Watches - another OCD problem
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@Giles and @Madame Buttonfly invited me along to SalonQP on Friday, and I'd like to say thanks to Richard and Piers of Pinion for the ticket.
There was plenty of watch porn on display. Here are a few things I saw.
The new Pinion Revival 1969 was on show, and that was a lovely piece. It uses a new old stock Valjoux 7734 movement, which looks great through the sapphire caseback.
Schofield are another small scale British watch company, and they were showing off their new Beater, designed for everyday abuse.
Grand Seiko with a high beat movement. The dial is gorgeous, and it won the Petit Aiguille prize at the GPHG last week. If you're after a Seiko, get this one.
De Bethune Maxichrono DB29, another winner at the GPHG. There's a tourbillon hidden in there,…
L.U. Chopard 8HF. Ceramic and titanium case. Most high beat designs, such as the Seiko (above) or Zenith run at 5 Hz, this runs at 8 Hz, and is chronometer rated.
Another pair of Chopards, the 1963 and PuristS Edition 1963 Chronograph.
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And there's more…
The Jaeger LeCoultre Geophysic in steel and gold. Yeah, I know that some readers don't appreciate it.
Jaeger LeCoultre minute repeater for women. It's $240,000, so don't let the lady in your life see it. :o
Urwerk EMC, yet another GPHG winner. It contains an electronic circuit that is powered by winding the crank on the right side of the watch's case. When charged it'll give an indication of how accurately it's running. It sells for £91,000 in the UK.
Now, I was asked how I get to see expensive watches. Well, myself and @Simon were admiring the MB&F HM6 "Space Pirate", and the gentleman on the stand asked us if we'd like a look.
The design is based on a spaceship from the Captain Future anime series.
It's a self-winding movement, with minutes and hours indicated in the domes at the front, the central dome contains a tourbillon, and the turbines in the rear domes are used to dampen the forces from the rotor. One of the crowns winds and sets the time, whilst the other closes a metal cover over the tourbillon, you know to protect it from hyperspace.
The watch costs £179,000. Rumours that MB&F are working on the IHWA-2, based on the motorbike from Akira, are unsubstantiated.
Lastly a piece by by Struthers. They're another small British company, but come from a background of watch restoration, so they're building new pieces around antique movements.
Whilst this one won't go down too well here, they're working on a new design that will use the original style waterproof casing. I'm looking forward to seeing it.
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Looks like that was fun time. I don't think I'd ever wear them, but I really like the funkiness of the Urwerk and the Space Pirate. The most appealing to me overall, however, is the 8HF. I like how everything is just a bit off kilter. Somehow it all works when it doesn't seem like it should.
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Really need to mark this event in my diary, managed to be in the wrong part of the world twice now! That Pinion 1969 looks very nice, but would like to understand how they justify the price. Never heard of Schofield before but just had a browse through their site and like the Signalman, also the Blacklamp is very funky but at £10k out of my price range for something that may not have the residuals of the better established brands. Still it's great to see that watchmaking is alive and thriving
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i did come across MB&F through hodinkee or something.. their fancy watches looks nice to look at but i doubt i'll ever wear it. though that JLC geophysic is growing on me though i would prefer a date window rather than a time only watch..
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@Sugar:
Very nice Anesthetist. Haven't seen your Tudor Black Bay in a while - how's that working out for you? I'll be picking up my own Black Bay next month but 90% sure it'll be the ''Blue Bay'', as that one has really grown on me and I think I'll get more mileage from it as a daily watch.
Thanks SM, I still wear the BB quite a bit but since buying my Grand Seiko SnowFlake it has been on the back burner more often than I'd like to admit. I have to be honest I've almost considered letting it go to fund the IH watch but can't seem to do it. This might mean that the IH watch waits until next year sadly (if any are left) but it gives me a goal to save for and that's an exciting thing. I think you will like the blue version of the BB a lot. It is a sharp watch but I'm such a sucker for gold hands that I'm glad I have the burgundy.
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Cheers Anesthetist. That GS is a beaut, so I understand. Likewise with the saving - I decided to put away a little on top of my regular savings each month, with a timeframe in mind for when I would finally cop the Black Bay. It's going to be all the sweeter to finally pick it up!
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I asked about the Classique Chronométrie in the Breguet Bond Street boutique the other day, and the salesman asked if I'd like to take a look at it.
This really is a special piece. The movement runs at 10 Hz, which is one of the fastest available. Most high beat designs run at 4 Hz, a few, such as the Zenith El Primero or the Seiko are at 5 Hz, whilst the Chopard 8HF runs at 8 Hz. The advantage is that this improves the accuracy, and the Breguet runs between -1 and +3 seconds per day, whereas a COSC certified chronometer will be between -4 and +6 seconds a day. Furthermore, this rate is tested over a 48 hour period, rather than 24 hours, which is what COSC uses, and so accounts for a greater proportion of the power reserve.
The reason that manufacturers aren't turning out 10 Hz movements is that the escape wheel will move so fast that it would shed oil, which isn't what you want. Breguet are part of a consortium with Rolex and Patek who developed silicon components, and these don't need to be lubricated.
The other trick is that the spring is supported by a magnetic pivot. This adds an element of shock resistance, as it will slip back into place if knocked out of alignment. Normally magnetism is a problem for watch movements, but silicon is amagnetic and so is unaffected.
This was explained with a helpful model. The spring and the blue wheel are the silicon components.
Breguet's watch boffins won the grand prize, the Aiguille d'Or at the GPHG for their efforts.
The finishing on the watch is absolutely exquisite. The decorations on the dial are machined by hand, and the movement (which I don't have a picture of) is polished and chamfered.
As for price, it's £29,000 in a yellow or white gold case. I need to get saving…
If your budget doesn't stretch that far, the Marine series have a lower entry point at around £11,000. It makes for a dressier alternative to something like a Blancpain.
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I saw pictures of that Marine series- really great attention to detail and the wave theme is carried throughout without looking gimmicky. I thought the rotor was interestingly done, and I love any watch with a big date function.
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A friend is after a watch at the other end of the price scale, and I took a look at a couple for her at the new Watches of Switzerland shop on Regent Street.
From left to right, a 1960s Omega Constellation, Nomos Tangente 33, and Nomos Club.
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Get the Tangente. I wear mine all of the time and never get tired of the simplicity and beauty of the design. The club is nice but more contemporary. That particular Omega doesn't do much for me and service can be tricky.
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The Tangente is really small, though. I've never seen one, other than on the Internet, so maybe it doesn't seem so?
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@Chris - all three of the above watches are small, being between 33 and 35 mm in diameter. The Tangente is a ladies design, so is even more diminutive than what we'd normally wear.
I've been wearing my Tender recently, so have got back into unfashionably tiny timepieces. There's a bit of an adjustment, but after that I'm fine.
Thanks for your thoughts @Anesthetist - I think that a Nomos makes a lot of sense. The Omega would probably also be a bit more delicate, as it's 50 years old too.
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First and second pic are the same watch. Second watch (third pic) is an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra…
Have a looksie here, Rafa!.. http://www.watchrecon.com/?brand=omega
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Always loved aviation and aeronautics so this is the perfect watch for me.
