ZSHSZ
4890
All beautiful yet so different .
I loved them all on they’re own merits but I somehow found that the 40-41mm was a little to big for me as a dress watch , also I value a nice reliable manual movement that can be serviced by any competent watchmaker and doesn’t need to go back to the manufacturer.
Off course all are solid brands , and I don’t think they will ever disappear but the Vacheron is built with easy serviceability in mind .
As Kari Voutilainen reviewed the cal . 4400 , and declare it one of the best modern manual movements. To me that’s good enough.
I also think that 38mm is a more timeless size , but off course it’s up to you to decide what songs to you the most .
I believe that they should be tried on and seen in the metal .
Most collectors don’t care about the movements, but some Journe‘s tend to be finicky, the Lange it’s not temperature adjusted so it has slight deviation, not much , but it does , and I never had a Ferrier so no comment on that . I liked the dial of the CS the most , until I analyzed the VC in detail and it surprised me. The VC is more restrained then the others , it doesn’t have that WOW factor and it’s not overhyped . It’s the watch for the person who likes to spend time with the loupe in hand and explore the little details , so that’s my choice.
Hope I helped ,
Zsolt.
More posts:
Battle of the Rose Gold + Silver Dial + Time-Only (one exception) Wristwatches
I very much prefer the subtleness of white metals. But I have to admit to the allure of the sensuality of rose gold. Which of these four five would you choose, disregarding price, and why ? Will your answer turn on size (diameter, thinness), automatic vs....
Vacheron for me without much thinking .
I like the look , and easy to service , no need for specialized knowledge. I owned the Journe and the Lange before .
Good to hear from someone who has owned some of these.
What caused your departure from the Journe and Lange? They are both such nice watches... And which Vacheron...the automatic or manual wind? The automatic is wonderful, with its legendary movement, but perhaps a bit too big for what it is. -1 or -2 mm woul...
All beautiful yet so different .
I loved them all on they’re own merits but I somehow found that the 40-41mm was a little to big for me as a dress watch , also I value a nice reliable manual movement that can be serviced by any competent watchmaker and doesn’t need to go back to the manu...
Appreciate your detailed feedback
Thank you for these details, Zsolt. I do agree that getting to or much beyond 40mm is in the oversize danger zone for a dress watch, wrist circumference partially dependent. I have also heard the same about Journes (finicky), but did not know that the Lan...
I would seriously hesitate between the Lange and the Laurent Ferrier... My two favorite among your selection. The size is the same, if I am not wrong, the dial is, according to my taste,
A tad more elegant for the LF, and while I prefer manual winding movements, the Laurent Ferrier micro rotor movement is very nicely finished and decorated. I would really hesitate between these 2. And if I had a gun in my head to decide, I would go for th...
I think the LF would be my top contender as well, with the CS a close second.
The Lange is wonderful, and a great size (yes, same within 0,5mm diameter to the LF, but a fair amount thinner than the LF). I do generally appreciate manual winding more, but the LF micro rotor movement is spectacular.
Journe for sure given the dial & movement are of my liking...
Second choice would be the Laurent Ferrier albeit it is a micro-rotor. Yes I would have loved them both in 38/39 but 40 isn’t bad choice. Best, Mahesh.,
I suspect you already know my answer
But I would say that one of the most important qualities for a time only dress watch to me is, elegance. For me the LF exudes that quality the most, considering the whole package. I like the Journe too and that would be my second pick, but I would’ve pref...
The LF is in most replies so far. I agree...so much eleglance.
I didn't realize the Journe strap doesn't taper...a reasonable taper would have indeed been nicer. Why no VC?
The overall aesthetics doesn’t work for me
I find the VC unattractive relative to the rest.
I would go for the FPJ first . I realy like that watch a lot and hope to add one in the near future
Second would be the LF with the Richard Lange as a close third . Both also on my wish list to add one day .
Those are all great choices!
With money being no object, I would most likely go with the Laurent Ferrier. I find it's design the most attractive, and it's movement is arguably the best finished of those listed as well. Can't go wrong with any of these though.
I buy watches firstly based on what I can see when it’s on my wrist and so...
...for me the choice would be between what I see as the two warmest watches of the bunch, the CS and the LF. While this particular CS is not my pick of the CS bunch I think I would still choose it over the LF in this instance. A different version of the L...
LF and FPJ again...continuing with the near-consensus.
What CF would you have instead? The platinum version?
Both are just warmer watches to the eye. Lange, almost always, seems very cold when in white metals.
Re LF, I’m just not felling that combination, but that dial on a white metal looks better to me (at least I think I’ve seen that same dial on other metals).
I like this much better. There was a powder blue dial also, and I do like the grey dials too. Cleaner dial than the CS for sure.
But as I said below the CS is OK to me for some dials, where the PR blends in a little more.
No, that’s not it. And I’ve just searched for an image online and I can’t seem to find one.
Here’s one, which maybe what I was thinking off just under different lighting. It’s beautiful in my opinion, and probably outshines the Journe. Photo Credit: A Collected Man ...
Ah, yes...another gorgeous blue dial LF.
I've long thought this one could be a strong competitor to Journe's Chronometre Bleu, but with a more subtle dial.
These are all great watches
if budget was no issue I would choose FP Journe first eventually the VC manual winding would compete with it.
Journe slight winner over LF for me.
Even if Journe has the power reserve FP is a king of keeping everything balanced and non cluttered. He also managed to keep a thinness that I think is important. And there is this Journe modern classic je ne sais quoi, the hands everything is so special a...
Appreciate your feedback. The FPJ and LF are the two clear winners based on group feedback.
The FPJ has a very interesting dial for sure; better without the power reserve, or relocate it to the movement side for an elegant solution. I do agree that the VC automatic is larger than optimal. But the VC manual wound is appropriately sized both for a...
You know, I used to feel the same about the PR. But, after several years it’s grown on me.
I do think however that certain of the CS dials blend the PR better. Such as the gold dials with the embossed numerals, more particularly the PT variation.
Very nice and relatively uncommon FPJ.
The gray-white-blue-black accents/colorway work so well together and the dial design is great on this one. Cheers, John
Thanks a lot for your appreciation Vitalsigns-
He certainly gets a lot of things right good old ( not that old) François-Paul!
Yes you’re right
Yes you’re right about the VC I just go in the red zone when I see a movement in an oversized case. You have to see an LF in the metal, it wears much smaller than the 1815 strangely enough. Best, Jens
Hopefully I will see the LFs when I am in Northern California soon.
There is a dealer local to where I'll be for a few days, so I will try to see them in person. Looking forward to it...
The Journe
First, I am a big fan of F P Journe. Second, I rarely wear any yellow or red gold watches (though I have 2 red gold pieces) as I am pretty much always dressed casually and I think the Journe has a less formal look so it would better suit me. All are beaut...
The FPJ is the clear majority favorite...certainly within my top 2.
And I think you're right--the FPJ is the more casual of the bunch for sure. Cheers, John
I'm going with . . .
. . . vintage. At a fraction the cost of any aforementioned. But an order of magnitude requisite effort, too. Difficult to find, even more to restore. :-( ...
. . . and loosing ~ 2 seconds per day . . .
. . . based on initial observation. Not bad for a watch entering its eight decade. ;-)
Now that's some dial patina. Would you even want to restore?
Just de-oxidize, perhaps Lovely Omega you have there
Dial restoration is pretty much . . .
. . . verboten for vintage guys; natural aging is the main attraction. There are a few dials in my collection in even spottier condition. And yes, there is a point of spoliation that will earn a rejection slip. But unlike some collectors, I'm willing to t...
Laurent Ferrier all the way,
but maybe with the brushed slate grey dial that MikeH took in picture some day. The finish of the micro rotor overpass the others. I like Lange but it is a bit too cold for me, and even if I like journe, the dial doesn’t play with the light like the Ferri...
Beautiful.
I really like the thinner bezel and proportions of the 38 mm version even if I prefer a 40 mm overall size for this particular piece.
