Hi all,
I was watching a youtube video by K.D.P Ross (link below) and i would be happy to open a discussion on the same idea here.

Well, please allow me to share with you how i think of the meaning of owning a watch, being connected emotionally to and was it needed to be purchased in the first place!

I will try to summarize it in points:

1- mechanical watches
They really have something magical in how they sound and how they give you the feeling that they need you (for self/hand winding, adjusting, setting, servicing....) as much as you need them. Quartz watches miss that part though i respect them for introducing a technology that solves power reserving problem that some people find it annoying!

2- a single purpose device
Many people have discussed the issue of gear watches ,if i am using the right terminology, .. one of them was my 12 years old son, and i tried to explain my own opinion to him as simple as: watches/clocks survived for 200 years because (in my humble opinion) they do serve a single purpose of time keeping! The NASA team was equipped with the most advanced devices of that age.. but this 43mm moonwatch saved their lives on apollo 13! It was built just to keep time even in harsh conditions!

3- worth!
A hot debate comes from time to time between me and a very close friend who keeps criticizing me for being a watch enthusiast. It all started when i paid a hell of money for restoration of vintage family-inherited watches,, he claims that what i am doing is waste of money as the original owners are gone and it is now "pointless" to spend money on their stuff while i can pay a tenth on a regular watch that "regular people" put on their wrists!
I can understand that both of us (myself and my friend) are on two extremes! But let's be realistic! I can pay for a mechanical watch a sum equivalent to a price of a new smart phone! Many people (including my friend) would accept that and find it "reasonable thinking" while they would jump on me for paying that on a watch. The funny part comes after couple of years when their phones turn into crap while our love to our watches grow year after year. And after we go away, our sons and daughters will remember us definately not with our iphones... but with the timepieces that we left over for them to enjoy or even sell on ebay!

I hope you find this topic interesring and contribute with your valuble coments below
Thank you for reading..
Regards,
Sameh.

 

Moon watch is 42mm

With less than a minute on that video who the hell is this guy?

Can't wear stamps and my mother stopped me collecting bongs...

 

Hi Sameh,

At least you and your friend can discuss watches together, and debate the pros and cons! Most of my friends cant even broach the subject with me. They run a mile. I am not boring with it, as my wife can gladly attest to (she does like telling me if I am being boring on any subject) and so she can understand why more people we know just aren't interested in watches either. If I am asked, I give my opinion. But nothing too boring to drive people to sleep. Its just to dry and left field for them! My thought is that most people I know use a watch for one specific function and anything other than that is just not interesting to them. Of course, if it were a latest smart phone model, the debate would be fairly lively indeed. To me though, thats a really boring subject, so I avoid it. Go figure.

So, here I am on my own without a watch friend in the world (except on this forum), which makes me think 3 things;

1. The internet is surely one of the greatest gifts the world has received in the past 100 years for contacting like minded watch enthusiasts around the world.

2. I should get excited by smart watch development, cause I don't have anything to talk to people about otherwise, and

3. With watches, I have a boring hobby and interest.

I have made a few watches of my own design over the years and shared these with favoured friends and family. I provide a written set of instructions with each one on setting the watch for time and date, and winding (most are automatics), and I find that the more the watch drifts from just telling the time, the more that no one really understands what the watch is doing, nor how to maintain or set the thing correctly. So, what hope do I have getting any conversation on the latest (Insert watch maker name here), XYZ model with anyone I know?

Tell a lie. I do have a great Nephew who is very interested in watches at the moment. He is 12 and wants to learn more about how they work and how to maintain them. So, perhaps there is hope yet. Of course, I can't get a conversation out of him on watches, as he is continual distracted by his latest smart phone app.

Cheers

 

Yikes...that was tough to watch. His background is in "technology" (whatever that means) but he has a terrible time calculating times zones, so adding and subtracting a few numbers?

Anyway, I saw this video this morning, and thought it was appropriate for this thread as it touches on a few things in the video above regarding complications, watchmaking as art, and of course I'll watch any video with the AHCI masters in it that this one has...you might not appreciate the aesthetics of some (some I certainly don't), but they are all very talented watchmakers.

I would encourage anyone who watches this to look up some of the people in this video if you are not familiar with their work. On most forums we focus on big brands and massed produced watches, but these guys are where my heart lies when it comes to pure watchmaking...

Cheers, Al

 

I don't know anything at all about watches and what makes one better or worse than another, complications and movements, etc. I am just starting to get into the watch thing and it is overwhelming how much data is out there. I'm in the process of buying my first real watch(Speedster Pro) and I had no idea how many different variations there were. They all look the same to me barring a few exceptions, but there are so many differences between them that I fear i'll be lost forever!
Talking to people that don't have an appreciation for any hobby can be difficult. I collect Scotty Cameron putters and if you think people don't understand watches, you should see what its like talking to someone about high end putters! Once you get into it, some of these putters can cost up to $14,000 or more. Explaining why a $6000 putter is better than a $150 putter is really hard to do. Kind of like why people don't get why you would need a high end watch when an Timex IronMan will do the same and often times more. Of course we there is the collectability aspect and the appreciation for what goes into these things and that is a big part of watches as well and probably the most misunderstood part by the people who don't have an appreciation for whatever it is you are collecting.
I don't know how deep I will get into collecting watches. What I like and at this point, have an immediate interest in pursuing, is probably very pedestrian to a true collector. However, I do have a great appreciation for watches and hope to learn a lot more about it. I just hope I don't sucked in to hard because it will make me broke! LOL

E

 

For me it is all about heritage, brand awareness, slowing down, remember the non-digital times, sharing the hobby with others, aesthetics, only jewellery for men, status, the good feeling to be dressed perfectly with denims or suit, passion, investing my money in hard facts, inspiring others. What else, George?

 

Thank u!

 

Great video.. thank you for that!

Watch "Talking Watches With Jean-Claude Biver" on YouTube

 

"Watch "Talking Watches With Jean-Claude Biver" on YouTube"

Fusion! I have to say he is a marketing genius as well as being a great cheesemaker. I met him and heard him speak about Hublot at a dinner a number of years ago, and his enthusiasm is infectious...almost to the point where I started to believe what he was saying...almost! Since the dinner was in Switzerland, we had fondue, but I can't say if it was made with his cheese or not.



I certainly do respect some of the work he has done - in particular at Blancpain.

 

There is just something about all those little pieces fitting together to tell time. Vintage appeals to me because so often it is a piece someone saved up to own because it was an essential tool.

Watches are way cooler than flags.

 

By time I have learned to accept and appreciate lower price points brands as much as i do for higher ends (not talking here about replicas as they are a shame).

 

I totally agree!

 

One of my favorites is a raggedy Elgin I picked up. I'd be lucky to $60 for it but it was likely a purchase the first owner got a little excited about, buying a quality watch.

 

Probably the best video I've ever seen on watches and watchmaking. Thanks for sharing.

 

@E MAN i look forward to the post on why a 6k putter is better than a $150 putter
Saw your other post and enjoyed your custom Scottys. Have a few in the basementmyself, fitted, not custom. Putt for dough....

 

Hi E! The kool-aid is just as strong here as TCC.

 

I may get smacked for this but is a $6000 watch better than a $150 watch? I can find a $150 watch that tells time much more accurately than a $6000 watch, however, when you look further into the craftsmanship and what goes into them, that is what you are paying for. Of the course the collectability is a big factor as well in many cases. Putters are the same thing. Scotty putters are far and above most others because of how they are made. Scotty was the first to start making putters milled from billets of steel. Before that, putters were cast or forged and skim milled. These methods led to inconsistencies in the putter(weighting, balance etc.) whereas milling from a billet allows for a much more consistent construction. A lot of other companies have jumped on the wagon and have premium lines to compete with Scotty, but their base lines, the lines most people buy, have a very different feel and you can see and feel the difference between them. As mentioned above, Scotty's are very collectable as well and there is a big following. Our site has 20k+ members and we do a few million page views a month...

 

Doubt you'll get smacked as you're not wrong given you defined "better" through craftsmanship, well let me clarify, no smackin' from me. But we will need our own post as not to hijack this one and more whisk(e)y to continue the topic. Im not challenging you or your knowledge but more interested in the topic as a whole. I am aware of the collectors market of the Scotty faithful. Cheers

 

Got pics arkstfan?

 

Well of course. Looking for a new strap this one is too small.