Community
Jay (Eire) initiates a compelling discussion on identifying the WatchProSite 'Watch of the Year,' a concept that transcends traditional industry awards by focusing on actual community ownership and trending interest. His proposal aims to capture the watches that genuinely resonate with collectors on the forum, highlighting how community engagement can influence acquisition decisions and spotlight nuanced references often overlooked by broader media.
For those that check in regularly itâs usually pretty evident which watches are trending here, which watches seem to have the most incomings and or which watches drive interest and comment on threads.
Sometimes that watch may be directly influenced by the forum itself, Iâm thinking the collaboration watches like the Hentchel and others that came prior.
But putting those aside itâd be kinda cool to look back every January to try and identify the WPS âwatch of the yearâ based solely on ownership here.
Below are my non statistical observations over several years past, culminating in what I personally perceived as the WPS âwatch of the yearâ based on activity, posts, ownership etc. Many times these are new or newer watches, but sometimes like in the first âlook backâ below they are not new watches.
Looking Back - The LGF Submariner
When I think of prior years what comes to mind for me are watches like the Rolex Sub âLGFâ which was originally highlighted by Baron - Mr Red towards the end of 2018 as part of a series of posts on âcollectible Rolexâ.
This is 5 digit Sub (14060M) which during a transition period from 2 line to 4 line text on the dial had a âlong fâ in the print for a short period of time.
My recollection is that in the months following that post we saw numerous forum participants acquire one of these watches.
Looking Back - Rolex Air King
Other contenders I can think of in the past several years have been the Rolex Air King, perhaps inspired by Nicolas and his Air King âmisadventure and fantastic community recoveryâ.
The Air King, because of its uniqueness, could be characterized as a counter culture Rolex. A unique dial given the abundance of script and the colours. One which has been speculated from time to time might not be a long term survivor in the catalogue.
Iâm not sure there was any single year where the Air King was âkingâ but perhaps if we could consider the cumulative appreciation here it might deserve the award.
Looking Back - Omega CK 859
More recently there was the Omega CK 859.
Again Iâm not doing a statistical analysis but in my brain that one seemed like an avalanche from first incomings to multiple happy wrists.
It was infectious for sure, perhaps helped along by a somewhat friendly retail price (relatively), which can make quick decisions easier.
It was also a watch that seemed to be on trend, surfing a wave of vintage inspired releases and perhaps standing out a bit inside the broader Omega catalogue.
Looking Back to 2023 - Is it a bird, is it a plane? Not exactly, itâs a Chopard Eagle !
Again no statistics behind this observation but it would seem hard to argue that Chopard hasnât taken top spot for 2023.
Weâve seen more eagles here in the past year than one would at a bird of prey sanctuary !
It seems to have been a slow burner of sorts, the Alpine Eagle is not a new watch as it was first introduced in 2019 and I recall going to check them out in November / December 2019 not long before our world shut down.
But from a slow start it does seem to have caught fire a bit over the last year or so. Did the XPS which arrived earlier in 2023 fuel this fire? A bit for sure, but the Eagle seemed to soaring before that too. (Apologies for the lame choice of wording and puns).
Did I miss a watch over the last 4-5 years which could have merited watch of the year here?
If you own one of the above it be great to see some pictures and perhaps thoughts on whether or not the forum might have played a part in the acquisition.
Finally, I wonder what 2024 will bring?
Photos below credited to the original posters.
The four that seem to leap right off the page would be.. 1. Alpine Eagle 2. GP Laureato 3. VC Overseas 4. Omega NTTD
I am still amazed at the number of 5960 on this forum. Particularly considering the price point of the watch itselfâŚ
1) Chopard Alpine Eagle 2) Omega CK859
Well we had a piece unique 5960 in the roll as wellâŚ
Interesting post, Iâm lucky enough to own the LGF and the AirKing. I had always wanted a sub, but the aforementioned article did play a part in me choosing the long f, as pre article, I wasnât aware of it. I checked out both versions and just preferred the long f. If it wasnât for the article I would not have known and wouldnât have tracked one down. So a big thanks there đ As for the AirKing, it was always a watch I wanted, but itâs great there is an enthusiastic following here on the forum đ
Itâs interesting to see where the forum does have influence. I think the LGF is more of a nuanced pick, and as you say if one was already in the market for the non date sub picking something that could give you a little more makes sense. And the AK, I feel that pull too. Itâs grown on me a lot, and the more and more I see of it here is making they pull stronger.
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