Entries by GaryG

Watch Collecting Regrets? I’ve Had A Few, But Not Too Few To Mention: They Include Selling Too Soon And Failing To Buy – Reprise

August 18, 2019 /1 Comment/in , /by

You can like everything, but you can’t buy – or keep – everything! Inevitably, the choices involved lead at times to regrets; for GaryG, along with many of his pals, the sadness is much more often about pieces they sold too soon or failed to buy rather than pieces they were sorry about buying in the first place (although surely everyone has a few “what was I thinking?” buying moments).

Why I Bought It: Hajime Asaoka Tsunami – Reprise

August 14, 2019 /4 Comments/in , , , /by

This is the story of a daily-wear watch: the Tsunami by Japanese independent watchmaker Hajime Asaoka. It’s not a “beater” as it’s too beautifully made for that description, and some folks justifiably take offense at characterizing a five-figure expenditure in those terms. But it is a watch that GaryG suspects that he will be wearing a lot and in a variety of settings.

Discovering The Secret Of Life With David Walter: Watches, Clocks, And DeeDee’s Tourbillon

July 29, 2019 /3 Comments/in , , , /by

GaryG has long wanted to meet and learn from independent horologist David Walter. He recently had the opportunity to spend some time with him in his California workshop, soaking in a tiny fraction of his deep knowledge of clockmaking and encountering DeeDee’s Tourbillon, an ultra-interesting unique piece clock.

Behind The Lens: The F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain – Reprise

June 29, 2019 /3 Comments/in , , , , /by

As part of his “enthusiast collector” role at Quill & Pad, GaryG takes a look at watches that strike his fancy, sharing the visual results with our readers along with a few observations on photography, the watches themselves, and the collectors who own them. In this installment of Behind The Lens, GaryG takes on the formidable F.P. Journe Tourbillon Souverain.

Code 11.59 By Audemars Piguet: How To Fail At Marketing, AKA To Break The Rules You Must First Master Them

June 15, 2019 /42 Comments/in , , /by

The initial online response to the new Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 collection launched to great fanfare at the 2019 SIHH in January was extremely negative, and even among those who withheld judgment until handling the watches, “lukewarm” seemed to be the general view. Having let the dust settle a bit, GaryG takes a look at the anatomy of what he thinks was a dismal product launch (though not necessarily a dismal product).

Keep Calm And Continue Collecting: Advice For An Up-And-Down Watch Market – Reprise

June 2, 2019 /4 Comments/in , , /by

When GaryG first considered an article on this topic some time ago, the title was going to be “How High is Up?” in reference to what, at the time, was the ongoing escalation in the prices of both new and used watches and the flood of higher-end, highly complicated timepieces from makers both large and small. Times have changed, and so has the market. Here is GaryG’s advice.