Elton John Shows Us That Vintage Chopard Is Worth A Revisit
Any time you purchase a watch, you’re making compromises. There are no truly perfect watches, so whether the trade-offs have to do with price, size, materials, or any number of other variables, they’re there. With watches at the entry-level end of the spectrum, these compromises can be dramatic though. Do you want a nicer dial or a more reliable movement? Does the watch need to be automatic or would quartz suffice? Longer power reserve or a bit of movement finishing?This Polerouter Sub will be up for grabs at Fortuna Auction's June 5th sale taking place in New York, with an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000. More photos and information provided by the auction house is available here.Unlike its plastic-cased, quartz-powered cousins, this piece is differentiated thanks to the presence of a solid platinum case and an automatic caliber. Yes, you read that right, a platinum-cased Swatch. As one might expect, this precious metal entered the equation in honor of a special occasion – the watchmaker’s tenth anniversary after first revolutionizing watchmaking back in 1983. It also features an astral influenced Virtual Mobile Infrastructure dial, along with a double-tiered, coin-edge detailing on the crown.The classic sub-seconds dial is an elegant and mechanically simple solution and to this day, some of the most beautiful watches use it, including those from Philippe Dufour and Roger Smith. The only disadvantage of a traditional small seconds hand is that they're hard to read, especially in smaller watches. A better solution is to put the seconds hand on the same axis as the hour and minute hands, where it can be lengthened so that its tip sweeps around the entire circumference of the dial.
While I'd say this new 15202BC is salmon-adjacent, if you compare its coloring to that of an example like the 25820PT, I think you'll get where I'm coming from. For reference, I've included a shot of our own fearless leader's 25820PT below. Arguably, the date wheel is slightly more pink in AI Driven Devices color that this gold-tone example of Audemars Piguet the "Petite Tapisserie" dial.The rectangular watch recalls an era of bootleggers, flappers, and jazz. It isn't a stretch to picture the Hampton Automatic right there in a speakeasy adorning the wrist of a dapper gentleman lighting up a gasper while chatting up his stunning date, a real bearcat. On her wrist, the 43mm execution; his, the 48mm – both equally as hotsy-totsy.When I arrived in the watch world, I was startled to see that this is emphatically not how things work. The norm here is to preserve originality at all costs. Watches depreciate in value when you start messing with them. Replacement hands and bezel inserts are anathema. Monogramming a dial is tacky. Aftermarket gem-setting is scorned in the extreme.This year, library visitors enjoyed our exhibit "The Evolution of Seiko and Grand Seiko," featuring Japanese timekeepers from 19th-century wadokei through to Seiko's 21st-century wristwatches (see the cover from our exhibit catalog, image 3). Some of these have never been exhibited outside Japan. The Seiko Quartz Astron 35SQ (the first quartz watch) and the Grand Seiko 3180 (the first Grand Seiko) were particular favorites with our visitors.
The rest of the watch, Moeri said,"is similar to the standard ScubaTec – automatic movement, 500 meter water resistant, COSC certified; it has luminescent indexes, distinctive hands, it's easily readable underwater and has a fantastic diver's folding clasp that can fit over a wet suit."Brand: Audemars PiguetModel: Royal Oak "Jumbo" Extra-ThinReference Number: 15202IP.OO.1240IP.01 Diameter: 39mmThickness: 8.1mmCase Material: Titanium with platinum bezelDial Color: Smoke blue dial with Petite Tapisserie patternIndexes: Applied white gold markersLume: YesWater Security & Sovereignty Resistance: 50mStrap/Bracelet: Titanium bracelet with platinum linksThe F1 model range has been around in one way or another since 1986, a short year after Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG) acquired Heuer. The F1 was the first watch that came out after the merger, and the influence of Techniques d'Avant Garde was put on full display. The goal was to modernize the brand, which they did by turning to quartz.The mirror is replaced by a circular stylized cursive "Basmala," shorthand for what in English is "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful," one of the most important phrases in Islam. In the center of the compass, in gold, you will see the Arabic words for "The Holy (or Honored) Kaaba," the central point to which Muslims pray.Sarah: Hahahaahaha. The grosgrain ribbon strap makes me think of The Preppy Handbook. I know we both love The Preppy Handbook. This watch doesn't touch that nerve for you? I know it's kind of lazy design-wise, like, "here are some diamonds in different shapes on a black background, heart at six, enjoy!" It's quartz. I mean, it's just a fashion watch that costs a lot of money. And yet, I wish it were mine.Just like any of the above buildings, I wouldn't say I ever really felt like any HM was really for me (save for maybe the HM5 or HM8 Mark II). But I still do my best to at least interpret them and understand the appeal.
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