Ok who knows about fine watches?

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by Captain Morgan

No offense, but a couple points come to mind here.

1. You posted a thread about "fine" watches, then bitched when people gave their definition of "fine."

2. You say you can't afford an extremely fine watch, yet you have how many helmets ranging from 3-600 each? And how many watches that cost a few hundred each? You could easily afford a fine watch if you really wanted to. Just stating the obvious.

I don't think that all my helmets/watches put together will make a $30-50,000 watch. That's what a "fine" watch with all of those stones would cost! Besides,my point is that I would not trade everything I own just to have one watch that can be considered good enough for you connoisseurs of fine jewelery and watches. I would rather have the $800 Richard and co with all of it's diamonds than a plain jane Breitling or Omega. I guess that we are different in that way.

BTW the only time I ever even used the word "fine" was in the title. Heck,I never even proposed that the watch I posted was "fine" or even that Movados were "fine". I didn't "bitch" until they kept ragging on my personal property. GM posted pics of his house,what if I had replied,"what a shit hole!" or "you can do WAY better than that!"? How about the guy that posted a pic of his wife and kid? Should I have pointed out that his wife could stand to loose a few pounds or that his kid looks bound for the Special Olympics?

Anyway,I'm really,really not angry,you guys should know by now that I like to argue points with these guys just for kicks and it doesn't really mean anything to me. In the hoods where I hang out,I constantly get complimented on my Movados/watches and all of my jewelery for that matter. I like the way it looks and I'm not trying to begin a family heirloom so...it's all good baby!

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by RCM78

The Dial on a Movado is known as a museum. AFAIK there is no museum model. It's just the black dial and single diamond at 12 O Clock.

It's called the Museum Dial and it's shared among many Movado models.

Yea it's the museum line....

[RCM78]

Originally Posted by FT BSTRD

Zactly!


I'm trying to convey, evidently imprecisely, that NONE of the watches described as owned or soon to be owned qualify as "fine", but for the money spent a really fine watch could've been purchased.

I KNOW ABOUT FINE WATCHES. I thought that was the point of the thread.



Watches are classified as:

High End Luxury Watches: Audemars Piaget, Blancpain, Breguet, Patek Phillipe, Ulysse Narden


Luxury: Breitling, Omega Rolex


Pseudo Luxury Watches: Baume & Mercier, Raymond Weil, Tag Heuer


Basic Luxury Watches: Epos, Fortis, Movado, and Oris


Fashion Jewelry: Bulova, Citizen, Invicta, Seiko



You don't have to spend thousands of dollars to get a time piece that is unique. Any watch made between 1969 and 1980 was produced at the pinnacle of mechanical watch manufacturing. THESE are the real gems and real fun watches to collect. Most of these can be had for less than $1500 and most are between $300 and $750.


Anyone with a checkbook and the funds to cover the check can walk right in and buy a Rolex. They probably won't even have to know anything about watches to do so. I won't ever own one because of this even if I could afford one.


There is a difference between buying a "bling" watch (Rolex included) to impress others and buying a watch because you like the looks and appreciate the fact that you are wearing a box of metal gears and screws that sling around at the speed of 22,000-48,000 movements per minute and can tell time within +/- a few seconds a day.

To me, it's like wearing a miniature indy car engine at full scream on your wrist.

THAT is a "fine" watch. When you hold it in your hand, you know it's quality.

FT, Tag Heuer is on it's way up the totem pole. The Grand Carerra's all have inhouse movements and the dial's are pretty fantastic. They're going to have some growing pains though since the prices have gone way up too.

Also, Seiko is all over the map not just "fashion Jewlery". I'd put the Seiko Spring Drive in the luxury category.

Tigger, Most people that are into watches and maybe even collect them arent into the "Bling" factor. That Rolex FT posted is probably the UGLIEST watch I've ever seen.

What we appreciate is the "Movement" inside the watch. The gears, spring's, levers, latches,ECT. that make the watch function.

If all you want is bling then get it. But dont spend hundreds of dollars on it. Your throwing your money away. The jewels used in those watches are garbage if not fake and are worth nothing.

[RCM78]

You know, unless it's on a watch forum, threads about watches allways go downhill fast.

[RCM78]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

Ha Swatch,I used to have about 10 of those too. I bought them when I was stationed in Germany in the 80s. Good Times....ha watch humor....!

Uh, no. You dont get it. Swatch Group is the largest swiss manufacturer of watches. They have more then several names under there umbrella. They have been the largest supplier of automatic "movements" to other manufacturers for a long time now. Within the last few years they have decided to scale back production of movements and stop selling to outside manufacturers. The Swiss government stepped in and made them phase out supply for three years. Otherwise some very well known watchmakers would've gone out of business. Brietling would've been one of them.

[FT BSTRD]

Swatch Group owns:

Breguet
Blancpain
Glaschutte
Omega
Longines
Tissot

Among others.


Swatch Group also owns Nivarox. Nivarox is the patented alloy used to produce hairsprings.

Most watchmakers, regardless of inhouse or otherwise, buy their hairsprings from Nivarox.


Swatch owns 90% of the mechanical watch market in one way or another.

Why that happened is another story.......

[FT BSTRD]

Originally Posted by RCM78

FT, Tag Heuer is on it's way up the totem pole. The Grand Carerra's all have inhouse movements and the dial's are pretty fantastic. They're going to have some growing pains though since the prices have gone way up too.

Also, Seiko is all over the map not just "fashion Jewlery". I'd put the Seiko Spring Drive in the luxury category.

Tigger, Most people that are into watches and maybe even collect them arent into the "Bling" factor. That Rolex FT posted is probably the UGLIEST watch I've ever seen.

What we appreciate is the "Movement" inside the watch. The gears, spring's, levers, latches,ECT. that make the watch function.

If all you want is bling then get it. But dont spend hundreds of dollars on it. Your throwing your money away. The jewels used in those watches are garbage if not fake and are worth nothing.

Yep. That listing was an old one. Their base model watches are still the quartz movements. The middle tier are still the ETA and Valjoux movements (although a shrinking group). It's the upper tier that are really stepping it up.

I don't understand why Swatch Group decided to cut off the supply of watch movements to the other manufacturers. They had a monopoly. Why spoil it?

They are forcing the other watch manufacturers to step up and get creative works.

Eventually, Swatch Group will be met and overtaken by the other manufacturers and they won't receive any revenue from outside firms.

[Dnyce]

Originally Posted by RCM78

Tigger, Most people that are into watches and maybe even collect them arent into the "Bling" factor. That Rolex FT posted is probably the UGLIEST watch I've ever seen.

What we appreciate is the "Movement" inside the watch. The gears, spring's, levers, latches,ECT. that make the watch function.

sounds like comparing the desmo and a comparitive worth custom sportbike.

desmo is mechanically attractive, sportbike is visually attractive

all threads go down here lol, even the bike threads eventually. this place is like that, destroys everything it touches while making it awesomer

[Dova80]

Originally Posted by RCM78

Tigger, Most people that are into watches and maybe even collect them arent into the "Bling" factor. That Rolex FT posted is probably the UGLIEST watch I've ever seen.

What we appreciate is the "Movement" inside the watch. The gears, spring's, levers, latches,ECT. that make the watch function.

If all you want is bling then get it. But dont spend hundreds of dollars on it. Your throwing your money away. The jewels used in those watches are garbage if not fake and are worth nothing.

This is exactly it, the craftsmanship of the watch is what is attractive and this usually means it costs more, alot more. The movement, how it is built, it is bling but in a very very subtle way that most people will over look. Its all about the fine details that makes a watch bling to me, not the overstated look at me watch.

[FT BSTRD]

RCM,

I love the new Co-Axial movement Omega is producing. It is the only reason I can think they they cut off distribution of the ETA2892 movement to the rest of the world. They wanted to protect the new escapement.


The first generation were in the workhorse movement, but I could see them running that escapement in higher beat engines and drastically increasing the accuracy.

It was a pretty slick development.


The limiting factor in movements was the ability to lubricate them. Anything above the 36,000 boils off the lubricant in short order. I could see this escapement allowing for faster beats without the ensuing heat, friction and meltdown.

Again, to me, it's like watching a Formula 1 team developing a new engine to run at 30,000 RPMs.