Horological Meandering

I very much prefer the subtleness of white metals. But I have to admit to the allure of the sensuality of rose gold. Which of these four five would you choose, disregarding price, and why ? Will your answer turn on size (diameter, thinness), automatic vs....  

I like the look , and easy to service , no need for specialized knowledge. I owned the Journe and the Lange before .

What caused your departure from the Journe and Lange? They are both such nice watches... And which Vacheron...the automatic or manual wind? The automatic is wonderful, with its legendary movement, but perhaps a bit too big for what it is. -1 or -2 mm woul... 

I loved them all on they’re own merits but I somehow found that the 40-41mm was a little to big for me as a dress watch , also I value a nice reliable manual movement that can be serviced by any competent watchmaker and doesn’t need to go back to the manu... 

Thank you for these details, Zsolt. I do agree that getting to or much beyond 40mm is in the oversize danger zone for a dress watch, wrist circumference partially dependent. I have also heard the same about Journes (finicky), but did not know that the Lan... 

A tad more elegant for the LF, and while I prefer manual winding movements, the Laurent Ferrier micro rotor movement is very nicely finished and decorated. I would really hesitate between these 2. And if I had a gun in my head to decide, I would go for th... 

The Lange is wonderful, and a great size (yes, same within 0,5mm diameter to the LF, but a fair amount thinner than the LF). I do generally appreciate manual winding more, but the LF micro rotor movement is spectacular.

Second choice would be the Laurent Ferrier albeit it is a micro-rotor. Yes I would have loved them both in 38/39 but 40 isn’t bad choice. Best, Mahesh.,

But I would say that one of the most important qualities for a time only dress watch to me is, elegance. For me the LF exudes that quality the most, considering the whole package. I like the Journe too and that would be my second pick, but I would’ve pref... 

I didn't realize the Journe strap doesn't taper...a reasonable taper would have indeed been nicer. Why no VC?

I find the VC unattractive relative to the rest.

Second would be the LF with the Richard Lange as a close third . Both also on my wish list to add one day .

With money being no object, I would most likely go with the Laurent Ferrier. I find it's design the most attractive, and it's movement is arguably the best finished of those listed as well. Can't go wrong with any of these though.

No message body

...for me the choice would be between what I see as the two warmest watches of the bunch, the CS and the LF. While this particular CS is not my pick of the CS bunch I think I would still choose it over the LF in this instance. A different version of the L... 

What CF would you have instead? The platinum version?

Re LF, I’m just not felling that combination, but that dial on a white metal looks better to me (at least I think I’ve seen that same dial on other metals).

A stunning pure piece in WG. ...  

But as I said below the CS is OK to me for some dials, where the PR blends in a little more.

...  

Here’s one, which maybe what I was thinking off just under different lighting. It’s beautiful in my opinion, and probably outshines the Journe. Photo Credit: A Collected Man ...  

I've long thought this one could be a strong competitor to Journe's Chronometre Bleu, but with a more subtle dial.

if budget was no issue I would choose FP Journe first eventually the VC manual winding would compete with it.

Even if Journe has the power reserve FP is a king of keeping everything balanced and non cluttered. He also managed to keep a thinness that I think is important. And there is this Journe modern classic je ne sais quoi, the hands everything is so special a... 

The FPJ has a very interesting dial for sure; better without the power reserve, or relocate it to the movement side for an elegant solution. I do agree that the VC automatic is larger than optimal. But the VC manual wound is appropriately sized both for a... 

I do think however that certain of the CS dials blend the PR better. Such as the gold dials with the embossed numerals, more particularly the PT variation.

...  

The gray-white-blue-black accents/colorway work so well together and the dial design is great on this one. Cheers, John

He certainly gets a lot of things right good old ( not that old) François-Paul!

Yes you’re right about the VC I just go in the red zone when I see a movement in an oversized case. You have to see an LF in the metal, it wears much smaller than the 1815 strangely enough. Best, Jens

There is a dealer local to where I'll be for a few days, so I will try to see them in person. Looking forward to it...

Because it's the one like the most. Vte

First, I am a big fan of F P Journe. Second, I rarely wear any yellow or red gold watches (though I have 2 red gold pieces) as I am pretty much always dressed casually and I think the Journe has a less formal look so it would better suit me. All are beaut... 

And I think you're right--the FPJ is the more casual of the bunch for sure. Cheers, John

. . . vintage. At a fraction the cost of any aforementioned. But an order of magnitude requisite effort, too. Difficult to find, even more to restore. :-( ...  

. . . based on initial observation. Not bad for a watch entering its eight decade. ;-)

Just de-oxidize, perhaps Lovely Omega you have there

. . . verboten for vintage guys; natural aging is the main attraction. There are a few dials in my collection in even spottier condition. And yes, there is a point of spoliation that will earn a rejection slip. But unlike some collectors, I'm willing to t... 

. . . the next time you're in LA! ;-)

but maybe with the brushed slate grey dial that MikeH took in picture some day. The finish of the micro rotor overpass the others. I like Lange but it is a bit too cold for me, and even if I like journe, the dial doesn’t play with the light like the Ferri... 

No message body

Easy call for me; this one (38 mm) fits my wrist. ...  

I really like the thinner bezel and proportions of the 38 mm version even if I prefer a 40 mm overall size for this particular piece.