Watches - another OCD problem
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Question for those that visit AD's regularly: do you guys notice a shortage of steel Rolexes? I hear pretty regularly on forums/YT videos that there is a shortage of them.
Whenever I ask my AD how long it would take to get a steel Sub/Explorer/GMT I always get the response of "a couple hours from our main store in Ellicott City".
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My local Rolex dealer has the Air-King, Explorer, Explorer II, and possibly Milgauss in stock, but no GMT, Sea Dweller, or Submariner.
I think that this is (in part) a way of driving customers to the precious metal models. I saw a couple of gold Daytonas last weekend, but the chances of getting a steel one are slim. Similarly, there was a white gold "Smurf" Submariner in the window of one shop.
The other possibility is that it's a way of faking demand. I've seen a few posts on forums where someone was told it'd take eighteen months to get a watch, only for a cancellation meaning one was available a few weeks later.
The fact is that Rolex produce more watches than anyone else in Switzerland, so there shouldn't be a supply shortage. I can find most things from other brands, apart from really in demand limited editions in Melbourne, so it's probably a case that they're playing games with customers or dripfeeding pieces to the dealerships.
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Longines have brought out a couple of dive watches. Up first is the HydroConquest, which is steel with a ceramic bezel. More at aBlogToWatch.
There's also the Legend Driver in black, which is pretty cool. More at Monochrome.
Both these watches use an exclusive, modified ETA movement with a 65 hour power reserve.
Seiko have a clutch of new dive watches, my favourite has to be the Prospex SLA025 with a 5Hz movement. See aBlogToWatch for more.
Lastly, Nomos have the Autobahn range. I love the graphics on the dial. More at aBlogToWatch.
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I love reading your watch news. Looking forward to seeing what Blancpain drops. I will be watching this space. I enjoy fine watches vicariously through others.
@browniemcghee look away now…
Blancpain have come up with a Bathyscaphe Annual Calendar, which is either a really stupid idea (Does a diver need to know that today is Friday 23rd March?), or really cool. I'm in the latter camp.
There hasn't been much coverage of this, because everyone wants to know about the non-blue GMT, but I saw it in this video.
What the presenter is doing with an upside down pair of sunglasses on his head is beyond me.
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The SLA025 is 15.7mm thick!
It's a bit of a fatty, then! :o
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe Day Date with meteorite dial. This is the second interesting watch that I've seen from them, but their PR sucks as none of the usual suspects seem to be covering their releases.
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The price of secondhand Daytonas is getting ridiculous! :o
This is one of the watches in Phillips Auctions Daytona Ultimatum, a sale of rare and unique examples. Just don't look at the estimates.
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So what watches have caught your eye at Basel this year? For me, it's the following:
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The Aquanaut Chronograph - probably can't afford it though
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The Buglari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon - definitely can't afford it
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The Urwerk AMC - I'll never be able to afford this.
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So what watches have caught your eye at Basel this year?
For me, it's the following:
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The De Bethune DB25 Starry Varius - with custom star field, of course
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The Breitling Navitimer 8 Unitime 43 - I really like the new direction Breitling is taking
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The Buglari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon - This is just magnificent, from a technical perspective
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The Nomos Glashutte Tangente Neomatik 41 - I really like the unique and clean date indication
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The Glasshutte Original Senator Cosmopolite - This is just beautiful
If I were stupidly wealthy, I'd buy the De Bethune first. It's really, really lovely.
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I like the Nomos too.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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@goosehd the Seamaster Anniversary strikes me as a good watch that would run the gamut from casual to formal. I prefer the Railmaster, but this is definitely an option.
@Chris I hadn't paid much attention to the De Bethune Starry Varius, but it's a cool looking watch.
As the for Finissimo tourbillon, I think that Bulgari are doing some of the coolest Haute Horlogerie pieces right now. The Patek that Hodinkee were gushing over is pedestrian in comparison.
@JDelage I was hoping that Zenith would bring out a production version of the Defy Lab, which would resemble the Defy Classic. It'll probably come later this year, and would be very much a must buy.
@browniemcghee Nomos always seem to do good stuff.
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The Patek that Hodinkee were gushing over is pedestrian in comparison.
I know, right?
Ooooh, it has a pink dial! It's just like an already existing watch they've been making for years, but it's got a salmon dial! Um, ok.
I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful watch, and I'd love to own one, but it's not the kind of thing that makes me stop in my tracks. The Bulgari is just amazing. The entire watch is 3.95mm thick. A 2824 movement is 4.6mm. Just the movement. And it's a tourbillon! Damn. And even better, it's production level, not a prototype, or a one-off special product, but a full fledged, ready to sell model. Yeah, just 50 in the run, but still…
Hodinkee can be mystifying sometimes.
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Ben Clymer in particular, and the Hodinkee crew in general, have an editorial line that favours vintage and classic designs. The readership is complicit in this, take a look at the comments on the red Hublot as an example.
The Bulgari is fantastic. I've taken a look at the Finissmo, which is a lovely piece (I want the skeleton version), and the tourbillon is seriously next level in comparison.
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The Bulgari is amazing and way out of my price range. I’ve always been drawn to tourbillon watches, but always wondered about their practicality and durability.
I’ve also been reading that quite a few of the Swiss makers are worried about the current financial market expecting the bubble to pop. The quartz movement craze definitely affected the mechanical movements once, and now they are seeing the smart watches affecting sales. They are also seeing younger demographics move away from the entire luxury markets, with more of them interested in buying experiences such as exotic vacations.
I think that is what Patek is trying to do with dial colours to attract a younger audience. It’s also fun reading comments about Rolex’s new GMT with the jubilee bracelet. The older guys love the nostalgia, and the younger commenters are going on about not wearing an old man’s watch.
Who know’s what the future holds and how many brands can survive another downturn.
