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Thread: US Collectors in comparison to European

  1. #1

    US Collectors in comparison to European

    Hi,

    I am a US collector who has been collecting for about 40 years or so. I have noticed that the tastes of most American collectors is far different than those who reside in Europe. Has anyone else noticed that?



    thanks,



    Before anyone asks, the shortened sig file is of my late wife Carol who passed away on October 12, 2006 from Lymphoma. It is my way to honor her memory.
    Last edited by koimaster; 23rd January 2014 at 07:00.

  2. #2
    Master Argon's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Hi Alain, and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your wife.

    I can't say I've noticed a difference between US and European collectors myself. Then again, I haven't been in the game too long. How do you think they differ?

  3. #3
    Master
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Hi Alain and welcome :wave:

    I personally haven't noticed a huge difference as such, although generally speaking the UK seems to prefer stainless steel over gold or two-tone. I have noticed that a lot of the mainland European & Scandanavian members seem to be able to appreciate a more eclectic range of brands than a lot of people in the UK though.

    One other thought occurs, middle-classes in the US seems to enjoy a relatively higher disposable income compared to the average UK citizen and that may open up the possibility of a wider, more expensive collection.

    You mention a Patek in your collection - well most Patek's probably represent something like a half of the total "average" annual take home wage here in the UK, so unless one inherits a PP or is quite well-off it is a very rare thing to buy one (someone will probably correct me now :lol: )

    I probably missed the point, so what sort of differences did you have in mind?

    Anyway, welcome and please feel free to post some pics of your collection.

  4. #4

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by Argon
    Hi Alain, and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your wife.

    I can't say I've noticed a difference between US and European collectors myself. Then again, I haven't been in the game too long. How do you think they differ?
    Thank you. Although I own a few watches over 46mm, most are 44 or less. A lot of American collectors really like the 48mm or larger case size. Not many high end companies produce case sizes that large. I think part of that may be that the crown stem may not be long enough in some cases causing issues with winding.

  5. #5

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by PeterM
    Hi Alain and welcome :wave:

    I personally haven't noticed a huge difference as such, although generally speaking the UK seems to prefer stainless steel over gold or two-tone. I have noticed that a lot of the mainland European & Scandanavian members seem to be able to appreciate a more eclectic range of brands than a lot of people in the UK though.

    One other thought occurs, middle-classes in the US seems to enjoy a relatively higher disposable income compared to the average UK citizen and that may open up the possibility of a wider, more expensive collection.

    You mention a Patek in your collection - well most Patek's probably represent something like a half of the total "average" annual take home wage here in the UK, so unless one inherits a PP or is quite well-off it is a very rare thing to buy one (someone will probably correct me now :lol: )

    I probably missed the point, so what sort of differences did you have in mind?

    Anyway, welcome and please feel free to post some pics of your collection.
    thanks I will do so when I figure this out
    Last edited by koimaster; 23rd January 2014 at 07:01.

  6. #6
    Master village's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Hi & Welcome...
    Without wishing to be rude to anyone,it seems to me that a fair degree of US collectors like the type of watch that might be labelled 'brash' over here...Invicta seems to be a popular choice.
    Of course,each to their own and all that!
    Looking forward to the pictures.

  7. #7

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by village
    Hi & Welcome...
    Without wishing to be rude to anyone,it seems to me that a fair degree of US collectors like the type of watch that might be labelled 'brash' over here...Invicta seems to be a popular choice.
    Of course,each to their own and all that!
    Looking forward to the pictures.


    I will not disagree with that assestment. I might own a few brash ones myself :D But I fond myself wearing more traditional ones of late. Currently looking at picking up a Nomos Ludwig or a Stowa Marine.

  8. #8
    Grand Master magirus's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Welcome to this madness! :) Sorry to learn of your loss. Re the US/Europe thing, in my opinion if you have more than one watch and you post here then you are one of the sane people and it doesn't matter where you live. All of the rest are crackers! :wink:
    F.T.F.A.

  9. #9
    Grand Master Daddelvirks's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Welcome from Holland Alain.
    I don't know why tastes are different, but I sure like them being different :)
    The world would be a boring place with all the people liking the same things.
    And.............Rolex is big enough as it is :D

    Cheers,

    Daddel.
    Got a new watch, divers watch it is, had to drown the bastard to get it!

  10. #10
    Grand Master Glamdring's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Welcome.
    Living in what used to be the Yorkshire coalfields I don't mind a bit of brash...

    Great to brighten up a dull day. :)

  11. #11
    Craftsman
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Feels like americans like their watches with diamonds and stuff while europeans like their watches "cleaner"

  12. #12
    Master
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Hi Alain - welcome to the forum. Interesting staring post - what do you think are the really main difference fo collectros from the two sides of the pond then???

    Any pics of your collection?

  13. #13
    Master searat's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Welcome Alain, always good to get a fresh viewpoint.
    I hadn't appreciated that there was much of a difference in the way that folk collect watches in the US vs Europe, be interesting to learn more. Nice of you to honour your late wife in your sig picture, nothing wrong with that at all.
    Cheers
    Steve

  14. #14
    Master
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Hi Alain and welcome. Interesting post.

    I hadn't really given much thought to the differences, other than observing that gold cases seem to be much more popular in the US (and Italy) than the UK.

    Also it seems to me that Asian collectors, who on average are probably smaller physically than Europeans/Americans, seem to have a thing about huge watches. [Hope this gross generalisation doesn't offend anyone]

    Vive la difference I say.

    Dave

  15. #15
    Craftsman
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    I lived in Florida for a couple of years and found, to generalise, that our American cousins liked different cuts for their clothes, eat differently, drink differently and so on. So I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that the average US watch collector has a different bent to his collection than the average UK or European collector. No doubt, we are also marketed to differently, strengthening any trends. I think big is beautiful to more americans than to typical Europeans and many Europeans have a stronger aversion to obvious displays of wealth which may also impact this (although we don't seem to mind if those in the know, know! :wink: )

    Personally I like some pretty brash watches, as well as some very under-stated ones. May be I caught the bug while living there or may be I'm just a bit of a pikey (it's the latter!) :)

  16. #16
    Master Ron Jr's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    I must be a throwback then. Most of my collection is Eddies pieces. No real flash watches in my safe definitly no diamonds and the only gold ones are the Goldbird, zeno and a couple vintage Omegas.

  17. #17

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by Shakir Khaja
    Hi Alain - welcome to the forum. Interesting staring post - what do you think are the really main difference fo collectros from the two sides of the pond then???

    Any pics of your collection?


    Some of the lower end watches under $2000



    Some of the higher end over $2000

    Last edited by koimaster; 23rd January 2014 at 07:02.

  18. #18
    Master
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Struth Alain - have you got a spreadsheet for these or just keep it all in your head?

  19. #19
    Grand Master boddah's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Wow, nice collection 8)
    "I looked with pity not untinged with scorn upon these trivial-minded passers-by"

  20. #20
    Master village's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Well this might be one excuse to encourage you to get to the 50 post limit asap :D
    Especially as your posts are worthwhile and not just 'cool' etc etc

  21. #21
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Hello
    I work for an American company whcih has an European HQ in Geneva... I am in the Moscow office... and yes I see a clear difference between the watches that visiting American Management wear as against visitors from Geneva.

    While I'm talking about guys who just have nice watches rather than being certain they are collectors, I think the choice they make is worth commeting on -

    Americans seem to favour Rolexes over any other brand and two tones are very popular. This even seems to infect Europeans who move to the US - ie. Europeans working in the US office soon sport a Rolex.

    The most popular brand it seems to me among Europeans is Omega - to some extent it's almost hte corporate brand. Although I do notice the odd JLC. No Pateks or Breguets - we're not bankers!!

    As to the Russian taste in watches.... don't get me started! bling ain't in it.
    LM

  22. #22

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by PeterM
    Struth Alain - have you got a spreadsheet for these or just keep it all in your head?
    I never used a spreadsheet until recently. I was turned on to one developed by a collector of Russian timepieces. Of course the site he to whom he graciously gave free access to it is clueless about it. As far as that site is concerned, who cares how many Invicta watches you have?

    Quote Originally Posted by boddah
    Wow, nice collection 8)
    Thank you. I have been collecting for over 40 years now. My father and uncles got me started.

    Quote Originally Posted by village
    Well this might be one excuse to encourage you to get to the 50 post limit asap :D
    Especially as your posts are worthwhile and not just 'cool' etc etc
    Well I try to post something intelligent once a week. At other sites I belong to I sometimes over do it with articles on watches. One guy accused me of being a watch snob because of an article on the Patek Ref 5002R Tourbillion. The point of my post on the Pate was simple. Nice watch and this is why it is special.
    Quote Originally Posted by ljmarriott
    Hello
    I work for an American company whcih has an European HQ in Geneva... I am in the Moscow office... and yes I see a clear difference between the watches that visiting American Management wear as against visitors from Geneva.

    While I'm talking about guys who just have nice watches rather than being certain they are collectors, I think the choice they make is worth commeting on -

    Americans seem to favour Rolexes over any other brand and two tones are very popular. This even seems to infect Europeans who move to the US - ie. Europeans working in the US office soon sport a Rolex.

    The most popular brand it seems to me among Europeans is Omega - to some extent it's almost hte corporate brand. Although I do notice the odd JLC. No Pateks or Breguets - we're not bankers!!

    As to the Russian taste in watches.... don't get me started! bling ain't in it.
    LM
    I agree with your assessment on the Rolex watch and Americans. I was wearing a Stowa and the man next to us noticed it. I took it off and let him look it over and try it on. HE sniffed at me very knowingly about the watch being a very low end watch. I do not personally care what a watch is worth, I buy what I like and can afford. But I also do not suffer fools well. I commented to the gentleman that his Rolex date adjust, while being a very nice watch, was from a company which produces 1 million watches a year. I went on to tell him that I did not consider that to be exclusive. My daughter Kristen just shook her head and later commented to me “Now I know why Mom was always saying going out with you was an adventure”. And so it is I suspect.
    Last edited by koimaster; 23rd January 2014 at 07:04.

  23. #23

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Wow stunning collction! US collectors seem to be into bi metal and diamonds mre maybe its our british reserve!!

  24. #24

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Hi Alain & welcome.

    Stunning collection BTW

    Im not sure how great a difference there is in terms of what people set out to achieve either side of the Pond judging by comments on the various fora as to likes / dislikes. The only 2 points that do occur :

    1 - In the EU there's perhaps a little more access to, and confidence in, the more obscure German brands - but not a huge difference overall. In the US there's maybe a bit more reliance on brand perception - the Richemont & Swatch Group owned brands seem to be in big demand regardless of import duty.

    2 - There seems to be a bit of national preference in the US for Ball / Hamilton etc

    Let me know if you disagree ! :D

    Anyhoo, WIS-es of the world unite - you have nothing to lose but your savings account...

    Regards

    David

  25. #25
    Thomas Reid
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by skidder
    I lived in Florida for a couple of years and found, to generalise, that our American cousins liked different cuts for their clothes, eat differently, drink differently and so on.
    I would be careful extrapolating too far using a Florida dataset. :)

    Best wishes,
    Bob

  26. #26
    Craftsman
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by rfrazier
    Quote Originally Posted by skidder
    I lived in Florida for a couple of years and found, to generalise, that our American cousins liked different cuts for their clothes, eat differently, drink differently and so on.
    I would be careful extrapolating too far using a Florida dataset. :)

    Best wishes,
    Bob
    :D Good point!

  27. #27

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by Bristolian
    Hi Alain & welcome.

    Stunning collection BTW

    Im not sure how great a difference there is in terms of what people set out to achieve either side of the Pond judging by comments on the various fora as to likes / dislikes. The only 2 points that do occur :

    1 - In the EU there's perhaps a little more access to, and confidence in, the more obscure German brands - but not a huge difference overall. In the US there's maybe a bit more reliance on brand perception - the Richemont & Swatch Group owned brands seem to be in big demand regardless of import duty.

    2 - There seems to be a bit of national preference in the US for Ball / Hamilton etc

    Let me know if you disagree ! :D

    Anyhoo, WIS-es of the world unite - you have nothing to lose but your savings account...

    Regards

    David

    I agree with the perception of Americans buying into Ball and Hamilton but Hamilton watches are for the most part Swiss Made and Ball have never made much of an impression with me. Swatch is a big name in the US watch industry as they own many brands and as with the gas guzzler tax we have, if someone wants to pay a premium for a sometimes-mediocre brand, so be it.

    I am always amazed at some of my fellow American collectors, some who have no idea what is out there other than Invicta, Renato and other TV cable brands. In fact, there is at least one forum out there, which was finally outed as sponsored by Invicta after a year of pretending it was not. Criticize the brand too much and out you go. If you mention brands like Stowa, Nomos, Sothis, Speake-Marin or many of the smaller German and Swiss made brands, there is silence on the forum until someone does a Google search.
    Last edited by koimaster; 23rd January 2014 at 07:05.

  28. #28
    Journeyman
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Hi Alain

    Welcome to the forum and thanks for the really interesting posts so far. I hope we'll be hearing from you often.

    Best Wishes

  29. #29

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    In all my finance type meetings I have been able to discern very little difference between American and European watch collectors... Patek and Rolex are the favorites among both, while Europeans I think are more willing to wear Longines and Maurice Lacroix. Strangely I almost never see Omegas in meetings... people either seem to know nothing about watches and wear a Rolex or GShock or they skip right past that level and go for a Blancpain or Breitling. Only the young banker analysts seem to get Tags or Omegas. Americans are far more likely to wear G-Shocks or Nike running watches to meetings.

    On the boards, between WUS and TZUK, the US folks seem to like large, chunky watches more... Breitling, B&R, Ball, etc seem more popular there than on here (or rather, opinion seems uniformly in favor of those brands, rather than a matter of taste). Both love Sinn, Stowa, Damasko, etc. I see much more dress-watch discussion on TZUK compared to WUS. That's about it...

  30. #30

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    i think i know this forum...came across it in my internet wanderings a while back. it was pretty apparent to me that Invicta had some sort of sponsorship going on even then. after reading thru some threads and finding a total lack of posts pertaining to other brands that were not shopnbc-centric, i knew it was not the place for me.

    about the misguided homage references re:the Defy and the XXI :lol: ...they have an amazingly insular view of horology and what's out there and i don't really consider them to be WIS even. i'd hazard a guess that they're also ignorant of the fact that many of the Renatos (Wildebeast/TRex) are homages to a limited edition Citizen.

    loved the story about being at the AD and the pompous fool whom you schooled. 8)

    Quote Originally Posted by koimaster
    I am always amazed at some of my fellow American collectors, some who have no idea what is out there other than Invicta, Renato and other TV cable brands. In fact, there is at least one forum out there, which was finally outed as sponsored by Invicta after a year of pretending it was not. Criticize the brand too much and out you go. If you mention brands like Stowa, Nomos, Sothis, Speake-Marin or many of the smaller German and Swiss made brands, there is silence on the forum until someone does a Google search.
    I have had many so-called collectors of Invicta brands tell me emphatically that the SubAqua Noma model is NOT a copy of the Zenith Defy even when you show them photos. I own a few Philip watches and a couple of Breguet. One person saw a photo of my type XXI and told me it was a nice homage of the Philip Admiral. Astounding to me how small a world some live in.

  31. #31

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    welcome :) and 300 watches !! how on earth do you know what you own and dont own :)

    peter speak marin ,love em , picaddily on romans is very very classy , will own one one day when i grow up :)

    what speake marin do you have ?

    nice AP T3 , iwc perptual calender , im guessing a fp journe there aswell , a roger dubuis and pam 127 fiddy , UN divers , classic daytona wg on strap, very nice box set you have there :)

    wear them all in the greatest of health :)

  32. #32

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by alanski
    welcome :)

    wear them all in the greatest of health :)

    I once owned a Speake-Marin Shimoda. My late wife and I had taken a tour of Europe before her death and we dropped in at several of the smaller watch makers. They are much more open about how they make a watch. I use a data base for my watches that a Russsian watch collector had kindly given out for free. I had it modified for my own use by one of my software deveopers at the office.

    Most of my clients would not know a Stowa from a Patek.
    Last edited by koimaster; 23rd January 2014 at 07:06.

  33. #33

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by Denizen
    i think i know this forum...came across it in my internet wanderings a while back. it was pretty apparent to me that Invicta had some sort of sponsorship going on even then. after reading thru some threads and finding a total lack of posts pertaining to other brands that were not shopnbc-centric, i knew it was not the place for me.

    about the misguided homage references re:the Defy and the XXI :lol: ...they have an amazingly insular view of horology and what's out there and i don't really consider them to be WIS even. i'd hazard a guess that they're also ignorant of the fact that many of the Renatos (Wildebeast/TRex) are homages to a limited edition Citizen.

    loved the story about being at the AD and the pompous fool whom you schooled. 8)
    That forum sponsorship was revealed because two of the owners crossed the line once too often . There had been a glitch in the software updates they had performed and it left the moderator and owners forums open to public view. Several parties who accessed it were kind enough to send me copies of the posts. Insulting comments about their members including some rather nasty ones about a fireman who was injured during 9/11, comments about sponsors and who was really paying for their site. And some comments made about my late wife that if they had been made to me face to face, the other party would not be getting up again. EVER.

    Many of them worship Renato watches. I own a couple that I do not mind banging up and that is why I purchased them. But I also know they are Chinese, not Swiss, regardless of recent posts there to the contrary. I have copies of the US Customs invoices to prove it. There is nothing wrong with a Chinese made watch. Nothing wrong with a Seagull movement but to Invicta and Renato it seems there is a problem. Recently there was a fellow WIS who posted photos of his “swiss movment” (no such thing) Invicta watch. He had taken it in for repairs. They QC stamp clearly stated China.

    Go figure :lol:
    Last edited by koimaster; 23rd January 2014 at 07:08.

  34. #34
    Thomas Reid
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by koimaster
    But my years in the military and my upbringing do not allow me to tolerate disrespect nor to suffer fools.
    If you go around not suffering fools, when do you find the time for other things, like doing your laundry?

    Also, yours must have been a completely different type of military experience from mine. Granted mine was short, and only semi - military. There I learned not only that it is sometimes best to suffer fools, but that sometimes I had to take orders from one.

    (I don't want to suggest that many that I had to take orders from were fools. That wouldn't be true or fair.)

    Best wishes,
    Bob

  35. #35

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    I'm pleased to say I work directly with military personnel, senior types, colonels, commanders etc. as well as civilians, each have their pos and neg traits. However, overall Im managed by fools though!

    Nice collection btw, good point relating to your '50' posts, those that rush to it are obvious and pointed out.

    I know we can all look at online AD's from everywhere, but overall, despite exchange rates, are watches cheaper in the US? Jewellers here generally have a huge mark up, is this so in the US?
    The problem buying from the US is the post/insurance and the risk of customs charges :x

    Lastly Croeso (welcome) to tz-uk :wink:

  36. #36
    Master
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Hi and welcome to the forum :) An impressive collection.

  37. #37

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by koimaster
    Quote Originally Posted by alanski
    welcome :) and 300 watches !! how on earth do you know what you own and dont own :)

    peter speak marin ,love em , picaddily on romans is very very classy , will own one one day when i grow up :)

    what speake marin do you have ?

    nice AP T3 , iwc perptual calender , im guessing a fp journe there aswell , a roger dubuis and pam 127 fiddy , UN divers , classic daytona wg on strap, very nice box set you have there :)

    wear them all in the greatest of health :)

    I own a Speake-Marin Shimoda. My late wife and I had taken a tour of Europe before her death and we dropped in at several of the smaller watch makers. They are much more open about how they make a watch. I use a data base for my watches that a Russsian watch collector had kindly given out for free. I had it modified for my own use by one of my software deveopers at the office.

    You have a good eye for watches by the way. I normally do not where my higher end watches on a daily basis. Most of my clients would not know a Stowa from a Patek.
    the shimoda is trully stunning , i agree the hand made pieces are more special and unique . i have spent a lot of time with friends who have crazy collections ( mainly vintage rolex though ) and have a pretty good couple of ADs here who they let me do what i want when i go to their shops so have learnt a lot from spending time there . plus there isnt a better place to learn than from reading and seeing stuff on forums :)

    none of my friends can tell the difference froma seiko to a stowa to a patek either lol :D its just when they ask how much that cost their faces drop , same difference they would happily blow ££x on a car that sits in the rain , hey id rather blow that on a watch :D each to their own right :)

    enjoy your immense collection and nice to see you here and keep on posting here

    kindest rgds

    Al

  38. #38

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by rfrazier

    If you go around not suffering fools, when do you find the time for other things, like doing your laundry?


    The luck of the draw allows me to ignore most fools or fire them. I have help with my laundry (maid) as I spend most of my time at work or trying to help my children remaining at home to learn how to cope with the premature death of their mother. My youngest is only 12. A bit young to have lost Mom a couple of years ago.

    Also, yours must have been a completely different type of military experience from mine. Granted mine was short, and only semi - military. There I learned not only that it is sometimes best to suffer fools, but that sometimes I had to take orders from one.

    (I don't want to suggest that many that I had to take orders from were fools. That wouldn't be true or fair.)


    Best wishes,
    Bob




    Nice collection btw, good point relating to your '50' posts, those that rush to it are obvious and pointed out.

    Thank you for the compliment. Between Carol letting me indulge in my hobby and my father handing down his collection, I have been lucky enough to acquire some nice pieces. In addition, along the way indulge in a few watches that I just like for the look.

    I know we can all look at online AD's from everywhere, but overall, despite exchange rates, are watches cheaper in the US? Jewellers here generally have a huge mark up, is this so in the US?

    The problem buying from the US is the post/insurance and the risk of customs charges :x

    The prices at an AD in the states are a bit steep. I went shopping at Ben Bridge in Portland recently. I was looking at a Tag Grand Carrera and an Omega De Ville. $5600 for the Tag but she was willing to come down to $4700. I found it on line new for $3,310. The Omega was almost 50% lower on line.

    I did purchase one from a reputable on line company.



    Lastly Croeso (welcome) to tz-uk :wink:[/quote


    [quote="JustaHunch"]Hi and welcome to the forum :) An impressive collection.[/quote

    Thank you. It was put together, to paraphrase one of my favorite bands, “with a little help from my friends”.
    Last edited by koimaster; 23rd January 2014 at 07:10.

  39. #39
    Craftsman AZTIME's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Interesting topic. I'm an American whose been living in Finland for the past 5 years. I started collecting in the states back in 1997..back when Timezone was one of the first on the net. Before that I was totally "old school," sorting thru the local classifieds and flea markets for watch deals. American vs. European differences? I would say in the past yes, but now no. With the internet, global television and world wide mail delivery we've all sort of melted together. All this has resulted in the whole world being one big market for collectors. I was amazed when I bought a watch from Singapore 2 years ago from a guy on the big watch
    forum. Came to my house in 4 days! So big, small, gold, stainless..you name it, you can find a similar collector on both shores. That said...as an American
    I have to note a difference of "being" a collector in Europe vs. America. Right now I'm loving the strength of the euro vs. the dollar. Everything is on sale
    in the U.S. right now. That part I'm enjoying quite a bit. :mrgreen:

  40. #40

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by AZTIME
    Interesting topic. I'm an American whose been living in Finland for the past 5 years. I started collecting in the states back in 1997..back when Timezone was one of the first on the net. Before that I was totally "old school," sorting thru the local classifieds and flea markets for watch deals. American vs. European differences? I would say in the past yes, but now no. With the internet, global television and world wide mail delivery we've all sort of melted together. All this has resulted in the whole world being one big market for collectors. I was amazed when I bought a watch from Singapore 2 years ago from a guy on the big watch
    forum. Came to my house in 4 days! So big, small, gold, stainless..you name it, you can find a similar collector on both shores. That said...as an American
    I have to note a difference of "being" a collector in Europe vs. America. Right now I'm loving the strength of the euro vs. the dollar. Everything is on sale
    in the U.S. right now. That part I'm enjoying quite a bit. :mrgreen:

    I think many Americans are buying larger watches, up to 63mm ( new Invicta & the 60mm Movado) whereas I think Europeans prefer a watch with a maximum size of 48mm or so. In the states we seem to have a TV culture wrapped around some brands with either dubious origins or revised histories. In many cases these fuzzy rabbits impulse buy based on a false sense of urgency created by on air vendors. They purchase many watches of leesor quality brand and call themselves collectors. Rather sad really.

  41. #41
    Craftsman AZTIME's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by koimaster
    Quote Originally Posted by AZTIME
    Interesting topic. I'm an American whose been living in Finland for the past 5 years. I started collecting in the states back in 1997..back when Timezone was one of the first on the net. Before that I was totally "old school," sorting thru the local classifieds and flea markets for watch deals. American vs. European differences? I would say in the past yes, but now no. With the internet, global television and world wide mail delivery we've all sort of melted together. All this has resulted in the whole world being one big market for collectors. I was amazed when I bought a watch from Singapore 2 years ago from a guy on the big watch
    forum. Came to my house in 4 days! So big, small, gold, stainless..you name it, you can find a similar collector on both shores. That said...as an American
    I have to note a difference of "being" a collector in Europe vs. America. Right now I'm loving the strength of the euro vs. the dollar. Everything is on sale
    in the U.S. right now. That part I'm enjoying quite a bit. :mrgreen:

    I think many Americans are buying larger watches, up to 63mm ( new Invicta & the 60mm Movado) whereas I think Europeans prefer a watch with a maximum size of 48mm or so. In the states we seem to have a TV culture wrapped around some brands with either dubious origins or revised histories. In many cases these fuzzy rabbits impulse buy based on a false sense of urgency created by on air vendors. They purchase many watches of leesor quality brand and call themselves collectors. Rather sad really.
    63mm, thats crazy!! Personally anything over 45mm is in my opinion too big. I even wore a 40mm recently and actually enjoyed the experience. I do agree
    with you the bling factor is higher in the states. TV being a large factor. However, when you compare the real/hard core collectors, I still believe Americans
    and Europeans are very similar. But that aside, I really enjoyed your pics, story about the Rolex know-it-all and the fact you live in Oregon. I lived in Spokane
    Washington for several years and have fond memories of that part of the country. Enough rambling. Keep collecting! 8)

  42. #42
    Journeyman
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    It's not just the type of watches we like in which we differ I think. Before Toshi got me onto TZ-UK, I only really looked at the paneristi.com website, which is predominantly American I would say. There's definitely a different attitude to owning expensive watches. There were frequent photo sets of new Panerai watches being worn whilst driving top end sports cars, or on fishing trips on expensive boats. It seemed to me as if a big lifestyle statement was being made.

    I also found the photos of Panerai watches posed next to pistols, knives and ammunition quite strange too!!

  43. #43

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Welcome Alain

    Some nice watches and some interesting points raised here. A conversation, I will be sure to follow.

    Just checked out the Speake-Marin watches. I am nuts about roman numerals and they have some fantastic looking dials (although there is also a SM Skull watch :shock: , which might not be to everyones taste, ahem).

    The Piccailly looks great and just like I prefer a watch - roman numerals, no date, less-is-more design. What is not to like (apart from the price, which will be a hefty one, I suspect :roll: )?

    About the watches - the 1950 PAM of course is very good looking and I am a big fan of it, but is that an AP T3 in the box next to it?

    Any chance of some more shots of it and maybe a brief summation of your opinion about it. I like big watches and am a PAM beliver, but wonder how the crown protectors on the AP work on the wrist on a daily basis.

  44. #44

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    I will some photos during the week when I return from Medford.

  45. #45

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    If there was any difference, probably, the existence in Europe of manufacturing brands since many years producing a wide range of models, could have some influence.

  46. #46
    Craftsman
    Join Date
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Welcome here! I wish I could come up with something half as interesting as Your intro topic... Not to mention the overwhelming collection.

  47. #47

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Welcome.

    I live in the Netherlands, were in general people do not like 'flashy' watches. No offense, but: Rolex, Breitling, etc.

    This brings me to another question: do tastes in the EU differ per country?

  48. #48
    Grand Master
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Quote Originally Posted by cruz
    Welcome.

    I live in the Netherlands, were in general people do not like 'flashy' watches. No offense, but: Rolex, Breitling, etc.

    This brings me to another question: do tastes in the EU differ per country?
    I would have thought hugely. Compare the watch-wearing tastes of the Scots or Devonians to Roman Italians, for example. But then, watch-wearing tastes can also vary greatly inside one single individual.
    ...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!

  49. #49
    Master worlok's Avatar
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    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    I'm an American and I like everything from what many here would call garish to the understated cleanness of many of Eddie's military type watches. I truly love all styles of watches. I have some Invictas and I love them, but I love my Steelfish, Dreadnought, Doxa Divingstar, etc. I have not been fortunate enough to indulge in things like IWC, JLC, Vacheron, Panerai, Benzinger, Dornbluth, etc but if I had the cash I would get some high end works of art. Perhaps someday. ;-) I am very grateful for what I have been able to enjoy, however. So many people out there can only afford the necessities of life and that is never lost on me.

  50. #50

    Re: US Collectors in comparison to European

    Its all supply and demand.
    You can only collect what your market offers.
    To collect watches made for other markets is expensive because of location .
    plus watch brands from other countries can be an unknown factor of quality if you have little or no knowledge of them.
    Trust me , I have brought a piece of junk from Europe , watch look good , had good specs , ended up being a supermarket watch. (cheapo)

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