they got most of our watches and jewelry. A friend of mine joked that they were idiots for not taking my shoes, since thats where the real money was...

 

[ter1413]

We got robbed (burgaled) a few years ago and they got most of our watches and jewelry. A friend of mine joked that they were idiots for not taking my shoes, since thats where the real money was...

Burglars don't generally know @SpooPoker