Discussion
ThomasM's "Things that make you go hmmmmm..." post offers a candid and engaging look at the quirks of watch ownership, particularly when combining luxury timepieces with active lifestyles. His experience with a Girard Perregaux watch losing time after a scooter ride sparks a fascinating discussion on the impact of vibrations on mechanical movements. This article delves into the practical realities of watch accuracy and durability, providing valuable insights for collectors who wear their watches in diverse environments.
Happy new year to everyone.
Before the end of the year, I was lucky enough to rediscover a piece that I've always been attracted to, even though it surprisingly (to me) elicits "eh, not bad..." from those around me whom I'm stupid enough to ask.
I've been mulling over a more detailed photo essay on this piece - about its moonphase; about the (to me) successful mash up of the Royal Oak and Nautilus aesthetics; about how easy it is to wear, especially it's lack of sharp or hard edges or corners (I just came off many months of the great Bulgari P10 piece, which practically speaking is almost the ideal watch, but it has many sharp or hard edges...that are unkind to cuffs, finger tips, etc); the easy to read and beautifully done big date; the very successful AR coating that seems to make the domed crystal disappear; the ever romantic (and yes, dare I say it? USEFUL) power reserve indicator...unjustly underappreciated, in my humble opinion...
Because it has been worn for periods of a few weeks, then put away for months and even years, I haven't obssessed about the fact that it is fast 15-25 seconds a day, crown up or crown down; better fast than slow, right?
And really, besides a general approximation of the current time, for this particular piece, the moonphas and RDM indicators are more important to me...
So today, I went out for a ride in the rare morning mists and low cloud covers of Southern California ...
When I got back, it was 45 minutes slow...
Hmmmm...
(for the techno-geeks among you, though the engine is a big 500 cc four stroke engine, the vibrations and noise are fairly minimal, it has a CVT transmission that is fairly smooth, and the suspension is, again, fairly soft and smooth.)
Cheers,
TM
...because is this one day an outlier out of many days (45 minutes slow though is bizarre)? However, I will say I actually really enjoy this piece, especially in the white dial variant. To me, the dial is proportioned very well and it has useful complications (big date and power reserve) coupled with a more romantic one (moonphase). Are there some derivative elements in the design, yes certainly, but as a whole the watch has its own particular and attractive personality. There's no way that anyo
with white date. I admired this watch from the day it came out, but the red color--the red of the date, PR, and needle of seconds, was bright to my eyes, and it just didn't speak to me as I thought it would, and I really wanted it to--because I love the case, bezel, and bracelet. I also found the blue in the moon-phase disc softer and brighter than imagined... So I want to see the gray dial version with variations on these colors. I do think this is an extremely cool, vastly underrated watch. I
Time stops, when you're in love... That is a well known phenomenon, with GP watches. Hmmmm... I am generally not keen on moonphases except on Perpetual Calendars for a reason: I am tired of trying to set the correct moonphase each time I decide to wear the watch, after some says, weeks or months in the safe. And not very crazy about the power reserve, which ruins a bit the dial, and which has no real justification, in my opinion, except if the power reserve is short ( 36 hours... It will remind
What is the top speed of that three wheels cool road runner? I am sure it is faster than Mr. Bean's three wheels car. That GP looks clean and the case looks very well executed. Have a great and healthy Dragon Year. Regards Ling
best wishes, and good to see you drive a ........bike.... the mountains in Switerland are great for that, maybe next time we can make a nice combo... Best, Michel
Which crept forward 2 minutes from my usual 5 mins fast setting, over the course of a week. When I finished the ride, 90 minutes later, it was 45 min slow. So it "lost" 52 minutes over a 90 min ride. It could have been a loose hands; it could have been the vibrations of the engine interfering with the timekeeping; it could be a combination of the vibrations with the fact the watch probably needs a service and regulation. It could have been something else. I've ridden with other watches that were
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