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  • Servo2000
    Senior Member
    • Oct 2006
    • 2183

    Watches



    It seems that with the minimalist style that a lot of people here are interested in that watches might be removed in favor of less accessorization, but frankly, I like the way they look on the arm. I think it adds an interesting element to a look. I've heard it said that you can tell a lot about a man by his watch. So, basically, I'm looking for a watch. I'm looking at these two:



    Daniel Will-Harris Reveal Watch



    M&Co 10-1-4



    Primarily because they're really cheap, but if anyone has any suggestions, I'd be willing to pay more, as I'll probably have to replace the bands on both of these if I were to pick either of them up in the first place.



    So far, it's been either those two, or a "replica" of a much nicer watch from http://perfect-clones.com/index.php. I'm no horology expert, but they look nice and I've heard from people that they stand up to intense scrutiny.



    WTB: Rick Owens Padded MA-1 Bomber XS (LIMO / MOUNTAIN)
  • Faust
    kitsch killer
    • Sep 2006
    • 37852

    #2
    Re: Watches



    Servo, personally I don't think you should buy a replica, unless you are only absolutely in love with the design. Otherwise it might make you feel a bit fake, like the replica [;)] . I agree that you should definitely look into cheap watches. Watches are a funny market, one should buy either a $30 or a $3k watch - everything in between is branding (I am referring to those Gucci, EA, Dior watches, and such). I think two types of people buy expensive Swiss watches - those who demand or need a status symbol (yes, sometimes it's a need for a status symbol that allows you to fit in - financial industry is a great example), and those who appreciate artisanship (tradition, craftmanship, etc.). Because functionally, any $10 DIGITAL watch will be more precise than the most expensive mechanical watch.



    I like Swiss watches (for the latter reason), but I can't afford one - I think it's a bit extravagant. Therefore I use my cell phone [Y]. But, if I could splurge, i'd buy an IWC. If I could really splurge I'd buy a Breguet. Maybe on my 40th birthday (10 years from now)?

    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

    StyleZeitgeist Magazine

    Comment

    • amojojo
      Junior Member
      • Oct 2006
      • 12

      #3
      Re: Watches



      I agree about not buying replicas, for the same reason I'm against cheap plated jewelry - you might as well get something interesting made of inexpensive materials that aren't trying to pose as expensive stuff. [8-|]



      However (especially for women's watches because they're almost always quartz) there is decent stuff between $30 and $3k. You're totally right about the branding that you're paying for when you get a Gucci, but there are a few non-fashion brands that fall in the middle. I have a Hamilton tank, and it was about $360 and it's quartz. I stopped at a jeweler's in San Diego a couple weekends ago and tried on several other Hamiltons, including one of the only women's automatic watches I've gotten to try on! And, the best part, it was under $800. It's not going to feel like a $3000 Swiss watch, but it's way better than paying the money for a brand name alone, and it's a piece of jewelry as well as keeping good time.



      My dream watch is a Dubey and Schaldenbrand. And after that, an Oris Frank Sinatra with the moon phase (the men's, as big as it is).

      Comment

      • casem
        Senior Member
        • Sep 2006
        • 2590

        #4
        Re: Watches

        I really like both watches you posted, I would have a hard time deciding between the two. I'm not much of a watch person myself. I'm with you in that if I was going to wear one I would go really cheap. But things on my wrist tend to annoy me, so I use the tried and true cellphone like Faust ;-)
        music

        Comment

        • Faust
          kitsch killer
          • Sep 2006
          • 37852

          #5
          Re: Watches

          bump. time to turn this into a serious thread. knock yourselves out.
          Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

          StyleZeitgeist Magazine

          Comment

          • DHC
            Senior Member
            • Jul 2007
            • 2155

            #6
            Re: Watches



            Thanks Faust.



            Moving my stupid question here.



            Where does the word
            watch come from? [:$] I can understand where/how the clock derives its
            name, even within the confines of the english language. But
            watch/wristwatch/pocketwatch? Please enlighten me.

            Originally posted by Faust
            fuck you, i don't have an attitude problem.

            Sartorialoft

            "She is very ninja, no?" ~Peter Jevnikar

            Comment

            • jay
              Member
              • Mar 2008
              • 52

              #7
              Re: Watches



              The History and Evolution of the Wristwatch...




              By John E. Brozek




              © InfoQuest Publishing, Inc., 2004




              International Watch Magazine, January 2004





              Today, a wristwatch is considered as much of a status symbol as a device to tell time. In an age when cell phones and digital pagers display tiny quartz clocks, the mechanical wristwatch has slowly become less of an object of function and more a piece of modern culture.




              Walk into the boardroom of any Fortune 500 company and you?re likely to see dozens of prestigious wristwatches, including such names as Rolex, Vacheron Constantin, Frank Müller, Jaeger-LeCoultre and even Patek Phillipe. However, this was not always the case. Less than 100 years ago, no self-respecting gentleman would be caught dead wearing a wristwatch. In those days of yore, real men carried pocket watches, with a gold half-hunter being the preferred status symbol of the time?no pun intended.




              Wristlets, as they were called, were reserved for women, and considered more of a passing fad than a serious timepiece. In fact, they were held in such disdain that many a gentlemen were actually quoted to say they ?would sooner wear a skirt as wear a wristwatch?.




              The established watchmaking community looked down on them as well. Because of their size, few believed wristlets could be made to achieve any level of accuracy, nor could they withstand the basic rigors of human activity. Therefore, very few companies produced them in quantity, with the vast majority of those being small ladies? models, with delicate fixed wire or chain-link bracelets.




              This all started to change in the nineteenth century, when soldiers discovered their usefulness during wartime situations. Pocket watches were clumsy to carry and thus difficult to operate while in combat. Therefore, soldiers fitted them into primitive ?cupped? leather straps so they could be worn on the wrist, thereby freeing up their hands during battle. It is believed that Girard-Perregaux equipped the German Imperial Naval with similar pieces as early as the 1880s, which they wore on their wrists while synchronizing naval attacks, and firing artillery.




              Decades later, several technological advents were credited with the British victory in the Anglo-Boer War (South Africa 1899-1902), including smokeless gunpowder, the magazine-fed rifle and even the automatic or machine gun. However, some would argue that it was a not-so-lethal device that helped turn the tide into Britain?s favor: the wristwatch.




              While the British troops were superiorly trained and equipped, they were slightly outnumbered, and at a disadvantage while attacking the Boer?s heavily entrenched positions. Thanks to these recently designed weapons, a new age of war had emerged, which, now more than ever, required tactical precision. British officers achieved success by using these makeshift wristwatches to coordinate simultaneous troop movements, and synchronize flanking attacks against the Boer?s formations.




              In fact, an ?Unsolicited Testimonial? dated June 7, 1900, appeared in the 1901, Goldsmith?s Company Watch and Clock Catalog as follows:




              ?? I wore it continually in South Africa on my wrist for 3 ½ months. It kept most excellent time, and never failed me.?Faithfully yours, Capt. North Staffs. Regt.?




              This testimonial appeared below an advertisement for a military pocket watch listed as The Company?s ?Service? Watch, and was further described as: ?The most reliable timekeeper in the World for Gentlemen going on Active Service or for rough wear.?




              In 1906, the evolution of wristlets took an even bigger step with the invention of the expandable flexible bracelet, as well as the introduction of wire loops (or lugs) soldered onto small, open-faced pocket watch cases, allowing leather straps to be more easily attached. This aided their adaptation for military use and thus marked a turning point in the development of wristwatches for men.




              Another timely issue was the vulnerability of the glass crystal when worn during combat. This was addressed by utilizing ?pierced metal covers?, frequently called shrapnel guards. These were basically metal grills (often made of silver), placed over the dial of the watch?thereby protecting the glass from damage while still allowing the time to be easily read.




              A less common solution was the use of leather covers, snapped into place over the watch. While they did offer protection from damage, they were cumbersome to use, and thus were primarily seen in the extreme climates of Australia and Africa.




              Even with their success in combat, the popularity of the wristwatch was still limited to ladies? models. They didn?t reach the mainstream market until some two decades later, when soldiers from around the world converged on Europe to help defeat the German Empire in WWI (1914-1919). Due to the strategic lessons learned in the Boer War, the demand for reliable, accurate wristwatches was now at its peak.




              While German troops at this time were largely issued the more primitive ?pocket watch? designs, Allied troops had a wide range of new models to choose from. Many examples featured small silver pocket watch cases fitted with leather straps and displayed radium-illuminated porcelain dials protected by the aforementioned shrapnel guards.




              Wristwatches were no longer considered a novelty but were now a wartime necessity, and companies were scrambling to keep up with the demand. One company that enjoyed success during this time was Wilsdorf & Davis, Ltd., founded in 1905, and later renamed The Rolex Watch Company, Ltd., in 1915.




              Hans Wilsdorf, the founder and director of Rolex, was a strong proponent of wristwatches since the turn of the century. While others scoffed at them, Wilsdorf continued to experiment with their accuracy and reliability. Thus, some would argue that he did more for their advancement than anyone in history. In fact, he is even credited with sending the first wristwatches to the Neuchatel Observatory (Switzerland), for accuracy testing. They all passed the rigorous battery of tests, which encouraged Wilsdorf to push them even further.




              Rolex subsequently received the very first wristwatch Chronometer awards from the School of Horology in Bienne (1910), and the Class ?A? Certificate of Precision from the Kew Observatory in England (1914). To this day, Rolex watches consistently receive more Chronometer Certificates from the Contrôle Officiel Suisse des Chronomètres (COSC), than every other watch company in the world, combined.




              After the Great War, many soldiers returned home with souvenir trench watches?so named for the trench warfare in which they were used. When these war heroes were seen wearing them, the public?s perception quickly changed, and wristwatches were no longer deemed as feminine. After all, no one would dare consider these brave men as being anything but.




              In the final years of the war, wristwatches began to see numerous improvements. Case makers like Francis Baumgartner, Borgel and Dennison introduced revolutionary designs, which aided in making them more resistant to water and dust. These designs were later improved on when Rolex introduced the first truly waterproof wristwatch, the Oyster, in 1926.




              Also around this time, new models were first introduced with fixed lugs (often called ?horns?), which gave them a more finished appearance. And to aid in their durability, new metal dials superceded porcelain, which had been quite susceptible to cracking and chipping and the fragile glass crystals were replaced with a newly invented synthetic plastic.




              Over the next decade, watch companies slowly added additional models to their catalogs, and finally, by the mid-1930s, they accounted for 65 percent of all watches exported by Switzerland. It was an uphill battle, but the wristwatch had finally arrived. They were now accurate, waterproof and, by 1931, perpetually self-winding, when Rolex introduced the Auto Rotor, a revolutionary design, which is used to this day by watch companies around the world.




              The success of the wristwatch was born out of necessity, and Rolex continued this tradition by introducing a series of Professional, or ?tool watches? in the early 1950s. These models, including the Submariner, Explorer, GMT-Master, Turn-O-Graph, and Milgauss were also designed out of necessity, as they included features and attributes that were essential for a specific task or profession.




              Because of its rugged design, variations of the Submariner have subsequently been issued to numerous militaries, including the British Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and British Royal Marines, as well as the U.S. Navy Seals. Over the years, dozens of companies like Omega, Benrus and Panerai have also supplied specialty watch models for military duty.




              Thus, the role of the wristwatch seems to have come full circle. With the general public now leaning toward high-tech, digital gadgets, the classic mechanical wristwatch has once again found its home on the wrists of those brave soldiers who welcomed it some 100 years ago.




              http://www.qualitytyme.net/pages/rol...ristwatch.html

              Comment

              • iSuck
                Senior Member
                • Mar 2008
                • 536

                #8
                Re: Watches



                I don't have the time right now; but, later on tonight or this weekend I can give lots of options in several price ranges if anyone is actually interested.




                And loving watches if you have any questions feel free to ask here and I'll answer the best I can.

                Comment

                • Real Real
                  Senior Member
                  • Feb 2007
                  • 619

                  #9
                  Re: Watches

                  This is one of my favorite Breguets, a white gold 5140 with an enamel dial. The numbers and tick-marks are hand-painted onto the dial. I really like the off-center seconds dial. The movement (like most Breguet Classiques) is also engraved beautifully. You can't see the movement, because the watch has a solid back, but in a way, I like that more - the watchmaker spent an exceptional amount of time decorating a movement that the customer is never going to see, just because that's the way they do things.


                  Comment

                  • Real Real
                    Senior Member
                    • Feb 2007
                    • 619

                    #10
                    Re: Watches

                    Another thing worth keeping in mind with the cost of these expensive watches is that people rarely pay full price, unless it's a limited edition (like one of the endless series of limited Royal Oak Offshores that AP churns out) or a handful of watches where they limit supply below demand (like a Daytona).



                    In general, you can negotiate a legitimate dealer down about 20% off of retail for a new watch. Used versions of current model watches tend to go for about 50%-60% of their retail price, but they hold their value at that point. The vast majority of watches are not investments - you are not going to make money. However, if you buy the right watch off of Timezone or The Purists, you can generally remain confident that you're going to be able to get almost all of your money back, if you end up deciding to sell it later (because you get bored of it, whatever).

                    Comment

                    • Faust
                      kitsch killer
                      • Sep 2006
                      • 37852

                      #11
                      Re: Watches

                      Real Real, what is the rate of failure on these premium mechanical watches? I would imagine not big, and that they are not very expensive to fix? I would entertain the idea of buying from timezone.
                      Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                      StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                      Comment

                      • iSuck
                        Senior Member
                        • Mar 2008
                        • 536

                        #12
                        Re: Watches



                        A watch with just date/seconds/hours/minutes is typically just going to need service every 3-5 years.




                        When you start adding moonphases, panodate, calendars, etc there is more going on in the engine and more that can go wrong--though I would say maybe 1-2% of watches have problems from the factory. Most of the time it is owner error that can screw something up...as I did with my Glashutte when I quick adjusted the panodate between 8pm-2am when it is changing over and broke the mechanism.

                        Comment

                        • Real Real
                          Senior Member
                          • Feb 2007
                          • 619

                          #13
                          Re: Watches

                          The rate of outright failure for these watches is very low, but they are complicated machines, and it does happen. If you take care of the watch, you will generally be alright, but taking care of the watch means that you need to have it serviced every five years or so (or it will fail, eventually). Servicing is expensive and takes forever - about $1k for the service, and it can take 3 or 4 months. In some ways, most of the high-end watchmakers are behind the times when it comes to service, but they're (slowly) getting better. The expense of working with the dealer can be insane, at times, though. For example, Breguet's straps are $280...that's about 5 sq inches of crocodile, at most.



                          My experiences with durability have been quite good, though. For example, about a year ago, the minute counter on my chronograph started sticking - when I hit the reset button, it sometimes wouldn't revert back to zero. I figured I would have to take it in for service, but I kept putting it off. I figured that the lubrication on some part of the chronograph movement had dried up (very technical prognosis), so every day, I'd fool around with the watch, letting the minute counter run for a minute or two at a time, and then hit the reset button, basically, to try to get that part relubricated again. I don't know how, but it worked, and I haven't had the same problem for a while. Almost felt like the watch healed itself.

                          Comment

                          • Real Real
                            Senior Member
                            • Feb 2007
                            • 619

                            #14
                            Re: Watches

                            I've never liked Patek Phillipes, Nautiluses, or gold, but this is one of my favorite updated watches to come out in the last year.




                            Comment

                            • Chinorlz
                              Senior Member
                              • Sep 2006
                              • 6422

                              #15
                              Re: Watches



                              I really like the two that servo started this thread with... especially the second one. Thanks man for showing that there are some really sharp, classy watches that aren't one billion dollars!




                              The breguet is VERY lovely but I googled it and the price destroyed half of my soul on impact.




                              I can't even say I'd ever spring for it even if I could technically afford it. I mean come on... ouch.

                              www.AlbertHuangMD.com - Digital Portfolio Of Projects & Designs

                              Merz (5/22/09):"i'm a firm believer that the ultimate prevailing logic in design is 'does shit look sick as fuck' "

                              Comment

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