Horological Meandering

There have been a couple of threads lately (on the JLC and Hublot fora, notably) discussing women who wear men's watches. Personally, the gender distinction has always been somewhat bemusing; great watch design is more often than not androgynous, such that the only remaining issue (and it is an issue for all of us) is simply a question of size.

Some brands recognise this and issue some of their styles in 'larger' and 'less large' cases, to accommodate 'larger' and 'less large' wrists. A few that spring to mind include the ROO, Lange 1, Speedy, Museum Watch - you can all name many more, no doubt.

This fact has not escaped the attention of Mrs pplater. She a 'practical' lady; a formidable lady; she is not, however, besotted by watches (sigh....). Her dutiful, loving and generous husband has tried time after time to bedeck her in the offerings of Patek or JLC but those efforts are rebuffed with a flick of the hand and a gentle huff. Indeed, it took three quick glasses of champagne, vacation vertigo and a great pitch from the uber-sales assistant at Cartier in Place Vendome to get her into a Tank, which now sits at the bottom of the safe more often than not.

However: practical lady that she is, Mrs pplater has taken to 'eyeing off' some of the other watches in the safe - watches that most decidedly were not purchased with her in mind! It is very interesting, though, to see what her eyes fall upon - the watches which appeal to the woman who appeals....

She has scorned complications - has no need for a chrono, no interest in a moonphase, no time for an alarm. She likes them quiet, plain and very simple - just like her taste in husbands. She was given the pick of the box (only two or three were sneakily removed beforehand); she dallied with a Calatrava and the MUT, and would have been welcome to wear either, but  - horror! - she has a very soft spot for this one -

 

 

[Errrrrr, that's not her wrist in the photo. You knew that, right?]

What to do??? The usual ruses have not worked - "Darling, you look fat in that one" - they just provoke the usual playful kick to the groin. Unless she can be distracted quickly with something even plainer and simpler (watch, not husband) it seems the BeBa is destined for a life of gardening, child-chauffeuring and cappucino. Any suggestions (preferably non-life threatening) would be welcome....

The point of all this, however, is to enquire from others with significant others whether your tastes are similar, or diverge? Do 'great minds think alike' or do 'opposites attract'? Which of your watches are you at risk of losing to your significant other, if he/she/it is given half the chance? Do you share, and if not, why not - did you skip that bit in your vows?

Looking forward to taking solace in your tales of common misery....

 

Cheers,

pplater.

Which of your beauties will she snag next, I wonder?

So, I have resolved myself ONLY to marry a WIS.  This way, my watches are my watches, and HIS watches are my watches too!  Bwahahahaha!

*pleased with myself*
Daos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAaCjCIrmWc

Cheers,

pplater.

This message has been edited by pplater on 2011-02-05 17:15:44

No message body

Pplater... that watch is sensational.

My wife usually sighs... shakes her head... it doesn't get much further than that.

I guess I'm lucky.

SFWIBW tends to like less unusual pieces then I do, she can't understand why I'd get a Freak or the mechanical appeal of RM and even my Journe took some time to gain acceptance. For everyday watches, a Rolex (no date, we agree on the dislike of the cyclops) and the Reverso cover the needs, though somewhat more plainly then I'd wear. She's got a massive crush on Breguet, whether for good or ill I'm not sure but I don't think she'd be happy with the gift of any dress watch that wasn't and heaven help me if they ever released a non-diamond-coated ladies La Tradition...

A

cash . I bought her GG mickey and Hermes watch. When I want to buy her Van Cleef, she said she wanted the cash instead. I guess she is smarter than me and try to save something for the children.

cen@jkt

from a life of gardening, child-chauffeuring and cappucino...

...Sell it to me. Now. Please, ... please.

Regards,
Richard.

And if they are unsuccessful (as I expect), all knowledge is disavowed.

.. this message will self destruct in 5 seconds ...

SCRIPT:

"Darling,

Provenance of vintage watches is fraught with mystery.

That old thing could have been snatched from a dead old man's wrist and sold by a cold-hearted family member..... "

 

Regards,

MTF

This message has been edited by MTF on 2011-02-06 00:26:05

... hasn't taught you enough! I could see that ending coming like a bad Hollywood movie plot. But I can't talk, because I have done similar things, and your heart was in the right place, if not your head.

Having had the great pleasure of meeting Mrs. P, I think that your goose is cooked. Now that she has chosen the watch, the only thing to do is impress upon her its historical significance and that it is a watch that should be appreciated in a museum and only occasionally on the wrist.

Of course you could give her the Observatoire and say that the important bit, the movement, is the same. But I suspect that's not a pallatable option either.

Good luck.

A

... since I own only a few true ladies' watches.    I have awakened some appreciation in my dear husband, but have had no success in getting him to treat mechanical watches with  more respect than a G shock.      Every one that has become part of his daily rotation has quickly needed repair.    I have to get him his own watches or I will go crazy with worry.      At one point he expropriated my Zenith Prime, and the inevitable occurred so  I sent it off.  When it came back I put it on a custom short strap in a feminine color.      So now he has a vintage Grand Seiko and Movado Datron El Primero, both of which are in need of tune ups, so I am getting him a less exalted  Seiko (or several) to tide him over - he likes the classic (to me boring) Japanese design.     His dress watch (a pristine solid gold GP hand wind chronometer) stays with my watches and comes out when needed - I caught him once wearing it while doing dishes.  

Those of you who meet him at IGOTT2 - please remember the PuristS vow of secrecy.    

Ginger

That she chose the slightly less valuable Peseux 260 based watch in the family! I'd take my losses for what they are and move on...

My wife "shares" my VC Malte Squelette and appropriated for herself a nice AP skeleton pocket watch that I bought at auction -- it now serves as a pendant, on a vintage Victorian-era chain that I was obliged to buy at a mid-four-figures cost to go with it. Apparently I am not to enjoy using this pocket watch in future as a personal wearer, but all in all it's a small price to pay for the forbearance I have enjoyed with regard to my fairly expensive hobby.

Best,

Gary

I didn't see you this way, pplater...

But you made me smile, which is greatly appreciated.

I have something for you. Here it is, something I've hidden for a good occasion, which has just arrived:



Isn't it a Patekesque Jaeger LeCoultre? Well, to find one will be a bit difficult, but we can try. Nicolas.

Beautiful, Amanico, beautiful. We must not show it to Mrs. pplater, but how soon can we find one?

Cheers,
pplater.

It will take a certain time, indeed.

Did you also notice the white on black date?

It is white on black on " impair " days, which is a particularity of the E 329 ( its reference ).

The bumper movement adds to its charm, and is also in stunning condition.

It was first released in '57 or '58, for a few 4 or 5 years, and belongs to this interesting category of nice Automatic watches, such as the well known Geomatic, Futurematic and Powerwind.

Best,

Nicolas;

...was the first thing that leapt out of the photo.

If it was a 37-40 mm case that watch would be fantastic for a fat, ageing enthusiast whose birth year is roughly the same as the watch, but given its age it is probably 33-34mm, yes? Mrs pplater would grab that in a flash! Even so, one of those would be a perfect complement to the PP5127.

It is very difficult to find much information on the E329; do you intend to do one of your famous reviews of this watch?

Cheers,
pplater.

We love the history and tradition of the Brand as well as the classic styling of their vintage offerings.  That said, we look at the same watches quite differently.

I look at the movements first, then look at the external appearance (dials, case, hands, etc.)  She looks primarily at the external appearance first and her primary requirement in terms of movement is that it should not have any complications besides a day/date and must have a center seconds hand (in order to see that its working).

Since the vintage pieces I have are between 32mm - 37mm and within the realm of her willingness to wear, I'm pretty lucky that she thinks my watches look plain and boring.  She has a stainless steel Omega Deville Chronometer and a YG VC ref. 4310 from 1953 that has been restored by VC.  It's the dial that really sold her on the VC, she loves the guilloche:





Best Regards, Dan

and it is certainly plain and simple. Would that be worth a try?

 

Other than that she has a Reverso Duo (not Duetto - doesn't like diamonds on watches) and a vintage mechanical egg-shaped Hermes, and I have preordered the new steel Breguet Reine de Naples which I think she will love. If she would ever wear my watches I would probably have to medicate myself just thinking of how they will bang into her jewelery, not to mention what else will happen to them as she goes about her day. So I feel for you.

Best

Andreas

;0)
Cheers
Damjan
P.S. Not that she has some huge assortment though

... that 'happily married' is an oxymoron on a par with 'military intelligence'. Does Mrs Ares have nothing to say about your watches? Anything that is printable, anyway?

Cheers,
pplater.

You don't know his beautiful " better half ".

She indeed has no interest in watches, I can witness that, too.

Best,

Nicolas.

she's completely indifferent... I would like
even to hear some f words regarding my addiction....nothing...
I live with surrounded by quartz lovers and wife that patronizes my habit
looking at that and that my name is Damian one could think I live in hell
...
Best

...I'm not sure that it is well suited to an arduous life. I recall reading that the Peseux movement on which it is based is somewhat delicate. I have owned a BeBa for a number of years and I'm not too convinced about it's water resistant properties or where I would get it repaired should it need replacement parts. It is also a manual wind which I find many women are out of sympathy with.

On the other hand, there are many watches on the 1960s with a similar design ethos containing relatively robust automatic movements with shock protection, which can be had pretty reasonably. Take this Eterna-Matic 3000 for example:



or this IWC Ref 810, with the famous Cal 8451:



or this (admittedly hand-wound) JLC:

But my mother and sister usually steal my watches.
Once I started to panic when I noticed that my gold daytona was missing from its usual spot in the watch winder, i kept looking and thought that it had been stolen.. I called my sister to see if she knew where it was, she said "Oh, I took it.. it matches my dress" the same has happened to a diamond calatrava that my father has, it has now turned into "mother's dinner at friends house" watch..

regards

Marwan

my wife is perfectly happy with her Explorer....

So my watches are safe... lol

Cheers

My better half has free access to any of my watches, with one or two exceptions (unreplaceable, sentimental watches).

It all began when I fixed up a single crown Super Compressor Enicar....then she eyed off my Chopard...and my Favre Leuba...and an old diver for the beach....About the only watches she avoids are the (frankly, quite ugly) Aqualands.

It actually work in my favour. I get a new watch. She assesses and wears it. So it was really her idea...