Hello, I'm David. I've been watching over this site for a long time now and have only just started posting. Two years ago, I knew next to nothing about mechanical watches. Longines, Omegas, Universal Geneves, Vacherons - I didn't know they existed. I was a sensible 20 year old who bought battery powered Walmart watches. What fool would spend $1000 on a watch? It was during this time that I started experimenting with ways to make cash. I had worked at a convenient store at my university (I attend UCLA) that paid minimum wage and despised it so terribly that I was motivated to find more creative ways of earning a living. I had school loans to pay off in a few years, mind you, and living expenses. I had earned a few thousand in my bank account and thought "what can I do?"... I was a wayward student at that point and still an English major (thankfully I'm now in biological anthropology). As you know, sappy English majors are required to adore old dusty leather bound books, so I felt it my calling to buy and sell rare or otherwise valuable leather bound books. This was a miserable en devour. I made a few bucks at best in most transactions and the books took up space and they were heavy and expensive to ship and blah! Not enjoyable or profitable. After switching majors, I was no longer obligated to enjoy the smell of a cracked leather bound book and switched over to buying and selling bikes. I did this mostly because I was looking for a good vintage bike to ride to school and wanted to pay for it by buying other bikes on Craigslist and selling them on Ebay. My dream of owning a Raleigh Deluxe full chaincase was finally achieved after a few months, though I never earned enough to pay for it with bicycles. So there I was, heaving my self up the endless hills of UCLA... on a solid steel 40 pound behemoth, with only three gears and brakes so weak you have to grip like a gorilla and smell the rubber burn, burn, burn. Although beautiful, I had to give up the silly fantasy and get a real bike. After my craving for bikes passed, I no longer had the initiative to buy and sell bicycles. My ventures thus far had been tedious and unprofitable. At this point, I was musing Ebay and chanced upon a little cheap 1930's Elgin ladies watch. It was somehow interesting to me that something so delicate was still functional. I had never appreciated mechanical movement before... I excitedly won the auction for $20 and gave it to my girlfriend, who enjoyed it. I was still ignorant of how necessary "services" were or what that meant. I didn't know a thing about the varies brands or makers or movements or styles or anything. Ever since then, my interest was sparked by watches and that interest has never died. I now support myself by selling, buying, and trading vintage (and only vintage) watches. I know every significant brand and many significant models. I can cite movements and dial variations. I can say I'm decent at spotting redials and am careful when I buy and sell. I've sold Patek's, Vacheron's, Piguet's, Longines 13zn's, you name it. My bank account more than tripled from flipping watches in a year and a half. I'm proud to say that I've paid for college and have money left over to keep an apartment with and start a small pool of watches. My rule is that I only use money I've earned by flipping watches to buy watches I'm going to keep and I only own 3-5 watches at any one time. I also ONLY keep watches I wear at least once a week. I deal exclusively with vintage pieces because: 1. They're generally cheaper than newer models of the same brand. 2. They're, in my opinion, often of a better quality and design (especially from the 1940's-1960's). 3. Are generally smaller on the wrist (I have very lean wrists and I usually only buy and sell watches I myself would enjoy owning, since those are the ones that peak my interest). Now.... the moment you've all been waiting for.... Despite all the brands I've faced in the past year and a half... nothing has drawn my love more than Universal Geneve chronographs. I too think that they're undervalued and the tricompaxes are the most beautiful watches I'd ever hope to own. I hope one day to own a grey dialed screwback 1960's model with the 281 movement and the round pushers. In any case, I am fortunate to own three Universals, though only one of them has been recently serviced and the one that has needs to be adjusted (the minute counter is off). These are the only watches I "own" with no intention of selling them. I will only do so if my financial situation demands it, which is possible, given that I'm a recent graduate (just a few weeks ago). We'll see what happens once graduate school comes around. I hope you enjoyed my story. P.S.: One of these watches was previously owned by a member of this forum. Can you figure out which one and who it is?
Oh wow I didn't realise you had that many nice Tri-Compaxes! Very impressive set you have there and welcome!
My pictures may be misleading. I have only ("only", pft...) two Tri-Compaxes and one Compax. I just took many pictures of each of them.
Hi David. My guess is the Compax is the one you bought from here. Something familiar about the shape of the hands. BTW, if you ever come across a really nice Longines Conquest Power Reserve contact me first please!
Great intro And very interesting, most of the stuff posted here is about watches, good to see some human interest and books 'n bicycles
Very interesting journey and introduction. Thanks. I got thru my university days (in the eighties) by working nights as a bouncer (Sydney, Australia - Kings Cross, Copenhagen - Denmark and Malmoe and Lund in Sweden). Stabbed, beat up and a lot of hazzle. The things you do to get an education (actually Sweden have very good student loans but I needed more money to maintain my car/motorbike/bicycle obsessions...) I believe your way might be a lot better (and healthier). Today I can uphold my hobbies in a much more peaceful way - thanks to the education I got back then. Regards Got some bikes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45306161@N03/sets/72157622819586755/
Wow, really impressive collection...love that 71 Masi Monark Ferretti team bike! (is that a 56cm or 58cm frame? And if it is...DIBS! ) I have a few bikes that I've raced/ridden over the years but no where near the level of your stable there. Most of the bikes I have I've built up myself and really enjoy doing so. there's something zen like having a bike in the stand and getting it all to work as it should! Thanks for sharing you have some real history there. My meager stable...
Try that with watches and you can multiply that feeling by 10. I get a bigger buzz when I drop a balance back in and a watch starts ticking immediately than I ever did with a car or bike engine or building a bicycle.
Ha, the 14K was mine but I think the person I sold it to on this forum ended up selling it again? Or was that you? Glad you like it none the less. Was hard to let it go but needed to make room for two more rare models. Eventually I will post pics of my newest addition.
Yup! The 14kt one was yours. The guy you sold it to sold it to me. Right now it's in Canada being serviced by Al Archer. It's so beautiful. ,David
why servicing? That was in perfect order and may still be under warrantee. What happened? I think you actually contacted me about it when you first bought it if memory serves me right.
It seemed to me that the crown resisted too much when I set the time. It took a hearty grip. Also, the chrono function was sometimes jittery - though that might just come with the territory. I'll have to wait and see after the service.