Let's talk about watches...

[chasy]

17 minutes ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Did all you all buy them together?

My guess is deal toy!

[BrightonCorgi]

1 hour ago, chasy said:

My guess is deal toy!

They should've sync'd the time before taking the picture. 

[batwick]

7 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

Did all you all buy them together?

No, but one inspired the others. 

[Ryan]

I arrived in Havana on February 19th. On the way to my place from the airport I got a call from a friend who had found a watch for me. A 1920s converted-to-wristwatch pocket-watch. I hadn't really been looking for one but this one was very nice. At a lunch in Cocina de Liliam the following week, quite a few people wanted to buy it off my wrist. No sale. It has quite a few dings and dents from the years but recently serviced and works well. 

Then, weirdly, on Monday just before my flight out of Cuba, I got a call from another friend who wanted to see me before I left as he had a gift my me. Almost identical but perfectly restored and polished. Also recently serviced. He didn't want anything for it. He says, "I have two, all I need is one." "Business is about relationships" indeed. My youngest, into steampunk, wants it when I croak. 

It's very nice. 99% perfect for me. I have another friend on the lookout for the 100%.

[westg]

Wow. Great story and a gorgeous piece . 

[BrightonCorgi]

What diameter? 46 mm?

[zeedubbya]

Always have been overly enamored with the converted pocket watch. Could be the only way I could ever own a Patek! How does it wear @Ryan ? Looks comfortable and great on your wrist, but what’s it like to wear throughout the day? Nice find x2 BTW!  

[Ryan]

6 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

What diameter? 46 mm?

44 mm

[Ryan]

6 hours ago, zeedubbya said:

Always have been overly enamored with the converted pocket watch.  Could be the only way I could ever own a Patek!  How does it wear @Ryan ?  Looks comfortable and great on your wrist, but what’s it like to wear throughout the day?  Nice find x2 BTW!  

It's very comfortable. It's tall at about 18mm but it's all quite "roundy" so doesn't catch on sleeves etc. My everyday is a very light slimline Frederique Constant which is 6 mm tall. To be honest I don't notice much of a difference. 

[tbelle7]

I am generally interested in watches and have enjoyed seeing everyone's contribution to this thread. This is my attempt to bump this thread back up the tree with the hopes of more activity in it.

Daily Driver 126600 Sea Dweller.

[JohnS]

Here's the wristwatch that does everything...apparently!

World’s ‘most complicated’ wristwatch unveiled

By Oscar Holland, CNN - Tue April 1, 2025

The new timepiece by Vacheron Constantin, unveiled at the 2025 Watches and Wonder trade fair in Geneva, offers a record-breaking 41 functions. Vacheron Constantin

(CNN) — It tracks the sun’s position in the sky. It chimes with the sound of hammers hitting four miniature gongs. It even tells the wearer when certain stars will be visible from Earth.

Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin’s latest timepiece is not just packed with novel features — it is, officially, the most complicated mechanical wristwatch ever produced.

In horology, a “complication” refers to any function that goes beyond standard time-telling, such as a Gregorian calendar or moon phase display. And Vacheron Constantin’s new Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication contains a record-breaking 41 of them.

On the front dial of the watch, the absence of traditional ornamentation creates a distinctly modern aesthetic. Vacheron Constantin

With its grey metallization and restrained color palette, the reverse side is reminiscent of a gauge on a car dashboard. Vacheron Constantin

The one-off design, which went on show at the Watches and Wonders trade fair in Switzerland on Tuesday, comprises 1,521 separate components. The watchmaker is seeking to protect its new creation through 13 patent applications, seven of which relate to the chiming mechanism.

Seen by CNN during a fair preview, the watch presents three different measures of time: A conventional 24-hour-day, the sidereal time (the time taken for Earth to spin on its axis, which is around four minutes shorter than a calendar day) and the solar day (which is adjusted for the Earth’s elliptical orbit).

Among the dozens of other complications are astronomical functions tracking the sun’s position, height, trajectory and angle relative to Earth’s equator. A rotating display featuring the zodiac’s 13 constellations can meanwhile be adjusted to show when those stars will next be visible in the sky.

The watch tracks the sun’s position, chimes with the sound of miniature gongs and even calculates when the zodiac’s constellations will be visible from Earth. Vacheron Constantin

The watchmaker said its record-breaking wristwatch was eight years in the making, describing it as a “masterpiece of innovation.” The single-model watch’s case is made from 18-karat white gold and contains over 200 jewels, including several sapphire discs.

Founded in 1755 and now owned by luxury conglomerate Richemont, Vacheron Constantin also holds the record for the most complicated pocket watch. The brand’s Berkley Grand Complication, unveiled last year, features 63 horological complications including a Chinese perpetual calendar displaying the complex lunisolar cycle.

But while this represents 22 more complications than those boasted by its latest creation, pocket watches can be considerably larger than wristwatches. At 45 millimeters (1.8 inches), the new Solaria Ultra Grand Complication’s case is less than half the diameter of the Berkley’s.

As such, the design challenge was also about fitting the watch’s functions into a case small enough to be comfortably worn on the wrist, according to Vacheron Constantin’s style and heritage director, Christian Selmoni.

In a press release describing the wristwatch as a “feat of miniaturization,” Selmoni said the brand’s horologists had arranged tiny components in the “most logical and compact way possible.”

“The main objective was to bring together all the main complications, timekeeping, calendar, chronograph and chiming, on a single base plate and to concentrate the astronomical functions on an additional plate,” he is quoted saying. “Thanks to this construction, it was possible to create a wristwatch with harmonious proportions.”

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/01/style/vacheron-constantin-most-complicated-wristwatch/index.html

[tbelle7]

8 hours ago, JohnS said:

Here's the wristwatch that does everything...apparently!

World’s ‘most complicated’ wristwatch unveiled

By Oscar Holland, CNN - Tue April 1, 2025

The new timepiece by Vacheron Constantin, unveiled at the 2025 Watches and Wonder trade fair in Geneva, offers a record-breaking 41 functions. Vacheron Constantin

(CNN) — It tracks the sun’s position in the sky. It chimes with the sound of hammers hitting four miniature gongs. It even tells the wearer when certain stars will be visible from Earth.

Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin’s latest timepiece is not just packed with novel features — it is, officially, the most complicated mechanical wristwatch ever produced.

In horology, a “complication” refers to any function that goes beyond standard time-telling, such as a Gregorian calendar or moon phase display. And Vacheron Constantin’s new Les Cabinotiers Solaria Ultra Grand Complication contains a record-breaking 41 of them.

On the front dial of the watch, the absence of traditional ornamentation creates a distinctly modern aesthetic. Vacheron Constantin

With its grey metallization and restrained color palette, the reverse side is reminiscent of a gauge on a car dashboard. Vacheron Constantin

The one-off design, which went on show at the Watches and Wonders trade fair in Switzerland on Tuesday, comprises 1,521 separate components. The watchmaker is seeking to protect its new creation through 13 patent applications, seven of which relate to the chiming mechanism.

Seen by CNN during a fair preview, the watch presents three different measures of time: A conventional 24-hour-day, the sidereal time (the time taken for Earth to spin on its axis, which is around four minutes shorter than a calendar day) and the solar day (which is adjusted for the Earth’s elliptical orbit).

Among the dozens of other complications are astronomical functions tracking the sun’s position, height, trajectory and angle relative to Earth’s equator. A rotating display featuring the zodiac’s 13 constellations can meanwhile be adjusted to show when those stars will next be visible in the sky.

The watch tracks the sun’s position, chimes with the sound of miniature gongs and even calculates when the zodiac’s constellations will be visible from Earth. Vacheron Constantin

The watchmaker said its record-breaking wristwatch was eight years in the making, describing it as a “masterpiece of innovation.” The single-model watch’s case is made from 18-karat white gold and contains over 200 jewels, including several sapphire discs.

Founded in 1755 and now owned by luxury conglomerate Richemont, Vacheron Constantin also holds the record for the most complicated pocket watch. The brand’s Berkley Grand Complication, unveiled last year, features 63 horological complications including a Chinese perpetual calendar displaying the complex lunisolar cycle.

But while this represents 22 more complications than those boasted by its latest creation, pocket watches can be considerably larger than wristwatches. At 45 millimeters (1.8 inches), the new Solaria Ultra Grand Complication’s case is less than half the diameter of the Berkley’s.

As such, the design challenge was also about fitting the watch’s functions into a case small enough to be comfortably worn on the wrist, according to Vacheron Constantin’s style and heritage director, Christian Selmoni.

In a press release describing the wristwatch as a “feat of miniaturization,” Selmoni said the brand’s horologists had arranged tiny components in the “most logical and compact way possible.”

“The main objective was to bring together all the main complications, timekeeping, calendar, chronograph and chiming, on a single base plate and to concentrate the astronomical functions on an additional plate,” he is quoted saying. “Thanks to this construction, it was possible to create a wristwatch with harmonious proportions.”

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/01/style/vacheron-constantin-most-complicated-wristwatch/index.html

Likely a 7 figure price tag.

[BrightonCorgi]

Does it come with glasses? I can barely read the dial on my computer screen!

[loose_axle]

Got this Seiko mod made by a bloke in Singapore. Keeps time brilliantly. 

[BrightonCorgi]

12 hours ago, loose_axle said:

Got this Seiko mod made by a bloke in Singapore. Keeps time brilliantly.

What was the mod?

[usleepicreep]

Picked up this Seiko 5 collaboration with huf. I think it’s gonna be my new daily wear.

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Fuzz]

On 4/3/2025 at 9:55 PM, JohnS said:

Here's the wristwatch that does everything...apparently!

World’s ‘most complicated’ wristwatch unveiled

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/01/style/vacheron-constantin-most-complicated-wristwatch/index.html

I would hate to have to set that watch. Spend more time futzing with it than actually wearing it!

[loose_axle]

18 hours ago, BrightonCorgi said:

What was the mod?

Pretty much using a Seiko to rip off a Tudor Black Bay. Starts off with a Seiko NH35A base and builds up with custom parts to get the same look. The hardest part was finding a red bezel and burgundy strap he told me. 

[chasy]

Love this G Shock