Last for me was a vintage speedie... saw the lad absently winding it in Costa and was intrigued as to what mechanical watch a fairly young guy would be wearing. Turned out his dad had left it to him... which was both sad and nice I suppose.
From reading another thread and also thinking about when on public transport etc, if you saw a particular watch, would that make you think about asking about watches in general?
Eg - JDM Seiko or Precista would make me consider asking, whereas Tag / Rolex I wouldn't...
Anything that would make you consider striking up a conversation?
Last for me was a vintage speedie... saw the lad absently winding it in Costa and was intrigued as to what mechanical watch a fairly young guy would be wearing. Turned out his dad had left it to him... which was both sad and nice I suppose.
I once sat beside someone with a speedmaster prof and told him it was a good choice. I think I was the first stranger to comment on his watch.
Service desk guy at the local merc dealer and his 1016 Explorer left to him by his father. He didn't really know what it was, apart from it being valuable, as a Rolex.
I wish he was a stranger, but I got to spend quite a lot of time talking with him as the car went back so many times
There's a guy in one of the offices that wears a seiko SKX009 on rubber sometimes and other times something digital. Still not said anything though...
Probably one of Eddie's.
Only if they were wearing mine..,,
Anything interesting - but depends on whether I like the look of them ;)
It's just a matter of time...
A Christopher ward trident fle not many about and stunning watches
Tuna, precista, maybe at a push something on NATO...
spoke to some geezer once who was wearing an mbII and had quite a nice convo about watches
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Tuna is a good call, never seen anyone whales ring in the wild!
Maybe any microbrand, so also Kemmner, Steinhard etc...
Nothing mainstream unless it was vintage, anything non high street, like Sinn or Grand Seiko ( I know GS are sort of High Street but you would need to be a wis to buy one really ) ...
Cheers..
Jase
It would have to be something fairly extreme like G and F or MB&F.
Most weeks I attend several weddings so I see lots of nice watches and as I deal with the guests I just strike up a quick conversation, chatted to guy the other day with a Longines Hydroconquest but I don't bother any more with Omega/Tag owners as I would be chatting all day as everybody seems to own PL or SM or a Aquaracer..
I've done it twice, once for a Seiko SKX009 (simply because I was wearing the same watch at the time) and once for a Christopher Ward C11.
Neither of my victims was a watch person, so I just looked like a total weirdo.
Not sure it's such a good idea to judge the entire worth of an individual on the basis of something so narrow-interest... But if I somehow and without extreme social awkwardness discovered someone wearing a 1967 Citizen Crystal Seven with the sunburst silver dial and cushion case, I might tell him my granddad bought the same one in Singapore on a visit to see old army friends in the 60s.
By the way, James Dowling of The Other Timezone tells a good story about getting into a lift with someone wearing a vintage metres-first Rolex Speedy Dweller crackle-dial pre-CBS Moonwatch Pro something or other. I forget. On commenting how refined and discerning the wearer must be, the fellow announced "I'm not gay." pressed the button for the next available floor and got out early. So just be careful out there.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
Crime watch!
Last time I did that the guy was wearing a IWC Portuguese Perpetual. I thought it was special enough to compliment him and he didn't get out on the next floor :)
The last/first time I did this it was an orient. He was really proud of it and I agreed it was a nice watch
If I saw a Milsub I don't think I could hold back
A complete stranger? I doubt I'd ever just walk up and start up a conversation cold, but I might remark to someone serving me in a pub or a shop etc. that I'd not met before.
Andy
Wanted - Damasko DC57
Years ago, round about the mid-nineties, I was sitting on the train going home....this guy sits down next to me....he looks at my TAG 2000 Pro....."nice watch" he says....he was a great big lump of a bloke.....only thing I could blurt out at the time was "I hope you're not going to take it from me".....I'd been doing Karate for some time at Brighton SAMA Club, so thought I was a bit tasty, young and stupid more like!
Now I'm older and wiser, there's a few guys that I've struck up conversations with on the train home from London, last one was a guy who gets off after me he admired my ceramic LV and I admired his non-ceramic LV.....thank goodness for maturity!
The only time I've ever seen anything interesting on someone's wrist that wasn't a submariner (or submariner like watch) was a bloke on the Edinburgh-Glasgow Central train who was wearing a Speedmaster 4,5. I didn't have enough courage to strike up a conversation but what I saw of the watch out of the corner of my eye I liked so much I bought one myself.
I think if it was another Timefactors watch I'd be more inclined to say something as I guess buying one feels like one is joining a club. My young son used to wear Ben 10 Omnitrix and could start playing with any one else that was wearing any sort of Ben 10 gear. I 'd like to think that wearing a Timefactors watch might be similar.
My interest in watches is quite new so there aren't many that I'd be able to identify from far enough away that I'd have to walk over to ask someone about - and I probably wouldn't anyway unless maybe it was something uncommon and interesting like a Timefactors or maybe an Orient. Even then it'd feel a bit odd.
If someone nearby has a nice watch (sat next to me on the train for example) then I might mention it in passing.
I wouldn't mention someone's watch if it was available from a provincial shopping mall.
Patek, most things JLC, anything interesting vintage of any brand.
Bloke behind me in Costa the other day was wearing an AP ROO, nearly said something but he was with someone else and they were chatting so I just quietly admired it. Had never been a fan before but I have to admit it did look rather good.
I've stopped asking - too many people with fake Rolexes and Omegas out there, and the people with the real watches didn't always buy the watch because they have some abiding interest in watches. I've gotten too many blank stares and awkward responses. If I saw something really, really unusual I might break my rule. But I haven't seen anything like that in years.
vintage seiko or heuer, must be a WIS if wearing one of these
ladies in Tokyo, however, don't need to wear anything for me to speak to...
In Manchester Airport about 6 months ago at the bar noticed a Seadweller on the bloke sat next to me, in the interest of conversation i stated "nice watch that mate" to which he said " Thanks, had it about 6 months now" and proceded to show me the big scratch on the bezel that was also on the glass. " Did that on a barnacle" he said one of the hazards of his job.... Diver on the Rigs in the middle east.
He also liked my speedy pro. Ended up talking watches for 10 minutes before he had to catch his flight.
Watch stalking!! I must have stopped a few dozen strangers to talk about their watches, and haven't been shot yet!
Memorable ones include:
~a rare vintage Rolex 6234 chronograph on the wrist of its original owner on a tourist tram in Florida
~a full-spec milSub on the wrist of an ex-Navy man reading electricity meters in my home town one sunny Saturday afternoon
~a peachy orange hand Rolex Explorer II - which I still own!! ;-)
~another one on the wrist of a fellow passenger on an Easyjet flight back from Nice
~a lovely gilt dial Rolex Explorer worn by an old guy walking past me whilst I was drinking coffee at an outdoor cafe in Lytham. It was worth scalding my mouth so I could run after him and look at his watch!
There are more...
:-)
I spoke to a pilot while on a ART72 flight to Dublin recently, he was wearing a DS, looked a little big for him, he told me that he flies a A320 but takes his watch off and places it next to the yolk.
A complete stranger?
Never. You look like a weirdo.
I do know dealers who do this all the time but they are trying to buy them!
Cheers,
Neil.
Was at a conference in the USA last year and the guy next to me had a Sinn U1 (or U2.. don't remember) on - I did mention it and strike up a small conversation about watches as a result.