Luxury and Classic Fine Watches | The Magnificent Wristwatch - Introduction

Luxury wristwatches are one of the most magnificent achievements of mechanical technology.  It is amazing what the craftsmen of centuries ago achieved with just hand tools.  And now, modern technology has improved even on that, combining utility, beauty, and craftsmanship.  Discover some of these wondrous marvels by visiting the various manufacturer's pages linked to from here.  Please bookmark this page, so you can conveniently find them all again.

Regards,
the Wristwatch Aficionado

In these days of instantly obsolete, disposable, ephemeral, mysteriously functioning electronic devices, there is a growing re-attraction to finely made mechanical devices by men and women of means, taste, and refinement.

Just a few that come to mind are scale-model electric trains in HO gauge or smaller; classic luxury, sports, and muscle cars predating modern pussified smog abatement requirements; and -- luxury mechanical wristwatches.

These come to mind because I, myself, love them.

Scale-model electric trains are more of a hobby, and a wonderful one at that.  But it can be rather space consuming to construct a layout for that hobby and time consuming to enjoy it.  To me, it seems that an electric train hobby is only for those who are retired or who have businesses on auto-pilot.  But, in the meantime, a finely detailed scale model steam locomotive sitting on a piece of track on a bookcase can be a great source of fascination and inspiration.  Perhaps even nostalgia.

Classic cars COULD be my favorite.  There is NOTHING about modern cars that appeals to me other than air-conditioning.  While modern cars are supposedly more reliable on a per-part basis, there are many more parts, so they still seem to require as much maintenance and repair as do classic cars.

The automobiles of the 1930s through the 1960s and part of the 1970s have all the features necessary for fun and/or comfortable driving.  All added since then is just superfluous gadgetry.  But, you may cry: "The old ones don't have cup-holders and 500 watt speakers for neighborhood rattling hip-hop thump-thump."  Oh, such a pity.

A classic car collection can be both a superb investment and source of enjoyment.  Definitely a source of prestige, also.

But, parts and qualified mechanics are harder and harder to come by.  And increasingly, the enjoyment is diminishing.  Where can you take your old Jag or Austin-Healey and put it up to 100 mph anymore?  In this pussified yet increasingly fascistic western world, with helicopter speed patrols on Mullholland Drive (Los Angeles to the ocean) or on your favorite back road west or northwest of Chicago, you risk not only merely a speeding ticket and increased insurance charges, but loss of your so-called driving "privilege" and outright confiscation of your vehicle.  (Seizure auctions are a great revenue source for local governments.)

So, while one, two, or more vehicles sitting in your garage, which you take out for an occasional spin can be a great source of satisfaction, it is only an occasional satisfaction.  Which now brings me to my new favorite indulgence, luxury mechanical wristwatches.

A luxury watch strapped to your wrist is a constant reminder of your means and taste, unlike the occasional reinforcement of electric trains or prestige automobiles.  Well-made classic wristwatches can also be a superb investment.  The prices at auction of some of them are comparable to those of many classic automobiles.

Observing such a watch in action can be an endless source of satisfaction, or diversion while contemplating some course of action.  Just about all of the better watches have additional dials and indicators, called " horological complications" in the industry.  Many have windows on the front or the back whereby you can observe the movements.  Many provide the entire front or back as transparent crystals.  Those with a tourbillon movement are the most fascinating to observe, with their rotating cages.  Naturally, every tourbillon watch I have ever heard of provides at least a crystal window to observe the movement.

Mechanical watches can be had in either hand-wound or self-winding ("automatic") varieties.  Some watches can run for several days on a winding, and some of those even have what is called a "power reserve" indication.

These watches come in all varieties of appearance and cases.  Dress models, business models, sports models.  Stainless steel, gold, silver, platinum.  Jewel encrusted or plain.  Leather bands or link fasteners.  Plain dials, "mod" dials, guilloche-detailed dials.

Browse the various links and sites you will be led to from here.  I'm sure you will find it a fascinating and enjoyable journey.  I'm sure that you will find the perfect wristwatch (or watches) for yourself or for someone else as a most welcome gift.

Regards,
the Wristwatches Aficionado

• 1524, Peter Henlein created the first pocket watch, made possible by the invention of the spring and escapement mechanism.
• 1755, Vacheron Constantin was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, and is the oldest watch manufacturer in the world with an uninterrupted history - over 250 years.
• 1775, Breguet established.
• 1780, Breguet developed the "perpetuelle", the first self-winding watch.
• 1829, Breguet mentioned in the novel Eugene Onegin, by Alexander Pushkin.  (The earliest, or one of the earliest, instance of media brand-name product placement?  )
• 1833, Breguet mentioned in the novel Eugénie Grandet, by Honoré de Balzac.
• 1845, Breguet chiming pocket watch mentioned in the novel The Count of Monte Christo, by Alexandre Dumas
• 1846, Ulysse Nardin founded, named after its founder, in Neuchatel, Switzerland.
• 1850, Aaron Lufkin Dennison founded the Waltham Watch Company, pioneering industrial manufacturing of pocket watches with interchangeable parts.
• 1860, TAG Heuer founded.
• 1865, Zenith Swiss Watch Manufacture founded by Georges Favre-Jacot, in Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
• 1868, IWC Schaffhausen (International Watch Co.) founded in Schaffhausen, Germany, by an American, Ariosto Jones.
• 1884, Breitling established.  Now long associated with the aviation industry.
• 1885, IWC Schaffhausen developed a pocket watch with a mechanical digital display.
• 1910, Rolex (Montres Rolex S.A.) produced the first wristwatch to be awarded the coveted official chronometer certification.
• 1916, TAG Heuer introduced the Micrograph stopwatch, accurate to 1/100th of a second.
• 1919, Carl F. Bucherer founded in Lucerne, Switzerland.
• 1923, John Harwood invents the winding rotor self-winding mechanism for wristwatches.
• 1926, Rolex invented and patented the "Oyster", the first truly waterproof watch case.
• 1931, Rolex launched the Rolex Oyster Perpetual.
• 1957, The Hamilton Watch Company released the first electrically (battery) powered watch, eliminating the mainspring and the need for winding.
• 1960, Bulova introduced the electromechanical tuning fork to replace the balance wheel in a mechanical watch.
• 1961, Yuri Gagarin wore a Poljot "Shturmanskie" ("Navigator's") wristwatch manufactured at the First Moscow Watch Factory on his first historic space flight.
• 1962, The Breitling Navitimer Cosmonaute, with a 24-hour dial, was worn into space by U.S. astronaut Scott Carpenter.
• 1962, A TAG Heuer watch with a stopwatch feature went into space on the wrist of John Glenn during the first manned U.S. orbital space flight.
• 1969, Seiko started production of the Seikl 35 SQ Astron, the first electronic quartz watch.
• 1972, The Pulsar, the first digital watch, was introduced by the Hamilton Watch Company, with a red LED display.
• 1972, Several manufacturers replaced LED displays with 4-digit LCD displays, requiring much less power and allowing continuous time display.
• 1973, Seiko introduced a 6-digit LCD display in its Seiko 06LC.
• 1975, Texas Instruments started mass-producing LED watches in a plastic case, reducing the retail prices dramatically.
• 1982, Casio produced various digital watch novelties, including one with a small built-in TV screen, one with a thermometer, and another with a Japanese-English 1500-word translator.
• 1985, Casio produced the CFX-400 Scientific Calculator watch.
• 1991, Rolex introduced the Oyster Perpetual Date Yacht-Master chronometer.
• 1995, Timex released a watch that could download and store computer data to the watch.

The Robb Report, the magazine "for the luxury lifestyle", in addition to its regular monthly issues, also publishes a few special issues a year.

Some recent issues of note have been "The Robb Report Collection -- Sports, Luuxury and Classic Cars" and "The Bespoke Issue -- Custom-Made Autos, Clothing & Motorcycles".

But the real prompt to my writing this short note is that last fall (circa 2007 October), The Robb Report came out with Issue No. 1 of the "Watch Collector".

I hope that they follow on with Issue No. 2 later this year (2008).  The "Watch Collector" is a sumptuous feast of informative articles and extra large, detailed, exquisite photographic layouts offering breathtaking views of both the cases and faces, and the mechanisms.

Even the manufacturers' advertisements are superb.  (A far cry from their usually poorly done websites with their trendy but useless flash animations, miniscule and fuzzy graphics, and hopeless navigation.)

I cannot recommend The Robb Report "Watch Collector" highly enough.  It would be most worthwhile for you to pick up a current copy of their regular issue, and then contact them to see if you can get a back copy of their Issue No. 1.

Regards,
the Wristwatch Aficionado

A. Lange & Sohne (A. Lange & Söhne) Accutron Adidas Aero (AéroWatch) Aire (Chris Aire) Alain Silberstein Alessi Watches Alfex Alpina (Alpina Geneve) Angular Momentum Anne Klein Anonimo Firenze Aquanautic Armani (Georgio Armani) Atlantic Audemars Piguet Auguste Reymond Avocet Baby G Ball Baume et Mercier (Baume & Mercier) Bedat (Bedat & Co.) Bell & Ross Bertolucci Blancpain Blu Bonneville Bovet Boucheron Breguet (Montres Breguet SA) Breitling Breitling for Bentley Brighton Bulgari (Bvlgari) Bulova Bunz Collection Burberry Candino Carl F. Bucherer Cartier Casio Chanel Charles Hubert Paris Chase Durer (Chase-Durer) Chaumet Century Chopard (Louis-Ulysse Chopard) Christopher Ward Chronoswiss Citizen Concord Corum Cross Cuervo y Sobrinos Wristwatches D.Atlantis David Yurman Debaufre de Grisogono Delance Delma DeWitt (Montres DeWitt) Dior Dolce & Gabbana Time (D & G Dolce & Gabbana) Diesel Dubey & Schaldenbrand Dunhill (A. Dunhill Ltd. London) Ebel Ebel 1911 BTR Collection Ellesse Italia Wristwatches Eloga Swiss Emile Péquignet (EP Pequignet) ESQ ETA Wristwatch Movements Eterna Fendi Festina Formex Fossil Fortis F.P. Journe Franck Muller Frederique Constant (Frédérique Constant) Geneva GQI Quartz Georg Jensen Gérald Genta (M. Gérald Charles Genta) Gevril Giantto Girard-Perregaux Givenchy Glashutte Original (Glashütte Original) Glycine Gucci Guess Hamilton Harry Winston Hermes Hublot Geneve Hugo Boss Ikepod Immersion Ingersoll Invicta Italo Fontana IWC Schaffhausen Jacob & Co. Jaeger-LeCoultre Jaquet Droz Jay Paz & Co. Jean Dunand Jean Marcel Jeep Kenneth Cole Kiber Krieger (Kriëger) Lancaster Lange & Sohne (A. Lange & Söhne) Limes Links of London Longines Lorus Watches Louis Vuitton Lucien Picard Luminox Martin Braun Martin Braun USA Maurice Lacroix Michel Jordi Michele Microsoft Mido Milus Momo Design Mondaine Montblanc Movado Nautica NBY (N.B. Yäeger) Nike Nobel Watch Co. Nomos (Nomos Glashütte, Nomos Glashuette) North Eagles Oakley Oceanus Atomic Solar Chronograph Officina del Tempo Omega Oris Panerai (Officine Panerai) Parmigiani Fleurier Patek Philippe Pedre Collection Perrelet Philip Stein Teslar Piaget Pierre Balmain Pierre Cardin Pierre Kunz Piquot Meridien Platinum Motorsport Poljot Pride Pulsar Puma Rado Rainer Brand Raymond Weil - Geneve Revue Thommen RGM Richard Mille Rip Curl Ritmo Mundo (Ritmo Mvndo) Roger Dubuis Rolex Rotary St. Honore (Saint Honore) Seiko Sinn Spezialuhren Skagen SolSuno Sothis Stauer Steinhausen Storm Stuhrling Suunto Swatch Swatch - The Group Brands Swiss Army (Victorinox) Sync-Time (Atomic Time / Atomic Clock) TAG Heuer Technomarine Geneve Temption Timberland Timex Tirot New York Tissot Titan Titoni Tommy Bahama Tourneau Tudor Tutima Ulanix Ulysse Nardin (Ulysse-Nardin) Universal Geneve (Universal Genève) Vacheron Constantin Van Cleef & Arpels Vanceur Vendôme Luxury Group Ventura Versace Vestal Victorinox Swiss Army Watches Vincent Calabrese Wempe Chronometerwerke Glashütte I/SA Wenger Wittnauer Xemex Yema Zenith Zitura Zodiac

A. Lange & Sohne

Bell & Ross

Breguet

Breitling

Bulgari

Carl F. Bucherer

Cartier

Chopard

Christopher Ward

Ebel

Giantto

Glashutte

continued below...

IWC Schaffhausen

Jay Paz & Co.

Montblanc

Roger Dubuis

Rolex

Stauer

TAG Heuer

Ulysse Nardin

Vacheron Constantin

Zenith

What to get for birthday gifts? Hmmm...
How about considering fine watches?

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