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

[NonServiam]

Regarding the RO. I owned a 15300 for a short time, and while it was a handsome watch I never found the bracelet to be anywhere near comfortable on my wrist. My wrist is pretty thin, and the RO felt like a solid ring, not a watch. The lock was too thick, and everything just too stout. I loved the angles of the case, but comfort wins. An extremely photogenic watch though! My advice is to try this watch on a lot before you buy.

The Jumbo on the other hand, now that is a comfortable watch I had the opportunity to buy a 70s RO, but for some reason I never went for it. Very nice on the hand!

Instead I got this, and very happy with my choice The bracelet is like a playful cat´s tail around my wrist. And everything else about it is just about perfect. It´s surely worth every other dollar I paid for it

 

[Dino944]

My goodness, that Cartier is fantastic. One of the things that has bothered my with many square [rectangular] watches is the circular movement... It has always seemed out of place to me. But that honestly may be one of the most sublime Tanks I have ever seen.
And thanks for the anecdote Dino, I really never plan on buying a watch with the intent of selling it. Already I seriously doubt I could let this Speedy go [or the MC, although it is definitely the more likely of the two to go on the chopping block].

Thanks for the kind words about the Tank XL. For me the rectangular movment was a huge selling point. Its quite rare to see them in a watch. I too am not fond of a rectangular watch with a round movement in it. But that is what most companies do because its easier and cheaper for them to pull a smaller round movement off their shelves that is used in another watch they make, rather than to trying to make or source a rectangular movement for a rectangular watch. I came to appreciate form movements when I was looking at VC Historique Carree (which used the elipse shape movement of a JLC Reverso). Glad to hear the Speedy Pro is a keeper...its a classic. If I were you, the only reason to consider letting the JLC go, would be if you found a slightly more complicated one that caught your eye. JLCs are just great watches and a great value!

Regarding the RO. I owned a 15300 for a short time, and while it was a handsome watch I never found the bracelet to be anywhere near comfortable on my wrist. My wrist is pretty thin, and the RO felt like a solid ring, not a watch. The lock was too thick, and everything just too stout. I loved the angles of the case, but comfort wins. An extremely photogenic watch though! My advice is to try this watch on a lot before you buy.

The Jumbo on the other hand, now that is a comfortable watch

I had the opportunity to buy a 70s RO, but for some reason I never went for it. Very nice on the hand!
Instead I got this, and very happy with my choice

The bracelet is like a playful cat´s tail around my wrist. And everything else about it is just about perfect. It´s surely worth every other dollar I paid for it

I tried on the 15300 and its larger brother the new 15400, its a nice watch, but neither was for me. The Jumbo, as you know is a vastly different watch, and just suited me perfectly. No regrets on that purchase.

The 5712 is really a stunning watch! IMHO, its really the only Nautilus with complications that works. I don't care for the chronograph version, the thickness and pushers make it look clumsy, and I don't care for the subdial within a subdial. The annual calendar version is nice, but I don't really like the apertures on the dial.
I love the asymetric layout of the subdials on 5712. It makes great use of the dial space while still maintaining classic attributes like the ridged blue/grey dial & stick markers, and the bracelet is beautiful. IMHO the only modern Nautilus models to consider are the 5712 and the 5711 each is a beautiful and elegant sport watch. Enjoy it an thanks for sharing a photo of it.

 

[academe]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Ah...I forgot you have a JLC Master Control.  Definitely a fantastic watch.  I agree with the combo of a Speedy Pro and a Master Control you have a watch that would be appropriate for any event.  One of my best friends has a Speedy Pro.  He bought one in the mid 90s and then traded it for another watch.  Years later he really missed having one, so he bought another one about 7 or 8 years ago.  I don't think he will make the mistake of letting that one go. 

The Jumbo is fantastic!  I love that watch...and of course its powered by the same caliber 2120, which is used in the Jules Audemars Extra Thin, which you are considering.   The wormanship on the case is flawless and the movement is stunning to see through the display back.  I have to try to remember to take a pic of the movement one of these days.  Although, I like the wrist shot you attached with the white gold Jules Audemars, I'd probably go for the rose gold also.  I only have 3 dress watches, but each one is in rose gold.  I find it a nice change from white metals, as all of my sports watches/daily wearers are white metals.  I've only ever purchased one watch in white gold and I decided that was a mistake.  Rose gold watches with silver dials look great with anything, browns, blues, blacks, grays.   I'm not sure what I would want for a next watch.  I don't know if I'd look for something sporty or dress watch.  I recently tried on the Piaget Altiplano 40mm round watch with subdial for small seconds at 10 o'clock and I really liked it a lot.  Very elegant and understated but the subdial at 10 is a bit whimsical and unexpected.   If I did that it would also be my first round dress watch (currently I have 1 thats rectangular, 1 thats square, and 1 thats asymetric).  Oh well, I guess I will see what is released this year at SIHH and Basel before I start seriously considering my next watch.

Here is my Cartier Tank XL from the Privee Collection, which has a wonderful and unusual movement as its rectangular and not round.  Most square or rectangular watches use a round movement as most companies have dozens of them that are used in their other watch cases.  This movement was developed by Piaget and assembled and finished by Cartier.  But mostly I posted this so you can see how nicely rose gold also works with dark grays or black. 

Lovely Cartier. I think they are hugely underrated by WIS. The shaped movement is really something else; the finishing looks superb, but what else would you expect from Cartier/Piaget?

In my search for an ultra-thin I've cast high and wide. The Piagets are lovely watches as are the various JLCs and the of course the Girard-Perregaux 1966s.

My final four however were the aforementioned AP Jules Audemars, as well as the Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda 1950:

And the Vacheron Constatin Extra Fine Historique 1968 and Patrimonty Contemporaine (platinum; with the same automatic movement as the AP and Historique 1968):

The AP seem to sit my wrist most naturally and the price was a little less steep than either of the VCs!

 

[Hampton]

This one today.

 

[dddrees]

For some reason some of my pictures are changing their orientation when I post them here, but I'm wearing this one today.

 

[Newcomer]



If I were you, the only reason to consider letting the JLC go, would be if you found a slightly more complicated one that caught your eye.  JLCs are just great watches and a great value!

If I sold the JLC MC, it would be to pick up a JLC MC RDM .

 

[Cant kill da Rooster]

[COLOR=FF00AA][/COLOR]

If I sold the JLC MC, it would be to pick up a JLC MC RDM .

What about the Ultra Thin?

 

[WhoKnewI]

not the same caliber as some of you guys, but love this thing.

 

[academe]

Wore this today chasing around little ones at my son's first birthday party. Figured it would hold-up against knocks and scrapes a bit better than my RO.

 

[Beetleything]



Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

http://www.styleforum.net/content/type/61/id/481596/

My most likely ersatz 5500 Air King "Explorer". Serial on the case is from the 1980s so probably a redial. Have considers a new dial for it but it looks so nice as is. So I just call it the NAFF E

Oh i like this ....a closer pic would be good...
i wouldn't bother about the originality - the face looks great and you have a more modern movement.
Nioce!

 

[in stitches]

the pr0n here is unreal.

@dino - i recall reading a complaint about patek using round movements for their rectangular watches, and they developed a square movement just to put that complaint to bed. your tank is a thing of beauty. i like that my jlc has a square movement, at least it looks that way to me.

 

[ThinkDerm]



Ah...I forgot you have a JLC Master Control.  Definitely a fantastic watch.  I agree with the combo of a Speedy Pro and a Master Control you have a watch that would be appropriate for any event.  One of my best friends has a Speedy Pro.  He bought one in the mid 90s and then traded it for another watch.  Years later he really missed having one, so he bought another one about 7 or 8 years ago.  I don't think he will make the mistake of letting that one go. 

The Jumbo is fantastic!  I love that watch...and of course its powered by the same caliber 2120, which is used in the Jules Audemars Extra Thin, which you are considering.   The wormanship on the case is flawless and the movement is stunning to see through the display back.  I have to try to remember to take a pic of the movement one of these days.  Although, I like the wrist shot you attached with the white gold Jules Audemars, I'd probably go for the rose gold also.  I only have 3 dress watches, but each one is in rose gold.  I find it a nice change from white metals, as all of my sports watches/daily wearers are white metals.  I've only ever purchased one watch in white gold and I decided that was a mistake.  Rose gold watches with silver dials look great with anything, browns, blues, blacks, grays.   I'm not sure what I would want for a next watch.  I don't know if I'd look for something sporty or dress watch.  I recently tried on the Piaget Altiplano 40mm round watch with subdial for small seconds at 10 o'clock and I really liked it a lot.  Very elegant and understated but the subdial at 10 is a bit whimsical and unexpected.   If I did that it would also be my first round dress watch (currently I have 1 thats rectangular, 1 thats square, and 1 thats asymetric).  Oh well, I guess I will see what is released this year at SIHH and Basel before I start seriously considering my next watch.

Here is my Cartier Tank XL from the Privee Collection, which has a wonderful and unusual movement as its rectangular and not round.  Most square or rectangular watches use a round movement as most companies have dozens of them that are used in their other watch cases.  This movement was developed by Piaget and assembled and finished by Cartier.  But mostly I posted this so you can see how nicely rose gold also works with dark grays or black. 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

love this. did you get this on ebay a few years back?

 

[Hampton]

Like this,

Wore this today chasing around little ones at my son's first birthday party. Figured it would hold-up against knocks and scrapes a bit better than my RO.

 

[dddrees]

This one today.

 

[jt10000]

Well, she's here. According to the serial number, this Seamaster was made in 1957. As I said before, I'm a 17y.o. high schooler with a limited budget. I had been looking around at new watches and none of them really fit what I was looking for, so I started to look at vintage. When I saw this, I fell in love. Yes, the dial has been redone. So is it the most collectable vintage watch out there? No. But I quite like the black face really, and since all I want out of this watch is personal enjoyment... it serves its purpose I'm quite happy with this as a starter for my collection.
I'll need a new band though, my wrist is too dang small.

I just got a watch that looks a lot like this, though cheap/common enough to not belong in this thread: an Orient ER24004B "Bambino" automatic.