Expensive watches on boats.

[SC35]

The IWC military watch is lush but fails my first test: does it have a protected crown? I’m a relatively active person and crowns snag and disappear if not protected, especially on a boat.

The newer ones won't do that.
Mk XX and quite a few generations before have screw-in crowns.

 

[obmij]

A work associate collects Rolex watches, has done for decades and he stated the same. If you are known to them, requests are made, and you get priority on models when released. Apparently details of collections are recorded and it all forms part of the history and buying, selling experience. I don’t get it, but it’s his thing and he enjoys it as a hobby. While it is not a closed shop, there is defo an inside line on when stock will become available and a pecking order, as I understand it.

Rolex don't sell watches to the public. They sell them to retailers. A rolex owner is not known to 'them' and has no special privileges or priority from rolex themselves no matter how many of the brand they own.

Retailers on the other hand, have taken advantage of the recent demand for rolex and leveraged it to their advantage - but they are exactly the same guys selling IWC, Omega, Tudor etc.

Rolex are just a manufacturer of an excellent product which happens to be surfing a wave right now. There is no data collection, pecking order, priority etc from the manufacturer themselves.

 

[Refueler]

A work associate collects Rolex watches, has done for decades and he stated the same. If you are known to them, requests are made, and you get priority on models when released. Apparently details of collections are recorded and it all forms part of the history and buying, selling experience. I don’t get it, but it’s his thing and he enjoys it as a hobby. While it is not a closed shop, there is defo an inside line on when stock will become available and a pecking order, as I understand it.

Many 'luxury / high priced' items fall into this 'preferential line' scam.

A good example is a Porsche GT3s .... Dealers have developed a scheme where they only sell to a customer with a track history of repeat purchases ...

One or two dealers actually will 'suggest' you buy 3 lesser machines - sell back to them - then they MAY consider you for the GT3s .. the scam nets the Dealer a profit of over 100K .... countering the 3rd party market where a car would be bought from Dealer and then sold with delivery mileage for significantly higher price.

Don't believe it ? Plenty of online cases reported.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Many 'luxury / high priced' items fall into this 'preferential line' scam.

A good example is a Porsche GT3s .... Dealers have developed a scheme where they only sell to a customer with a track history of repeat purchases ...

One or two dealers actually will 'suggest' you buy 3 lesser machines - sell back to them - then they MAY consider you for the GT3s .. the scam nets the Dealer a profit of over 100K .... countering the 3rd party market where a car would be bought from Dealer and then sold with delivery mileage for significantly higher price.

Don't believe it ? Plenty of online cases reported.

No you just offer to buy a Taycan that helps their EV to ICE sales ratio

 

[Refueler]

My Father used to be given watches in the DoT CAA ... usually Jaeger ... my oldest brother quickly snatched them all up when our Father passed on ..

On the subject of Crowns and back plates ... the Rolex I have is of the old school solid block ... it takes a Jeweller who knows how to open it .. many I know actually decline to open - I believe they don't know how !

 

[Refueler]

No you just offer to buy a Taycan that helps their EV to ICE sales ratio

There's actually a very good online report of a Motoring Journalist who made public the scam ...

One Taycan ?? Sorry - he ended up having to buy 3 separate models - one being a Taycan ..

Try this one :

This is only one of many expose's ........

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Rolex don't sell watches to the public. They sell them to retailers.

Well that is what he described and he buys them from retailers and appears to have a reputation as a buyer and gets access to stock when it is available. While my understanding of retailer / manufacturer is likely misunderstood, the claim was nevertheless stated.

 

[penberth3]

...Rolex are just a manufacturer of an excellent product which happens to be surfing a wave right now. There is no data collection, pecking order, priority etc from the manufacturer themselves.

But, Rolex will know exactly what the retailers are selling. There is scope for them to manipulate the supply to the retailers as they wish.

 

[SC35]

Rolex don't sell watches to the public. They sell them to retailers. A rolex owner is not known to 'them' and has no special privileges or priority from rolex themselves no matter how many of the brand they own.

Retailers on the other hand, have taken advantage of the recent demand for rolex and leveraged it to their advantage - but they are exactly the same guys selling IWC, Omega, Tudor etc.

IWC have moved away from having random retailers selling their watches, and instead have “boutiques”.
My experience in the IWC boutique in Zurich was … very good indeed.
The difference is that you can actually buy an IWC there.

 

[obmij]

IWC have moved away from having random retailers selling their watches, and instead have “boutiques”.
My experience in the IWC boutique in Zurich was … very good indeed.
The difference is that you can actually buy an IWC there.

Dunno about Switzerland but in the UK the usual suspects operate everything. Example - rolex 'boutique' Heathrow is owned by WOS - who own Goldsmiths who sell both rolex & IWC side by side. There is an IWC 'boutique' in London which is owned by....guess who.

Prior to covid you could buy pretty much any rolex you wanted on the same day you wanted it - probably with a discount. They just got hyped up a bit like a lot of other random things at the time. That doesn't mean any market manipulation was taking place or that the quality of the product was any less. Fortunately, if you are looking for one now, the hype has receded so you shouldn't have any trouble.

Quite a tangent from the OP

Back to the original question. A practical & robust watch is a seamanlike thing to have. If it makes you feel good so much the better. Each to their own regardless

 

[SC35]

Not sure who actually owns it, but there is an IWC boutique in Battersea, and the IWC dude there is very helpful / responsive.

 

[Bouba]

Back to the original question. A practical & robust watch is a seamanlike thing to have. If it makes you feel good so much the better. Each to their own regardless

True.....but there’s lots of things to wear that are more seaman like.....for example
Life jacket
Kill cord
Personal locator beacon
Binoculars
Knife
Multitool
Deck shoes
Sun blocker
Survival bag
Dry suit
Sunglasses
Cord for sunglasses
Portable VHF
Satellite phone
Tilley hat
Clothes (yes even yachties should wear them)

So while I agree that it’s nice to wear a watch....it could weigh you down

 

[Refueler]

Time Keeping ....

Just a comment.

There was a comment about Radio updated time keeper ... making the watch accurate to within 1 sec at all times ... that's great when you have the signal ....
Of course as you go offshore - this then fails ... and you rely on the watch keeping accurate time. Yes you most likely have GPS - so you can maintain UTC ...
But lets say your GPS goes kaput .. your phones died .. so now no GPS related data. You are now going to drag out and dust off the Sextant. That watch and its accuracy is now paramount.

Many may not be aware that Ships Chronometers are not created to maintain accurate time itself .. they are created to maintain a steady error ...... and is why every day the chron is checked against Time Signal to obtain the error ... if the daily error alters from its normal rate - then the chron is in need of service. Since the 80's radio time signals have been available to correct Ships Chrons - but usually the option is turned off to allow the Chron Error Book to be maintained.
The rate of error change is very important and is used when a Time signal is not available ... to correct the time shown on the chron for sights.
Chrons are only reset usually in Dry dock IF error is getting large.

Just passing on a tidbit of info ....

 

[lustyd]

But lets say your GPS goes kaput .. your phones died .. so now no GPS related data. You are now going to drag out and dust off the Sextant. That watch and its accuracy is now paramount

My watch updates directly from GPS since it’s also a plotter

 

[Refueler]

My watch updates directly from GPS since it’s also a plotter

Great ... but that's yours .. not others ...

I was just illustrating ...

 

[rotrax]

I'll stick to my early 1960's Seiko copy of an Omega. The first model Seiko sold.

Speedo Ken, the guy who repaired/renovated/restored the Bonniksen, Jageur and Smiths chronometric speedometers for our Classic Motorbike business, serviced it for me and told me it was a paragon of the watchmakers art. He said it was the first commercial watch Seiko made on brand new kit purchased from Switzerland and was as good as anything he had ever seen.

As he was I/C the instrument department at AWRE Aldermaston and was a time served watchmaker I thought he knew what he was on about! He was, in the days before electronic timings, responsible for hundreds of fine remote triggered stopwatches accurate to small fractions of seconds, used in experiments for timing the sequence of events in starting a nuclear explosion!

Alan Millyard, the guy who makes those exquisite multi cylinder motorcycles served his apprenticeship under Ken.

I found the Seiko while looking around Oxford for employment oppertunities in 1969. Handed it in at the Police Station - the one in the early 'Morse' TV series. No-one claimed it so I ended up with it. The local Seiko agent ordered me the OE faux crocodile black strap to replace the broken S/S bracelet.

Had it ever since, wear it it black tie do's. Keeps perfect time, never missed a beat.

The watch I choose to wear at the moment is a 20 Euro Sexton Blake (Cockney Rhyming Slang) Rolex copy, bought from a 'looky looky' man on the beach at La Calle, Mijas Costa, Marbella, this January.

Great value for money, looks great but pretty sure the gold will rub off soon.....................................

 

[fredrussell]

The Seiko sounds interesting Rotrax - any chance of a pic?

 

[Refueler]

The Sportsmatic I have - watchmakers have said similar ... that it is a 'real' watch instead of later ..

The downward spiral of Seiko of course started with the famous Seiko 5 .... it incorporated a plastic 'winder' .. the part that moves inside the case to 'auto-wind' the watch as you move about ...

 

[rotrax]

The Seiko sounds interesting Rotrax - any chance of a pic?

See what I can do. I dont post many pics - far too technical for me.

Give me the guts of a Borg Warner auto gearbox or an DOHC motorbike engine, no probs..................

 

[fredrussell]

The Sportsmatic I have - watchmakers have said similar ... that it is a 'real' watch instead of later ..

The downward spiral of Seiko of course started with the famous Seiko 5 .... it incorporated a plastic 'winder' .. the part that moves inside the case to 'auto-wind' the watch as you move about ...

You sure about that? I have a seiko 5 and that part is metal, unless I misunderstand the part you’re referring to. Mine has a glass back so you can see the workings - perhaps on those models a metal winder was installed for form’s sake.