i started my collection primarily with chronographs, adding some other interesting
devices along the way. being a former manufacturing engineer / turned air-traffic
controller, the mechanisms and power sources interested me foremost. i started with
several quartz watches, moved to an automatic, tried some accutrons (which i still
feel to have one of the most ingenious movements ever made), looked at hamiltons, etc.
i found myself constantly coming back to the automatic movements - i guess i find
just a little bit more 憇oul?in an automatic. before the flames start, no ?i am not
forgetting about handwinds. ;-)(notice the gruen) several automatic chronos
eventually found their way into the stable.
once i had settled my interest on
mechanical matches, it was a natural progression on to added complications. i already
had several chronographs. an explorer ii and a breitling cosmonaut answered a need
for secondary and alternative time displays, and a gerald genta golfing mickey
fulfilled my need for whimsy. i next moved on to a jlc master moon.
the master moon
was a nice watch. i really liked the moon-phase display and the fine work on the
movement. the triple date was nice as well, especially considering the weird shifts i
work and how easy it is to lose track of the days / dates, but the watch was just a
little too cultured for my tastes. i come from a blue-collar background and i only
wear a suit once or twice per year ?a dressy watch is not a high priority for me.
i
started looking at perpetuals, but found that the majority of them were as dressy, or
even more so, than the jlc. i was also concerned with the legibility of the sub
displays. my aging eyes had trouble with the jlc抯 day and month indicators and many
of the other watches i saw, such as the novocento, were even smaller.
i had seen a big
date first on a lange and thought that it was pretty cool. when i first found the
glash黷te klassik and karee perpetuals with the big date i was intrigued. i actually
came close to buying a klassik moonphase with the big date that i saw on the sales
corner, but i held off fearing that it would be to dressy. i also had been eyeballing
the ulysse nardin acqua perpetual, but preferred having a moonphase over a year
readout.
once i saw the navigator, i was hooked. it seemed to have everything i needed
?big date, incredibly legible sub indicators, in-house movement, more of a sporty
look, etc. additionally, this was a limited edition watch, but is that good or bad?
i had mixed feelings on buying one. intending this to be a regular use watch, the
exclusivity of the limited edition is somewhat wasted on me and would probably be
better appreciate by a 慶ollector? also, a limited edition means higher cost ?3 to 4
times what i had previously paid for any watch and a substantial amount over the
non-limited editions.
two different watches appeared on the sales corner in a short
period of time. i contacted both sellers and entered into negotiations, neither of
which came to fruition; however, through these initial contacts i was able to find a
piece that was available and reached an agreement. in the mean time, i sold off
several of my other watches to finance the effort.
so, here it is!!
the box is as you抎
expect for a perpetual. solid wood, nice documentation, nifty adjusting tool,
etc.
the strap and clasp are very nice. the wider 慿eeper loops?on the strap definitely
in keeping with the more sporting nature or the watch. i replaced the strap with a
hirsch carbon fiber strap immediately after these pictures were taken. (see below) i
placed an order for the go bracelet through someone connected well enough to get me a
little discount. it took a while for the bracelet to arrive, but i think it was worth
the wait.
the movement is imho beautiful. i can抰 recite the technical details of it
?i抣l leave that for those in this forum who are more qualified. sapphire back. 21kt
rotor. swan neck, etc.
this picture shows the excellent dial layout. all indicators
are very legible, even in low light. the dial itself is actually a very deep brown or
charcoal color that i was unable to bring out in these photos. the luminosity is
quite good as well. even the individual minute indices are luminous. right under the
word 慜riginal?is the year indicator dot. you can see in this picture that it is
turning from yellow to black, the other two colors being white and red for the leap
year. the display shows ?and ?for the entire month of december.
the case is very
finely finished; this is especially noticeable in the case to lug transition. i have
worn the watch 3 ?4 days per week for the last 3 months and it still looks good.
whatever small signs of wear it has picked up are well hidden by the matte finish.
case height is 12 mm, diameter 38mm, lug width 19.5mm.
the case>
the bracelet arrived
today. it is quite comfortable and adds a fair amount of heft to the watch. the end
links are solid and a very tight fit; it took a little bit of work to get the spring
bars to re-engage after i installed them. two links were easily removed to fit my 7
1/2?wrist. i had been waiting for awhile for this bracelet so even though i was home
sick, i had a little bit of single-malt to celebrate!
>
i have had this watch for 3
months and have not regretted the move at all. the watches i sold were:
