Favorite Wristwatch Whenever I talk to persons who are interested in wristwatches, I’m usually asked the question, “What is your favorite watch?” This, after they learn that I have plenty in my collection. The answer to this question is difficult for me to answer, because there are many factors to consider. One consideration is the origin of the watch. I started collecting watches three decades ago starting with American brands such as Elgin, Bulova, Hamilton, Gruen, and the like. These were left over after American rule in the early 20th century up to the end of the Second World War. These were the inexpensive watches that were later available in large numbers in the second hand market in the 60’s to the 80’s. Thus, they were very affordable to the watch collectors, until the entry of the cheap Japanese brands such as Seiko. The upsurge in the worldwide demand for cheap Japanese watches contributed to the collapse of both the American and Swiss watch industries during the 60’s. American watch companies were never able to make a comeback while the Swiss companies were able to band together and develop battery operated electronic watches. This led to the launch and success of the Swatch watch and the revival of interest in mechanical wristwatches. So, what’s my favorite watch from the 50’s and earlier? The American watch companies turned out different designs in different metals, colors, and complications, but the ones I like the most have the simple case and dial, that are easy to read and does not attract too much attention. I have a Hamilton watch that follow this principle. This watch company is said to produce some of the finest American watches, such that some watch aficionados called it the Patek Philippe of America. My Hamilton has a rose gold case with Roman numeral Art Deco style hour markers, swing lugs and a Hamilton 928 movement that is said to be one of the best movements during the era. When I bought it, it had a worn out pink dial. I decided to have a watch repairman redial (or repaint) it. The result was okay in that it looked new but I later realized that I violated one of the unwritten commandments of watch collecting which is “thou shall not redial a watch”. Why is this so? Well that can be a topic for a future article. I bought and sold a number of these American watches but here are other examples of the remaining American watches in my collection. I can feature these in one of my future postings on this FaceBook site. During the postwar era (50’s to present), the Swiss watch companies continued to produce the different fine watch products that they have always been known for, since the birth of the wristwatches at the turn of the 20th century. These include such iconic watch brands as Patek Philippe, Rolex, Audemars Piguet, Jaeger Le Coultre, Omega, Zenith, International Watch Company, Cartier, and others. Which of these brands from this era is my favorite? But of course the brands listed on the previous sentence, with Patek on top, followed by Rolex and so forth down the line. I used to own a 40s to 50s Patek Philippe Calatrava watch in solid yellow gold with unusual lugs that I bought cheap, but unfortunately had to sell it cheap too, to finance other watch purchases. Call it seller’s remorse but I should not really have done it, considering how valuable the watch is today. In the 90’s I made the same mistake again by selling a modern Patek Calatrava, to finance other purchases. I made a big profit out of this sale, but again, my seller’s remorse continues to bother me up to this time. As for my third Patek which I bought after my retirement from corporate life, I have decided to keep it, even if the value has tripled over the past 16 years. My watch crazy friends support this decision by repeatedly telling me that I can sell everything in my collection, except this Patek. And so if you ask me which my favorite is, I’d say, nothing else but this Patek with moon phase and end of life indicator dial, and back case that opens to reveal the beautiful complicated movement with a 24 karat gold rotor. And this ends my first post on this Face Book account. I invite readers, newbies and long term collectors alike to pose questions and discussions on various watch topics such as watch prices on the second hand market, availability and locations of watch models and services, and other similar concerns. I am not an expert on watches, but I will try to answer or react to your posts based on my years of watch collecting experience.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 05:33:32 +0000
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