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

[an draoi]

Watch, whiskey, and bones.

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Apologies if this has already been asked - I've pretty much skipped through the last 20-30 pages - but is this... a jackal skull?

Actually, it explains quite a lot. Talk us through your outfit here @TheFoo. Rubinacci?

 

[Dino944]

Reporting back from the Short Hills Hermés boutique. I called them on Thursday to see if they knew anything about the new watch and the sales woman had no clue but promised she would inquire and get back to me. About an hour later she came back and said she had two of the plain titanium ones, one with the orange rubber strap and one with the black rubber. She asked if I’d like to arrange an appointment to come check one out and even though I wasn’t able to get in until today, she didn’t have any issue holding it for me, so I asked her to hold the black rubber one. I will likely ultimately get the orange rubber strap and possibly the blue fabric, but for some reason I wanted to get the black strap to start. I did ask if the other watch was still there so that I could check it out, but it was already sold.

The watch turns out to be what I had been hoping for. Interestingly finished and shaped case. Mostly brushed with two areas of high polish. One that is obvious from the pics, the bevel around and the squarish bezel and one area that I hadn’t noticed before. There is a downward sloped bevel surrounding the crystal that is polished and gives the watch just a bit of extra interest.

The dial has an interesting texture to it and I like the visual break up that the hour track provides. The font is cool and the applied, lumed numerals are something that I’ve been looking for on a watch for a long time but had not found anything that I liked with this that was within my price range (the steel Calatrava Pilot watch that was released a couple years back really kicked off my desire for this).

The rubber strap is really nice quality compared to other ones I’ve had experience with, plenty supple, but not flimsy. One killer feature that the press didn’t mention is the nature of the deployant clasp. It’s also titanium and actually echoes the case/bezel of the watch. It’s got a couple other nice surprises. They went and rounded the edges that come in contact with your skin. This has been a pain point for me with deployant clasps before. Even more insteresting, the clasp acutally has a built in micro adjustment of about 4 or 5mm, about the distance between the strap holes. So basically, if you find yourself in between the holes on the strap, you can easily adjust it to be perfect, essentially offering unlimited adjustability as long as your wrist falls between the shortest and longest strap holes.

Nitpicks:
*I find the crown a little smaller and a therefore a bit harder to manipulate than I’d like, but that will only be an occasional annoyance.
*If this was a mm smaller, I wouldn’t be mad, but it fits better than some other watches I had been considering
*I’d rather have no date than a 4:30 date, but I don’t think a 6 o’clock date would have been better. I do appreciate that they carried the dial font over to the date window. Regardless, it’s subtle enough not to really bother me.
*Generally I am not a fan of dials with the radial flip of the consecutive numerals. I’m not sure why this doesn’t bother me here, maybe its the funky font choice, but it doesn’t.

For reference, other watches I had been considering, though not all would have served a similar purpose:

• Cartier Santos ADLC Bezel
• GO SeaQ in blue
• Octo Finnissimo
• GO Senator Excellence
• Grand Seiko SBGK009
• Grand Seiko SBGW259

I had pledged to myself this year that I wouldn’t buy any watches. I had a core four pieces that I thought represented cohesive, we rounded group. After living with essentially just the four pieces all year, it was clear that one of them wasn’t holding it’s own weight for me, a Grand Seiko SBGA429, that while a fine watch, just did not enthuse me like my other three. This will be taking it’s place and actually fits in quite well with the other three pieces, making this an easy decision.

TL;DR: I liked the watch and I bought it.

Congrats and enjoy it! I'm not usually that interested in Hermes watches, but I think they did a great job with this one. I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on it after you've lived with it for a few months. Congrats again!

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

Agree. Slim d’Hermes is great and I am all over the orange strap version of this.

@Ambulance Chaser is there a DC metro Hermès AD?

There's a Hermès boutique in City Center. I've never been, so I don't know if they carry watches. I imagine if the H08 is not in stock, they can order it for you. We may have to if the watch is in stock.

 

[mak1277]

There's a Hermès boutique in City Center. I've never been, so I don't know if they carry watches. I imagine if the H08 is not in stock, they can order it for you. We may have to if the watch is in stock.

I was surprised when I checked today that the Tyson’s galleria doesn’t have an Hermès boutique. I never actually go into DC proper so I’m no competition.

 

[an draoi]

Tried on the blue bronzo today. Feel silly to be saying it, but at 42mm it just feels too small for a Panerai Sub. I know it certainly doesn't look so from this picture, but I am used to a 47mm Sub. The blue dial is also disappointingly flat under artificial light, although it does come to life more in natural light. 44mm and I might have been keen, although symptomatic of all Panerai nowadays, the pricing is ridiculous.

Apparently it's proving popular in the ME for Muslims who observe the taboo on wearing gold but still want something shiny on their wrists to make them feel special. I guess the SAs are just skipping over the effects of oxidisation...

 

[jischwar]

Tried on the blue bronzo today. Feel silly to be saying it, but at 42mm it just feels too small for a Panerai Sub. I know it certainly doesn't look so from this picture, but I am used to a 47mm Sub. The blue dial is also disappointingly flat under artificial light, although it does come to life more in natural light. 44mm and I might have been keen, although symptomatic of all Panerai nowadays, the pricing is ridiculous.

Apparently it's proving popular in the ME for Muslims who observe the taboo on wearing gold but still want something shiny on their wrists to make them feel special. I guess the SAs are just skipping over the effects of oxidisation...

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Looks good from that pic! Agree though price is right up there with more desirable PMs

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

I was surprised when I checked today that the Tyson’s galleria doesn’t have an Hermès boutique. I never actually go into DC proper so I’m no competition.

There used to be one across the street from Tyson's Corner Center. (I bought a tie there many years ago.) It must have closed when City Center opened.

 

[am55]

Quite a discreet GMT:

 

[am55]

This will not be to everyone's taste, but I think the Chaykin cosmo-watches are really interesting:

 

[grizzlybear]

1988 not bad huh?

 

[Newcomer]

You've gotten by this entire time with one nice watch? You should leave this thread and never return for your own good. The Watch Acquisition Disease is real and has no cure. I've been in remission for several months but feel something coming on.

Right now, I've got a Speedmaster and a JLC, and that's it. I am pretty disciplined when it comes to watches .

What's in your stable?

 

[monkey66]

Today. Not a watch baller like some of you chaps but had this tank 20 years. Full outfit here.

 

[mak1277]

Right now, I've got a Speedmaster and a JLC, and that's it. I am pretty disciplined when it comes to watches .

What's in your stable?

Did you say what your new pickup is going to be?

 

[chocomallo]

I’m not hot on them. The date read-out on the new perpetual calendar may be a feat, but it’s very un-Patek in that it’s all jammed together and not very pleasant to read. If there were three separate windows, one for each date element, I’d feel quite different.

The new Calatrava is not a total travesty or anything, but there is an awful lot of jumbled window dressing: the hobnail bezel, the railroad minute track, the gold trim around the seconds sub-dial, etc. Hate to say it, but it almost looks like a knock-off, what with the jumble of elements. Pateks are at their best when they don’t look like they’re trying particularly hard to get your attention.

The steel annual calendar doesn’t look like a Patek at all. Could be a Fossil. Not a fan.

False. It is a total travesty for all of the reasons you point out. But you miss the biggest offense--the hands. The rest of the watch, while a mishmash, is still Patek. These hands look like they are borrowed from Vacheron and lose all of the beauty of the classic Patek sword hands. This watch sucks bad.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Today. Not a watch baller like some of you chaps but had this tank 20 years. Full outfit here.
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Cartier definitely has an aesthetic and doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel with its designs. That watch could just as easily fit into their line up today.