Comments:
... still a wonderfully practical watch with the 8 day movement, seconds and large date (miraculously squeezed into a rectangular movement) and while fashion has moved to thinner watches I still love it too. And it holds great memories of early PuristS and the fantastic JLC Forum with Jaw and then Jerome.
Andrew
I couldn't agree more, Luis. It's a special place and I'm pleased you found it and stayed.
Andrew
One of the things that was very obvious to me was the multicultural nature of PuristS. Many Internet sites seem to be focused on one continent, or at least a large proportion of their readership come from one place. But PuristS membership has always been fairly equally spread between Europe, the Americas and Asia. I like the different perspectives that usually brings. So you are very welcome here, Daniel. I would be very interested to hear your perspectives on the watch industry and marketing in Brazil and South America.
Regards
Andrew
How did you 'discover' PuristS?
I always had an interest in mechanical objects, small and large. Mechanical watches were included in that, but it took my fortieth birthday in 2004 for me to start researching a nice modern watch to mark the occasion.
A JLC Reverso was already on my mind, and a Google search for information on the Reverso range led me to the usual watch sites. But of all the forums I visited, ThePuristS stood out as something unique and special. The threads were interesting and opened my eyes to many different areas of horology. For example, I was most interested in movements and engineering (why else would anyone own a mechanical watch?!) but I soon realised that other aspects of design, aesthetics, wearability, history, reliability and servicing were just as important. The tone of the conversations were at a very high level, as was the knowledge and friendliness of the participants. The watches and collections were amazing (I saved some 20,000 images on my hard drive from those early years). And it wasn't just the watches - I found the people here to be interesting, learned, warm and of like mind on many topics. PuristS was a community I wanted to be part of.
But even so, it took me many months to post my first question. Somehow after that I managed to think of another 12000+ things to say!
How did you discover ThePuristS or it's evolution, PuristSPro?
Andrew
Ps. Here is the fruit of my first encounter with PuristS - the JLC Reverso Grand Date. Still in my collection. Thanks to PuristS past and present.
Easy for me... I was searching for Audemars Piguet online
And at the time, the only worthy platform anywhere on the "world wide web" was thePuristS, founded of course by the infamous-around-these-parts Dr. Thomas Mao.
From the very beginning, I was captivated by the friendliness of the members and the substantial information. And I participated a while before acquiring my first AP (which I have thought to picture here in another thread and I will, soon).
Thanks Andrew!
First watches will be a great series
Hi Michael,
I think 'first watches' will be the perfect ongoing series for the NMF. Particularly from the more seasoned collectors. It is interesting for all of us to not only hear about where we started, but also about what it has been like to live with that watch for a long period of time. How did we decide on that watch? Do tastes change? Are these early buying decisions, which many of us agonize over, the right ones? This is particularly relevant because these pieces often cost more than we had ever considered spending on a watch before.
Thanks for your contribution.
Andrew
I think it was the person who sold me my first G O . . .
. . . that told me about The Purists. At the time, there was only one dedicated forum catering to the English-speaking world - ours. I devoured it daily, and esteemed Marcus as a sort of demi-god (I hope he doesn't read this!). I don't think I even looked at the other forums.
I met Thomas in '03 at a Purists G O function here in LA, and then a few times more, but we really didn't connect until the November '04 VC Overseas event. I'd been a lurker for years, but finally went online just to respond to all the well-wishers. Thomas personally persuaded me to log in, and, as Forest Gump would say . . .
This message has been edited by Dr No on 2014-02-20 10:04:54
I met Thomas in '03 at a Purists G O function here in LA, and then a few times more, but we really didn't connect until the November '04 VC Overseas event. I'd been a lurker for years, but finally went online just to respond to all the well-wishers. Thomas personally persuaded me to log in, and, as Forest Gump would say . . .
This message has been edited by Dr No on 2014-02-20 10:04:54
Art, tell them what happened at the VC event...
afterall, we don't show off here, we share!
Sho' . . .
vacheron.watchprosite.com
. . . 'nuf!
Funny . . .
. . . I still have that Hawaiian shirt hanging in my closet ;-) . . .
Since its beginnings as an Audemars Piguet site!
Andrew, Im also a lucky owner of a JLC Reverso grande date...and as much as I rarely wear it, it is my favorite of the non-super complication reversos!
Cheers,
Palmasea
Wow, a real ThePuristS old timer! Do you remember...
ThePurist178?
Glad to read you!
TM
I'm afraid not...
but I do remember reading most entries in regards to anything Audemars Piguet!
You have come a long way…..congratulations, Im sure you have many wonderful surprises for us in store
Best Regards,
Palmasea
The JLC Reverso Grand Date is ...
... still a wonderfully practical watch with the 8 day movement, seconds and large date (miraculously squeezed into a rectangular movement) and while fashion has moved to thinner watches I still love it too. And it holds great memories of early PuristS and the fantastic JLC Forum with Jaw and then Jerome.
Andrew
Long time ago, before PuristSPro ...
When I decided to try to understand a little more about watches I landed on the old Purists site.
At that time I had a bookmark folder and every morning I opened the forums that I was tracking and read and read.
Never posted. Just reading.
The Purists (the old one) was some kind of 90's forum that I believed was some sort of private club dedicated to very rich (now Thomas go to kill me) and pompous people.
Time passes and I start understanding that other forums were full of second intentions (post a watch, show the wonders and then try to sell it).
One day, I was unsure about an acquisition and I posted a question. My question was not only answered (by Nicolas of course) but with a follow up by Oliver.
I was hooked and after this event I started posting.
Then was a robbery and I was mad with all watches (I still am, with a brand that I cannot have here or else) and I stopped for some time.
Could not resist and returned.
That's the story.
Cheers,
Nilo
At that time I had a bookmark folder and every morning I opened the forums that I was tracking and read and read.
Never posted. Just reading.
The Purists (the old one) was some kind of 90's forum that I believed was some sort of private club dedicated to very rich (now Thomas go to kill me) and pompous people.
Time passes and I start understanding that other forums were full of second intentions (post a watch, show the wonders and then try to sell it).
One day, I was unsure about an acquisition and I posted a question. My question was not only answered (by Nicolas of course) but with a follow up by Oliver.
I was hooked and after this event I started posting.
Then was a robbery and I was mad with all watches (I still am, with a brand that I cannot have here or else) and I stopped for some time.
Could not resist and returned.
That's the story.
Cheers,
Nilo
Of course not, Nilo.
"The Purists (the old one) was some kind of 90's forum that I believed was some sort of private club dedicated to very rich (now Thomas go to kill me) and pompous people."
You were wrong.
I don't kill people for being wrong.
But when they are wrong, and don't ever figure it out, either by themselves, or when they are helped to see the real situation, then they are stupid.
Now that's another story...
Jajajajajajaja...
It was a dark and stormy night...
Just kidding. It was several years ago, back during my undergrad days. I always had a thing for watches and kept on running into Southern Californian watch lovers. I think I ran into Dr. No and some other fellows first; Kurt, Mitch, DRMW, Anthony, first come to mind. A great knowledge base and wonderfully fun individuals whom were generous and eager to share their knowledge about a subject they were passionate about. And it didn't matter from what level of collecting you were at. There was nothing esoteric or pretentious about this group of people wearing very expensive watches. And everyone was in this group for the right reasons. Not for recognizing the watch as a status symbol but for recognizing it for what it is; timekeeping mechanical art.
Art introduced me to PuristSPro, but I didn't really understand it at first. What? It's called PuristSPro but the web address is watchprosite.com Then I did some research about PuristSPro and Glashutte Original (a brand that Art showed me the virtues of) on the internet and found out it's actually not just an organization that's exclusively online, but they actually have real human beings who meet from all over the world in Germany to tour a watch factory together. The sense of camaraderie extended was impressive.
Today, PuristSPro represents something that's nothing short of amazing. It's a diverse cumulation of some of the world's most avid and knowledgeable collectors, starting enthusiasts who will be the future most knowledgeable collectors, and just plain good people.
Surfing....
I was surfing in the FRM (mechanical watches forum in Brazil) and I saw a Puristpro link posted there..
After that I discovered some old friends here...
Tks!
We should notice that ....
The absolutely non-commercial Brazilian (in Portuguese) watch forum Relógios Mecânicos , from time to time links articles here on the PuristSPro.
Nice !!!
Cheers,
Nilo
Nice !!!
Cheers,
Nilo
I was searching for my first high end dress watch back in 2012
On google using search terms like "Patek Calatrava vs Vacheron Patrimony vs Breguet Classique vs Lange Saxonia" and read some posts here.
I hadn't joined as a member then just lurking around.
Read a fantastic post by Bob on how he chose his Breguet classique over the other contenders as was very impressed with the quality of his post. Also read lots of reviews by Bill, Fx, Oliver etc.
After I got my VC Patrimony, I finally decided to make my first post.
From 2012 to mid 2013 I was making very few posts but thanks to the encouragement of the whole PPro community, I started sharing and contributing more to this lovely forum.
I wish all Purists will continue to support and encourage newbies, like I was 2 to 3 years ago
This new members forum is ideal for this!
Cheers
Robin
I hadn't joined as a member then just lurking around.
Read a fantastic post by Bob on how he chose his Breguet classique over the other contenders as was very impressed with the quality of his post. Also read lots of reviews by Bill, Fx, Oliver etc.
After I got my VC Patrimony, I finally decided to make my first post.
From 2012 to mid 2013 I was making very few posts but thanks to the encouragement of the whole PPro community, I started sharing and contributing more to this lovely forum.
I wish all Purists will continue to support and encourage newbies, like I was 2 to 3 years ago
This new members forum is ideal for this!
Cheers
Robin
It was in August 2013
when I got my Montblanc Star World-timer and wanted to share my joy with other Montblanc lovers.
After searching on the internet, I found "the biggest Montblanc loving crowd" here on PuristS. Friends who actively participate in the Montblanc forum should remember this description from me. ^_^
Purists is the most friendly, unbiased, informative and interactive forum that I've ever been to. Once your came, you stay.
"Purists is the most friendly, unbiased, informative and interactive forum"
I couldn't agree more, Luis. It's a special place and I'm pleased you found it and stayed.
Andrew
I was looking for a rolex...
and google sent me to here a few years ago. the rest is history, I began surfing around the forums: JLC, PP, Rolex etc. Although I'm an active user in a Brazilian forum and been a registered user for a while I never posted here until this year.
Likemac1969 I also found some friends here! 
Cheers
Multicultural
One of the things that was very obvious to me was the multicultural nature of PuristS. Many Internet sites seem to be focused on one continent, or at least a large proportion of their readership come from one place. But PuristS membership has always been fairly equally spread between Europe, the Americas and Asia. I like the different perspectives that usually brings. So you are very welcome here, Daniel. I would be very interested to hear your perspectives on the watch industry and marketing in Brazil and South America.
Regards
Andrew
Andrew, in my view...
nowadays Brazil receives a much more attention from brands than years ago. I live at São Paulo and spend some of my weekend in Rio de Janeiro which are big cities here. Every year I see new manufactures opening boutiques around: JLC, IWC, Panerai, Omega, Tag Heuer, Breitiling and I heard that VC will open a boutique at São Paulo until the end of this year.
Here in sao paulo I see ads from major brands always in the streets of large movements which are situated close to malls containing their boutiques. I find it important, because here in Brazil the general public knows rolex but never heard of JLC. Also watch ads in magazines from Rolex, Panerai, IWC, etc.
Regarding prices, even with the devaluation of the BRL against usd few boutiques have very competitive price compared to prices abroad. Years ago the prices here in Brazil were much worse than those charged in other countries, to the point that it was cheaper to buy a airline ticket and buy your watch abroad. Not to say that all brands have attractive prices, but some are worth buying here.
Cheers
Very interesting to hear ...
... the observations of PuristS in different parts of the world. We have also seen an increase in brand boutiques such as IWC, Breitling, Omega and TAG in Australia, but most of the high end action still happens within authorised dealers.
And there has also been an increase in advertising in various media. It makes sense because there is an ever growing Asian population in Australia and they bring with them their interest in higher end watches. Families based in various parts of Asia, including the watch hubs of Hong Kong and Singapore, have children in universities down here and often visit - and buy a watch while on holidays! Many of the big purchases I hear about locally are actually from travelers.
There is a 10% goods and services tax (GST) levied on watches and the population is relatively small (23 million), but there are still bargains to be had. Travelers can buy tax free.
Thanks for the insights.
Regards
Andrew
I was interested in knowing how did many Purists come to Horology and the forum.
It gives an interesting overview of what people are looking for in this huge watchmaking world.
I've been into watches for something like 4 years now. But when I got cought I needed frenetically to learn more and more.
I surfed and learned some basis on French forum but I finally quitted because of the people.
I tried googling "watch forum" and felt on Pp, a forum I couldn't have dreamed of finding.
I like discussing when people are Open-minded, Polite, Respectful. That's what I needed.
to sum-up there is a huge philosophical difference to me between saying "this is not my cup of tea" and "this is ugly".
Furthermore, this site is full of every-level collectors and this helps to find information about nearly any watches.
As the forum is gathering educated people from all over the world, the concentration of interesting timepieces and people of random experience is something very interesting and very valuable too.
It's not on every forum we can discuss from experience with T€.50+ watches. Not that the amount is important but the more expensive they are, the more diffucult we can here about them and have pictures about them. As a fan of highly finished watches this is something I appreciate a lot and which is rare.
This said, the pleasure of discussing, learning is as pleasant in any of the sub-forum and this is a proff of the forum's quality.
This is I guess thanks to the managing line too that pilots the boat. So thank you!
Cheers, Mark
I've been into watches for something like 4 years now. But when I got cought I needed frenetically to learn more and more.
I surfed and learned some basis on French forum but I finally quitted because of the people.
I tried googling "watch forum" and felt on Pp, a forum I couldn't have dreamed of finding.
I like discussing when people are Open-minded, Polite, Respectful. That's what I needed.
to sum-up there is a huge philosophical difference to me between saying "this is not my cup of tea" and "this is ugly".
Furthermore, this site is full of every-level collectors and this helps to find information about nearly any watches.
As the forum is gathering educated people from all over the world, the concentration of interesting timepieces and people of random experience is something very interesting and very valuable too.
It's not on every forum we can discuss from experience with T€.50+ watches. Not that the amount is important but the more expensive they are, the more diffucult we can here about them and have pictures about them. As a fan of highly finished watches this is something I appreciate a lot and which is rare.
This said, the pleasure of discussing, learning is as pleasant in any of the sub-forum and this is a proff of the forum's quality.
This is I guess thanks to the managing line too that pilots the boat. So thank you!
Cheers, Mark
This is exactly my view as well
Thanks for putting it into words, Mark.
PuristS has attracted people from all corners of the collecting world and all interact here with respect and support. And as our tastes change there are knowledgable people to guide and share their experiences. And the forums also reflect the evolution of the watch industry and the models they produce. So it is a very interesting 'ride'.
You are an obvious gentleman and your contribution to PuristS is appreciated by many.
Thanks!
Andrew
Sunny Singapore...
...is where I live and we are really lucky; maybe even spoilt here! The density of the place means that this is watch heaven because you are never more than an hour away from a mind-boggling selection from G-Shocks to independent esoteria and everything in between. Apart from our fantastic ADs, there's also a wonderful community here and when I needed information outside the "big brands", the word "Purists" kept popping up. I strongly urge anyone who hasn't already done so, to click on "AHCI and independent haute horlogerie" - a wonderful world of discovery awaits!!
Singapore ...
... is definitely one of THE watch mecca's of the world. Fantastic variety and some truly special retail spaces.
For several years I would go to view the F.P.Journe tourbillon at the local AD whenever I transited through. I promised myself I would own one eventually. Although it was always hard to hand the watch of my dreams back and walk out of the shop, I do have happy memories of those times.
There are some great PuristS in SG as well, so you are lucky on many fronts. Enjoy what you have.
Warm regards,
Andrew
