Horological Meandering

What do the following things have in common? Omega Speedmaster. Porsche 911. Rolex Submariner. Audemars Royal Oak. Patek Philippe Nautilus. Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso. There are, to my mind, some defined links between them. Design icons of the 1950-70s era....  

Joe, The Speedmaster and the Submariner should be, IMHO, present on all lists. The Reverso, I believe that JLC somehow diluted the icon on so many versions. The classic two hands, hand wound, is the icon. Others, I don't know. Never had, or plan to have, ...  

I totally agree in your train of thoughts. But as always, there is a but.... BUT, the Reverso belongs to the 1930s era and was produced all the way into the 1940s. The number of Reverso produced during 1950s - 1970s, is is basically zero as it re-emurged ... 

......i am really thinking more along the lines of a concept as the bigger picture. But yes, the reverso is from a different era.

My feeling is that for anything to obtain the status of icon it must be instantly recognisable outside its particular niche. So I agree with your mention of VW Beetle or Porsche 911 as icons from a motoring perspective and which are recognised by people w... 

.....i like the idea that an icon needs to be instantly recognisable by non-enthusiasts. I think that defines a true icon. Yet, with some softening of that definition, its not so hard ti stretch it to include items that may not be instantly recognisable t... 

Looking at the other responses I think most have considered iconic status within the watch industry or from a collector's perspective and I agree that in that context there are many watches deserving of the term icon. However, I still maintain that althou... 

I agree with all points but would like to add under Patek Philippe: Grand Complications. Best, Kari

Replace them with Cartier Tank?

If we were to further distill the genta essence, for example, the RO might knock out the Nautilus from an icon vs classic perspective. Also agree about Cartier. In terms of design persistence, the speedmaster might actually knock them all out simply becau... 

The tank design is 100 years now. A real classic but often overlooked.

I would add recognition / recognisable factors. For example, I would add the Daytona from Rolex. Jaeger Lecoultre: The Polaris, the Deep Sea Alarm, the Memovox in general. But also... The Duometre. An icon to become because its style is iconic, but the re... 

....if one takes the stance that an icon needs to be recognisable by a non-enthusiast, then many on your list (and mine) may not make the grade. But if you soften the definition a bit, then yes, all of these can be considered.

1. Daytona 2.rolex prince ( maybe ) 3.casio g shock ( quelle horreur) 4. Patek ellipse 5 vic ref 222

.......i wonder whether there were blueprints of the dna across other manufacturers too...but I guess Rolex made it famous and attached a famous name and a famous race to the watch. Ellipse....nice catch on that one....yes, i can see that. Prince....yes a... 

Best wishes Alkiro

consistent over decades Recognisable as what it is by non-enthusiasts Maybe not at the same horological level as some of the others, but may be considered an icon?

Watch. Perhaps from WWII and on. How many companies make a living off of this general design? I suppose then you could distill that to the genres which have then persisted to make up the watch categories we love and enjoy now: the diver, the pilot's, the ...