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

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Walk around Geneva… and you will feel like a kid in a watch candy store…
 
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My brother was visiting the Museum of Flight in Seattle today and ran into Astronaut Terry Virts, veteran of 3 EVAs. My brother was wearing his Speedy.

If you ever wondered what a retired Astronaut wears, here's a wrist shot.



The other man next to Terry Virts walked the Pacific Crest trail, so he's a bad ass too. He's from the same town in Germany where our mother was born.
Met Terry at one of the Fratello Speedy Tuesday GTG in NYC… and what a wonderful human being!!
 
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Saw a nice vintage Breitling Chronomat in the wild at the airport today.

Owner had just returned from South Africa and had received it from he’s recently departed fathers belongings. One owner, well worn but in good condition.
Wasn’t working but he was wearing it proudly. Got to have a chat about it and gave him some advice about servicing that will protect the value.
He was much appreciated for the interest and advice.
No pictures as was at work.
 
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i met an elderly gentleman today who had a nice old speedmaster from 1966, he told me that he had it from new when he got it for his 18 birthday
 
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Almost every day. Helps that you are working in a building predominantly occupied by bankers and lets just say i don't mind the relatively slow elevator!
 
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I do not see nice watches every day..Very rare I spot a nice watch and the reality is that I am looking to the wrist of other person to see what watch it wears..😀 Every time I go to a wedding or other important event I look it to the wild. 😀
 
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At a beer festival yesterday a bloke was sat opposite and even without reading glasses the bracelet was a giveaway, an older SMP, maybe a 2531.80, the bloke didn't know the exact model.
Then later on as we were going in another beer tent we bumped into someone we hadn't seen since before lockdown and he was sporting a Speedie.
Edited:
 
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Last weekend, I was getting lunch at Subway and the guy behind the cash register had a Rolex Datejust blue dial on his wrist. Given that he was considerably older than the other workers there, I'm guessing he's the store owner?
 
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Last weekend, I was getting lunch at Subway and the guy behind the cash register had a Rolex Datejust blue dial on his wrist. Given that he was considerably older than the other workers there, I'm guessing he's the store owner?
Or an alumnus of ‘The Great Resignation’ who figured it’s time to ditch the stress and enjoy a job that won’t follow him home. (While Subway wouldn’t be my first choice, I’m this close to going that route.)
 
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couple of nights ago, I went to a Greek restaurant in Mainz, Germany and one of the servers was wearing a Rolex GMT with a Pepsi bezel that showed a nicely faded color/shade - when he brought the beer to my table, I said "nice Pepsi you have there" - he smiled. I asked him if he knew why I called it "Pepsi" and he said yes...then I asked him how long he had owned it, his response was "since 198-something" (I did not get the something part) followed by "and I paid 1,900.....and that's when I told him, I'll give you double the amount you paid for it right now, he smiled again and said with a big grin in his face "no thank you"

and here's a picture of the beer (and shot glass of ouzo), sorry no photo of the Pepsi GMT 🙁

😀

Be careful with that ouzo. It goes down too easy.
 
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A number of us did a watch & clock exhibit at a train show over the week end. We had a young fellow at our booth that was here on vacation. Turns out he is from Lincoln in England, and is a police officer. He is considering emigrating to Canada. I spied the buckle on the wrist watch. The Rolex symbol! Turn out it is a brand spanking new Rolex Submariner date with the ceramic bezel! Most watches we saw, however, were Timex!
 
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Interseting 2 days...

A Tissot PRX
An 80's eagle claw Connie
Gold with Black dial Patek Nautilus
 
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At 3:00 am today, I am in the emergency department of one of our local hospitals. The nurse who prepped me was wearing a steel and gold, midsized Lady Date-Just. This, among countless watches of the Apple variety. (Spent 12 hours in that department. Not that I was terribly Ill , it’s just that, those who walk in carrying a detached body part, or are otherwise in peril, get first nod.)
 
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At 3:00 am today, I am in the emergency department of one of our local hospitals. The nurse who prepped me was wearing a steel and gold, midsized Lady Date-Just. This, among countless watches of the Apple variety. (Spent 12 hours in that department. Not that I was terribly Ill , it’s just that, those who walk in carrying a detached body part, or are otherwise in peril, get first nod.)

Best wishes to you! And hurray for the nurse wearing Vintage instead of Apple.
 
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I think I must just hang out in the wrong places.

Granted, my post-retirement job is driving a dump truck, so I never see a nice watch being worn anywhere I go except what is on my own wrist.

Last night my amazingly beautiful wife and I attended her HS reunion. It was at a nice place in Monterey and there were a few hundred people there. Many financially successful folks among them. As is my usual habit, I looked harder at wrists than at name tags. The nicest watches I saw were aluminum Apples.

In the past year I spied one Sub on a friend's wrist at a barbecue at my brother in laws house. That's my sum total of finds in the wild.

Am I just a low-class rube who hangs out with the wrong crowd, or has the world really gone 99.9% G-Shock and Apple?
Hello!
Here in UK at at Heathrow Airport you see a lot of guys with high end watches… I saw one day a guy wearing Omega Seamaster 2551.80 on one hand and on the other hand he had an apple watch.
 
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Cleared a vessel today “ Large scientific research vessel” guy that came out to sign me in had a Speedmaster. He picked mine whilst I was signing in and I picked he’s as he came up to me.
Few years old, commemorating his father that passed away a few years ago. (Got left some money so wanted something nice)

He was more interested in mine as he was yet to try leather straps..can’t beat a SNPR thick leather strap

 
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Had a visitor to our site for the last two days, I noticed he was wearing a small vintage watch with one of those expanding bracelets, its the first time I've seen someone wearing a vintage watch so I asked him if I could have a look this morning. It was a 1950's gold plated Oris 11 in immaculate condition, I've never seen or heard of one of these, it had a small seconds sub dial with little stars between the cardinal numbers. A lovely watch, belonged to his Late Father in Law. He wasn't a 'watch guy' as such but he had a strong connection to the watch, I wish I took a picture but didn't feel that it was appropriate. It was a nice start to my day.