Reply With QuoteNo real surprise there I guess … would be interesting to see a watchmaker strip a few luxury watches apart and compare them to a mid range seiko.
...and is it worth it? What's the quality of what you get?
Stone Island? Canada Goose?
Interesting channel. Certainly eye-opening for what brand margins are.
https://www.youtube.com/@Shiftfashiongroup
Last edited by Scepticalist; 13th March 2025 at 09:00.
No real surprise there I guess … would be interesting to see a watchmaker strip a few luxury watches apart and compare them to a mid range seiko.
Maybe that could be Paul's (Walkerwek) new side hustle.
Originally Posted by Montello
Daresay it would be interesting, possibly enlightening though might at a guess also take some of the gloss- perceived luxury ness off of some brands.
(Irascible he may be, reckon he knows his stuff;)
Last edited by Passenger; 13th March 2025 at 10:25.
No surprise at all.
Sone Island, Canada Goose add in Moncler and you have the Holy Trinity of football fan casual wear!
Summary over a couple of videos seems to be that Stone Island quality is not what it once was - new owner is cheaping out.
Always thought Paul & Shark to be right up there and CP too.
My BIL who sells the stuff always swore by Paul & Shark quality.
This is true.
Cheers,
Neil.
Bit like how to a man with a hammer etc and when a fellows living depends on shifting unit´s of whatever it is, caveat emptor seems only prudent...generalising obvs buddy I don´t know your BIL..
A number of years back a guy came into our club trying to sell lots of 'designer' clothes labels, all on rolls! He had a few takers too.
Seems that, to many, the label is all important - and not just in clothes.
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
Thanks for the heads up here! First time I spotted Fear Of God garment was around Christmas. (I'm not religious, but I have my doubts if I like this brand's name, btw). The wearer of the FoG clothing looked to be a full-blown influencer with a lot of 'pump and circumstance' around him and his female partner. Now, I see that the YT channel is not mild when it comes to the brand's quality and craftmanship...
Well, suffice to say that since I made the transition from enthusiastic collector to hard-nosed repairer ca 12 years ago my perception of the mystique around prestige brands deserted me. I still like the older vintage watches, they exude quality, but that's not obvious in the modern (1990 onwards) stuff.
Good to know, this tracks, cheers Paul.
I've been a clothes tart for the last 45 years, started with Levi's, stay pressed trousers, Fred Perry and DM's.
Move forward a few years and always liked nice clothes and purchased some nice stuff. Agree as above, Stone Island was great gear using fabric's way ahead of their time and it was affordable, well for me. But now it has sky rocketed and quality for me has dropped, I can clearly see this with years old stuff that I have which still looks new.
Canada Goose is an interesting one. I purchased the Expedition parka donkeys years ago as I wanted a truly warm parka, which it is. Today the coat is nearly a £1,000.00 more than I paid and on handling one recently it certainly is not the same coat. I would echo exactly the same with Moncler, 15 years ago it was quality.
Is anything worth anything????????? Cars, watches, shoes, boots, sports wear, jewellery.....nah, we all get royally done over on everything, you are very naive if you think it is just the LABEL JUNKIES.
Ooops...nothing to see here.
Last edited by Passenger; 14th March 2025 at 21:12.
Dear oh dear
snigger...wrong venue for slightly off colour allusions to certain rumoured royal predilections'...my bad.
Back on clothes though.... surely don´t believe the hype from the worst label offenders, is any easy way to limit the rumpy pumpy...likewise target sales and online is your friend, providing the urgent need to buy isn´t a pavlovian response... for instance I got an outstanding Carinthia goretex rain coat after looking a round a few sites, less than 200 euro notes, so well made- designed it´ll last me a lifetime I reckon.... but everyone´s different obvs, lifes all about choices, to tart not to tart etc.
Health, freedom, financial independence from work deffo truly worth summat in my view, but would be boring I suppose if everyone thought same, there´d be no used trainers on SC for starters;) HAGWE.
Last edited by Passenger; 14th March 2025 at 22:14.
But what’s a Rolex Explorer worth if the buyer is now responsible for any servicing or repair liabilities?
Grand less than asking at least.....hehehe-...dodged a bullet there having eventually seen one in the flesh, dragged in an AD by the wife.last year..it left me cold, so gauche, fake looking thing, really quite boring.
Loving the Longines Ultrachron Dave sold me., on wrist since I collected it last week..entranced by the sapphire bezel the way the colour changes and that so smoooth seconds hand, bootiful., very comfy bracelet, all my watches come off of the bracelet as a rule...It certainly ´feels´´ worth what I paid for it, a definite keeper.
Last edited by Passenger; 14th March 2025 at 22:33.
I tried to buy an exp1 at the AD in Bodrum a good few years back but my father in law told me to go to argos for £50 if thats the type of watch i wanted. I’ve had three of them since. Trying a date just instead at the minute but much prefer a rotating bezel.Grand less than asking at least.....hehehe-
Loving the Longines Ultrachron Dave sold me., on wrist since I collected it last week..entranced by the sapphire bezel the way the colour changes and that so smoooth seconds hand, bootiful., very comfy bracelet, all my watches come off of the bracelet as a rule
Ultra chron is a really nice watch. Ive been looking at the carbon one recently. Good to see the black bay ceramic get some competition.
Interesting you´ve had 3 but none stuck...while in Blighty last week my Sis and I took the old man to his solicitors as he wanted to update his will and give us power of attorney should the worst happen..any way the solicitor had on a black dial date just, smooth bezel. I was sat on his left for perhaps an hour, so had plenty of discreet glimpsing, honestly it looked really dull and boring, especially next to the handsome, masculine cushion case, dare I say far more interesting-dramatic Ultrachron. Irrespective of the prices I know which I prefer.
I think the right Rolex at the right price, (I have a hankering to have just the one, just to see, get it done.. having looked and passed back in the day near my 30´s when my lifestyle very likely meant I´d lose it or break it, now I´m older and calmer;). Current thinking most likely a blue dial, they seem to do blue very well, deffo not an explorer, perhaps fluted bezel??? Or perhaps the discontinued white dial OP, though having 2nd thoughts that now as it may just be too boring long term (It´s a pity those earlier Airkings are so modestly sized and they had to go and bodge up the dials on the new one, sticking the Morrisons logo on therel;).
Though I´m in no rush, the process of acquisition is maybe more fun. Plus with the economy- market still in motion second hand prices for my money can only continue to go one way, the price paid is a bit of a trophy along with the watch to me and if I can help someone out who needs their cash out for something else, whether it be school fees or a car, or a different watch- whatever, well that´s nice too.
As pitch insightfully notes, is anything worth anything...well aside from investible assets like property, stocks, gold, precious stones, some art- certain antiques and I´d add experiences, oh and cash obviously which grows in value the less you have...don´t mug yourself, a bit of a personal credo.
Last edited by Passenger; 15th March 2025 at 08:21.
From an AD a no date sub or a d blue. Second hand a BLNR. Any of those and its job done.
I have a fair amount of experience with specifying and negotiating the manufacturing of clothing having run the branded merchandise and teamwear of various luxury car companies and motorsport teams. There's obviously a huge variability in unit price based on quantities, fabric and technical features and type/location of manufacture.
As an example, when I was working on a full refresh of the team and retail clothing for a British vehicle manufacturer we produced a range of baseball caps - from fan and employee give-aways (basic printed five panel) to "luxury" retail items (wool, embroidered with a leather keeper). We benchmarked with items produced for other brands by the same factories to decide on the quality/price overlap. The cost prices were astounding to everyone on the decision making panel who had never specified this type of product before. The basic hat was a £15 retail value and was a little under 70p to make. The top spec hat, hand finished and made in Turkey, not China, was £11 and this had very high quality materials and finishing. This had a retail price of a little under £100 but was basically the same hat made for Loro Piana/Prada and others (despite those brands "finishing" the hat in their home country to enable a "Made In" label to be attached). These retailed for up to an astounding £400 - £300 or more of which was brand premium...
No but appreciate, thanks for the suggestions though...I don´t find the modern sub and various iterations very appealing. Several reasons AND despite my joy in the Ultrachron I´m not actually into dive watches so much any more, not like I thought I´d be some years back.
Can´t see myself preferring a Rolex diver over the Longines UC, not at 4 or 5 times the money, simply doesn´t compute. I can´t see where the added value-luxury perception exists. Reckon the UC´s quintessential dive watch enough for my humble ´collection´. It really is so much fun, love the red hand, red bezel slashes, the awesome hi beat movement.
Other Rolex sub demerits being, too much writing on the dial, ubiquity- common tis the obvious choice. I find myself utterly indifferent to the nostalgia-Bond thing...the D Blue is far too shouty...look at me!, no subtlety, ridiculously over engineered (I feel casts shades of all the gear but no idea upon the wearer, sorta bit waltishness).
The marketing tie up with JC , a turn off, yet another example of Rolex flogging a narrative over the product..though they are masters of marketing I´ll give them that..
The lumpen thickness- weight of the thing likewise disqualifies it, though if I wanted a watch to put on my fist or better yet in a sock and hit someone with, could be a decent candidate I reckon. Though a stone in a sock would work better, cheaper too ..no offence meant...On this theme there´s the possibility I might have to try and fight off mugger- muggers, or give it over (what a negative- loser feeling that would leave, a stain on the self) meh no need to seek that sort of sorrow. Also due to the thickness, size of it, I´d be almost certain to knock on door frames and such. Plus I´d probably have the shag of sorting a safe (this house did come with one, though non functional at present...possibly a bit of a double edged sword)
An R model with a lower recognition factor, costing less, smaller-slimmer, would be far easier to wear and live with daily-or in rotation. Lower potential mugger bait, easier to hand over if it came down to it. Only my 2 shekels though.
Last edited by Passenger; 15th March 2025 at 09:50.
So just based on your experience there´s considerably deeper rumpy pumpy at the ´´premium´´ end of the game. which tracks. Appreciated. I´m guessing all those hats whatever spec- price provided much the same sun protection factor;)
Last edited by Passenger; 15th March 2025 at 10:03.
We had a hat in the range with a technical fabric that gave genuine additional sun protection made by the same factory that made Tilley hats. The issue with technical fabrics is they are largely made in China (technical zips and extreme waterproof breathable fabric was very hard to source eleswhere) and they are a hard sell for the additional costs (more than the visilby premium fabrics). it takes a lot more marketing to sell a hat with genuine benefit over one that looks and feels premium. We added it to the range but eventually it was an item that was rolled into a licensed branding agreement with a technical outdoor clothing brand who already had a reputation for premium clothing that had genuine outdoor functionality.
very interesting, thanks for sharing your experience- insight. For running I use baseball hats by Outdoor Research, UPF 40 and from experience really durable, cope well with sweat and multiple washes, so considerably more longevity than the cheaper alternatives I´ve tried. I wear them to destruction, reckon to get a couple of years out of them, I think that´s pretty good value for around 20 or 30 euro from memory.
The wife weaves esparto so I got her to make me a broad brimmed hat for sitting around in, works a treat but V.1 is a touch on the heavy- bulky side, there´s room for improvement. :) Good price though.
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