History Repeating

Just had it on my wrist. Stuning. Very well balanced despite its first appearance. Unlike what you could perceive from the pictures it is not bulky or overdone at all. Still I would have made taken 2 mm off the crown and protectors... would have been absolute bliss. The finish of the face is so far the best by AP and the attention to detail is at an all time high. All that is thanks to the fact that it is in a regular size OffShore and not the T3. In an oversize case it would have been an aberration.

Unfortunately there is a BUT... It will reach stores at 31,000€ in Europe and in the US I guess it will be close to the 40's. I am perplexed to say the least. Apparently the high price point of the Survivor is due to a very complex ceramic bezel (three times the cost of the Barrichello's) and that there are no precious metal variants. Despite this, there is still a coherent need to justify a 8,000€ or 10,000$ price increase from a Barrichello II to a Survivor. Would you rather have a Survivor instead of a Safari PLUS a Jumbo? For a little more you could source an End of Days and have it restored to NEW condition. Which would you rather have? Thirty-one thousand Euros... a hard sale in the current times.

All this said... don't count on the Survivor being much of an investment. Sure there will be the initial fanatics and collectors that will make the first pieces fly away yet like the "Shaq" (hot the first month but a real downer up until now). This whole mater reminds me of the second Alinghi watch. After the huge and completely unexpected success of the first "City of Sails" they came out with the "Alinghi". Way overpriced (starting at 23,500€ when the regular OffShore was 10k less...) the Alinghi just never picked up while the City of Sails today sells used for over 20% of its list price. An unused, boxed and with papers Alinghi can be had for 17k. If you are in hopes of speculating be careful. If you are getting one of the first at no discount you might have problems getting rid of it. I could be wrong but looking at the current economical situation these might be sold at a discount sooner rather than later.

The Survivor is definitely worth having. However, it is a bit pricey so don't attempt to speculate, you might burn your fingers with this one.

Audemars Piguet...

A word from Richard Mille...

...and quite a word it is.

The PuristSPro...

I posted something to that regard several posts back... All I can say is that the things that he states in his open letter are true (I know first hand...). I would go a step further and would really make an effort in educating the sales points. If things remain like this then things will go worse and that will not only be an RM problem...

Personally I do not think that there is a "black" hand out there like he suggests but rather the arrival of rather "inexperienced" users to the world of watches.

I still love my RM004v2 and would not trade it for nothing. What I know for certain is that every time it would go for service, if need be, it will return a better watch. How many can say that in the industry?

Richard Mille...

Simply the Best...

In case you wondered what the absolute best finish I have seen so far... this is it.

I have had the chance to see one under the microscope and there are just no words to describe this. So perfect its almost obscene. Every single detail is simply spectacular. I was unable to find any flaws. A first for me.

Personally it's not my cup of tea yet I admit I have never seen anything like this. Ever. The invention piece has interesting visual concepts yet the price makes me want to get several other things instead. For one "Invention Piece" like this I can fit a 10-Days Tourbillon and a RM015. Although I must admit that the finish of this "beast" is way beyond the other two.

What a blessing that dreaming is still for free.


These picture will hardly give it any justice but still enough to enjoy the show.

Greubel Forsey...

Politically Incorect?

There have been many outspoken critics regarding the Survivor. Many favorable and some less favorable. As with many things post in forums adopt a positive or negative tendency very much depending on the few first impressions. Surfing through several forums of different languages you can safely state that in each case above 90% of the people posting agree that the Survivor is either beautiful or horrible. Are people sheep? Not necessarily. I have neither the time or resources to start a debate in this mater but I would rather explain this phenomenon with the idea that people "generally" do not like confrontation. Most people like to agree, while those that don't agree with the initial tendency simply won't participate in the discussion. Such behavior generally makes the balance swing either way in the beginning. If the balance is heavily leaning towards one point of view than this could influence and sway the later undecided stands towards that opinion. It's a snowball effect.

At the first look the Survivor is not especially aesthetically pleasing to me. Mind you, the "End of Days" was neither and since it is one of my favorite Oaks. lately I have been going towards more balanced watches. Anything over 44 mm is just not for me anymore. Critiques have been harsh on the design of the crown and protectors emulating the nozzle of a semi-automatic assault rifle or the tip of a flame thrower. I tend to agree. Believe me, I am far from being a pacifist but a winding crown inspired in a flame suppressor of a machine gun is taking it just too far. Who would have thought?!?... that the most politically incorrect person in the world (me) would actually agree with some of these critiques! What is the world coming to..?

In spite of that the Survivor has some interesting graphical components that roundup in an interesting proposal. I would have liked a more discreet crown and protectors on a Kevlar strap like the EOD. What do you think?

The watch that never was...

... and never will be. This was a project that I attempted by request of a Jeweler that wanted a Limited Edition of a Jaeger. Everybody loved the idea yet it was deemed unfeasible by Jaeger. Apparently due to the dual construction of the case and the fact that one pivots slightly inside the other, this makes a PVD or DLC finish inviable. The constant grinding between both components of the case would cause the blackening treatment to wear off quite fast. The idea behind this model was to make the watch optically smaller. The steel model is a bit large for most so PVD'ing would have compensated that.

Since the "Black Geovox" is dead, I decided to share this with you.

Would have loved to have one of these...

P.s. There will be something else though... will post it once it gets a green light by Jaeger.

T4?

I wonder that nobody has brought this up. Next summer, T4, anything in the oven? There has been no mention so far regarding the possibility of a T4 by AP. The latest release of the Terminator saga is on the way for next summer. The current "Survivor" would have filled that spot quite well if you ask me. Since it is unlikely that Arnold will play any role in this upcoming feature (busy schedule as well as sagging biceps I guess) The lead role is for Christian Bale as John Connor. I doubt there will be an oversize this time around.

Don't get your hopes up since at the moment there is no deal (as far as I know) for a T4. Yet, what do you think might happen? What would you like to see if a deal where to be struck between the producers and AP?

Trailer...

P.s. Rumors have been confirmed that there will be a Trulli. It is still not clear if the Barrichello 3 will in the end be the Trulli 1 though.

The death of "beep-beep"...

When was the last time you heard the chime of a digital watch on the hour? Ten, fifteen years? I was just commenting this with a fellow watch nut last week. I remember a time when it was usual to hear within a margin of about about 30 seconds between five and ten "beep-beeps" during final exams, the movies or at your local temple of worship. Now, looking back it has been a long time since hearing that chime. Granted, it was annoying but it signaled an era. Since, it faded away without anybody noticing.

Do not feel sad, for those of you that miss that function but have outgrown the digital era there is always the "Strike One" by Chopard. It wis give you just that in a much more classy and discreet manner. It will set you back quite a bit but nothing compared to a full featured repeater.



L.U.C...

Love at first sight

I received Patek's magazine last week. As always I flicked through it without much interest with the intention to make the boooring modern art articles as painless as possible. As with all the other Patek magazines this one would end up in a special basket in my living room, with all the others right next to the sofa. Its main function none other than giving the impression that I actually am educated enough to appreciate modern art. Indeed, that magazine is a great way to fool guests into thinking that I actually give a horse's ass about modern art. Well, back to what matters... Little was I to know that those evil people at Patek with all their malice intentionally added the whole collection on a center fold. Like back in my youth, I found myself with both sides unfolded and staring at the pictures like it was a gentleman's magazine. Pathetic, considering they where just watches. Suddenly, up in the right corner... there she was! Wow, what a beauty! The 5124. White gold, champaign face, vintage look, manual, ultra slim, art deco look (...well yes, somethings I like). Breathtaking. Elegant. Something "50-Cent" would never own. Simply perfect.

First thing I did the very next morning was a visit to the closest Patek dealer and get better aquatinted with my "Poor Man's 10-days Tourbillon". Striking. No matter what people say Patek will always have something that others don't. Class. That it had a lot of. What was lacking on the other hand was finish. It was well bellow what you should expect from Patek, especially with the competition catching up in notoriety. I could mention over five "commercial" brands that have better finishes other than the mentioned in previous post L.U.C. and Lange. No mater, my intention is wearing it on my wrist the right way up. In that respect this Gondolo is simply something else. The price is also quite reasonable if you ask me at 14,500€. My only problem is the Rhodium treated white gold. Don't like that. As a mater of fact, I hate it. The patina Rhodium gets over time is simply awful. Even if it hardens the case it still scratches only with the friction of your shirt. This makes the edges and angles acquire a lighter tone due to wear. Under halogen spots this becomes a nightmare.

As usual with Patek, the platinum version could be introduced next year... will I be able to wait? Will it be just as balanced or better than this one? Not always the case with platinum Patek's though. Love the World Timer, can't stand the metallic blue on the 5070P and am not overwhelmed by the Annual Gondolo. I wonder if I manage to wait for next year's Basel Show.

Patek Philippe...

Why the Jumbo...

If you ever wondered why the (5,000€) diference between the "Jumbo" and the 15300. Here is a very interesting point of view. Without going into the details of the insides he explains the "mystique" about the Jumbo quite well. He comes to say that once on your wrist you only then see what the Jumbo is really about.

Forum a Montres...


Unfortunately it is in french. If you speak french, enjoy....

Audemars Piguet...

Supply or Demand?

Don't know if it's because Rolex has finally caught up with the manufacturing of the green sapphire glass or if the economy has caught up with Rolex. More and more green Milgauss are being readily available at no premium and at a discount in some markets. This is the occasion to maybe get one of these. With the recently discontinued steel Yachtmaster the Milgauss is my Rolex favorite. While I can tell you why the Yachtmaster is I just can't explain on the green Milgauss. I just do.

The movement on the other hand is not even close to the Yachtmaster but it does have a certain "something". I just can't stand how o the Milgauss the minute hand jumps two minutes back or ahead when you pull or push the crown back in. A green Yachtmaster would have been cool but we might have to wait another 30 years for an anniversary model.


Rolex...

ATMOS "561 by Marc Newson"

Always been a fan of the Atmos. This one has "something" about it. It has a certain late 60's early 70's look that really makes it interesting.

Unfortunately the cost and difficulty of manufacturing the square glass bubble by none other than Baccarat has increased its initial price by 40%. A bit steep if you ask me. They might be a hard sale considering we are in a "delicate" economic situation and there are 888 units of these. In Europe we are talking close to the 15,000 € and in the US you would be talking around the 20's. However, even if expensive now I have a feeling that you might regret not having bought one several years down the line.

Jaeger leCoultre...

L.U.C.

I have been watching L.U.C by Chopard for some time now. I must admit that I was heavily biased by other products in the Chopard lineup. The "Happy Diamonds" and main media focus on beautiful models with extravagant jewelry has made me look the other way where Chopard and watches are concerned. Recently the latest developed models as well as technical achievements by L.U.C. have awakened my interest. The brand has caught my eye first with the Regulator Tech and then their Certified Chronometer Tourbillon. Finally faced with the collection I was very surprised not only at their finish but also at their proficiency in watchmaking.

In my opinion, from what I have seen so far, it is the best "commercial" finish in the industry. Yes, even above Patek... (Ouch, I am going to get slammed for that one). If you don't believe me and wish to be nasty, take your favorite loupe, grab your best Patek, go to a dealer that carries L.U.C. and compare. All this said, I recently fell in love with a Patek that I will comment in a later post. Remember that carrying Chopard does not necessarily mean that they have L.U.C. since it's considered a whole different ball game. I assure you that side by side you will be quite impressed. Notice, I say "commercial finish" and I do consider guys like Greubel Forsey, Kari Voutilainen or Philippe Dufour to be above all the previous. However, with such a limited production they can't be placed in the same bag. Making eleven per model allows you to do stuff that "large boys" only wish they could.

Their latest is the "Tourbillon Black Superlight" with a silicium escapement presented at the Singapore GP several weeks ago. I am still not certain of the benefits of silicium but what seems evident is that it has no negative short-term effects. Like the other Tourbillon by L.U.C. this one has two double barrels giving it a more than interesting torque curve over a period of 8-days plus an extra two days at a lower level of performance. At the moment having four barrels inside a watch is a patent by Chopard and can't be used by others unless permitted (I don't remember who was allowed...). All other 10 or 8-day manuals use three or sometimes even two barrels. This makes a constant supply of torque more difficult especially at frequencies above 21,600 A/h. In order to be certified a chronograph you must be above the 28,800 mark and few Tourbillons in the market will give you this. To this date ALL, with no exception, L.U.C Tourbillons have passed the "Chronograph Certificate" testing with flying colors on the first attempt. That is very impressive.


If I had to criticize the current L.U.C. collection I must say that the sport/diver models are very weak to say the least. Weak enough that they should consider either outsourcing the design or dropping the model all together. A "Mile Miglia" with a L.U.C. finish would make more sense. At the moment there is no intention of making L.U.C. movements for others, even branches within Chopard. Unfortunately there is a lot of stuff missing in their web pages. Many Tech models and most Twist models are not there. Time to update guys!


L.U.C...

Greubel Forsey...
Kari Voutilainen...
Philippe Dufour...

Inversely Proportional...

As with many things it's everybody's and nobody's fault. Partly due to the arrival of a whole new crowd of buyers with quite a different profile to the high-end watch market so far. Several issues should be addressed because of their faulty "schooling" regarding what they get for their money. Nothing wrong with newcomers, they are in a way responsible for the incredible boom the sector has experienced these last ten years. As customary the problem can be traced back to retailers or authorized distributors (not all though) that are more concerned in making money than giving a service and the manufacturers that do not enforce the issue of being adequately represented in these distributors. I don't blame since the main reason for starting a business is making money in the first place. The second have not demeaned to control the "method of selling" until recently. Some sales staff out there might have noticed by now that selling at any cost may come back and bite you in the butt. Anyway, back to our subject... amongst the new wave of buyers with a lot of burning cash in their pocket but with an inverse knowledge regarding "Haute Horlogerie" there is a recurring misconception. It generally is in their firm believe that the more expensive the watch the less prone to flaws, quality defects, faulty service, etc... WRONG!

In the laws of watchmaking this is quite the opposite. The more complex a watch, the more you can't use industrial machinery and need fine handwork. The less you can use automation, the longer it takes to make a watch. The more you use the human factor, the more things can go wrong. The more human factor involved, the higher the cost. In other words, the more exclusive, unique and expensive... the more imperfect, delicate and problematic. For most of us, no mater price or purchasing power, this is part of the charm in watches. I can assure anybody that the accuracy, homogeneity and reliability of a Seiko beats a Richard Mille hands down. However, if you could, which would you go for? I believe that it it is safe to say that everybody would make the "irrational" choice of getting the more expensive and way less reliable RM or FP Journe, before a Seiko or Timex. Why? Simple, it's a battle of egos and it never is about reliability. There is nothing wrong with that if you are aware of it.

I do understand however the concerns that buyers have to that respect. It is hard to grasp that you just spend over 100K on a watch that is less accurate than a 50 bucks Swatch. Plus there is the nuisance of sending your watch for service after two weeks. Furthermore, they tell you it will take over 4 months to fix. Plus, the worst part is the well popular stuck-up "take it or leave it..." attitude. The problem is created not from the moment after the watch is being sold but rather at the moment of the sale. It should be explained to the client that part of what makes this watch so special is a complete handmade process that renders the watch unique and that due to its complexity it is likely to go to service, etc... Unfortunately this is not so. The customer is likely to see dollar signs rolling in the eyes of the sales person instead of getting any sort of warning. No wonder that the customer gets hysterical spasms of anger and rage when returning the watch only after several months. Mind you, things were worse before. I remember not long ago when you had the feeling that they were doing you a favor when taking the watch for service. In many cases it was attempted to make the customer pay for repairs even if still under guarantee. To them you were nothing but an unworthy fool who just had no idea how to treat a watch. Believe me, the more prestigious the brand the more you got treated this way. There has been improvement in recent years to that respect. Thanks only to complaining customers though.

Don't kid yourselves, there is no such thing as the "best" or "perfect" watch. Just enjoy what you have and don't waste your time getting angry on little things. Believe me, only then will you enjoy this passion to the fullest.

OffShore "SURVIVOR"

As expected... several sites all over have been posting teasers to crank-up hits. Sorry, I don't play this game.

After receiving a whole bundle of pictures from (I kid you not!) nine different sources this morning, the cat's out of the bag.

I hope you guys welcome the FULL UNOBSTRUCTED view of the Survivor. Enjoy...


Audemars Piguet...

A mater of Survival

On November 6th... the beast will be unleashed!!! Not my cup of tea but interesting however. If I had to describe it I would say it is a Barrichello II on heavy steroids. Even the term "Hummer" version of the Offshore would fit.

Unfortunately what was going to be regular production model will be Limited to 1000 pieces. Too bad, it would have been great to have a really "freakish" AP on the catalogue. By now almost everybody has seen pictures or has a very accurate description of the piece. Who knows, if there are too many "hyping" the presentation to increase their hits I might be bad and post it way ahead of everybody... Then again, last time I posted ahead many used the pictures for their own credit I might not do so. I really don't want to add watermarks and spoil the pictures like many others do. Well, let's see what happens.

P.s. By the way, there are two even larger bombs on the way for next year.

MB & F "Horological Machine No.3"

News from the "House of Büsser"... The HM3 surely wont leave you indifferent. Quite a pice. Most of us love the idea, finish, design... yet there is that wearability issue. Don't discard the HM3 just yet due to that. The HM3 might be subject like other watches that are erroneously perceived to be difficult or uncomfortable to wear. Similar to the URWERK or even the HM2 things change quite a bit once on your wrist. If you get a chance to see one in the flesh do not hesitate to take a closer look.

The movement is a real beauty to contemplate and the whole idea is quite different from what is out there right now.


There will be two versions, the Sidewinder and the Starcruiser. Both are essentially the same movement yet both are directed towards you for different situations. The Starcruiser is when you hold the steering wheel of your car so you do not need to let go of it. The Sidewinder is set up for the classic "reflex" arm movement to read the time.


Personally I would not know which of the two suits me best, I guess the Sidewinder would be my choice. What do you think?

MB & F...