Horological Meandering

Richemont is a holding company whose portfolio of luxury watchmaking firms includes Cartier, Panerai, Piaget, Lange, Jaeger-LeCoultre, IWC, Baume & Mercier, Vacheron Constantin, and a majority interest in Roger Dubuis. These companies cover a broad range of the industry, from entry-level to high-end.

Without intent, I acquired three examples of Richemont brand watches in my collection at one time, and all were introduced in 2005. I liken this to a horizontal tasting of wines, where the vintage years is the same, but the wineries differ. While not a typical way to organize a watch collection, such a snapshot of a moment in time can still be interesting.

Lange Datograph in Rose Gold with Silver Dial

Lange introduced its now legendary Datograph in 1999. Like with Henry Ford saying that you could have a Model T in any color you wanted so long as it was
black, Lange offered it only in platinum with a black dial. In 2003 Lange cased the same beautiful movement in rose gold, but the dial remained black. In 2004,
the very limited (10 watches) Pisa Datograph came out for Italian retailer Pisa Orologeria in Milan, and it featured a silver dial. In 2005, Lange brought that silver dial to the rose gold case, while also discontinuing the black dial on the rose gold case. For those who found the all the previous versions to be stark and “Teutonic,” this was a Datograph that finally had warmth. It seems that everyone has admired the Datograph’s movement from the day it was introduced. The decorative finishing
indeed is exquisite. The pusher feel is satisfying, and the particulars of the chronograph’s operation (flyback/instantaneous totalizer) make it stand out. This is a great watch.


Vacheron Constantin Jubile 1755

2005 marked the 250th anniversary of the founding of Vacheron Constatin, and the brand celebrated the occasion by releasing an extraordinary set of limited edition
watches. Shared between all the models are a common case and lug design, a unique guilloche pattern for the dial, hands, and the use of in-house movements that have earned the Geneva Seal. The simplest of all the models released was the Jubile 1755, which inaugurated the brand’s first in-house automatic movement, the caliber 2475. This Day-Date watch also has power reserve indicator. Small for the anniversary line-up, the Jubile 1755’s 40 mm case was large for Vacheron Constantin at the time. They were certainly one of the last watchmakers to jump on the large watch bandwagon. It is an instant classic.




IWC Ingenieur

IWC relaunched its Ingeniuer line in 2005, at the time of the Ingenieur’s 50th anniversary, a welcome occasion for fans of IWC and its ultimate technical watch. This new version was amped up to a hefty 42.5 mm in diameter and 14.5 mm height, making it a good choice for those who like their watches to be both big and bold. The case finishing is finely done with an attractive mix of polished and satin surfaces. Not only is does the exterior of the watch make a statement, the movement inside is also a testament to IWC’s technical approach. Modifying the bracelet’s size is simplicity itself, and a lot safer than risking scratches by misusing a screwdriver as one must for adjusting most bracelets.





Like any good collector, I no longer own any of these watches, but I treasure the time I had with them.

Bill

Hi, Bill,

I just finished composing a piece about some real time wine experience...(ThePuristS.com WFED forum)

The long and short of it is, man, I almost threw it out because in 2 hours, it was completely uninteresting and downright boring.

I wonder how this translates to watches? Can we learn to (or better yet, develop naturally and intuitively, without "thinking it through") appreciate subtleties that we miss in pictures, or over one day or even a week or month, over time?

and, um...you know I couldn't resist the temptation of this line of yours, didn't you?

"Like any good collector, I no longer own any of these watches, but I treasure the time I had with them."

Any true collector, as a "collector" (almost by definition) has great difficulty letting anything go.

Cheers,

TM

"Tiefenbrunner Pinot Bianco 2008 - upon opening, and throughout a 2 hour dinner - completely bland, insipid, uninspiring. Pleasant enough, but so boringly uninteresting that I was tempted to throw out the other bottle.

"Life is too short to drink mediocre wine."

I couldn't bring myself to drink a second glass, yet I couldn't bring myself to throw away 4/5 of a bottle.

Well, that was 3 weeks ago.

I've been to London and Switzerland in between.

I've had a few bottles of red (and a white) along with some nice charcuterie platters in the meantime.

So, after three weeks, stoppered and in the refrigerator - can it possibly have gotten any better? Is it dead to the point of past redemption?

Surprise, surprise - it has opened up; it actually is showing more than one note, and its previous watery thinness, though still very light bodied, is now slightly more interesting.

And the finish - previously, what finish? you swallowed and it was done - is exhibiting notes of minerals and citrus.

Paired with homemade pasta shells and a touch of jar meat sauce?

Wow, a very surprising, pleasant ...surprise!

I'm actually looking forward to finishing the bottle (back into the frig it went, stoppered...) and seeing how it develops further.

So I have to wonder - how many bottles do we finish off, or even dismiss and throw away, before it has a chance to wake up and really present itself properly?

'45 Cheval; '59 Mouton; '82 Lafite; '86 Latour; '09 plonk.

hmmmmm..."

This is one of the things about watches that I find very appealing - they definitely morph over time, for me at least. Seeing a watch in the metal is very different than seeing a picture, owning is very different than seeing/holding, wearing for a week, a month, a year, a lifetime, etc all change a perceptions considerably.

As the saying goes, "for every beautiful woman, there is a man who is sick of her". While I have been lucky enough to meet a woman and a few watches that disprove this, I can see its wisdom. A lot of women are nice to look at in magazines, may be fun to chat with in a bar, and a whole different story to marry.

In my watch life, where polygamy is not only tolerated but encouraged, I am still dating.

Now off to dinner with my soon-to-be-wife...



Steve

Gosh Thomas, you’re in a mischievous mood today, aren’t you? It must be that feather.

 

I have been meaning to ask a related wine aging question for a while and I will not divert Bill’s post, so perhaps TO or WFED is the place, but …

 

… although your white is different from reds, do Purists believe that a young red that is tight and closed (should I define those terms?) but that opens up over hours to days may age well in the bottle? Is that a good indicator of ageing potential?

 

Oops, sorry, I asked the question.

 

A

This conversation continues on TimeOut.

 

Click here to be magically transported …

 

Andrew

by the glass, and I actually find it to be pretty damn refreshing.

I think there's a place for relatively simple whites like this, especially with spicier food.

Interesting that it had opened up after such a long time. I would have expected vinegar after that long an exposure to room/fridge air.

Cheers
Tony P

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Wine is too expensive here, so I tend to drink beer - goes better with spicy food in any case. (Not that all Chinese food is spicy, but I do tend to favour Hunan cuisine...)

Indeed I'm off the sauce altogether for a while - taking a break. Good thing to do every now and then. Makes you really savour the hangovers later.

Hi, Tony,

In this case, the bottle I had, was completely uninteresting, let alone uninspiring, at the start.

But of course, this was my personal opinion, based on my personal taste.

When ei8htohms and I worked together on the earliest "serious" articles that formed the foundation of ThePuristS, we wrestled with including things like strong personal feelings about the watch and specific performance data of the specific watch.

Some feel we took too much of the bite out of the articles - people WANT to know what john thought about the watches from a watchmakers points of view; people wanted to know what I thought of the watches from a personal, collectors point of view, someone with decades of experience with high end models and brands and more than a passing understanding of the specialized aspects of watchmaking and industry history.

I guess the same dynamics can apply to wine tasting notes - one could try to keep the commentary to the "objective" and let readers conclude their own subjective like/dislike for themselves; or one can include personal conclusions.

Typically, I try to be consistent across product categories and avoid too much personal "conclusions" - at least in widely read, "impersonal" media; those who have met me in person know I have no reservations about sharing my real, heartfelt subjective feelings on "this brilliant piece of kit" or "that piece of crap that barely deserves to be a target in a pissing contest."

In this case of the Tiefenbrunner, don't forget the context - I wasn't applauding or thumb-downing the bottle per se, the point was the surprising development in bottle, after opening, over a period of time that conventional wisdom would have us expecting, as you note, vinegar.

Cheers,

TM

 

I can understand the need to be somewhat circumspect in your public comments, but on the other hand I read with great interest the comparative comments/impressions of people with wider experience than me.

 

Be it a crusty old professor that has seen more of the rare stuff just because he has been around for longer, or an audio reviewer that has listened, under controlled circumstances, to more $100K speaker systems than I have, or the car reviewer that has driven more than I have on both road and track.

 

Sure, I have to get to know their biases, interests, audiograms, etc.. I have to ‘road test’ some of their comments by making my own observations, which eventually leads to a level of trust in their opinion. There were audio reviewers (Sam Tellig and Jon Valin come to mind) whose ears I trusted because, on the occasions when I sampled a piece of equipment they reviewed, their comments gelled with mine. A level of trust built up. There are Purists whose comment on watches I find myself nodding in approval with, so when I read them describing a watch I haven’t handled in the metal, I sit up and take more notice.

 

So, I am very happy if, provided people share their biases with us, that they also tell it like they see it.

 

Andrew

 

Ps. HoMe is starting to read like WR. Who let the dogs in?

I was wondering: Does Bill still own them?



Don't you regret any of them?

The Datograph is such a Beauty...Not to forget the 2 others, as they all had / have their interest.

For what watch(es) did you sell them?

Best, and thanks for this post.

Nicolas

I owned the VC Jubile 1755 because I had been a VC-only collector and purchasing it was my way of celebrating VC's 250th anniversary. The call to own a tourbillon and a watch by an independent watchmaker was very strong in me, and to finance it I decided to drastically reduce my VC collection. The selling of the watches proceeded at a good pace, but the accumulation of funds in my watch account and the timing of payments for my watch didn't exactly line up. That is why I purchased the IWC and the Lange at various points in time, to experience watches that I found aesthetically striking and horologically interesting. When payments for my watch were due I duly sold them to (re)raise the cash for its intended purpose.

The watch I am purchasing is a Jean Daniel Nicolas two-minute Tourbillon, made by Daniel Roth, the man. It is assembled and will finish the testing phase in four days and I will go to Switzerland in March to pick it up. Stay tuned on the AHCI Forum!

 

Bill

in this post. In the true PuristS sense if I may be so bold. Thank you for a historical look into your Nautilus as it cruises the depths and shoals of the collecting
seas. Glad to be on board.
Best to all,
Tim

but the Dato...oh the Dato....I think its a keeper  especially rose gold...But I-m only a youngster so....might be wrong.Mo

I know how much people love the Datograph....but if I'm going to kick myself for selling a chronograph watch, it is my letting go of a Venus-caliber Girard Perregaux Chronograph Rattrapante. I might not ever find one of those again.

Bill

 thanks for sharing part from  your past  collection , also i would like to let you know how i loved the description or the comparison , wines from the same year but from different wineries,.

 

 Faisal

 

 

With the idea of a horizontal tasting with a slightly different underlying concept,I once had considered collecting the best simple watches from the various brands and independents out there: VC Malte Grande Classique, PP 3960, AP Jules Audemars, Dufour Simplicity, etc. I never got past the first one, but I liked the idea of such a collection!

Bill

they are "classical" sized!!

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But for some reason, the watch that I wear most is the 37 mm Overseas Chronometer that was my first VC. It's just right for me.

Bill

I really think that this PG Datograph is the most beautiful version. Some may think that the real Datograph has to come with the platinum case and the black dial, with the perfect triangle between the big date and the two sub-dials. But this combo PG case, silver dial is so elegant that I would choose this version.

Fr.Xavier

the RS/Silver Dial came out. (Well, I liked the Pisa, but that was unobtainable).

Bill

...to let go of a Dato if I owned one, I can't blame you for leveraging these pieces in favor of the new Independent you are acquiring.  Bill, that watch will be an AMAZING timepiece to own and enjoy!    I can't wait to see your first wristshot with it on!  Thanks for reminiscing about these former flames!

Cheers,

Daos

I'll definitely have to keep an eye on the AHCI forum.  Thanks Bill!  BR, Dan

I expect to spill a lot of words and post a lot of pictures on the JDN next month!

Bill

Getting over my VC-only habit was been liberating, though I can't really call myself a collector anymore as there is no theme holding my watches together.  I just enjoy the watches that I enjoy!

Bill