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

[TheFoo]

3 things help me with staying contend: First, I don't buy anything unless I really love it. Second, I'm extremely picky, which means that there are very few watches that I would actually like to own (and I wouldn't want to own more than maybe 5 anyway - I'm not a collector). And third, while a great deal of the pleasure for me is in the hunt and research for just the right thing, I've realised that even when that ends with a purchase, it only very shortly sates the desire for something new 'to hunt' - so unless it's something just right the purchase part becomes easy to just skip.


As mentioned above, I'm way too specific in my taste to actually really like anything on offer at the moment (at least anything that I know of, but I enjoy searching). But to give an idea of the kind of thing I would want, if they only would make them right, I posted a wish list a week ago. Another to add to that list would be a Patek very similar to yours (is it automatic? It would have to be) and ideally, no date.

I can see a Datejust or OP making sense with your other watches. The cyclops is a must! Unless of course you go for the red-dialed OP. Oh man, so good.

My Patek is automatic. Agreed I’d prefer without a date, but I’ve come to enjoy mine. Very 60’s businessman.

I have a four watch rotation, each of which I think fill a particular niche. Can’t imagine going above four, but I may at some point change them around
1. a JLC master ultra thin, moon phase in SS on a black alligator strap. Truly a beautiful watch. Wear it whenever I am wearing a suit. Sure I could upgrade it to a Calatrava but i just don’t feel the urge
2. a vintage JLC reverse duoface (classic size, so small) again SS on a tan alligator strap. My go to with a tweed sports coat. Has had a lot of wear during COVID. Again don’t feel it will ever need replacing
3. a two tone AP RO (14790SA) from the late 90s. At 36mm a perfect size for me, and I am enjoying the two tone vibes
4. an IWC Aquatimer tribute to Jacques Cousteau. Basically a beach holiday watch. This is the one most at risk of being replaced. But wear this type of watch so rarely I am disinclined to

Of course I see watches that I like all the time. But the bar is high. On the subject of women’s watches, my wife is largely disinterested - but she has a Chanel J12 (black ceramic) and a Bulgari Serpenti (rose gold, diamonds, red alligator). Nothing particularly well matched

ROT

Ah, but the question is what if you could only have two?

 

[TheFoo]

The only one I have out of your collection is the MUT Moon. It doesn't get talked about very often but, at least in my view, it is one of the most unimpeachable dress watches released over the last decade or so. The only knock that I can think of, perhaps, is that it is relatively austere / cold - at least in SS.

As for my two-watch collection, I've had my MUT Moon and my Speedy for nearly a decade and they have kept me very happy. My orange monster also gets wear every now and then.

The Speedy and MUT make a great combo. I’ve always wanted a Speedy Pro (with hesalite crystal and solid back), but never can seem to find an excuse to pull the trigger. Almost bought one from the duty-free shop when we were flying back from Eze, but it was all scratched up from shop wear. One day.

JLC’s Master Control models are watches that I very much respect and appreciate for existing, but they never seem to fully grab my interest. The plethora of variations is a little dizzying but I think the main issue is the sterility of the designs. Usually, there is nothing wrong with them, but they tend to lack charm and artistry. That said, I don’t think that is supposed to be their appeal. They are more about everyday excellence than about exuding beauty or inspiring desire. Like a really nicely-tailored, high quality navy blue suit. Absolutely nothing wrong with that!

My favorite JLC MC watch in recent memory was the sector dial chronograph. But my vote for best modern JLC goes to the Geophysic True Second—JLC to the bone, but also with distinct personality.

 

[TheFoo]

The Orange Monster is a great beater! I bring it or my Swatch Sistem 51 on vacation because I don't like taking a nice watch to travel. Side note: I've never understood the concept of "making memories" with your watch. When I remember my past vacations, I don't remember what watch I was wearing any more than I remember what shirt or what shoes I was wearing. Food and drink are more evocative of memories for me.

I don’t think it’s so much about making memories of your watch as it is investing memories and experiences in your watch—perhaps so that one day when you pass it on to your kids, you are also passing on your stories (e.g. “This is the watch I wore when I married your mother”).

 

[Kaplan]

But my vote for best modern JLC goes to the Geophysic True Second—JLC to the bone, but also with distinct personality.

View attachment 1593362

I'd forgotten about this watch, but I really, really like it. Especially, as the watch I feel I'm missing the most with my two black dialed sports watches, is a white dialed more dressy one. I even like the date here. My only concern is the near 40mm size.

 

[TheFoo]

I'd forgotten about this watch, but I really, really like it. Especially, as the watch I feel I'm missing the most with my two black dialed sports watches, is a white dialed more dressy one. I even like the date here. My only concern is the near 40mm size.

I find that the on-the-wrist sizing of 38-40mm watches is highly dependent on the individual watch. There are 40mm watches that wear small and 38mm watches that wear surprisingly large.

If you really like the watch, might be worth a try-on.

 

[Kaplan]

I agree. In my (limited) experience it has mostly to do with dial size (my Mk XV at 38mm wears very comparable to my Sub at 40mm, with it's wider bezel). Since the JLC seems to have similar dial/bezel proportions to my IWC, I'd expect it to wear noticeable larger - and aren't light dials perceived as larger than black?

Of course, trying it on before making too many assumptions would be best...

(Btw, when I talk about how different sizes 'wear', I'm mostly thinking of how small or large they appear, not about how large they feel, which I know will be impacted by lug length, case thickness, curvature and so on.)

 

[TheFoo]

I agree. In my (limited) experience it has mostly to do with dial size (my Mk XV at 38mm wears very comparable to my Sub at 40mm, with it's wider bezel). Since the JLC seems to have similar dial/bezel proportions to my IWC, I'd expect it to wear noticeable larger - and aren't light dials perceived as larger than black?

Of course, trying it on before making too many assumptions would be best...

I think you’re right about white vs. black dials, but I think case thickness/profile and lug shape/curvature are critical too.

 

[Kaplan]

I think you’re right about white vs. black dials, but I think case thickness/profile and lug shape/curvature are critical too.

I just included that in my ninja edit, while you were posting.

 

[NakedYoga]

I like the idea of any two Reversos (other than a Duoface) with personalized engravings on the other side.

I believe @Andy57 has posted about he and his wife doing exactly this.

The only one I have out of your collection is the MUT Moon. It doesn't get talked about very often but, at least in my view, it is one of the most unimpeachable dress watches released over the last decade or so.

100% agree. I absolutely love that watch.

 

[Andy57]

I believe @Andy57 has posted about he and his wife doing exactly this.

That is correct. We have his 'n' hers Reversos with matching inscriptions.

 

[pmeis]

I am not as big a fan of Nomos in general. I find their aesthetic very . . . specific. Often they feel like the sort of watch people buy when they want to very desperately signal that they are into design or architecture. That said, it’s a fantastic value for money. Also I really, really like the grey dial on yours, particularly combined with the white minute markers and darker grey strap. It’s really quite nice.

As a combo, I enjoy the greyscale theme. Both watches exhibit a lot of texture and layered detail that are highlighted by being monochromatic. This is a cool way to cohere your collection.

I come about my love of Nomos pretty honestly, a 35mm white dialed Tangente was the first "nice" watch I bought myself, years before I knew anything about watches. I saw some random article online (maybe GQ?) with a picture of one circa early 2012 and became obsessed with it. Didn't know much about watches at all or that German watches were even a thing at that point. Scanned eBay for 4 months looking for one at the right price with an exhibition caseback, because if I was going to pay ~$1k for a mechanical watch, I damn well wanted to see what was ticking in it. Ended up finding a year 2000 preowned model for around $900 and happily wore that everyday for two or three years before the hobby really started to sink it's teeth into me. Before I ran across Nomos, I mainly wore a tonneau case Ecodrive that an ex had bought be for my birthday one year or fossil watches. Ah, simpler times.

While I obviously don't have that one still, no matter how many watches I've gone through, I've always had at least one Nomos hanging around. A Tangente dial is pretty much my platonic ideal of a watch face at this point. I even got to do a factory tour a few years back when I drug my wife out of our Prague stay for the day and drove up to Glashutte. We basically ended up with a private tour because everybody else in the group were native German speakers. They got a woman from the service department to take us around, even my "uninterested in watches" wife enjoyed it.

Foo - I share your mehness on Nomos. I keep wanting to like them, but they just leave me feeling ambivalent. I respect the hell out of the product and the work behind it, but I have yet to see something from Nomos that makes me happy. If I'm spending thousands of dollars on a luxury purchase, my emotional state better start at happy and go straight through euphoria.

I hear you on this, similarly it's why I've never owned a Speedmaster or Seamaster...

IMO, Nomos watches look like something found at Ikea. I've yet to really warm-up to them or even consider them viable in the realm of watches I typically like.
They're like the White Claw of watches

I can appreciate the Ikea crack, even if I don't agree...White Claw comparison would seem more apt towards louder, brasher, tackier watch designs. Or are you meaning the actual can design? I guess I could see that.

Generally agreed. I do not enjoy that they look like an early 20th century Bauhaus clock shrunken down to fit on your wrist. The classic Calatrava is a more honest and successful expression of a Bauhaus wristwatch. As mentioned, they seem marketed to those who want to signal an interest or expertise in design or architecture.

That said the example that @pmeis shared is a standard. The light grey dial greatly softens the look and adds a lot of tonality to a design that otherwise tends to lack nuance.

While I've gone through my fair share of Nomos', I've generally stayed away from white dialed versions after that first one (which had actually aged to be a bit more beige/champagne like by the time I got it). I've had mostly blue or grey dials or even something a bit bolder. I agree with you on the white dials bringing out a level of coldness to the design.

To be fair, Nomos is not really Bauhaus, nor do they generally claim to be outside of the Tangente. Nomos being Bauhaus is generally perpetuated from people equating anything minimalist and German as automatically Bauhaus.

Maybe a controversial take (and no offense to your watch in particular), but the way many feel about Nomos is how I feel about the classic Calatrava. I like some Calatravas and can appreciate the history and why people like yourself are drawn to them, but the standard stick index version is not something I can wrap my head around spending that kind of money. Even the most similar Nomos, the Orion (dial wise, not case shape of course), is one I've never had any desire to own. Now a 5196P on the other hand is about as close to perfection as I can imagine...

 

[venessian]

Honest Nomos love here also.
I love it, especially in all its vicissitudes.

 

[UnFacconable]

As long as we are piling on against Nomos, I'm going to posit that if I had to live with just 2 of the timepieces I currently own, my Nomos Tangomat GMT and my Speedy would be the last ones standing.

As many know, I have a BLNR and a short hand explorer as well as a few Seikos (Shogun, Samurai and a few less cool ones) as well as a bunch of G-Shocks. Out of all of them, I'm always surprised at how much I enjoy the Nomos. I don't know how to describe it - but it just feels like a quality product. The rotor has a nice weight to it and it wears really well on my wrist. I wish it were slimmer but it just feels right to me and I can't imagine ever parting with it. Ditto for the Speedy - I love the simplicity of the design and prefer it to every single LE that they make. Sort of like sports teams that have stuck with the classic uniforms for so long that they change your perception of beauty. I recently bought an Uncle Seiko 1450 bracelet (after complaining recently here that I hate the stock bracelet and @Texasmade mentioning Uncle Seiko) and will try to remember to post a picture when I get around to installing it.

I don't know if this is a 2-watch collection I would design from scratch as some sort of ideal because I don't really roll that way, but it's the 2 in my home that speak the most to me. Other hypothetical options would be the GMT plus the Shogun or the Speedy plus the Explorer. The surprising thing about the Speedy for me is that your choice of strap really changes everything about the watch. On a bracelet it's a solid sport watch but on perlon (how I have worn it the last few years) it feels lithe.

Also my wife loves her Nomos Orion Rose.

Finally - I suggest for our next game we play **** kill marry with watch brands. Most of y'all would kill Nomos but I would kill Cartier. I would **** Lange and marry Rolex. You don't get to choose to kill obviously ****** brands - make it count.

Wife's Orion:

 

[Nickd]

My theoretical 2 watch collection.

I know Tag Heuer doesn’t get a lot of love, but my Monaco would definitely be in there, and to join it - probably the 36mm Explorer I’m after.

 

[Ixelles]

Was looking for a couple of years for one of these - they pop up sometimes worse for wear without B&P in Japan. Thanks to @Belligero for graciously answering some questions about his - it was his photo and description which got me in the first place. This one was just 2 hours' drive away, has B&P and even the original sales receipt from 2000...