Those are not mine: the first one is @MSNWatch, the rest are @gemini4.

 

I really doubt anyone buying a modern Omega or JLC or Panerai or whatever with Old Radium lume is trying to trick anybody into thinking they have a 50 or 60 year old vintage piece. And they are especially not trying to impress their "shallow co worker" who would be more impressed by any number of cheaper watches.

People who wear vintage inspired watches are by and large not trying to impress anyone--they are just buying what they like.

Similarly, people who wear actual vintage collectibles are doing it for themselves.

 

Yep. And the guy who just spent $100k+ on a 2915-1 or a Paul Newman Daytona is less show-offy than someone who just bought a DateJust!

 

They're letting you indulge your creative side and do that yourself ... all you need is a hammer, a cinderblock, and perhaps a towel for some cushioning. Oh, and a Band-aid for when you miss and hit your finger.

 

Instead of the Trilogy XXX/557 stamp, they should've given the set white lume to set it apart from the standard limited edition watches with faux lume

 

This gets at the heart of it to me.

I know it's not radium, but as a vintage guy I just like those tones. If you want me to buy a new watch, bringing some of that warmth to the dial is a good way to do it. And all this talk of "earning" patina...very few of us "earned" the patina on our vintage watches, unless you count paying the premium for a good example that happens to have aged well. While conceptually I like the idea that a vintage watch has lived a life, I also acknowledge that most of want something relatively untouched/unscathed. A vintage watch that's been beat to hell looks "tired" and most of us won't buy it. And even if you've bought a watch that has seen some cool things and would have "stories to tell," you probably don't know those stories because you bought it from another collector, not the guy who climbed a mountain with it or whatever. Then on top of that, for as much as we like to talk about vintage tool watches being ultra rugged, the glory days of exploration, etc, we (a lot of us anyway) baby the hell out of them to maintain their condition and value.

I ordered the speedy. I bought it because it's the closest I'll ever get to the 2915, my all-time favorite watch. I'm not trying to trick anyone into thinking I have a $150k watch. I bought it for me because I like it. I also bought it because most of my collection is vintage, and it'll be nice to have a watch that has the look that I like, that I can also wear and not worry about. It's not about trying to fool anyone. I just look at it as color. White is a color. Beige is a color. There's no reason why lume has to be white. For a watch like this one, I think the warmer dial helps. Especially when you take into account the stability of superluminova vs tritium/radium.

As for showing off, vintage watches just don't really impress people who aren't into vintage watches...at least not in my experience. I work with a few people who collect modern watches. When one noticed my 1675, she asked me why I didn't just save more and get a new rolex.

 

Excellent post all the way around. I would only point out that the "earned patina" may refer to the patina the watch earned during its life...not necessarily while in the possession of a particular owner.

 

Any word on if these are sold out yet?

 

Or just lollipop second hands

 

Let's face it the whole watch is pretending to be old so why get so upset with just the lume.. modern lume is not going to change colour so beige required. Ps I also have a slight problem on how these are an exact replica of their respective models but the sure look good.

 

Thanks, and fair enough. I meant that to me, I haven't been there for any of my watches during the time that they've aged. Realistically I had nothing to do with it (other than eventually buying the watch) so how that particular shade of patina got there is no real accomplishment on my part.

I could see that being a very different experience if I were the sole owner of a watch purchased in the 60s or 70s that has picked up color over the years. If that were the case I would fondly look back on those times and it would bolster my sentimental attachment to the watch. That said, I think that's the exception rather than the norm for people who come to watch forums. At that point we're verging into the territory of those mythical "one watch guys" who have been wearing old GMT masters, subs, or speedies every day since 1960. Very cool, but not necessarily representative of the bulk of collectors.

 

Of course i meant mission patch.

 

I liked this and your previous post - I think you nailed it. However, reading the proliferation or posters (mostly on one other popular forum) whining about the scratches they got on their crystal, case, clasp, PCLs, etc and wanting to run back to the service centre to have it fixed so that it looks brand new again, one could be forgiven for thinking that very few watches are ever going to develop their own story. That's why I love posting this photo, which gives many of them the heebie jeebies.

 

Could you imagine what would happen if Rolex followed suite and re-released the matte dialed Red Submariner 1680 or the McQueen Explorer II 1655 or GMT 1675?? Man!

 

I want a Big Red re-issue! I dont think we will ever see it but they could easily charge $20-25k for a SS 6263 and have waiting lists for years upon years. tbh, id probably rather have a re-issue bc I could beat the hell out of it and not worry about damaging a $5k+ bezel.

 

Anyone confirmed with the OB how much these watches are in the U.K.?

 

OB could only give me a rough £ price based on the CHF exchange rate. They don't know yet basically.

 

When my local AD confirmed my Speedmaster reservation on Monday they told me the price is £5300.00 with delivery at the end of May.

 

That pisses me off because Omega in the US is charging way more than the CHF-->USD conversion rate and is quite evident with your quoted GBP rate. And to top it off, the US (and CAN) are the only ones requiring a 100% deposit.

 

Thanks. It's higher than I expected it to be comparing with some of the other watches and LE. It'll probably still sell out though.