TheMadDruid candidly shares their struggle with watch collecting addiction, detailing recent acquisitions that expanded their collection beyond a desired manageable size. The post highlights a personal journey through the allure of chronographs, new brands, and commemorative editions, inviting fellow collectors to reflect on their own collecting habits.
But then you all know that.
I'm wearing this GP today hoping it will help to keep my wallet in my pocket.
A piece I've had for many years-and one I love.
Of course, part of that love is for what it is: a chronograph-the complication I always come back to.
I was quite happy with the chronographs I have, and I was also quite happy with the fact that over the last year I had gotten rid of many more watches than I added. In fact, until just this past week I had my collection down to a very manageable 12-14 pieces, and with the hope that perhaps I could further reduce it to single digits. Then July came.
July, 2019-50 years since July 1969. Realization struck me-I've had several Speedmasters over the years but never a "Buzz Aldrin" (ref. 31130423001005. if you like) and it was about time I did. So I called a friend/dealer on July 19th to get one. Shock of shocks, I was going to have to wait. But not long, a few days; a week tops. So all was fine.
I thought. The thing was I had been reading WatchTime the past couple weeks and there were some press notices, and in one instance a full-blown story, about chronographs. The magazine had a picture of a new Bell&Ross Bellytanker. I'd seen a LE piece done in collaboration with REVOLUTION, which was a great-looking watch...but REVOLUTION! However, here was another limited version in bronze and steel. Very nice!
Yup. There it is. Yup. My wrist. It actually came to my house before the Speedy! Amazing, huh?
Anyway, it is nice Chrono. 41mm, lots of bronze with a black ceramic bezel. Date window matches the dial, which is a nice touch. The movement, an ETA 2894-2, is visible through the casebook crystal-minimally decorated but attractive. And a steel and bronze deployant. Very comfortable on the wrist. My first B&R and it is definitely something I enjoy wearing.
But I wasn't done reading WatchTime. Oh no! And WatchTime wasn't done with me. On the day my "First Watch On The Moon" arrived...
(there she is!) I read a very interesting article about the watchmaking industry-newly revived-in England. England has for some time had some very, very excellent watchmakers, several of whom get plenty of attention here. These are all independent and (very) small scale. But recently several firms have opened with the intention of making many watches on an industrial scale. Bremont is one, going the Swiss route of opening Boutiques and selling through ADs. Presently they use Swiss movements but are now making their own cases. The goal is to become a true English manufacture.
Then there is Christopher Ward (a favorite of mine) which sells direct to customers online and makes some very handsome watches sold quite inexpensively. CW actually has an in-house movement but it is made in Switzerland so this brand will probably only ever be an English company making Swiss watches.
And then there is Farer. I'd heard of this brand but knew next to nothing about them. I'm not sure I ever saw a Farer watch until reading this WT article. But guess what? I own a Farer Segrave chronograph.
Handsome little devil, isn't it? Ordered Monday; Speedy came Tuesday; Segrave came Wednesday.
The Segrave uses the same movement as the Bell&Ross, but packs it into a slightly smaller case-39mm-which is a terrific size. It's height is also almost 1.5mm shorter. It has loads of color on the dial (Farer claims that is an English tradition from way back-I have no idea if that is true)-light blue tachymeter scale; charcoal gray dial; white sub-dials; orange chronograph seconds hand; mint green hour and minutes hand, which are coated in luminova; and Irish green continuous running seconds hand. What more can you ask for? Well...how about some bronze, you ask? The crown and the rotor, Farer answers. And all of this goes fabulously well together, I hope you would agree. For those who aren't sure based on the above photograph my house is open for visits. If you come, however, you must leave having bought a watch from me so I can get back down to a sensible number.
Hah!
Well. thanks for reading
