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The frenzied world of rare watches

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Re: The frenzied world of rare watches

#51

Post by smcl »

UmYeahNo wrote: post #14
jacquesm wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have one of these, a '5' and it still keeps time just fine after many years. It's a completely mechanical watch, no batteries to replace and no frills. It will likely outlive me.

Seiko 5's are great, rock solid, last forever. My dad handed down his Seiko 5 to me, it was a 1982 model, that still runs like a champ. Take that Apple Watch we'll see if you're still running in 2062.

I bought a new Seiko 5 that gradually started running faster to the extent that after a couple of years it's now couple of seconds fast every minute. So after a day or so it's pretty far off the actual time. I have an Apple Watch now which is very nice for doing sports or sneakily firing off messages during meetings, but when I got the Seiko I was determined that if it held firm I would use it as long as required. Maybe I should get it serviced, it could be a very easy fix but I felt really let down.

So yeah, seems a little bit YMMV. The Apple Watch has its drawbacks and definitely has a finite lifespan with little hope of repair in the event of a failure, but it doesn't let me down in the one thing a watch is supposed to do.

Re: The frenzied world of rare watches

#52

Post by adamomada »

tempnow987 wrote: post #35

I'm a big fan of timex analog watches (not mechanical) for what its worth. They are much much less expensive than any of these here.

You just reminded me, the other day I learned that Bill Gates, a man who could presumably have any watch in the world he wanted, has (or had recently) a $50 quartz diver made by Casio on his wrist. It’s actually a pretty nice-looking watch, too (Casio Duro)

Re: The frenzied world of rare watches

#53

Post by solveit »

throw8383833jj wrote: post #41
Alex3917 wrote: post #21

Watches are a good example of the fact that, past a certain point, the only thing you can really do with money is paying other people to do your hobbies for you. Like you could learn how to make mechanical watches yourself, but wait, no, why not pay someone else to take up that hobby for you. At the same time, if you actually like doing your own hobbies then money loses its utility pretty quickly.

I'm a newbie on this subject. can you really make your own watch? don't you need to buy all the pieces for it? or need a blacksmith shop or something? how much would it cost for someone to build a watch from scratch with no workshop or prior pieces on hand?

What people call watchmaking is actually usually watch assembling/repairing. As you say, you would need to be a good part of an entire supply chain to be able to make a watch in any real sense.

Re: The frenzied world of rare watches

#54

Post by jacquesm »

smcl wrote: post #51
UmYeahNo wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seiko 5's are great, rock solid, last forever. My dad handed down his Seiko 5 to me, it was a 1982 model, that still runs like a champ. Take that Apple Watch we'll see if you're still running in 2062.

I bought a new Seiko 5 that gradually started running faster to the extent that after a couple of years it's now couple of seconds fast every minute. So after a day or so it's pretty far off the actual time. I have an Apple Watch now which is very nice for doing sports or sneakily firing off messages during meetings, but when I got the Seiko I was determined that if it held firm I would use it as long as required. Ma…

You can just take it into a shop and have it regulated, won't take more than a few minutes and it will be good as new again.

Re: The frenzied world of rare watches

#55

Post by Bud »

grog454 wrote: post #48
bri3d wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that amongst the "high end," counterfeits are probably not that common. Dealers tend to have a reputation to maintain and even the best clones are easily distinguishable once the case-back is opened up and the movement inspected. There are a few rare Rolex models with "1:1" clones which can have an authentic movement installed. There may be some "high profile" counterfeits of these pieces floating around, but…

> learn in great detail the specific, minute differences between each replica factory's attempt at a counterfeit vs. the original. Can you provide some links to examples?

Google for "fake Rolex detection" and there's a lot of quality content on the first page of hits.

This page seems to have some especially nice tips:

https://www.bobswatches.com/rolex-blog/rolex-info/the-top-wa...

Re: The frenzied world of rare watches

#56

Post by kop316 »

solveit wrote: post #53
throw8383833jj wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a newbie on this subject. can you really make your own watch? don't you need to buy all the pieces for it? or need a blacksmith shop or something? how much would it cost for someone to build a watch from scratch with no workshop or prior pieces on hand?

What people call watchmaking is actually usually watch assembling/repairing. As you say, you would need to be a good part of an entire supply chain to be able to make a watch in any real sense.

If you are curious on actually making a watch movement, I recommend looking at George Daniel's book "Watchmaking". It is a very well put together book, but is also very technical.

Re: The frenzied world of rare watches

#57

Post by havelhovel »

Alex3917 wrote: post #21

Watches are a good example of the fact that, past a certain point, the only thing you can really do with money is paying other people to do your hobbies for you. Like you could learn how to make mechanical watches yourself, but wait, no, why not pay someone else to take up that hobby for you. At the same time, if you actually like doing your own hobbies then money loses its utility pretty quickly.

Like many things in the present day, a mechanical watch of the quality or provenance being discussed in this article is not something that can be built in one’s spare time as a hobby, which means consumption is the only option for some truly interesting wrist baubles. And even though I refuse to call watch collecting a hobby, doing so doesn’t preclude one from having other hobbies or interests where one may take on a more active role. The reality is some people can afford to have nice (or stupid) things while also having balanced fulfilling lives.

Re: The frenzied world of rare watches

#58

Post by vgeek »

zucked wrote: post #13

I came into collecting modest watches around 2010. There was certainly a renewed interest in mechanical watches at the time, a lot of it being driven by things like MaleFashionAdvice on Reddit. I believe MFA had a significant hand in rescuing Seiko from obscurity with the SNK809 and SKX007. Old Seiko mechanical chronographs like the 6139 could be had readily for less than a thousand dollars. I had a beautifully resto…

If you like lume, check out tritium watches from companies like Luminox or Traser. They have automatics that are reasonably priced and are super utilitarian. Most of their models are field or divers, so they may fit your preferences.

Re: The frenzied world of rare watches

#59

Post by bri3d »

grog454 wrote: post #48
bri3d wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that amongst the "high end," counterfeits are probably not that common. Dealers tend to have a reputation to maintain and even the best clones are easily distinguishable once the case-back is opened up and the movement inspected. There are a few rare Rolex models with "1:1" clones which can have an authentic movement installed. There may be some "high profile" counterfeits of these pieces floating around, but…

> learn in great detail the specific, minute differences between each replica factory's attempt at a counterfeit vs. the original. Can you provide some links to examples?

The RWI Panerai forums have particularly, sometimes ridiculously, detailed breakdowns in general:

https://forum.replica-watch.info/forum/panerai/9692510-somet...

RepTime also have good movement breakdowns a lot of the time, this one with a focus on practicality of Rolex clone movements rather than gen vs rep: https://www.reddit.com/r/RepTime/comments/p7omhv/rolex_repli...

Re: The frenzied world of rare watches

#60

Post by smcl »

jacquesm wrote: post #54
smcl wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I bought a new Seiko 5 that gradually started running faster to the extent that after a couple of years it's now couple of seconds fast every minute. So after a day or so it's pretty far off the actual time. I have an Apple Watch now which is very nice for doing sports or sneakily firing off messages during meetings, but when I got the Seiko I was determined that if it held firm I would use it as long as required. Ma…

You can just take it into a shop and have it regulated, won't take more than a few minutes and it will be good as new again.

I'll give it a go
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