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

[city74]

I had an older Seamaster quartz and it had an amazing bracelet. To bad I didn’t like the actual watch as much

 

[Medwed]

Hey is that a Grand Seiko?

 

[Terminator]

Here’s my Cartier Tank Basculante from the CPCP line, finished in 18k YG and featuring an absolutely beautiful F. Piguet ultra thin movement.

Also wearing my favorite shoes... John Lobb Chambord II in Parisian museum calf.

View attachment 1087347

View attachment 1087349

That’s really beautiful

 

[Riva]

Hey is that a Grand Seiko?

Yes with an Omega dial.

 

[Wesley Crusher]

L

That’s really beautiful

Thank you, sir!

 

[Wesley Crusher]

Rolex bracelets really are the best in the business. They’re very comfortable and extremely tough. There are other bracelets that are better finished, but none have the same feeling as the oyster.

Having owned both new and vintage Rolex watches, my preference is the older bracelets with hollow links. Some people say that the old bracelets feel flimsy, but I don’t think so. Never once did I feel like the old style bracelet was going to fail me. They’re lighter and you just kind of forget that you’re wearing a watch when you’re wearing one of the old bracelets.

I also have an older Seamaster that came on the Speedmaster bracelet. A very fine bracelet, for sure, but not as nice as the oyster.

 

[dopey]

Rolex bracelets really are the best in the business. They’re very comfortable and extremely tough. There are other bracelets that are better finished, but none have the same feeling as the oyster.

Having owned both new and vintage Rolex watches, my preference is the older bracelets with hollow links. Some people say that the old bracelets feel flimsy, but I don’t think so. Never once did I feel like the old style bracelet was going to fail me. They’re lighter and you just kind of forget that you’re wearing a watch when you’re wearing one of the old bracelets.

I also have an older Seamaster that came on the Speedmaster bracelet. A very fine bracelet, for sure, but not as nice as the oyster.

An underrated perspective. The idea that the old bracelets were flimsy is just nonsense since they never broke or failed. And you are correct in that they were much lighter. The move to solid links was, I think, because Omega did that and Rolex didn't want to be perceived as cheaper.

 

[Dino944]

omega seamaster bracelet is underrated. older version of rolex oyster feels flimsy compare to seamaster bracelet of the same era. but the new one has omega beat imo.

I can see why people say they felt flimsy with their hollow links and stamped steel clasps, but I actually don't love the modern ones any more or less than the old ones (in terms of comfort or durability). I think its merely that now people feel with solid links they are getting their money's worth. Years ago when I was tougher on my watches I beat the hell several of the old Oyster bracelets, and they held up very well (never sustaining any actual dings/dents) and showing very little "Stretch."

The old Seamaster bracelet was comfortable enough, however I always thought they were relatively unattractive. In addition, a friend who bought one in the very late 90s, when that bracelet style was new had several problems with the clasp design/extension link popping open with modest pressure from wrist movements. He went through 3 of them before the issue was resolved, by Omega and the AD letting him trade the watch back in toward a Speedy Pro.

Rolex bracelets really are the best in the business. They’re very comfortable and extremely tough. There are other bracelets that are better finished, but none have the same feeling as the oyster.

Having owned both new and vintage Rolex watches, my preference is the older bracelets with hollow links. Some people say that the old bracelets feel flimsy, but I don’t think so. Never once did I feel like the old style bracelet was going to fail me. They’re lighter and you just kind of forget that you’re wearing a watch when you’re wearing one of the old bracelets.

I also have an older Seamaster that came on the Speedmaster bracelet. A very fine bracelet, for sure, but not as nice as the oyster.

I agree with most of what you said. I like the old hollow bracelets with solid end links, as much as the current bracelets. I've beaten the hell out of some of the old hollow Oyster bracelets and other than a scuff or scratch, they held up really well. I have always preferred the Oyster to the Jubliee bracelet (also because at least with the older hollow bracelets the Oysters seemed more durable and didn't stretch as much), however I've heard the smaller links of the Jubilee make it one of the most comfortable bracelets because the smaller links mold to every curve of your wrist.

As for Omega Speedmaster bracelets, although the old ones were maybe not as rugged as modern Speedy Pro bracelets, today the modern Speedy Pro bracelet seems sort of generic looking...could be a bracelet for an Omega, a Tag or something else.

I had an older Seamaster quartz and it had an amazing bracelet. To bad I didn’t like the actual watch as much
View attachment 1087556

I like the look of that bracelet a lot...probably because it looks like a Rolex Oyster bracelet.

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

I was never a modern Rolex fan until I saw the Daytona in the wild a few days ago. The model was the white dial 116520, which has a great dressy, stealth vibe to me. Unfortunately, a quick Google search indicates that the price of entry starts around $15K, which will require trades or a lot of savings. So I'd like to do some due diligence. Daytona experts (@Dino944, @Belligero, others?), what is your experience with this model? Did the price decrease with the introduction of the ceramic-bezel model? In your opinion, is the price likely to keep climbing?

 

[Dino944]

I'd love to try a Blancpain X71 as I have heard that one is fantastic, but as far as I know there is no instant adjustability on that one.

The bracelet is certainly nice enough and comfortable. My biggest issue with the Blancpain is, as nice as they are, there is always some other watch I'd rather own for the kind of money BP charges.

 

[Dino944]

I was never a modern Rolex fan until I saw the Daytona in the wild a few days ago. The model was the white dial 116520, which has a great dressy, stealth vibe to me. Unfortunately, a quick Google search indicates that the price of entry starts around $15K, which will require trades or a lot of savings. So I'd like to do some due diligence. Daytona experts (@Dino944, @Belligero, others?), what is your experience with this model? Did the price decrease with the introduction of the ceramic-bezel model? In your opinion, is the price likely to keep climbing?

Not sure what kind of info you are looking for in terms of experience. I've owned two 116520 black dial Daytonas, and I still have one. I like black more than white for this model. Overall a great watch. Classic good looks, an inhouse movement with a nearly 70 hour power reserve, water resistant to 100m, and models from say 2005 on got "Fat hands" that were better matched with the thicker hour markers and lum of this model (early models had the same hands as the prior 16520, but those were narrower and better suited for the slimmer more elegant hour markers of that prior model). I sold my 116520 and bought a nearly identical but later 116520 with fat hands, which I prefer with the thicker/sportier hour markers.

Short of a global melt down like in 2008/2009, I doubt you will see prices of the 116520 go down. While a some people jumped ship and sold their 116520 once the new ceramic bezel model was released, and there some drop in pricing of used ones very briefly, it was not a catastrophic drop in pre-owned prices the way there was with the 16520 when it announced it was being replaced by the 116520. It seemed when the 116520 was announced everyone was dumping their 16520 for the latest and greatest Daytona. This time it happened but to a far lesser degree, and prices rebounded more quickly and are a bit higher than what I would have expected. I personally was surprised that there wasn't much if any of a decrease in the price of the used 16710 GMT IIs when the ceramic steel Pepsi was released last year. However, with a shortage of sports model Rolex watches at most ADs, and people seeing older models maintaining their value or going up over time, it seems people aren't unloading the used ones to get the newest models, or they are holding them and hoping for prices to go up.

In the short term I don't see prices going up from where they are currently. A few years from now is anyone's guess.

 

[Texasmade]

I was never a modern Rolex fan until I saw the Daytona in the wild a few days ago. The model was the white dial 116520, which has a great dressy, stealth vibe to me. Unfortunately, a quick Google search indicates that the price of entry starts around $15K, which will require trades or a lot of savings. So I'd like to do some due diligence. Daytona experts (@Dino944, @Belligero, others?), what is your experience with this model? Did the price decrease with the introduction of the ceramic-bezel model? In your opinion, is the price likely to keep climbing?

Old Daytona model prices went even higher with the introduction of the DaytonaC. Now with the Rolex SS professional model shortage, everything is going up and I expect them to keep going up until there's a recession.

 

[steveoffice]

about 3 years ago i got the hulk (which i ended up reselling a few weeks after) for just a bit over retail in a grey market. now it's almost 12k. i had a friend who bought
16610 for 4k around the same time, now it's over 6k.

seems like ss rolex models are getting increasingly popular for people in the early 20's. i presume they would be hit the worst once the recession hits again in a couple years...

 

[Belligero]

Not sure what kind of info you are looking for in terms of experience. I've owned two 116520 black dial Daytonas, and I still have one. I like black more than white for this model. Overall a great watch. Classic good looks, an inhouse movement with a nearly 70 hour power reserve, water resistant to 100m, and models from say 2005 on got "Fat hands" that were better matched with the thicker hour markers and lum of this model (early models had the same hands as the prior 16520, but those were narrower and better suited for the slimmer more elegant hour markers of that prior model). I sold my 116520 and bought a nearly identical but later 116520 with fat hands, which I prefer with the thicker/sportier hour markers.

Short of a global melt down like in 2008/2009, I doubt you will see prices of the 116520 go down. While a some people jumped ship and sold their 116520 once the new ceramic bezel model was released, and there some drop in pricing of used ones briefly, it was not a catastrophic drop in pre-owned prices the way there was with the 16520 when it announced it was being replaced by the 116520. It seemed when the 116520 was announced everyone was dumping their 16520 for the latest and greatest Daytona. This time it happened but to a far lesser degree, and prices rebounded more quickly and are a bit higher than what I would have expected. I personally was surprised that there wasn't much if any of a decrease in the price of the used 16710 GMT IIs when the ceramic steel Pepsi was released last year. However, with a shortage of sports model Rolex watches at most ADs, and people seeing older models maintaining their value or going up over time, it seems people aren't unloading the used ones to get the newest models, or they are holding them and hoping for prices to go up.

In the short term I don't see prices going up from where they are currently. A few years from now is anyone's guess.

Perfect answer.

It’s a great watch for wearing, and the movement is sublime. I love the looks, and its combination of quality, reliability, water resistance and slimness is hard to find in a chronograph, which is no doubt a large part of why demand for the model has always been so strong.

 

[Callusing]

Got my second German piece on the way:

(First is the exceptional Damasko DC66)

Now I just want to get one of the Seiko MM300 variants (likely a SBDX023) and I'll be all good for the next while. I'll want a racing chrono at some point in the long run - probably a Sinn 936 - but that can wait.