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

When I look at Cartier, I look at classic designs more than movements: Santos-Dumont, Tank Francaise, etc... Design classics to me. Panerai 104 for me today...

Originally Posted by Kappelan

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Wow, I really like this one. Time to start saving!

1950's chronometer by Election.
Any tips on getting a better picture?

Took these pictures when I was in Vienna last year.

very modern mille Nadal is sporting during matches

Originally Posted by aj_del

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I am a fran of the Baignoire on a woman's wrist

So let's just say I have no watch, ie anything that's a "real" watch. I'm looking to get into the market, but I'm just a smalltimer (get it?). My question for you watch experts is this: 1. Is spending 3x more to get the Nomos worth it? 2. If it came down to the Antea, which one would you recomend to someone starting out. I'd spend up to about $1000 or so, have 6.5inch circumference wrists, and want something clean and simple. I've tried on a few to get a sense for size and I think around 35mm is too small, around 38mm is good, and around 39mm is manageable, with 41mm starting to push my luck. So far i'm looking at the Stowa Antea. So the choice is between the handwound which I like the design of, but it doesn't have a date and the face is only 35.50mm wide (though some say it feels more like 39mm), or the 36.5 which is automatic and a little thicker but has the date, maybe a good compromise since it'll apparently fit a little large). Why not the handwound? I don't know if I'm really going to be bothered winding this thing up every day and worrying about if it's accurate or not, and it doesn't have a date. But I do prefer the price and the styling. Then there's another possible option, which is a heavily discounted Nomos Tangente (TimeZone or wherever) at about $1100-1500. While I think it's probably a much better made watch and has the brand status, my concern is that with basically the same Antea I'll never be worried about breaking or losing it. With a $1500 timepiece I'm going to start getting paranoid about losing it.

^^^ Buy the one that looks the best to you for the least money. Automatics are not necessarily more accurate than manual-winds--in fact, quite the opposite is often the case. As an automatic watch moves about during the day, the spin of its rotor builds tension in its mainspring. However, because your wrist moves around irregularly throughout the day, the tension built up in the mainspring will also vary irregularly, and irregular spring tension leads to more irregular timekeeping. In contrast, a manual-wind watch can be wound on a regular basis to full tension, from which point the mainspring will unwind at a predictable, repeatable rate.

On a second point: Nomos has no "brand status" to speak of. So, really, buy for the looks and the price.

Originally Posted by aj_del

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Great pics! The PP Gondolo 5111(the one on top), now discontinued, is my favorite of the group.... but I'm biased.

Can anybody tell me the vintage? Research shows around the early 60s, but I'd love to know the specific model and year. Cheers, a

Originally Posted by Master-Classter

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Is spending 3x more to get the Nomos worth it? 2. If it came down to the Antea, which one would you recomend to someone starting out.[/b]

I'd go for the fabulous Nomos. Great quality, lifetime watch. That said, the Stowa is a lovely watch. You could get a Stowa diver, too, for the same price as the Nomos. Just depends on your needs. And for many watch fans, Nomos does have brand status.

Originally Posted by Kappelan

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Not generally a fan of square watches other than the Monaco, but this is stunning!

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