Will going 'Haute' end my watch obsession?
 

You sit by the pool long enough, your bound to take a dip. The dear old Music biz stayed my hand hi fi wise, although in truth I must now be called your very own mid-mid hi fi man in that regard, as baby steps have been taken, but with watches the Speedway is wide open.

Fondling the VC patrimony contemporaine 85150 in Harrods the other day filled me with unbearable longing, but at £21.3K I can't justify it, so can I be sated with the Blancpain 50 fathoms?

I don't have a dive watch in the stable, or a sports watch, and though it is entirely subjective I feel this is the pinnacle of both. A year or so ago I had a parade down New Bond st, the street with all the greats, but my eyes only shone at the musky Blancpain shop, with the nice shrubbery in front.

When I eventually get a day off, I shall peruse with intent. Watch this space.

I love watches but can't justify swimming in the deep end of that pool. I have found satisfaction in seeking out good deals on "Swiss Made" brands that offer great value and use Swiss ETA automatic movements. They do it for me and I generally stay around the $1K and under range. Good luck with your much higher horological aspirations, I have a friend that is in a similar range as you and he's also an audiophile.

Both my Swiss are ETA, just got my dress back from repairs and it's already 5 seconds fast after 12 hours, the other one is upper tier and only gains 1 min per month. It's this one that want's me to go above Rolex range. The hand finished and assembled has become a strong lure. I suppose the golden rule is don't let it touch your savings.

It all boils down to where you want to spend your discretionary funds. Nice thing about a high-end watch is they hold their value well. Not unusual to lose no value or appreciate over time. Would be nice to find a piece of stereo gear that would do that.

No, I want it to be a keeper, when I'm dribbling in to my soup in the retirement home, there will be me 50. The Burmeister/Mackie that keeps on giving. Pretty sure it will be the only haute I get. I don't like chrono's, can slum it with me tier 3 dress, and my skeleton ain't going nowhere fast. Let's just see if Blancpain have that VC magic. I'm settled elsewhere with me material goodies. I was going to buy a Triumph T120 but no.

I see my watches as a way to park money and enjoy them at the same time. I have a growing collection which gives a lot of pleasure but I know that I can resell them at no loss (or minor). Bear in mind that it's not the reason why I buy them but it's an added bonus.

Once you account for that, the cost for owning such watches melts away.

Trust me the joy of looking at a beautifully made mechanical watch is worth the expense and it doesn't have to be the most expensive one that brings the most pleasure. The difference between my two favorite ones is almost 10x.

I'm pretty much decided now that I'm a dress watch guy. I liked the 50 fathoms,who wouldn't, but I loved the VC. I'll take a look at the Blancpain dress range when I'm next in town.

Let me know if you need help, I work one street off Bond St.

Blancpain, for some reason, is not as well rated as VC or Patek. I don't mean that they're not of the best quality or that it's not a watch aficionado's love. I just don't see them having the same following.

I would also expect the price to increase quite significantly over the next few months as the brands will start to adjust for exchange rate.

Do you buy your watches used? At estate sales? On line? Brick and mortar stores? All the above?

Take a look at the Omega Planet Ocean, automatic, it is certified to 2000 feet, can be had with an orange dive time ring, is anti magnetic, has steel or silicone bands. It will keep superb time and is rugged as a tank. About 6K retail.