How often do you see ANY nice watch in the wild?

vbrad26 · Aug 10, 2018

BenBagbag
I thought this might be the place for this story.

I stumbled into a Tourneau in NYC a couple of days ago. At first, I walked past a guy buying a Rolex BLNR, apparently he waited a long time to get it and got the call when in came in.

The funny part is I walked by their service department. There was a younger woman there who dropped off a 3-year-old Rolex of some sort. I asked her what happened, she said, "I don't know, it has a lot of water in it." I asked how that happened and she said she wasn't sure but the water has been in there for a couple of months. She figured they'd just get the water out, not realizing she's probably destroyed her watch.

The service person told her she'd call her with a quote on price to fix but that it would be expensive. She said she couldn't be bothered to pay later and why don't they just take her card now and she left what appeared to be an Amex black card on the table and then walked away from the service desk to buy a new watch in the meantime. The service person was taken a bit back by just how causally she had treated the matter, and looked at me with a grin as to what went down.

I guess Tourneau isn't quite the wild but still...

I think this is just the "I'm loaded in NYC mentality" lol
I worked at a higher-end bike shop in the UES and there was one time a guy walked in and just straight up asked..."What is the best road bike you have?"
I turned around and pointed to the S-Works Tarmac on display (with some upgrades all in was about $12k) and told him it is that one, and it actually happens to be the correct size for you.
Didn't even think twice, whipped out that black card and bought it on the spot...dude didn't even look liked he biked!
I do recall he was wearing a Sky-Dweller, because that is the first, and only time I have ever seen one of those in the wild.

jetkins · Aug 10, 2018

Archer
We all obsess about these watches, but to some people it's just a nice watch they decide to pick up on impulse...

There are, and always have been, folks out there with more money than sense. I remember one time I was sitting at a blackjack table late at night, idling away a little time before hitting the sack after a long conference day. A guy sat down in an open seat, pulled out a wad of $100's and peeled off twenty of 'em. Four hands later it was all gone, and he up and left. Didn't say a word the entire time.

Archer · Aug 11, 2018

jetkins
There are, and always have been, folks out there with more money than sense.

Not sure that's how I would refer to the story I told - my point was more that we are unusual in how we obsess over the details compared to most people. For yours yes I agree.

Mouse_at_Large · Aug 14, 2018

Not sure if this would qualify, but I was visiting my mother today, and just as I parked up, and old acquaintance rocked up with her dog. We had a pleasant chat and just as we were about to part, I noticed she was wearing a blingy watch. We then spent a couple of minutes further nattering about watches (her partner also has an interest). She took a photo of my 2255.80 to show him, and I took a picture of hers - a Chopard Mille Miglia 178511-3001 if I'm correct 😀

guaranteed.rohu · Aug 14, 2018

Lots of rolexes in the corporate world!

dwboston · Aug 14, 2018

I had someone notice/compliment my Gemini IV LE the other day - first time for that. I wore my Tag 2000 series panda chrono for 13 years and no one ever noticed it.

lillatroll · Aug 14, 2018

I was in the local Apple store picking up a new ipad, while having set up one of the tech guys, a young man in his early 20s was wearing a Nomos Club, he said he had clocked my speedie and we had quite a long chat about his grandads Omega watch, which he knew little about. Quitr a few of the tech guys came over and we had a nice chat about variuos watches. None of them wore a smartwatch which was quite surprising.

ScubaPro · Aug 14, 2018

LouS
absolute chump-change in a movie budget. Silly of you to think the props department gives a damn.

Yeah, well, I worked in the film business for over a decade and my wife is an AD on feature films. I knew (and she knows) many Prop Masters well. They never spend money when they don't have to. Movies wouldn't do product placement unless they needed to, either. The big cash is spent elsewhere, especially on the actors, marketing, insurance, etc. Why do you think Omega pays millions to get their watches on screen? The film companies wouldn't buy them, they'd just use prop watches. Nobody even notices except the internet watch crowd.

Taddyangle · Aug 15, 2018

Im on vacation in Italy. During the this time I'm seeing mainly fashion watches, Rolex, dress watches on nato 🤮 and iPhone watches. Overall, not many are even wearing a watch these days.

Did see a planet ocean and a seamaster spider.

Can someone explain the dress watch on nata strap. Noticing this more and more. Why would this be a thing?

jimmyd13 · Aug 15, 2018

Taddyangle
Can someone explain the dress watch on nata strap. Noticing this more and more. Why would this be a thing?

Newp. Perhaps simply marketing from the lower end of the mass produced lines? Pretty much every third watch from a certain manufacturer comes on a NATO. I should probably put a NSFW tag on this link ... some of you may openly weep .... I give you, Daniel Wellington: https://www.google.com/search?clien....1c.1.64.img..0.11.713...0i67k1.0.0bPuRKC4lO4

My real bugbear with those watches is that I'd sell them for a fiver on a market ... I never did get fashion.

queriver · Aug 15, 2018

Taddyangle
Im on vacation in Italy. During the this time I'm seeing mainly fashion watches, Rolex, dress watches on nato 🤮

Can someone explain the dress watch on nata strap. Noticing this more and more. Why would this be a thing?

A successful ride-by watch grab requires both spring bars on a NATO to break free instead of just one with any other strap or bracelet??

vbrad26 · Aug 17, 2018

More of a spotting from a different point of view, but I thought this one was a bit humorous...
Went to lunch with my brother in law who wears a Breitling Superocean 2:

5dec853cd53043c12cdcb741e3f67db52ddd052385ebfcafc6ddedfe442da118.jpg

Anyway, I have on my Speedy (as I do most days) and I ordered my food from the gentleman at the register, paid, and that was that.
My BIL behind me steps up to order and the guy immediately says "Whoa nice watch man what is that?!
I just thought it was odd, what was it about the Breitling that stood out to him?
Not that I expect people to think that the Speedy is a nice watch (and honestly I love that fact that it is pretty unassuming), but I just thought it was weird/funny.

time flies · Aug 17, 2018

It is odd...what gets noticed and what doesn't. I too prefer being a bit under the radar with a watch and go back and forth with the whole watch recognition non recognition thing believing there are two kinds of people that will notice a "nice" watch. Both notice the watch, both like the watch, but one likes it enough to the point where additional concern is in order at least some of the time in some of the places I find myself.

have fun
kfw

Darlinboy · Aug 17, 2018

Pretty much every day.

Usually it’s mine. 😗

Steve Essex · Aug 17, 2018

I was on a flight yesterday, the wife had a window seat, I was in the centre seat and the bloke sitting next to me in the aisle seat had a steel sports watch on. At first I thought it was a Rolex. I tried several times to get a good look but with no luck. I finally got my chance when he nodded off and with my glasses on, I leaned over for a good look and saw it was a Hamilton. Unfortunately for me his wife was sitting across the aisle in the other aisle seat and saw it all. She gave me a filthy look so I had to go through a charade of looking at his watch, looking at mine and adjusting the time on mine even though it was already correct! I’m sure she told him later on what I was doing - I could just tell. Awkward!

vbrad26 · Aug 17, 2018

Hah sounds like you played it pretty smooth though...

larryganz · Aug 17, 2018

Steve Essex
I was on a flight yesterday, the wife had a window seat, I was in the centre seat and the bloke sitting next to me in the aisle seat had a steel sports watch on. At first I thought it was a Rolex. I tried several times to get a good look but with no luck. I finally got my chance when he nodded off and with my glasses on, I leaned over for a good look and saw it was a Hamilton. Unfortunately for me his wife was sitting across the aisle in the other aisle seat and saw it all. She gave me a filthy look so I had to go through a charade of looking at his watch, looking at mine and adjusting the time on mine even though it was already correct! I’m sure she told him later on what I was doing - I could just tell. Awkward!

Do you also check out the other guy at the urinal next to you when you go to the restroom? That would get bad 😗 😝

Mmike1357 · Aug 17, 2018

None in my office, but I know coworkers in other offices close by who wear Rolex. One has an Explorer II polar 16570. Another wears a gmt master ii black. There is also a guy I don’t know very well who wears an Oris diver.

rob#1 · Aug 18, 2018

For a few years before I got my Speedy I often wore a cheap quartz at work that has orange hands and numbers on a black face. My colleague often told me how much he loved that watch and how good it looked. Fast forward a few years and I wear my Speedy everyday, and he has not commented once 🤔.
Maybe it’s the orange - if I got a Speedy II Ultraman maybe he’d notice...
Here they are, side by side

Steve Essex · Aug 18, 2018

larryganz
Do you also check out the other guy at the urinal next to you when you go to the restroom? That would get bad 😗 😝

Nah. I was clock watching, not cock watching!

How often do you see ANY nice watch in the wild?

vbrad26

jetkins

Archer

Mouse_at_Large

guaranteed.rohu

dwboston

lillatroll

ScubaPro

Taddyangle

jimmyd13

queriver

vbrad26

time flies

Darlinboy

Steve Essex

vbrad26

larryganz

Mmike1357

rob#1

Steve Essex

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