small-luxury-world
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The emperor's watch.
Many years ago there was an Emperor so exceedingly fond of new watches that he spent all his money on buying them. He cared nothing about reviewing his soldiers, going to the theatre, or going for a ride in his carriage, except to show off his new watches. He had a watch for every hour of the day, and instead of saying, as one might, about any other ruler, "The King's in council," here they always said. "The Emperor's in his watch room."
In the great city where he lived, life was always gay. Every day many strangers came to town, and among them one day came two swindlers. They let it be known they were watchmakers, and they said they could do the most magnificent watches imaginable. Not only were their finishing’s uncommonly fine, but watches made with this kind of finishing had a wonderful way of becoming invisible to anyone who was unfit for his office, or who was unusually stupid.
"Those would be just
the watches for me," thought the Emperor. "If I wore them I would be
able to discover which men in my empire are unfit for their posts. And I could
tell the wise men from the fools. Yes, I certainly must get at least one
specific watch made for me right away." He paid the two swindlers a large
sum of money to start work at once. ...
Basel 2013 - The emperor's watch. The pinnacle of watchmaking.
It is just perfect from each angle and even the buckle is to die for ...
Stay tuned until you will see the outstanding finishing of the movement - drop dead gorgeous!
HAGWE,
Oliver
| view and vote on the images
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The weekend of the "Black Swan watch" ...
Team, The black swan theory or theory of black swan events is a metaphor that describes an event that is a surprise (to the observer), has a major effect. By extension, a "Black Swan Watch" is one that we never ever considered and it just show up and we a...
I have a watch that fits that description, Nilo . . .
. . . and fortunately, it's one that's kept at home, not in the safe deposit box. Allow me time to take fresh images, which will be posted later today . . .
of Black Swan and Cartier....
my convoluted blackswan story involves an conniving AD, a honest broker, death of a salesman, a petulant customer, a secret trip to Copenhagen, a inconclusive Italian elections, a Natalie Portman movie, a hotel in York England, a jazz album and what is a ...
Welcome back Horo ...
I believe that we all missed you, or better, your ankle/ talocrural region shots. You missed a lot of fun but ... "the show that never ends". BTW: Beautiful Darth Vader Cartier. Cheers, Nilo
I have gathered quite a few more ankleshots since...:)-
and thanks buddy :) great topic!! best, Horo
We should do a wrist scan dedicated to ...
Ankles, shoulders and other anatomic watch shots. Of course, we should block any attempt from Graham (do you remember?) to show a ankle shot. Cheers, Nilo
did you see my tribute shot to Graham?
this was done 3 years ago i think.....note the background :)- best, Horo ...
Team ... Please!!!
You and Graham are outstanding. Nuts. As I learned with an Asian customer: "Thank you very much but no!". Cheers, Nilo
I have those same words written on a card in 7 different languages
carried close to mt chest, and displayed with effort whenever I stumble past a red light district. yes...card was engraved by SheWhoMustBeObeyed. best, Horo
haha, thats a classic Horo.
you never know i may do a knee shot in the future. there is a shot i have considered doing for a laugh(but could never publish) sadly i dont have a strap long enough :) its good to see you back Horo. G.
Great ...
to have you back, my friend! :) Hope all is good with you and yours. HAGWE Blomman
thanks mate...all is well
and the usual proverbial "could be better"!! and boy, i missed the forum best, Horo
Bert Jansch - now there's a metaphor . . .
. . . I can relate to. Pentangle might be the most underrated band of all time, and Bert had the loveliest touch with acoustic guitar. Saw him perform once, up close, with Jacqui McShee and John Renbourn, here in LA. A true master of his craft, he was . ....
i only know of him because he performed in Bristol when I was a student.
i didnt follow his career closely, but I remember reading on the BBC of his death a few years back trust you to have knowledge of bands and artists...I wish I have more time these days to explore more music. best, Horo
Very masculine
The Cartier is a bit of a surprise but in this form it looks fantastic. I like your varied tastes, Horo, and it's great to have you back. Andrew
Not sure this quailfy as a Black Swan...
Great topic Nilo! Not sure if this one qualify - a big chunk of RG like this one is very "out of character" for me... But on the other hand JLC and Reverso is not! :) Saw this on the wrist of one of the participants at a JLC dinner and fell for it right t...
I love Reversos in precious metals
but the rubber strap...the links are flimsy IMHO. and the few strands of hair left on the watch wrist felt under siege when i tried it. looks good on your wrist though. HAGWE my friend. best, Horo
Well, since I don't have ...
any hairy wrists - that is no issue for me! ;) Best, my friend Blomman
For sure it qualifies ...
After all, is a JLC but it does not look like a "Blomman watch". Cheers, Nilo
No, that is true...
Not a typical Blomman watch... This is! :) Best, my friend Blomman ...
For sure this one is ...
A true Blomman watch. Very nice picture (sunrise / sunset) settings and a watch that should have "JLC to Blomman" inside the case back. Cheers, Nilo
Each watch of my collection is my Black Swan.
Indeed, before getting them I had to discover them. It all started with a Rolex GMT. I discovered the 1675 in Mangum' series. It was my first Black Swan. In homage to it... ...
That was expected ...
If you want to have your true black swan, it should be a quartz watch, something on the lines of a X-33 or a Breitling B1. Cheers my friend, Nilo
Naaah, an Omega X 33 has a lot of interest!
I saw one with a nice military story, behind. I passed on it, but still thinking about it... Best, Nicolas
A quartz watch ...
No matter what, inside your collection, will look like some sort of ugly duck. But the X33, is a cool watch, for sure. Cheers, Nilo
I'm old enough to remember that ...
My first international trip, NYC, was flying on a Pan Am Clipper. A 747. Great memories. About your GMT, very sexy. Cheers, Nilo
"Each watch in my collection ..."
I like that sentiment, Nico. And it is these watches that seem to discover US that stay in our hearts forever. Nice picture too. Andrew
Well, maybe you should start ...
with the uniforms of the pilots, the stewardesses ... the plates, the cutlery ... of that time :-)
Mine is.....
People, hi.... Mine is a 44mm modern Speedmaster.... It was a love at the second date..... Cheers.... ...
It's a buccaneer watch?
Now you need to show your parrot and the pirate hat and we will have the full picture. Cheers (Muito obrigado), Nilo
Love and hate...
... affair. I'm still not sure what to think about it.... ... does it qualify this a black swan then ?!? Best rgds to all :) - Fred ...
If you mean uglyness...
... that was something I had in stock... ... but fortunately not anymore ! What the hell was I thinking of ?!? ;) ...
Nope...
... but nice try anyway ;) Thanks for cheering my up.... BUT I have bad taste, that the way it is... and I have no problem to deal with it :D ;)
Bad taste...
... but lot of luck to be here among such estimate purists ;) Thank you Nicolas :)
Not that bad ...
But a black swan is normally a beauty. Just outside our "radar screen". Cheers, Nilo
another classic Ludi. i do agree about the date, but i would love that watch
i am a bit of a fan of Ollech &Wajs. they made fairly small numbers of great watches selling directly through US military px stores or magazines. all very water resistant, functional, well priced and very underrated in my opinion. best G
Boo...
This was an iconic watch, though much so for the connection with US military during Vietnam.
Of course ...
It's a very nice watch. Give some wrist time and you go to love it. Cheers, Nilo
Got it two years ago...
... plenty of time to get to know each other I guess.... still no sparkle though but it's a keeper anyway.... well because it fits my thema of collection... ;)
i love it Ludi. a classic 24hr watch and much used by US military pilots.
i had one and now i want one again. typical of any collector i think. bext G
Cool photo
Pete Conrad was one of the pioneers of the space program and completed multiple Gemini missions, landed on the moon with Apollo 12 and spent time on Skylab. He was apparently quite a character to. Andrew
The original Glycines were iconic...
I had a later version, but always wanted the real deal. You guys are killing me.
Doxa Blacklung sub 300
Actually like Nicolas most of my watches seem to have some black swan elements. However, most recently I discovered the brand Doxa. I stumbled across when looking at some Cousteau divers pictures and noticed half the team work the Doxa sub 300T. I then st...
That's a true black swan ...
Even f the dial is orange. Beautiful. Or like the French use to say ... Sensuous. Congrats, Nilo
As they say it really came from left field
This was brand that went strong after the divers is 1967-early 1970's with many first to mark concepts and then the the quartz revolution took over the world and the brand fell of the face of the earth. But it was playing with the big boys back in the day...
Bill, that is one very sturdy..........
Looking case. I bet that could tell a few stories. ;)
I got it from the original owner and yes many stories to tell
From the day he bought it asking the the dive shop if he should go for the 200 meter Rolex or this new Doxa. The dive shop owners said the Doxa every day of the week 300 meters. And more stories about pay per foot in depth etc etc... He stop commercial di...
Amazing stuff Bill!!!
Apart from grandfathers pocket Cortebert earliest memories connected to watches are following brands Darwil, Omikron and most of all Doxa. Back in ex socialistic Yugoslavia Doxa was top tier what Rolex represents today Still have some samples from family ...
It worth a little research to learn about the diver Doxa watches
The re-editions I think were very well executed keep all the original feel without doing fake patina or other thing to create faux vintage. Best Bill
Have you managed to aquire...
Have you managed to aquire the blacklung Bill? If so you are the grail hunter extraordinaire. G On 25 Apr 2013 23:20, "www watchprosite" *Alert from:* www:watchprosite > *Posted By:* Bill (registered) on April 25th, 2013 - 15:20 > > *Title: Doxa Blacklung...
Would you expect anything less
From the original owner with full provenance. Never easy as these watches are a part of their life. Story later.. Best Bill
Here's my 'Black swan''..
or black seal ( actually brown). A common occurrence for me as I like to try new things and am often pleasantly surprised by the outcome. HAGWE :) Fernando ...
Ohhh !
Never thought much about the 505 ... Until a recent chance encounter. Worst! I had to try it on my wrist! Turned out way better than expected! Assolutament e Nice shot! Nice shoes!
Sometimes you just ..
have to give in to the initial spontaneous reaction. This was one of them. Thanks flamenco ;)
That's the true Black Swan ...
I don't have a wrist for a Panerai but your is gorgeous. Cheers, Nilo
Ugly Duckling ...
That turned beautiful swan. A watch I never thought I would get ... And has brought immense joy since. A humble Seiko 5 with a modified dial! Not to everyone's taste , but absolute love on my part. Horological journey brings one to unexpected places! Take...
That is a very tempting customization ...
I'm always open to this kind of customization and yours is a classic one. Enjoy, it's beautiful, Nilo
i do like these Seiko fifty five fathoms mods Flamenco, but we've discussed that before
i did find a couple for sale, but never pulled the trigger. i like the watch, but am pulled away by the 'copying' of the FF. its something i need to come to terms with before i get one. best G
Come to the Dark Side!
U know u want to ;) Inexpensive pleasure! Such is the dark side!
haha. you know me. i...
haha. you know me. i love inexpensive pleasures. perhaps one day... G On 27 Apr 2013 18:08, "www watchprosite" *Alert from:* www:watchprosite > *Posted By:* flamenco (registered) on April 27th, 2013 - 10:08 > > *Title: Come to the Dark Side! > * > > *
Perfect swan ...
I'm always amazed to see how great those vintage chronos are. This "panda" is gorgeous and your picture of it made the watch stand. Cheers, Nilo
When I saw this watch, I had to have it
On the back cover of Classic & Sports Car about 2000. I just had to have it. I knew nothing about watches and I knew I would never pay $2500 for a watch. But I just had to have it. I went into Harrods and they had one. I was stunned. But it was more l...
I actually prefer the later...
I actually prefer the later model mr Caz even though the original is an utter classic. G On 26 Apr 2013 06:21, "www watchprosite" *Alert from:* www:watchprosite > *Posted By:* cazalea (registered) on April 25th, 2013 - 22:20 > > *Title: When I saw this wa...
This is not a swan but a flock of it ...
As far I know, the one on the first pic is rare and yours is the second one that I see. I didn't know that Seiko made some sort of "version 2.0" of this watch. I bet that this is the Spectreman watch: Now serious. Version 1.0 is a pleasure to wear. Cheers...
Fantastic Pieces..
If I had to choose the second one would be my favorite, does it have a thin ceramic bezel? S
And that's the one I saw...
Jay Leno wearing a couple years ago at France & Italy :-)
For so many reasons...this is my Black Swan
Belonged to my father from the 1960s. He had it on a huge gold bracelet and wore it for Black Tie events. He died in 1979, and I started wearing his watch in the early 1980s - as a teenager. I remember being invited to go "punting at Oxford" by a potentia...
My Black Swan was also handed down from Pops . . .
. . . but this one took a circuitous route . . . . . . thru my sibling, who received it many years ago, and then forwarded it on to me when he learned I collected watches. Of course, it went straight to my watchmaker, who made two comments when I retrieve...
That is a definition of black swan ...
I was sure that you planed to post this one. Great story for a great watch. The only time that I saw my watchmaker curse (he is a very religious person) was when he was trying to open a back of a watch. Cheers, Nilo
Heirlooms & Frienshiplooms
nothing can come close to it. Back to pool hall after 3 months hiatus Purpleheart is still providing me with miracles but practice makes all the difference Sincerest regards from rusty Damjan
Good to hear the best cue in Croatia . . .
. . . is finally getting a workout ;-) . . .
English upper class snobbery Baron....
English upper class snobbery Baron. You had a lucky escape :) The upper classes all wear watches their great x3 grandfathers wore during the battle of waterloo and anything new no matter how lovely means you are just from the hoi polloi :) I'm not an inve...
Theres your answer then. Very...
Theres your answer then. Very rich due to farming subsidies, but only spend money on land, livestock, outbuildings and animals. You never see a poor farmer :) G On 26 Apr 2013 10:04, "www watchprosite" *Alert from:* www:watchprosite > *Posted By:* Baron (...
Beautiful, classic ...
JLC was on a good day when they designed this watch. Cheers, Nilo
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