Horological Meandering

Thoughts on a collection (long)

Sep 24, 2007,15:54 PM

Hi all,

As a long-time lurker and only occasional poster here, I finally decided that I had to photograph the pieces in my collection to share with the group here. Having done so, I realised that:

The photos aren’t good enough just to dump here without some form of written consolation (sorry, combination of poor lighting and, more importantly, poor photo skills and patience)
The pieces themselves are to my mind interesting as much for why I bought them as for what they are, so sharing the former may interest others as well.

In view of this, I thought I would give some background to their acquisition and why I like them as well as sharing photos of the pieces. Those watches are (from left to right):

AP Quantieme Perpetual Classique (AP calibre 2120 variant) in YG;
Chopard 16/1860/2 (LUC calibre 1.96) in WG
JLC Reverse Geographique (JLC calibre 858) in RG
Blancpain Villeret Chronograph Big Date (Piguet calibre 1185) in wg
[not shown] Omega Seamaster Professional (Omega calibre 1120, base ETA2892-A2) mid-size in ss/ss

In explaining why I bought these watches rather than others and what I like about them, I need first to explain what defines my collection. I don’t mean by this the fact that I spend more on watches proportionate to my income than anyone else I know (though I do) or that “something that tells the time and looks okay” isn’t enough for me (though it isn’t).

Instead, I want to explore what the theme of my collection is. It is possible to have a collection without a theme, of course, and there are those who just like watches and so buy/collect them, but for me the theme is what sets the rules for the game and turns a group of pieces into a collection. The theme of mine could be expressed as:

“A varied collection of refined, soul-moving watches, bought for their own sake only”

This sounds more than a little pretentious, so if you have got this far then please bear with me as I explain my ten retro-fitted criteria for ownership, which hopefully shed some light on the comment above. Again, these are personal criteria – plenty of you will disagree with many of them or find them odd and that is fine. In reverse order:

“Bought for their own sake only”

I do not intend to sell any of the pieces that I buy - if I ever do so I hope it to be because of force of circumstance. This gives my first two criteria:

1) The resale value of the pieces (now or in the future) is to be ignored. This spares me the requirement to second guess the markets or to take a view on holding costs and resale. It also means the wateches are to be worn and scratched as it happens. I try to avoid it but they're there to be enjoyed not wrapped in cotton wool.

2) Every watch must be of a quality that makes me think I will always want to keep it. I don’t want to buy something a bit quirky or that I’m not sure of because I don’t want to flip it if I don’t like it. Every piece needs consideration, it needs to fit, and I need to be convinced of it. Given the sums involved, building the collection is therefore slow.

“Soul-moving”

3) The watch has to speak to me. This is the big one. The appearance and design, the way it sits on the wrist, the history of the movement, the people who made it, the brand it embodies – all of these come together to affect the intellect and the spirit to make one watch work for me and another not. The bottom line is that if it doesn’t make me smile like a kid every time I stare at it then it isn’t going to get bought.

“Refined”

4) Appropriate size. This is not a cast-iron rule but I have small wrists and I like to keep the watches under 40mm.

5) A pure aesthetic. Of course I have to like the appearance at a gut level. But for me that appearance also should have a purity and consistency of design and have features not for fancy but because of the design or a particular purpose (and yes, I am a sucker for a date so I let that off where I know others wouldn't). In practice, this means I tend to go for understated watches, but that need not be so if the watch’s purpose demands it be attention-grabbing (like UN's Trilogy of Time or Freak, for example).

6) Movement quality. Less important for a ‘beater’ but for the others the movement quality is important. By quality, I am influenced by a combination of factors including accuracy, finish, design, historical importance and manufacture (I won’t insist on in-house over a bought-in movement, but other things being equal I prefer it)

7) “Quiet brands and watches”. I like watches that most people would never notice. I am hardly ever complimented on my watches and I like that – they are for me and to a lesser extent those others that would appreciate them, not for the approval of those who are not in my little club. I realize that this is a straightforward piece of reverse snobbery, and not the nicest piece at that, but I might as well admit it.

“Varied”

8) Lots of bang for my buck. To get a number of watches (and given that I don’t sell them on) the cost has to be kept as low as possible, consistent with the other criteria. In practice this means I buy second-hand and tend to focus on overlooked models that are relatively cheap compared to similar peers (the four higher end pieces above averaged below £5k each).

9) A variety of complications/features for a variety of occasions. I buy watches to wear rather than to hoard and I restrict the number for financial reasons so I tend to buy only one example of a particular type (‘a dress chrono’ or a perpetual calendar, for example), and to vary the metal and even the dial configuration to get me exposure to the various achievements of watch making and combinations of effect. I want pieces such that I can wear one in any situation and ultimately to build up a family of complications. On the latter, though, if the complication doesn’t really speak to me (repeaters, for example) then it doesn’t make it through.

10) A broad selection of brands. Some collections focus on a brand or even a subset (say AP Offshore limited editions). This is the ultimate theme and there’s nothing wrong with it but by contrast I aim to have as few pieces of a single brand as possible (ideally, only one piece that embodies each brand). The risk here is obviously buying so broadly that one does not understand any individual pieces but as long as one knows the risk, it can be addressed.

So there are the ten criteria. Given this, I will now talk through the watches I own, explaining why I love them. Hopefully, you will also see how they fit into my criteria above.

‘The simple perpetual’ - Audemars Piguet Quantieme Perpetual Classique

Why is the AP so great? Let me count the ways

It is wonderfully elegant: incredibly thin and understated with the different brushed and polished finishes to the yellow metal and the beveled case. Its gold and blued hands set each other off perfectly (and with no second hand to distract), the sub-dials have the writing facing into the centre of the dial rather than changing orientation for the clumsy viewer, and the delicate moonphase has a reflective gold moon and perfect stars…
The movement is a peach. Thin, accurate and a landmark design, its rotor spins on ruby bearings and the sound of its heart beating, hidden behind the brushed gold back, is a joy to hear.
That face. Did I already mention this? The symmetry of the dials, the enamel finish, the perfect printing. Mmmm…
It’s indecently good value. No, really, compared to anything of remotely similar quality, this is half, enen a third of the price.

2) ‘The time-only dress watch’ – Chopard 16/1860/2

It isn’t time only (I like dates) and it’s automatic rather than manual wind. But otherwise, this to me is what a dress watch should be and it screams out to be partnered with black tie.

The case and dial are excellent. Chopard’s credentials as a jeweler make a strong showing here. Everything is just superbly put together in seductive white gold
The movement rocks. The 1.96 is the only movement of my collection that I can admire through the watch’s back and it is admirably put together and finished. The platinum microrotor moves softly but with just enough resistance to give a hint of syrupiness, the design and execution are exceptional and the accuracy on mine is top-notch.
A perfect dial. There’s nothing I’d change here. The sizes of the sub-dials (golden ratio?), the dauphine hands contrasting with the more delicate seconds hand, the mesmerizing sunburst guilloche in the centre, even the layout and execution of the date window – I love it all

3) The travel watch – JLC Reverso Geographique

Jaeger seem to have moved recently to more busy watches, particularly in the reverso line, where they’ve also pushed up case size. There are many for whom this is the right move and makes for a more masculine design. But for me, the femininity of this JLC is irrestistible and it remains a seductive fantasy in red gold:

Two watches in one. Not just two time zones but two different interpretations of the reverso character. The home time dial is subtle: the delicately contrasting guilloche in the second hand market and the main dial area, the beautiful stars and sun in the night and day indication, the art deco dial and numerals - all exemplify the classic 1930s feel of the original. But then the travel side, with its Chinese symbols, the twin roulette wheels for cities and crazy guilloche on the lustrous black, is as evocative to this Englishman as a shisha pipe and camels. Whenever the dial swaps over, I know I’m away from home (and of course, I can have that feeling in the UK if I want, too).
The movement is a purpose-designed marvel of miniaturization. The GT case is not a large one, the functions (two time zones, city indicators, seconds sub-dial and two night-day indicators) are complex and yet the Cal 858 packs it all in. And it was all designed for this watch: the movement would never be used in another watch (I believe) after the 500 of these were made.
Manual wind. The only one in my collection – winding this up is like stroking silk with a fur glove…

4) ‘The dress chrono’ - Blancpain Villeret Chronograph Big Date

Not a standard choice, and when I was deliberating between this piece and the Vacheron Les Historiques chrono, most on this site favoured the VC. Price was an issue but the Blancpain also has much independently to recommend it (the following do not compare it with the VC, they are just my thoughts):

The Piguet 1185 is a slim, effective, column-wheel movement (I know others question its long-term reliability) and I like being able to leave it running without worrying about the long-term effect
The dial is simple and elegant – the Opaline dial is a beautiful colour and quite three-dimensional, even though it doesn’t seem it in these shots. The layout is also supremely functional: the big date is legible and I like it even though many prefer the BPs without the date; and the registers are clear. But most importantly, this is a properly designed 2-register chrono in my view, as it still has the 12 hour and 30 minute totaliser and the centre seconds hand for the chrono but it dispenses with the running seconds sub-dial. This is the only 2-register dress chrono that I know of that does this rather than restrict you to 30 minutes and I appreciate Blancpain’s consideration of the requirements of the chronograph while keeping the design clean.
The case, though the most massive of my watches, still seems discreet when worn. The curved lugs, white gold finish and beveled front all contribute to a very dressy package

5) The beater - Omega Seamaster Professional

The odd man out here, so I haven’t photographed it with the others, but this has a sentimental value (the first major present my girlfriend – now wife – bought for me) and it does what I ask of it. I much prefer the polished bezel to the blue ‘James Bond’ one and the mid-sized version fits me well. This piece is understated enough to wear under a suit and yet I can also wear it on holiday and when diving without worrying about it.

So there they are – and did I mention that I love these watches? I’ll leave you with some wrist shots. Thanks for reading.

Simon