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

[Newcomer]

Of the two, I favor the day date. I wanted to like the Sky Dweller, but it was a bit too large for my tastes. I tried the new SS blue and it was very nice.

 

[gomestar]

The Arnautilus

 

[smittycl]

Still looking for a dressier watch to supplement my Submariner. Have looked at IWC, Omega, and Zenith but keep coming back to the JLC Master Control. Think the Master Control on the left would be considered "dressy" on a black alligator strap? Versions from a few years ago don't have the blue sweep hand which is okay but a hair casual to me.

I like the Ultra Thin on the right but am used to watches with some heft and, as someone pointed out earlier, might not like the dimensions and weight of the UT.

 

[Darkside]

Still looking for a dressier watch to supplement my Submariner. Have looked at IWC, Omega, and Zenith but keep coming back to the JLC Master Control. Think the Master Control on the left would be considered "dressy" on a black alligator strap? Versions from a few years ago don't have the blue sweep hand which is okay but a hair casual to me.

I like the Ultra Thin on the right but am used to watches with some heft and, as someone pointed out earlier, might not like the dimensions and weight of the UT.

View attachment 1716190

Looks way better with the moonphase.

 

[smittycl]

Looks way better with the moonphase.

View attachment 1716191

Yeah, it does look quite nice, subtly gorgeous even. Moonphase complications are interesting but not altogether very useful to me. Neat, but I don't need the data. Same reason I don't really want a chronograph other than a Speedy for the historical connection.

Granted, I'm being fairly utilitarian in my thinking.

 

[TheFoo]

Still looking for a dressier watch to supplement my Submariner. Have looked at IWC, Omega, and Zenith but keep coming back to the JLC Master Control. Think the Master Control on the left would be considered "dressy" on a black alligator strap? Versions from a few years ago don't have the blue sweep hand which is okay but a hair casual to me.

I like the Ultra Thin on the right but am used to watches with some heft and, as someone pointed out earlier, might not like the dimensions and weight of the UT.

View attachment 1716190

Both are perfectly dressy enough for all practical purposes (i.e. business wear, black tie, etc.). Neither are true full-on dress watches, as they both have a central seconds hand and a date window—but exceedingly few watches these days qualify and it really doesn’t matter.

Between the two, I prefer the regular MC. It has the better-executed design and dial layout. Weird for an ultra-thin watch to have a date function—and the date window in this case is also too close to the center of the dial. Looks like a compromise.

 

[TheFoo]

Yeah, it does look quite nice, subtly gorgeous even. Moonphase complications are interesting but not altogether very useful to me. Neat, but I don't need the data. Same reason I don't really want a chronograph other than a Speedy for the historical connection.

Granted, I'm being fairly utilitarian in my thinking.

Also, a moon phase takes the watch even farther from being proper “dress” watch—not that I think that should really matter.

 

[smittycl]

Thanks for the input!

 

[TheFoo]

Thanks for the input!

Would you consider other options? If I were looking for a round dressy watch in that price range, I’d probably look to the GS SBGW231 before either of those JLCs:

Case and dial finishing are nicer (though still by machine), box crystal imparts a beautiful vintage-like glow, and no date!

I am not generally a Grand Seiko fan, but the above really is one of the most special-feeling watches you can get for the dollar. JLCs, whatever their other virtues, lack that extra bit of fairy dust.

 

[mak1277]

Still looking for a dressier watch to supplement my Submariner. Have looked at IWC, Omega, and Zenith but keep coming back to the JLC Master Control. Think the Master Control on the left would be considered "dressy" on a black alligator strap? Versions from a few years ago don't have the blue sweep hand which is okay but a hair casual to me.

I like the Ultra Thin on the right but am used to watches with some heft and, as someone pointed out earlier, might not like the dimensions and weight of the UT.

View attachment 1716190

How about a vintage/neo-vintage Datejust or Day-Date on a leather strap?

 

[Dino944]

I've head some compani

Still looking for a dressier watch to supplement my Submariner. Have looked at IWC, Omega, and Zenith but keep coming back to the JLC Master Control. Think the Master Control on the left would be considered "dressy" on a black alligator strap? Versions from a few years ago don't have the blue sweep hand which is okay but a hair casual to me.

I like the Ultra Thin on the right but am used to watches with some heft and, as someone pointed out earlier, might not like the dimensions and weight of the UT.

View attachment 1716190

They make a great watch, but I'd rather have the standard Master Control. The Master Control is a piece that I think looks better with a bit of a beefier case. The MUT always comes off as a bit dainty to me. I also prefer the date placement and the blue second hand on the Master Control. I'd probably put it on a nice blue strap to go with the blue second hand. Wishing you good luck with whichever one you choose!

 

[Texasmade]

Ed White (as mentioned above) is a former astronaut and, like all US astronauts, he wore an Omega Speedmaster Professional moonwatch when he went to space, including when he became the first American to go on a spacewalk in 1965.

The Ed White watch is an Omega Speedmaster Professional moonwatch with a calibre 321 movement inside, based on the type of Speedy Pro that White wore back in the 1960s. Omega ceased making the calibre 321 about 50 years ago, when it changed to the Lemania-based calibre 861 movement. However, a couple of years ago, Omega announced it would start producing small numbers of the calibre 321 again. The watch is not cheap, though - it costs about 100% more than the usual Speedy Pro, has to be ordered in advance, and takes months to arrive.

One more fact about Ed White. He was the first astronaut to take an Omega Speedmaster in EVA (basically the watch was truly in outerspace and not just in a ship in space). That's why there's a lot of a significance with Ed White and Omega.

 

[St1X]

My vote for a dress watch goes to Cartier Tank Americane

 

[smittycl]

How about a vintage/neo-vintage Datejust or Day-Date on a leather strap?

I thought about those but Rolex is too faddish right now. Prices are insanely out-of-whack. Want to avoid the fish-eye date window for a dress watch as well.

 

[Texasmade]

I thought about those but Rolex is too faddish right now. Prices are insanely out-of-whack. Want to avoid the fish-eye date window for a dress watch as well.

Some form of Cartier Tank!