Independents

Earlier today, I decided to head down to my local AD as I knew they had two of the most wearable and most affordable Greubel Forsey watches ever made. The Signature 1 in stainless steel measures 41.4mm in diameter and 11.7mm in height while the more recen...  

But that Series 1 😍😍😍😍 is just amazing! All the best, Niall

I concur

but shall wait for the 2021 novelties to appear first.

But if GF are working on some new editions at the moment, it could be prudent to wait a little bit and see what they release.

I definitely will. I am not just waiting for GF's new releases but also that of all the brands. A Patek 5231G would melt me!

Yes I agree. Classic will still be attractive for many years to come. Boring maybe for some but attractive!

But between these two and the Series 1, completely in agreement that the Series 1 would triumph. Somehow, that classic and the immaculate detail on both the dial and the movement makes it a very special, and even outstanding one.

You are such a diplomat and I would dead broke by now if I had bought everything you like on my wrist!!

Just helping a friend!

My bank manager says thank you!!

When a watch have lose it’s primair function tell the time, and become a art object it is for me also thinking the essence such a watch can fill in. Owning such a watch i know it. On the wrist is feels like art instead of a wearable watch. When collecting... 

I would love a Daniels and wish I had bought one when they were still affordable.

It is the best looking watch out there.

I saw a Hodinkee video, and the Daniels owner talked about his Daniels. (talking watches) In that episode they talked about the Citizen of his father, the Daniels. They talked about the magic of watches and how watches influence architecture. The Daniels ... 

I actually tried it on courtesy of A Collected Man in 2016 and it was too large for my wrist at 40mm and the lugs as you can did not curve. Quite a nice watch but too yellow for me. And for the record, Roger Smith made every single one of these Anniversar...  

sham, you post the watch we bespoke. Indeed a very yellow watch, eye candy.

was not bespoke. It was produced in 43 pieces, 35 in yellow gold and 4 in white gold and 4 in platinum.

All hand made by the maestro.

even though it bears the Daniels name as George passed away in 2011 before the watches went into production but he did have a hand in the design input. Roger would have made the watches using the Daniels method.

I like to read what other watch-lovers think and feel when they try a new watch on and the resulting feelings and feedback. That Roger Smith is hard to compete with, I'd say it belongs more to the Voutilainen and Dufour league IMHO, just because of the di... 

but I am not too keen on the winding crown on the HMS and HMS Prestige range (now discontinued I believe) which is actually located at the back of the watch. Immaculately finished but winding a watch is pretty much a daily blissful affair for me and it sh... 

Thanks for replying. The GFs are great but RW Smith is at a different level.

These two are definitely the most wearable GFs out today. I love them both and was lucky to try them on my wrist back when we still had events 😏. I would be very very happy to own one of them at some point, think i would opt for the BC although the S1 doe... 

I hope you will get a chance to try on a RW Smith or else you will have to settle with trying on my Series 1! And yes I agree that the Signature 1 is more GF in its dial design even if it is missing a tourbillon or two!

I think it's impossible to compare your upcoming RWS with this GF...very different beasts, but both at the very top of their league among independent watchmakers ;-) A two watch collection? In principle, why not... If you like this GF and think you can we... 

not having a Patek in my small collection. At present I have one and I am likely to end up with two. Yes a GF and a RW Smith would be quite a two watch collection and at least, I would never under use either watch I am sure. But I am curious if any purist... 

I will ask myself what other watches can I buy for the money. In this price range, one could argue that the FPJ Chronometre Resonance is a great watch. So too is the Charles Frodsham or any Voutilainen. But in this particular instance due to its high end ... 

it feels quite strange to see such avant garde watches on your wrist Sham Of the two I would say the Signature 1 is the more subdued piece. It looks great on your wrist even though it is on the larger side. I am a bit partial to the Balancier Contemporain... 

Having an avant garde watch on my wrist is one thing, buying it is quite another although while typing this, I am also whatsapping Sincere Singapore to find out the price and availability there! All I can say is that the Signature 1 is a lot more wearable...  

We must do a gtg when borders open up!

And I would love to see some of the goodies you own too

just don't enjoy the classic/retro dial design of the Roger Smith - and would prefer it over almost any other watch! Not to mention that it looks great on your wrist. Thank you for sharing. Wonderful problems to ponder, and resolve. Cheers Marc

one vote for the Signature 1. Thanks Marc. It is a lovely watch but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The classic look of the RW Smith is likely to stand the test of time better than the Greubel Forsey but such considerations are seldom taken into ac... 

Very easy for me to say in my book classic/retro does not equal timeless when there is nothing at all at stake for me. However, as others have written here, these three are all excellent choices/challenges, and the Roger Smith has of course a good claim t... 

I think having the RW Smith Series 1 is a certainty. I ordered the watch in November 2016 and I know this is the type of watch that will give me tons of pleasure. If I had to fault the Series 1, it would be its height of 13.5mm. Here I was trying on a 12.... 

you are putting into this. It's a great pleasure for me to follow your approach and deliberation. I'm sure handling all or any of these watches, which I haven't been lucky enough to, would compete. Anyway, I'm quite sure you will derive a lot of joy from ... 

Nope it will not be a million dollar question literally but when one has retired with zero income, every watch purchase feels like a million dollar question!

I also have small wrist size...these would be the only options for me as well

would make a wonderful addition to your world class collection! I really wish I had your photography skills when the photos were taken yesterday!

you would easily make the top 3 if not win top spot. If I had your skills, I would come out of retirement and become a professional photographer. At least then, I can buy more watches!!

Definitely consider adding one! Along with the Smith, Gronefeld, and Grossmann, you would have a very diverse collection of elite pieces, all from different countries and with different movement finishing styles!

but I think I shall have to let the Gronefeld go to finance the Smith. The Grossmann is of course a keeper. The Signature 1 would be a wonderful addition but as I am a bit worried about the resale values of GFs, I am trying to negotiate on the best possib... 

I don't think I've ever seen a GF trading pre-owned for low amounts either. But they do price their new watches aggressively, so perhaps the depreciation is still large. A shame to hear about the Gronefeld, but the sacrifice will be worth it I'm sure

and I wish I could keep the Remontoire but it is not possible. Also, I am focusing on simple time only watches as I believe the more complex watches have a higher probability of malfunctioning and therefore be more expensive to maintain. So out went my Pa...