Horological Meandering

In the past some of the most compelling limited edition and piece unique watches were made for Japan. Amongst other models Patek Philippe made several Calatrava watches for Japan that I know of, and probably more than I am unaware of. IWC too has done num...  

...and I echo your sentiments of support for Japan. I, too, hope for a speedy return to normality and prosperity for all those affected by the natural disaster. I am not at all surprised by the Japanese taste in watches, based on the limited editions you ... 

I recently returned from a trip to Japan and experienced just the kind of respect and enthusiasm for watches, both new and vintage, of which you speak. I was fortunate to go to several large ADs as well as the vintage stores in Nakano Boardwalk which are ... 

Having spent a significant part of my life in Japan, I agree with many of your astute observations. Thanks.

nt.

It's sad though, seeing such great watches in such small limited editions. Cheers, -- Richard.

..people, the strive and determination for perfection through hardwork, great attention to detail and meticulosity.. and all these are probably transformed into their refined tastes for refined watches. Samurai, honor, loyalty, anime, Gundam, paintings, t... 

And they will rise fast! They have the people, the know how, the money and strong corporations. cen@jkt

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They are a tasteful and friendly culture! We've visited Japan numerous times and have nothing but praise for the people there. They go out of their way to help others and are very orderly and civilized. Because Japanese focus in quality, art, tradition an... 

.. not all seem to agree with your assessment above, but thank you so much for your kind words mentioned here. Japan, of course had lots of help from others, too, to come here. I may start translating Chronos Japan - would anyone be interested in buying? ... 

i do believe that japanese taste is a basic block which one should observe if enrichment of taste is the aim. Faisal

And also I too would like to add my thoughts for the people of Japan. I too hope that they are soon able to start moving forward after the terrible events of the past week. Ken, PM sent Regards Tony

thanks a lot. I echo your sentiments wholeheartedly. Best Andreas

When I'm in Japan I always drool over the limited edition Omegas that your market gets. Throughout this incredible disaster, one clear trait of the Japanese people is to collectively, with amazing calm, work together to overcome hardship. I have nothing b... 

Thanks SJX for the update of the horological scene from your visit to Japan. There are always quirky small editions to be found there. One of my favourite watches is a Limited Edition found at WAKO store in Ginza, just out walking alone, one day in Tokyo....  

I really like it. Thanks for the photo, Cheers, Filip

nt

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But is seiko B as printed on the dial? And I assume the number correspond with date of birth? Best, Horo

is a line of watches higher than the starting Seiko level. That is the B symbol. WAKO is the luxury department store on the corner of Ginza. It is the Hattori family store and as we know, that family founded and still has a family member as CEO of Seiko, ...  

Is it still Langes and Journes and Dufours still? Are they into Urwerks and MBFs? If there are so many limited editions created just for the Japanese market, are they essentially buying limited editions because of the rarity, or are they looking for funda... 

Lange, FPJ are still big here. But Patek is also big. Dufour has made just one model and I can't say it is "hot" now - 130 out of 200, and one collector has 8 of them. It WAS big hit. They buy LEs, as a plus to their collections. If the regular models don... 

A collector with eight Dufour's?! I would love his insights on the consistency and reproducibility of appearance and finish across his collection. I have asked this question in years past on the AHCI Forum but it is difficult to answer because there are f... 

At one occasion I was with a gentleman who has had one Simplicity and several years later he got the second one fresh from Mr. Dufour. We compared them, with another watch connoisseur - both pieces went through three pairs of eyes (owner, expert, and me) ... 

In your view, why is AP less popular then Hublot? In most markets, it seems to me its the reverse? As for the small wrist theory...I agree with you, but wouldn't that affect Pams and Bangs sale as well, unless they are bought not for wearing, but for coll... 

AP is more popular in many market even in Japan - in terms of popularity or well-known-ness, as a high-end watch brand. But as for sales, I believe in many markets, Hublot sells more than AP. As for PAM, like I said, I do NOT understand why people buy PAM... 

..it may house an ordinary Unitas movement. I am not even looking at PAM in house movements. Why dont u like Pam? I guess maybe personal preference. I was gonna add that PAM is very bigin Hongkong and i thought Japan too. Comparison of popularity between ... 

AP is more embraced or worshiped as more higher end brand, but the target is different for AP and Hublot and Hublot is closer to the mass market, also in terms of price point. As for why I am not so fond of PAM. It is just too big. 40 or 42mm is sometimes... 

..because i dont wear french cuffs and my shirts are not custom made. I dont intentionally wear them exposed from my cuffs, just that i dont like my cuffs to be too loose, i like them closely wrapping my wrists but comfortable. The only watch which can hi... 

...because there are many who shows watches beyond sleeve in here, too. I have tried 048 - 40mm PAM, but didn't like it... So, I DID try I guess I am just a conservative chicken when it comes to what watch to wear We have each preference and taste and tha... 

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and a lot of highly interesting information I did not know previously. Thank you! Best, Filip

I can actually understand the allure of PamRooBang actually. Used to buy quite a few of them. Beyond collecting the latest and newest...there is also value retention and the relative liquidity of PamRooBangs, and the scalabilityof these I.e....moving up t... 

The today's high-end lover/collectors seem to have entered this world from "inside". Some I asked or have met mentioned that they started having interest in watches from the internet or books or magazines. Then they started studying more to details - hist... 

It seems quite universal approach. Most of the collectors start off with affordable brands eg, Zenith and/or models of a brand, eg IWC spitfire to Big pilot and then "scale" up, either in complications eg modular chrono to QP or gravitate to one of the Bi... 

Classical watches do well but avant garde ones like Urwerk and MB&F much less so. Large watches like the Offshore sell less well than in other markets. At the mass market level, limited editions are created to eke out growth in a large and saturated marke... 

But what about the younger generation, who hasn't even bought the "regular stuff"?? Have they jumped straight to ltd editions? Also a friend of mine who is in luxury trade also opine that the japanese market, despite market saturation, then to buy the big... 

examples: In 1998 IWC produced an edition of their classic Mark 12 pilot watch in a platinum case, approximately 500 examples. Most of these watches featured a blue (rather than black) dial, however within this edition they created for Japan distribution ...  

is an amazing piece. Never heard of it before. Thanks Andreas

IWC with full numerals, nice outstanding crown, and a bit of Speake Marin Picadilly hour hands. Excellent choice to use platinum giving a nice weigth to the smaller diameter Mark series. And the JLC Reverso salmon dial looks very tasty and exclusive. Like... 

Your collection and photos have been my inspiration for a long time... Very nice indeed! Thank you. Ken

special edition Reverso really is outstanding! You've got two completely different watches on a single strap . Both sides look excellent. Cheers, Filip

The Credor Sonnerie. Why ? Because it is a pure Japanese watch, inspired by the Japanese culture with a beautiful horological work which shows all the skills from Micro Artist Studio. This watch doesn't strike like a swiss watch, it strikes like Japanese ...  

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as i recall that was a japan only piece?