Levels of recognition?

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Amor Vincit Omnia
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Levels of recognition?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

“That’s a nice watch,” said a colleague. “What is it?”

Flattered that anyone actually noticed I was wearing a nice watch, I explained it to him, took it off and showed him what was stamped on the case back. Then I retrieved and rewired his jaw, which had fallen to the ground and shattered.

You see, this person is an expert on the history of motorised transport and aviation. He knows an enormous amount, but he had never heard of the Speedmaster Moonwatch or, if he had, couldn’t recognise one.

A couple of years ago, on a singles group holiday in Cyprus, I complimented one of the guys on what appeared to me to be a rather nice, well-used vintage Airking. His reaction was similar; he had had the watch for years and I was the first person he had met who actually knew what it was.

I think we sometimes take it for granted, particularly those of us who discuss watches on various Internet locations, that people around us see watches as we do. They don’t, of course.

Until relatively recently I honestly thought all Rolexes were like Datejusts. And this was in the days before they were the only things in the windows! There were brands, especially some of the upmarket and HH ones, that I can honestly say I had never heard of until I joined this forum!

Nowadays I can recognise a lot of watches, but I am still totally thrown when Sub experts instantly start quoting four, five and six figure numbers...I haven’t a clue what the differences are. Similarly, when I see a Seiko diver, my brain says Seiko Diver, whereas other people start talking about Turtles, Tunas, Sea Urchins and various other denizens of the pelagic realm. Those are just two examples, but there are others. For example, I am pretty clueless about most of the many modern and commemorative variations of the Speedmaster, and don’t get me started on Bond Seamasters...which WAS the one he wore in Skyfall? Who gives a...? :ka:

I must admit that I do subconsciously look at people’s wrists to see firstly whether they are wearing a watch, and secondly what type they are wearing. It has become a kind of reflex, I suppose. However, unless it’s something that falls (very rarely) into my field of interest and knowledge, it is almost invariably just a watch.

Any thoughts?
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by Thermexman »

I definitely eye up what’s on people wrists but try not to make assumptions that they know or care what they’re wearing.

I once struck up a conversation with someone because they were wearing what looked like a rather nice orange bezelled Omega, only to be told that it wasn’t an Omega, whatever that is, and that it was £20 from a man in a motorway service area!

I do tend to watch spot telly people though.

I reckon that the BBC newsreader Clive Myrie may be a watch collector? He seems to have a few different watches and seems to change the type, depending on what he’s doing. For example, I noticed he wears something more robust and on a nato, when he’s out and about in a tough area! Who knows? It may be that he treats them as jewellery and just matches to his outfits?
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by jkbarnes »

I always take a look at wrists. Nowadays, if it’s an easily identifiable watch, it’s likely an Apple Watch. If not Apple, then some kind of fashion watch.

On occasion I’ll notice something interesting. The most interesting watch I’ve come across was a Milgauss. While I was impressed with my first Rolex out in the wild, the wearer was impressed I asked specifically about her Milgauss and not her Rolex. I nice conversation then followed. Turns out she was less of a watch person, and more of brand person though.

I make a point of asking about and complimenting my students on their watches whenever I see a student wearing one. It’s so rare that young people even wear a watch today that I want to reinforce it when they do.
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by strapline »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 10:23 am However, unless it’s something that falls (very rarely) into my field of interest and knowledge, it is almost invariably just a watch.
Any thoughts?
Just curious...what would be your field of interest/knowledge?

Personally, my eyes don't gravitate to people's wrists unless something catches my eye. On occasion that has meant me seeing a very blingy, sparkly Rolex. Which then immediately raises the question is it real or fake? So I do a kind of mental appraisal of the person on whose wrist it sits, whilst trying to steal subtle gazes at the watch in question to help with my assessment (I know you shouldn't judge a book by the cover).

For me I'm always more excited when I see a nice watch that's a little less ubiquitous, less mainstream, even when it's a spendy watch. I had a great conversation with a gentleman that was wearing a Breitling Superocean Heritage, which looked so lovely in the flesh. He was amazed when I identified it and commended him on his lovely watch. I think his wife was even more surprised at me identifying his watch, and a great conversation ensued. In a work capacity, I met a gentleman (very, very ordinary looking) that was wearing a Patek Aquanaut in platinum, £25kish I think when I later looked it up. Again, he was delighted that I had spotted it, even taking it off and telling me to try it on. I remember looking at the movement through the display caseback and admiring the overall finesse of the watch. Again, a great conversation ensued.

I really like what a lot of the web-based brands are doing, certainly some of the English companies. To that end, I'd love to see a Farer, an Elliot Brown or...dare I say it, a Christopher Ward out in the wilds. So often, when you see watch that catches the eye, it's from one of the big watch players. I like watches that are a little more leftfield, where the owner has perhaps sought something out that is a little bit different with its own unique design language. I'd probably spot a watch by one of these brands as quickly as I would by a brand offering much higher end watches.
Does melancholy count as two of your five daily servings?
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

strapline wrote: Sun Sep 06, 2020 3:40 pm Just curious...what would be your field of interest/knowledge?
It’s quite difficult to be specific. I guess I just recognise the things I recognise.
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by Fat-Sam »

I’m always watch spotting on tv, film or real life but have slowed down with approaching people to comment on their watches after making a few people uneasy! I complimented an aquanaut about a year ago near where I live in Islington/Hackney (a hotbed of watch thefts and phone snatches) and didn’t think that my strong London accent/appearance along with noticing the watch could make someone uneasy but the guy (who I vaguely know through someone else) got really awkward/anxious. A similar thing happened with a Japanese tourist in Croatia when I mentioned his Grand Seiko in a cable car 😂

My girlfriend pointed out that people could reasonably think it was part of a scam/robbery so I don’t do it any more unless I know the person or the situation is definitely acceptable! (I sat opposite Jimmy Anderson at a wedding a few years back and got talking about watches before I’d realised he was a cricketer and it was cool)

I’ve been into watches for over 20 years and have read catalogs and websites throughout that period so I can sport watches from the smallest amount of clasp showing under a cuff- I’m a nightmare and drive people mad in films by blurting out every watch like I’m on some weird game show 😂
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by jtc »

I'm forever wrist watching. Even my wife now does it, then asks me "is that something fancy?" or words to that effect!

The security guy at the front desk of the hospital we've been visiting lately was wearing something shiny. My daily interactions to get the parking ticket validated meant I was always carefully trying to spot what it was. I thought I'd seen a Rolex crown, but wasn't sure. Then, as we left one day, he just rested his hand at the perfect angle and, sure enough, there at 12 o'clock was the Rolex logo; my view of it was only obscured by the second hand as it ticked past.... one whole second at a time.

I lost interest in a watch related conversation at that point :lol:
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by Danbailey007 »

I'm guilty of watch spotting (glasses/sunglasses and footwear too) but rarely discussed with the person. I find a lot of people nowadays either don't wear a watch at all or it's a smart watch and they are generally not worth talking about.
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by Wis »

I automatically try to see which watch people, or men really, are wearing. The disappointingly few who wear anything else than an Apple watch or a Garmin or something of that ilk. If it is a Rolex Sub there is a high probability that they wanted a good watch with social prestige and it is their one watch. And that’s it. Which is normal and fine, but disappointing from the point of view of a WIS. Very, very rarely do I come across a fellow watch lover, but when I do it always leads to a happy talk about watches.

I have been known to ‘ambush’ complete strangers after spotting a watch. There was this guy in Copenhagen with a Nautilus 5711, I think I gave him a fright but we had a nice chat. He probably wasn’t a watch person though, as he didn’t seem to have seen a Reverso before I showed him mine (on request). He had simply seen the Nautilus and had to have it.

Most people even struggle with the concept of mechanical. ‘Aren’t all watches mechanical?’ Which I guess is an understandable error in the age of the digital Apple watch. After all, ordinary watches have physical hands that move.

Enough rambling.
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by Bungle-ator »

jtc wrote: Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:34 am I'm forever wrist watching. Even my wife now does it, then asks me "is that something fancy?" or words to that effect!

The security guy at the front desk of the hospital we've been visiting lately was wearing something shiny. My daily interactions to get the parking ticket validated meant I was always carefully trying to spot what it was. I thought I'd seen a Rolex crown, but wasn't sure. Then, as we left one day, he just rested his hand at the perfect angle and, sure enough, there at 12 o'clock was the Rolex logo; my view of it was only obscured by the second hand as it ticked past.... one whole second at a time.

I lost interest in a watch related conversation at that point :lol:
There is of course the oysterquartz which would behave in that exact way.
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by jtc »

Bungle-ator wrote: Mon Sep 07, 2020 10:23 pm
jtc wrote: Mon Sep 07, 2020 12:34 am I'm forever wrist watching. Even my wife now does it, then asks me "is that something fancy?" or words to that effect!

The security guy at the front desk of the hospital we've been visiting lately was wearing something shiny. My daily interactions to get the parking ticket validated meant I was always carefully trying to spot what it was. I thought I'd seen a Rolex crown, but wasn't sure. Then, as we left one day, he just rested his hand at the perfect angle and, sure enough, there at 12 o'clock was the Rolex logo; my view of it was only obscured by the second hand as it ticked past.... one whole second at a time.

I lost interest in a watch related conversation at that point :lol:
There is of course the oysterquartz which would behave in that exact way.
Not sure that's a diver though...
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by Bungle-ator »

^^^^^^i think it was mainly (if only?) used on DJ's.
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Re: Levels of recognition?

Post by nbg »

Bungle-ator wrote: Tue Sep 08, 2020 3:56 pm ^^^^^^i think it was mainly (if only?) used on DJ's.
Yep primarily DJs with a much smaller number of Day-Dates.

All with a distinct case shape.
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