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

[Andy57]

Oyster Perpetual 116000

I do like that blue Explorer dial.

 

[CBrown85]

Saw an older guy (mid 40s?) next to us at the fruit stand today wearing a hulk Rolex sub- got into a mid 2000s Saturn and left with his wife. So many questions. Not judging, but that watch was easily worth triple (or more) what the car was.

 

[Omega Male]

Priorities.

 

[doctorman]

Saw an older guy (mid 40s?) next to us at the fruit stand today wearing a hulk Rolex sub- got into a mid 2000s Saturn and left with his wife. So many questions. Not judging, but that watch was easily worth triple (or more) what the car was.

so many possibilities but that watch of his could easily be a $500 rep.. just saying.

 

[double00]

hmmm... what if somebody drives a nice car but its a lease?

 

[LA Guy]

Saw an older guy (mid 40s?) next to us at the fruit stand today wearing a hulk Rolex sub- got into a mid 2000s Saturn and left with his wife. So many questions. Not judging, but that watch was easily worth triple (or more) what the car was.

Priorities.

Pretty much this. Most people buy up in specific categories, buy the "standard" for their income/revenue/wealth level for most other things, and for things that they don't value at all, buy down, or let someone else make the decision.

In the last category, I can't even drive, and I honestly don't care what kind of car we have, and unaware of anything about it or other cars to the point that I've mistakenly walked to some other deep red minivan thinking that it was our Odyssey. I sorta want a AM Hummer. But mostly because I want to have the highest chance of survival in case of an accident or collision. I've never, ever, understood the appeal of sports cars, or motorcycles.

My father is like that about clothes. He has't bought any clothing for himself since 1979, and I believe that his only criteria are that the clothes are not binding or heavy.

In the second category - I am sitting in a tempurpedic office chair right now - I did basically an hour of research when my old chair self destructed after about 5 years of daily abuse, ordered a chair that ended up not working out, and then went to Staples, and looked for their most durable chair, that was able to lean back, and it ended up being this one.

However, I spend countless hours searching for 3.5 ounce roughout leather jackets, get my jeans custom made from a template pair of a model that is no longer being made, and now, am apparently spending too much time wondering about different vintage watches that are much more tempermental than my phone. I have a tailor even though I haven't worn a suit in nearly 8 years now. I even own a forum devoted to these topics.

The watch, assuming that it's real, could be in any of the three categories, as could the car. The man could be a billionaire, or he could have scoured the internet for years looking for the watch at a price that was barely affordable. There is simply no way ot telling without knowing more about him.

 

[bdavro23]

There was an intern in my office this summer who was friends with my intern and so I saw him fairly often. He was wearing a Rolex Batman, which I suppose while a bit extravagant for a college junior, wouldnt be that unusual. Towards the end of the summer, I took them out to lunch and they asked about a vintage watch I was wearing. As we talked, I mentioned his Batman and to my shock, he told me it was a fake. It wasnt until I was literally holding the watch in my hands that I could tell it was fake, with the give away being the surrounds on the indices being off.

I still dont know if I should be impressed or concerned...

 

[LA Guy]

So, I'm considering a Datejust - it seems like a good daily wearer, and it will fit on a fob nicely at that smaller size. I'm open to a date as well, and the 6694, being manual wind, appeals to me, without the extra volume from an automatic movement, as well as the inherent robustness and also, the smaller 34mm size.

That aside, would you guys go 1601 or 1603 on the datejust? I like the quickset feature on the 1603, as changing the date when travelling seems like a huge PITA without it. However, I love the white gold fluted bezel on the 1601. I saw a 1603 fitted with a white gold 1601 bezel, at a super reasonable price, which would have been perfect, but it quickly sold.
I have also read that that 1570 movement in the 1601 is more robust than whatever is in the 1603. Someone give me some advice. I think that I'd like a black dial or something interesting like grey linen. Not sure about a regular silver dial, unless the patina is very nice and creamy.

 

[LA Guy]

There was an intern in my office this summer who was friends with my intern and so I saw him fairly often. He was wearing a Rolex Batman, which I suppose while a bit extravagant for a college junior, wouldnt be that unusual. Towards the end of the summer, I took them out to lunch and they asked about a vintage watch I was wearing. As we talked, I mentioned his Batman and to my shock, he told me it was a fake. It wasnt until I was literally holding the watch in my hands that I could tell it was fake, with the give away being the surrounds on the indices being off.

I still dont know if I should be impressed or concerned...

Impressed. Some of the really good fakes are pretty spectacular.

 

[CBrown85]

He wasn’t particularly well dressed, not that it’s a prerequisite for owning a $15k watch.

It just seemed out of place.

I don’t know. Priorities. I want my kids being driven to school in a car with reasonably good safety ratings before I buy myself jewelry.

 

[CBrown85]

Impressed. Some of the really good fakes are pretty spectacular.

I know a guy who owned a dead ringer for an Omega PO. Said he spent $350 about ten years ago and it’s still running with good time - ETA 2824.

Also, my daily beater is a Squale, which is basically the same thing with a different logo.

 

[CBrown85]

I still haven’t bought anything, but the Max Bill in yellow gold colour is really speaking to me.

 

[bdavro23]

He wasn’t particularly well dressed, not that it’s a prerequisite for owning a $15k watch.

It just seemed out of place.

I don’t know. Priorities. I want my kids being driven to school in a car with reasonably good safety ratings before I buy myself jewelry.

Not apples to apples, but...

A close friend of mine started a tech company a couple of years ago and its currently valued at over $400 million dollars. We try to go to lunch weekly and we joke about what the wait staff think when we walk in versus when we leave. I am usually wearing a jacket or suit, and he, well, looks like a hobo. Until recently, he also drove a shitbox Acura Integra that was 22 years old, so I imagine its a bit jarring when he pulls out his Amex Black card to pay.

He has some nice things, but he honestly doesnt really care about the money.

 

[usctrojans31]

Saw an older guy (mid 40s?) next to us at the fruit stand today wearing a hulk Rolex sub- got into a mid 2000s Saturn and left with his wife. So many questions. Not judging, but that watch was easily worth triple (or more) what the car was.

I know plenty of folks with net worths in the hundreds of millions who drive 10 year old Hondas and have zero intention of getting anything new until their Honda dies. Look at Buffet's spending patterns.

People spend on items that they have a particular affinity for. For many people, a car is just a way to get from point a to point b. The flipside is also true. Plenty of people drive a Merc and think that dropping Rolex money on a watch is ridiculous.

 

[Andy57]

Saw an older guy (mid 40s?) next to us at the fruit stand today wearing a hulk Rolex sub- got into a mid 2000s Saturn and left with his wife. So many questions. Not judging, but that watch was easily worth triple (or more) what the car was.

My Suburban is worth maybe $5K, my MB 450SL maybe $10K. Almost every time I leave the house I have a watch on my wrist worth multiples of that. Priorities. Cars are just a way to get from A to B.