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

[Ambulance Chaser]



Anyone seen the Hodinkee article on Gorilla watches? Looks good!

I'm not a fan of make-believe-car-parts novelty watches.

Haha...the Belligero smack-down never gets old.

[COLOR=666666]" from a guy who was involved with the higher end of AP's limited edition production"[/COLOR]


So, that's the same guy responsible for AP's transition from big three design pioneer to candy-shop purveyor of brightly-coloured, celebrity-endorsed, gimmicky tat?  I'm not sure that makes him the heir apparent to the creator of the Jumbo and the Nautilus.  Maybe just the man who mated haute horlogerie with hip hop.  I think it makes him the heir to the creator of TW Steel.

And a limited edition that is only limited for now but then won't be.  I wonder if he's just deliberately taking the piss?  I'd love it if this was a hoax at the expense of the watch industry.  Alas, I suspect the joke is on the buyer.

Bah, I've had a tough day.  Sorry.

Ready to ship soon. Anybody in?

 

[OmarDubaibanker]

I'm in

 

[Ambulance Chaser]



I'm in

Please post pics when you receive it. I kind of like it, but would rather go with Autodromo for an automobile-influenced watch around that price point -- slightly better movement, more manageable size, likelier to age better. That said, I admire the chances Gorilla is taking. There are very few microbrands under $1000 that aren't (1) a chunky diver, (2) an homage, or (3) a bland dress watch.

 

[mimo]



I admire the chances Gorilla is taking. There are very few microbrands under $1000 that aren't (1) a chunky diver, (2) an homage, or (3) a bland dress watch.

But there are enough.

The Gorilla is a turd.

 

[BLAUGRANA]

The new Omega Speedmaster CK2998 is pretty sweet. It's really a throwback watch. You don't see that many manual-wind, panda chronographs under 40 mm anymore.

I'm sure I'm in a small minority when I say this, but I'm not a fan. Don't get me wrong, as you note, plenty to like. Still it just doesn't do that much for me. I can't put my finger on it entirely, though I will say I don't like that lollipop hand at all so it might be that. On the other hand I love the First Omega in Space and will likely pick one up in the near enough future. In fact for what a grey dealer was charging you could get the FOIS and a Seamaster 300m master coaxial for that much. Or perhaps even better a FOIS and a polar 16570 and still have some money left over.

 

[mimo]

I find it very attractive, especially in those colours. But I can't help thinking that a vintage Heuer (or Navitimer, you bastard enablers from previous page), would offer more authentic wonders for fewer pennies.

I would love to wear one, but I can't see that I would ever buy one.

 

[Kaplan]



The Gorilla is a turd.

But... but it has Radical material combinations pushed to the edge of reason.

 

[bigbadbuff]

If Gorilla named the model Harambe, they could sit back and watch all the free (and awful) publicity just roll right in.

In all seriousness, that's a hideous watch IMO.

Re: the Speedmaster homage, the best advice I can give someone re: watch shopping is to not make too many judgement based on market pics/online wrist shots. While the latter are more realistic of course, many nuances that can make or break your opinion won't show up in pics, you have to see it in the metal and get a feel for it on your wrist. This is how countless watches that I lusted over online became complete duds for me, and watches that didn't do much for me online (Sub no date, BLNR, Daytona, etc) rose to the top.

 

[lolzx]

Is jamoshop selling authentic watch?

 

[Ambulance Chaser]



The Gorilla is a turd.

Nickname revoked!

I'm sure I'm in a small minority when I say this, but I'm not a fan.  Don't get me wrong, as you note, plenty to like.  Still it just doesn't do that much for me.  I can't put my finger on it entirely, though I will say I don't like that lollipop hand at all so it might be that.  On the other hand I love the First Omega in Space and will likely pick one up in the near enough future.  In fact for what a grey dealer was charging you could get the FOIS and a Seamaster 300m master coaxial for that much.  Or perhaps even better a FOIS and a polar 16570 and still have some money left over.

From what I have read, this watch's design, including the lollipop chronograph hand, is a pretty faithful recreation of the first CK2998 model. Maybe the decidedly un-Speedy color scheme is getting you? I know that my fear if I bought the watch is that I would feel the urge to buy the iconic Moonwatch in addition.

I tried on the FOIS at an Omega boutique last weekend. Pretty watch and a nice feel on the wrist. I don't particularly like the chronograph hand or the mismatch between the subdial hands, however.

I find it very attractive, especially in those colours. But I can't help thinking that a vintage Heuer (or Navitimer, you bastard enablers from previous page), would offer more authentic wonders for fewer pennies.

I don't know anything about vintage Breitling, but I know a bit about vintage Heuer. The closest Heuer analogue to this Omega is the 60s-era Autavia with a reverse panda configuration. I also would prefer such an Autavia to the CK2998. Unfortunately, the market for those Autavias has exploded in the past couple years, and you are going to pay well north of $6,500 for a model in good condition. Ditto for similar vintage chronographs like the manual-wind Rolex Daytona and Enicar Sherpa Graph. The CK2998 gives you a similar feel to those watches with fewer servicing issues moving forward.

 

[bespoken pa]

Quick cell shot at the cigar shop

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Any of you all see nice watches in the wild? This morning, while riding the Metrorail, I spotted a Rolex Pepsi GMT on an elderly man's wrist. Interestingly enough, the last nice watch I saw on another person's wrist before today was also a Pepsi GMT.

 

[BLAUGRANA]

From what I have read, this watch's design, including the lollipop chronograph hand, is a pretty faithful recreation of the first CK2998 model. Maybe the decidedly un-Speedy color scheme is getting you? I know that my fear if I bought the watch is that I would feel the urge to buy the iconic Moonwatch in addition.

I tried on the FOIS at an Omega boutique last weekend. Pretty watch and a nice feel on the wrist. I don't particularly like the chronograph hand or the mismatch between the subdial hands, however.

Well that is the other bit, but for a specific reason. I LOVE navy blue and it's really my favorite color at the moment so it's not the color itself. It's that the minute track is colored. I'd have preferred that it either wasn't colored and just matched the dial or that it went all the way to the edge of the dial. I also think that perhaps it makes the sub registers look bigger as a result. Don't get me wrong though, it's not bad at all.

I love all of it. I really love that asymmetry of the mismatched hands and as one review noted it's nice that the one mismatched hand "matches" the hour and minute hands. For me the subtle differences were nice so as not to be an exact copycat of the original, though that would have been fine as well. The one knock I have of the FOIS is that it can be quite reflective and thus somewhat illegible depending on the setting. Of course a tilt of the wrist and it's easily remedied.

 

[BLAUGRANA]

Any of you all see nice watches in the wild? This morning, while riding the Metrorail, I spotted a Rolex Pepsi GMT on an elderly man's wrist. Interestingly enough, the last nice watch I saw on another person's wrist before today was also a Pepsi GMT.

A few here and there. The anniversary GMT with the green hand, a Datejust and a Speedy Pro more recently. Nothing too out of the ordinary for the market I'm in. Then when they have a look and ask what I'm wearing they don't seem too familiar with what it is. What I'm really noticing though are more and more Apple watches out there. It's interesting too because I never see anyone using theirs.

 

[Belligero]



Any of you all see nice watches in the wild? This morning, while riding the Metrorail, I spotted a Rolex Pepsi GMT on an elderly man's wrist. Interestingly enough, the last nice watch I saw on another person's wrist before today was also a Pepsi GMT.

Per capita, nothing I've seen beats central and northern Italian cities for wearing a nice watch. Singapore is also very big into them, especially the crazy high-end stuff.

Australians and North/South Americans don't really seem to give a crap about them in comparison. You see some nice stuff once in a while, especially in higher-density cities, but it's not nearly as often as parts of Europe and Asia.

Flying Paris to Milan was probably the most watch-heavy real-life event, but it could have been a fluke.