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

[Journeyman]

I bet a modern stock inexpensive hatchback could easily take on Dino's Dino (which is one of the best preserved examples I've seen) on a track.

I've got a Dino story.

I used to live in one of a row of townhouses in an inner-city suburb. Opposite my place, right behind my bus-stop, was a child-care centre in a lovely old building. One day, while waiting for the bus, I heard the most wonderful engine noise. It gradually got louder and it became clear it was going to pass very close by.

Suddenly, the most beautiful looking Dino 246 GT roared around the corner, did a u-turn, and pulled up outside the childcare centre. A guy just a few years older than me (late 20s), wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and boat shoes hopped out, went around to the other side of the car, opened the door, and helped his three-year-old son out of the car and walked him into the childcare centre.

Another Ferrari story.

Down the road from that place was a row of cafes, including an Italian-themed cafe owned by an elderly Italian man and his family, called "La Dolce Vita". It had stills of the film on its walls, with pictures of Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg, framed Italian football jerseys and a table football game out the back.

There was always a Ferrari parked directly out the front of the cafe and, if the Ferrari ever moved, one of the cafe staff put a rubbish bin there to mark the spot for the Ferrari. However, the car hardly ever got driven - it was really just there as a symbol of the cafe, and a symbol of Italy. Every two or three years it would be upgraded to the next model of Ferrari, always in bright red.

 

[Thrift Vader]

Long post on keyboard later.

Live in the Bar now. Wearing this:

Let's see what shows up.

 

[Dino944]

It could just be the region where I live, but always find interesting that guys who like cars, especially classic cars are not always watch guys. They can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on cars, but the cringe at the idea of spending $5K or more on watches. I have a few friends who like me are into cars and watches, but not many.
One friend with a 991 Turbo S who travels a lot has a ceramic all black GMT Master.
One friend with a 930 Turbo has a few Omegas and various Rolex models.
One friend who has owned a Porsche 928S4 and now has a Ferrari 328 has a variety of watches Rolex, Bvlgari, Cartier, Panerai (but his father-in-law is has a shop that deals in estate jewelry and watches).
One of my close college friends who has a Porsche 991 and a Cayenne - is someone I got hooked on watches at the end of college when I suggested he look at a Seamaster - currently has a Speedy Pro, a Tudor, a Zenith, a Carlo Ferrara Regulator, an Explorer II white dial (16570), a Graham, and a few other pieces.
Then there is my Dad taught me about cars and watches....he has owned a variety cars from BMW, MB, Porsche and Ferrari and wristwatches from GP, AP, PP, Rolex, JLC, and Lange. Now that he is older, he finds sports cars too small, too difficult to drive and he prefers being in an SUV. He still appreciates seeing beautiful cars, but I suppose as long as one has their eyesight, wristwatches can be a life long hobby...as one advances in age into their 70s, low slung sports cars may not be easy to live with.

Some of my watch friends especially those in Europe or big cities, say that while they appreciate the lines of beautiful cars, especially classic cars, but parking, not always having garage space makes ownership a pain and it is far easier to take public transit. One of my friends went as far as to sell his car, to purchase a gold bracelet for his gold Cartier Pasha.

One quick Ferrari story, as I don't want to annoy the people here who are not into cars. Back in 1989 when I was a teenager, I went to an all Italian car show. There was an authentic late 1950's Ferrari Testa Rossa racing car. Someone asked the owner to start it, so he did. He revved the engine several times and this one guy who was probably in his 40's said..."Now that gives me a hard on!"

 

[Thin White Duke]

Interesting.
I think if we’re honest there’s a certain amount of ‘signalling’ with ownership of expensive watches which shares some space on a Venn diagram with ownership of classic / exotic cars. That level will vary from one individual to another but I think it’s there to some degree for most people who make these expensive purchases.

I’m an admirer of certain classic cars but this year I’m on track to drive a grand total of five thousand miles.If classic car ownership was to act as a signal of success and wealth for me it wouldn’t be a very efficient one as I’m not driving that much. Hence my ten year old Jeep Wrangler!

The thing about watches, if ‘signalling’ is indeed a large part of one’s motivation to wear them, is that you can send that signal every waking hour and in every situation in which you find yourself, at close quarters for five grand for a used sub. Signalling in a Ferrari would cost forty times that and only really work for a moment as I fly past you on the freeway or for that brief moment you see me jumping in and jumping out of it in front of Starbucks or whatever.

The above ramblings may go some way towards explaining why car guys aren’t always watch guys (or vice versa).

 

[usctrojans31]

You will always have people who buy fancy cars or fancy watches to signal, and you'll have others who are genuine fans, be it for the engineering, emotional connection, among others.

Jean Noel Kapferer wrote about the difference of luxury for internal consumption and external consumption. Find that's always a helpful framework when discussing this topic as the motivations and behaviors are dramatically different.

I LOVE McLaren, but they are cold, tactical, and do not conjure the same romance as Ferrari. Most of that is branding and established feelings toward the brand, but dismissing it is missing the forest from the trees.

My closest car to watch comp is Rolex and BMW. Both are genuinely great products, but there is pretty significant baggage with both brands.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

When it comes to signaling, there is nothing better than contemporary art. Your rich buddy may own the same Ferrari and Patek Nautilus that you do, but he’s not going to have the same Koons or Basquiat.

 

[Thin White Duke]

When it comes to signaling, there is nothing better than contemporary art. Your rich buddy may own the same Ferrari and Patek Nautilus that you do, but he’s not going to have the same Koons or Basquiat.

Yeah but how can you impress the chicks at the bar with something in your wall at home? Showing her pics on your leather and carbon fibre Vertu phone doesn’t have the same cache as nonchalantly flashing your diamond encrusted Cartier. And even then if it’s a Basquiat most chicks will think ‘how cute he has pics of his daughter’s kindergarten artwork on his phone!’

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

A woman who can recognize a Basquiat is the kind of woman I want to date.

 

[beargonefishing]

A woman who can recognize a Basquiat is the kind of woman I want to date.

Basquait makes good ass-biscuits.

 

[Omega Male]

The discerning hot chick prefers Twombly for her kindergarten scribbles.

 

[Dino944]

Interesting.
I think if we’re honest there’s a certain amount of ‘signalling’ with ownership of expensive watches which shares some space on a Venn diagram with ownership of classic / exotic cars. That level will vary from one individual to another but I think it’s there to some degree for most people who make these expensive purchases.

I’m an admirer of certain classic cars but this year I’m on track to drive a grand total of five thousand miles.If classic car ownership was to act as a signal of success and wealth for me it wouldn’t be a very efficient one as I’m not driving that much. Hence my ten year old Jeep Wrangler!

The thing about watches, if ‘signalling’ is indeed a large part of one’s motivation to wear them, is that you can send that signal every waking hour and in every situation in which you find yourself, at close quarters for five grand for a used sub. Signalling in a Ferrari would cost forty times that and only really work for a moment as I fly past you on the freeway or for that brief moment you see me jumping in and jumping out of it in front of Starbucks or whatever.

The above ramblings may go some way towards explaining why car guys aren’t always watch guys (or vice versa).

Signaling with a classic car is never going to be as cost effective as just buying a well known watch or wearing a T-shirt that says Gucci.

Classic cars take more effort to drive than modern cars. Most guys with classic cars, tend to be up early on Saturday's and Sundays to drive them before the roads are crowded with minivans, suvs, and idiots who want to drive in your blind spot to video your car with their cell phone.

And believe it or not, 5,000 miles is far more mileage than most guys put on their classics. Many collector car policies anticipate you won't drive it that much and have mileage limitations of 1,000 miles or less per year, or 3,000 miles or less, and maybe 5,000 miles or less. I've never seen a collector insurance policy that allowed one to put 10,000 miles on a car. In addition, you can't use the car for commuting to and from work, and it has to be used generally for car events, and has to be in a locked garage overnight. So really, a lot of vintage classic cars spend much of their lives in garages.

There is a street in Boston with all the high end stores, Cartier, Bvlgari, Valentino, Loro Piana, Van Cleef, and various watch stores etc, called Newbury Street. It is the place where one often sees new M series cars, AMG cars, new Porsches, new Masers, Ferraris, McLarens, and Lambos, and various modded versions of these cars with giant wheels with silly amounts of camber cruising with young guys who want to "Be seen" or who park them in front of out door cafes. One rarely sees vintage classics parked there. The one time I did, from a distance I saw this small dark green car. From a block away, I thought it could be an MG or something. As I got closer I realized it was a British Racing Green Aston Martin DB5. What a classy car. Compact, elegant lines, traditional wire wheels. Nothing obnoxious about it, no giant exhaust opening, no oversized wheels or big tacked on wings. While looking at it I couldn't help but notice all these younger people driving blinged out, modded, ridiculously loud M series cars, AMG cars, a modded Maser with oversized exhausts and oversized wheels with lots of camber...all slowing and lowering their windows to get a better look at a classiest car on the street.

 

[Ebitdaddy]

 

[bdavro23]

I had the chance to spend a little time with the Oris line today and have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was very impressed with the two watches I am most interested in purchasing. On the other hand, I was checking our the Aquis just for fun and was alarmed at how flimsy the bracelet felt. I was actually surprised by the feel of it compared to the other watches I own. Its pretty amazing how much of a difference details like that can make in the feel of a watch and the impression that it makes.

As my preferred watch shop doesnt carry Oris, I had to stop into a chain store and the sales people were just awful. I mention this because I really appreciate the relationship I have with our regular jewelry store and episodes like this one remind me not to take them for granted...

 

[alpyigit]

Another tribute to master Genta, IWC 3228. Need to resize the bracelet though..

 

[Thrift Vader]

I had the chance to spend a little time with the Oris line today and have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was very impressed with the two watches I am most interested in purchasing. On the other hand, I was checking our the Aquis just for fun and was alarmed at how flimsy the bracelet felt. I was actually surprised by the feel of it compared to the other watches I own. Its pretty amazing how much of a difference details like that can make in the feel of a watch and the impression that it makes.

As my preferred watch shop doesnt carry Oris, I had to stop into a chain store and the sales people were just awful. I mention this because I really appreciate the relationship I have with our regular jewelry store and episodes like this one remind me not to take them for granted...

Huh, I like to be seen as a guy who has some money. but can't be swayed by sales speak.
It sucks when i want to try out a watch, but aren't looking to get anyone's hopes up.