The Struggle of being a teen watch collector

Now this is going to be a little bit different of a post then all of my other posts, and I might take it down later but I'm going to be talking about a serious first world problem. My parents wont let me buy another watch.

Yes, I know, I'm spoiled. That is not however why I'm so angry that I will turn to the internet to dispel my anger. Now this goes for a lot of teenager things, but my parents think that watch collecting is stupid to say the least. Why do you need so many watches? Why are you settling for a watch that you dont really want? Why don't you save up for that one watch?

The problem I have is a lack of respect and acknowledgment for any sort of hobby. My parent's can not conceive me spending money on an Omega Speedmaster First Omega in Space, but would not blink an eye if I spent that money on literally anything else in my life. That is what ticks me off the most. The lack of interest in real passions.

People might not realize or believe in what you are doing, or that the goals that you have set for yourself are good. However that just makes the actual product so much better. When you have heard all your life that the true passions that you felt like you had to hide from your family; when you get that collection of watches that you want, you will feel so much gratitude because there was a struggle behind getting there. When I get my hands on my First Omega in Space, a watch that I have wanted since its inception, it will have this taste of victory that will be so so sweet.

Value in Vintage Timex

Timex is a brand that is now synonymous with your child'd first watch. Timex is however with a huge amount of provenance and history, and the vintage market has seemed to neglect alot of Timex pieces.

Movement 

The brand is now very well known for their cheap quartz watches, but at one time Timex was producing sturdy automatic and self-winding movements. Now these movements were nothing elegant, but they were functional, and meant to last. When the quartz crisis hit, the brand immediately took in quartz, but it seems that now they are realizing that the market is calling for mechanical movements. 

Aesthetics

Now these watches have this special sort of since to them since production of these mechanical versions was literally halted as soon as the quartz crisis hit. It's like the watch is a real time machine, with 60s and 70s quarks that make it seem like it was your grandfathers watch.  Personally if your looking for that really vintage look, and the name is not your biggest concern, Timex might be one of your better options in a niche sort of way.
   

Value 

These watches are not rare by any means, but a good example is fairly hard to come by. Now we aren't talking anything near vintage day date money, which makes the value so astonishing. You can get a fair quality working vintage Timex for around $100. You've got the history. You've got the movement. And you've for sure got the price.

 

Why I feel Cartier Is Overrated

Cartier gets a lot of praise by a ton of watch geeks everywhere. One of my favorite watch geeks, Christian from Theo and Harris adores the Tank. I however have never been the biggest fan. It's not because of the small size, or any of the pompousness that comes along with a Cartier, its the superficialness that I find so lackluster.

Hypocrisy 

Now undeniably the Tank has had a profound effect on the watch world, and for that alone it has earned its respect, however to the degree that it has done so is debatable. The Watch community, myself included, is so quick to hate on brands like Daniel Wellington, and MVMT. Why? 

The brands, and the watches that they produce, are always so superficial. These brands focus purely on design, and put no effort in to movement, or some of the other aspects that can make a watch so desirable. However in many aspects Cartier is the same way. Agreed that Cartier Tanks are much MUCH better then a Daniel Wellington, but that superficialness is still there. Cartier has focused purely on the design, and has simply put "acceptable" movements in their watches. The hypocrisy here I find astonishing. 

Enthusiasm 

Cartier seems to not give a fuck about watches. They had a surplus of watches that they had nothing to do with... so you know what they did with them. THEY BURNED THEM. You can't tell me that a company cares about its watches when it is literally burning them. A company, such as Rolex, or Patek, would never burn any surplus of time pieces simply to save some market price. If these companies wanted to keep the market price that they already had, they would hold them, keep them in storage; burning a product is simply repulsive.

 

Justification 

Now in no way am I saying that Cartier Tanks are the equivalent of MVMT's; however these watches are completely overrated. The design of a Cartier is classic and elegant, but in no way does that justify it being put on a pedestal. Good watch yes, Dream watch no. 

 

Why A. Lange and Söhne is my Favorite Brand

A. Lange and Söhne was found by an Adolf Lange, who had a dedication to making superlative time pieces. Now something that stands out about Lange is that they are not based out of Switzerland. When we think of fine watch brands a lot of the time we think of Patek Philippe, Rolex, people with big names; most of which are based out of Switzerland. Lange was not going to be based out of Switzerland and instead decided to make his watches in Glashütte.

History

World War II made a huge mark on the brand. With the company in ruins, Walter Lange decided to bring back the company in full force. The company had outlived the war; it had survived, hurt yes, but it had a desire to become one of the finest watches in the World. 

 

Ethos 

The companies ethos has always been to provide the highest quality of finishing on all levels of its watches. One of the things that stood out to me the most was when Anthony de Haas, in an interview, said that all of Lange watches have the same level and care put into the movements finishing it is simply the complication that varies.

My Reasoning 

These watches are simply mesmerizing. Everything about the brand is fascinating and this trickles down to the individual watches themselves. Every time I see the back of a Datograph; I fall back in love with watches. A Lange and Söhne fuels the fire that is my love for watches in a way no other brand can. Maybe its the un paralleled perseverance that Walter Lange had. Maybe is the watches themselves, but this brand stands out to me, and has become my personal favorite. 

Why the Royal Oak is My Favorite watch of all time

The watch that got me into watches was the very common, Rolex submariner. The watch that made me fall in love with watch was the Royal Oak. As soon as I say the watch, I was for a lack of a better term, in love with every facet of the watch. First what caught my eye was the actual portal shape of the case. Then the integrated bracelet with its polished, and brushed parts just made the watch perfect in my mind.

History 

The Royal Oak was designed by a man named Gerald Genta, who himself hated the idea of time. Gerald Genta was an artist who hated the contraints of time, and wanted to design a watch that would almost act as a portal through time. Gerald Genta put this iconic, mesmerizing design together in 24 hours. Absolutely unbelievable.  During this time the watch community was going through a crisis, the quartz crisis. Now I'm sure most of us are familiar with the quartz crisis, where luxury watches were no longer appeasing because of the cheap price, and the inherent accuracy. Audemars Piguet made a critical move. Their flagship model would not be quartz, and it would not be cheap. It would be the most expensive, and at first glance least appealing watch ever made. A luxury steel watch. 

 

Appeal 

The watches appeal to me was at first because of the aesthetics. The watch is in no way shape or form classic, however it has some characteristics of the 80's. The contrast, and everything is just... well perfect. Then we look at the waves that the Royal Oak made in the market, which I would go as far to say, saved that luxury watch market as a whole. The Royal Oak not only has this amazing design that. I can't shut up about, but has huge relevancy in watch history.

 

Intro Watches for a teen *Holiday Edition*

Watches are seeming to become a more and more integral part of fashion as "vintage" comes back into the fashion scene. This is where we see a lot of value in the market today, in this vintage sector. Vintage watches are great and provide a lot of value, and in most cases are safe investments. However vintage watches are works of art, fine timepieces, that need to be handled with care since they are, inherently, no longer brand new. Instead you need a watch that is going to fit an aesthetic niche, and at the same time provide a long term sentiment. Some of the greatest, and specialist watches in the entire world are those that have a custom message on the watch. Paul Newman's Paul Newman, had an inscription on it that made it that much more special.

Undone Watches 

Now Undone watches has never payed me, and probably never will, but these watches really seem to be the greatest first watch. First of all the watch blends quartz and Mechanical with a hybrid movement. This offers the practicality of having that Quartz reliability and usability, but the appeal and romance of a mechanical watch. Now lets look at the history.  Michael Young, is known in the watch community as, the bracelet magician. Michael Young is a real hardcore watch guy, not some business entrepreneur trying to get his piece of a niche market. Michael Young is a real watch geek, who really loves his craft and you can see this in the quality of the pieces that he is producing.

Make It Your Own 

At the end of the day whatever watch that person receives it will hold special value to them. One thing that really sticks with me, is when Christian Zeron @theoandharris said that it didn't matter what the watch was, he would wear it because it was grandpas. When this lucky person is looking back in 20-30 years its the sentiment that will matter not the watch. So make it your own, give it a nuance that will refer one back to the year, the time, the ambience. Make the watch aa reminder of times passed.

MVMT and Daniel Wellington

People in the watch community are very quick to judge people for their watch choice, especially when it comes to MVMT and DW. When we really look at the people that these brands serve, and the impact that they are having on the market we can see that these brands will simply die out.

Audience 

For many these brands serve as an entry way into the watch life. People get into watches, for the most part, through fashion. Through sties like GQ and Mr. Porter, and the like; it has become the norm for men to care about what they put on their body. The first introduction to watches is simply an aesthetic one, with no basis behind it. Unlike the Ben Clymers, or the Wei Kohs, these men are looking at watches as an accessory, without the appreciation for the, ironically, movements, or the provenance. It is simply the look. Companies like MVMT, and DW, offer the hook, that is going to get you to wear a watch, but where they fail is in the retention of a customer base. People don't collect MVMT or DW. These are watches that get you into the door, where you can then come to appreciate the unexplainable magic of time pieces.

Long Term

For that reason MVMT fails, it fails to retain a customer base. Let's take other brands for example; Rolex being an obvious choice. Rolex keep's its customer base, because the majority of people who are buying Rolex's know how fine the time pieces are that they are creating. Jean Claude Biver summed it up well in an interview with Hodinkee's Ben Clymer. Biver states that Hublot, Biver's brand, would never have the same collector populous as Patek, or Audemars Piguet, but Hublot would have collectors. MVMT or DW fails to have real collectors who are passionate about watches and the brand, and eventually the brand will die out for that reason. When you have a quick fix, but no long term fulfillment your brand will fail.

Change?

MVMT seems to be realizing this, with the recent release of their automatic watch, but they have still missed the point entirely. Its not about having a mechanical movement, you can buy a 15 dollar Chinese mechanical watch, which would fulfill ones need for having a cheap mechanical watch, but with MVMT's astronomical price on an otherwise lack luster automatic watch, failure seems to be inevitable.