Rise of the independents - who are your favourites?
I'm going to start with some musings, so if you want to pass my rantings, skip to the last paragraph for what I wanna discuss in this thread :eagerness:
So 2013 has been a strange year for me in my WIS journey - apart from a G-Shock I didn't buy another watch :confusion: ! My only other activity in the watch world was selling my Marinemaster that was completely unloved. I only realised this when I put on my old Monster the other day (the first mechanical watch I purchased) and reflected on 2013. I have to admit I was a bit bored of watches over the last 18 months. I think this is natural as you try things get to a stage of contentment and then appreciate the watches that you have. I've also been quite pragmatic, If I'm interested in a watch I tend to find somewhere to try it on. Indeed the lure of SC can lead to rash decisions, but this has been few and far in between.
Most watches that I have tried on just haven't done it for me. I'm a firm believer on a watch needing 'to feel right' when you wear it. I tend to know this within a few minutes of trying something on. The other thing that has influenced me on how i buy is insane pricing. I look at prices of Panerai (I use Panerai as an example as I find their watches rather appealing.....) and from the first one I bought new over 4 yrs ago till now the pricing has rocketed. This has of course impacted 2nd hand pricing and it is now quite hard in stomaching the amount needed to fork out for some watches. I've also seen the way brands are moving into the Boutique model and have to say, though I understand the why behind this they come across a lot more soulless and mercenary which has been a turn off.
Though a bit bored of watches, I've still been lurking and looking here (my participation levels on this forum are down) - one thing I would have to say is Watch Talk has been pretty damn good lately. Some of the watches on show have been quite excellent and the discussion levels have also been up there. This got me thinking about alternatives to the regular 'big brands' in the quest for looking for more unusual pieces and essentially you end up looking at small independent brands - both at the lower and higher end of things.
I few of you have been posting some interesting independent pieces, so I want to open the floor and show off smaller independent brands that have caught your eye or that you have bought! Price range is not an issue, this is a chance to show off some fine 'haute horlogerie'. For me I'm loving Speake-Marin and the Spirit 2, tried this on a few months back and it's an outstanding piece. Lovely dial and a 5 day auto movement. Pic off the web:
http://ablogtowatch.wpengine.netdna-...lage-Black.jpg
So let's see what's been interesting you!
Rise of the independents - who are your favourites?
^Worst experience I ever had was with the new Wakmann "company". Unbelievably unprofessional service for a greek project watch for the cali diver shown above. We are still waiting 6 months later for new dials because the ones provided were badly printed (and that's just one of the issues: see wrong hands fitted, scratches at the back, watches not properly sealed (!) and more).
No response to emails is their trademark and the appropriate finishing touch to what they represent.
All these written with an effort to be nice.
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http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/04/hypa6uga.jpghttp://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/04/tymy3u6a.jpg