A must have for the classic P-phile (and watch interested)

[GeorgeK]

Joe
They are an R4 and an M6 with a 50/2 and a tri-Elmar for the M and a 50/2, a 90/2, a 80-200 and a 35-70 for the R. Oh yes, a smal Rollei for the mountain adventures... The M is so much more "ambience" like where the R is very nice for more "to he subject" pics. I love both.

[89911]

Originally posted by Cornpanzer
Whats that old addage about people in glass houses?

Using your logic, your Porsche and BMW are pieces of jewelry as well. Everything else is bling, whether you will admit or not. A Hyundai would suffice for your car and an old Ford truck would be a adequate tow vehicle. Your obviously trying to show off your investment. Fine art would be considered ridiculous because you can tear a picture out of a magazine and thumb-tack it to the wall if you need decoration....anything more is just bling. Why eat a delicous top quality dinner when a gas station hot-dog will provide you with sustenance.....anything more is a waste..... Why drink Chimay or Modelo when Bud light does the job? I bet you have a nice home? Psssh, what a waste. A cheap nylon tent will keep you dry. Or if you want to go crazy rent a one bedroom apartment.

My watch is a Fossil. Its attractive and tells time quite well....cost me $50. However, I do lust for a vintage Heuer. Not so that I can show off to others, because lets face it only a tiny tiny percentage of people would ever be able to differentiate between my Fossil and a vintage 60's Heuer Carrera. I want one because they are a throwback to mechanical engineering in a time that I would have loved to have been around to see.

I think most of these people who have been gushing about thier vintage timepieces are doing so not out of pretentiousness, but out of enthusiasim and a true respect and love for the mechanical artistry involved in a Heuer, Rolex, Omega, etc etc Trust me, more people think you are pretentious for driving a Porsche than do so because you wear a nice watch......but we dont drive Porsche's because they are status symbols.

You are making a huge stretch. Does a "high performance" watch give you some kind a thrill when you read its time compared to a cheap one? If a Hyundai gave the same kind of ride my Porsche did, I'd buy one. If anything, the Porsche image thing is the least of my concerns. I've given up taking it to work and out at evenings years ago because I don't need or want the attention. Some people do, hence the fancy watches. I guess I've always been a non jewelry kind of guy. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate them though

[Cornpanzer]

Originally posted by 89911
If anything, the Porsche image thing is the least of my concerns. I've given up taking it to work and out at evenings years ago because I don't need or want the attention.

Dont take this too seriously, but its a clear double standard.

You appreciate your Porsche for how it performs and how it makes you feel. Others look at it and see only a status symbol, woefully unaware of how much more than that it is to an enthusiast like yourself. The close-mindedness of people like that makes you self concious to the point that you choose not to drive your car as much as maybe you would otherwise (which is a crying shame)

In the case of watches, you seem to take on the role of the close-minded people who would criticize your Porsche. You dont understand or appreciate the appeal (nothing wrong with that) of a high quality automatic watch, so instead of acknowledging that there may be legitimate reasons for true enthusiasts , you stereotype it as being a "status thing". Sure there are some people who buy watches to show off (just as there are people who buy Porsches to show off) , but like I said before, how many people do you think can differentiate between a Fossil and a Heuer Carrera or Rolex Explorer. Pretty stupid status symbol if only 1 out of 500 people will notice.

In my case, the Leica camera thing makes no sense to me. Why spend all that money for an antiquated camera. Personally I own a new D70 Nikon 35 mm Digital. Sure is more practical.... I realize though that there is probably an appeal for true camera enthusiasts and Im not going to accuse them of buying a Leica for the "Bling"!

[TomTurtle]

Totally agree with Cornpanzer! Its a case of "different strokes for different folks" - no reason for someone to be judgemental regarding someone else's tastes and interests.

[Joeaksa]

Cornpanzer,

Bling on a Leica! Jeez these things are for the most part WW2 tech until you get to the M6 with the "through the lens" metering. Guess some people might buy them to show off with them but most people have no idea what a Leica is... only the other owners and thief's!

Agree with you on most of the other comments and I drive a very nice foreign car because there is nothing made in America that gives me the same feeling. Showing off? Could care less and most of the time when people ask what I drive I tell them about the Honda Wagon...

Heuer timepieces you say?? I am kinda looking for a pre-Tag unit myself but just picked up the below unit from a gent in Austria for the dash on my 911 when it gets futher along.



George, very nice looking and totally agree with you re R vs M series of cameras. R feels nice and works fine but the M is a instrument and does such nice work if you know how to caress it!

JoeA

[alf]

Old Heuers are nice, poke around the sales corner at TimeZone.com they come up from time to time there. Usually about $1200 or so for a good one. Be aware that there was a Tag Re-edition Carrera that does not have the TAG logo on it.

I do not want to see those Leicas in person, i really do not need another hobby

alf

[Joeaksa]

Alfred,

The largest market for "M" series Leica's is in the Far East. Along with the hobby you already have it would fit very well!

Same for me, keep those sharp things out of my view. Looked at your website recently and found that it would be easy to spend a lot of money and very fast!

JoeA

[alf]

Joe, That is a deal, i do not show you old Japanese swords and you do not show me Leicas I came really close to walking into a vintage camera shop in Seoul last time i was there.

Aside for having a deep passion for it, i actually have a simple rule for my hobbies. Buy assets, not expenses. I broke that rule for one hobby, guess which one, it starts with a P

alf

[89911]

Changing modes Since we are on the subject of camera's, my father use to take our portraits with this growing up. He has since given it to my brother who still uses it for some situations.

[Joeaksa]

Alf,

Agree and there is one problem... the swords and cameras are very nice but still do not put a smile on my face anything like the 911. Its a very real asset to me in that it keeps me happy!

Joe

[epbrown]

I've been wanting an old Rolex Explorer or Submariner in stainless steel as a daily watch for a while, and you guys have motivated me to move forward on this. What would be a good primer on these models and their features, thinking 60s-70s vintage? Any web sites or books you could recommend?

Emanuel

[}{arlequin]

Originally posted by epbrown
I've been wanting an old Rolex Explorer or Submariner.........What would be a good primer on these models and their features, thinking 60s-70s vintage? Any web sites or books you could recommend?

Emanuel

You can start your reading in here:
http://www.redwatches.com/page2.html

http://bjsonline.com/watches/articles/0012_1.shtml

http://www.tcjj.com/seadweller.html

http://samuelerinaldi.interfree.it/default.htm

http://www.oysterworld.de/unten.htm

[epbrown]

Thanks, Dave. The more I read, the more I'm liking the Submariner and Sea Dweller models - the Explorer doesn't appear to be waterproof! A buddy wants to buy and re-face my "new" old Air King (a gift from Domino's Pizza in the late 1980s that I've never worn), so I can move to something more usable/presentable without too much expense.

Emanuel

[alf]

Emanuel
Do not redial your Dominos watch, it is worth more on the secondary market with the unique dial.

As for old Sports Rolex, you might want to look at a GMT as well, they are underpriced compared to Subs and SDs. The Red Subs and SDs command a premium and appreciate very fast due to rarity. The regular ones are starting to catch up and i think still a good buy.

The Explorer is water resistent as are all Oysters. Check out TimeZone.com, it is sort of like a Pelican for watch nuts.

alf

[epbrown]

My friend is buying the watch (picking up tomorrow, in fact) and while I know he plans to keep the original dial with the paperwork (apparently you can sometimes trade them in), re-dialing it is his call. I've never worn it myself because of the pizza logo - here's one - but to each his own. Until this thread and the research it lead to, I'd never heard you could re-dial a Rolex; I've missed out on wearing it for years!

I've been browsing TimeZone today, and skimmed their Rolex pages and the Sales Corner, and picked up a book on watch collecting from Borders.

As for the GMT - the ones I like are out of my price range, and the ones in my price range are sort of gaudy (2-colored bezels or gold everywhere). I do like the Explorer line, though.

Emanuel

[Isabo]

If I remember correctly the regular oysters are waterproof to 50 metres and Explorers to 100 metres.
There is a secondary market trade in Rolexs redialed with this season's fashionable colour. My daughter is currently wearing a Rolex precision redialed in emerald green with matching strap. I think she is either two years behind the fashion or three in front of it Not only are Rolex dials traded but also buckles, certificates boxes etc. A Rolex collector friend of mine at a recent fair we visited put it like this: "Rolexs are like pigs, nothing is wasted". To appreciate the humour one needed to see the components being traded at what was supposed to be a collector's fair.

[Joeaksa]

I have had my faces refinished and while doing so the guy asked me if I wanted to make it look different. He opened a drawer and had just about any color or shade you wanted.

Have mostly GMT Masters, with a Daytona or two and one very nice President. After wearing one of them for many years its difficult to try anything else. After being cleaned and set again they look like new and keep their value more than anything else I know other than a few cameras.

JoeA

[}{arlequin]

Speaking of redialing, have any of you guys come across anyone offering the green bezel for a Sub? I searched ebay as well as timezone and no one seems to have them. Does that mean that Rolex never released any separate bezels other than w/ the green Sub?

[Isabo]

The green bezel was a "must" last year. That model was only available at a premium. Rolex was obviously interested in maintaining exclusivity so won't have released any green bezels. I am sure they are available but not necessarily original.
Don't do it.
If you must have the green bezel trade your watch for an original.
I think it would cost about the same and an original will keep it's value better.

[}{arlequin]

I don't think I could live w/ the green sub for a long time, the black and stainless is simply timeless. I'm not after it for novelty value. Not even to preted that I have "the latest and gratest", I just thought it would be fun for a while to have the watch match the car....