To the “right” person and for the “right” price anything can be customized – whiskey, cars, shampoo, and, of course, timepieces. This second article in Chris Malburg’s watch customization trilogy shines a light on the high-end of the watch customization spectrum, uncovering three uber-exclusive brands that work in the stratosphere of the customization price range revealing what it takes to get the job done.
GaryG encountered Konstantin Chaykin’s Joker, whose “face” is literally just that: two googly eyes show the hours and minutes with their respective pupils and a lolling red tongue displays the phase of the moon. He was transfixed, moments later placing his order. Find out why here.
In this edition of ‘Behind the Lens,’ GaryG pays tribute to the introduction of the A. Lange & Söhne Lange 1 25 years ago on October 24, 1994. He brings us stunning images of two very special variants of the classic watch: the rare Cellini limited edition, of which only 25 were made for the New York City retailer, and the even rarer stainless steel Lange 1, which was not a limited edition per se but is certainly a (very) limited sort-of production watch.
Can you imagine buying a watch bracelet and then searching for the right watch to pair with it? Seems a bit far fetched, but that’s exactly what a good friend of GaryG’s did a few years ago. And it led to him purchasing two beautiful 1815 Chronograph models from A. Lange & Söhne.
One evening, WMMT was sipping away at his ex-wife’s stock of 1945 Pétrus with his buddy Slippery Steve and contemplating a few of the essential questions in life, the kind that rarely find a real answer. Where do we come from? Is there life after death? Can you really wear brown shoes after 6:00 PM? Is his Audemars Piguet a fake? Following on that conversation, Slippery Steve and WMMT offer you six easy ways to recognize if your watch is fake. No prior knowledge needed and entertaining photography guaranteed!
Wouldn’t it be splendid to have everything your heart desired? Well, it’s a nice fantasy but it’s not going to happen for GaryG. And besides, he’s not so sure that the experience of “selling to buy” isn’t actually a significant part, albeit a bittersweet one, of the collecting experience. He shares what he has learned here.
In the theme of Jeff Foxworthy and his “you might be a redneck if” routine, John Keil pokes a little fun at our WIS brothers and sisters as well as ourselves. So without further ado, you know you’re a watch guy if . . .
November 2018 marked a personal horological high point for GaryG, as he both served on the jury of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and took delivery of an “unobtainable” watch, the Patek Philippe Reference 3940P-027. Gary shares his reasons for buying this rare watch with us here.
Limited editions used to be a rarity, but they started to become more popular in late 1980s and early 1990s, almost like a snowball rolling down a hill that gets bigger and bigger. Martin Green wonders if we can still take LEs seriously.
When collectors gather anywhere and talk about their collections, recent purchases, and executed or potential sales, there’s a term that comes up more often than not: “getting hurt.” Here I provide a master class in how not to get hurt in the world of watch collecting.