Watches - another OCD problem
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@Giles you've been ogling that Grand Seiko for months now. I suspect that the when is sooner rather than later.
@Clint_D I think that the world of haute horology tends to ignore accuracy, because a cheap Casio will outperform the most expensive Patek. The Zenith Defy Lab is a purely mechanical watch that has similar accuracy to the Spring Drive, but they only built ten of them.
The Spring Drive is a hybrid mechanical / quartz movement, which explains its accuracy. But the Grand Seiko quartzes are even more impressive, keeping within 10 seconds a year. (Source Hodinkee.)
I've got a soft spot for the Grand Seiko quartz watches.
@madmonday glad to help.
@louisbosco thanks. I'll send you my address.
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There's a piece at Hodinkee, where the Richemont Group says that there are too many watches in the world.
The comments are interesting. It sounds like the brands are over-producing unwanted models, but restricting the desirable ones. It doesn't strike me as being a sensibly run business.
One thing that isn't mentioned is that I've seen a few pieces in limited runs that haven't sold out, but have had price increases. For example, I've been contacted a couple of times by the Chopard boutique in London about their last LUC 8HF. In their last email, back in March, they mentioned it was going up by about £1,000. It was still there in September.
OK, I appreciate that it's the Brexit related slump in Sterling that's behind it, but if you can't sell something at one price, putting it up is a fecking stupid business move.
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@Giles JUST GET IT ALREADY!! hahaha. as an early christmas present. at that ~39000bph sweep, you could stare at that watch all day long and be in your dream land..
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There's an interesting piece about how Mr Porter made a foray into selling watches. It's on the FT, so you might get paywalled, but if you search for the title and open it in an incognito window, you might get past it.
Mr Porter tries to crack the watch world
It sounds like the watch industry wasn't initially keen on online sales, preferring boutiques. (As any watch nerd knows, the salespeople are often less knowledgeable than a well-informed customer, so they don't exactly add value.) So there were some hoops to jump through.
The other thing (and this is from memory) is that they have sold a fair few of the Ressence watches without having to explain them.
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Anyone have experience or an opinion on Tag Heuer Watches?
I’ve always dismissed them, but tried these on today and the shop gave me pretty aggressive (nicely discounted) quotes on them…
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I've heard watch nerds are largely dismissive of them, but I have no idea why. The company is part of the LVMH group, so I'm guessing it's well funded and the watches are technologically competitive with others in their price range. Aside from the Monaco and Grand Carrera chronographs, I'm not a huge fan of their styling, but if you like one, and the price is good, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't buy.
That Aquaracer is pretty nice looking, though.
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Thanks for the info @chris - I have wanted an Omega Seamaster for a while, but the funds have never come into surplus.. I was really intrigued by the red rim Aquaracer and the size seemed to be a great fit for me. They quoted me about $500 less than retail on either one, which was more than generous. I’ll do a little research and see what I can find.
In our area, people with higher end watches either go for Tag or Rolex - probably because that’s what is available to buy from a store and be serviced. Only downside is they said they are recommended to be serviced every 3 years. Is that normal? I though Rolex says every 5 years but I could be wrong
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@Appfaff the red bezel model is a quartz, and I suspect the blue one might be too. For the full watch nerd experience, you might want to go for a mechanical movement.
I don't know who makes the movement they use, and so can't comment on the service schedule. It'll probably be dictated by the battery life.
If you're interested in quartz watches in the same price bracket, I like the Breitling Colt Skyracer. It's got a composite (Breitlight) case, and an insanely accurate thermocompensated movement. Hodinkee have a hands on. It's actually a piece I quite like.
Alternatively, the entry level Grand Seiko quartz comes in at $2200. It's a 37mm case, so might be an acquired taste, but I really like them.
However, if you want a Seamaster, then I'd suggest saving for one. Otherwise you'll spend somewhere between half and a third of the price of one on something as a substitute, and then buy it down the line.
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Thanks so much for the very smart write up @graeme - I agree, I would prefer a mechanical movement for my first “high end” watch. My Victronix and Movado are quartz, so I have that covered already.
I think I will wait and try on some Omegas at the jewelry store by my parents house in Texas when I’m there over Christmas.
I wish we had a place over here, but alas, even the nice jewelry store in Mobile only specializes in Rolex I believe. I’m not against getting a Submariner, but I do t think I will ever get $10k worth if use or joy out of it…
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@Appfaff the Tudor Black Bay might be another option. Monochrome have a review of the new steel model, which, at $3,475, is a third of the price of a Submariner.
I'd suggest trying things on. For example, I'm not normally a fan of diver's watches, but I really liked the Tudor Black Bay
None So BlackDark, and the Cartier Diver in blue.@G.J.F-64 that's a nice Omega.
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Thanks @Graeme - I am a big fan of the Tudor Black Bay
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Glad to help @Appfaff.
Also check Jomashop. They've currently got the Omega Seamaster 300 in Stainless for 40% off, and the Tudor Black Bay Dark for 33% off, amongst others. You lose the factory warranty, but a service will get that back.
#weareallenablershere
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While looking for something else, I stumbled across Straton Watch Company. I'm kinda digging the goofy 70s vibe on the Synchro
And the VDC MKII in the extremely orange variation works for me, too.
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The Synchro is cool @Chris. It reminds me of the Tudor Chrono with the Monte Carlo dial. (A refresh with the Breitling movement from the Black Bay Chrono would be great.)
