Watches

IMO, formal (suit) and black tie (tux) are really only appropriate with a dress watch. James Bond can pull off a diver with either, but I'm not James Bond.

For a dress watch, I think a black/grey or silver/white dial is universal for whatever color you may be wearing. You'll hear some people say that Arabic numbers have no place on a dress watch, that simple hour markers or roman numerals are only acceptable, but I don't know if I buy into that.

More important is to follow the general fashion advice of matching metals and leathers: If your belt buckle is silver and your shoes are black, your watch should be silver with a black leather strap.

For business casual, modern casual, or smart casual, I think anything goes as far as watches. I don't know that I would pair a smart watch or a rubber strap with a blazer or sport coat, but that may depend on the situation. Anything that fits the style you're trying to assemble is appropriate.

Casual is go for anything except a dress watch.
 
3 of my higher end watches.

My Reversos having two faces cover the color problem.

The Sport Chrono isnt ....Is the GMT a dress watch?

It's got a black and white face - and is on s strap. What say-eth the experts?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRb3zsikmlA


UD
 
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Look, I'll leave it here as I didn't mean to open up an argument.

Someone expressed disdain for the Calatrava, a watch I happen to like a lot(even though I do not own one).

Yes, other makes to make watches that do make more complicated watches at that price point.

Yes, there are beautifully finished pieces from makers other than Patek that are every bit their equal.

Yes, you do pay a "Patek tax" on the Calatrava or any of their other products.

Still, though, I will maintain that until you've taken one apart, you can't appreciate just how good a Geneva Seal watch is. And no, Patek is not the only maker turning out Geneva Seal watches.

I'll bow out from this point. I love talking about watches, but I feel that this is turning too argumentative.
 
On my wedding day i wore my tux with a Hamilton khaki on a blue and white nato strap. Did it go together? Probably not. I don't care.
 
Originally Posted by bunnspecial
Look, I'll leave it here as I didn't mean to open up an argument.

Someone expressed disdain for the Calatrava, a watch I happen to like a lot(even though I do not own one).

Yes, other makes to make watches that do make more complicated watches at that price point.

Yes, there are beautifully finished pieces from makers other than Patek that are every bit their equal.

Yes, you do pay a "Patek tax" on the Calatrava or any of their other products.

Still, though, I will maintain that until you've taken one apart, you can't appreciate just how good a Geneva Seal watch is. And no, Patek is not the only maker turning out Geneva Seal watches.

I'll bow out from this point. I love talking about watches, but I feel that this is turning too argumentative.



I can appreciate them all without taking them apart, perhaps not as fully as someone who can pull it apart though.

I don't recall anyone showing " disdain".

If by argumentative you mean Im not going to respectfully challenge you (or anyone) or let you put words in my mouth then maybe I am,

but I don't feel that way, just a group of guys talking about watches, one guy likes Ginger, the other guy Mary Anne.......

I like em all pretty much...


UD
 
Originally Posted by bunnspecial
Yes, you do pay a "Patek tax" on the Calatrava or any of their other products.


There are no steel Calatravas, every single model is made from a precious metal.

I think at that point, it's like trying to value jewelry and it just gets wild. You're no longer just paying for the mechanicals or the finishing, you're paying for the material.

Patek Calatrava 5196G - White gold - Retails @ $22,680
Lange Saxonia 219.026 - White gold - Retails @ €15,200 ($17,192)
IWC Portofino IW356504 - Yellow gold - Retails @ $11,600 (double the price the steel version and still uses a modified ETA movement!)

I don't live in a world of precious metal watches, so I don't even know how to process this.

Now, how a steel Nautilus retails for $30k and can sell for twice that? That is just stupid spending by people with too much money.
 
One reason to pay is is the practically guaranteed appreciation the name brings, and of course the cool magazine.


UD
 
Originally Posted by MrHorspwer
Originally Posted by bunnspecial
Yes, you do pay a "Patek tax" on the Calatrava or any of their other products.


There are no steel Calatravas, every single model is made from a precious metal.


Not so fast on that!

A buddy of mine bought one in stainless from a gold buyer several years ago and got it for a little of nothing(maybe a few hundred, perhaps $1K at the most).

Turns out non-precious-metal was are incredibly rare, and it went through auction for a $13K...https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/19216/lot/168/
 
I seems most of them are from the mid 40's though the 50'S and only 31mm which barley qualifies as a ladies watch today. IMHO these fall into the same category as rare coins as an investment not a wearing watch, the size and look of them are not very desirable. Nothing appealing to me at any price.
 
I buy watches that will please me, first and foremost. Of late, that means German watches, because of their value proposition -- still high quality, at a more moderate cost -- and also as a fan of tool watches like fliegers, and Bauhaus-themed design. Hamiltons also fall into that mold.

For some, part of that self-satisfaction is derived from others' perceptions, as jewelry and symbols. That was implied earlier in the discussion, but I suppose it also applies to the upper echelons.

Frankly, for most people, a Rolex, Omega, or other expensive brand they see at the mall jewelry store represents the pinnacle of the watch world.

An "understated" PP that may be passed off as a CK at first glance, or anything like that which will fly under the radar, and require further explanation is going to be lost, other than the "expensive watch" part, and then, the "I could have bought a car for that kind of money" thinking takes over.

They're sleepers for the horology fans, but basically meaningless for most.

One of my favorite watches is a tank commander's watch a friend brought back from a visit to Russia before the Soviet Union collapsed.

t's not a great watch by most objective standards, but subjectively, it brings me joy, and that's what's important.
 
Originally Posted by Carmudgeon

One of my favorite watches is a tank commander's watch a friend brought back from a visit to Russia before the Soviet Union collapsed.

t's not a great watch by most objective standards, but subjectively, it brings me joy, and that's what's important.


Thats part of whats so cool about watches.....
There is something neat to be had across a wide range of price points, and something like that Russian watch isnt likely to flood a market so it will stay cool forever.

It's one of the few hobbies that can cost almost nothing and go to infinity. You can pick up stuff at garage sales.

When I go to my favorite watch stores in Amsterdam, Boston and London what I want to know what is the coolest thing they have for a few hundred to about 1K.

You can get an amazing piece of engineering for a grand that will provide daily enjoyment for decades.

Sounds cool - can we see it? Please...?

UD
 
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Originally Posted by UncleDave

Thats part of whats so cool about watches.....
There is something neat to be had across a wide range of price points, and something like that Russian watch isnt likely to flood a market so it will stay cool forever.

It's one of the few hobbies that can cost almost nothing and go to infinity. You can pick up stuff at garage sales.

When I go to my favorite watch stores in Amsterdam, Boston and London what I want to know what is the coolest thing they have for a few hundred to about 1K.

You can get an amazing piece of engineering for a grand that will provide daily enjoyment for decades.

Sounds cool - can we see it? Please...?

UD


That's the true joy in hobbies, not having unhealthy obsessions with collector value.

The watch looks like this one, except with a signed dial which says "Made in USSR" in Cyrillic:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Military-V...-date-Soviet-Russian-watch-/333264339422

It's not an official "3ÐКÐ3" government-issue example. The bezel markings are slightly different, but my understanding is that parts variability during production wasn't uncommon.

Screw-down crown, manual-wound movement, and completely non-hacking. Setting the correct date would mean running through the entire 24-hours to advance the wheel multiple times, so I avoid that to not abuse it.
 
BTW, aside from the Calatrava sidetrack-as someone who has spent time at the bench I appreciate PP and other extremely high end Swiss brands for what they are.

For me, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, I wear a two-tone 80s Datejust nearly every day. It's a solid and reliable companion. It was a gift-I didn't buy it for the name, but when I knew it was coming as a gift I steered the ones giving it(my parents) toward something I would like/wear...and also guided them toward reliable pre-owned dealers to save a pile of money.

I get just as much enjoyment, though, out of wearing old Hamiltons, Longines, and a few others. I'm not wild about recent Longines products, but I LOVE their vintage pieces.

I've been meaning to pick up a recent production Hamilton, but nothing has really "spoken" to me enough to make me part with the cash for it.
 
Originally Posted by Carmudgeon


That's the true joy in hobbies, not having unhealthy obsessions with collector value.

The watch looks like this one, except with a signed dial which says "Made in USSR" in Cyrillic:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Military-V...-date-Soviet-Russian-watch-/333264339422
It's not an official "3ÐКÐ3" government-issue example. The bezel markings are slightly different, but my understanding is that parts variability during production wasn't uncommon.

Screw-down crown, manual-wound movement, and completely non-hacking. Setting the correct date would mean running through the entire 24-hours to advance the wheel multiple times, so I avoid that to not abuse it.


Kinda cool not something you see every day and a very reasonable price.

UD
 
Originally Posted by Carmudgeon
I buy watches that will please me, first and foremost. Of late, that means German watches, because of their value proposition -- still high quality, at a more moderate cost -- and also as a fan of tool watches like fliegers, and Bauhaus-themed design. Hamiltons also fall into that mold.

For some, part of that self-satisfaction is derived from others' perceptions, as jewelry and symbols. That was implied earlier in the discussion, but I suppose it also applies to the upper echelons.

Frankly, for most people, a Rolex, Omega, or other expensive brand they see at the mall jewelry store represents the pinnacle of the watch world.

An "understated" PP that may be passed off as a CK at first glance, or anything like that which will fly under the radar, and require further explanation is going to be lost, other than the "expensive watch" part, and then, the "I could have bought a car for that kind of money" thinking takes over.

They're sleepers for the horology fans, but basically meaningless for most.

One of my favorite watches is a tank commander's watch a friend brought back from a visit to Russia before the Soviet Union collapsed.

t's not a great watch by most objective standards, but subjectively, it brings me joy, and that's what's important.


Some of the Russian stuff is very cool and not over priced. These are a couple I have, the Zeppelin 127 is made in one of the old East German watch factories which decorated and assembled the Russian mechanical chrono movt.
The black Buran Siberia uses a pocket watch movt, very cool.

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Speaking of watches, Macy's is doing a Flash Sale on select watches today - the e-mail I received said 50-70% off watches and jewelry, but from what I saw the watches tended to be 50% off so I'm guessing the 70% is reserved for the jewelry. May be worth taking a look.
 
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