pplater
5432
Open to suggestion, dreamer…
Please tell Senor Pita that a commission paid in watches will do just fine, thank you! ;-)
Joking to one side for a moment, it’s a difficult line to walk between showing real enthusiasm for a product, or brand, and descending into ‘shill’. It’s a little bit easier when one doesn’t [yet] have one of the watches in question, hasn’t been flown across the world by the brand, put up in hotels, given the V.I.P. treatment etc etc, but even so it is necessary to pause and reflect on some of the language used and think “was it really that good/novel/interesting [insert hyperbolic adjective here]”??? What you read here are honestly held (if personal) opinions – and guess who even picked up the tapas tab??? 
Another thing: these watches are not finished to within an inch of their lives, as is the norm these days for the product of some other Independent watchmakers. They are robust, solid, honest and clearly handmade. That, though, is somehow ‘right’: it is another way in which, as you have observed, the pieces reflect the environment from which they originate. If we were talking wine, this would be the effect of ‘terroir’; these watches indeed have a ‘distinctive regional flavour’!
Thanks for your thoughts.
Cheers,
pplater.
The Spanish Inquisition...
There isn’t much that hasn’t already been written about the fascinating personal development of Spain’s pre-eminent watchmaker (and AHCI member) Senor Ancieto Jiminez Pita: for example, there is the thoroughly readable chapter in the book “Masters of Cont...
Excellent 3K, Pplater! :)
Thank you for a great read and photos! The one you choose would have been my choice as well… So “simple”, so genius! Huge congrats to the 3000! A big thank you, so far - l ooking forward to the next 3K… Best Blomman...
Thanks for those thoughts Blomman…
Your remarkable collection to one side for a moment, your constant support of the forum and its contributors – always a kind and encouraging word - is one of the high points of this site. Cheers, pplater.
Great write-up PP
I was considering the Pita Single Hand minimal for a while but ended up with a PSM Shimoda which I am wearing as I type this. Pita looks to be a very interesting Indie. I may be re-visiting Barcelona earlier next year and if so, I do hope to drop by Pita....
Hey, it’s not an “either/or” Arthur!...
Go both – I have a sneaking suspicion you won’t be the only one here to do so if you do! ;-) If you get to Barcelona again you simply must not miss out on a pilgrimage to the Pita atelier; you would struggle to find two nicer, more enthusiastic guys in th...
That's my fear PP
Pita seems to have a rather natural and raw look to me especially the Caroussel which is actually very different from the more elegant feel of my Blue Moon Shimoda. Not better or worse, just different. But yes, if I do return to Barca next march, I will d...
Fantastic post PPlater.Congratulations for your 3000 milestone.
Must admit , I was not aware of this brand till recently. Your post brilliantly portrays his watches in the context of his city and country, the art and the architects. Your post gave us much insight about this independent watchmaker. Did you get a gentle...
Open to suggestion, dreamer…
Please tell Senor Pita that a commission paid in watches will do just fine, thank you! ;-) Joking to one side for a moment, it’s a difficult line to walk between showing real enthusiasm for a product, or brand, and descending into ‘shill’...
Superb!
Write-ups like these are the reason no other watch website compares to the Purists. It would only have been better if I had experienced it in person. I have often perused Pita's website in the past, but it can be a bit infuriating and foreign, with little...
“Awww shucks, Daniel!”…
… but thank you for those very generous sentiments nonetheless. You may have it only half right, though: the reason that this is such a terrific place to hang out is because people like you ‘get it’, so we can all take out as much as we ...
Genius...
now after reading your report on the visit im seriously impressed and i believe such a watch maker will be WoWing the scene of horology in the future.... as you said not much is being published about the man or his brand but your report got me curious to ...
It’s worth being on the train, Faisal…
...and thank you for your kind words. Although unbelievably spritely, Senor Pita is now well on the other side of 60 so he is not a newcomer in any sense of the word – ‘sleeper’, perhaps. It is always a buzz to be exposed to the work of ...
Now, that's a thread!
Fantastic work, PPlater. A great tale. I love that workshop, my study is in simialr disarray. The rules have changed. If you ever make it to Melbourne, your Helicopter and Beeramid are contingent on the appearance of that Molinos....
A typical Vic…
…just when the prize is within reach you shift the bl**dy goalposts! Still – happy to oblige on that particular condition, in due course. Until then, will you accept an I.O.U. in late October? Cheers, pplater.
IOU
sounds good. Now the real question is: Is your regard for the Molinos due to the wondrous geared dial/hands design combined with personal interaction and breaking bread with its creator or is it down to puerile delight in owning a watch with the acronym P...
You certainly do get around don't you?
Thanks for an interesting post about this watchmaker. Regards, Richard....
Ahhhh Richard, Richard….
With a response such as that you make it all worthwhile! Cheers, pplater.
Gracias!
I've read about Pita's watch in Purists before, and i've visited his workshop and office during my Spain trip in June. I have been warmly welcomed by Senor Pita and we went for a drink, while Daniel was on the way to the workshop. Then I''m lucky enough t...
If memory serves, Anzu…
…you have the MIH watch amongst your collection. Did you get the chance to speak to Senor Pita about Paul Gerber and his watches? There is a great deal of respect there – and you could say quite a few similarities, in some respects. Pleased to have evoked...
You are right!
I have a MIH watch and i've mentioned to Daniel, haven't discussed in depth though. What Pita's Oceana & Minimal attract me, are their "similarities": clean appearance with ingenious heart. Looking forward to meet Senor Pita & Daniel again in Octo...
Superb post, pplater.
Good to read you, as always, and what a 3 000 th post! So you were in the " tierras de Cervantes " spending some delicious spanish moments? So the Nun did it again, with an original watch? So, the Inquisition let yo come back to " Down Under "? Will have ...
Now, Nicolas...
...you're only 40,150 (or thereabouts) in front! Thanks for your kind words. It would be great to share a glass of wine again - we probably both talk much faster than we type and as you know well there is so much to talk about in even one small trip to on...
Spain is all about my childhood, pplater.
This country is my heart, their lifestyle is my way of life. I spent so many time, there, that I can pretend knowing this great people and country quite well, even if I better know South of Spain, especially Andalucia. It would have been an immense pleasu...
In the immortal words of Rick...
..."we'll always have Paris....". Next time, Nicolas, next time: we can swap notes on the South of Spain also: it toook nearly a year to get out of Marbella in the late seventies, and there were some 'interesting' types there at the time! Cheers, pplater.
Sure!
I lived at 7 kilometers from Marbella, for several years... But we always have Paris, indeed. Best, Nicolas;
Six star post indeed
if only this bl...y nun and Watchmen badge didn't appear ... well I'll have to wait until next summer .... ;0) Best D
Just for you, then, Damjan...
...here is a shot unaldulterated by any avatar or 'Watchmen' logo. Keep it until next year and you may be able to have it autographed! ;-) > > > > > > > > > > Cheers, pplater....
Thank you grigo, but...
...it would be worth a visit to the post that really started it all in more recent times - Fr. Xavier's excellent summary and great photographs posted last year - click here . It is a source of constant amazement that FX gets so deeply into his subject, a...
The nun have done it again!
Great post pplater and so very fitting for your 3000th milestone! Thanks for sharing such interesting background and story about Pita in your usual entertaining way. It's certainly not very often appear on the forum and your post definitely inspire intere...
Thank you Sidney...
...that kind of feedback (especially from another Indie fan such as yourself) makes it all worthwhile. Cheers, pplater.
Great post Kevin - The Pita Oceana has always impressed me
as a true piece of original thinking and have toyed with the idea of getting one. In one masterstroke, the watch showed how you can remove all the problems on received thinking and truly innovate. That it was in a small workshop in Barcelona should take n...
Just so, Andrew, just so...
Magnets - who would have thought it??? Pita zigs when others zag. Oh, if only you could have seen his sketchbooks! The fellow behind the camera is not a watch person at all, but he gladly sat through the hours of watch babble and, at the end of the day, w...
Brilliantly done, and congrats on 3000!
A fabulous post, pp -- so great to see you focus your 3000th on the indie scene! Sr. Pita's workshop looks as if Vianney's entire operation had been emptied into a shoebox -- mind blowing! And you have done a wonderful job of communicating the essence of ...
Thanks for those thoughts Gary...
It's your passion for the Indie scene (and that of Don, Ronald, cen, Bernard, Douglas et al) that has infused the rest of us - so, thank YOU. As one of our friends here observed by PM, Señor Pita's atelier is a far cry from the neat, ordered, pristin...
Nice write-up
So is that my Molinos? . In the end, what exactly did you get? Btw, that last photo was a bit scary. To put such a cute face into that huge body is like putting 34mm watch onto ROOstrap. cen@jogja This message has been edited by cen@jkt on 2011-08-18 06:5...
If it's your Molinos, cen...
...you might want to think about doing a deal on a pair and grabbing the next version as well! As for the cute face on the huge body, you had better hope that Señor Pita doesn't take offence: he thinks he's quite well proportioned for a chap of his a...
great report, and congrats on 3000 posts
that sounds like a wonderful place to visit. I have to say none of his other designs really captured me but the molinos is great, and windmills are such a spanish pastime anyway! Hope you enjoyed your European stay, and if you are interested in finding ou...
Thank you Andreas; you are...
...always most generous with your encouragement. You are right to observe that there is something Quixotic in most things Spanish: Senor Pita's perseverance in the face of disinterest from suppliers in the early days is testament to that fact. Germany was...
Wow - Finally had time to read through this post.....
Thank you for taking the time to post these wonderful stories and watches. I have always been drawn to Pita's work, and I'm glad to see that the watch community seems to be catching on. Very neat timepieces. Darren
Thanks Darren: which...
...of the range has most appealed to you over time? Cheers, pplater.
*For those visiting Madrid*…
Daniel has very kindly confirmed that the name of the retailer in Madrid which will be carrying the range of Pita watches is El Corté Inglés (a kind of Spanish Harrods/Galeries LaFayette/Saks). They will initially exhibit 6 Pita timepieces (4 Mi...
High praise indeed!...
From someone of your considerable talents, SJX, that 'matters'. Many thanks. Cheers, pplater.
"Originality is nothing but...
...judicious imitation. The most original writers borrow from one another". (quote 'borrowed from' Voltaire). Cheers, pplater.
I think it has greater significance
All the yellow faces are part of a global cabal trying to corner the market on independents. - SJX
nobody expects the Spanish REVOLUTION
and huge congrats to Pplater for breaching the 3000 post counts, and what a way to mark it with a EXCELLENT look at PITA. heres a bunch of Purists gathering to celebrate this momentous event. best, Horo...
Hey, Horo...
You look good in that mask (it's a big improvement!). Thanks for the effort, and for the kind sentiments. It's a pleasure sharing insomniac moments here with another watch-junkie such as yourself. Cheers, pplater.
Memories, memories...
Thanks a lot pplater for this superb post which reminds me my visit last October. I recognize the same mess in the workshop. It is always a pleasure to meet Aniceto and Daniel in Barcelona. I like the way Aniceto creates his watches, they have an unique l...
If it was not for your lead, Fx...
...this visit might not have happened. Thank YOU for showing the way; not only with Pita, but also with so many other known and lesser-known brands. Cheers, pplater.
great post, pp...
... at first, congrats on your 3000th post, well done! back to this Pita brand... in fact i have been following up this one since your earlier post introduced this watch to us... i personally find it very interesting design... it is definitely on my shopp...
Nice post Double P
So much detail. I enjoyed reading it, and I am happy you had a good time. The dive watch was very beautiful, I liked how the seconds counter had colors that disappear when diving. I don't dive but I still think it is cool. I also like how the father and s...
Thanks for saying so, Sam Double E...
It's a delight to think that anyone is able to take anything away from the post. Hopefully you have the same sort of 'Siamese twin' relationship with your father that Daniel and his father seemed to have: it is certainly to be envied. Cheers, pplater.
congrats on 3000 pplater and thanks for an indepth look into senor Pita
i love most of his watches, the Molinos is just sublime and the caroussel is great. i really like the Sola thingy from pictures, but can understand that it might not be that easy to read the time on at a glance, which would be a perfect fit for one part o...
Good to see you back in the saddle, G...
...thanks for that note. You may wish to contact Daniel: non-precious metals would doubtless be possible to spec. There is also a watch in the works which will fit your 'unusual display' theme down to the ground, but as you can see from the pics, Mr Smile...
HQ post.
Hi Kevin, Nice to see you had a great time in Spain. I can see you did not waste any time and did a lot of interesting things. Thanks for the very nice report on Pita's work. My Oceana says hi and smiles. Best, Vte
As you know, Vte...
...a certain amount of the good time had in Barcelona was spent in the company of your friends in the luxury watch boutiques which probably should not be named here, but who very, very generously allowed us to see and hear some absolutely sensational piec...