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

sxl2004
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Dsloan Dsloan
I saw a TON at our local aquarium the other day (including a Sinn U-50! I never see those out in the wild). I also got a TON of bad reactions to my enthusiastic shout-outs.

One guy had the new white dial speedy. When I asked him how he liked it, his wife grabbed his arm, covered the watch, and pulled him away like I was about to mug him. That would have had to do with a 6-year-old on my shoulders. 🙄

6yr olds are the are the most dangerous. They look so innocent

😉
 
mseamaster
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Dsloan Dsloan
I saw a TON at our local aquarium the other day (including a Sinn U-50! I never see those out in the wild). I also got a TON of bad reactions to my enthusiastic shout-outs.

One guy had the new white dial speedy. When I asked him how he liked it, his wife grabbed his arm, covered the watch, and pulled him away like I was about to mug him. That would have had to do with a 6-year-old on my shoulders. 🙄
Yeah, it's a similar sentiment where I am. Most people would think you are looking to scam them or steal the watch if you talk to them... Sad reality.

I would be wary too if someone noticed my vintage KS/GS. But so far, no one does, which would make it even weirder and random when it eventually happens.

I am probably going to say: "Nah, that's just a cheap quartz fashion Seiko watch I bought from the mall, the GS stands for Great Style".
I mean there's no "Grand" on the dial, is it? 😁 And then I will quickly move away.

sxl2004 sxl2004
6yr olds are the are the most dangerous. They look so innocent

😉
Cats are more dangerous. Mine tried to attack a watch I placed on a table while I was taking photos of.
 
pdxleaf
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Jakeys Jakeys
I'm a millennial in Australia and for me it's very rare, I work in IT and there is not a lot of appreciation for high end watches. Likewise almost all of my friends and family have little interest. It kinda sucks, but I'm into watches for me.

I have pushed a few friends/colleagues who express an interest in watches towards Seiko, but there is very little interest in spending more than a few hundred for most. I think it might just be a digital mindset amongst IT folk, although personally I like anachronistic technology like mechanical watches as a bit of escapism from my day job. A colleague asked me point blank what one of my watches was worth and after initially deflecting, I told him and he clearly thought I was insane.

I'm a boomer in the States and am similarly isolated, although I have had some success in getting my wife, one daughter and brother interested (mostly by gifting watches.)

It's kindof satisfying to read your experiences, as they are very relatable. Thankfully we have the forum.

Cheers.
 
Jakeys
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
I'm a boomer in the States and am similarly isolated, although I have had some success in getting my wife, one daughter and brother interested (mostly by gifting watches.)

It's kindof satisfying to read your experiences, as they are very relatable. Thankfully we have the forum.

Cheers.

Yeah, it's actually been a really long time since I've joined a forum. Like, maybe decades. Social media largely replaced forums for me (and many others I suppose) but I came here to ask a basic clasp question and enjoyed hanging around. Feels a bit like a window into a past time.

Watches are an interesting thing, because I think the vast majority of society just doesn't care or understand. It's very much an either you get it or you don't style interest, at least in my experience. I'm rarely asked about it, and it's risky to discuss anyway because most people's perceptions of the value of a watch are in the low hundreds - to share that I've spent thousands can often receive a negative reaction. Never hostility, more polite judgment. But it's also one of the first questions I tend to get asked so it's an uncomfortable topic. This may be somewhat age or demographic dependent.

Basically, I'm always happy to run into another watch enthusiast, but mostly I just wear and appreciate them for my own enjoyment and that's about it.
 
Dsloan
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mseamaster mseamaster
I would be wary too if someone noticed my vintage KS/GS. But so far, no one does, which would make it even weirder and random when it eventually happens.

I am probably going to say: "Nah, that's just a cheap quartz fashion Seiko watch I bought from the mall, the GS stands for Great Style".
I mean there's no "Grand" on the dial, is it? 😁 And then I will quickly move away.

I'm the opposite. I immediately took a Tudor off and handed it to a stranger at a bar the other day. They asked about it and I was excited to chat. It prompted a nice conversation about modern sports watches. If he ran off with it, I'd file an insurance claim.
 
Tayne
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I'd talk to a stranger about my watch but not take it off my wrist for them.

If it was someone I'd met through friends or business, someone who has some reason to be in contact with me but I didn't really know them, then yes they can have a look at my watch.
The last one of these was a chap at the general election count who was wearing a Bremont.
 
mseamaster
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Dsloan Dsloan
I'm the opposite. I immediately took a Tudor off and handed it to a stranger at a bar the other day. They asked about it and I was excited to chat. It prompted a nice conversation about modern sports watches. If he ran off with it, I'd file an insurance claim.
I live in a big city where people don't have much appreciation for things and most would just see a watch for its monetary value. Sad, but true. And insurance for watches isn't popular.

Watch shops usually sell overpriced fashion watches. Talking about Seiko - the most highend Seiko you can buy locally is a hugely overpriced GMT 6R54 diver. It's not bad looking per se, but not special. Even a 4R36 Monster can pass as a highend watch. I like mine, but I think it's rather a nice mass produced daily beater (I have a K international version not made in Japan, the dial is very beautiful though, but the lume is crap).

Anyhow at this point I realized it's better to get inconspicuous Seiko watches, and not Rolexes/Tudors.

Eventually I am going to look for a Speedy and Seamaster though, since I like them and Omega doesn't seem to draw attention. Too many people wear fake Omegas so no one cares.

I would be happier if more people appreciated watches for what they are.
 
sxl2004
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On my last flight I had a seat neighbor wearing an 18K yellow gold Rolex Skydweller. He let me try it on and it is nice but was very heavy.
 
mseamaster
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sxl2004 sxl2004
On my last flight I had a seat neighbor wearing an 18K yellow gold Rolex Skydweller. He let me try it on and it is nice but was very heavy.
I don't have anything non-SS yet(I don't like plated/filled), I will surely add a titanium watch someday. An 14/18K sounds nice(and there are many vintage watches like that) but I am thinking it would get scratched easily. Weight is also a factor.

Was the Rolex minty or badly scratched/dented? I've never seen a 18K watch in the wild.
 
DoctorEvil
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A month ago I got back in touch with a cousin I hadn't heard from for ages. Was pleasantly surprised that he's also into watches. He got himself a JLC Reverso during the pandemic as a treat and wears it at work. His weekend watch is a Seiko 5 GMT.

As a medical practitioner I sometimes do health screening for corporate executives at the big end of town, so naturally you'd think that I see nice watches all the time. However, it's surprisingly rare. Maybe once every couple of months? More likely to see someone wearing a smart/fitness watch. I guess it's a sign of the times. Either that, or they're saving their nice watches for special occasions.
 
Speed2Sea
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Rarely...but the other day I was taking a walk at the beach and was talking to a woman who was wearing two Lady-Datejust Rolex watches on the same wrist.
 
sxl2004
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mseamaster mseamaster
I don't have anything non-SS yet(I don't like plated/filled), I will surely add a titanium watch someday. An 14/18K sounds nice(and there are many vintage watches like that) but I am thinking it would get scratched easily. Weight is also a factor.

Was the Rolex minty or badly scratched/dented? I've never seen a 18K watch in the wild.

Very mint. He was a jeweler.
 
Turpinrr
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On Sunday in a pub, Tudor GMT, Lady datejust, Oyster Perpetual and a Longines.
I know the bloke with the Tudor but not the Rolex and Longines owner.
The Rolex owners both said their watches don't keep good time ??
 
bassem abadan
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Turpinrr Turpinrr
On Sunday in a pub, Tudor GMT, Lady datejust, Oyster Perpetual and a Longines.
I know the bloke with the Tudor but not the Rolex and Longines owner.
Lives is to shoort to be wihout good watch on wirst daily....
The Rolex owners both said their watches don't keep good time ??
 
17217222085264033964717129063753.jpg
Turpinrr
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Dsloan Dsloan
I'm the opposite. I immediately took a Tudor off and handed it to a stranger at a bar the other day. They asked about it and I was excited to chat. It prompted a nice conversation about modern sports watches. If he ran off with it, I'd file an insurance claim.
That's the same experience I've had, and with Tudors too.
 
Jakeys
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Speed2Sea Speed2Sea
Rarely...but the other day I was taking a walk at the beach and was talking to a woman who was wearing two Lady-Datejust Rolex watches on the same wrist.

Two watches must be trendy, I saw a Reddit thread on /r/watches just the other day with a woman asking for a fit check on a watch and the suggestion in the comments from another woman was to accessorise with a second. Apparently Princess Diana popularised it? The more you know!

upload_2024-7-23_20-48-18.png
 
rob#1
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Jakeys Jakeys
Two watches must be trendy, I saw a Reddit thread on /r/watches just the other day with a woman asking for a fit check on a watch and the suggestion in the comments from another woman was to accessorise with a second. Apparently Princess Diana popularised it? The more you know!

upload_2024-7-23_20-48-18.png

She was just using them in place of a GMT watch 😉
 
Waltesefalcon
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mseamaster mseamaster
I don't have anything non-SS yet(I don't like plated/filled), I will surely add a titanium watch someday. An 14/18K sounds nice(and there are many vintage watches like that) but I am thinking it would get scratched easily. Weight is also a factor.

Was the Rolex minty or badly scratched/dented? I've never seen a 18K watch in the wild.
Don't let gold content scare you off. The biggest issues with gold watches tends to be over zealous watchmakers when they polish the case. I always ask that my gold cases not be polished.
18k wears pretty well, this Eterna is in an 18k case and was made in 1947.
20230521_151533.jpg 20230521_151818.jpg
This Hamilton is in 14k and also from the late 40s. As you can see the lugs are still sharp.
20231018_162852.jpg 20231018_162857.jpg

For something a bit older, these two Hamiltons are both 14k also, and from the late 20s. The yellow one has been over polished at some point in its life.
20240311_070840.jpg 20240311_070852.jpg 20240217_110648.jpg 20240217_110652.jpg
 
Turpinrr
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Jakeys Jakeys
Two watches must be trendy, I saw a Reddit thread on /r/watches just the other day with a woman asking for a fit check on a watch and the suggestion in the comments from another woman was to accessorise with a second. Apparently Princess Diana popularised it? The more you know!

upload_2024-7-23_20-48-18.png
She probably had a better taste in watches than husbands
 
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