10 surprising watch insights
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 24. 05. 2024
- 10 things that have bugged me about watches for a while. Titanium pricing, Patek Philippe accessibility and the misunderstandings about bioceramics.
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Cheers đđđ
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Titanium is more difficult to machine too. You have to use harder tools. This adds additional time and effort, justifying SOME of the price increase
I was going to say this. Manufacturing requirements add to cost but i think his point is still mostly valid. It isnât quite a luxury material in the strictest sense.
Worst thing is I don't even think it adds additional time and effort. I think it's literally what you said in the beginning: they need to use different (harder and probably slightly more expensive) drill bits for their CNC machines and they need to factor in the additional cost of titanium compared to steel.
It adds some additional time and effort on the front end, at least for initial development costs, so that the manufacturing tolerances and processes can be dialed in for the material. You canât just use the same processes as a stainless steel grade.
I consider the light weight a luxury.
â@@garysalovon8047 can l interest you in some luxury aluminium lol
âTry not to be a douche.â
*next frame cuts to John Mayer and Ed Sheeran* đ
I remember many years ago I was looking at a dating site and the one woman noted this: "You must be a John Mayer fan if you want to date me." So my tricky mind thought..."so if I'm loving on you, are you fantasizing that I'm John Mayer instead?" Shortly thereafter, I hopped on a jet and met a women who would become my wife of 18 years so far.
lol. That was so funny!
Fun talk. I had the pleasure of politely being invited to leave a Patek boutique in Zermatt once they realized I was a deadbeat, so that was fun as well.
How dare they treat people like that. Its just disgusting really. It takes almost no effort to not be rude.
I dress like a deadbeat to visit such places. It shortens the experience and stops me from wasting my time.
I am not alone in this behavior.
I already like you!
I will purposely wear deadbeat clothing for this very reason when shopping. If you make assumptions on my buying power based on my clothing, you lose the sale đ
I do shower though... đ
A girl friend asked me to go with her to buy another truck for her house. The last time they would not wait on her because she was a woman. So I had her dress as poorly as she could and we went. When it came time to pay, she pulled out a credit card. Oh we don't take credit cards. It's not. Its an international debit-credit card. Sale concluded. Outside I say I never heard of such a card. Her response. There isn't. I needed the points. I only travel first class between Los Angeles and Paris.
I went to a Patek Philippe store only once and after that I crossed Patek Philippe watches off my list. They had the audacity to show me an iPad with their website and asked me for which watch I wanted to go on the waiting list. I told them that I wanted to see a Calatrava in person, before I made my decision and they told me that they would not show me any watches up close and that I could go to the window displays instead. When I pointed out that there were watches behind the counter, they told me that those were reserved and they could not show them to me. Never again! There are so many high end watch brands that gladly show you all their watches in great detail, why would I choose a patek over them after having been treated like this?
So you crossed Patek off your list huh.
Me: Looks at videos you are commenting on to get an Idea of whats on your list:
San Martin, watches for $500 price range.
Now, there's nothing wrong with adorable watches, but.... Maybe they were more in touch than you think about your seriousness to buy.
@@EricBishard Don't judge a book by its cover...
â@EricBishard Lmao. This guy, trying to be edgy. He only commented on This Watch, That Watch's San Martin video because of the insight being provided.
Complete opposite experience at "The Hour Glass" Brisbane, Australia. Walked in, said I was not going to buy anything, and then spent about 40 mins handling/wearing anything I wanted. Aquanaut, Nautilus...whatever they had...
@@EricBishard I'm sure Patek checked his yt comment history and decided to not show him any watches based on that.đ
Absolutely my favorite watch channel. I thoroughly enjoy the combination of your enthusiasm for watches while simultaneously pulling back the curtain obfuscating business practices.
Glad you like them đ
The chocolate comment at the end absolutely had me in stitches. Well done. As for titanium, my recent Titanium purchase was a Christopher Ward the Twelve in Titanium. My thought process went thusly: "I can afford the steel now, but if i just wait a bit I can get a thinner one with a better movement.". I guess my thoughts on Titanium have become "OK, if it comes that way." I also bought a GS Shunbun, the titanium was not the draw, it was the spring drive movement and a beautiful dial.
Even if I had Forrest Gump type money, I wouldn't by a Patek for the reasons that you mentioned. That snobery is a huge turn off.
You would buy a patek if you were rich because you would be able to join that"club" which is what you closet want
@@bdegrds Nope. Snobbishness will never be a turn on for me. Value for money is where its at!
Buy an Alang đ
Buy them under retail on the secondary market, lots of nice models available cheaper there. Not Nautilus but a lot of othersâŠ.
Snobbery is what you get with the Rolex peeps. That's for damned sure.
Let's talk about PVD coatings. I own a large pvd company producing in the UK and China. Putting just about any PVD colour on a watch costs the client around ÂŁ1.05 per watch. Our biggest machines can hold hundreds of watches st once. With the PVD process it costs me the same to colour one watch as it does to colour a machine loaded with 1000 watches. The margin the manufacturers add for PVD coatings is insane. Rose Gold pvd is just a coloured titanium plasma. No gold in it. No roses either...
Nitrides are good.
@@samkuong3121 they are. But still cheap
@@samkuong3121 They are great. still cheap
Interesting. Do you know how much a DLC coating and case hardening like Sinn's TEGIMENT costs?
@@a3l0e0x3 Ask Bodycote about Kolsterising . That's what TEGIMENT is.
Precisely the type of analysis that continues to bring me back to this channel. Exemplary in achieving an 'objective' position of trust. Thank you.
Interesting at 8:00 when Mike talks about Patek thumbing its nose at the public at Watches & Wonders when the public was invited mirrors my own experience at the Patek Boutique in Miami Florida. I later found out the Boutique is operated by the 1916 Corporation. I knocked on the front door and was greeted by a semi-friendly woman who asked if I had an appointment, which I did not. The store was completely empty of customers-- nobody was in the store. I kindly asked if I could view the watches, and she said "no, make an appointment and come back". She probably did not realize (or probably did not care), but she turned me off to the brand completely. Side note: I can't help but realize that many of the Patek pieces I may want to add to my collection are are falling below retail on the gray market, so I can avoid the Boutique "experience" completely.
i had a similar experience as you inside the Patek Boutique in Taipei 101.
Well. They can push them up where they fit. Arrogance won't help them. I would never make an appointment to view a watch. That's just BS
I've had better service at a Bugatti dealership / boutique than I have at a PAtek store. For me, there is a value to treating all people that walk into your store well đ
@@joelopic Precisely. Wouldn't even do it for a car unless i was very busy and didn't want to have to wait around the showroom. Not even a Porsche.
What makes titanium special is that, in the not too distant past, up until after the Cold War era, it was almost unheard of to find consumer goods made of titanium. Virtually all titanium produced at the time was reserved for the most important military and aerospace uses, in applications where maximal strength to weight was critical. In modern times, composites like carbon fiber far exceed titanium in terms of the potential strength-to-weight ratios. However, carbon is not friendly against the skin, while titanium is. Titanium is also a naturally-occurring material, with isotropic properties such that, unlike carbon, it does not require complex manufacturing processes and orientations to achieve the desired strength and stiffness properties. It may be that I am a product of my era, but titanium is to me like a semi-precious metal for these reasons.
I didn't know that about Patek at W&W. That's just bang out of order, that is.
I was in Watches & Wonders, I can confirm this about the Patek booth
Yeah. It sucked.... đ I was fuming...
Great points on Titanium. I absolutely love Titanium! It's my favorite watch material. I own 11Titanium watches at the moment and recently purchased a grade 5 Titanium watch that's in the mail as we speak. Yes, many, many years ago, Titanium was seen as a premium material. It increased the price of a watch significantly and in those days we are talking about grade 2 Titanium. Today, grade 5 Titanium is becoming the standard and can be had on many affordable/budget watches for under $500. If you love Titanium watches, there has never been a better time to own them.
I don't see titanium watches as being considered a premium, anymore. Plenty of low cost (
Exactly! Titanium is not a premium material but still adds a lot of value to a watch in my opinion.
TItanium is a great material, and like I say in the video - It has a lot of benefits. I'd just prefer that some of those swiss brands not overcharge for it đ
Yes, I agree. Luxury brands still act like Titanium, sapphire crystals, ceramic bezels, on the fly adjustable clasps, screws holding in bracelet links instead of pins, are only reserved for luxury watches. They're not! All this is now standard on sub $500 affordable/budget watches.
Clever conclusion with your remarks about Swiss chocolate. I must confess, I never really thought about that before but I'm eager to question my Swiss friends about this.
My French Bulldog is from Slovakia. Unbelievable.
lol. đ I thought it would be a quirky way of framing the whole principle of "swiss made" đ
Swiss quality?
Think Nestle.
I have one Titanium-cased watch made by Ocean Crawler (Shipwreck Hunter w/Sellita SW200-1). Personally, and when I wear it, I miss the weighty feel of steel. It doesn't mean I will rid myself of that watch since I do like it a lot.
Loved it, thank you Mike. Agree with pretty much every single word (except for Bremont, I get your point, but I still donât know what to think about the new lineup and new pricing). Chocolate comment- cherry on the top. Thanks, it made my day.
I have to ask about the new watch, the counter got a reset đ
You're very insightful, also, a slow thinker and wise. Very different from most watch channels. Just subscribed.
Welcome aboard đ
The subtle humour helps balance the rants. Great video.
Rants are not really my thing, so glad you felt I could balance it đ
Keep zagging while all the other CZcams channels zig. Great stuff mate thx and God Bless.
Extremely insightful! I never have seen the point in crawling on one's belly for a watch brand. Plenty of excellent watches around a thousand bucks. Not cheap, for many, but very worth it, if the watch speaks to you, and such buys give you ALL of what a 20 grand watch claims to give, without having to "qualify" or be accepted by a brand AD.
Desire is a weird mechanism đ
Got myself an awesome titanium Aragon dive watch⊠$125⊠luv it⊠!!! đđđ„
Not only where are the cacao trees in Switzerland, but where are the sugar cane fields?!
There are alot of sugar beets in Switzerland. I would guess, that covers at least the in country consumption of sugar, as the production is subsidized for some inexplicable reason.
I believe the value of Swiss chocolate comes from the processing of the cacao. Their chocolate do taste better than nearly all other countries chocolates.... so they are doing something different with the same ingredients.
There are no gold or iron mines in Switzerland either. You can go far with that thinking.
@@joescola7498 There is a company in Western Ukraine that makes wonderful chocolate and even better than the Swiss. Need to ask my Ukrainian mob boss wife and also take a trip to the local Eastern European deli for some.
That is a wonderful video.
Titanium used to be unobtainium in the USA because the military snapped it all up. Nowadays you can buy a 1 lb bar of pure titanium for $50. Titanium is way more durable than steel and a finish like gold plating applied to it by vacuum/electrostatic deposition will resist wear way better than on steel. It is harder to work than steel, although these days I think that difficulty has been solved. It is harder to polish than steel but holds its polish better. I have one watch in it that I have worn for 40 years and another for the last 3 years. They both still look the same as new. Cannot say that for gold or steel. Watch out for titanium watches that have steel bracelets.
Cartier used to make their own movements, but not so much anymore. I could see myself buying an antique Cartier, bnot so much a new one.
That Ed video bugged me too, and put me off P-P., as well as damaging my impression of Ed being genuine in his personal and public personas being the same.
I hate slimy marketing to the rich.
Again one of the best watch videos of you tube. Thank you!!
Thanks đđ
The Blancpain is amazing. And the 1315 movement is incredible. Have it in my BathyscapheâŠ.
Love your rants! Keep doing what you're doing!
Thanks. đđ
Great video, very interesting content! And shame on Patek for treating us mere mortals like that đ
A little anecdote about this that doesn't have anything to do with watches: Some time ago at an upscale car show, at the Maybach stand my friend asked an employee if we could see the trunk of the vehicle. I'm turning 40 this year, we were well dressed and polite, but I think it was obvious that we weren't exactly the brand's core clientele... My friend just wanted to have some fun because everyone around just wanted to take a quick photo of themselves inside the vehicle and he thought he'd ask a really clever question. Well, the trunk was locked and the key wasn't there, but we were taken dead seriously. They searched almost frantically for several minutes, it slowly became uncomfortable for me, and finally the "man with the key" had to be called. He arrived after 5 minutes and they proudly presented us with the trunk.
I don't think I'll ever be able to afford a Maybach, but I will never forget how cool the staff reacted and treated us back then. Patek, take a lesson!
Fabulous video as usual.
The fact you can get a 100m Titanium field watch for $50 from Lorus gives the lie to the "luxury material" marketing.
Also I don't see anything wrong with Sellita movements in expensive watches - they're excellent, especially the top grade ones, and bombproof. And let's face it, most of the price of any $5k+ watch is supporting the marketing budget, not movement development or manufacturing. Old Swiss rule of thumb is sales price = 20x costs of production.
Nice, I've often thought the exact same thing about Swiss movements. The watch parts are made off of a machine. That can be transported anywhere around the world. Last I checked.
Very enjoyable video, and very much on point, I think. The one statement that caught my attention is that you seemed to acknowledge and then dismiss the advantages of titanium. One of the best wearing watches I own is a Citizen titanium (watch and bracelet), which is so comfortable that I never notice it on my wrist until I check the time (I'm not into watch "presence" if that means heavy or bulky). I totally agree that the premium charged for titanium by some luxury watch manufacturers is probably unwarranted, which is evidenced in part by the fact that many lower end titanium watches can be had for quite reasonable prices when compared to their steel counterparts.
I've gotten a lot of comments about titanium in this video. For me there are two sides
1. Titanium IS a preferable material in many ways
2. Titanium is being charged by some brands at a price far high than any material and or productions costs justify.
Cheers đ
Spot on on all counts, and especially about titanium. I'm pretty sure I had a Ti watch back in the 1990s - it was a Citizen or Pulsar or something (can't remember) with a very basic quartz movement and it probably cost about ÂŁ50. If there was a luxury markup for the material it was probably about ÂŁ15... But I found myself thinking something similar recently about gold. The added value of the material in a gold watch on a leather strap over steel is not much more than ÂŁ1000 (if that), and yet the markup is many multiples of that. You can get very nice solid 18K gold vintage watches (e.g. from Longines) for not much more than the value of the gold itself...
That's a great point about the markup for gold. All of these "luxury" materials are marked up far more than the value of the material and cost to work with the material. It's not just titanium. People just seem more willing to accept it when it ceramic or gold.
Thanks. Very well argued analisys.
thank you too đ
Your critiques and delivery... superb!đ
Glad you think so đđ
Titanium has a higher cost not just because of the raw material itself, but also the difficulty in machining a watch case out of such a material. Of course the premium you're asked to pay is higher than can be justified objectively, but it's not THAT much higher that we need to make a big deal out of it.
And besides, GS often sells SS and Ti watches at the same price, so it varies by brand.
I'm biased, because I really see the benefit of and enjoy wearing titanium watches.
It is simple math. To mill titanium you need essentially a brand-new milling setup. New machines, new tools, new tooling, because the coolant for titanium is different (as well as the milling speeds). If a watch company has been doing titanium since the 80ies (Seiko), the knowhow is there for decades, because let's face it, yes, GS is fancy and amazing and such, but it is still Seiko. It started in '10 as an offshoot of Seiko, and borrowed all of its knowhow. Heck, the 'Snowflake' was titanium from the get-go, so GS' initial investment of having the two production lines set up (steel & titanium) has been recouped by now. That's why they can get away with having fairly similar prices for their titanium or steel varients.
Rolex, on the other hand, is just dipping its toes in titanium. Even Tudor just started using Titanium in 2012. For reference, the first production titanium dive watch goes to Seiko in 1975 with the 600m Pro Diver 6159-7010. That's 37 years' worth of experience with titanium that Tudor nor Rolex has, and that experience is paying off.
As I said in the video. Titanium has many benefits over steel. I don't dispute that overall. But when GS can sell watches in titanium for little to no difference with their steel models but Rolex feels the need to charge 17% more - That's when I know there's a profit markup going on đ
GS is great value for what you get. My titanium GS is very comfortable and super light and didn't cost much more than an equivalent steel watch.
My problem with titanium is that its much easier to scratch and once the deed is done, it's near impossible to polish it out. There was an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean in blue from back about 8 years ago that was all titanium, once I was handed the watch and realized how light it was, I realized it was titanium and immediately gave it back to the salesperson.
@@romanmichaelhamilton8729 I have a (grade5) titanium Ploprof, a big watch that tends to touch things around it. My experience has been that it is not any easier to scratch it than any of my SS watches. In fact, the lesser weight of Ti means impacts generate less force, so less chance of scratching.
SUBSCRIBED !!
Where else can one find such a brutal "shakedown" and naked review of the effing snobbery "Rolex and the Gang" be found.
Well done sir, well done indeed.
Thanks a ton for the sub đ
I enjoyed you content immensely; enjoyable, informative and you got my old grey matter working again. Thank you.
Great to hear đ
How To Make Screw Head Slots Line Up Perfectly Every Time
1) Start with very tall head screws
2) Screw them in to the correct torque value
3) Mark on the screw the direction the final slot must point
4) Remove screw making sure to note which hole it must return to
5) Machine screw head to correct height and cut new slot
6) Return modified screw to designated hole slot in perfect orientation
7) Repeat same process for remaining screws
This process can also be used to machine logo on the screw down crown.
Screw heads that line up perfectly have been on custom fire arms since forever.
Good points. I'm not an expert on custom firearms so the perspective is really interesting.
Two questions:
- What is the price differential between a like for like custom and non-custom firearm (like a Ruger Redhawk or a 1911 or a classic side by side 12 gauge shotgun)?
- At what numbers are these custom arms produced ?
LOL! Enjoyed your thoughts about the watch industry and marketing. Thanks, Mate!
You bet đ
Totally agree with you on all..... Especially your comments on Santos and Hublot movements.
Keep up the good work!!
This is one of your best videos. Your points really got me thinking. I don't think I will ever buy a Patek Philippe.
Glad to hear it đ
Thanks for the video, haven't seen anyone talk about your points regarding John Mayer and Ed Sheeran's talk watches:
1. I never felt like they didn't think the hate for Hublot was unwarranted. The only point I took away from their conversation was that you should just wear what you want to wear, regardless of what the world thinks of it, not that Hublot didn't deserve the hate. Also - they're hyper-successful musicians/celebrities and have been for many years, why would you not expect them to be out of touch? I think their point of wearing whatever you want to wear regardless of what everyone else thinks of it still stands, regardless if that's Hublot, Seiko etc.
2. I think you should've given Ed more benefit of the doubt as he never expressed how he felt about wearing the watch, though he did recognise the watch was very "charged" - not enough to assume he meant embarrassed (to me, anyway). Further, after they talk about the watch, John and Ed do clarify that Ed's Tiffany Nautilus (and the majority of the other watches shown in the episode) were going straight back into a bank vault. Seems to me like Ed just doesn't want to wear it for practical reasons (could be a big target for thieves/robbers?)
Just my 2 cents! đ
Honestly.....pretty stoked you had a Wing Gundam model in the background.....also thanks for the video on your thoughts over titanium!
Gundam for the win... đđ
Great video. Love the Gundam Wing!!!
Thanks đ
Mike, I think you have a gift for rants. They are so very focused; more please..
Oh god... I hope not đđđđ
As an engineer I like titanium for various reasons and have enjoyed working with in in my aviation career. Is is worth it for most people? Probably not. Will I still buy a titanium version of something over a steel one... You bet ya! Swatch got me once with their bioceramic. Never again haha! Yeah... Swiss made... T&C's apply huh... Hope you are doing well Mike!
I dig titanium. Like I said in the vid - it has properties that are preferable over steel (corrision, anti-allergenic etc.). But a 3K markup for a titanium Omega over the steel model? That's excessive regardless of the additional manufacturing costs.
Doing great btw - always great to have you around đ
@@Mike.thiswatchthatwatch Thank youđđ! Yeah that is nuts. Especially in this economy. That's good to hear man! Take care and be well bud! Enjoy your week!
Always good insight. Enjoyable to watch - thanks again đđ
The reason I have a titanium watch, its a "diver" which is 15mm thick and on the bracelet weighs just under 120 grammes in steel it would have been far too heavy for me. Never thought of it as a "luxury" watch.
Totallay with you about the screws, heard that so often and when asked how you can turn an octagonal screw in a octagonal holeâŠcrickets.
lol đđ
Every time I see a Royal Oak, with those stupid octagonal screws that can't turn I think of plastic hubcaps with fake bolts. It never occurred to me that those are bolts and now it might be worse; why did they cut a screwdriver slot in the head of a bolt.
@@jackblah5842 Hahaha very good point but you should look at the underside of the watch head to see the proper screw slots... the culprit is GG the famous Genta who loveed octoagons and screws and bolts and portholes.
I am not a watch fiend, but I love your work .
lol. Thanks đđ
As always, immensely diverse and enjoyable. Tegimented over Titanium every day of the week:)
"Tegimented over Titanium" -- Keep in mind, tegimented cannot be refinished.
@@mountainhoboyes it canâŠ
@@djirl Not according to Sinn. Do you do it yourself?
@@mountainhobo Sinn donât refurbish tegimented parts generally (not cost effective to do so) but they can be refurbished and yes, Iâve done it myself. Only caveat being is that a factory finish can be returned particularly for media blasted parts but is dependent on the scale of damage encountered (scratches are fine but gouges are problematic).
I'm absolutely with you on the blancpain. Their new 50 fathoms looks amazing and I would buy that over a submariner any day. I actually own two blancpains and I love them. The one I wear most often is my leman dual timer (The other is a vintage 50 fathoms). It's an understated sports watch with an extremely nice fit; the bracelet is easily one of the most comfortable in my collection (I have carpal tunnel so I need to be careful with what I put on my wrists). I've had this watch for a decade and it hardly looks used despite being one of my daily wears. The movement is also incredibly well made, it's accuracy is on par with my zenith and my metas certified Omega.
I own a Vacheron overseas dualtimer which I got from my grandfather and it's definitely an excellent watch but the rest of my collection is very practical because I just don't see the point in most high horology pieces. The same grandfather who gave me the overseas had a couple pateks and while I kept them for a period of time, I ended up selling them because I never wore them (they were heavy dress pieces). When I sold them, I sold them back to a patek boutique and the attitude of their employees was just insanely stuck up. Even though I was selling them some pretty quality pieces (they weren't really to my taste though) they just didn't regard me at all, and as soon I finished the transaction they basically pushed me out the door. I had a similar experience of an AP boutique in the past too; some of these brands are just so full of hot air.
High horology is an unusual space. They're not always the prettiest or most practical, so you end up having this amazing piece that just doesn't get worn that often if you're more of a GADA kind of person đ
All good points! Even though I agree that the markup for titanium can be too much (like in the case of the Omega NTTD which I own and love), but in the case of Tudor I think it's completely fair. You said that titanium is not generally more functional as a material, which I'd actually argue it is the ONLY material that is a functional upgrade over steel, given it's lightness and ease of wear. Every other material is a purely aesthetic upgrade.
Thanks - To be clear. I did say that Titanium has characteristics that are preferable to steel for some people (anti-allergenic, among other things). đ
Thanks for sharing your opinion on the BP FF! Very well said about titanium.
Delicious from top to bottom. Thanks for pointing out the myths regarding bio ceramic and titanium. Rich snobs should disinvited on principle. It not only insults the enthusiasts, it reminds me of Churchill saying âI will be sober in the morning but (implying you will remain an asshole.). Hire a food taster for each you buy chocolate. Your apology will have to be good
I tried the 42mm Blancpain and it was amazingâŠ.beautifully finished, still has enough weight to know itâs there and loved the rubber tropical strap. As you say ÂŁ17,100 is a hell of a lotâŠ. And of course the money you leave the shop you will have lots a significant chunk of that. But itâs still an amamzong piece and definitely on my list!!!!
Truly admire the knowledge shared here. Enjoy your channel so much. So glad you mentioned a Fifty fathoms over a Subby every day. I have the FF and sold both my Subby and seadweller. FF for me everyday as well
First video of yours Iâve watched, very good. Very interesting, youâre a smart guy and I like the way you get your points across. Now subscribed đ
Welcome aboard. Thank you đđ
Really enjoyed this video. Iâve commented in the recent past on some of your videos that I felt you had missed the point or not been critical enough in formulating your opinion but these were all spot on. Really engaging so thank you.
Loved this video and agree with you on all points.
Kind of you, thanks đ
Informative and enjoyable, as always. Cheers.
Thanks again đ
I was on the same path, thx for clearing it out
Enjoying your channel - honest opinions and insights backed up with facts. Thank you!
I appreciate that đ
Thanks Mike, gold as always! Luxury vs. Value; how many multiples are we willing to swallow before our base self-esteem kicks in, and kicks us in the ass with our First World sensitivities.
Just this week I moved my 96 year old mother-in-law into a rehab center, and on the wall was a quartz wall clock with a smooth sweeping second hand. I looked down at my Grand Seiko GMT Spring Drive and googled the wall clock for details and pricing.
To my shock and amusement I could buy that wall clock from China for $10! Iâm not kidding!
I said to my wife (who is not into watches), âhoney, this Country is in trouble.â
Ed Sheeran and John Mayer are popular music performers. They live and die on what other people think of the image they present. Mr. Sheeran made his hair go like that, on purpose.
lol đđ
Putting on my micro brand titanium field watch right now. Saving the money for the Patek to purchase my house.
Great rant.
Thanks đđ
I instantly liked the video at the Patek rant đ. Nice video once again!
Hope âSometimes My Brain Goes Off On Tangentsâ becomes a regular thing. The catharsis of the Patek anecdote, as well as it ending with âdouche,â is the kind of heartfelt gift I recognize. Wonderful.
Thanks - As for Patek: In every company I've ever worked in, I've always been taught "customer is king" even when you're high end. Arrogance is unbecoming and over time bad for businessđ
That was excellent content. Thanks for teaching us, master.
Very welcome đ (don't know about the master thing though) đ
As always a wonderfully informative show. Some food for thought too.
Thank you kindly đ
Great video! I loved all the random topics. The one I can most relate to is titanium cases. I had to have a titanium field watch, but found through wearing it that, for a watch of reasonable diameter and thickness, 316L is fine and has many advantages.
Had never thought about the Coco plants before đ€
I had thought the closed W&W stands were douchy before though
Love this one! Really my favourite watch guy
yay, thanks đđ
I'm completely with you on that Blancpain FF.
You are absolutely correct by talking about precious metal watches and the correlation with the profit margin when it comes to adding up the margin of watches.
It was very enjoyable, as always. Thanks and keep it coming! đâ€
Will try. Cheers đ
Loved these observations!
thanks đ
I prefer Belgium đ§đȘ chocolate over Swiss! Now both me and Mike made the list at Chocosuisse!
Someone put an assortment of chocolates in front of you, and you will not be able to tell the difference. And yes, I am a chocoholic, and I love visiting small chocolatiers when traveling, but chocolate itself? No way you will tell them apart with any consistency.
So where does Belgium grow cocoa?
You definitely brought it. Good video. There were some great lines in this one. You almost laughed at yourself.
Interesting look at Ti. I think every true watch lover should own 1 Ti watch (love my Pelagos 39) - nice to see it appearing in the < $1000 level.
PS - thx for explaining the AP bolts. I work in auto/aviation - always figured they just paid to have the tight tolerances to line them up and work instructions to make sure they were inserted correctly.
Enjoyed the video. You made some good points. However, titanium (Grade 2 and Grade 5) is significantly lighter weight than stainless steel, AND it's amagnetic (non-magnetic), both of which are arguably "functional improvements" for certain applications, and frankly makes a watch significantly more comfortable to wear in ANY situation. It's also significantly more expensive and difficult to machine, especially if the watch is manufactured in small numbers.
Thanks.
I explicitly state in the video that titanium has properties that are preferable to steel - including lightness and various âanti-â properties. So totally agree there. đ
Also in the video there is an info box that pops up and acknowledges that machining of titanium is more expensive.
As for the question as to it being significantly more expensive?
And SPB seiko with 300m water resistance in steel with 6R35 movement will set you back 1.200 dollars. A titanium SPB with same movement? 1.350. 150 dollars difference.
The difference between comparable Sinn steel tegimented models and titanium models is 650 dollars.
Citizen. Less than 100 dollars.
And then thereâs iwc that sells a titanium Ingenieur for more then 3.000 dollars more than the steel model. That price is not down to higher machining costs. Thatâs a luxury premium pricing strategy.
Cheers đ
absolutely superb as always. There is no way I am being conned by titanium. Who made Ed Sheeran and John Mayer experts? I have a lot of respect for them as musicians they are both brilliant, clearly they are both big Watch collectors but are we saying this makes them better than the rest of us ? patek - itâs our job to tug our forelock when we walk past the ADđ.
Love your thoughts!! Cheers!
cheers to you too đđ
I have the same Selllita SW330-1 GMT in a micro brand which cost me ONLY $850 for a $500 wholesale movement (!), not the $9,000 retail of the Cartier.
Refined finish, custom gold-ish rotor movement in a ONE-OFF assembly all-black, honey-comb dial, gilt/white markers etc version of Italian micro brand Meccaniche Veneziane (Arsenale model freaking huge 45mm no date)
Losing only 1 second per day - so I wonder if it is the Premium version - boy am I happy especially as it is completely unique, favour from manufacturer
Yuo, that's true about titanium. I personally love grade 5 titanium but the price they charge is out of proportion. Also about Patek being closed to the public.
Love your videos â€
thanks a ton đ
This is my favorit deep dive nerd talk on youtubi :D
thanks đ
Loved this episode đ
this was great. i wish u could timestamp the sections for ppl like me who want to rezwatch specific section. as always great insight!
Noted đ
Nice points, enjoyable video as always.
Mike, congrats on the NTTD 300M, great purchase
Love the rant.
yay đđ
Loved this edisode of insights
Thanks đ
Always a pleasure. Great content as always.
Glad to have you keep coming back đ
Stainless steel for me because I like the look, durability, feel and weight of it - Titanium only has the greyish colour going for it.
Those swiss cacaoplants are there, they are just not open to public. Great stuff man, keep them coming :)
Lol. No they're well hidden those plants đ
Good video, though my immediate response to the "misaligned screws" bit is that an equal objection then remains over the use of visible screws rather than visible bolts.
Agree with the sentiment on the new Fifty Fathoms;although I haven't seen it in the metal yet, I think that's now my new "grail" watch - especially in precious metal; if I could afford it đ
Spot on regarding Patek at W&W Mike. That isn't just lame, it is also both rude and crass. Not the behavior one expects of Joe Blow in the street much less a gentleman who considers themself a timeless, class act. Tasteless in the extreme.
Very well said! đŻ
Thanks đ
Does the same apply to other materials like ceramic? I see the ceramic Laureato has a 42% premium over steel. Is that comparible to other brands and/or justifiable?