The Watch Appreciation Thread (Reviews and Photos of Men's Timepieces by Rolex, Patek Philippe, Brei

[scottcw]



A Georg Jensen bequeathed to me by my grandfather. I do not know the exact model.

Very nice.

 

[no frills]

Eye wash, please.

Somebody jump in here...

Oh alright. Here you go, Charlize Theron wearing a Christian Dior, I think, with diamonds.



If you can find a nice wrist shot featuring Kate Upton, I would be most appreciative.

 

[mimo]

No no no. To make it more beautiful, you have to go to a 50mm case. I mean, bigger is better, right?



or maybe....




Eyewash indeed, but back to the Patek G-Shock: if you're going to make insane one-offs, this is the way to do it. And to be blunt, this sort of thing does make a "carbon fibre effect embossed strap" look a bit...well....****, doesn't it?

 

[NonServiam]

Vintage Heuer Autavia this evening. Rosé in the glass, warm breeze.



A nice view of the automatic (spot the rotor?) movement, thanks to a custom display back.

 

[Keith T]

....aaaand we're back on track.

I knew I could count on you guys. A little Charlize never hurt anybody.

Nice one, NonServiam. Couple of dings on the bezel ===> character.

 

[Hayward]

Allow me to contribute to the eyewash. Here's what a center minute chronograph should look like.

 

[gambit50]



Oh alright. Here you go, Charlize Theron wearing a Christian Dior, I think, with diamonds. If you can find a nice wrist shot featuring Kate Upton, I would be most appreciative.

You show Charlize but desire Upton? This does not jibe with the ridicule and hate(justified) of all those monstrosity, tasteless, XXXL watches shown previously. It is the bizarro version of that preference, actually. How is taste lost across these different avenues? They are close enough that I would think one's applies the same all the way. Stick to the watches, you are aces there. More generally, I do question whether people take into account the wearer's own size(wrist, body) to determine where the line to grossly large watch for its own sake has been crossed. Akin to those in the styling of suits. Some people should not wear certain styles even if, ideally, that style looks best in a vacuum or on a model. And depending on your own proportions, etc. you just cannot(alright, should not) employ specific features for they accentuate your faults rather than dulling. blurring or distracting from them to create the best possible image one might attain from a more proper suit.

 

[in stitches]

NonServiam - love it.

subscribed to this thread. Stitchy knows what I want to buy. Just need MONIES

DO EEET!!

Moloch38 - that would make me hurry home - nice!

+1

The other problem with Titanium is the difficulty in working with it. From what I understand it does not machine well and requires special equipment.

correct. in the JLC catalogue i was looking at the other night they even point out that some of the titanium models cannot be restored to the original factory finish. to me, it only belongs on rugged watches where the scratches add character, not on any watch you would want to polish.

--
dino - great looking green sub!

 

[in stitches]



Interesting piece here, announced recently via TZ.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Patek split seconds chronograph. One of a kind. In TITANIUM. With a distinctly sporty (sportier) look than I've ever seen in the more traditional 5004s (even the limited 5004A's in steel with baton markers didn't look like this). This limited (to ONE) piece will probably fetch a price that's a multiple of current secondary market prices for the 5004, even if 5004s trade anywhere from the mid-$200s to the low-$300s. Pricing and stuff aside, what do you guys think of this piece? http://forums.timezone.com/index.php?t=tree&goto=6511572&rid=0#msg_6511572

le sigh. they took a perfectly wonderful watch, and destroyed it. i dont think that is like any other PP i have seen, and not in a good way. way too contemporary sporty. swap the strap with a nice black or brown croc, give it a classy dial and boom, you have a great watch. oh well. someone will like it, and since there is only one, thats all they need.

 

[Dino944]

Agreed 100%. Another thing I don't get about the APROO line is how the same model will cost much more in disaster-waiting-to-happen ceramic and about double in forged carbon glorified plastic. Evidently, there's a market for $30K G-Shocks-without-the-shock-resistance (carbon diver), but I struggle to understand how that's possible. Carbon fiber is great for its intended applications, but watches ain't among them.

The best part is that carbon production is so inherently cheap once the mold is paid for that I think we'll be seeing it as a low-cost replacement for steel and aluminum before too long. I would not be surprised if even crappy department-store mountain bikes started using it for cost reasons within ten years. In the bike world, handbuilt steel and titanium are back big-time in desirability as mass-produced carbon keeps coming down in price. It's not exactly exotic stuff any more.

Don't even get me started on Carbon Fiber! Go onto a car configuration site and look at what the carbon fiber interior trim bits do to say the cost of a Porsche, BMW, etc. Really, people are paying how much for the privilege of putting plastic into the cars interior. What the hell is that about? The people at Porsche and BMW must be laughing all the way to the bank! People complain about cheap plastic interiors in Kias, Hyundais, Fords, etc...but high end car companies charge the hell out of customers and their customers are ponying up big money to buy fancy plastic.

I saw a rose gold ROO a few weeks ago in the local AD. With the unusual combination of a tourbillon and a rubber strap. They were selling it for over $200k, And someone will buy it. My business partner tried it on; me too because, you know, I could. It was the most charmless expression of $200k I could imagine.

The funny thing is, if you imagined a rose gold tourbillon watch with a sporty twist from a big three maker, all sorts of wonders are possible. The kind of things that even Frilly could lose sleep over. And what they came up with was...that.

Yes, quite sad that some ROOs are well, less than tasteful. Sadly GP has done similar things with their once sleek and sophisticated Laureato line of watches. They ballooned up in size and then added lots of high end complications. Sadly, ROOs and modern Laureatos remind me of caricatures of the original watches they were derived from.

Is that a bottle opener for beers and a button to keep count of how many you had? If so, bravo...that would have helped in college.

Spot on!

More generally, I do question whether people take into account the wearer's own size(wrist, body) to determine where the line to grossly large watch for its own sake has been crossed.
Akin to those in the styling of suits. Some people should not wear certain styles even if, ideally, that style looks best in a vacuum or on a model.
And depending on your own proportions, etc. you just cannot(alright, should not) employ specific features for they accentuate your faults rather than dulling. blurring or distracting from them to create the best possible image one might attain from a more proper suit.

Check some earlier posts from the last few months. The size of watches, relative to the wearer and fashion, has been talked about to death. It's a can of worms I don't want to revisit.

 

[Keith T]

Re: carbon fiber...I would quickly get lost in either the biking or automotive worlds. Belligero and Dino both make good sense though, as far as appropriate use of materials.

However, I do have one timepiece that I wear on a black carbon fiber strap.

I actually bought it for one of my Omegas, but then I put it on this 1969, and it's just kind of stuck...




Opinions here?

Does this work?

It's a great watch, beautifully finished, really great colors on the dial, some might say "historical" movement (obviously)....it's a re-issue.

Zenith released it on a black croc (or maybe it was just croc-grain calf?) but for whatever reason, I didn't care much for it.

Perhaps it's because I've already got a couple of watches on black croc and/or lizard, and wanted something at least slightly different. (Granted, it's still black).

Any suggestions that might improve upon this combo?

I've got quite a few other straps in my possession (like most watch nerds) and nothing else has really "clicked" so far.

20mm--so it's a very common size.

 

[in stitches]

i like it.

 

[mimo]

Keith, honestly, I don't.

It's not that the watch isn't suited conceptually - it's a colourful, sport chrono after all. But I just don't think the combination is inherently beautiful. Maybe it's because so many cheap sporty watches have "carbon fibre effect" this and that, that it makes the already bold styling and colouring look reminiscent of those. Or maybe if the watch were some super-minimalist two hand exocita with a matte black case and a hidden complication, it would be part of the feel.

Instead, I would love to see this watch on a non-tapered, chunky strap made of thick grain leather, even suede, or cordovan. Maybe even a NATO for that rugged out-doorsy look. Rather than adding to the black and white thing, I'd contrast it with something chunky and mid brown, and with some kind of organic texture. It might not sound obvious, but I think it would sing. More casual in a way, but I think somehow more classy too. If you have anything similar, please try and post a comparison pic!

(NS - that is fabulous! Was the custom display back your addition? Good call if it was; that movement is worth seeing!)

 

[apropos]

I've seen that watch on a distressed black leather (with tiny bits of underlying brown showing through) to great effect.

I don't see the point of "carbon fibre effect" watch strap made of leather. To me it's conceptually the same as a "leather effect" watch strap made of plastic... Oh, so you can't actually make a watch strap out of carbon fibre? Then what's the point of mimicking a carbon fibre look anyway?

It's just more (bad) gravy that a leather watch strap had its natural grain polished off first, was then treated heavily, and finally embossed with the carbon fibre effect... sorry, but the whole idea just seems naff to me.

It's a simulacrum of something that isn't needed and cannot possibly be there, which makes it spurious on multiple levels to me.

 

[mimo]

Stop beating about the bush, apropos...get off the fence and say what you really think, will you?