Watches - another OCD problem
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This is the Iron Heart Only Watch live blog service. At the time of writing, we're up to lot 11.
I was keeping an eye on the Hermes In The Pocket. It ended up going for CHF 35,000. Not to me.
The Leroy with the aluminium case and movement went for CHF 75,000. That's nearly twice the estimate, but I think that it was helped by the company figuring out it'd be hard to replicate, and so it's a completely unique piece.
Another surprise was the Louis Vuitton "The World is a Dance Floor" World Time. That went for CHF 130,000. Nearly twice estimate. Obviously not to @Giles who hates the style.
Still to come, the Tudor, and the Patek.
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The gorgeous FP Journe tourbillion sold for CHF 550,000, and the red MB&F Robot went for CHF 75,000. Not you @Tempvs ?
And now the 8,000 lb gorilla: The Patek.
They're just taking a quick break at CHF 5 million… :o
Now CHF 7 million! And still going.
Sold for CHF 7.3 million. Nearly $7.3 million. I'm really glad I didn't click on the bid button at that point.
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We have the first real bargain of the day. The De Grisogono went for CHF 18,000, against an estimate of CHF 30,000 to 40,000. Why couldn't the Hermes have gone for that.
The Piaget Altiplano went for CHF 75,000. Again, nearly twice estimate.
Rafael Nadal's old Richard Mille tourbillion went for CHF 650K. See, you spend all that cash and get a cast off, along with his sweaty tennis outfit!
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Does anyone here wear a steinheart? Just ordered an ocean black for my Christmas present.
IG - @leatherdenimboots
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The Voutilainen GMT-6 went for CHF 145,000. One blog reckoned it was the choice piece from the auction, and they could live with it as just one watch. Well, at that price, you might have to.
The Blancpain Chinese Perpetual Calendar went for CHF 80,000. That was the bottom end of its estimate.
My favourite tourbillon, the Bell & Ross skull, went for CHF 100,000. I thought bidding has stopped in the 30s. I might have been tempted to get myself into deep debt for that.
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I'm guessing that the Tudor got a boost from the Rolex connection, and the fact that the brand has been on a roll of late.
I don't think Rolex or Tudor have done any one-offs in the past, but I could be wrong. Some of the boutique brands (such as Voutilainen) probably have done unique pieces and that might have hurt the price achieved.
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I've heard they are a good entry level Automatic watch and that's exactly what I'm looking for. Functionality and durability. I've worn a G shock G-lide for years and I want something that looks more professional, but can still take a beating as it'll be my everyday watch. I think I've found what I'm Looking for..
IG - @leatherdenimboots
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The Tag Heuer Connected watch looks interesting, but missing a heart rate monitor seems to be a shortcoming. Furthermore the screen's specs are a touch behind some of the competition.
I'm also very amused by Hodinkee calling the OS Google Wear. It's actually Android Wear, but I'm a nerd so I know these things.
One thing that did surprise me was that Tag spoke of it being upgradeable, but the only path offered is to trade up to a mechanical watch two years down the line. I thought the point was that its guts could be swapped out for a new CPU to keep it up to date.
I do like how the faces aren't photorealistic. The aesthetics of it appeals to me.
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I dropped into one of the watch shops in Melbourne today, and had a chance to look at the very lovely Piaget Altiplano Chronograph.
It's the thinnest chronograph on the market, and won its category at the GHPG a few weeks back. Shame it doesn't come in steel as the gold case would get badly dinged in day-to-day wear, and puts the price up. If you want one it's around £20K or $30K (US).
Hodinkee have a week on the wrist feature for this piece.
What I'd wanted to see was the Zenith Elite Chronograph, which has a similar look, a steel case, and costs about a quarter of the Piaget's price. Unfortunately it wasn't in stock. However, they did have the Pilot Type 20 Extra Special in bronze.
I really liked the original Type 20 because it had an insane chronometer movement in it, whereas the other models in the range are less interesting. This one did appeal because it felt a reasonable size to wear, and had a lot of character. Plus the bronze case will acquire a patina over time.
There was also the Type 20 GMT, which is a limited edition tribute to the Wright brothers. I was a bit less struck on this one, as the case was a bit larger, and the Bund strap bulked it up further.
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Ok, so i'm a complete newbie but am thinking of buying my first decent watch. I prefer a sports/airman/diver style watch and have a budget of around 1000 euros. I was looking at the Glycine Airman Double Twelve:
…and the Sinn 104 St Sa:
Anyone have any other suggestions for the best value for money watch at the price point? Would appreciate the help
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Off the two I'd go for the Sinn, but if you're looking for alternatives @bertoni then I've got a couple.
The Longines Heritage Military COSD is based on a World War 2 military watch. According to aBlogToWatch, it's priced at around $1700 on the nylon strap, and $1900 on a crocodile strap. Not sure what it'll be in the EU, but it'll be around your price bracket.
Some of the entry level Nomos watches, such as the Club will be in your price bracket. It might not be your aesthetic, but it'll get you serious cred from the watch snobs due to its in-house movement.
If you want an oddball choice, how about the Tag Heuer Connected? It's set to retail at €1350, and offers various upgrade paths to either keep the internals up to date, or replaced with an automatic movement.
OK, another alternative choice: An Omega 1953 RAF watch. These have an antimagnetic case design and a chronometer grade movement. They're pretty rare, but not too hard to find, and typically sell for €1500 to €2000.
I'm a big fan of this watch. It's a vintage piece with a 37 mm case, that makes it more wearable than some of the smaller period designs. The movement is very highly regarded. And Omega can pretty much rebuild them to an as new condition at their service department in Bienne, for around €1000.
:o 
