Anecdotes collecting watches

[Huertecilla]

Anecdote; a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person.

Apart form most members here wearing their watches exclusively for their personal pleasure, they are also male (fashion) accessories and can thus be subject of anecdotes.

Different form the satisfaction of looking at quality or the awarenes of the aesthetics of the technology inside or the associations with the heritage etc. which is all pérsonal.
The watch as a subject of anecdotes is a social experience involving others and as man is a social being it imo is an important aspect.
The watch fora are imo a clear illustration.

For me the real world anectotes are a part of watches I particularly enjoy. When I ponder about it, it is about as important as the other aspects together.

I wonder what anecdotal experiences you guys have and which watches, if any, stand out and how.

[adzman808]

not sure this qualifies, but you might enjoy this one C...


I was wearing my sub at work and a visiting German colleague asked me;

"excuse me, what watch is that?"

a Rolex

"Oh" he said looking disappointed

"I thought it was a Steinhart, I've just ordered one and hoped to see what it looked like"

I've had a few sub homages that Rolex ADs have assumed are Subs, but ironically this is the only time that someone has assumed my watch was a homage !!

[Huertecilla]

not sure this qualifies, but you might enjoy this one C...

It is an amusing short story of a real incident with you watch.
Thanks for sharing.

I have not a single real/homage/fake anecdote and the only real world 'wis' experience was in a rare trip by air.
A guy next to me commented to the flight attendant about his loosely dangling vintage DayDate. This evolved in several blokes around me sharing their watches. My time only GrandSeiko remained incognito despite short sleeves.

[WatchScout]

Though having been 'into' watches for years and having worn a wide variety of watches (GP, Rolex, PAM, Anonimo etc etc etc ) and in spite of having bought, sold and flipped like mad resulting in hundreds of watches having passed through my hands over the years, I seldom got any comments on my watches. Most true WIS wear watches for their own sake (I sincerely hope - they'd be pretty sorry, if they only wore them for others to admire), but that doesnt mean, that we dont like to discuss our watches and other watches with different people, that we meet.

As watches was of huge interest to me at some point (sold the vast majority of my watches and now only have a handful left plus I dont preach to non-WIS much anymore), I tried to engage others in conversation about watches at various times - I know from others here, that they've been in the same situation - but all I ever got was a bovine stare and the usual 'Why not just wear a dependable and rugged cheapo Casio (why not indeed).
Then after not bothering to engage others in WIS-talk for a while, I was at a New Years Eve party. Pretty laid back and as I had recently gotten my SDGA003 EPD, I wore that.
Suddenly a lady sitting across the table from me (and who had been staring my way for a while) suddenly exclaimed:"What on earth is that - looks like playing cards on your watch!? How do you tell the time on that thing?"
I let her put the watch on her wrist. She liked it at lot, which I thought funny.
Not because of what she said, but because after wearing all thoese throughbred watches, the comment is over the EPD.
Further more, I almost burst out laughing, as I was reminded, that this was the exact same reaction, that Petrus had noted when wearing his EPD.
I dont know, what triggers that reaction as opposed to others totally ignoring everybody elses watches most of the time (I dont seem to travel in WIS circles locally).

[TakesALickin]

I worked on a project with some Swedish and Norwegian electricians back in 2005. One day I noticed one of the Norwegians wearing a Panerai - or so I thought. I asked him about it and he gave me sheepish look and said "Hong Kong... fifty dollars." He showed me the "tell" on the watch - a serial number on the caseback that was all zeroes.

The next Monday he was back at work after going to the Indianapolis 500 (hey, when in Rome...). It was one of those years where it had rained all weekend and threatened to shorten the race, but they got it in. My friend had been caught out of doors for a lot of the rain. I glanced at his "Panerai" and noticed that it had about a quarter inch of water sloshing around in the dial. I couldn't resist the temptation to needle him about it a little. To the credit of the fake, it was keeping pretty good time, even with the water in the movement...

[Huertecilla]

Not because of what she said, but because after wearing all thoese throughbred watches, the comment is over the EPD.
Further more, I almost burst out laughing, as I was reminded, that this was the exact same reaction, that Petrus had noted when wearing his EPD.
I dont know, what triggers that reaction as opposed to others totally ignoring everybody elses watches most of the time (I dont seem to travel in WIS circles locally).

It has some appearantly sufficiently different features to spark curiosity.
In the agricultural surrounding over here the Casio F91-W is omnipresent and my virgin oil filled one on an rescue orange ´nato´ gets quite a few remarks as it is so obviously an F91-W yet equally obviously different.
As it is all olive country the story of the virgin oil filling spreads through the venta like a summer brush fire on a hot windy day. Good fun added to the personal satisfaction of having done it.

[Huertecilla]

I was at a New Years Eve party. Pretty laid back and as I had recently gotten my SDGA003 EPD, I wore that.
Suddenly a lady sitting across the table from me (and who had been staring my way for a while) suddenly exclaimed:"What on earth is that - looks like playing cards on your watch!? How do you tell the time on that thing?"

Btw Jesper, although most women are only interested in watches as accessories, the more interesting ones are clever enough to know that they are a man thing and will comment on it when there is an angle to do so and an interest in the wearer ;-)
The EPD is a bit of a tricky one as the pitfall is that the answer is very easily too geeky, shooting the opportunity down. Bar the proverbial exception it is far more fruitfull to tell a wítty story at móst sideways connected to the technology.
In this respect my favourites are some particular soviet watches with the Cornavin Delphin coming first.

As an accessory only my 18K GS 9F has received several appreciating remarks from men and women alike.
The Ventura RX receives credit form women exclusively and beats the GS.

Relative to the frequency of wearing, the top position however goes to the frackuhr. It doesn´t really matter which one; it is wearing a slim, nice looking pocket watch that does it. Probably just because it is dífferent and thus an invitation.

[forpetesake]

This is the tale of a solid gold Rolex with diamond encrusted dial complete with solid gold Rolex bracelet.

A good friend of mine (not me - honest) bought this watch new over 20 years ago. At this time he was single and used it shamelessly as a wrist adornment in his relentless pursuit of glamorous, aspiring, fun seeking women. Eventually he stopped chasing women, settled down and got married. Some years later he got divorced.

Today, whilst he continues to adore glamorous women, the watch appears rarely - usually at private functions in relatively secure locations. Oddly, it is his girlfriend who persuades him to wear it from time to time - she seems to take some vicarious pleasure from seeing him wear it, dependant primarily on the company present.

Years ago, whenever he wore the gold Rolex on a mates night out, he would invariably be ridiculed by us for its show business associations. Today, when viewed as an investment piece, it is no longer a laughing matter. In terms of weight alone - a MM300 seems as light as a feather in comparison to this baby.

As the remainder of his watch collection are all Rolex, I recently asked him if he had ever considered another brand - Jaeger-leCoultre perhaps.
As well as I know him, I was unprepared for the clarity and spell-breaking wisdom of his reply:

"Look Pete, watches are the only jewellery a man has got..... I like watches, but I'm not all that interested in them....besides, I can sell all my Rolex tomorrow and get back more than I paid for them".

Watches As Jewellery !!!! .....Perish the Thought.


Forpetesake.

[Huertecilla]

Watches As Jewellery !!!! .....Perish the Thought.


Forpetesake.

It is however the reality. In several different ways serving the same function on watch fora too. The whole concept of the Swiss luxury mechanical is, Veblen aspect included.

One aspect for wis and non wis alike is the effect on women.
It depends on the wearer if he is aware, uses it and to which goal if so.
Some styles&designs are highly selective and some notable Veblen brands stand out like beacon to women.

The Rolex of your tale is a good example of a selective piece of 'babe' attracting adornment.
I was born free, choose to remain so and greatly enjoy female companionship. In my opinion it would be a waste of a perfectly good watch not to take the effect on the women to your taste into account when choosing your adornment for the night out.
Remember that bar exception we don not need to carry a personal time piece with us. Less so on a night out where time is of no importance and it thus IS an adornment, a piece of jewelry.
Imo it is also a perfectly good reason to buy a particular one, certainly more fruitfull than acquiring one to impress peers on watch fora. I bet a prooven women magnet will not be flipped like peer dazzlers are.

[forpetesake]

Another refreshing perspective Huertecilla, independently-minded, argued confidently and directly and as usual, fearless of audience reaction.

I find the notion of watches as jewellery an uncomfortable one. My friend's revelation of his watches as "the only jewellery a man has got" was to me painfully honest. However, I feel that this proposition requires qualification, not only in recognition of the wider context of horology but also with due respect to the diversity and sensitivities of others.

My friend is a very social animal and expresses no inherent interest for watches. By contrast, I am less sociable and although my watches are modest in comparison to his, they remain concealed when worn as an entirely personal pleasure. In addition, I maintain at least an elementary appreciation for the engineering aspects of watches, as evidenced I hope by my presence here on this forum.

Despite these protestations, I might accept that certain of my watches may hold some personal accessory/jewellery quotient to me (after all, does the case of a Grand Seiko really need to be so well finished) - but importantly to a lesser extent than my friend's watches do to him.

Whilst I choose not to dwell on this notion for fear of the possibility of it detracting from my enjoyment, I also choose not to deny it. It introduces a hint of spell-breaking humility which for me serves to keep any latent obsessive tendencies in check.

As for others, who can dare to presume. This forum hosts a vast resource of horological understanding, skill and experience within its membership. I suspect that for many here, their appreciation for timepieces far transcends that of mere jewellery.

Forpetesake.

[andrew]

I've been fooled by a very good Sea-Dweller fake, which if I hadn't been handed so I could check it out more closely, would have fooled me completely. Only its light weight gave it away. And I thought the wearer was making a well-informed, knowing choice - oh well!

Another acquaintance once bored me rigid telling me what a discerning choice he had made in purchasing an Omega moonwatch from a shop and in the act of handing over his credit card, becoming a knowledgeable WIS. I swear to God he was all ready to set off for Cape Canaveral, and not Hammersmith, where his desk job was.

As well as Godwin's Law, which says that only three pages of internet argument is needed before Hitler gets invoked, can we have Huerty's Law, to be invoked such that any thread involving Rolex (but not any other luxury watch brand) mentions Veblen before the 10th post?

[Huertecilla]

I suspect that for many here, their appreciation for timepieces far transcends that of mere jewellery.

The one does not exclude the other and I personally find the pretence of despise of the jewelry aspect a denial of the obvious.
ESPÉCIALLY on ´wis´ fora. As I observed both the added value of ´luxury´, the brand value, the display of ostentatious spending = plain and simple jewelry aspects.

Anyway; that is beside the point and open to difference of opinion.
The topic is about the anecdotes and it is logical that as this inherently involves social interaction that the accessory/jewelry aspect, even if only in the observers perception, will play a key role.

When I had just finished my Davidsen Kristall I wore it a lot on dates and one ladyfriend one evening asked me if it was a Panerai. When I answered that is was a DIY custom thing with a proper vintage movement; ´Ah!! I couldn´t imagine you paying for image.´ after which she asked if the movement was visible. It was and she marvelled that it should really be worn upside down.
I returned that is was primairily a wátch, a time keeping instrument unpon she countered that a Casio would be better suited if it were ánd that time is all around. But, she went on as if to console me, she thought that the simple sterile well made look suited me very well.

We had a good laugh about the shark strap story I spun and then switched to.... shoes.
She was agaín in stitches laughing about me taking thin socks on a date. Perfectly logical as it was as she was going to be the expert guide to Granada´s mány shoe shops she still found it hugely amusing and - endearing.
I still very much enjoy the loafers she was instrumental in buying which coïncidally are a perfect colour match to the above mention sharked strap.
The only other watch which colour matches them well is ´Jessica´, the Cornavin Delphin wich I put on a blue seventies ralley band.

[Huertecilla]

we have Huerty's Law, to be invoked such that any thread involving Rolex (but not any other luxury watch brand) mentions Veblen before the 10th post?

That is inevitable in generic posts on almost any watch forum Andrew.

The Veblen factor is the difference between what an ETA engined Precista is priced at and what an Omepanro at all goes for. This huge difference illustrates the importance, the added value of it.

Rolex is one of thé best known brand names overall and among watch brands totally without competition in this aspect.

As this topic is about social experiences, it would be odd if both the Rolex brand and the Veblen factor of luxury watches would nót be omnipresent. It also follows that the Velen factor will be predominantly connected to the by far and then some best recognised luxury watch brand.
The responses dealing with a sparkling 18K Rolex with it´s added values and about fake Rolexi are thus most probable.

I had a social watch experience today involving bóth:
While having an exceptially enjoyable lunch at a beach club overlooking a deserted beach bordering a mirror smooth Mediterranean sea, there was for once not a clock in sight.
Although quality time needs no clock and I had thus not put a watch on my wrist, enjoyable time also flies and I did have to get back in time to collect my son from the schoolbus. I thus fished out my frackuhr. The slim, unbranded art deco provoked an appreciating response.
Although she understood that I deliberate had not put on one of my mány watches, the following conversation about like/not like led to my company charmingly insisting to buy me a good quality sub. homage with sterile custom dial for my birthday. She likes the gold print seventies sub a lót as a style icon and justly overruled my prejudice as silly but did find that the inevitable associations with´Rolex´ would do me great injustice.
There you have it; both veblen and ´Rolex´ in an anecdote just today.

P.s. Telling a fake from authentic based on weight is ...euhm... not so reliable. Makes for a good anecdote though.

[andrew]

That is inevitable in generic posts on almost any watch forum Andrew.

I know, I should have put a smiley on it ;).

The Veblen factor is the difference between what an ETA engined Precista is priced at and what an Omepanro at all goes for. This huge difference illustrates the importance, the added value of it.

Well it's not all Veblen, other brands have much higher indirect costs because of marketing, sponsorship et al which Precista doesn't have, as well as dedicated in-country retail distribution, servicing centres and so on. Where Veblen comes in is where the supply/demand equation that influences price completely goes out of the window. And Veblen observed this specifically in relation to a market where buyers were of a certain social strata (what he called the "leisure class": wealthy, or latterly with access to cheap unsecured debt).

So if something is considered a Veblen good, it characterises the people who buy it, not the good itself, to wit: conspicuous consumption. The only thing the manufacturer is guilty of is collecting all that lovely available surplus - or, if West, bank loans - and redistributing it, either via philanthropic ventures (in the case of Rolex) or to shareholders and family dynasties via dividends (as per Swatch), etc.

[Huertecilla]

You are ofcourse correct in that there is a layer for overhead and marketing etc.
Again Rolex provides the most visible example with F1 sponsorship, incl. some ´Rolex Grand Prix of...´ events. That is an expense raising the watch prices notoceably.

The only thing the manufacturer is guilty of is collecting all that lovely available surplus -

I don´t see that this is anything they can be considered ´guilty´ of as the product does include a real added value. The above Rolex F1 sponsoring is agood example again as the extra cost is more than compensated for in increased brand value.

What I think the swiss watch industry is guilty of is of deliberately misleading marketing.
That is however not the issue and even the wis who are aware seem to be happy with it because of the perceived added value. Thát now, cán be subject of anecdotes :-) Like a lady friend of ours who treated herself on a extravagance in the form of a brand ex ladies model.
To me she confided that she was gútted when she experienced the relativity of the precision.
She turned red hot with indignation telling about the insult upon injury when she went back to the jeweler AD, how he condescendingly snubbed ´but it is a mechánical´, "Like that is a good thing!" she fumed....
She still wears it for outings/meetings with her peers for the jewelry/image factor, but for daily use has bought a nondescript two-tone Seiko quartz.
Her stating the obvious "like that is a good thing" was só funny. I couldn´t laugh ofcourse, was very sympathetic and it ís a very high quality idiot proof piece of mechanical horology.

[Huertecilla]

The sushi chef prepairing wonderfull treats at a curiously hidden beach restaurant will only be performing untill the end of september.
I love that freshly made stuff so have planned to go friday night.
The choice of watch is dependant of which outfit thus shoes; the watch will be the final dressing.
Hoping on another anecdote ;-)

Meanwhile the gf has decided that the birthday present will have a custom dial with my equestrian thingy as branding. A lovely, VERY lovely present and no doubt that it is going to be an anecdote special.
I am hoping I can have a sterile dial added as ' spare' though...

[forpetesake]

Meanwhile the gf has decided that the birthday present will have a custom dial with my equestrian thingy as branding. A lovely, VERY lovely present and no doubt that it is going to be an anecdote special.

Equestrian themed logo for your watch present you say?.......for you Huertecilla its obvious.....

....."STUD".....

[Huertecilla]

Equestrian themed logo for your watch present you say?.......for you Huertecilla its obvious.....

....."STUD".....

Would make for a nice anecdote in the light of my sterilised status. Well sort off. When thinking about that, a minimalistic logo would be most fitting :-)

Back to the subject; I have an ´arte ecuestre´ which is very much appreciated for the 21st c. bio-ethics of it.