His Point of View

Ya’ll are going to get tired of me and watches… for real. But do I care??? Obviously not. Well this one is not going to be a lesson on anything but style. 2009 is going to be a good year for the watch world. There are a few old reliable brands that are breaking new ground. Breitling is manufacturing its first in house movement.  Zenith has figured out how to combine a chronograph and a minute repeater into one movement for the first time ever in a wristwatch. Patek Phillepe has broken ranks from the COSC and the Geneva Seal Bureau to create its own standard of quality craftsmanship(instead of only testing the movements Patek Phillipe has developed a method of testing the entire completed watch). 2009 is an exciting year in the watchmaking world… many of these decisions to break from these companies’ standard method of doing business will go down in history as genius ideas, or mega-flops… either way they will become collector’s items.

Below are more great timepieces to go pick up if you can… or to dream about if your pockets are a little light.

This is the Zenith “Defy Classic Zero-G”.  Zenith has been making fine watch movements since 1865, and you definitely pay for all those decades of experience when you purchase one of their fine time pieces.  This particular model costs approximately $260,000-$300,000 in the US.  Note the lack of diamonds or “bling” even though this item costs more than most people’s houses.  Its all about quality materials, detailed workmanship, and the engineering behind the brand.

(photo from http://media.modernluxury.com)

If you like Zenith but you want to own a piece of horological history that is a bit more affordable  you can pick up other models such as these for under $20,000.

(photo from http://media.modernluxury.com)

Next up is the Bulgari “Diagono Calibro 303″ This piece of work is in the $10,000-12,000 US price range.  At 5.5 mm thickness this is considered to be a very thin mechanical self winding watch.

(photo from http://home.watchprosite.com)

So that we don’t leave the ladies out here is the Boucheron “Ellipse Anniversarie”.  This watch features blue & pink sapphires, and white diamonds for a retail price of $35,000 US.

(photo from https://www.boucheron.com)

Since I have been out of touch with the world of fashion lately I figured that I would start with something I am current with.

You may ask ‘what is a hidden jewel?’… And if you did I would say yes I am referring to jewelry, but not what you may think. I am talking about wearing 7,17,or 21+ (functional) jewels such as rubies, sapphires, or other precious stones, which may all be hidden from view. Sounds silly? Well let me welcome you to the world of luxury timepieces which use precious stones to reduce friction on internal moving parts, allowing more accuracy in keeping time. Consider this your introduction… I can go on and on about watches but I won’t bore you with detail. After all if you cared you would already know, and if my blog sparks an interest you will Google terms like : watch jewels, movements, complications, etc. But I will ease into the subject with these nice yet somewhat affordable watches. You may think these are not affordable, well when I revisit this topic (to cover super high-end watches) you will feel as if these watches are Cadillacs in a world of Veyrons. If you are unfamiliar, trust me that you could afford a Cadillac far sooner than you could ever dream of driving a Veyron off the lot.

First up to bat is the Breitling Montbrillant Datora, (a part of the Breitling Navitimeter line).

If I had $6,000 laying around this is what I would do with it. It has a good blend of class and a face with a bunch of numbers and lines going on to give it an “I know a lot of stuff”  look which is perfect for me… It was once said, “if you can’t dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bull shit” and that sums up my love of the Montbrillant Datora by Breitling.

PS, if anybody in the blogosphere is liking my blog and is a generous individual.. please feel free to send me one of these Datoras.

The next player of the game is the Philippe Patek  “Men’s Calatrava 5116G”.

This is an ultra classic watch.  I mean how can you go wrong with this bad boy?  Well if you can afford this gem of a watch then life is comfortable as Patek watches generally start in the $20,000 price range and some models chime in at over $218,000.   I could not get an exact price on this item but its safe to say its a good portion of my annual salary.

Next I had to reach for the stars… well the Moon to bring you the “Moon Dust-DNA” by Romain Jerome.

Photo obtained from  http://www.robbreport.com/Watches-Idea-Man.aspx

This watch is sick, if for no other reason than the face is sprinkled with particles of dust from the moon.  I guess NASA had a garage sale to buy gas for the shuttle and these guys picked up some moon dust for the low…. Well It could not have been too low since these moon dusted creations range in price from $9,800- $300,000.   There are only 1969 of these pieces and yes 1969 was the year we set foot on the moon.

Ok, ok I know it was nice to drool over what is out of reach for most of us…but the reality is the if you are like me you probably need to stay under $300 or so for your wrist wear.  Even with a tight budget you can get a nice looking quality timepiece.  Avoid the huge faced pseudo iced out joints you can pick up at a flea market or in the back pages of your favorite urban magazine.  Go for simple, classy, real materials.  Stainless steel is a great choice, one real diamond in the face is much better than 200 fake diamonds.  And finally know who makes your watch, a lot of “designer” label watches are made by the same manufacturers so gain an understanding of the differences in quality each brand offers.  So here we go…below are some more affordable pieces that can add some style to your collection.

Photo from http://www.kennethcole.com

Kenneth Cole “You’re Golden”  $150.00, I have 2 Kenneth Cole watches and they are quite durable and they look great, especially for the price.  Photo from http://www.kennethcole.com

Photo from http://www.skagen.com

At $135 this Skagen “Two Tone Link”  is a  great option and Skagen is known for their almost paper thin watches if you do not like bulky wrist wear.

Finally I end with one of my favorite affordable brands…. Invicta…

photos from http://www.invictawatch.com

These are Swiss made watches of all varieties… if Invicta doesn’t make it you probably don’t need it… I mean these guys make more different styles of watches than there is a need for.  I suppose they patterned themselves after the Swiss Army Knife Company by making a watch for every imaginable need.  I say they are affordable because you can always find last year’s models on sale since they market new styles each year.  They retail anywhere from $200-$3,000 each but in that price range there has to be something you like and can afford.  I have found that the quality of these watches is excellent.  I love my Invicta, and my Invicta loves me!

That’s all for the semi-affordable- affordable watches for today… next time maybe I will dive into the world of watch complications, tourbillions, and watches that cost more than your favorite rapper’s leased Ferrari & Bently put together.