This is mainly problems, I have problems, watch-I-want problems, first world problems. I like many watches, I put them in baskets. I have many baskets with many watches in those baskets, begging me to make myself bankrupt. I am a basket case.
The universe keeps throwing time at me, I have no more space for time in this reality. I am busy, and funds, oh so limited, have been allocated to other pressing concerns. However, as we know, there is the paradoxical nonsense of buying a watch - satiating and hungering you at once, it's a Heisenberg super-uncertainty type issue. The Cartier (see last post) has brought forth the watchoholism.
I can't make sense of it, I can't move forward. There are various watches that are bothering me no end, I need this month to be over so I can know whether I have the money to spend or I don't. Like I said, first world problems. Does that make them any less impactful on the blood pressure, no it doesn't.
Prices keep dropping and the internet keeps telling me that they are dropping, but they never drop enough. The limited edition Cartier Tank Geneve, the quartz one with the black nipple that started off at £7500, many much monies. I was informed this week via my Chrono24 price alarm (that I should disable but don't) that the price has been dropped again to £4950.
In relentless Rolex and luxury market news, prices look to be stagnating after a drop and the Rolex Milgauss 116400 GV that I really want was in my Watchfinder basket, it was really well priced, and I could have made an offer that might well be accepted, sitting at £7265, but was on flash sale previously at £7085. I really like it, really. It sold, as you might have gathered from the past tense, someone snatched it from my basket. Box, no papers, 2013, and circa, £2000 less than most others. Sunuvabitch, my baby, some dingo stole my baby.
Also in my Watchfinder basket, another Cartier, the absolutely stunning Rotonde de Cartier (W1550751), white gold, big date, manual wind, Cartier Paris Guilloche dial, I mean it is wonderful. Price dropped
recently too, to a still troubling £8670, now though back up to £10,200, you can make an offer. So go on, make an offer and then send me the watch.
And bloody Watches of Switzerland are in on my pain too, the cool but usually overpriced retailer is not usually somewhere I look but, you guessed it, they have yet another of my French fancies, the Cartier Santos Dumont XL (W2007051). I just love the shape on this, white gold, smooth curves, manual wind and nice recessed crown with large non-cabochon sapphire. It's sleek and sexy and £5395, which is a good deal. It is, honest.
As I look at these watches and the prices, I realised my problems are exacerbating by the move to more frequent purchase of and exposure to luxury brands, which invariably puts me on the path to dearer watches. The self imposed and social pressure of status solidifying timepieces now Tudor and Cartier staples are sitting pretty in my watch box.
And in line with that, we have the coolest, and riskiest potential purchase, a tourbillon, but not just any old whirlwind - the TAG Heuer Carrera Glassbox Tourbillon CBS5010.FC6543. An absolute beauty, but an international delivery from a private seller in the U.S of A is just a no go for a tourbillon, there is no recourse or accountability. therefore there can be no purchase. Oh, the price, a very reasonable £10,791, then VAT and delivery to be added, we're looking at £13k odd,
I need some money my peoples, help a brother out over here. Once I have more time to dedicate to this I will start a 'go fund me' campaign or something, that will definitely work.
Somehow, there is one more watch that has me on tenterhooks (even though I don't know what they are), itching to pull the trigger, like Biden at a Trump rally. It's this Zenith Defy, in black ceramic, including the bracelet, ooft. A complicated masterpiece with the el primero 1/100th chronograph, it has two escapements, so the chronograph can be wound separately and used even if the watch has no power. Why would you want to do that, why wouldn't you. When you think about this watch and all it offers, form and function, and form. It was on sale for £8125, no papers, some missing links - no problem, it's back up to £8550 but I could make an offer, I'd say £7950, they'd say no, and then I'd cry. And to think the Milgauss is around the same price, so basic it is.
It's clear that I want the Zenith way more than any of the other basket watches, and maybe even more than quality time with Alexandra Daddario. Actually, with that Zenith on my wrist, I could probably woo her (she's a TAG Heuer ambassador but it's ok). I would tell her all about the history of Zenith chronographs, and show her the slick ceramic bracelet and the speed of the 1/100th chrono hand- I would be so in there. Maybe she has a Tag Tourbillon, we could swap and wear each others watches, oh yea, this sounds promising.
Now, I'm ogling picture of both the Defy and the Daddario. Then I ogled some videos of both, damn it's close between which got me more excited haha, I've got more issues than I started the blog post with. Let's see what the next few weeks bring, maybe I'll buy a little something to satiate me in the short run, just a little taste of the good stuff, just a little hit. There are many decision to be made in the light of coming events, for now I remain in the darkness, a troubled watchoholic and basket case.
Yours Oglingly,
Alvin
P.S. To be clear I can't afford any of these watches right now, hence the attempt to offload them here, blog therapy. And I also discovered that the ceramic is just a coating over aluminium, I don't love that.
Rolex Milgauss 116400 GV
Cartier Rotonde de Cartier (W1550751)
Cartier Santos Dumont XL (W2007051).
TAG Heuer Glassbox Tourbillon (CBS5010.FC6543)
Zenith Defy (49.9000.9004/78.M9000)