Reply With QuoteYep. I enjoyed the event last November, so looking forward to this one.
Good to see a few different brands listed this time.
Title is pretty self explanatory! Anyone got a ticket and planning on attending? Always great events and I'm looking forward to it immensely
Last edited by crazyp; 21st November 2019 at 16:05.
Yep. I enjoyed the event last November, so looking forward to this one.
Good to see a few different brands listed this time.
Jup I agree on this. Lots of watches to get through this time. Full list below. If anyone has any particular recommendations/things I should check out, let me know!Originally Posted by gbn13
Ze list:
Andreas Strehler
Arnold & Son (new)
Cyrus
Czapek
DuBois et fils (new)
Fears
Garrick
Karsten Fräßdorf (new)
Minase (new)
Moritz Grossmann
Parmigiani Fleurier (new)
Pinion
Schwarz Etienne
Tutima Glashütte (new)
Vertex
Zeitwinkel
Zero West (new)
See you later - should be a good one
As a recently new owner of a Minase Divido on bracelet you MUST check them out at the event. Astonishing. Their finishing makes Grand Seiko look like cheap tat lol.
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Sold out :(
Please share pictures and thoughts here.
Looking forward to seeing you tonight and yea if anything like last years should be a cracker!
Don't worry Ryan, it is on the priority list after I saw your incoming :)
Yea tickets go fast, so worth signing up to the email list and staying on top of it. I'll for sure report back :)
Great event. I had a wonderful time.
Sadly dampened by bumping into the U.K. rep for Arnold & Son / Parmigiani after the event, who proceeded to unleash a torrent of offensive views in support of the far-right (including that Donald Trump is a brilliant man, that immigrants are bad, that I was a “c***” for disagreeing with him, and calling me and my friends w*****s).
I can safely say that I will not be buying a watch from either brand, on that basis.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Blimey. I'm sorry to hear that. Might I assume said rep had partaken in alcohol by that time (not that it excused that behaviour)?
Reminds me of a time about 6 years ago when I was running a sales team at a previous company. We were hosting a flash event for clients in the Soho Hotel in London. One of our reps thought it would be a good idea to get off his face on cocaine at the event and start offering it out to clients. He then started mocking the gold medallist paralympian speaker we had brought in, referred to one of our black clients as 'Brown John' to his face, told another client we 'didn't need his f*cking money', told another client's wife (in front of her husband) he'd like to see her in lesbian twosome with one of the serving staff and then started fighting the security as they threw him out.
Needless to say I fired him unceremoniously the next morning. Looking on LinkedIn he's now a senior director at a Tech firm
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
You bumped into a “fellow” TZ member. Obviously.
I know you shouldn't laugh but this made me spit my tea out at 05:30 this morning!
I was with ddm27 when it happened and it was a bit of a random explosion by the chap. His views are one thing, but combined with the aggressive behaviour, not good at all!!!
Given the indie participation, the Ming 19.01 accompanied me -
On to the watches at the show. Ironically I'll start with the brands the said chap was representing....
Tutima first. I didn't take pic of their new 3 hander watch - too big at 41mm. The diver here was quite nice and the fume esque dialled watch also nice, but neither quite for me.
Next up Arnold and Sons. The thin tourbillon was a delight on the wrist, but at 50 odd grand, not quite in my budget! The dead beat I also took pictures off was lovely as well, but at £26k ish, again too rich for my blood.
We then headed over to Parmigiani. The two watches I tried were excellent - the gold 3 hander exquisite and really showcases the House's skills. Next up the magnificent split second chronograph. Star of the show for me, a true delight of a watch and look at that movement!
We move on to Shwarz Ettiene. It was great to compare my 19.01 which has been built by SE with some of their own watches. Very different in style and philosophy to Ming but I liked the retrograde date and the Roswell (alas didn't take a pic) which ddm27 absolutely fell in love with!
Right time to move faster on. And at this point I realised they had a light tent set up!!!!
Fears - new blue dialled watch. The dial is excellent, however I think expensive and not a fan of the small movement nor the case.
Vertex - new chronograph, not for me. Prefer their standard 3 hander.
Czapek - the chonograph with enamel dial is not really in my style. Well made watch, but at 25k or so, very expensive in my books. The 'simpler' watch is the smaller mid sized, not for me to be honest. The tourbillon they had was remarkably wearable. I cannot remember all the details about what made it cool, though I vaguely remembered that it was out of my price range.....
Minase - as Ryan say, absolutely incredibly well made watches. But sorry Ryan, they're not the best lookers in my book. If the style works for you, you will get an incredibly well made watch.
Dubois - some special edition dial green dial and the simpler white dial encasing some old refurbed movement (Felsa). Prefered the white dial and nice on the wrist, but too inoffensive overall.
Zeitwinkel - loved the silver engrained dials and this particular model had hand finished hands. But the date is not on the same plane as you would get in a watch by GO and I find that annoying (same thing goes with ALS....).
Karsten Fräßdorf - possibly my favourite watch of the show, Why? Some innovation and an actual interesting toubillon. Designed for shocks and a unique balance design, I suggest reading about the work he does more https://www.montres-kf.com/. Sadly you can't afford it with a cost of 90k+.
Lastly our friend Piers at Pinion. I really liked the bronze cased watches, but I don't think bronze works for me. The DLC with green dial was my favourite and I think Pinion are at a point where the design language is clear and working. Keep up the good work!
Ok that was a lot. Hoped you enjoyed it!!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ah, the perils of not sharing round your drugs....
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Nice write up and some lovely watches.
Re the Minase - looks like you were trying on the 5 windows variations which aren't my cup of tea. Did you manage to see the Divido on Bracelet at all? That's kind of their flagship model and I'm still dumbstruck by its quality every time I put it on
I did Ryan - for some reason I don't have a pic of it! Styling isn't for me, but the bullet-proof construction and polishing work is outstanding. The movement let's it down somewhat as well, i feel something more special should be used, but it may not fit in the philosophy of the brand.
Yeah agree re the movement. But then it would be a £10k+ watch I guess. Bracelet is phenomenal - easily the match of my Royal Oak.
I'm wearing it now. And yes the styling is marmite - very angular and blingy. The Lamborghini Countach of watches:)
Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
Many thanks for the write-up crazyp, really great to see the variety they had on display.
I still prefer your Ming to all the ones you posted though!
It's a watch where if the styling works for you, you will have a watch that will certainly outlast you!
Funnily enough I think over the course of the night there were 3 or so individuals who made that very same comment. The name recognition for Ming has improved substantially over the last year (the GPHG award has also helped). But most people are still stuck in thinking about the cheaper 17 series watches. If you are brave and step up to the 19 series watches, you get a much better watch that is a much more exciting owning experience.
I would say overall prices seemed a pinch high for the quality. In that respect if I compare the Ming 17.06 (I do no own, but have tried) you get so much more watch for your money. And apart from the FK tourbillon, nothing too groundbreaking or exciting. Overall the price trend upwards is a bit worrying.
I owned the same model Ming that crazyp is wearing and it is phenomenal. I sold it to a member here only because it wore too small on me and the way the strap is meant that it wouldn't sit centrally on my wrist. Since I sold it I lost around 30 kilos in weight and was actually thinking of getting one back but sadly to get one at the price I sold it for is nigh on impossible. Also looking at the worldtimer although that is serious £££
You are not the only one who has issues with the strap and getting the watch to sit centrally. I've communicated this to Ming and we don't get why. They're all proper Jean Rosseau straps and for most they seem to work well.
I put my 17.01 on a custom JR and I will do the same shortly for the 19.01 (thinking a blue/grey ish strap).
Speaking with SE about the Ming watches - the worldtimer is their favourite, they love the colour combination and the movement is certainly a step up with the hand finishing. But you do pay for it!
And congrats with the weight loss :)
Last edited by crazyp; 21st November 2019 at 17:12.
Congratulations indeed on the weightloss Ryan.
Regarding the 19.01, it's the only time I've seen a watch that I thought might work on the (otherwise fugly to me) Panerai bracelet variant below:
It appears like it may suit the round theme really well. But in titanium tailored to the 19.01...even more spendy than the watch already is!
That's an interesting idea. I think if Ming ever did a bracelet, it'd be close to something like he did for the concept watch -
And, I am another who would prefer the Ming to any of the others you have posted! The Ming I have is my wife's favourite of all the watches I own!
Assuming you mean the Scouse chap I met too (wearing the turtleneck jumper) then I'm not wildly surprised, even if he was pretty polite to me. He had a way about him that I didn't like much. Ironic what he said about immigrants cos the attractive lady working with him, it turned out, was his wife. From Malta. Go figure.
I'll post some pics too when I get a mo but I also had a great time. Wore my Schofield Signalman which garnered a lot of complements from people who'd not seen one in the wild before. It's such a pleasure to be somewhere with people who notice these things. I don't buy watches for anyone but myself but it's still nice to have my opinions reaffirmed once in a while - especially by people who know what they're looking at!
Posting Permissions
