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

[Texasmade]

Anybody else interested in tomorrow's reveal of the new Ming?

I’m interested although I know I won’t buy it. They make cool stuff even though I know it’s not really my taste.

 

[am55]

I’m interested although I know I won’t buy it. They make cool stuff even though I know it’s not really my taste.

Sums up the thread...

 

[Newcomer]

I’m interested to see what Patek does tomorrow, just because

 

[am55]

To put it in car terms?
You recently bought a Carburettor. A very shiny Carburettor.

And my Quartz watches tell the time more accurately. needing less maintenance.
-Fuel injection.

Your electronics will fail halfway through the Anne Beadell "highway", on a particularly shaky corrugated section you took at 80kph to shorten the pain. It's time to camp on the roof of the car, hope the supplies will last, and wait for the mechanic driving up from the nearest town 3 days away. He charges $2k/day. You'll have to drive back and fly out cos you've run out of days for your trip. Should have gone (like the mechanic) for the 70 series LC still built with mechanical injection in 2020 that you can fix yourself.

Spoiler

Not Cayenne territory:


Put sound on

More modern is not always better

 

[TheFoo]

I’m interested to see what Patek does tomorrow, just because

Are there more announcements coming?

 

[Texasmade]

Are there more announcements coming?

Yes. TS is giving a presentation on more releases tomorrow. That’s the story going around.

lifted from rolexforum

 

[am55]

Tell me about it. My spouse is an artist, well-recognised in her field on the European scene, so I hear a lot of these stories. (Though I think the Euro scene has quite different dynamics because a handful of elite art schools aren't so dominant here, nor is philanthropy, etc)

The fact that there is a "scene" to which people like to belong is part of the problem. I agree with Unfa[spelling horror] that you can't crap on the banker bubble from the art bubble. It is the perceived desire for superiority based on belonging that grates people.

Urwerk copying AP in drawing inspiration and branding from popular movies:



however they are not taking the risk of picking a current artist and ensure timelessness by choosing a work that has already survived

 

[am55]

Not to go all @am55, but this reminds me of one of my favorite songs - Singer Songwriter by Okkervil River.

Here's a snippet:

The ultimate work in psychoanalysis of social class and taste is Proust's Recherche. I'm sorry that you have to read translations, it reminds me of Nabokov's quip: "the book has been paraphrased into English several times, but never translated". Proust is also the exception to the rule that having actually lived makes for better art - his insights come purely from piercing observation of others and a personal background of haute bourgeoisie during peak France.

 

[am55]

View attachment 1591338

Imagine thinking this guy is an authority on aesthetics and design. I especially love the shiny pocket square that matches his lining, and the green thread on the boutonnière.

 

[am55]

Patek Philippe stopped manufacturing their most important reference 2499 and the 3450.

Thank you for this post that introduced me to the glory of the 3450! Hodinkee has some photos: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/christies-geneva

This sounds like the ideal Patek for the Singaporean collector @crazn

 

[Newcomer]

@TheFoo pretty much what @Texasmade said. Rumor is new Calatravas.

 

[gomestar]

@crazn

Huh. Just realized that "craisin" is the perfect color name for that new dark berry Tank.

 

[bdavro23]

So, if you dig really deep into this thread, you would find that I have always been a big fan of the Patek 5711 and AP 15202 - and those two were always my reasonable-ish grail watches. Well, I have since given up on both of them, and am aiming for something else - which is outside of the luxury SS sports watch category.

That said, I'd like to fill that gap one day, and think that the Bulgari Octo Finissimo is pretty damn amazing and a great candidate. Unique design, looks to be solid quality, horologically interesting, and all for the price of $12k retail (looks like you can get for 15-20% less). I am kind of shocked these have not become more popular, particularly given the trajectory of the luxury SS sports watch category. In my view, it really makes you question the "value proposition" of some other options out there.

View attachment 1591415

I have a large soft spot for Bvlgari going back 20 some years and just bought a hideous Diagono travel watch everyone hates. AND, the single best retail experience I've ever had was at the Bvlgari boutique in Prague, where they treated me like royalty for a couple hours, even after I told them I wasnt buying anything. I took my wife back and bought her something the next day because of the impression they made.

I love this watch, but I dont know that I could wear it, as has been mentioned. It wears big in an odd way and in spite of it's surprising thinness. I second the idea of getting a Czapek so you can post a bunch of pictures I can vicariously enjoy...

 

[Omega Male]

Totally unfair, but many years ago I walked past their store in Knightsbridge with this very upper-crust English friend and he was like: "Ha! More like Vulgari!" And that has remained with me ever since, although he has not -- come to think of it.

 

[am55]

Totally unfair, but many years ago I walked past their store in Knightsbridge with this very upper-crust English friend and he was like: "Ha! More like Vulgari!" And that has remained with me ever since, although he has not -- come to think of it.

"Good Heavens! I was once”—he spoke as though he had fallen from the Command of a Regiment—“an Oxford Man!”
“You,” said McIntosh, slowly, “have not had that advantage; but, to outward appearance, you do not seem possessed of a craving for strong drinks. On the whole, I fancy that you are the luckier of the two. Yet I am not certain. You are—forgive my saying so even while I am smoking your excellent tobacco—painfully ignorant of many things.”
- Kipling

Plus ca change...