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

[am55]

Thank you, for illustrating what i was trying to describe. you all have seen it. in different circles. Rapper sells his first record? -Buys a Rolex. he's made it.
Real estate agent sells his first big sale? - Buys a Rolex.

Many, Many watches do what they do. Better.
But for a person to feel that they have succeeded? many will Buy a Rolex to show it.
I see that as an insecurity issue.
- and to argue with me about it, will probably paint you as insecure.



Nope, i'd be wearing a Casio. probably a Gold Databank.
or that funky one i mentioned yesterday. that looks like Starlord would wear it.

You're presumably a car guy. What other car brand does what Ferrari does?

 

[Texasmade]

You're presumably a car guy. What other car brand does what Ferrari does?

McLaren

 

[LA Guy]

I like their vintage ads. I always thought they were kind of interesting. I don't think there is anything wrong with being aspirational. We aren't all going to race yachts, drive formula 1 cars, or climb Mount Everest, but I'd like to think most of us strive to be the best we can be in whatever our chosen professions are and in our personal lives. Generally with achieving various levels of success, people tend to buy a bigger home (maybe in a nicer neighborhood), buy nicer clothing that fits them better and maybe expresses their personal taste, buy a car the enjoy driving rather than something that is just to get them from point A to point B. Those are all things people can and have lived without, but with certain achievements they do those things so if it also results in someone buying a Rolex, it doesn't bother me.

I also like this ad...which seems to have influenced a later Casio advertisement.
View attachment 1280239


Casio's pilot ad.
View attachment 1280221


And here is an advertisement showing their watch is water resistant, but that the wearer is playing golf, which is a leisurely sport often associated with wealthy people.
660 × 860
Vintage

The tone of the Casio ads is markedly different from that of the Rolexes, and I'm sure that you know this. But just for illustration's sake: there is no explicit mention of any prestige brands or careers in the Casio ads. In the pilot ad, there is no explicit mention of a what was then a premier airline, and the premier jetliner. There is not mention of the bloody Concorde.

The shots are static closeups, both with the product in central focus. Contrast this to the Rolex ads, in which the watch isn't even a noticiable part of the central picture, but is shown in high contrast photography, adjacent to the central, lifestyle or achievement oriented photo (the Matterhorn picture is an exception and not part of the one campaign on which I focused).

The tagline for the Casio is completely product focused: "Where Miracles Never Cease". This is in contrast to the laser focused customer achievement message of Rolex: "Each Rolex Earns the Recognition It Enjoys. You know the feeling."

If we were to make a word cloud of all of the Rolex ads throughout the company's illustrious history, "Recognition", "Achievement", and "Reached" would be in there in some gigantic font. It's a brand whose core message is about social and financial upward mobility, and that a Rolex is both a prize and a badge. That's the genius of the brand. It's not just a badge. That would seem gauche to all but the most unapologetic social climber. It's a prize. It is something that you earned, a modern talisman. That type of association strengthens the emotional bond between the owner and the object.

I think that it's fine to want aspirational things. I was simply pointing out that Rolex appeals directly to that mindset, and has done so for a long time, and that tends to attract a customer that certan enthusiasts often find distasteful. It's not like we don't have see that here, especially in CM. Think of the warm reception that Hugo Boss admirers get on this forum, and the suits are typically just fine, if a bit highly priced compared to their competition. That's another brand that, like Rolex,. was strongly associated with the excesses of 80s Wall St.

fwiw, what nearly always sways me from Rolex to say, Omega, is that nearly all of the Rolex models that I like are automatics, and I've had a hell of a time with automatics. A handwinder is, at least in my mind, just more robust. And the few Rolexes that are handwound, like the Oysterdate 6694, have screwdown crowns. I honestly don't know that much about them, but constantly screwing and unscrewing something seems to be a recipe for eventually stripping the screw. With something like the vintage Omegas I've been getting, there are a lot of very nice handwound models.

 

[Thrift Vader]

I am intrigued to know what this watch is. Is it this one?

OCW-G2000SB-2AJR | Bluetooth搭載GPS電波ソーラー | OCEANUS | 時計 | CASIO

カシオの時計に関する情報です。腕時計、掛け時計、置時計など、さまざまなラインアップがご覧いただけます。

casio.jp

View attachment 1280149

No it's different. the whole thing is dark. and the bezel looks woven.

That one is crazy nice though.

 

[Thrift Vader]

You're presumably a car guy. What other car brand does what Ferrari does?

How many are we talking about?- and in case you are looking to wear me down, i have been a Tech on Ferrari's.
so, yes. a "Car Guy". substance over bling.

 

[Andy57]

Today's bling ?. Oris Aquis "Clean Ocean"

 

[Dino944]

The tone of the Casio ads is markedly different from that of the Rolexes, and I'm sure that you know this. But just for illustration's sake: there is no explicit mention of any prestige brands or careers in the Casio ads. In the pilot ad, there is no explicit mention of a what was then a premier airline, and the premier jetliner. There is not mention of the bloody Concorde.

The shots are static closeups, both with the product in central focus. Contrast this to the Rolex ads, in which the watch isn't even a noticiable part of the central picture, but is shown in high contrast photography, adjacent to the central, lifestyle or achievement oriented photo (the Matterhorn picture is an exception and not part of the one campaign on which I focused).

The tagline for the Casio is completely product focused: "Where Miracles Never Cease". This is in contrast to the laser focused customer achievement message of Rolex: "Each Rolex Earns the Recognition It Enjoys. You know the feeling."

If we were to make a word cloud of all of the Rolex ads throughout the company's illustrious history, "Recognition", "Achievement", and "Reached" would be in there in some gigantic font. It's a brand whose core message is about social and financial upward mobility, and that a Rolex is both a prize and a badge. That's the genius of the brand. It's not just a badge. That would seem gauche to all but the most unapologetic social climber. It's a prize. It is something that you earned, a modern talisman. That type of association strengthens the emotional bond between the owner and the object.

I think that it's fine to want aspirational things. I was simply pointing out that Rolex appeals directly to that mindset, and has done so for a long time, and that tends to attract a customer that certan enthusiasts often find distasteful. It's not like we don't have see that here, especially in CM. Think of the warm reception that Hugo Boss admirers get on this forum, and the suits are typically just fine, if a bit highly priced compared to their competition. That's another brand that, like Rolex,. was strongly associated with the excesses of 80s Wall St.

fwiw, what nearly always sways me from Rolex to say, Omega, is that nearly all of the Rolex models that I like are automatics, and I've had a hell of a time with automatics. A handwinder is, at least in my mind, just more robust. And the few Rolexes that are handwound, like the Oysterdate 6694, have screwdown crowns. I honestly don't know that much about them, but constantly screwing and unscrewing something seems to be a recipe for eventually stripping the screw. With something like the vintage Omegas I've been getting, there are a lot of very nice handwound models.

Sure the tone is different, but the pilot wearing the Casio isn't flying a single engine prop plane. With all those stripes one can presume he is a Captain or co-pilot of a jet. So its the watch of a pilot or someone in charge. In addition, the GMT was created, pursuant to Pan Am asking Rolex to create a watch for their intercontinental pilots. So to some degree, while Pan Am was a prestigious company, it is linked to the history of the GMT.

While the tag lines do discuss achievements and the ads reference prestigious careers, these vintage ads also reference that these were the watches chosen by pioneers in their fields, people who had achieved something in their industry, and often and more importantly people who explored dangerous parts of the world, the ocean, the mountains, the desert, etc., because they could stand up to all sorts of punishing conditions.

Yes, its an aspirational item or a reward to some. However, that has never bothered me. I bought my first Rolex because my Dad taught me about watches, he had owned one, and at the time it appeared to be the best engineered watch that I could afford, and I liked the design. Still I do appreciate the differences you have pointed out in the advertising.

As for your aversion to Rolex because you have had problems with automatic movements in the past, were the issues with Rolex watches? Over the years I've owned roughly 16 automatic Rolex watches over the years and I've only ever had a problem with one, and it is the one you already own, a 116250 Daytona. I had a very early one that had some issues with the new cal 4130 chronograph mechanism. It was quickly fixed under warranty, and revisions/improvements continued over the years with that movement. None of my others ever had any issues with them and I used them for a lot of high impact activities, back before I knew one shouldn't wear them for things like hitting golf balls at a driving range, hitting balls in a batting cage, shooting 45 cal semi automatic pistols etc. Cheers!

 

[bdavro23]

Today's bling ?. Oris Aquis "Clean Ocean"

View attachment 1280293

Andy,

Our reconciliation is now complete... Over the last few months I have been getting really interested in Oris and my next new watch purchase is likely to be from their line up. I have been impressed with the design language and the quality of the builds, especially for the price. It wouldnt surprise me if I ended up with a couple of them in the reasonably near future.

This one in particular is great and I especially like the red triangle on the bezel. Thanks for sharing.

 

[double00]

the simplest answer to all of this is to race and win the rolex 24 at daytona

 

[Andy57]

Andy,

Our reconciliation is now complete... Over the last few months I have been getting really interested in Oris and my next new watch purchase is likely to be from their line up. I have been impressed with the design language and the quality of the builds, especially for the price. It wouldnt surprise me if I ended up with a couple of them in the reasonably near future.

This one in particular is great and I especially like the red triangle on the bezel. Thanks for sharing.

?

I'm very happy with this Oris, my first from this company. I think there are a couple of other models in Oris's lineup that are equally appealing. Apart from the dive-watch aspect of this Aquis, I do appreciate that part of the purchase price goes to support ocean cleanup efforts. And the really lovely dial color is not bad, either.

 

[Dino944]

Cartier warranty news. Cartier has a new program called Cartier Care. As of November 12, 2019, owners of watches that are still under the original 2 year warranty can register their watches for this program, which extends the warranty by an additional 6 years from the date of purchase (not to exceed 8 years from the date of purchase). All you need is the serial number to register. One does have to agree to get their email news, but here is the link for anyone who may have purchased a Cartier watch recently. https://www.cartier.com/en-us/services/cartier-care/extend-your-watch-warranty.html

 

[Michigan Planner]

More watches, less pontificating.

Doxa Sub 300 for me today.

 

[LA Guy]

As for your aversion to Rolex because you have had problems with automatic movements in the past, were the issues with Rolex watches? Over the years I've owned roughly 16 automatic Rolex watches over the years and I've only ever had a problem with one, and it is the one you already own, a 116250 Daytona. I had a very early one that had some issues with the new cal 4130 chronograph mechanism. It was quickly fixed under warranty, and revisions/improvements continued over the years with that movement. None of my others ever had any issues with them and I used them for a lot of high impact activities, back before I knew one shouldn't wear them for things like hitting golf balls at a driving range, hitting balls in a batting cage, shooting 45 cal semi automatic pistols etc. Cheers!

Just that one and two vintage IWCs. I think that I might be moving through the world in slo-mo because of how fast some of them run. Servicing is such a PITA since I live in a small town, and I can't just run them into a good repair store. Luckily, I've found a couple of people nearby who are very good, and some are also officially certified to service certain brands. However, every service is a few hundred to close to a grand for a vintage chronograph, even one is nearly mint condition, and I figure that if I service 4 watches all at once, that is close to just getting something else.

These are all #firstworldproblems, of course, but if I can avoid them, I do. There are at least a half dozen handwinders from the 60s and 70s (this seems to be my sweet spot right now), and one from the late 50s, that I find pretty amazing, and that will, just because of the passage of time, probably not come up for sale again. So I'm concentrated on those right now. Hopefully, I will be able to get my grubby hands on many, if not all of them, in the next few years. After that, we'll see.

Re. Vintage Rolexes - I do find a number of them really compelling, but given that they seem both rather expensive compared to their counterparts, and also rather ubiquitous, that feel little urgency in getting them.

 

[bdavro23]

Just that one and two vintage IWCs. I think that I might be moving through the world in slo-mo because of how fast some of them run. Servicing is such a PITA since I live in a small town, and I can't just run them into a good repair store. Luckily, I've found a couple of people nearby who are very good, and some are also officially certified to service certain brands. However, every service is a few hundred to close to a grand for a vintage chronograph, even one is nearly mint condition, and I figure that if I service 4 watches all at once, that is close to just getting something else.

These are all #firstworldproblems, of course, but if I can avoid them, I do. There are at least a half dozen handwinders from the 60s and 70s (this seems to be my sweet spot right now), and one from the late 50s, that I find pretty amazing, and that will, just because of the passage of time, probably not come up for sale again. So I'm concentrated on those right now. Hopefully, I will be able to get my grubby hands on many, if not all of them, in the next few years. After that, we'll see.

Re. Vintage Rolexes - I do find a number of them really compelling, but given that they seem both rather expensive compared to their counterparts, and also rather ubiquitous, that feel little urgency in getting them.

I think one of the things that works both for and against Rolex is the consistency and longevity of their designs. I have been much more interested in vintage watches lately, and much of what is out there in the world from the 40s, 50s and 60s, are really interesting, unique pieces. The 70s brought us some crazy designs and the 80s brought us excess. For me, this is where a lot of the fun in collecting comes from. Finding unique or interesting designs that speak to me or tell a story make them compelling items to source and acquire. Throughout all these time periods, Rolex was relatively consistent and there were only a few designs outside of what is still available today (obviously there were different iterations, but the general design is mostly the same). To some, that can be a bit boring, and because of the Rolex premium, expensive. I bought a Universal Polerouter date last year that is immaculate for at most a quarter of the entry price for a Datejust of any age in working condition and it is endlessly more interesting to me.

On the other hand, Rolex has created the benchmark for many watch types in popular opinion. Dive watches will be judged against a Sub, GMT is a Rolex construct, you could argue the Speedie pro is the most recognizable Chronograph, but the Daytona cant be far behind, if at all. You could even say the Datejust is the standard by which dress watches are judged, despite it being created as a "sports" watch. It is hard to overstate the impact Rolex has had on the watch world.

 

[usctrojans31]

McLaren

Sadly doesn't capture the imagination like Ferrari. The closest to Ferrari in terms of image and romance is probably Aston Martin, which likely has more to do with James Bond than anything.

Cartier warranty news. Cartier has a new program called Cartier Care. As of November 12, 2019, owners of watches that are still under the original 2 year warranty can register their watches for this program, which extends the warranty by an additional 6 years from the date of purchase (not to exceed 8 years from the date of purchase). All you need is the serial number to register. One does have to agree to get their email news, but here is the link for anyone who may have purchased a Cartier watch recently. https://www.cartier.com/en-us/services/cartier-care/extend-your-watch-warranty.html

With this and JLC's warranty extension, I have to assume that this will hit some (most? all?) additional Richemont brands too.