alright, i actually found my old watch this morning looking for a sewing kit to fix a button. so i figured i'd take some pictures. now that i look at them i guess i should have cleaned it off first.
taken quickly handheld with the rokkor QF 50mm f/3.5 macro on a NEX-3: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7234/6962750188_70b14cc75f_o.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7250/6962750154_1ff89b5693_o.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7247/7108823799_094b50b700_o.jpg
this watch bears the distinction of being the only watch that i haven't broken the wristband on. the face is not the original though. about a decade ago i managed to shatter the cover glass and seriously scratch up the face. since that was around the time i discovered i could get away without wearing a watch i just left it broken in a box for 5 years till i stumbled upon it again and decided to test out the lifetime warranty. turns out they were willing to fix it free of charge. the new face is less blue than the original though. i believe i've worn it twice since i had it repaired.
when you start studying watches one of the first things you realise is how cheaply you could build an awesome watch from parts, exactly like you want it. And how easy it is to order the parts online. And that the tools are also quite cheap. And that all the instructions are on the internet. And that theres dozens of really helpful people in forums on the internet.
And then you think, how hard can it be? And before you know it, you're in real trouble
One of my friends got this disease, sometimes he disappears for the whole weekend.
As I have no watch for a size comparison I placed an old Alt Pentax *ist DS with an FA31/1.8 on it and then my new E-M5 with the Panasonic 25/1.4 on it (which is pretty much equivalent to the Pentax setup, it seems as old habits stay).
Spyro P. wrote:
when you start studying watches one of the first things you realise is how cheaply you could build an awesome watch from parts, exactly like you want it. And how easy it is to order the parts online. And that the tools are also quite cheap. And that all the instructions are on the internet. And that theres dozens of really helpful people in forums on the internet.
And then you think, how hard can it be? And before you know it, you're in real trouble
One of my friends got this disease, sometimes he disappears for the whole weekend.
Like this...
eventually I just sent it all to a very understanding watchmaker who fixed it up. Ended up selling and losing about $100 on this one! I usually end up making $400-$1000 when I hold on to and sell a watch.
sebboh wrote:
what are they about? appreciating fine engineering/construction, jewelry, status symbols? serious question - a few of my friends are very into them too, but i've never really been able to get any kind of explanation of the attraction from them.
Yeah, fine watches are very much pieces of art/jewelry, rather than a digital watch that is not only less expensive, but also does a better job a keeping time. Just like with alt lenses, some watch enthusiasts get pretty deep into it. Heck, some watch buyers don't buy watches unless the movements are made in-house by the watch maker, which gets really picky. I'd guess if one were to attempt to find a pragmatic reason to own one, some brands do tend to hold or increase their value.
I don't really enjoying collecting much of anything, but I've admired fine timepieces since I was a kid. In fact, my first word was actually "clock." Rather than collecting a bunch of watches that serve various purposes and break over the course of a lifetime, I bought a Rolex DateJust that I wear 90% of the time, and it'll likely outlive me. If I get the urge to buy another watch, I just change the strap on my Rolex, and that satiates it. Is buying a Rolex logical? Probably not, but I could certainly sell my watch at any point and at least make my money back, if financial disaster struck me.
As for wearing a watch at all, it was personally a relief for me to return to wearing watches a few years back. I had begun relying on my cell phone for getting the time, which can be a hassle. Wristwatches were invented in the first place to be a more convenient alternative to pocket watches, so their purpose hasn't really changed. I will candidly admit that these new bluetooth watches that hook to your cell and provide various info look to be an even more useful solution, but I'm not sure that I could actually go through with wearing one.
Of course, we could probably come up with some more philosophical reasons to buy a fine timepiece, and we could talk about man's relationship with time, especially in the case of photographers, but I'd just be trying to legitimize an irrational interest, I'd imagine.
Almost any hobby can be taken "too far", it seem I was talking to a guy who does Bonsais (the little trees). I had no idea how much work and passion goes into making one, seriously!
And I've been watching youtube videos of RC planes... These people put up (tens of) thousands of dollars in the air, wholly homebuilt Concordes with turbines...
So yeah, I like watches, but for now I am content with "cheap" stuff. I hope it stays that way
FlyPenFly wrote:
All of those and including the history of various pieces. Its also about that intangible emotional factor as well.
I mean as a tool for telling time humanity has invented the solar powered atomic radio wrist watch that is very compact, ever lasting, has a compass, a barometer, an altimeter, and will survive all situations that your body can't.
These are all Veblen goods whose purchase prices make absolutely no sense unless you love it.
Some people spend $800 for a fine bottle of wine for a meal while I'm very happy with just a $30 bottle. I'll never understand that but my appreciation of fine watches has made me not so easily dismiss other people's taste as foolish and wasteful.
My watch collector friends are astounded I paid $1100 for a camera without even a lens attached! Their Casio point and shoots which they've been told by a Best Buy salesman takes 18 megaPixel shots is surely enough and fits in their front pocket. ...Show more → sebboh wrote:
fair enough. i don't know anybody outside of this forum with any interest in manual focus lenses and my wife doesn't see how real speakers are better than computer speakers let alone how some speakers are better than others. i probably just don't get luxury watches because i never liked watches whether they were crap, good, or exotic.
I know nothing about them and really don't ever wear them. But I sure like the way some of them look. Some very interesting design! And digitals too I think. Some are pretty cool! A few of those G-Shock types had me wanting to buy one about 6 or 8 years ago. I think they're a kind of jewelry to my mind - which I also do not wear but do appreciate in a similar way.
douglasf13 wrote:
... I've admired fine timepieces since I was a kid. In fact, my first word was actually "clock."
What a coincidence: my first words were "swan-neck regulator". But seriously, my interest in watches has been stymied but those lofty prices. I did purchase a Breguet for my wife, but my budget is generally directed to photo gear (especially studio lights).
rico wrote:
What a coincidence: my first words were "swan-neck regulator". But seriously, my interest in watches has been stymied but those lofty prices. I did purchase a Breguet for my wife, but my budget is generally directed to photo gear (especially studio lights).
You had fine taste at a very young age. To be honest, I shouldn't have said that I admired fine timepieces when I was a kid. I just liked plain old watches. I remember being in the 3rd grade in the 80s, and I wanted this Swatch knock-off so badly from a Target department store that I would dream about that watch every night, which is pretty sick. A year or two later, I was absolutely the dork wearing more than one Swatch at a time. My wife has told me that she did the same thing, so I guess we're a couple of dorks made for each other!
When you start getting into big time studio light brands, the budget sure skyrockets. I don't do studio anymore, so I've just got some cheapie Alien Bees in the attack for "emergency" usage. As I mentioned, I don't collect a bunch of nice watches. I just bought one to hopefully last a lifetime.
Packed my tripod, my A850, my NEX-7, and my C-3. I'm off to Costa Rica.
Made a quick stop by Central Strap in Grand Central Station to get a Zulu strap before I left in this trip since I'll be at least snorkeling. The nice folks there also pressure tested it for me.
FlyPenFly wrote:
Luxury wrist watches arent about telling time.. Indeed. If a person is bitten by the bug, no explanation is necessary. If not, no explanation is sufficient.
Rather than collecting a bunch of watches that serve various purposes and break over the course of a lifetime, I bought a Rolex DateJust that I wear 90% of the time, and it'll likely outlive me. If I get the urge to buy another watch, I just change the strap on my Rolex, and that satiates it. 
I was talking to a guy who does Bonsais (the little trees). I had no idea how much work and passion goes into making one, seriously!
