What's your favorite brand?What's your fave Kofe?Oh how I miss the omegadrunk.JLC is based.Grand Seiko is the best.Except Rolex of course.$50 to $50,000This one is only $88,550.00 with coupon. But I'm getting mine from a respected AD in Geneva of course.
I'm not divorced
Kofe
>>18691012Are you married? That image would suggest you're a virgin manchild with only online "frens". It doesn't get any better than the Omega Speedmaster, gentlemen.
>>18691013ABSOLUTELY BASED
I claim to exclusively wear Tag Heweuer
Uh, yeah... I'm thinking BASED over here.
>>18691014
>>18691016I bought my first Tag Heuer when I was 27; this upsets you.
I'm going to buy a Tudor Dateday
>>18691019I don't care what you buy. I think those images are very homosexual and immature and the sign that you're a terminally-online chud bigot and that if you had these Tags you'd post them. >>18691020Sure you are. Why don't you have an image of that then? I don't speak 'meme', so if your naked muscled male images actually mean something I'm not getting the message. What are you even doing? Don't you like watches?Why are you posting off-topic faggotry?
I'm not going to buy one, but I can post a picture of it rather than some CGI 'hunk' with a ladies mirror. lol
This one's cool. On sale for just under two-thousand dollars.
>>18691026I forgot what Tudor used to represent. affordable luxury and best bang for your buck on the market. Now a typical blackbay starts at 5,000....
>>18691029I've been reading about how the whole middle price range of watches are evaporating and it's getting to be cheap ones and super expensive ones. There's no growth in affordable luxury.
>>18691033Only Christopher ward is left and from the BRAND watches it's only... longines? Tudor, GS, Omega etc. realized that it's just as hard to sell 3K watches than it js 6-9K watches so they just ramped up the prices 10% each year.Pic related was the best watch for the money by a long shot, now it's like 6K msrp or something
And new watches aren't really getting "better".It's not rare for a new model with a new untested movement to have reliability problems. Not only there, quality in everything has dropped because of compromises. Look at cars for example.A wise veteran watchmaker once told me that, just how a well kept 30 year old honda civic with an overhauled engine will be much more reliable than Any modern car, you can assume the same for older watches too. Same principle. Obviously they used higher quality materials back then in everything, watches aren't an exception.But, of course exemptions still exist, they don't justify the price hike though.
>>18691045Hell yeah, and if you go back even further you've got cars that were all steel and all solid state with very simple engines that you could work on forever. I used to just get late 80s and early 90s Volvos and knew I was safer in a crash and that 200,000 miles was nothing. Shit isn't built to last anymore. I love having vintage watches decades old that I know will always work and can always be fixed.
Kofe time.
>>18691046have you heard about the horror stories how you have to pull out half the stuff from the engine to do a simple spark plig change in the new cars? Or how to starter is inside the transmission or some shit so that you have to open up the fucking thing just to get to the starter (something that breaks frequently). I assume it's not so bad in watches but, at the same time, a simple repair on a bregeut will set you back 1.5K so yeah.
>>18691051nice mug, nice watch
>>18691052>repairservice*repair would be 5K and 6 months
> What's your fave Kofe?French vanilla or caramel flavored ‘kofe’ usually is my favorite.
>>18691040>"the best watch for the money">*looks inside*>spring drivelmao.
pre owned speedmaster reduced might be the best deal on the market. small watches are cool and will be for the foreseeable future, speedies are cool, man on theeeee fucking moon, and the prices are right.
>>18691060exactly, crazy how you could get a spring drive for that money. Titanium case too
>>18691013>>18691015Samefag
If a maison has, at any point of its history, for any given reason, produced a quartz timepiece then it does not deserve to be taken seriously.It is that simple.I will not wear a watch made by those who debased themselves thus. They do not deserve my patronage, nor yours.All they can do is produce shitter after shitter to paint over the rot that they allowed to fester.Rolex? Shitters.Pater? Shitters.Audemars Piguet? Shitters shitters nothing but shitters as far as the eye can see.
>>18691152>maisonStopped reading there. Okay, Kevin, good for you or my sympathies, whichever fits your case the best.
>>18691056This guy drinking from a jug.Also that watch too big for u. U need to get a 20mm ladies watch.
>>18691132>spuringu durive very goodo! rearu watchu movemenuto! totary notu quartz!
>>18691162What's bad about spring drive?
>>18691163its just quartz with extra steps while pretending to be some grand revolution, while again it's just quartz with extra steps.also servicing of the integrated circuit means you must go to Seiko or their authorized chinks, and if in 20 years they decide not to make that part anymore, eventually youll run out of donors, and youll be stuck with unrepairable movements.
>>18691166>20 yearsLess than that. Seiko policy is not to guarantee that spare parts will exist within 7 years of a SKU’s discontinuation.>maybe we’ve got something in the parts room but if we don’t, we can’t do anything for you. Sorry. Why not buy a new watch from us instead?
>>18691163The whole point of a mechanical watch is that any watchmaker can service it.Whether it's an Hamilton, a Longines, a Rolex, a Patek or a even a $2M Philippe Dufour, any competent watchmaker can disassemble it, clean it, regulate it, reassemble it. Even insanely complicated watches like the FP Journe Resonance can be serviced by independent (and highly skilled) watchmakers. There's that guy from Wristcheck who often posts videos on IG about his works on super premium watches.Spring Drive on the other hand can only be serviced by Grand Seiko because of their "tri-synchro regulator" bullshit thing that replaces the escapement. In some case your GS AD will send your watch to Japan for servicing, which is really fucking insane for a $10k watch. Also nobody really knows if the regulator part can actually be cleaned, or if GS doesn't bother and just swipe it.Honestly Spring Drive is kind of a bullshit technology. I get that it's more accurate than a traditional watch, and people want something different than Rolex/Omega/IWC/JLC, but spring drive doesn't really solve anything and the downsides are huge.
>>18691170>The whole point of a mechanical watch is that any watchmaker can service it.what? no lol
>>18691166>>18691170decent cope. Nice, thanks for sharing
>>18691170I LOVE JAPAN
>>18691174enjoy your shitter, cuck.
obsessing on brands is gay and goyslop behavior. even the gay brands have good models. for example the speedmaster is goated even though its made by chinkmega. same with lange. most are overpriced shitters but i would buy the lange 1 in mother of pearl dial
>>18691172Uh, yes.
Beer Time
>>18691190SAAR
>>18691190Based.
>>18691190He redeemed, Saar! He redeemed!
>>18691190I love japanese craftsmanship osaka!
>>18691190Holyyy BASED
>>18691190we WON
>>18691190Gee, I've never seen that watch here before. What is it?
That GS and that BROWN HAND look so disgusting I gagged a little.Here's a good looking watch so we can all feel better.
>>18691226>big gay
>>18691226u gay AF
>>18691226That is good looking. What is the reference number, if you know?
>>186912345907Very sexy watch. It's Breguet's Calatrava basically.
>>18691236Thanks. I still prefer the Calatrava to wear, but I like the Breguet’s baroque style. It feels like a thing out of time.
>>18691245Depends of the Calatrava really.Between a Breguet 5907 and a Patek 3919 (similar style), I'd pick the Breguet.Something like picrel though, I go Patek.
>>18691249That’s true. I was thinking of the 5196 that anon posted in the last thread.
>>18691190Yeap, that's based.
>>18691190The REDEEMER
>>18691250This one? He posted a similar pic a couple years ago (or someone else also has a Rolex and a Calatrava.)
>>18691170>spring drive doesn't really solve anything and the downsides are huge.I mean other than ease of servicing what other downsides are there? It’s more accurate and reliable than mechanical and you get the perfectly smooth sweep. I think it’s pretty cool tech even though I wouldn’t buy one personally
>>18691303Ease of maintenance is part of reliability. That’s why old Rolexes were considered so reliable: the movements were specifically designed to be easy to service. If the circuit of a Spring Drive fails, you have no choice but to replace it. If Seiko doesn’t have one available then your watch is permanently dead. By comparison, a well-designed mechanical movement uses industry-standard sizes for its parts so replacement is always possible.
>>18691236>>18691245>>18691249those vs the 1815? I do like the size of the breguet the bes
>>18691303>I mean other than ease of servicing what other downsides are there?You have to wear a Grand Seiko (very ugly watches) and be associated with the cringiest community of watch enthusiasts that exists.Have you ever met a Grand Seiko owner? I have, and it was a dreadful experience.
>>18691303yeah, but then why not just use quartz? that will get you even greater accuracy, and cost will be even lower. it might even be easier to service many quartz movements than it is to service a spring drive for an independent.
>>18691312Langes do not really appeal to me beyond the movement engineering and finishing. A watch has to be technically good but also look good. The printed dial of the 1815 doesn’t appeal to me.
>>18691308How often/likely is the IC going to fail though? If a car breaks down regularly but is easy to work on, I wouldn’t exactly call it “reliable”>>18691330The perfectly smooth sweep is something you can’t get from any other quartz (or mechanical) watch
>>18691346the car analogy is flawed. If a car breaks down predictably and is easily repaired, then it is still reliable, since it allows for preventative maintenance.If parts just fail out of nowhere without warning, or if those parts are irreplaceable, then the car is unreliable.Reliability means, can you rely on something, not whether it requires no service.Do the ICs have a high failure rate? We don’t know. Seiko is the only company that makes them and they refuse to publish their internal data.But if, ten years from now, your IC fails and Seiko won’t give you another one, then your watch has failed totally.You can say, then, that you can rely on your Seiko for ten years, and after that, it’s a lottery.
>>18691348Something else to consider is that Seiko, being the only company that can service a Spring Drive, also has a pretty poor reputation for service quality.While the brands may be differentiated, they all get sent to the same service center and your ten thousand dollar Grand Seiko will be serviced by the same person who just got done servicing a Seiko 5. Every company has service horror stories but Seiko’s are on par with Panerai in terms of the sheer indifference with which they apparently treat their customers’ watches.
>>18691351If Seiko's repair centers are run anything like Richemont or Swatch then no, the guy who works on your GS will categorically not work on a Seiko 5 right after that.These repair platforms are run for maximum efficiency so as often as possible the bench operator will be working on the same few calibers all the time, sometimes on the same caliber or even the same model if there is enough volume, so there is no need to waste time by grabbing a different set of closing die from one watch to the next.It is far, far more likely that the Seiko repair platforms have a room that only does GS and its operators are trained a bit better than the ones who work on the Prospex watches, who themselves are above the operators who only do caliber swaps on quartz and cheaper autos.The most efficient way to set up your repair platform is ideally to have one operator for each caliber who will do nothing but this caliber all day every day, who won't even need to check if he is using the right screwdrivers because his caliber only uses two screw sizes so he only has two, who doesn't need to go look for new parts because he always needs the same parts so you can easily have parts kits delivered with each watch, who won't need to switch out the fittings to his closing press because he only works on the same model so he'll never need to change anything to the setup.Unfortunately, most operators have to learn a few calibers and models but there most be as much overlap as possible. Spreading across too large a range means to need to train people for too many different skills and case scenarios and that's just not efficient enough.
>>18691346>muh smooth sweepfuck the smooth sweep. you want the smooth sweep? get an apple watch. that will show you a real nice smooth sweep you nigger.
>>18691351And Seiko will always respond with “It’s within spec.”Marketing copy may say it’s good for +/-2 seconds per month but the actual warranty is for like 15 seconds per day.I remember reading about this guy whose GMT bezel was incredibly misaligned after service and they simply responded with “it’s in spec”.He had to either send it back at his own cost, or try to sell a watch with a misaligned bezel, or try to live with it.
Fuck Spring Drive, if people really cared about accuracy, they'd buy digital watches synched to the atomic clock.The whole Spring Drive shit is missing the point of what mechanical watches represent in a post quartz crisis world. They don't represent accuracy but tradition and art.Also, it's funny that Seiko tried to kill automatic watches TWICE.Once with quartz and once with Spring Drive.
>>18691372I wouldn't say tradition necessarily implies never innovating, but seiko just took quartz, added some extra steps, and called it the greatest invention since sliced bread. they're giant larpers.
Fun story about Grand Soiko:The only official GS retailer in my city (a multi-brand store) has decided to stop carrying the brand a few months ago.I asked one of the SA why, and he told me they sold like 5 pieces in 6 months. It’s one of the worst-performing brands in Europe, and distributors are disappointed because GS offers very favorable terms (high margins for retailers). The watches take up a whole corner of the store but customers just don't care lmaoThe flagship store in Paris is supposedly always empty.Apparently the brand is doing better in burgerland
>>18691379>Apparently the brand is doing better in burgerlandFrom strictly anecdotal evidence, this seems correct. I have never seen a GS in the wild in Europe (Germany, Sweden, or the Netherlands) but I have seen a few in the US.FWIW, they really do dress like the stereotypical GS buyer too. They look like IT workers. Dressed terribly and either immensely fat or skeletally thin.
>>18691377Yeah, tradition doesn't mean never evolving, but evolving towards accuracy is not needed. Total accuracy already exist (atomic clock, phones, pc).Innovation in mechanical watches should be towards the art, complications, mastery, beauty, expression.
>>18691008I like mine more
Be honest, would you wear it?
>>18691401
>>18691410No.
>>18691379>>18691372rent free lol.
>>18691401RO time
>>18691401Enjoy your fake shitter. I'll be enjoying my pool.
>>18691420based Italy chad
>>18691014hey thats my watch
>>18691420why do you keep re-posting my pictures faggot?
>>18691434and I'm not italian.
>>18691163reddit meme movement. almost as bad as the omega faggots
Silber time.
>>18691056poofta
>>18691152
>>18691166You must admit that it's pretty cool that it's powered by a spring and not a battery
>>18691190Assahi is ASS
>>18691312SEXONIA
>>18691351>Grand Seiko will be serviced by the same person who just got done servicing a SeikoFALSE
>>18691541COPE
>>18691410Yes and this
>>18691542NOPE
>>18691538you also have autoquartz movements. It's different? yeah sure. but that's about it.
>>18691546They have capacitors
>>18691543>>18691410sex.
>>18691410This would look nice paired with a 1930s Italian Fascist uniform. It has that modernist style to it.
>>18691443Fuck off schizo troll.
>>18691023You desperately seek authority
>>18691555nigger that is my pool, and it's the third time this faggot reposted my pics randomly.
>pisses all over your Seicope
>>18691545ROPE
>>18691346Bulova Precisionist has super smooth sweep for somewhat affordable prices.
>>18691351Yeah, did you guys see that thing about the guy whose Grand Seiko second hand was misaligned? He went to Japan to buy it and they told him "Sorry, you bought it. No returns."That's how Grand Seiko is.Just this one guy's experience is enough for me to never buy one:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NKEa9BJPe8
>>18691401Looks too big on you. Gold is kind of gross. But I posted the OP watch as a joke anyway. What's funny is that those diamond encrusted ones are often cheaper than plain ones. I don't understand that look. Who would wear something that looks dipped in glitter? And those watches in general seem weird that they'd have those fake screws so prominent on the bezel. I just don't understand why those strange styles take off. Probably because it's all been done for so long you need to make something weird just to stand out as original. Everything about AP is visually off-putting to me. Even their name and logo look like an eyesore. >>18691410It's certainly really cool looking to me. Kind of feminine. I like the wood look, the shape. Yeah, I'd wear it.
It’s here. Biggest, fanciest box I’ve gotten a watch in.
I’m super happy with it. I’ve never had to deal with so much tape though.
So mucn talk about grand seiko in this thread, nice.>>18691618Looks very thin, decent buy man.
is it time?
hmmm...
>>18691625Buy it or don't, you've been looking at it for years, you stupid fuck. Got that itch to consooom some more?
>>18691622Ew, folded endlinks. Stinky.
>>18691627>consooomlol, you say that to people who buy fancy five figure watches too? What's your problem with people buying watches? Or posting watches they want? That's what the thread is for. Why is he a 'stupid fuck'? Do you have any respect for anyone?
no fighting bros. not many true watchfags left, let's enjoy this before it becomes even more unobtainable and companies make it impossible to service your own watch.
>>18691611lol the screws are not fake.I didn't care about AP for over two decades, despite seeing a zillion picturesthen I saw one in personsome things just can't be photographed
>>18691696based AP chad. Which movement does it house?
>>18691697Miyota 8000-series
>>18691696The screws are real and yet all twisted to the exact position to be aesthetically pleasing and perfectly consistent with their positions in relation to the dial? Unlikely.>>18691702Seriously? Miyota?? And then not even a 9000-series? Why do I have "shitters" with better movements than an AP?I would really think for that kind of money they'd come with some fancy Swiss deal in there. But I guess since your watch's true magic can't be captured with photography it doesn't matter what's on the inside.
>>18691705>Extra money was spent and extra effort was expended in order to make a $70,000 piece of jewelry look more aesthetically pleasing? Unlikely.
>>18691705>The screws are real and yet all twisted to the exact position to be aesthetically pleasing and perfectly consistent with their positions in relation to the dial?yes, exactlyit's not hard to tap screws >>18691702>>18691705lol definitely not a miyotain house 7121
>>18691714highly redpilled. But that's a very low res pic
>>18691714Those screws in your pic are normal. They're not uniformly twisted to ring the dial like you see in my pic here. The ones on the front are probably not actually screwed in to provide access to anything. That'd be nearly impossible to make actual screws and actual holes and have them all facing exactly like that when screwed perfectly tight. You'd need to have 8 screws that go in 8 exact matching holes even if you could engineer them all exactly.
>>18691721never mind, lol. They aren't even screws at all. They're hexagonal. There's no reason for there to be slits in them in the first place.
>>18691721,>The eight hexagonal screws on an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak bezel are designed to be perfectly aligned with their slots parallel to the bezel's edge, serving as a signature design element. They are actually specialized nuts and bolts secured from the caseback, not screwed directly from the front, allowing for precise, consistent orientation.
>>18691724You copied that from somewhere. But yes, I understand now. I was correct the first time, they're not screws.
It would be pretty much impossible to make the screws on the back all face inward like they look on the front was my point. I didn't look close enough or I'd have seen they were bolts.
I just took a MASSIVE dump and I snapped a pic of it with my watch but I'm scared to post it because i keep getting banned and I have to use my neighbors wifi to get a different IP and I'm sad you guys don't appreciate my poo pics but I'm really proud of this huge dump I just took but I'm scared I'll get banned again what do I do
>>18691732post them bro.
>>18691732Post it.
I am carefuly cultivating a deep love-hate relationship with Panerai.
>>18691679>companies make it impossible to service your own watch.Then I'm going vintage only.
>>18691732I don't usually report posts, but I am sick of your shit and pissing posts. You have no class. You've set IWC back decades with the association. I'm embarrassed for you. 4chan really is full of weirdos. You're so "proud" of your stool, take it to /b/ where it belongs.
>>18691751How so? What do you love and what do you hate? Do you think it's worth the money? How many to you own?
>>18691766
>>18691768You don't see any dumps being posted do you? My threat worked. You're welcome.
tea time
>>18691767>what do you loveHow dumba dn simple they look, especially on two-handers. It's plain, legible, it's the least amount of watch you can have while still being a watch and yet it either packs a caliber that can be serviced forever (see the old ETA-Panerai with unitas-like movements or Valgrange) or some weirdly, almost out of place spec'd movement with long power reserve.I love the sleaze of how all their supposed pattents and trademarks aren't even real, that the Luminor crown guard is pretty much a novelty and never saw military use, that the Radiomir pattent isn't for anything used on any watch>what do you hateQuestionable service and reliability on new models, corner cutting, weird configurations existing while others don't and seemingly never will>do you think it's worth the moneyHow is this even a questionIf you pay retail for a Panerai, you are demonstrably retarded>how many do you ownNone, I work in a jewelry and watch store and I see them come in and out all the time. I see that with a lot of brands and it made me dislike some I thought I would be interested in (Breitling comes to mind) while I started liking some I didn't think of much (Panerai, obviously, also Blancpain and IWC)
Have you ever thought of wearing just one small yellow gold dress watch for the rest of your life and just be "that guy with the small yellow gold dress watch"? You know, something like a 32mm Calatrava or something.People would probably notice it more than the usual stainless steel sports watch that everyone wears. They would refer to you as "Anon, that guy with the small yellow gold dress watch". Women love this kind of dude.I'm seriously considering it bros. Maybe I'll grow a mustache too.
>>18691774Interesting. So as a guy who works around them and presumably receives a discount, what DO you own?
>>18691775I was just thinking about how much it'd suck to have to choose one watch and go with it. No fucking way. I can't even wear the same watch all day. I can't even narrow my favorites down to a top 5. And I don't do a damn thing in order for anyone to think of me a certain way.
>>18691776Not much because I'm saving up to get one good watch instead of spending on several in the 1000-2000 range.Right now the "best" watch I own is a fucking Alpinist I've had for ages. I don't want to dilute my spending by buying watches I kind of like that would set me back on a more serious purchase. Which is good because it also gives me time to better think and research and find models that would work for me.>presumably receives a discountIt's often not that simple, especially in the case of my store because a lot of the brands we see, we get on consignment meaning there's no employee discount, at least not to the level of what you can get if you work for some ADs where you can have access to private brand sales (happens with Cartier and JLC employees, perhaps with ADs too) or a purchase at wholesale price.
>>18691782>one good watch >not $1000-$2000 watchThat's kind of a snobby thing to post. Like you don't consider watches to even have quality at that price. Where does it begin for you? $10,000? Is that why you work in that environment? It can't be much different from any other retail job. I imagine you chose that place to work to just be around and learn about watches. Sucks you don't get a discount though. Are you a salesman who gets commission?
>>18691785The 1000-2000 range is something I'm exposed to very often and that's exactly why I've lost interest in it. When you've seen enough Longines, it becomes clear you're better off going a bit higher and get fewer compromises.>are you a salesmanNo, I'm a purebreed workshop grunt. Hence why, when I see a Longines or a Tudor all it tells me is that I'm better off saving up for something that will have some amount of craftmanship or clever design instead of a model that's mostly viable because of economy of scale.
outside time
>>18691786Wow, so what you want is not something that really coincides with your tax bracket. You're saving for possibly years for a Rolex or something that's going to be the most expensive thing you own besides maybe a vehicle?I respect that I guess. Then what, you're just going to be done with watches? You're not a collector but you like them and you want one super nice one? Or do you think your grail acquisition will only wet your whistle and you'll just keep going for the rest of your life and die with four or five watches you could have bought a house for?I doubt many of the other people here defending luxury prices are actually working toward the goal of getting one, so that's pretty neat.
I can't even reconcile what it'd be like to love watch collecting but only desire five figure watches.
>>18691788I already could buy a Rolex or two secondary right now. I don't want to because Rolex does nothing at all for me but that's another question. Right now I could blow a whole lot on a watch, I'd have the amount. But I'd rather not immediately pull the trigger once I have the nominal sum, istead wait to have at least twice the amount just in case. I don't know if I'll be done once I have "a big one" . Probably not. I would love to think that I'd get like a Breguet with just the right configuration and be done for good but I see a whole bunch of stuff land on or around my desk so something else will get me interested eventually.But in the meantime, I'm staying put.Maybe I'll just grab a Panerai with the right configuration if it ever appears on the market and be happy with it for a while. Maybe I'll wait some more and in a couple years do that with a Breguet or a Moser or what have you. For now all I know is that I've seen enough of the mid range to know it would feel like a compromise I wouldn't be happy with because I'm autistic about my own practices doing some watch repair and jewelry work and would be irked if I got something with a caliber that has a pressed pallet fork bridge - a detail that does not matter in the slightest and has no bearing whatsoever on performance.
Kufe
>>18691790Not everybody who's interested in watches wants to be a "collector". I'm not the other guy but I feel pretty much the same way he does. Why buy several cheaper watches that are "fine" or "decent" when I could buy one really nice watch that I really like? You can only wear one at a time anyways.
Remember when retards online said >fake Rolex are indistinguishable from real onesWell, this is what a $800 rep looks like lmao
>>18691792So not Rolex. Breguet is what you're working towards then? I thought you don't want Panerai. Or you're considering it. That seems like an odd choice for a grail watch honestly. You must have a decent sized wrist and really like what they do. Or I'm ignorant and their watches aren't all 44mm rounded squares with sandwich dial and 3 or 4 of the 3,6,9,12 depending on subdials and complications.Just post a pic of the watch you're saving for. What's it cost? Appreciate you answering my questions.
>>18691790Great thing about working around watchmaking is that you see a lot of watches, you realize there are a lot that you will like but not want to own and a lot that you don't like as much as you'd think.I'm not that interested in collecting, I just want a few good watches that I'll like to wear instead of a lot that will sit in the box.
Dial with blogpost time
>>18691795I'm trying to understand other perspectives and that's why I'm asking. In my mind the enthusiasm and the collecting go hand in hand. How can you be a watch buff and be happy wearing just one? Maybe for him the handling of watches and working in that world gets it out of his system and he doesn't need to own them. I just worry about myself developing expensive tastes because how could you go back? Once you only see flaws in anything under $1000 or $500 or whatever it is, you don't keep buying those. And you can't afford to get your other grails unless it's infrequently or at the cost of other things you might want in life. I'm just glad I naturally like things that I can acquire. There's a realistic switch in my head or something. Like I don't lust after perfect 10 women either. My brain knows there's no way I can fuck 'em, so it makes me favor 7s and 8s. So I wonder if I won a jackpot I'd suddenly see these $20,000 watches differently.
>>18691800That's awesome. Like you get inside knowledge and even get to probably try them on and learn what sucks about them in ways we never will. Like I used to know some restaurant servers in the city who stayed in the business and worked where they did because they were foodies and for them getting the access to this or that chef's food every day they worked was reason enough. They got to have food and wine they couldn't really afford and make great tips serving it and talking about it with chill customers who were there in appreciation also.
>>18691771This feels odd.
>>18691796Are you saying that's laughably fake-looking from that image?I have seen several different videos of watchmakers showing even $350 knockoffs side by side with the real thing and you need a microscope to see some of the differences, and most of it is inside the movement. Or guys disassembling a Rolex in the back of a store before buying it off of a guy only to have to tell him the bad news, or maybe offer him the gold price because it's still made with real gold.And they always lament how good the fakes are becoming and how the average joe or even enthusiast wouldn't be able to tell without deep inspection and possibly tools to open it up. Besides the tape and the dangling tag, what is the dead giveaway that's got you laughing your ass off about it?I don't understand buying knockoffs in the first place, but why would anyone spend so much on one? You could get something pretty great for $800 I'd think. But of course people with Rolex tastes don't like anything that's $800.
I can't really think of anything I'd get for $800 either. I'd get 2 $400 watches. And a month ago I'd have gotten 4 $200 watches. That's why I'm worried about the direction the hobby is going.
>>18691814Any by 'the hobby' I meant 'my habit'.
>>18691799My mind isn't completely made as of now, some candidates are>Blancpain Villeret/Leman90s models had great size, some neat calibers too. Dial layering is very good when you get to see it from up close. Not very hard to find altouhg I'm in Europe and a lot of the models showing up on the market are in the US or Asia.>PaneraiI really like the 8 days calibers and the Radiomir models. When you have a chace to try them on, they wear large but not as large as the specs indicate. Especially on the Radiomir : the wire lugs are so small that the lug-to-lug compares to that of a Submariner even though the Radiomir is 44/45mm in diameter. Panerai would not fit within a "grail" description though, I just like them and know I'd wear it if I had it.>Breguet classique or marineThey have a lot of very nice models, the thin automatic calibers on some classique models are great, it's just about staying put until you can find the right deal>Glashütte Original PanoI like asymetrical dials a lot, and I appreciate going the extra mile with caliber decoration. With secondary prices on these, you can get some nice craftmanship considering>Ulysse Nardin and H. MoserI respect what they're trying to do within the industry and acting as independent instead of being like Rolex or Breitling who are independent but act completely corporate. But I don't like their watches. Oh well.
>>18691816Oh, you're in Europe. Disregard anything I assumed about your job and salary then. As an American I'm used to the retail workers getting like minimum wage and living in our system where you can't get ahead very well. I pictured you in a mall in St. Louis or something. Saving for a fancy watch while living in a place that costs almost half of your pay to live in. You probably do far better than a grunt would at a jewelry store here.
>>18691814>That's why I'm worried about the direction the hobby is going.We saw that from a mile away. We tried to warn you. You didn't listen.
>>18691805>How can you be a watch buff and be happy wearing just one?There are cases where you will see a watch, appreciate it but know it's not for you.For me, some fell into that category after seeing and handling them.>Grand SeikoThe dials make it feel unwearable to me. It's something I want to look at under the loupe, not something that's going to always look sharp and detailed when the rest starts taking scratches and dents. And I can't stand the idea of Spring Drive being impossible to service if I want to.>Rolex and OmegaBoth for the same reason which is that they are and more importantly feel like industrial products. They're very good industrial products but it's not what I'm looking for. I can appreciate that their factories are so efficient that they can do a lot of stuff that would usually warrant a higher pricetag, but it's not what I'm interested in.>API don't like their calibers. They're too fussy. I can't really explain it but when you're working on the automatic bloc transmission it's like you're being condescended to. I don't like it.
>>18691816Wow, you're hardcore. Pretty cool that you work in a watch store. I don't even know a lot of those brands you listed off.It's weird here because in a lot of other hobbies I'm the snob and I hate the lowest common denominator choice, the cheap and crappy version, the paperback bestseller, the hayseed opinion. I'm so much better than all that and my refined tastes are so superior to the unwashed masses.But here I'm the "shitter guy". LOL Unaware of the watches mine are even homaging. I'm the Mountain Dew drinking, Fast and Furious watching, Pizza Hut eating, Nike wearing philistine of the watch community. Oh no!
>>18691820Maybe you can answer an issue I have. I just got >>18691618 this watch and the bracelet squeaks really bad. Never happened to me before. Then I read up on it and see comments like "Only my expensive watches have done this. Rolex and Grand Seiko." And the communities where it was discussed were populated by real deep watch guys like you, who instead of a little quote or something under their posts have lists of the watches they own. So the fact that it's pretty much the most expensive watch I have and the only one doing it is not a coincidence but maybe a sign of quality?And they say it goes away in time with wearing. Maybe a couple weeks or a month. But then others say oil it or wash it with soapy water. And yet others warn against this as anything like that could get in and damage the movement. This doesn't have a screwdown crown so I'm not going to mess around.Do you have experience with this issue? Should I just wear it and wait it out? One guy likened his squeak with George Costanza's swishing pants. I don't want to wear this out and be the source of any elusive noises.I love how everyone's always wearing watches on Seinfeld and they feature into plots sometimes.
It sounds like I have mice under my sleeve.
>>18691812not that guy, but from the picture it looks like:>bezel is utter crap, just look at the numbers >hands look very toyish>date is way off center
>>18691796seems like someone sold you a 300$ rep for 800$. you got scammed blud.
>>18691026Picked mine up last week. Lovely watch, would recommend.
>>18691805>How can you be a watch buff and be happy wearing just one?How can you be a watch buff and be happy only wearing and aspiring towards watches with cheap looking finishing, mediocre bracelets, and the same sellita/miyota movement that's in 1000 other cheap watches? For me enthusiasm and quality go hand in hand.Thinking about what I really want over a long period of time while saving up is more fun for me than buying something that I like at a glance on a whim, more or less.>how could you go back?I don't really want to, but I can't really. Stuff like longines or seiko does nothing for me.>you can't afford to get your other grails unless it's infrequentlyTrue but such is life. Reading about them, watching videos, looking at pictures, and trying them on at ADs is free though. You don't have to own something to appreciate it. I will only ever own a few expensive watches, with purchases spread out over many years. But what is or isn't attainable depends on your personal situation.I will say that I don't own any 5 figure or high 4 figure watches yet. I have a tudor and I've been saving up for a while for a really nice piece. I'm thinking it'll be either a glashutte original senator moonphase or a JLC master ultra thin moon, leaning towards the G.O.I've also tried on a bunch of different watches including langes, breguets, and JLCs that I'll never be able to afford. The experience of doing that is worth more to me than yet another $500 watch that's going to sit in a box on a shelf 90% of the time, and that $500 instead goes into savings to go towards a future expensive purchase.
>>18691824Could be any number of issues with parts rubbing when they shouldn't, pins the wrong size put into the wrong place, a last bit of tape that you can't see stuck between two links..."Squeaky bracelet" isn't a given singular known issue, at least not to me and the brands I work with new.
>>18691832Does it look like that post was saying the guy bought it? I didn't get that at all.
>>18691346>How often/likely is the IC going to fail though? IThis is the heart of the matter to me.>>18691040>>18691060>>18691132>>18691162>>18691163and all you other SD fucks:Electronics made in the past 2006 all use non-leaded solder because the EU decided >muh cancerousand banned it, not considering the consequences. Non-leaded solder if SHIT. Ask any electrician: it is designed to fail. Whereas solder with lead, aka the traditional good shit that isn't cancerous unless you huff in those fumes WHEN SOLDERING, lasts basically forever. It's why the electronics made in the past still work but everything today is planned obsolescence slop. Spring drive uses non-leaded vegan soi solder.It WILL fail sooner than a rolex oysterquartz or a seiko grand quartz from the 70's. I believe they don't even service the IC and just chuck it out and swap it with a new one.Swapping out disposable parts like modern integrated circuits isn't very luxurious. It's ok for a cheapo quartz or a g-shock or whatever but not for a brand with aspirations of luxury like modern grand seiko.Keep that modern soielectronics out of >muh luxurywatch. It's ok for an eco-drive.
>>18691847fuck my autocorrect was off, but YOU FUCKS catch my drift like the good little whores you aresee this furry shit? it's tin whiskerssoi solder grows it and when parts touch that shouldn't because of this abnormal growth your electronics DIEit's why you great grandma's toaster from the 70's still works but your $9 amazon chingchongpingpong toastie shitter dies after 2.5 years.
>>18691849good thing my quartz shitters are from 80s/90s, except for the casios
>>18691847>non-leaded vegan soi solder.Low test.
Honestly if your watch isn't >Rolex>Cartier>Patek>Vacheron>AP>Richard Mille>Journe>Lange>JLC>and MAYBE some very specific models from a few other brandsThen I'm not interested in what you have to say about horology. Or anything else really.
>>18691853Should've just said ROLEX.
>>18691853The rare instance of Bittercel posting pasta but also being right. A broken clock is still right twice per day.
>>18691864>a bitter clock is right twice a day
Got this yesterday, couldn't be happier with it :)
>>18691853Tough shit. Find a new thread then. You've just engaged Seiko Mode, you fucking incel snob. LOL
>>18691874Are you in the army?
>>18691775Wearing one watch for the rest of your life is totally possible but it has to be a watch that matches your lifestyle.If you’re a guy who prefers dinner at a fine restaurant versus going on a camping trip, then you could definitely pull off wearing something like a precious metal dress watch full-time. (Calatrava, Tank Lois Cartier, Altiplano, etc)If you wear it on a hike, though, you’ll look a little silly, like you’re trying to put on airs.Something like >>18691280 or even a reduced collection of two would be great:- a Patek 3919j for daily wear- one of the new Hamilton 36mm Khaki field watches for those instances where a gold watch is inappropriate.
>>18691855Nah.You need a sports watch (Rolex) and a dress watch (anything you like but it has to be expensive).btw if your ONLY sports watch isn't a Rolex then I'll call you poor. EVEN if it's a platinum Nautilus or whatever. Sports watch = Rolex.
Anyone have open hearts?
>>18691884>it has to be expensiveI hope you don't call me poor. Your opinion means so much. Just like it does to all of your real life pals.
>>18691884I don’t think you need a sports watch at all anymore. Depending on the strap and case details, even a dress watch can be worn casually.I wore a Tank daily on a taupe epsom leather strap for three years and it was fine. If I had to get dressed up, I would switch the strap out for a polished gator strap
>>18691796$800 gets you a superclone which is indistinguishable from the real thing until you open it up and disassemble the movement. this is a $200 DHgate/AliXpress shitter
>>18691887I hate this faggy marketing term. It used to be just >exposed escapement now it's open fart. Aka poor man's tourbillon. Aka looks like chinky cheap skeletonized shit. I don't like exposed escapements especially since it's always some basic ugly movement without any extra finishing. It's just more dial clutter. Every single open fart watch would instantly look 200% better if the escapement wasn't spread wide like an ugly worn out puss and rightfully hidden as it should be. They are solely "entry-level" waste of money tier bait that owners will regret buying if they ever look at another watch.
>>18691891Aliexpress doesn't sell fake Rolexes or really any fake watches. They're homages or they're some technically legal offshoot of the real company. The only true knockoff I've seen on offer in all my browsing was the 'omos', size: with N.Which is about $100. Every other homage brand at least has the decency to change a few details and use their own name or a sterile dial. Though I suspect that a lot of those "custom logo" stores may put brand names on them for you after you open a communication with them. But I found a website recently that just openly sells fake luxury everything for $350 or so. Look just like the real thing.One guy on this board admitted that he shows his knockoffs all the time and no one here can tell. I believe it.
>>18691887I have bought a black and bronze Esteem II for my father last year. I used to look for a skeleton watch for myself, but I eventually gave up. Couldn't find any with a dial I would like, the most of them are either unreadable or look like shit.
>>18691895LOL, you're really on your high horse today. It's kind of hilarious. Those disgusting retards so poor and ignorant. They call it the wrong thing and then they also like the look of it. If only they knew enough to not trust their own instinctual tastes.
>>18691900It's not skeleton, it's *exposed escapement*. Get it right or pay the price.
I like King Seiko better than Grand Seiko. In looks as well as movement.
>>18691899>Aliexpress doesn't sell fake Rolexes or really any fake watchesthey do they just scrub off the logos in the listing pictures, you have to order it "on faith" kinda thing. but they're all bottom tier shitters.NTA but I've been posting my reps here for over a year and no one's ever noticed cause they're all S-tier factories. you can't tell in person until you have a gen side by side and break out the loupe and even then it still takes time.
>>18691912rolexisters.... our response?
>>18691274
>>18691903No, I mean full skeleton watches. I don't like dials with the "open heart" feature, it completely ruins the dial composition for me. Asymmetry, cut markers, etc.
>>18691907rado mogs king seiko, baltic and all of these "retro" style sport/dive watches with beads of rise-esque bracelets
>>18691907>>18691918
>>18691912
>>18691921>>18691912
>>18691877No, I just have this one german camo jacket. I live in the states, people wear camo pretty often here.
>>18691912I looked it up and S-Tier is the top one. So you're saying you buy the best shitters they make? What are you paying for them?Do you have a lot of money? Would it be believable that you'd own the real ones? I wouldn't wear a fake Rolex anyway, but if I did it would seem out of line for my middle class life and wouldn't project wealth or status but rather idiocy because I'd either be the guy with the watch he clearly can't afford because it doesn't match his car and clothes and job, or the guy with the fake watch.But I don't think anyone is looking too closely at anyone's watch or identifying what they are anyway. On the one in a million chance someone approaches and says "Is that a __(insert $10,000 watch brand)__?" I don't want to have that name on the watch. I feel a little dumb having unknowingly bought an extremely faithful homage of a Rolex not too long ago. Then I found out like ten different brands make it too which is why I saw it everywhere and just thought it was like a public domain type of thing. The more I research it the more it looks like everyone just 'borrows from' and 'winks at' and 'nods to' and 'lifts' the designs of competitors and sister brands to some extent anyway. Some way more than others.
>>18691924>>18691921Are these the different levels you can buy at different prices?
>>18691918I'm sure it does at $3650.00 or whatever they cost. I saw a few and they're a lot of money.
>>18691918isn't rado the ultimate pajeet shitter though?
>>18691907I really want this one, the case and bracelet with that rich dial seems like I'd be looking at it all the time.
>>18691931>I looked it up and S-Tier is the top oneS-tier means highest rank it's not an official name>So you're saying you buy the best shitters they make?Yes, I test drive them before buying gen. what if I don't like it? ironically I've bonded with the designs I was most skeptical about, which made it easy to justify going for the gen. looking at pics online all day is pretty misleading. >What are you paying for them?$350-750>Do you have a lot of money? Would it be believable that you'd own the real ones?yes. 99.999999999999% of people don't give a shit about your watch anyways. >>18691932these are all the big dawg factories ranging from $400-700
>Seiko>Seiko mods>fake Rolex>Rado>open heart shittersI guess it's lunch time in India
>>18691878> a reduced collection of two would be great:>- a Patek 3919j for daily wear>- one of the new Hamilton 36mm Khaki field watches for those instances where a gold watch is inappropriate.Swap that out for a 3796 and it would be perfect
>>18691934when i bought mine they were like 1800 usd.>>18691938they are popular in india as well as china and russia, eastern countries. But they are great watches with good warranties and part of the swatch group so they have access to great materials, movements etc.I'd argue they make the best bead of rice bracelets in the industry
>>18691918>beads of rice>shiny allover>anchor logo>sea horses (or whatever it is) logotrash trash trash trash
>>18691942why is it so hard for them to recreate the font? don't they just need one gen, take hi res picture of the dial and trace it?
>>18691952>>beads of riceI love the beads of rice and you can put it on a leather strap easily. The red dial comes with a black strap>>shiny alloverIt's definitely a standout piece>>anchor logoLove it and it moves which is a cool function>>sea horses (or whatever it is) logounironically cool and a throwback design
>>18691909poorlex sex.
>>18691938What does shitter even mean? I went to the Rado website and everything looks really high end and certainly costs it. Really cool designs I haven't seen elsewhere and prices from $2,000 to $6,000. Calling things 'shitter' has just lost all meaning. Don't like the brand? Shitter. Don't like the person wearing it? Shitter. Not a Rolex? Shitter.Doesn't it have to be a cheap homage or even an actual 'shitty' watch that isn't reliable or poorly made?
>>18691958But Rolex ARE shitters
>>18691958>What does shitter even mean?It refers to a watch the feces-obsessed Bittercel doesn’t own and that makes him upset. Since he owns no watches, all watches are shitters.
>>18691945It's breakfast through brunch in America. I figured India was further away than that.
