Picked up my first mechanical watch

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by kscarrol

Yes, Wolf makes very nice winders! I was trying to start RedDotRacer off slowly, more entry level. Ultimately you can end up spending as much for the winder as you do for the watch, if not more!

Well, let's hope nobody is loon enough to think they need to buy a $4K winder to keep a $4K watch wound.

Originally Posted by kscarrol

It's all about what you're willing to spend! Brookstone has a single watch winder for $99. As owen points out, you can likely find the Wolf winders on sale for a similar price.

If you wear the watch all the time, a winder is likely not needed. Winding and resetting on Monday morning is not a big deal in my view. But for idiots like me who have multiple watches, a winder is required to keep my watches ready to wear.

Please leave my name off of all "idiot" categories, regardless of the topic. LOL It's been a long time since I did something I knew to be a waste of effort even before I bothered to do it.

As for watch winders, I don't bother with them. IMO, the only watches worth bothering with an auto-winder (AW) are those that are a serious pain to reset to the correct time, date and, where applicable, astronomic depiction. That basically means perpetual calendars and selected moonphase and/or other celestially oriented watches. The other ones that are worth the bother of an AW, IMO, are the ones that have huge, huge 90+ hour power reserves. The latter group of watches may call for an AW if they are the type that need the power reserve to be substantially full before they start ticking on their own.

I have no idea why a watch can go for days on end, but once it's totally empty, it needs several days worth of "juice" before it'll go again. I do know, however, that several days of juice is a lot of winding....and yes, I'm aware of the UN perp cal that isn't a hassle to adjust, but that's one watch out of how many perp cals? That said, nobody buying a perp cal needs me to discuss the pros and cons of AWs.

I suppose there may be other watches having sufficiently complex movements that putting them on a winder reduces serious risk, such as it does with perp calendars or reduces long wait times as it can with some astronomical complications. If after reading the directions, it seems to me to be of value to mount up an AW, I will.

Well, that's when/with what watches I would bother with an AW. So why don't I bother with winders for all the rest? For several reasons.

• Movement Accuracy: All mechanical movements gain or lose some few seconds every day. Most fall somewhere between four and 12 seconds per day. I'm going to have to adjust the watch, AW or no AW, when I decide to wear it again.
• Maintenance: Watch companies' recommended service intervals are based on an assumption that a watch is worn daily or nearly so. Putting a watch on a winder pretty well ensures that one will require maintenance as recommended. Not operating the watch all the time can extend the maintenance interval.
• Wear: If one isn't going to wear a given watch daily, making sure it operates for about 30 minutes a month or so will keep the internal lubricants distributed and not clumped up while keeping the actual wear of the parts to a minimum level.
• Practicality: Gravity has an affect on the wear and the accuracy of watches as a result of how the watch moves through space on the wearer's wrist. If one is going to get a winder, particularly one for a haute horology perp cal or astronomic complication -- watches that start at $10K, one will want one that fairly well replicates the range and duration of motion assumed by the maker. In other words, one that's programmable, and that spins in a very wide variety of planes. Such a winder would be just fine to use if I want to merely be self-indulgent and doen't mind the recurring maintenance and wear impacts. It'll need to be able to handle power outages so that it "winds" on schedule, unless I want to reprogram it, which will take more effort than just setting and giving a little kick to a watch that's stopped. Unfortunately, such winders generally cost $1K or more. Personally, I just don't see the point of spending that much to save myself one minute or less on the few occasions I have to deal with setting a watch. Even if I have to adjust my watch 60 times a year, that's an hour at the most.
• Collection Size: Once one gets past four watches or so, it's almost impossible not to gravitate to one or two favorites. All the rest become "occasion" watches, whether that occasion is the outfit one is wearing, the nature of an event, the weather, the nature of a trip, etc. That's certainly been pretty true for me and other collectors I know. That pretty well makes the first three points above pretty relevant for me. So there isn't much point in bothers.

All the best.

[owen2001]

Here's that super-expensive $35,000 watch winder that I mentioned in an earlier thread:



LOL. Not getting that any time soon!

http://www.unfinishedman.com/dottlin...ng-watch-safe/

[1MOREMOD]

congrats op, hamilton was one of my first autos as well. owen your nuts if you think you can trim down to 3 watches. why do that!

[owen2001]

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

owen your nuts if you think you can trim down to 3 watches. why do that!

I dunno. Wishful thinking? Maybe I'll put the extra ca$h towards more mods for my 1er?! LOL.

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by owen2001

I dunno. Wishful thinking? Maybe I'll put the extra ca$h towards more mods for my 1er?! LOL.

i would have more mod money if i didnt spend cash all these other places as well. whats so great about eating anyways. my watches have never made me faster at the track either.

[BavarianN54]

Nice looking Hamilton OP. I'm thinking of getting a new watch for hard use type adventures when I don't want to risk my Submariner. I recently bought a Victorinox quartz( fantastic accuracy)which I like a lot but I'm really partial to automatics. My Rolex gains almost 2 seconds a day which is normal for the brand but I'm curious how accurate is your Hamilton now that you've had some time to use it?

[JasonCSU]

Originally Posted by BavarianN54

Nice looking Hamilton OP. I'm thinking of getting a new watch for hard use type adventures when I don't want to risk my Submariner. I recently bought a Victorinox quartz( fantastic accuracy)which I like a lot but I'm really partial to automatics. My Rolex gains almost 2 seconds a day which is normal for the brand but I'm curious how accurate is your Hamilton now that you've had some time to use it?

Thanks! At this point, I haven't paid attention to see how accurate it is concerning seconds. I've just compared it each day to one of my quartz watches to verify it has not been gaining or losing a significant amount of time. I'll try to remember to compare it more closely and report back.

Which Victorinox did you pick up? I've always been a fan of their vintage military style.

[BavarianN54]

Here's the one I got. I wanted a white face for a change of pace.
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swi...ox+watches+men

[JasonCSU]

Nice. I like the clean look with the white dial.

[BavarianN54]

Thanks. I do like it, easy to see at night when its darker out and good looking in a simple non flashy way. The Victorinox name carries weight for me as well and the price was right.

[Devious21]

Originally Posted by tony20009

[*]Collection Size: Once one gets past four watches or so, it's almost impossible not to gravitate to one or two favorites. All the rest become "occasion" watches, whether that occasion is the outfit one is wearing, the nature of an event, the weather, the nature of a trip, etc. That's certainly been pretty true for me and other collectors I know. That pretty well makes the first three points above pretty relevant for me. So there isn't much point in bothers.[/LIST]All the best.

Read this and I gotta know which watches in your collection are earning those top spots for your favorites. Also thought of some other questions. Apologies if you've already talked about these in other threads.

1. What are the two or three favorite watches in your collection you wear daily (currently).
2. When you add a new watch to your collection, I assume it temprarily gets moved into rotation for a few days/weeks?
3. Are there any watches in your collection you specifically do not wear? Pieces that are simply collectable? (Pictures!)
4. What was your first Automatic watch?
5. What watch in your collection means to most to you? If you found out today that you had to liquidate the entire collection - which one would you keep?

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by Devious21

Read this and I gotta know which watches in your collection are earning those top spots for your favorites. Also thought of some other questions. Apologies if you've already talked about these in other threads.

1. What are the two or three favorite watches in your collection you wear daily (currently).
2. When you add a new watch to your collection, I assume it temprarily gets moved into rotation for a few days/weeks?
3. Are there any watches in your collection you specifically do not wear? Pieces that are simply collectable? (Pictures!)
4. What was your first Automatic watch?
5. What watch in your collection means to most to you? If you found out today that you had to liquidate the entire collection - which one would you keep?

1. What are the two or three favorite watches in your collection you wear daily (currently).
   • Omega Constellation Manhattan -- this watch sees more wrist time than all the others combined, or at least it has over the past lustrum. I used to change up more often when I also worked more often in the U.S. because then I also at got home at least every weekend.
   • Rolex Submariner (black) + Tag Series 2000
   • Breguet Marine + JLC Reverso Duo + AP RO (at the moment)
2. When you add a new watch to your collection, I assume it temprarily gets moved into rotation for a few days/weeks?
   • It does if I'm staying home for a while. (I'm only home about 50 to 120 days a year.) I don't change up my style as goes what I wear to work most of the time. The Constellation is dressy enough for any work-related thing and it's not so showy that it attracts unwanted attention (read that as scoundrels) or so super pricey that whatever happens to it bothers me, and it's a watch I like the looks of quite a lot.
3. Are there any watches in your collection you specifically do not wear? Pieces that are simply collectable? (Pictures!)
   • Strictly collectable? No. None. I'm not at that level of collecting. I hope to one day buy what I call a "pinnacle" watch that has serious collector importance, but I won't buy such a thing until my kids are all finished with school and living on their own dime. (I have three kids.)
4. What was your first Automatic watch?
   • Rolex Air King
5. What watch in your collection means to most to you? If you found out today that you had to liquidate the entire collection - which one would you keep?
   • Somebody asked almost that very question just the other day. I'll tell you what I told them. I don't know for sure, but whatever watch it would be that I'd keep were I to keep only one, it'd be a quartz watch. The reason is that if I have only one watch, it has to be something that I wouldn't have to do without while it's being serviced for a watch being worn daily would absolutely have to be serviced periodically. A battery will die in a quartz watch, but it's no big thing to get a new one. I have several quartz watches -- Movado Eliro, Cartier Le Must Tank, Shinola, Seiko LaSalle, a couple Citizens, a Fossil and a few more. Of those, I would probably pick the Movado, maybe the Cartier, but I think the Movado would work better with my overall lifestyle and sartorial tastes.
     
     The trouble I have with identifying one single watch of all the ones I own is that none of them were purchased with the thought that they'd be my "only watch" and that they'd have to work for every situation. I can easily tell you that if I were to have just one suit, it'd be navy blue, single breasted three piece model, probably made from a middle weight plain or twill wool blend because I could wear it with a formal, pleated or piqued shirt and patent leather shoes get by, and I could wear the jacket, vest and pants as separates. It's not quite the same with my watches, but I do know that if I must have only one, the most luxurious and indulgent one wouldn't be it.
   • Means the most to me -- I don't know that any of them mean much to me besides being trinkets I enjoy having. They are all still just things, and as things go, my watches are no different than my shoes or shirt or sport jackets. None of them have much if any sentimental value. I have a floor clock that my parents gave me and a chest I got from my grandfather. I also have other objects that were gifts from people who are/were important in my life and that I'd be devastated were I to lose them, but not so any of my watches.
     
     Well, perhaps my Air King mean a bit more because it's the first "real" watch I ever bought. Also, when I bought it, it symbolized to me that I'd been doing something right that allowed me to finally afford to buy a luxury item the way I'd seen my parents do over the course of my life prior to that point. Being able to spend that much on something so frivolous as a watch and know that doing so was neither a stretch nor something that was going to cause me to forgo other nice things or obligations I had to me meant that "I'd made it," so to speak. That was the first and last watch that symbolized anything to me, so I guess if any, it's the Air King.

I think it's pretty clear I'm into watches, but I'm into them more as fashion accessories -- decorative and/or artful objects that sate a desire to infuse my life with beauty, style and a tiny bit of uniqueness compared to what I commonly see in the world around me -- they are to me luxury indulgences more than they are museum pieces, or at least that's the perspective in which I try to keep them. I buy and wear them to satisfy me, but just me.

One of the reasons I know a a fair amount about watches and buying watches is because I'm cheap in a manner of speaking. I'm not cheap in the sense of not being willing to spend a tidy sum on a watch. I'm cheap in the sense that when, say, it crosses my mind that I want a watch having this or that attribute, I don't want to spend more than I have to to get that attribute. Yes, I'm somewhat curatorial when I choose pricey watches, but in any 12-24 month period I only buy one to three high end watches, but I might buy half a dozen or more moderate to inexpensive ones, especially in the past decade. So I developed my knowledge about watches so that when I buy the sanely priced ones, I'd know a good value from something that just cost more than something else.

A lot of that has more to do with the cost of my kids than it does with the cost of the watch. You'll know what I mean once you have three kids in boarding school/college, have to clothe them, buy them cars, afford their entertainment and travel, etc. I know if I just wanted to afford super pricey watches ($40K+) year after year, I could, but I a couple of those a year would definitely cut into what I could bestow on my kids. That's just not a trade-off I'm willing to make so I can have yet one more fancy watch. Other folks may choose differently and more power to them if they do.

After I'd bought my Sunset, it became very clear to me that price and tangible benefits don't have much to do with each other; they are neither in direct proportion nor indirect proportion to each other. Price and artistic content are in somewhat of a direct proportion to one another in that the more elaborate the artistic details/elements, the more one'll generally have to pay, regardless of the brand name. I'm okay with that, but when I do choose to pay the price for arty/high style watches, I do so knowing that I can't get that style for a lower price. (short of buying a fake copy of it) So that's another reason why I took the time to learn a fair bit about watches.

To close, I'll just say this: It's very easy to spend a large amount of money and get a very beautiful, well made watch. There are lots of watches on the market one can choose that fit the bill. It's a lot harder to spend less and get the same thing. So, one must consider the the resources one has available -- time and money -- decide how much of one of them you want to spend in order to husband more of the other.

If you aren't that into watches, I'd say spend more money and don't spend much time learning about them since you probably will only need one or two. You may spend a few hundred or even a few thousand more than you need to , but over a lifetime of wearing that one watch, how much difference does that really make? Probably not much, regardless of what price point one is at so long as it's a price point one can comfortably afford. If you are into watches and want lots of them, you'll do well to learn good bit about them because over time the savings will get you more watches that are good, cool and that you like.

All the best.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by owen2001

Here's that super-expensive $35,000 watch winder that I mentioned in an earlier thread:



LOL. Not getting that any time soon!

http://www.unfinishedman.com/dottlin...ng-watch-safe/

Okay....I guess if you ever get that 22 complication automatic watch that'll take you an hour to reset if it ever stops, a winder like that will come in handy seeing as it's also a safe. LOL.

TY for sharing.

[Devious21]

Originally Posted by tony20009

[LIST=1]>Abundant Insight<

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

One more question: What really draws me to these watches is the movements. What are some watches that show off the movement really well, either via the back or front (skeletonized).

I see a lot of skeleton watches that kind of go overboard. Are there any really tasteful ones that you can think of?

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by Devious21

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

One more question: What really draws me to these watches is the movements. What are some watches that show off the movement really well, either via the back or front (skeletonized).

I see a lot of skeleton watches that kind of go overboard. Are there any really tasteful ones that you can think of?

I won't lie...I don't like any skeleton watch. I'm also not really a movement junkie. I get what a movement is about. I understand the differences among them and what I'm paying for as go movements. I appreciate all the finishing and decoration that goes into some of them. I can also say honestly that of the watches I have that have an exhibition back, aside from looking at the movement on the day I got the watch, unless someone expressly forced me to look at the movement, I deliberately haven't looked at one of the since.

I'll look through some of the reference stuff I've got to see if I've ever noted a skeleton watch that caught my eye.

PS
This is going to sound like heresy to some folks. Tourbillions are another thing that as much as I understand and appreciate the effort ti takes to create them, I have very little interest in buying one anytime soon. I've seen about three or four, maybe even half a dozen that I even think look okay, and perhaps a few that I think look stunning, but mostly I can't stand how the face of a watch with an exposed tourbillion escapement looks. I know some tourbillion freaks whose view on them is 180 degrees the opposite of mine.

All the best.

[Devious21]

Originally Posted by tony20009

I won't lie...I don't like any skeleton watch. I'm also not really a movement junkie. I get what a movement is about. I understand the differences among them and what I'm paying for as go movements. I appreciate all the finishing and decoration that goes into some of them. I can also say honestly that of the watches I have that have an exhibition back, aside from looking at the movement on the day I got the watch, unless someone expressly forced me to look at the movement, I deliberately haven't looked at one of the since.

I'll look through some of the reference stuff I've got to see if I've ever noted a skeleton watch that caught my eye.

PS
This is going to sound like heresy to some folks. Tourbillions are another thing that as much as I understand and appreciate the effort ti takes to create them, I have very little interest in buying one anytime soon. I've seen about three or four, maybe even half a dozen that I even think look okay, and perhaps a few that I think look stunning, but mostly I can't stand how the face of a watch with an exposed tourbillion escapement looks. I know some tourbillion freaks whose view on them is 180 degrees the opposite of mine.

All the best.

Understood. I haven't really found any skeletons that I've liked either, so I was leaning more towards something with a really nice exhibition back.

The closest thing I've found so far that I kind of like is this guy because it's on the conservative side. Still a little too busy though.

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by Devious21

Understood. I haven't really found any skeletons that I've liked either, so I was leaning more towards something with a really nice exhibition back.

The closest thing I've found so far that I kind of like is this guy because it's on the conservative side. Still a little too busy though.

Yep. That looks busy to me too.

FWIW, watches are one of those things that generally look far more appealing in person. If you have an interest in that Oris, at least try to get a hands on look at it. If you still have your doubts after doing that, let it go and keep looking.

I've never missed a watch I had doubts about and I've never had serious regrets about a watch I was certain about, even though I may have liked others quite a lot at the same time.

All the best.

[RR-NYC]

Nice piece. Timeless design and great watch to have, even after you add that Seamaster.