It is that time where we have to review the horology highs and lows of 2019!
Personally speaking, this was not meant to be a big buying year and I’ve mostly adhered to that with outgoings to compensate. Without doubt my best incoming of 2019 was the most recent - the titanium metal G, I really love the look!
No real lowlights, nothing caught and released, but I’ll continue to slim my collection a little in 2020 as I have far too many watches.
As for 2020? Only one potential target but that shall remain nameless for now!
Let’s see and hear your stories!
Two for me. Firstly the Fortis Stratoliner that I started this thread with:
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...ospace-history
Secondly a waterproof pocket watch from c.1911 of a type that I have read about never thought I would come across:
The G-Shock is the nicest one I have seen btw.
On balance, probably a year that I would prefer to forget. Too many watches in and out and changes of direction within the collection including at least three major clearouts - not good and a dreadful waste of money, including a £400 purchase being stolen in transit and not getting anything back on that.
The second half of the year has been more positive with a return to the old stomping ground of Seiko Alpinists, following the purchase of the Hodinkee US Blue dial limited edition. This has made me revisit the thorny subject of watch sizes and decided that 42mm watches are now far too big for me and that sub 40mm is much better. So much so that I bought a rare Alpinist SARB063 42mm and promptly sold it again as it felt like wearing a dinner plate after wearing sub 40mm watches for several months.
I am ending the year on a positive note and I am starting to feel some contentment with what I have for the first time in years. I now have two generations of Alpinists and there really isn't that much more I want. I will look at the 2020 Alpinist releases when they hit the streets, but am still undecided on those. Equally, I might consider one of the Quartz GMT models from around 15 years ago as I currently do not have one of those.
So for 2020 the aim is to stop wasting money, be more critical when considering watches and stop selling them.
I only bought one watch in 2019, so picking a highlight is quite easy....
I don't normally shop in this price bracket (or the one immediately beneath, for that matter) but I was able to treat myself, and spent a good while deciding what kind of thing I most wanted.
It's been exactly as I hoped it would be, and since I got it in early October I've worn it for most of every single day. It feels good on my wrist, it looks good, it's always very readable and the accuracy is absurd: in the last 66 days it's seen a total net gain of 5½ seconds (i.e. less than +0.1s/d). Although I don't insist on it, I find accuracy in mechanical watches very endearing.
In 2019, I also sold two watches, both of which I had previously been very fond of, but they left without regret. I finish the year with just 4 watches, and very happy with them all.
Sold a “rare” Speedy Tuesday 1 and used the proceeds to buy a BB58 and a JLC Gran Sport Chronograph.
Well the ST1 was only rare in the sense that I wore it extensively during the 14 months that I owned it, rather than what seemed to be the norm of selling unworn after a few months!
Highlight was acquiring one of my grail watches a Zenith moon phase.
Lowlight was exhausting the watch fund with four watch purchases for the year but still having a large appetite.
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This was the year of reducing and consolidating my collection. So of course it ended up getting bigger
First off a lovely turtle
Then a new PO
But lastly the highlight, this lovely GS. The dial is wonderful and I just wish I had the skills to capture it properly
The lowlight will be working out what to sell in order to balance the books
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Aaah I love these waterproof pocket watches! I thought many of these style had an up/down power reserve?Originally Posted by alfat33
Secondly a waterproof pocket watch from c.1911 of a type that I have read about never thought I would come across:
The G-Shock is the nicest one I have seen btw.
I've enjoyed your Alpinist journey thus far and amen to attempting to stop wasting money. We all probably buy things too hastily.
Thats one of the most fun things sometimes with this hobby and important to treat ourselves when we can ;)
I also required a new Turtle this year. I had to stomach and get over the damned Prospex label, but glad I did as it's a really comfortable watches. The grey version is nice, but became a bit pricey by the time I was looking for one. Settled with a STO - the one with the blue to black fade.This was the year of reducing and consolidating my collection. So of course it ended up getting bigger
First off a lovely turtle
The lowlight will be working out what to sell in order to balance the books
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Am sure you'll find a way to balance the books
This was meant to be a year of restraint, turned out anything but - started with Rolex and ended with Rolex
Rolex Deepsea deep blue - gone
Tudor Pelagos blue - gone
Seiko PADI - gone
Breitling aerospace evo - gone
Omega planet ocean chrono
Bell & Ross BR03 - gone
Iwc aquatimer - gone
Otis de regulator - gone
Zenith stratos rainbow
Panerai 425
Bremont solo
Rolex seadweller.43
Next year I am determined to get control!!!!
Two major purchases. First a tasty Heuer GMT and a tidy Speedmaster Professional.
Then this lovely Orient pops up on eBay and I won it for a lot less than I expected it to go for, arriving promptly from a Danish seller.
I realise I need to reduce my watch collection. I'll be looking out for the £1 selling fee on eBay once we get into the New Year.
Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves
My 2019 highlights, in order of appearance. Low lights - loosing the ones i had to sell to pay for these! (Green Sumo, Black Bay Blue ETA, Ceramic B&R BR03)
Only 2 purchases and zero sales (I tend to keep my watches) this year.
Both fuelled by the remains of an inheritance where the majority of the funds were used to buy a new house.
First was an Eterna tangaroa in memory of my grandfather who was an avid sailor. The more obvious choice, the kontiki was a possibility but the tangaroa was available on drop for a silly price and I preferred the looks to most of the kontikis.
Once the house purchase and all the associated costs were done with I was left with some cash left over. Playing the Chrono 24 game I spotted a long term grail that I first encountered on sales corner here in 2016(iirc) I’ve always loved the idea of travellers complications, gmts especially. The Ulysee Nardin +/- Dual Time is perhaps not the first watch of this type that people think of but to my mind it is the best implementation of the travellers gmt complication bar none. This movement is available in many styles of watch from 40-43mm, tank, circular plain dial to very stylised. I chose the 243-55/62 which learns to the sportier side of things with massive amounts of lume and a wonderful tuxedo style dial with skeleton hands and deco numerals at 6 and 12. It’s very striking looking and has hardly left my wrist.
A better picture.
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Glad you like it :). This movement isn’t sophisticated enough for a power reserve. It’s the ancestor of the Helvetia 32A used in plenty of GSTP and German military pocket watches.
My collection stabilised more than it has in several years this year, been really happy with these new additions.
Highlight
Dominating the BST timekeeping competition in the mechanical >1k category. Complete annihilation of the competition. #Winning.
Lowlight
Being completely outclassed in the competition by an F-91W.
Lovely as that is, keeping your Seiko must come a close second :).
Highlight was getting shot of my smiths watches without taking a bath. No point owning watches I don't enjoy wearing.
Lowlight was getting my speedmaster serviced. Purely in that it cost about 200 more than I'd have liked amd has screwed me financially. But at the same time, it is one of my favourite watches and I can now happily wear it day in day out, so is also one of the high points! Now this one works, time to consider selling the professional
Never has the discovery that 60% of what you paid has been wiped out been so agreeable, yeah....
My lowlight was a bargain Sinn U2 from eBay, only a grand, what could go wrong? It arrived and I loved it, but I noticed after a few days that the crystal wasn’t flush, it was pretty lopsided, up a couple of mm on the crown side, plus there were some chips in it that caught the light. Gutted, I contacted the seller expecting a bit of a scrap and he rolled over straight away and refunded me. I’m still looking for one....
Not sure if this is a highlight or a lowlight - but this year I sold my Patek 5167A-001 and my Rolex 126600.
The lowlight is I have bought and sold too many quite high value watches (such as the above) that invariably leads to overall financial pain. However there has been enough reserve after sales, to keep the balance sheet not needing too much of a cash injection this year.
The highlights are being able to buy the Vacheron Constantin Overseas 4500 and a Rolex 126711CHNR and Rolex 116610LV, and recently the Omega Deep Black Chrono with Orange accents - is awesome. Oh and the Breitling 806 re-issue!! Can't forget that.
But perhaps more so a lesson to hold on selling watches as I may have sold on some that I may regret. Nevertheless, I now have some lovely pieces to wear.
Highlight Gone (I guess that is a lowlight):
Highlight Arrived:
Martyn.
After a couple of years of indecision I finally sold my 2001 16234 Datejust, a watch that was getting no wrist time. Also sold a couple of vintage Omegas I restored last year. Managed to bag a really excellent Omega Constellation C case with original brick link bracelet and original papers, bought it at an excellent price and after a dose of TLC its one of my current favourites, exactly the type and style of vintage watch that I enjoy.
After looking for a Rolex OP36 116000 with blue dial I finally got one, a 2016 model that’s still under guarantee. After wanting one for a long while I can’t decide whether I like it enough to keep.
Bought another 1960s steel Omega Constellation this weekend, an excellent example that just needs servicing, a new crown, and a dose of light refinishing. Price was right, and the watch will be a cracker when it’s finished. If it was a pie- pan dial it would cost 3 times the price. I’m more enthusiastic about this one than the recently acquired Rolex......shame it’s not a pie-pan but its v. nice and the price was good.
Also bought a rather tired gold- capped Omega C cased Constellation from a house clearance, the watch almost got thrown away. With a worn case and water damaged movement it’s not a great one, but ironically the dial and handset are almost perfect. It’ll probably get split for parts......it was cheap enough.
Definitely losing interest in expensive watches.
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 15th December 2019 at 23:22.
Before replying to this thread perhaps it is worth checking what we said we would do in the "Watch purchase goals 2019" thread:
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/top...ink_source=app
(struggling to get the link to work so any guidance would be much appreciated :'( )
This is what I said:
"So in 2019 I really ought to calm down and be a little more focused. I want to repair the broken ones so that I can figure out what to do with them. Then I would like to target one watch (currently an Air Ministry or Aevig Corvid are on the list). However I would like to start tinkering so perhaps a Vostok."
Did I calm down? I bought nine watches this year so probably not.
Were any of them an AM or Corvid? No.
Did I repair my two broken watches? Only one but I now have five more in the queue.
Did I start tinkering? Yes.
However I did qualify my prediction with this:
"I don't always end up doing what I ought to do so as fun often lurks in unexpected corners so we'll see what happens but I suppose it is good to have a plan.“
Did I find myself in unexpected corners? Yes.
Have I had fun? Most definitely.
My highlights? One of my unexpected corners was learning about electronic watches of which I now have two. A Citizen Cosmotron and an Iaxa with ETA dynotron movement.
Lowlights? It has to be the growing queue of watches which need some work (sadly this includes the Cosmotron).
Can't wait for 2020. That am is still on the list.
Last edited by Wimm; 15th December 2019 at 23:44.
I went in search of that 2019 Watch Goals thread and laughed at this plaintive hope: "My aim for 2019 is to be able to report this time next year that I have only bought one or two and sold nothing."
No doubt the aims for 2016, 2017 and 2018 were identical.
Are you Raffe's apprentice 😂
Always regretted selling my PO so was delighted to buy another this year. Only negative this year was selling my Sinn 140A and 142 but the cash went towards a classic car resto which is infinitely better than the watches.
Last edited by Tinker; 16th December 2019 at 00:18.
Highlight, +- 6 seconds/year
Lowlight, pain for at least six weeks
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
Found my 2019 watch goals post where I proclaimed that a white faced Heuer Montreal would be the next watch I bought.
However I got somewhat financially distracted with a Heuer GMT I bought in May but then didn't actually find a Montreal that stood up to close examination.
Maybe 2020? Who knows...
Sent through the ether by diddling with radio waves
That is a cracker!!!
Here's to better health in 2020!
Lowlight, pain for at least six weeks
I did look up my watch goals from 2019 - "2018 was all about enjoying with only 2 incomings. 2017 was also 2. All four were fantastic purchases and I’m getting strict nowadays. I think I’ll buy the Smiths 36mm Everest and that will likely be me done for 2019.
I did kinda get strict - only 3 incomings and crucially 2 out, so things a bit balanced. However I never got the Smiths - it never appealed in the end. I do believe we sell too quickly, we really should enjoy what we have in more depth and be less twitchy with needing to try other stuff.
Horological highlights were the fabulous TZ visit to Glashütte, the Explorers Watches talk at the Royal Geographical Society (along with that pleasant chat over a beer afterwards), and seeng the exquisite Qing Dynasty timepieces in the Hall of Clocks and Watches in The Forbidden City in Beijing.
I can't let the Laura charity fundraisers go without a mention, this year close to three grand raised with the help of a few forum stalwarts. Immense thanks to all involved.
My favourite arrivals of the year are the Roamer Galapagos, the MC and the Spaceview.
Highlight was getting a titanium AP ROO, freshly serviced from AP and immediately gelling with it (from trading a RG yachmaster which was an amazing piece but made me realise I just don’t suit gold or or rose gold...).
The lowlight was said AP ROO going back to AP (under service warranty thankfully) as the it was losing time then the crown and stem came out when I was setting the time around size weeks into ownership. Looks like January at least before it returns. Hey ho.
In addition to a Mudmaster, I picked up these two...
There have been worse years than 2019, in many respects! ;-)
Haha, I certainly learned some rules of watch maths this year. Watches you buy cost zero, because you still have the watch. Depreciation costs zero as long as you don’t sell the watch. Overpaying costs zero because of sentimental value. Servicing cost zero, just because...Never has the discovery that 60% of what you paid has been wiped out been so agreeable, yeah....
On the other hand, an overpriced version of your watch on Chrono24 puts you in the premier league of watch investors.
Titanium?Highlight, +- 6 seconds/year
Lowlight, pain for at least six weeks
Yep. Looking forward to walking through the security scanners at the airport next time.
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
I only bought one watch in 2019, so picking a highlight is quite easy....
I now realise that what I should have posted was....
Major highlight: superaccurate Omega blah blah blah.
Lowlight: buying that meant that my Seiko Presage
was superseded as my daily wearer. Having bought it at the Knightsbridge boutique, I knew I was going to take a bath on it, but I was still pretty miffed at having to drop it to £250 to be shot of it.
Minor highlight: I've loved having a Seiko 5 Sports as my beater, but decided I deserved an upgrade on that, too. Imagine my delight when I was able to pick this up on SC for just £250!
Now that is a creative use of the thread!!! Moral of the story - always assume you'll lose a whack on a watch you buy new!I now realise that what I should have posted was....
Major highlight: superaccurate Omega blah blah blah.
Lowlight: buying that meant that my Seiko Presage
was superseded as my daily wearer. Having bought it at the Knightsbridge boutique, I knew I was going to take a bath on it, but I was still pretty miffed at having to drop it to £250 to be shot of it.
Minor highlight: I've loved having a Seiko 5 Sports as my beater, but decided I deserved an upgrade on that, too. Imagine my delight when I was able to pick this up on SC for just £250!
Only picked up three this year.
Been after this one to finish off a WW2 US Navy navigation set I been working on for years.
The finished set every Hamilton watch for the US Navy in WW2
A Ulysse Nardine Deck watch from the 1930's even the original key for the box and key for setting the time you put the key on the nut on the hands to set the time.
Only wristwatch of the year a Hamilton 6B with the none hacking movement the price was right.
Last edited by River Rat; 16th December 2019 at 18:22.
Did you have a MK1 or MK2 Deep blue? Would be interested how you find the SD43 compared especially if the D-Blue was the newer 126660.
I hate to disappoint you but 4 years ago I had a stainless steel plate put in my clavicle & 3 titanium cannulated screws in my hip. I've not set off the alarms in an airport scanner yet :-(Yep. Looking forward to walking through the security scanners at the airport next time.
Are you the alchemist?
Turning a massive loss into a bargain acquisition.....oh my word, have I just stumbled upon a whole new field of man maths?Are you the alchemist?
It was a mk2, I thought the hands where too small for the face. The 43 is much better balanced, I actually preferred my avenger seawolf to the deep sea
I was having a very, very quiet year until a little flurry that saw a watch arriving in each of August, September and October.
The first was an SBBN007, my favourite of all the modern Tunas and one that I’ve really missed since selling mine to someone on here many years ago. It’s a lovely weekend watch and is especially useful in this respect being a quartz. Here it is an a Watch Gecko NATO, which suits it well.
Next up was the ALS 1815 Up/Down, in the very limited edition rose gold with blue dial. I say “very limited edition” because there are only 25 of them in the world so not something likely to be seen in the wild. It really is a very beautiful watch, and is quite possibly the best watch that I’ve owned in many respects.
The final watch to arrive was the slightly less limited (as in 1500) GS reference SBGK005. This has the Mt. Iwate finish on the dial, and it’s pretty incredible; in fact, GS are really in a class of their own when it comes to dial and case work in the sub-£10k market. I love wearing this, actually, it really is a stunner.
So, that was my 2019 - I’d intended not to buy anything at all, and for a while there I thought I might just get away with it.
Reminds me of the McDonald's advert where the guy drops off his old clothes at the charity shop and buys them back after they've been washed and pressed!Thank you for that. I'm on the list for a SD43 but keep second guessing myself wondering if I should move to the D-Blue list. I've tied them both on a few times in WF. Prefer the SD43 but think it's too similar to my SubC no date but you're right it's much more balanced and the hands are in better proportion to the dial. Better to have two similar watches which are very good than two different watches where the main job of the second is to not overlap with the first.
I prefer the DeepSea personally, but it definitely seems more balanced. I guess buy what you like!
I suppose an average year for me on the buying and selling front.
The highlights were the Japan racing dial Speedy and the GS.
The lowlights? Saying goodbye to a few really lovely watches none of which I’d gone off. I realised this year that the more watches I’ve acquired the less satisfied I seem to be with any of them, so I made a decision to be a little more disciplined and let a few go. Quite hard to actually do though!
I’ve ended the year with one less than I started, so I guess I’m sort of heading in the right direction.
In and out again:
In:
In and out again:
Out:
In and out again:
Out:
Out:
In and out again:
In:
Last edited by gcleminson; 17th December 2019 at 19:24.
My highlight came quite early in the year, buying another SBGX009 after letting the first go a few months prior and pining for it thereafter.
Besides the aesthetic pleasures of that watch, it was a joy to learn about 9F regulation and bring it to ~0.0spy. It was also great fun to do the BST challenge, and a rare privilege to track such an interesting bunch of watches and wearers.
No huge downsides, more what might have been. I wasn’t able to reach a deal with the seller of an extremely rare watch (it’s not on TZ, by the way) which is a shame; and an incoming from October was less than described (again, not from here) but that got resolved without too much difficulty.
Here’s to 2020!
Last edited by JGJG; 17th December 2019 at 19:18.
Highlight.... finally being in a position to be able to buy a new Daytona.
Lowlight.... being diagnosed with Leukaemia and having to undergo chemo
Sorry to hear that mate (the chemo not the daytona) :)Highlight.... finally being in a position to be able to buy a new Daytona.
Lowlight.... being diagnosed with Leukaemia and having to undergo chemo
Hope you’re coming through the other side of the treatment
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