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

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

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Does anyone here own a Dornblüth? A wristshot would be much appreciated.

My 99.2




And some better stock pictures...

Wow - that is a beautiful watch!! The 99.2 is the one I have on my list as well.

Are you happy with the purchase?

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

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Wow - that is a beautiful watch!! The 99.2 is the one I have on my list as well.

Are you happy with the purchase?

I love it. It's large enough for my big wrists but still dressy enough for an every day business watch. The work Dirk does on a simple ETA movement is quite impressive: add PR mechanism and indicator, move the seconds hand a little, complete rework the bridges, full German-style decoration and RG-plating... They also make very few of those so it's interesting to own such an "artisan" watch I guess...




I sent my watch to Dirk for repair last year and customer service is fantastic for such a small company. They gave it a nice case re-finishing and replaced some parts (like the crown) that were not yet branded "D. Dornbluth" when my watch was originally produced (I have #36...) - all this at no cost

+ he sent a box of chocolates with the watch !

That is fantastic service. Thanks for posting pics.

I am playing around with the idea of getting the 99.0, but replacing the blue minute/hour hands with black hands (the seconds will remain blue). Also, I want to get my name on the case back.

Have you looked at Chronoswiss, or even a brand like NAMOS. I love the Chronswiss wathes, but the Nomos Tangomat is nice. An indipendent maker in Glashutte. http://www.glashuette.com/de/uhren_tangomat.html Just finnished reading a special editon of german mag ArmbandUHREN about Chronoswiss. It was bilingual GER/ENG, if wasnted I can look up the ISBN I must saw it was a nice read. Now to prioritize

Originally Posted by speedster.8

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Have you looked at Chronoswiss, or even a brand like NAMOS.
I love the Chronswiss wathes, but the Nomos Tangomat is nice.
An indipendent maker in Glashutte. http://www.glashuette.com/de/uhren_tangomat.html

Just finnished reading a special editon of german mag ArmbandUHREN about Chronoswiss. It was bilingual GER/ENG, if wasnted I can look up the ISBN
I must saw it was a nice read. Now to prioritize

Yep - I am familiar with both brands. To be honest, I don't find either of them to be particulary attractive. Just my opinion.

Originally Posted by gdl203

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My 99.2

Such a nice watch.

How would you say it stacks up against the IWC 5001-07?

The Portugese has been on my wishlist for a while and will probably be the next watch I get but that Dornblueth looks suhweet. I like the Port's applied indices & numbers better but the it is a bit more.

Originally Posted by Cantabrigian

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How would you say it stacks up against the IWC 5001-07?
Well... as much as I love my Dornblueth, the movement doesn't compare to the 5001 at all. Modified 42-hr autonomy ETA/Unitas vs. Pellaton 8-days... Dirk loses!

I personally prefer the dial of the 99.2 to the 5001 but I like both. I also very much like the fact that the 99.2 is manual as I tend to be partial to manuals over auto.

It is not as thick and heavy as the 5001 so it's a bit easier to wear with a suit.

It's also extraordinarily unlikely to ever run into anyone else wearing the same watch (unless it's a TZ or Dornblueth get-together or something...)

Originally Posted by Cantabrigian

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Such a nice watch.

How would you say it stacks up against the IWC 5001-07?

The Portugese has been on my wishlist for a while and will probably be the next watch I get but that Dornblueth looks suhweet. I like the Port's applied indices & numbers better but the it is a bit more.

I know you asked gdl, but I couldn't resist jumping in . In terms of features and technology, the Port has the clear advantage: long power reserve (7 days), free sprung balance, and a very efficient winding system (it's automatic while the Dornbleuth is manual. It also has a date, whereas the Dornbleuth does not.

Another advantage that you get with the Portuguese is that you're buying into a prestigious company with a long history and proven staying-power. If you intend to keep this watch for a long time, this is important as it guarantees perpetually available factory service and replacement parts. Dornbleuth, on the other hand, is a new two-man operation; it's not certain where it will be 20 years from now. Of course, since the movement is very simple and based on a very ubiqutious ebauche, replacement parts may not be an issue--but it will be hard to find someone who will re-finish the case and interior parts exactly the way Dornbleuth does.

The design philosophies behind the two watches are also very different, if not completely opposed--despite any exterior similarities. This is most evident in the movement design. The IWC movement is vacant of the florid decorations you'll find in the Dornbleuth; the former represents a modern approach to watchmaking while the latter attempts to re-capture the traditional craftsmanship of the past. That's not to say the IWC is less expertly detailed; you'll find that the edges are incredibly crisp (rather than roundly beveled) and the bridges are designed without fear of showing the underlying gears and wheels. In comparison, the Dornbleuth movement is designed with one dominant bridge plate that covers up those things. The Dornbleuth movement is more old-world, the Port's more technical in emphasis.

Of course, the Dornbleuth is less expensive--so if you don't care about the nature of the underpinnings, it's probably a superior valuable.

I'm sure gdl would like to add to this!

EDIT: After posting, I realized gdl already answered you.

Originally Posted by gdl203

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That's one nice engraved cock (please no gay jokes).

Jon.

Originally Posted by imageWIS

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That's one nice engraved cock (please no gay jokes)

Slightly better close-up (another stock photo, not my watch)

A kid at my office was wearing one of these today:

http://www.cool-watches.com/replica-...41_image1.html

The thing looks passably decent and isn't one of those watches sold outside the LV store in NYC. I am astonished that the big watchmakers aren't working overtime to crush these "replica" sites. The law has to be on their side and they seem to be US based.

That is a great watch, gdl203! I have never really looked in to that company before, you have piqued my interest. Now this baby is something I would love to get my grubby mits on. Service and repair costs would be staggeringly high I would imagine for this specimen. Oh well, I will have to make do with my Poljot hommage for now... Sucks that most vintage European air force timepieces are so costly. More well heeled collectors I guess

^^ You'll need huge wrist to properly wear it as well , for they were designed to be worn over WWII pilots' aviator jackets. . The case diameter is, IIRC, 50mm. And that is without the crown

Originally Posted by whacked

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^^ You'll need huge wrist to properly wear it as well , for they were designed to be worn over WWII pilots' aviator jackets. . The case diameter is, IIRC, 50mm. And that is without the crown

Some are around 55 if I remember correctly. And I have girly-man wrists