Horological Meandering

I've been pondering my next (and gosh I hope by choice ultimate) time piece with both excitement and anxiety. Although there are thousands of different watch models available, the choice quickly narrows when you select your buying criteria. Almost inevitably any watch still represent a compromise on your ideal watch. I trust you follow me so far. My biggest challenge is that I've found the perfect watch except for one thing; it's a manual and I want an automatic. However I keep coming back to this one beautiful watch every time I browse a magazine and although I've written it off many times due to the manual wind, I still can't shake it. So my plea is this, help me to end this unbearable state of indecision and sleepless nights with heart palpitations; help me set my mind at ease and give me all the right reasons why a manual watch is the way to go as I can see no redeemable feature of a manual watch compared to an automatic.

No message body

Well, I am actually talking about the Lange 1 but I pretty much find it a deal breaker that it is manual. It may be charming to have to care for it and wind it daily but since I have a busy life and often travel - and I intend to use my other watches as well - manual just doesn't fit me. Next on my wish list is the Breguet Perpetual which is an automatic. It's stunning but also a bit ostentatious and heftily expensive so I oscillate between that and the Lange 1 again and again and the fun part is over; I'm going out of my mind with the indecision. This has to be a labor of love so I’m going to have to stick to my guns and not take a manual. Of course within the price range of the Breguet, there is a very wide range which means that I feel compelled to check and recheck the magazines. And there is of course also the Langematik Perpetual which gives me the Lange genes and most of the look while getting an automatic. Oh well, I’ll remind myself to have fun in this selection process and I’ll now absolutely bypass any manual as I’ve convinced myself that there is no compelling argument for a manual that fits my circumstance. I thank you all for helping to lead me to that decision. With that in mind I also find other faults with the Lange 1, such as the asymmetric look of the double date window between 1-9 of the month. I think I’m leaning more and more to the Breguet but I need a 2nd look at the Langematik Perpetual now.

I do hope you forgive these endless ramblings. I believe I'm not alone in going through such anguish, trying to select THE right watch. It helps to clear my cluttered mind to put hand to keyboard and share my thoughts on the process.

. . . a self-winding movement is more convenient than a manual, and more importantly it constantly provides energy to the the mainspring in small doses, which keeps the movement in it's optimal operating range over longer intervals.  A manual wind, besides not having the impediment of a rotor when viewing the movement, has the advantage of mechanical simplicity.  So long as it's not a perpetual calendar you're contemplating, the benefits of the one over the other pretty much even out . . . cordially, Art

To some the mechanical will always have a place in one's heart, and remind them of a more simple time (either real or imaginary) from the past. Even my most basic of mechanicals bring that sense of nostalgia to my wrist. The repetitive winding and artistry that can be applied and easily seen is the history of watch making.

The auto reminds me of the more modern age of watch making history. It like so many things in our lives are more convenient and assist the flow of the day with little though. Most of my watches are automatic for that very reason, but there is a growing place in my collection for mechanicals and a much greater appreciation of them as the years go by.

There is no feeling as when you woke up in morning and still sleepy took your timepiece and breath life for another day in it by winding it for a few moments. Manual is more personal IMHO. After a while I become really hooked on winding and really enjoy it.

Regards

Half of my humble collection is automatic, the other half manual. I used to put the automatics on winders. But lately, I've taken to treating the autos like manuals--enjoying the ritual of setting the time and date and if necessary giving the crown about 30 full turns to get the watch I've chosen for the day going. Luckily, I don't have any moon phase or perpetuals. If I did, they'd live on winders when not on my wrist.  IMHO, buy what you love and you won't go wrong, whether they're manual or automatic.

Cheers,
Dom

nt