halgedahl
1333
Those of us with more modest collections knew we were in for a treat this weekend. And so it has been. A great variety of horologic treats (though no Roger Smith as yet, if I may throw out
a challenge). But that said… here's my nicest watch, the Grand Seiko SBGW003, produced in 2002 in a limited edition of 300 for the JDM. What makes this watch rise a little above many, in my estimation, is clarity (and beauty) of its time-telling.
When my sister graduated from photography school one of several invited speakers admonished the graduates that they were embarking on a difficult road. “To give you an idea,” he began, “the typical magazine photo editor will place all of the submitted slides for that month’s issue on a light box, and then walk across the room—all the way across the room. If your slide doesn’t pop from that distance, you’re out of luck.”
Such is the ’003’s presence. Surrounded by the unparalleled gleam of the zaratsu-polished stainless steel is a dial of delicate egg-crème, embossed with brightly shining golden Arabic numerals. But the pièce de résistance is the presentation of the startling wild blue hands—including the delicate seconds hand—which may flash in the light in a moment of abandon, but always offer such a stark contrast to the dial that even in the dimmest light it is still possible to tell the time.
When I saw this watch come available on another forum I was struck by… I didn’t know what. There may be those among you who will tease that this seems to happed to me regularly. And I’ll admit that I’m a guy for whom it often “takes awhile.” But I followed my instinct and found cazalea’s marvelously complete post regarding the four watches in this issue on the ’web. In that run down he spoke so admiringly of the ’003 that I was encouraged to pounce. Thus, here she is, with great thanks to Mike for his friendship and encouragement.
***
My contrasting piece is a Nivrel big date chronograph in a beautifully executed satin brushed stainless case. At 38mm a perfect size for modern fellows who still like to see a watch framed by the wrist. The particular design of this grand date appealed to me. One truly can have a great deal of fun here for modest sums.
My hat's off to all of you fellows with monster pieces. What fun to look through them! Best greetings to all from Midwest USA! FH
More posts:
WristScan weekend 12.07. - 14.07 opens now: How far can you stretch your colection?
Dear friends, as the guest host of this round's Wristscan I am asking you to show your top piece in your collection and your least obvious, least overt piece. Both pieces should have one thing in common, ideally,: both should reveal you as a collector, as...
Not sure if I know much about watches
but my least obvious piece would be my newly purchased manual wind Grand Seiko SBGW231. My most precious piece is actually not the most precious because of the price but because it is a piece unique set which I had won at a Christie's auction last year. T...
sham1, you know about watches
You put the quirky, exotic one on top in this game, where we and myself would expect it at the bottom end. Very good starting bid to WS!
Thank you my friend!
I seem to like simple and elegant watches. Quite boring for some!
Thank you! I think so too!
For me it is more precious than my Patek perpetual calendar!
I love your Grand Seiko too!
Arabic numerals, manual winding, transparent case back and no date!
Easy for me.
The most expensive is probably, vintage not included, this Jaeger Lecoultre Master Minute Repeater in titanium. My less expensive is probably this Hamilton Sterile dial. But their place in my heart is most important than their relative value. Best, Nicola...
Your JLC minute repeater: sitting firmly at the top of your collection
To have a tasteful vintage piece at the bottom end is sooooo you ;-)! Very well played, my friend.
Hello Nicolas!! Two great watches, a sublime JLC and a more humble but beautiful and very interesting Hamilton which clearly express what I tried to say in my own post...
and it is resumed in your watches and your words; "their place in your heart is most important than their relative value" Thank you for sharing them my dear friend! Abrazos desde las frias Pampas! Abel
A big WOW to both!
I loved the JLC when I had the opportunity to hear it 5 or 6 years ago. And there is something so good about a sterile dial!
Two fantastic pieces, Nico!
And the JLC sounds especially sweet, even in Paris traffic 👌🏻😉
Welcome back here, Ronald!
… and what a contribution: a one watch collection, that will serve all needs, occasions and purpose. You are taking this task to a new philosophical dimension: I like that !
Hello dear friend Moritz!! Again: it is a big pleasure to have you hosting this week end! And with a great theme and superb watches to open the thread!
Your theme will bring many thoughts and great shots from our colleagues I feel. We are collectors, accumulators or just watch lovers. Something I wish to distinguish from those "investors" looking for an object (watches) to invest in and to speculate with...
Ha ha ha!! No no! Not a new catch! The Ap I have shown before, I got it about four or five years ago. The little Chinese chrono I bought last February and made a little post then...
... It is not easy to keep track of Dexter´s "blood samples" ! Lol! Cheers! Abel
Abel: you are a master in the watch game
Obviously well educated in the watch world you picked two pieces that are exactly what I was thinking of, when put them together into the context of this week's theme. A dapper AP RO with a white dial to show your expertise and your individual approach to...
Hello Moritz! You are so kind! Appreciate your kind words. It is a pleasure to participate and share these two pieces trying to illustrate our feelings about these ...
... pieces in our collections which we love and enjoy beyond the price paid for them. I´m happy to be able to illustrate my point of view with these shots and watches. Thank you so much again for your kind comments! Hagwe! Abel
Great choices and sentiment Abel....
I completely agree with your words about watch collecting.
What a great combination, Abel!
I must have missed both previously and have to say they make a very interesting pair. Been several times on the verge of getting the Seagull but never quite pulled the trigger (got a Kickstarter watch with the same movement at some point, though). Maybe n...
Thanks a lot my dear friend KM for your always so kind comments!! Yes, definitively you should go for the Sea Gull! It is a little charming chrono with lots of vintage vibes...
... and you can find it through several internet sources! Thank you for your kind words! Hagwe! Abel
Thanks for proposing a great theme for the this week's Wristcan, Moritz, I'm sure we will see lots of interesting and surprising pieces! :-)
As for my 'top' watch, I think everyone by now knows how attached I am to my 5177G-010 ('Boccadasse'), which was presented last year as part of the 'rare handcraft' collection. It's not money-wise my most expensive piece (though it's in the top 3), but ha...
Hi Fab!! Great submission! It is always a big pleasure to view your Boccadasse Patek! Such a fine and unique piece! I can well imagine how much pleasure it gives you just to view ...
... it on your wrist! Lovely "white Sub" you show! I can understand the joy and pleasure of these watches as well. And of course that of your Pam 292 you show in your relaxed mood portrait remembering us that Life is Good! Keep enjoying and loving my frie...
Fab: a dandy like you can wear any watch!
You are spanning it quite far from an exquisite Patek rare handcraft to a playful "Toy" watch over to a cool, cool Panerai. Best of all is that you wear them with style! Thank you for your entries.
A really sharp combination!
And the Toy Watch - superb 😊 Great how the hobby can be enjoyed at very different levels 👍🏻
Well, Fab, the 5177 is simply stunning (even if I might have chosen the fields of Tuscany—though my family is from Palermo/Catania). Naturally you couldn't resist your hometown!
It looks like you enjoy the full breadth of your collection. More power to you! FH
Thanks a lot Fred😀I just learnt a few weeks ago, by pure chance, which AD (unsurprisingly) received Tuscany, so probably not a chance with them as we’d never even met last year..😇
In any case, Boccadasse was obviously my first choice anyway. And Sicilia is so beautiful that I bet they’ll do some theme for it too one day!😉 Cordiali saluti, F.
My selection...
The top piece - The gilt GMTM purely by emotion. The feeling when this piece arrived in my hands was something I had not experienced for a long while. The one which is less obvious, probably due to the small size relative to many now which are bigger and ...
Very tasteful shots there!
Great patina on your GMTM and n apparently well worn and matured watch. Speaking of matured: one would not assume you would own also a classic yg piece in under 37 mm. (I guess it is 34 mm ?) Yes, a wide spread collection!
Perfect size for such a classic watch.
Both are actually matching in terms of vintage feel.
Has the Blancpain been in your collection . . .
. . . for a very long time? I seem to recall seeing it many years ago. Art
My two
Hi My two choices Futurematic - not most expensive financially, but time to get. Poljot alarm - probably the cheapest one bought, but an absolute cracker. Love the blue dial & that alarm! Cheers JML ...
Now we a rolling ...
Believe it or not but I was hoping a Poljot would enter the competition 😀! Charming alarm model there. The Futurematic is a very desirable watch indeed. Nice pair!
Now we a rolling ...
Believe it or not but I was hoping a Poljot would enter the competition 😀! Charming alarm model there. The Futurematic is a very desirable watch indeed. Nice pair!
I was expecting independents, but ...
keeping the stretch within independents is a different league. Fantastic "illusion" and Chronometer Souverain. You have certainly scored very high on this WS weekend 👌!
Sublime To Ridiculous ...
I would like to start by thanking Moritz for taking us (me) outside our (my) comfort zone. I’m always slightly uncomfortable about the “Top End” of my collection, don’t ask me why, but I dislike the whole values thing. It has very little to do with the lo...
This guilt feeling ...
Funny how many, if not all of us, have got this "issue". I think we should forget the monetary part and simply focus on the object of desire, when buying one. The guilt overcomes me also from time to time but then I recall the purchasing moment and how fa...
Thank you Moritz...
I collected the Seiko “Willard” yesterday and it’s pure joy ! I will post a full review of this watch next week.
Looking forward to you review of your Seiko
Keeping the 5270 P in the dark here must not have been easy … well I would not have been able to
Does it give you the feeling to have completed your mission to collect watches?
To me this would be most likely an exit piece, a watch that rules over all others, a piece that suits all my dreams, needs and wishes. What a tasteful Patek!
I have thought about this....
as I have “others” I don’t think an exit is realistically ever going to happen.
It's not exatly and 'expensive' piece,
but it's one i enjoy tremendously and rank highly among my small collection This one slips under the radar a lot, but i like its simplicity HAGWE all henry ...
Bookends, practically. Even though . . .
. . . from opposite ends of the globe, more alike than not.
Oh yes, a GO Panomatic!
Henry, your post is exactly what I meant: we regard our pieces as "inexpensive" in relation to all other pieces shown here by other members. Outside this forum your GO will be regarded as a very expensive watch, for people who are not into watches. Back t...
Great to see you posting watches that you enjoy...
It should be the reason for collecting.
Thats a tough job to pick the ,,top,, watch from my collection 🤔
All of my watches are top pieces for me personally . But i will post my latest grail that i added as a top piece The Rexhep Rexhepi One of my least valued watches but def a watch that highlights my passion for this great hobby and some ,,quirky,, watches ...
Now we are gaining momentum!
Good point to say all pieces are top pieces in one's collection. Great entries from you to the competition. Both very appealing!
Unbelievable...
While I am yet to see the Rexhepi live it’s a delight in pictures. As for the Digitrend, you know I have a soft spot for it 😊👌🏻
You are quite flexible!
From a top modern Patek with a state of the art mechanical movement to a Seiko quartz: impressive! That is a wide, wide ranging interest in watches.
thanks!
by the way, it's not my only quartz from the brand. here's another... quartz is good when you just need to grab a watch and go ...
Let’s keep it simple, time only and hand wound...
From the Big Zero Raketa... To the VC 1972... Have a great weekend, all 👍🏻 ...
Raketa ... The name teils all
Cute watch, with a funny name 😀. Very tasteful VC! Love it 👍
The Raketa...
Is probably one of the best known Soviet watches - made such by Gorbachev, it’s most illustrious wearer 😊 And like all Raketas, it’s a watch from possibly the most integrated manufactures out there. Not only were the movements in house, so were all the ot...
Your Vacheron is a wonderful design statement ...
Thank you for sharing it on WristScan
Great theme this week, CDM!
The least overt and most inexpensive watch purchase was this Hanhart But hold on a second, what's this funny thing on the side? It turns out this Hanhart watch isn't a Hanhart, and it isn't a watch... it's a Protona spy microphone from the cold war era. T...
We might have a winner here!
Your Protona (what an intimidating name, sounds like a proton canon) is the most peculiar entry so far and hard to beat: well done to have it in your collection 👌 ! From an Ebay in which country did you find it? A GMT Master on a pilot strap is always a d...
Thank you
At the time I was searching for one of those old Hanhart/Tutima WW2 vintage chronos and stumbled upon it. I believe I bought it from a seller in the US for maybe 125 bucks. The B-Uhr is a Stowa. If considering one I think the Stowa movements are more aest...
Stowa movement
Quite an attractive looking movement. Did not know about it. I should dwell more into Pilot watches from the era. Thank you for the picture!
Both are hypnotic to me!
A mesmerizing piece of wheel and pivots and a psychodelic Silberstein: quite a versatile taste. Wonderful, crisp wrist shots!
That Breguet!
I just love the medieval looking anvil for the automatic winding... way too cool!
Any time you wish to wax poetic about that Breguet, Will, I'm all ears. Very interested in that watch, though I doubt I'll ever own one. The dichotomy of the slightly industrial
look of the movement (those massive, trapezoidal bridges) with the whole elegant Breguet aesthetic is a tad confusing, yet fascinating. I realize the movement's design takes many cues from the past, but, but…. Well, you get the picture. Feel free to PM me...
The modest pick in my collection . . .
. . . was an easy call. This humble ca '40 Ω ref 2099 . . . . . . is, other than the crown, entirely original, and dilapidated to the point where any further dial degradation would render it unusable. Yet its cal 30 movement runs so well it makes me wonde...
Art, you are blessed with a collection of characterful Omegas
It seems that the watches find theire way to you because you understand them and sense the stories behind them. A great story to Share about your ref 2009! Thank you for such a touching entry to this competition. And, yes: an old movement can still keep e...
Aaaaah 😀: I always lough my head off, if I see that sequence
What a character 😂😂😂 "Au contraire!" 😂😂😂
Omega from top to bottom 😉
And to think that GO used to be your brand 😁 Two fantastic choices, Art 👌🏻
A wrist shot for context's sake, Fred. Too many say . . .
. . . 33 mm isn't . . . . . . worth wearing. Not I. ;-) ...
Ah, but are there any in your collection . . .
. . . of approximately that case size, Nicolas? (Besides the Ω ref 2179, of course.) In the past we've entertained threads regarding optimal case sizing. I don't recall many (actually, maybe not any ) professing a preference for < 35 mm. My collection ...
Even I don't wear . . .
. . . 30 mm. Well, maybe just once. [Dr No's wrist, Dr No's Mom's Longines] Remember pplater's 'wear your smallest watch for a week' contest? I won. ...
Hear, hear! Many thanks for this lovely shot! You know… the lug width makes a big difference, and here it is broad enough to give substantial "footprint" to the watch. And
the lugs do not taper. I'm sure you'll agree that every little thing makes a difference! I also think you chose the strap wisely—the whole presentation is impressive. As a contrast, here's a 34mm on my 17.25 in (18.4 cm) wrist, which for many of these all...
Moritz, not an easy task this week...
I simply cannot decide between these two... As for the second part of the challenge Moritz, well that part is easy! ;-) On the ocean outside San Diego harbour: Later that evening, outside my local watering hole, the "Port" in Solana Beach, admiring some o...
Tim, you are very close to winn this!
From an heavenly VH and an unique, square Lang & Heine in rg down to a Seiko diver is a mighty long way! I would also not be able to choose ... maybe the VH ... but then better the Lang & Heine, maybe? 😀
Well, then the L&H
I remembered the cool movement of the L&H, but seeing it is a different thing. Amazing how rudimental a movement can look like but stunning at the same time 👍. I wonder why nobody came up with such a movement design before?
Well technically speaking....
There is another great German Independent Watchmaker, whom to my knowledge preceded Marco by several years with a similar high polished steel bar design in his watches. Christian Klings made them first. Still, I love the style and look of it. Makes me smi...
Hey Will!
Good to hear from you, yes the VH is very special in so many ways...Hope to catch up in late Sept./Oct. when I'm next over. Cheers, Tim
The advantages of an early birth...
Wish to have been around when the VHs were easy to obtain 😊
PADI, for sure. For starters, it costs less . . .
. . . than a few of my legendary bar tabs.
Happy To Share...
... One of my very favorite pieces... As far as "the most valuable..." That's in the box at the bank. More to follow. But I sure love this rather expensive clock... As if perpetual motion isn't enough, just look at that blue lapis dial. Love. - Scott ...
Static picture might have been decided now
A Martin Braun watch has always a clever, unique asset, like this Selene B. Top presentation, Scott 👌. Für Atmos is perpetual meditation to watch, with this blue dial ... Great late night entry!
Hi Scott ...
Great to see a clock in WristScan this weekend. You posted s great pairing. Thanks for joining us this weekend.
What a fantastic theme, Moritz!
And two great watches to start with. I admit to being very curious about the second one 😊
Those of us with more modest collections knew we were in for a treat this weekend. And so it has been. A great variety of horologic treats (though no Roger Smith as yet, if I may throw out
a challenge). But that said… here's my nicest watch, the Grand Seiko SBGW003, produced in 2002 in a limited edition of 300 for the JDM. What makes this watch rise a little above many, in my estimation, is clarity (and beauty) of its time-telling. When my ...
O.k., o.k., o.k.😀!
I will, I want buy a Seiko next! If possible your limited edition Grand Seiko, halgedahl. Seiko is such popular with fellow Purists here, that I feel incomplete without one. Yours has got lovely deep, deep blue hands! Fantastic entry from you FH, to combi...
My dear Count, you are entirely too generous. OK, I did wax poetic about the '003, but then… it is a beautiful thing. I do think that you would think it so. But your idea
for the week's contest has jogged loose any number of truly ravishing pieces. My hat's off to you not only for the idea, but for the obvious following of fine friends you've made here over the years. Well done. The judging won't be easy! Best regards, Fre...
Your kind words are much appreciated, Fred.
Yes, we all are blessed to have found friends on this formidable place, that I love to visit almost every day.
From the super complicated to simplicity personfied
Delma Klondike automatic with every complication available (almost) to the Panerai 210 manual wind ...
That Delma!
A mechanical watch with so many functions and I have not heard of it ! Brilliant entry! The Panerai I cool!
