3-Watch Thursday #14
Pocket Watches, Vintage Rolex Chronographs and Breguet
Hello Team,
Hope you’ve been having a good week.
This week we return to normal scheduling with 3 articles that you might’ve missed.
Let’s get straight into it!
Nine Pocket Watches From The Geneva Auctions To Kickstart A World-Class Collection
After I sent out last week’s 3-Watch Thursday this article by Mark Kauzlarich popped up as a notification from the Hodinkee app (yes, I now have the Hodinkee app downloaded).
What a brilliant read it was.
Typically all the hype around auctions goes to the big name/provenance wristwatches and we glance over the ‘smaller’ lots, but Mark has done a great job summarising the key lots in the pocket watch space.
As somebody who feels that there is a mountain of knowledge to be gained about horology and chips away at it one article at a time, I was stunned by the importance and significance of some of these watches.
I’m also glad to see them getting the attention they deserve, both in this article and in many realising prices in excess of their high estimates.
For the lowdown on all of the watches, check out Mark’s article here.
A Beginner's Guide to Vintage Rolex Chronographs (1935-52)
I love a good data-driven article. In fact, they’re my favourite kinds of articles.
That’s why my eyes lit up when I saw this article from Marcus Siems (@siemswatches) drop into my inbox.
Marcus has scoured the internet collecting data on early Rolex chronographs to help us visualise the breakdown in types of cases and production numbers.
I won’t spoil it for you, but it’s well worth a read.
I found the early Oyster chronographs to be the most interesting as the case shape isn’t like that of the early time only wristwatches.
You can read the article for yourself here.
Breaking Down The Watch Brand: Tradition Weighs Heavy On Breguet, But It Can Also Be A Blessing
This article is from a couple of weeks ago and is the first instalment in a series where Lex Stolk will share his thoughts on watch brands titled “Breaking Down The Watch Brand” over on Fratello.
Stolk starts with arguably the most famous watch brand in existence in terms of horological might.
Breguet.
Stolk does a great job of summarising the history of the brand before moving on to Breguet in its current form.
His opinion about modern Breguet is on the money in my opinion.
Here are my final thoughts on the Type XX matter. What if the Royal Oak was also made by Maurice Lacroix, Raymond Weil, and Edox? Do you see my point? No matter how fabulous a Breguet Type XX and its more refined, complicated, modern versions are, they will never be brand icons because of the original’s historical background.
The Tradition, on the other hand, has all the components of a brand icon.
For me, models such as the 5177 and the 7097 are examples of watches that are iconically modern Breguet.
A traditional time-only watch in the 5177 and a more innovative piece in appearance with the 7097 pictured above.
I would almost go as far as to say that the 7097 is my favourite modern Breguet with its design identifiable as Breguet from across a room, but the modern look and feel that you’re wearing something innovative and ‘interesting’.
This is besides the point.
For Stolk’s opinion, you can read the full article here.
Good stuff!
That’s all from me this week. Hope you have a great weekend.
Owen