7 Years, 7000 Posts: Watch Collecting Insights

Purists,

Took some time to hit the 7000 mark and after seven years (I’m a member of this community since Jun 27, 2008) I could learn a lot, make great friends and experience lots of changes over my watch hobby.

A set of major learning points in no particular order:

1) Mechanical watches is passion, some can say it’s a very irrational one
2) Watch companies don’t listen to their aficionados
3) Watches are industrial products
4) Watch manufacturers, any brand, some day will disappoint you
5) Watch maintenance is, with very rare exceptions, a painful slow business
6) Vintage watches are fantastic but a very dangerous proposition
7) PuristSPro is where I want to be

Allow me to explain:

Mechanical watches is passion, some can say it’s a very irrational one

In theory, a watch is a device to be used to keep time. Since the 1970’s there are much better ways to keep time like quartz watches and the todays ever-present smartphone.

Violating any common sense rule, we prefer to wear a mechanical device that, when perfectly accurate, deviates around (COSC specs) -4/+6 seconds/day. A good (not great) mechanical watch has a cost between five to ten thousand dollars. A great watch can, and will, cost more than a very nice (German, of course) car.

But we, a not small minority, love to wear a nice watch and we feel proud of those mechanisms that “pulses” on our wrists.

Some consider a watch a man’s jewelry, I don’t agree with this definition when applied at large. It may valid to some characters that wear some brands that only target posers.

I consider a watch something similar to military decorations that exhibit our personal battles and accomplishments.

In addition to that, a mechanical watch remits us to past times, to our immediate origins, to our fathers, grandfathers and relatives that had watches that we admire during our childhood.

A mechanical watch also has some ”steampunk” characteristics where little gears replace modern electronic devices to carry a similar function.

The one that looks, even a simple (or not so simple) watch movement is mesmerized by how it works and the ingenuity that makes is to tell the time.








Watch companies don’t listen to their aficionados

We write about watches, make passionate improvement suggestions, criticize models etc. but I never saw a single watch company to follow our recommendations.

I found an explanation for this behavior by reading the George Daniels biography “All in Good Time: Reflections of a Watchmaker” and learning how hard was to him to persuade the watch companies that his Co Axial escapement was a good and practical idea. Took him twenty years to find a company (ETA) that accepted his idea.

If this is not a demonstration of how conservative this industry is, I don’t know another example.  

Watches are industrial products



This beautiful mechanical watch that adorns our wrist, no matter how much well finished is the movement, is an industrial product and is produced, except very minor exceptions, by an assembly line.

Being industrially produced a watch is subject to the same “laws” that govern any other industrial product and is subject to the same statistical quality control that is followed by your smartphone or car.

It can fail and it will fail and don’t be surprised when your brand new watch stops working or presents some other weird behavior.

Since those quality controls, at least on major brands, is pretty good, those failures are sporadic and I don’t get angry when this happens.

If you have a good supplier, the problem will be solved quickly and life goes on. If you got your watch from a shoddy dealer or brand, be prepared to a lot of frustration.

Watch manufacturers, any brand, some day will disappoint you

Every year we follow with a lot of anxiety the big events (SIHH and Baselworld) eager to see our dream brand to release the watch of our dreams. Sometimes this happens but in many cases we ended up with a bitter taste of disappointment.

What we forget is the fact that those companies produces goods that must be sold on a worldwide basis and, believe me, this is a very heterogeneous planet and what is nice for, let’s say, Europeans may not be acceptable for South Asia and vice versa.

PuristSPro, being a global place is a perfect example of this diversity. Many watches posted here that is fantastic to a person “A”, is a shabby piece of junk to a person “B”.

Again, let’s refrain our disappointment because the watches are not made specifically to us.

Watch maintenance is, with very rare exceptions, a painful slow business

This is something that I struggle to understand. Any powerful watch manufacturer produces a large number of expensive pieces. I don’t understand why they take months to fix a watch that, between us, is very far from being as complex as a car.

I can understand that takes time, when we send a vintage watch to be resurrected but I don’t understand when you send a modern watch and it takes two or three months to perform a preventive maintenance.

Lack of investments or pure bad organization is the main causes? I don’t know and I don’t understand. If one day I can understand this issue, be sure that I go to post here.

Vintage watches are fantastic but a very dangerous proposition

Vintage watches are very attractive to most of us. I own few and I’m happy to have another being slowly renovated by the manufacturer.

When I strap a vintage watch on my wrist if feel great to be able to be part of a somehow long chain of history.


(Zenith De Luca I - No so old but it's my most nice vintage)

Trouble starts when we try to acquire a great vintage watch. Unfortunately is very hard to complete authenticate a vintage watch.

Many parts, many past interventions and the worst, some sellers that knows that this market is small and prone to manipulation.

I had many watches that were acquired by friends that, when we apply some knowledge that brings frustration and disappointment to the owner.

There is no single method to try to avoid those bad events except to deal with reliable sellers and to forget, if possible, our passion.

PuristSPro is where I want to be

I have a confession to make. I’m addicted to PuristSPro in general and I cannot, at any free time, to avoid a “visit” here.

The environment here is different, egos are contained and pomposity is lower. There is always someone eager to help and is a very much fun place.

Long life to Ppro.

To finish, let me show some watches that I'm really proud to own.

Each gives to me a particular pleasure every time that I strap it on my wrist:


(Omega CoAxial Split Seconds (a.k.a. Rattrapante. Took years to get this one)


(IWC Perpetual - Never dreamed to have one, only a fantastic sales person could sell me this one - Wonderful piece)



(Omega Orbis - I love watches with a good cause)


(IWC Doppel - I'm hooked on Rattrapantes)


(Speedmaster Moon Phase Aventurine Dial - Only a great salesperson could locate this one)


(Reverso 1948 - Who can live without a Reverso?)



(JLC Deep Sea Chronograph - My latest crazy moment)

Thanks to all,

Nilo