Yes. There is no getting around that fact. Glad to hear you also wondered about the expansion of categories.

You are not alone in your thinking. Time will tell in this case. (sorry, no pun intended)

Thanks for commenting, Michael. Yes, venture capitalism is always motivation. Agree that Hodinkee radically changed. Their plan since late 2020 didn’t work for them. I don’t think you can build an empire based on pure passion and honesty about watches, and then start selling watches on the platform — it goes from altruistic to ulterior motives. Smart readers recognized that. Conversely, though, selling watches was reaping an amazing profit for the company. But watch sales, especially of pre-owned, have waned — translating to waning profits and flailing management. Will Hodinkee still sell watches? I believe it will continue with some limited editions and partnerships, as it has in the past. But with WoS owning them, and owning Analog Shift — there are some better boundaries, I think.

Capital is concentrated in large manufacturers, distributors and successful retailers. The watch revolution has been filled recently with venture capitalists trying to turn a trick. They sold and the money people bought.

At the same time, Hodinkee radically changed. For undisclosed reasons most of their editorial staff has turned over (I suspect again money). They needed to do something, and big corporate chain came to the rescue.

I agree that these are not the types of dive watches we are used to seeing. They are more fashion than function, but they are definitively Gucci style.

Very true, but every little bit every brand or person does, is a help.

I don’t know if 10 years of collecting one watch per year qualifies as a backdoor flipper, but he could be seen as dropping his or her stock. Doubt we will ever know.

I am not sure the owner of these watches, who collected one per year over the course of 10 years, can be considered greedy. Perhaps he or she never really even intended to put them up for auction. Ten years is a long time to wait to be “rewarded” but thank you for your opinion.

You can definitely size the bracelet according to your needs. In the article, I wrote “I think, personally, that they should offer two bracelet sizes. Yes, I know, I can have the bracelet sized down, but why waste the extra material? Just saying ….”
Meaning that maybe brands offer a small bracelet or a large bracelet choice so there isn’t so much waste when sizing it. For me, I most likely would have to take out about six links. It is unrealistic, though, for brands to do this.

I also have great admiration for him. He understands he was in their territory. We all have to understand that. Thank you for your comment.

Great synopsis of some beautiful and amazing timepieces!

I really struggle to grasp what is so „sensational“ in the LHD version of a watch… and why changing the date-wheel and dial orientation makes for such a pretend revolution… (no, the movement has not been reworked, regardless of the PR text claims)

Oh well. Cheers everyone.

TAG Heuer goes both ways — smart/connected and traditional.

Actually the bad and ugly were mentioned, with both revolving around the looseness of the panel discussions. It’s hard to have ugly in a beautiful climate. Agree about scale and accessibility. Currently the show is not a global one despite there being many people from around the world in attendance.

There are many suppliers of movements (quartz and mechanical) around the world, depending on where you want to source from. A lot depends on the quantity you want to buy and how much you want to pay.

I think it is a “love” or “hate” type of piece.

It isn’t the small bejeweled watches that shouldn’t be labeled. We all know those are predominantly women’s watches. We are talking about the 34mm, 36mm sized watches that are truly gender neutral. But thanks for your comment.

The 330 caliber is based on the ETA 2836 movement with added changes by Tutima, including its oscillating weight adorned with the brand’s golden seal. It features central hours, minutes and seconds, day and date and beats at 28,000 vibrations. It boasts 38 hours of power reserve.

Okay, my bad, then. I stand corrected.

It is a unique one-of-a-kind piece that replicates the original as much as possible, including right down to the strap lugs. The important thing here is that the brand recreated the original movement using many of the original parts from its archives and what other parts it needed to make, it did so from hand — without the use of today’s tools and technology — for a true vintage-inspired timepiece. It is not for sale so there is no price assigned to it.

I believe it was Anton Chekhov who said “There is nothing new in art except talent.”

Thanks for sharing that information, when i get it fact-checked, ill make a change.

Thanks for the comment, i’ve clarified to explain the VVS and VS for those who might not know.

I think you need to look at the commercial arguement, the potential downsides, the method of integration, the larger picture of Richemont and LVMH and their respective 2nd hand strategies.

I didn’t have the same experience as you did at all. There were no sharp edges on the lugs. I can’t vouch for their customer service as I haven’t had any interaction with them. The fact that it is an American-made watch and that it uses the Ameriquartz movement made in Arizona gives it a very nice touch. While Timex makes a great watch for your $80, they are no longer made in America. The Waldan watch won’t break your wallet at $299. And I thought it wore nicely — plus it has a 5-year warranty. Any way, sorry you had a bad experience.

Hi Mike,
Completely understand where you’re coming from. Often when we think of 3D printing we imagine affordable home plastic printers and low cost solutions to injection molding. This watch was started as a research project to showcase the current state of the art in titanium and steel 3D printing. Watchmaking serves as the perfect platform to push the limits of what’s possible as it is one of the ultimate tests of precision and tolerances. The machines used to print metal at this level of precision are in the millions of dollars and still not accessible to most people since they are largely reserved for research purposes. that being said I am hopeful that the technology will have a significant impact on the watchmaking industry as the cost continues to go down and the precision and selection of materials continues to increase. Just 20 years ago a plastic printer with 0.1mm accuracy would run you upwards of 100K and now you can get a similar quality machine on amazon for under 1k. I am excited to see the same trend for metal 3D printing as it would open up a lot of new doors we never though possible. I think we are only a few years away from being able to monolithically print entire grand sonneries or triple axis tourbillons, and although it may be inaccessible to most at first I am confident that the average watch enthusiast will be able to enjoy these grail type pieces in the not so distant future.

3D printing technology is in its infancy and Project 1 is still nearly 95% machined using traditional methods. Everything from the straps and cases down to the crystals and gaskets are made here in the US, with exception to the 11 3D printed steel parts made in Germany, and a precision Swiss engine to power the in-house time displays. Each watch takes approximately 4 months for me and 2 other CW21 certified watchmakers to machine, assemble, test, lume and hand finish.

According to Barrelhand, the watch would be 10 times more expensive if he hadn’t done all of the prototypes and final pieces using 3D printing, thanks to the years of R&D that went into its making and the movement improvements, systems. Just what he explained to me.

thank you for that added bit of information.

The other photo, now taken down, was of another Paul Newman Rolex Daytona with champagne dial, that also sold at the same auction. The caption was correct, but thanks for pointing out that I was writing about the “Big Red” and used a different image.

hope you love the watch, thanks for the comment.

good point, thanks

When I first saw Yema’s watches, I ignored them. They looked like cheap fashion watches (back in 2008 – 2010) but now they are making a hige comeback with in house movement and iconic re-issues.

I think they are capturing a hearts of enthusiasts and I can see Yema becomming more popular.

Where else are you going to find such quality with in house movements?

He will be missed. He lit up a lot of people’s lives.

An incredible positive ,energetic kind,man to me and my Mom.
I am deeply deeply saddened.
I had his phone number in my pocket the past year to call and catch up.
Shame on me.
My heart goes to his lovely wife and children.
I owe him alot.
Steve De Cristofaro from Tarrytown NY

yes he was.

Bob will be missed by many.

Thanks for pointing out that error — Hardlex — spellcheck changed it to hardly… at any rate when we are talking affordable watches, mineral crystal has its attributes. Most important is pricing.

excellent question …. in order to wear the reverse side of the watch, you literally just turn the watch over (vertically — from top to bottom instead of sideways) and reattach the interchangeable straps.

Good point .. there is very little to be found .. ill do some more research and add a little info.

thank you

In this manner, everything been the crystal and case back (generally also crystal) is restored original.

I think it’s supposed to read…In this manner, everything between the crystal and case back (generally also crystal) is restored original.

hi i would suggest you take the watch to an authorized TAG Heuer retailer to have the battery changed so that no damage occurs to the watch.

LOL …

Actually, the win photo has been added to the post. In journalism, we need to wait for permission to use professional images — we can’t just pilfer them from another site without legal consequences. As such, we sometimes need to wait for the image to be available. Larger sites with a lot of cash can subscribe to Getty Images and other services for faster availability of photos. As a growing site, I don’t have that luxury. Thank you for your comment.

I see you used my reference info, please credit http://www.ATimelyPerspective.com in the future.

thanks for commenting Steve, and for reading.I admit that today, a good number of the luxury brands can achieve 122 years accuracy on the moonphase- but still, not all implement it.

Thanks … the poem or the writer — or both?

Thanks Paul, Hope all is well

I would guess tradition mainly – the case is patterned after an old Accutron design that had the crown in this position. Also some people feel that the a 4 o’clock positioned crown makes the watch more comfortable.

This is a glowing tribute to a genius of our time.
Thank you,

This is a glowing tribute to a genius of our time.
Thank you,

Wasn’t Pierce Brosnan brand ambassador for Omega when he was doing James Bond?

you are so right … thank you Sabine for sharing…

Thank you Charlie, and i agree…

Coming to retail jewelers this fall.

me too — love the history!!

Thank you Paul for acknowledging the review and I think you made a great choice! You know Stephen Silver Jewelers sells Uylsse Nardin … just FYI.

a steel three hand Patek Philippe with an entirely hand finished movement

For a steel, 3 hand watch?
(Although I note it is “self-winding” – worth something, I suppose)

Thank you for your comment and email. This is a strong topic of conversation and I am all for purchasing certified, pre-owned watches from the right sources. By buying pre-owned, you can often find a good price on a good watch that you may otherwise not have the means to purchase. However, do your homework before buying a pre-owned watch. If you are buying for investment purposes, keep in mind that just because it is a good brand – it does not ensure that it will go up in value. Many aspects come into play, including genre, rarity, original components (including movement parts, hands, dials, etc). These are the things you need to investigate. If you are buying a pre-owned watch just for its looks- go for it. But based on what you are saying herein, you want more than just good looks. There are many reputable places to buy a certified pre-owned watch where they will have inspected it for originality and where they can advise you along the purchasing path.

I am a new email subscriber to A Timely Perspective. I first found about it just last month when I was in NYC on vacation. I love the daily emails I get and I am slowly working my way through the tons of articles written by Roberta Naas — all of which are fascinating and very well written.

This is not really a reply or comment, but I have a somewhat general question for Ms. Naas. I am slowly building on my watch collection — it’s been a passion of mine for many years, but only in the past couple of years have I really started acquiring “good” timepieces and have done lots of research into the vast selection of new and notable timepieces.

My question is: What are your thoughts on buying “certified pre-owned” watches from places like Tourneau, Hodinkee, etc.? I know that watches, like cars, drop significantly in value once a watch moves from the store display case window to the wrist. I have seen many tempting pieces well priced offerings in the “certified pre-owned” distribution network but am a little leary. I know that Tourneau offers servicing and a warranty etc. on all their watches, so that gives me some comfort, but I am still not sure if the pre-owned watch is the way to go for someone like me — a new (but pasionate) watch collector. I love buying new watches and always buy them directly from the brand boutiques because I get a sense of security buying a watch directly out of the box in a boutique branded store. My newest addition is the Bvlgari Octo Finissimo which I bought last week and which has been my “watch of the day” since I bought it.

Do you have any thoughts/comments about the “certified pre-owned” market? Is it a good idea, a bad idea, or does it depend entirely on the brand or the seller or something else I have not even thought about? Any thoughts/comments you can share with me would be greatly appreciated.

I look forward to a response.

yes they did .. this is the regular plan annually

They will be in stores soon … and prices will follow soon — sorry i was just breaking the news of the line, but expect spring/summer info– we will write more as soon as we can!

I purchased the Abyssos for around $225.00 on World of Watches. This is a ridiculously low price for a Swiss-Made automatic dive watch. I couldn’t pass it up.

For the office and for dress I generally wear smaller sized, dressier watches that don’t attract attention, but its fun to strap this one on in my spare time.

Coming up with watches at a lower price point is a good move but going to Quartz just isn’t going to cut it. There isn’t an increased value here, you have lowered price but further lowered the value proposition here and now you’re playing with all the other cheap Quartz Movados out there. You can’t find a way to stick a SW200 in there for a grand? I was interested until I saw Quartz…to me it’s now very expensive because who wants to spend a thousand bucks for a Quartz watch?

Got to try harder folks!