FabR
[Senior Patek Moderator]
26166
Thanks for a really nice and well-written post, a pleasure to read it! It sounds like that, similarly to many of us on this forum, Option 1 to delve deeper into the world of Patek is what you really want, provided you’re given the right access to it…
Hence my best suggestion is to pursue just that, but only to the extent you fully enjoy the experience…in particular, *never* purchase a watch (Patek or otherwise) that you don’t want, only in order to arrive at another one! Even if I don’t like to think of Patek as “luxury” (“prestige”, “exclusivity” are the first terms that come to mind), I agree that’s definitely NOT what a superior experience should be about!😉
While it might not be easy at the beginning (Patek is obviously harder to access than other brands), I can guarantee you that the journey will get easier and easier going forward…and the joy and the reward of a beautiful Patek collection built step by step are impossible to match!😄 Cheers, and enjoy each minute of this game!🥂
The Next Frontier – Part I
In the late oughts, I started my journey as a watch enthusiast in earnest. I had always had at least a passing an interest in watches – owning and wearing, at various times, a Casio calculator watch, a Casio G-Shock, a Victorinox, and others I cannot now ...
Wow
What a read and thank you for sharing. I have a lot in common with what you wrote and it almost felt like I was reading my own story. I’ll be a father for the first time this year so I am also looking to add a special piece to the collection. The VC 1921,...
Small world!
I am a native of Vancouver - I grew up in Kitsilano, in fact! The VC 1921 is an absolutely magnificent watch. If I do, indeed, increase my watch box to 8, I think that one has a surefire shot of making the cut. Funny you mention the Reverso - that is one ...
The Reverso…
Is definitely a must have in my opinion, there’s something for everyone in that model family. Yes, the Alpine Eagle has grown on me as well. Imagine if they ever gave it the LUC treatment, although it’s no slouch in it’s current state. I have to admit I s...
The second is, indeed, an attractive option.
I get the feeling, however, I need to hit the brakes with my collection and gain (regain?) some perspective. It is very easy to fall down the rabbit hole...
This is a very wise advice!
With so many options available, sometimes our brains need some time to figure out what we really want!
Like many in this hobby, I am a little crazy.
And I am drawn entirely to new watches - I cannot stand knowing that my watch had a life before me. I know this forecloses me to a lot of beautiful watches in the hobby, but for now, it is something I can live with. I have considered a birth year watch (a...
Thanks for a really nice and well-written post, a pleasure to read it! It sounds like that, similarly to many of us on this forum, Option 1 to delve deeper into the world of Patek is what you really want, provided you’re given the right access to it…
Hence my best suggestion is to pursue just that, but only to the extent you fully enjoy the experience…in particular, *never* purchase a watch (Patek or otherwise) that you don’t want, only in order to arrive at another one! Even if I don’t like to think ...
FabR - I really appreciate hearing your thoughts on my post. I read and considered your response, and that response helped to fine tune my perspective:
Specifically, at this juncture, I am under zero illusions that my identity as a hobbyist is permanent. A leopard cannot change his/her spots. And, I am a firm believer that interest in watches is highly cyclical, and the current frenzy will likely (hopefu...
That's a totally reasonable (and thoughtful) approach in my view --- putting off your Patek "full immersion" until you are completely ready, if ever...does make *lots* of sense! :-)
I don't think my own "collecting career" took a very different path, in hindsight...while I bought my first Patek in summer 2008 (hence a few months before turning 30), I kept buying a number of other watches for a few years before it became an (almost) e...
What an interesting post
I began my Friday by reading this twice and in several ways it contains food for my own thoughts when it comes to watches. Many thanks. Bon weekend. Pelle
Thanks, Pelle! I am glad you enjoyed the post.
Sometimes I feel like writing is the best way to gather my thoughts. Further, it is a pleasure to help contribute to this wonderful platform, even if my writing and photography are not up to snuff.
Thanks, Orahu!
To get a little off topic - which pen or pens are you looking at? I have a few nice pens (nicest among them, a Nakaya Dorsal Fin II), but my writing is so piss poor I have not dived too far in to the hobby!
Montblanc forms the corpus of my pen collection —
And the last three MB three pens or so, that I bought, sit in their boxes. I bought them mainly because I could, they are works of art that highly appealed to me, and I already have so many pens inked up, I don’t need more to choose from for my daily rota...
Wow!
I had never seen the NOS F. Scott Fitzgerald pens before, but they are absolutely stunning! That has to be one of the more stunning MB's I've seen. Good luck on your proposed acquisition!
Lots to think about here.
For me, option 1 is almost not an option. There are too many games to play, and posturing required. The idea of building a collection over time with certain brands (not just Patek) which was the norm for decades is no longer realistic for most collectors ...
Right now...
I am looking at a custom option, based on the GMT-6, with an engraved motif. Definitely not going off the shelf! It is not going to be crazy - but it is going to be stunningly poetic, based on what I have in my head.
I neglected to response to some of your other comments...
I currently agree with your comments on option 1. At this particular point in time, it is very difficult to view it as a legitimate option. Jack Forster's article in Hodinkee today very accurately summarized my feelings on this. Also, because I am terribl...
Right?
I had never seen the engraved center before, but as someone obsessed with celestial complications, I was flat out stunned. Plus, a GMT is just so handy.
No question that, or something like that, is THE best choice.
I’ve seen a similar engraved center I believe, not sure where so can’t locate it now. Also for me blue and gold is a magical combination.
Blue/gold may be my #1 option...
However, I have also given thought to platinum/salmon/black - almost a 5270P colorway - or just a platinum/salmon. Still vacillating on a lot of details, but hey, I've got some time to figure such details out!
Lots to consider. I love the visual of the gold, but of pushed I’d also have to consider day to day.
Is the watch something you want to be able to wear daily? Not that you would, more that it’s possible. And if so, does one metal work better than the other in terms of leaving you this flexibility. I know for me the answer remains a white metal, but every...
So, in my view...
And if past precedent is any indication, I do not imagine that I will wear it daily. While I am reticent to call it a special occasion watch, because it will get daily wear, day-in-day out, I often turn to my sports watches (I am a father of a young child...
Not long ago I started a whimsical thread revolving around . . .
. . . essentials for watch guys. In declining order of necessity, my four were a Speedmaster Professional, an indie, a Grand Seiko, and an El Primero. I'm intrigued by your fourth option. ...
As am I!
And what a nice list. Grand Seiko and Zenith are two that I often think about adding to my watch box!