Here are my impressions of some of the brands. My choices were subjective, and based on what interested me. I made no attempt to make a marathon of the show and include every maker, as I am simply not built for it, physically or mentally. I tried to focus on second- and even third tier brands. I deliberately avoided "jewelry" watch brands, high end brands, and brands connected with the conglomerates, such as Swatch Group, LVMH, and Richemont Group, as they get plenty of press, and gotten too crazy anyway.
OK, in no particular order:
1. Eberhard. Excellent. They let the product speak for itself. Zero celebrity ambassadors. They had a wonderful display of vintage watches. They granted me a private interview, and their general manager, Mario Peserico, had some interesting insights into the concept of "luxury," which I will share later. Their PR contact promises to work very hard in the next 30 days to get me some nice archival material for an article.
2. Glycine. Very good. Celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. They also had a nice display of vintage watches. No time for an interview, but they did refer me to their web-based heritage project on Facebook, which they are doing in conjunction with a private collector.
3. Doxa. Poor. Very sad what has happened to this former great watch brand. Despite a very nice display of vintage watches, their booth was staffed by fembots who referred me to the company website for historical information.
4. Edox. Trying hard. Edox has a small but loyal following among sport and dive watch enthusiasts, and I had hoped they could assist me with some historical information. They granted me a private interview, but could shed little light on their history, as most records were discarded in the 1980s.
5. Enicar. They were very nice to me and presented me with a nice hardcover book, but they are basically catering to the Asian market with big gaudy watches. Their vintage "Sherpa" series watches were so nice and are so very collectible.
6. Alpina. A real pity. I had high hopes with this brand going to the show, i.e. that they could provide me with some artifacts for a historical story. But it has been bought by the husband-and-wife company who own Frederique Constante and is being used as the "sport brand" compliment to the FC luxury line. I got the impression they would just as soon forget that Alpina ever made a dress watch. Although they DO mention, by no small coincidence I'm sure, their role in the production of the caliber 877 movement for the Rolex Prince.
7. Shinola. OK, I know. Quartz watches. But I love the back story of this company, and I got a 15 minute private interview with Steve Bock, the CEO. Although I could not pin him down definitively, he hinted that mechanical watches are on the horizon. Their big news at BW2014 was the limited lifetime warranty on all Shinola watches, retroactive to all watches sold previously.
8. Blancpain. Super nice dive and sport watches. They gave me a really nice hardcover book, but no vintage watches on display. Their vintage "50 Fathoms" and "Bathyscaphe" just keep going up, up, up. Hope to do a story on them some day.
9. Eterna. Fantastic brand in their day. Not quite sure what is happening with them. They were sold to the China Haiden Group. China will eventually own everything I suppose.
10. West End. They made some very neat watches in the early days for the British colonies. Now, a total money grab. They claims to be "Swiss," but they are catering to the Asian market. What a pity. The female Asian staffing the booth seemed like she could hardly stand my presence, shoved a catalog in my hand, and told me she had appointments to keep.
11. Mathey-Tissot. Made very nice vintage watches, now with a strong Asian connection. They treated me courteously and showed me several vintage pieces from their private area, and also had several nice vintage pieces on display. They are a different company from Tissot, but they were connected once upon a time, and I'm still not quite sure how all that worked. Will find out.
Next up will be my comments on the current state of the watch industry, comments are not likely to win me any praise from many of the manufacturers, nor from the Baselworld media accreditation committee, but then neither is very likely to give a shit about my tiny blog or the NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin, for that matter. But at least it is my honest opinion and my own original thoughts. I witnessed many so-called journalists here copying their stories verbatim from company and show press releases, and putting their bylines on them. In effect, much of the watch media is merely a "tool" of the industry, which is a sad thing when there is virtually no distinction in watch publications these days between advertising and editorial, but I'm sure that's just the way the industry likes it. Stay tuned for the commentary from this very small (but at least honest) fish in the big pond.
Bruce
Monday, March 31, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Impressions of a Baselworld Newbie
Basel Switzerland Saturday March 29
The world "show" fails to capture the grandeur, spectacle, and sheer decadence that is Baselworld 2014. But for convenience sake, I will simply refer to this short hand version for my report.
This is my fourth full day at the "show," and I finally feel acclimated enough to give some impressions. First of all there is the sheer scale of this show in terms of physical size. Building 1 (the main exhibit hall) has three stories, with each story requiring ascent by two escalator flights. Each floor is like walking a shopping district in any major city, except each store is a watch or jewelry (or combination) establishment.
Except they aren't really "stores," but rather exhibit pavilions, but unlike any other I've seen. For all practical purposes, they resemble and serve as facilities to house their goods, and keep their staff and visitors comfortable and feeling like they are a brick-and-mortar facility, but they are built in modular fashion in such a way that they can be set up and disassembled in a few days. They are not only functional, but are works of art in themselves designed to dazzle the public and outdo the competition, and attract attention ("Come see what's going on over here."). But at the same time, not be gaudy or garish. Where that line is crossed I am not exactly sure, but as a final test, a pavilion's design must pass final approval by an exhibition committee for being "tasteful" and built to proper scale (they must be two stories tall, for example) and safety code. Take the Hermes pavilion, for example:
A building wrapped in an exoskeleton of wooden slats. An attention grabber for sure, but beyond that I defer to your judgment. One my favorites was the Bulgari pavilion. Not a fan of the brand myself, but was impressed with the Disney Music Hall-inspired design:
Or maybe the sides are a representation of a watchband, who's to say. But these buildings are designed and built in great secrecy, and at a cost that I'm sure is into the millions of dollars. The exhibitor entry fee into the Main Exhibit Hall, street level, I'm told is $5 million, and then the exhibitor must build his pavilion in addition to that. The exterior walls of some pavilions are giant video screens, requiring an entire room inside the pavilion for computers and servers to keep the giant media presentation operational. Other pavilions, meanwhile, have restaurants with professional chefs to feed their staff and VIP guests.
I can't help but be in a certain awe of all this high tech, style, and ingenuity. Yet the average show-goer seems fairly blasé about the whole thing, striding down the walkways of the exhibit hall as though it were an everyday occurrence.
Then there is the whole central plaza, or "Messeplatz," which cuts through the main exhibit hall at street level and serves as the tram stop to deliver showgoers to and from the train stations and various other destinations throughout Basel. Beginning in 2013, it was covered, with a giant "doughnut hole" built into the middle, which serves as a skylight.
Unveiled at the show in 2013, it cost $365 million (comprising the largest chunk of a $500 million makeover of Hall 1). It was prebuilt in modules, and installed in less than 12 months after the closing of the 2012 show. The space above the new ceiling of the Messeplatz, on floors two and three, are now additional exhibition space.
Here are some more numbers and initial impressions of the show:
* An estimated 100,000 people will attend the show;
* There are approximately 4,000 journalists here from all over the world, from well known publications to obscure "I just made it up last week" blogs and Facebook pages. I would go so far as to say that print publications devoted to watches are on their way out. Virtual magazines are where the action is;
* 22 billion Swiss francs of watches were exported from Switzerland in 2013, making watches the backbone of the Swiss economy, even ahead of tourism and chocolate (but not banking, which the industry does not reveal, though I suspect is in excess of 22 billion!);
* Rooms at the Ramada Hotel, immediately adjacent to the fairgrounds, start at 640 Swiss francs (about $755 US) per night, and go up from there, and they are sold out. By comparison, my room at the InterCity Hotel in Freiburg, Germany is $148 per night, plus $58 daily round trip for the train ride to and from Basel.
* The mayor of Basel, attending opening ceremonies, declared Baselworld the city's most important (read $$$-producing) event; and
* the new buzzword this year is "Swissness," both a noun and adjective to designate a singular origin of a watch to Switzerland. The Swiss watch industry successfully petitioned the Swiss parliament to trademark the word, which will give the industry group the right to sue any non-Swiss company that might try to use the word.
Finally, here is a photo of yours truly, a rare moment in a business suit, and holding my all-important media badge which gives access to the "media center," an oasis that affords me wi-fi access (where I am composing this entry now), bathrooms, snacks, and a multitude of caffeine-infused beverages.
That's it for this installment. More to come, including brand impressions.
Bruce
The world "show" fails to capture the grandeur, spectacle, and sheer decadence that is Baselworld 2014. But for convenience sake, I will simply refer to this short hand version for my report.
This is my fourth full day at the "show," and I finally feel acclimated enough to give some impressions. First of all there is the sheer scale of this show in terms of physical size. Building 1 (the main exhibit hall) has three stories, with each story requiring ascent by two escalator flights. Each floor is like walking a shopping district in any major city, except each store is a watch or jewelry (or combination) establishment.
Except they aren't really "stores," but rather exhibit pavilions, but unlike any other I've seen. For all practical purposes, they resemble and serve as facilities to house their goods, and keep their staff and visitors comfortable and feeling like they are a brick-and-mortar facility, but they are built in modular fashion in such a way that they can be set up and disassembled in a few days. They are not only functional, but are works of art in themselves designed to dazzle the public and outdo the competition, and attract attention ("Come see what's going on over here."). But at the same time, not be gaudy or garish. Where that line is crossed I am not exactly sure, but as a final test, a pavilion's design must pass final approval by an exhibition committee for being "tasteful" and built to proper scale (they must be two stories tall, for example) and safety code. Take the Hermes pavilion, for example:
 |
| Hermes pavilion (Courtesy Baselworld) |
A building wrapped in an exoskeleton of wooden slats. An attention grabber for sure, but beyond that I defer to your judgment. One my favorites was the Bulgari pavilion. Not a fan of the brand myself, but was impressed with the Disney Music Hall-inspired design:
Bulgari pavilion (Photo courtesy Baselworld)
Or maybe the sides are a representation of a watchband, who's to say. But these buildings are designed and built in great secrecy, and at a cost that I'm sure is into the millions of dollars. The exhibitor entry fee into the Main Exhibit Hall, street level, I'm told is $5 million, and then the exhibitor must build his pavilion in addition to that. The exterior walls of some pavilions are giant video screens, requiring an entire room inside the pavilion for computers and servers to keep the giant media presentation operational. Other pavilions, meanwhile, have restaurants with professional chefs to feed their staff and VIP guests.
I can't help but be in a certain awe of all this high tech, style, and ingenuity. Yet the average show-goer seems fairly blasé about the whole thing, striding down the walkways of the exhibit hall as though it were an everyday occurrence.
Then there is the whole central plaza, or "Messeplatz," which cuts through the main exhibit hall at street level and serves as the tram stop to deliver showgoers to and from the train stations and various other destinations throughout Basel. Beginning in 2013, it was covered, with a giant "doughnut hole" built into the middle, which serves as a skylight.
Messeplatz (Courtesy Baselworld)
Unveiled at the show in 2013, it cost $365 million (comprising the largest chunk of a $500 million makeover of Hall 1). It was prebuilt in modules, and installed in less than 12 months after the closing of the 2012 show. The space above the new ceiling of the Messeplatz, on floors two and three, are now additional exhibition space.
Here are some more numbers and initial impressions of the show:
* An estimated 100,000 people will attend the show;
* There are approximately 4,000 journalists here from all over the world, from well known publications to obscure "I just made it up last week" blogs and Facebook pages. I would go so far as to say that print publications devoted to watches are on their way out. Virtual magazines are where the action is;
* 22 billion Swiss francs of watches were exported from Switzerland in 2013, making watches the backbone of the Swiss economy, even ahead of tourism and chocolate (but not banking, which the industry does not reveal, though I suspect is in excess of 22 billion!);
* Rooms at the Ramada Hotel, immediately adjacent to the fairgrounds, start at 640 Swiss francs (about $755 US) per night, and go up from there, and they are sold out. By comparison, my room at the InterCity Hotel in Freiburg, Germany is $148 per night, plus $58 daily round trip for the train ride to and from Basel.
* The mayor of Basel, attending opening ceremonies, declared Baselworld the city's most important (read $$$-producing) event; and
* the new buzzword this year is "Swissness," both a noun and adjective to designate a singular origin of a watch to Switzerland. The Swiss watch industry successfully petitioned the Swiss parliament to trademark the word, which will give the industry group the right to sue any non-Swiss company that might try to use the word.
Finally, here is a photo of yours truly, a rare moment in a business suit, and holding my all-important media badge which gives access to the "media center," an oasis that affords me wi-fi access (where I am composing this entry now), bathrooms, snacks, and a multitude of caffeine-infused beverages.
That's it for this installment. More to come, including brand impressions.
Bruce
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Baselworld 2014 Preflight Check
Dear friends,
I am off to Germany/Switzerland Monday March 24 to attend Baselworld 2014, the fulfillment of an aspiration long on my bucket list. For those who don't know, Baselworld is the granddady of all watch shows. Hosted in Basel, Switzerland, and dominated heavily by Swiss watch manufacturers, the exposition has evolved from an obscure show attended by a small cadre of well monied Euro-aristocrats, to an extravaganza with well in excess of 100,000 attendees, ranging from the superwealthy to anyone who can come up with $50 to get in the door. (That's for a day pass; attending all seven days of the show will set you back $165.)
For wristwatch aficionados, it is akin to visiting Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Even for those of us who prefer vintage watches over new, it's still a pilgrimage that must be made at least once in one's lifetime, if for no other reason than the sheer excess of it. If there is a downside to it all, it's that it's strictly a "look but don't touch" kind of show, with everything locked securely under glass display cases. And no buying, not that I could afford anything there anyway. But if I were rich (which I am not) and the impulsive type (which I am) it would drive me crazy to be awash in an ocean of watches and not be able to buy one or two or a dozen!
Which brings up an obvious question: What's a report on an expo showcasing expensive watches doing in a blog devoted to budget watch collecting?
The answer: Having some fun.
At the very least I will not be reporting on the super-expensive watches, the Patek Philippe minute repeaters and the Jaeger LeCoultre tourbillion Reversos with the "are you fu**ing kidding me" prices. I will be focusing instead on the second- and third-tier companies that are putting out fine quality watches that, while still beyond my modest means, are earth-based priced and one day might even be affordable to me once they have entered the secondary market.
So bear with me while I indulge in a flight of fancy. And speaking of flights, let me tell you about a few of my preparations and expenses for the trip:
* Round trip airfare on Lufthansa from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany and back: $974
* Eight night's accommodation at the InterCity Hotel in Freiburg: $1,000
* Train fares (to and from airport, and daily commute to show): $475 (estimate)
* Clothes: $400
Total so far: $2,799
A few comments: 1. I managed to wrangle a press pass, so I get comp admission to the show. 2. I don't count food because I have to eat no matter where I am. At least my hotel includes breakfast with the room charge. 3. Why Freiburg, you may ask? Because if I stayed in Basel, my hotel expense would at least double.
Now, about the clothes. I'm basically a slob when it comes to clothes. I buy off the clearance racks at Eddie Bauer, and haven't worn a suit in 20 years or more. Baselworld is a dress up affair. Seriously. The stereotypes of the Swiss being a fastidious and persnickety people are all true from what I've heard. And everyone I spoke with who's attended Baselworld told me the Swiss reps won't give you the time of day (I can't believe I just wrote that) if you approach their booth looking like a bum, media badge or no.
So as much as I hated to do it, I had to go out and buy some duds. Luckily I have a friend who is ample of waistline like me and sold me one of his no longer fitting suits for $20. Picked up another suit at a discount retailer for another hundred bucks. Five dress shirts at various places, including Goodwill, and add another $50. Throw in some socks, used neckties, pair of dress shoes, a fresh batch of T-shirts (essential as the first line of defense against sweat and armpit odor), and about $65 worth of alterations, and we're up to $400. So I definitely won't be winning any awards for best dressed reporter at Baselworld, but I think I'll pass muster.
Oh, yes, and then there's some investment in electronic gear. I bought:
* a new Microsoft Surface RT tablet with detachable keyboard: $400;
* a quad-band unlocked cell phone with reloadable SIM card that can be used most anywhere in Europe, $100 plus whatever I spend on calls. (Purchased mostly for emergency and peace of mind.);
* digital voice recorder for interviews and notes to self, $30;
* universal voltage adapter to recharge all my electronic crap, $30.
I already have a perfectly adequate digital camera, and a perfectly good courier bag in which to put all this crap into, so no money spent there.
So I figure I'm into this trip $3,560 so far, give or take. So not exactly cheap, but some items on a bucket list require busting loose a few bucks, and this is one of those times. Guess that ride aboard Richard Branson's spaceship will have to wait a few years.
Until Basel,
Bruce
I am off to Germany/Switzerland Monday March 24 to attend Baselworld 2014, the fulfillment of an aspiration long on my bucket list. For those who don't know, Baselworld is the granddady of all watch shows. Hosted in Basel, Switzerland, and dominated heavily by Swiss watch manufacturers, the exposition has evolved from an obscure show attended by a small cadre of well monied Euro-aristocrats, to an extravaganza with well in excess of 100,000 attendees, ranging from the superwealthy to anyone who can come up with $50 to get in the door. (That's for a day pass; attending all seven days of the show will set you back $165.)
For wristwatch aficionados, it is akin to visiting Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Even for those of us who prefer vintage watches over new, it's still a pilgrimage that must be made at least once in one's lifetime, if for no other reason than the sheer excess of it. If there is a downside to it all, it's that it's strictly a "look but don't touch" kind of show, with everything locked securely under glass display cases. And no buying, not that I could afford anything there anyway. But if I were rich (which I am not) and the impulsive type (which I am) it would drive me crazy to be awash in an ocean of watches and not be able to buy one or two or a dozen!
 |
| The outside of Exhibit Hall 1, which underwent a $500 million renovation, completed in 2013. |
Which brings up an obvious question: What's a report on an expo showcasing expensive watches doing in a blog devoted to budget watch collecting?
The answer: Having some fun.
At the very least I will not be reporting on the super-expensive watches, the Patek Philippe minute repeaters and the Jaeger LeCoultre tourbillion Reversos with the "are you fu**ing kidding me" prices. I will be focusing instead on the second- and third-tier companies that are putting out fine quality watches that, while still beyond my modest means, are earth-based priced and one day might even be affordable to me once they have entered the secondary market.
So bear with me while I indulge in a flight of fancy. And speaking of flights, let me tell you about a few of my preparations and expenses for the trip:
* Round trip airfare on Lufthansa from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany and back: $974
* Eight night's accommodation at the InterCity Hotel in Freiburg: $1,000
* Train fares (to and from airport, and daily commute to show): $475 (estimate)
* Clothes: $400
Total so far: $2,799
A few comments: 1. I managed to wrangle a press pass, so I get comp admission to the show. 2. I don't count food because I have to eat no matter where I am. At least my hotel includes breakfast with the room charge. 3. Why Freiburg, you may ask? Because if I stayed in Basel, my hotel expense would at least double.
 |
| An interior exhibit by Blancpain ... a 2-story television screen |
Now, about the clothes. I'm basically a slob when it comes to clothes. I buy off the clearance racks at Eddie Bauer, and haven't worn a suit in 20 years or more. Baselworld is a dress up affair. Seriously. The stereotypes of the Swiss being a fastidious and persnickety people are all true from what I've heard. And everyone I spoke with who's attended Baselworld told me the Swiss reps won't give you the time of day (I can't believe I just wrote that) if you approach their booth looking like a bum, media badge or no.
So as much as I hated to do it, I had to go out and buy some duds. Luckily I have a friend who is ample of waistline like me and sold me one of his no longer fitting suits for $20. Picked up another suit at a discount retailer for another hundred bucks. Five dress shirts at various places, including Goodwill, and add another $50. Throw in some socks, used neckties, pair of dress shoes, a fresh batch of T-shirts (essential as the first line of defense against sweat and armpit odor), and about $65 worth of alterations, and we're up to $400. So I definitely won't be winning any awards for best dressed reporter at Baselworld, but I think I'll pass muster.
Oh, yes, and then there's some investment in electronic gear. I bought:
* a new Microsoft Surface RT tablet with detachable keyboard: $400;
* a quad-band unlocked cell phone with reloadable SIM card that can be used most anywhere in Europe, $100 plus whatever I spend on calls. (Purchased mostly for emergency and peace of mind.);
* digital voice recorder for interviews and notes to self, $30;
* universal voltage adapter to recharge all my electronic crap, $30.
I already have a perfectly adequate digital camera, and a perfectly good courier bag in which to put all this crap into, so no money spent there.
So I figure I'm into this trip $3,560 so far, give or take. So not exactly cheap, but some items on a bucket list require busting loose a few bucks, and this is one of those times. Guess that ride aboard Richard Branson's spaceship will have to wait a few years.
Until Basel,
Bruce
Friday, March 14, 2014
Rolex Absent from Consumer Reports List of Best Watches
OK, the catch here is that the article is from November 1949 in which the magazine ranked 46 watch brands in order of their quality and reliability. Consumers Union, the parent organization of the magazine which conducts the actual product testing, did not actually test the watches, but rather surveyed a single "competent watch expert" to rank various watch brands, from best to worst, based on his experience.
The results are anything but scientific (CU would not even publish such an article today), but it sure makes for interesting reading. Not surprisingly, Patek Philippe, Vacheron & Constantin, and Audemars Piguet, were ranked first, second, and third, respectively. But the next 43 brands present an interesting snapshot of one "expert's" opinion that could easily have been debated at the time, and certainly would be debatable today, given which brands are most desired by collectors, versus those brands that have disappeared into obscurity.
For example, C.H. Meylan, and Touchon ranked fourth and fifth, and today are virtually unknown except for a select group of collectors who are into obscure high-end brands. The first American brand that made the list was Hamilton, at number nine. Elgin was next, at number 18, and Waltham didn't even make the list. Lonville, which distributed watches with inexpensive 7-jewel Swiss movements, came in last. Benrus and Helbros, generally considered the bottom of the heap by most contemporary collectors, ranked above such brands as Buren, Mido, and Croton.
Automatic, or self-winding, watches, by the way, were deemed "unreliable" by Consumers Union.
Conspicuously absent from the list was Rolex which today is without a doubt the most recognized watch brand in America. But what many people do not realize is that, prior to about 1960, the brand was not very familiar to the American market, and prior to probably the middle '50s was virtually unknown. The company's primary markets were Great Britain and its colonies at the time. (Rolex was founded in London in 1905, and founder Hans Wilsdorf, though born in Germany, was by this time a British citizen himself.)
I think more than anything, this 1949 article in Consumer Reports is a testament to the power of advertising. It has been said of Rolex that they are a company which produces a fairly good watch, but has the best marketing department in the world. Ask most any American to name a quality watch, and they will say Rolex.
I make no secret of the fact that I don't hold modern Rolexes watches (those made after 1960) in very high regard. I have nothing against them; I just find them boring. But I will concede one undeniable fact: If you find yourself down and out in most any city in the world, Rolex is the watch you want strapped to your wrist, because there isn't a pawnbroker in the world who would deny you a loan on that watch if you needed food in your belly or a plane ticket home. If "watch-as-commodity" is your goal, then Rolex is your brand!
Interestingly, a primary distributor of Patek Phlippe watches in America in 1949 was Montgomery Ward, the giant catalog retailer. The Consumer Reports article told readers they could buy a Patek Philippe watch starting at $350 from Wards. I could scarcely believe it, but a friend of mine owns a 1943 Wards catalog, and there on page 475 are six Patek Phillipe men's wristwatches in 18kt gold, starting at $250!
At a time when a good quality watch could be purchased for around $40, this was certainly a lot of money. But think what those watches would be worth today!
Anyway, the article in Consumer Reports provides food for thought. Incidentally, the next time the magazine rated men's wristwatches was in 1958, and this time it appears CU actually tested the watches. Again Rolex was missing from the list. The highest recommended watch was a Croton Nivada Grenchen, a brand which had previously ranked 36th among 43 brands as "reliable." The watch was an automatic watch to boot, so CU's opinion of automatic watches had obviously improved since 1949!
Thanks to Tom Jeswald, of the Northern Illinois Watch & Clock Collector's club, for bringing this article to my attention. His more complete story is currently under editorial review at the NAWCC, and hopefully will be published soon!
Bruce Shawkey
The results are anything but scientific (CU would not even publish such an article today), but it sure makes for interesting reading. Not surprisingly, Patek Philippe, Vacheron & Constantin, and Audemars Piguet, were ranked first, second, and third, respectively. But the next 43 brands present an interesting snapshot of one "expert's" opinion that could easily have been debated at the time, and certainly would be debatable today, given which brands are most desired by collectors, versus those brands that have disappeared into obscurity.
For example, C.H. Meylan, and Touchon ranked fourth and fifth, and today are virtually unknown except for a select group of collectors who are into obscure high-end brands. The first American brand that made the list was Hamilton, at number nine. Elgin was next, at number 18, and Waltham didn't even make the list. Lonville, which distributed watches with inexpensive 7-jewel Swiss movements, came in last. Benrus and Helbros, generally considered the bottom of the heap by most contemporary collectors, ranked above such brands as Buren, Mido, and Croton.
Automatic, or self-winding, watches, by the way, were deemed "unreliable" by Consumers Union.
Conspicuously absent from the list was Rolex which today is without a doubt the most recognized watch brand in America. But what many people do not realize is that, prior to about 1960, the brand was not very familiar to the American market, and prior to probably the middle '50s was virtually unknown. The company's primary markets were Great Britain and its colonies at the time. (Rolex was founded in London in 1905, and founder Hans Wilsdorf, though born in Germany, was by this time a British citizen himself.)
I think more than anything, this 1949 article in Consumer Reports is a testament to the power of advertising. It has been said of Rolex that they are a company which produces a fairly good watch, but has the best marketing department in the world. Ask most any American to name a quality watch, and they will say Rolex.
I make no secret of the fact that I don't hold modern Rolexes watches (those made after 1960) in very high regard. I have nothing against them; I just find them boring. But I will concede one undeniable fact: If you find yourself down and out in most any city in the world, Rolex is the watch you want strapped to your wrist, because there isn't a pawnbroker in the world who would deny you a loan on that watch if you needed food in your belly or a plane ticket home. If "watch-as-commodity" is your goal, then Rolex is your brand!
Interestingly, a primary distributor of Patek Phlippe watches in America in 1949 was Montgomery Ward, the giant catalog retailer. The Consumer Reports article told readers they could buy a Patek Philippe watch starting at $350 from Wards. I could scarcely believe it, but a friend of mine owns a 1943 Wards catalog, and there on page 475 are six Patek Phillipe men's wristwatches in 18kt gold, starting at $250!
At a time when a good quality watch could be purchased for around $40, this was certainly a lot of money. But think what those watches would be worth today!
Anyway, the article in Consumer Reports provides food for thought. Incidentally, the next time the magazine rated men's wristwatches was in 1958, and this time it appears CU actually tested the watches. Again Rolex was missing from the list. The highest recommended watch was a Croton Nivada Grenchen, a brand which had previously ranked 36th among 43 brands as "reliable." The watch was an automatic watch to boot, so CU's opinion of automatic watches had obviously improved since 1949!
Thanks to Tom Jeswald, of the Northern Illinois Watch & Clock Collector's club, for bringing this article to my attention. His more complete story is currently under editorial review at the NAWCC, and hopefully will be published soon!
Bruce Shawkey
Friday, February 28, 2014
René Rondeau on Building a Great Watch Collection
This week's post is by my good friend and fellow watch dealer/collector/historian René Rondeau on becoming a serious watch collector and building a great watch collection.
For those of you who may not know René, he is the one who, literally, wrote the book on Hamilton electric watches ... four of them to be precise. His latest edition of The Watch of the Future: The Story of the Hamilton Electric Watch, published in 2006, stands as the definitive reference guide to these amazing timepieces. In 1999, he also published Hamilton Wristwatches: A Collector's Guide, which stands to this day as the definitive reference on mechanical Hamilton wristwatches.
I've known René for the better part of 30 years, and I've always considered him a mentor figure. I have always admired, and tried to emulate, his business model of providing education along with the watch. Back in the days (1980s) before the Internet, René's paper catalogs were like no other. While other watch dealers would cram 50 and sometimes 100 watches into a couple of sheets of paper, with each watch maybe having a one-line description, René's catalog would have maybe 10-12 watches, with a half to full page of text describing every watch. It's a model that continued when René switched over to his website.
I have also endeavored to follow René's example of constant learning. Both René and I are perpetual students of horology and have been frequent visitors, among other places, to the NAWCC Library and Research Center in Columbia, Pa. You can never know too much about watches and their history. It's a lifelong learning process, and after nearly 30 years in this business I continue to be amazed and fascinated at new discoveries.
And most of all, I have tried to follow René's lead of impeccable integrity. Sure, we both love to "talk up" the watches we sell. But we never represent a watch as something it's not. And if the customer is not satisfied, we do everything within reason (and sometimes outside reason!) to make it right. René knows that the vintage watch business is a pretty small world. You live and die by your reputation, and it simply doesn't pay to start cutting corners; word gets out pretty quickly! Conversely, if you're good and treat people right, word gets out just as quickly. I have seen this time and again in René's business, and have tried my best to follow his example.
I recently asked René to reflect on his years both as a collector and dealer, and offer some tips on becoming a serious collector and building a great watch collection.
Here is what he had to say:
* Buy what you like. Pay no attention to what people say you should like. Your own taste is the guiding force.
* Become educated. As they say in coin collecting, "buy the book, then the coin". Knowledge really is power, and with all the great books out there, and the wealth of information on the Internet, there's no excuse for not learning as much as possible about anything you choose to collect.
* Focus. This is the hardest part, at least in the beginning. It's typical to start out scattershot, accumulating rather than collecting. But after a while your tastes will become refined. You'll find the area that holds more interest than others. Once you have found what truly inspires you, focus on that. Sell off less interesting pieces to finance acquisitions in your now-defined chief area of interest.
* To the best of your ability, always buy the best you can afford. Rare pieces tend to hold their value best. Common pieces are always common. Quality should be the goal, not quantity.
* Plan to upgrade. You have two ways to go if you're hunting a very scarce or rare piece: accept only perfection, and expect to hunt for a long time before finding your grail; or be willing to accept minor flaws like case wear, dial refinishing, etc., at least if the price is fair and reflects the condition, and be able to enjoy owning it while you continue your quest for a finer example. When a better one comes along, upgrade and sell off your lesser example. I spent my entire collecting career doing this. I'd rather own a less than mint example of a rare watch than to not have it at all. Sooner or later a chance to get the perfect one will come.
* Focusing doesn't necessarily mean limiting yourself to a single brand, or single type, as I chose to do when I became seduced by Hamilton Electrics. I know a lot of people who collect all types of early electrics. Or people could focus on certain shapes, or mechanical complications, or lesser-known watchmakers, or any of a thousand things that prove to be their chief area of interest. It all comes back to the difference between accumulating and collecting. We all start as accumulators; the 'eureka moment' where a more limited area of interest comes at different times for different people, but sooner or later I think everyone does find a focus, and that's when it really gets to be fun.
* And I think most collectors would agree that the thrill of the hunt is often the most enjoyable part.
Thanks, René!
Sincerely,
Bruce Shawkey
For those of you who may not know René, he is the one who, literally, wrote the book on Hamilton electric watches ... four of them to be precise. His latest edition of The Watch of the Future: The Story of the Hamilton Electric Watch, published in 2006, stands as the definitive reference guide to these amazing timepieces. In 1999, he also published Hamilton Wristwatches: A Collector's Guide, which stands to this day as the definitive reference on mechanical Hamilton wristwatches.
I've known René for the better part of 30 years, and I've always considered him a mentor figure. I have always admired, and tried to emulate, his business model of providing education along with the watch. Back in the days (1980s) before the Internet, René's paper catalogs were like no other. While other watch dealers would cram 50 and sometimes 100 watches into a couple of sheets of paper, with each watch maybe having a one-line description, René's catalog would have maybe 10-12 watches, with a half to full page of text describing every watch. It's a model that continued when René switched over to his website.
I have also endeavored to follow René's example of constant learning. Both René and I are perpetual students of horology and have been frequent visitors, among other places, to the NAWCC Library and Research Center in Columbia, Pa. You can never know too much about watches and their history. It's a lifelong learning process, and after nearly 30 years in this business I continue to be amazed and fascinated at new discoveries.
And most of all, I have tried to follow René's lead of impeccable integrity. Sure, we both love to "talk up" the watches we sell. But we never represent a watch as something it's not. And if the customer is not satisfied, we do everything within reason (and sometimes outside reason!) to make it right. René knows that the vintage watch business is a pretty small world. You live and die by your reputation, and it simply doesn't pay to start cutting corners; word gets out pretty quickly! Conversely, if you're good and treat people right, word gets out just as quickly. I have seen this time and again in René's business, and have tried my best to follow his example.
I recently asked René to reflect on his years both as a collector and dealer, and offer some tips on becoming a serious collector and building a great watch collection.
 |
| René in his workshop. This is a video still from a 2012 appearance on CBS Sunday Morning. |
Here is what he had to say:
* Buy what you like. Pay no attention to what people say you should like. Your own taste is the guiding force.
* Become educated. As they say in coin collecting, "buy the book, then the coin". Knowledge really is power, and with all the great books out there, and the wealth of information on the Internet, there's no excuse for not learning as much as possible about anything you choose to collect.
* Focus. This is the hardest part, at least in the beginning. It's typical to start out scattershot, accumulating rather than collecting. But after a while your tastes will become refined. You'll find the area that holds more interest than others. Once you have found what truly inspires you, focus on that. Sell off less interesting pieces to finance acquisitions in your now-defined chief area of interest.
* To the best of your ability, always buy the best you can afford. Rare pieces tend to hold their value best. Common pieces are always common. Quality should be the goal, not quantity.
* Plan to upgrade. You have two ways to go if you're hunting a very scarce or rare piece: accept only perfection, and expect to hunt for a long time before finding your grail; or be willing to accept minor flaws like case wear, dial refinishing, etc., at least if the price is fair and reflects the condition, and be able to enjoy owning it while you continue your quest for a finer example. When a better one comes along, upgrade and sell off your lesser example. I spent my entire collecting career doing this. I'd rather own a less than mint example of a rare watch than to not have it at all. Sooner or later a chance to get the perfect one will come.
* Focusing doesn't necessarily mean limiting yourself to a single brand, or single type, as I chose to do when I became seduced by Hamilton Electrics. I know a lot of people who collect all types of early electrics. Or people could focus on certain shapes, or mechanical complications, or lesser-known watchmakers, or any of a thousand things that prove to be their chief area of interest. It all comes back to the difference between accumulating and collecting. We all start as accumulators; the 'eureka moment' where a more limited area of interest comes at different times for different people, but sooner or later I think everyone does find a focus, and that's when it really gets to be fun.
* And I think most collectors would agree that the thrill of the hunt is often the most enjoyable part.
Thanks, René!
Sincerely,
Bruce Shawkey
 |
| Visit Bruce's Vintage Watches |
Thursday, February 20, 2014
A Bevy of Bulovas
Continuing my search for inexpensive wristwatches, I did a little "horsetrading" a couple days ago with a collector friend who lives in nearby Rockford, Ill., who is a pocket watch enthusiast. I always keep a few inexpensive pocket watches around (usually part of "package deals") so I can work such trades. I went through this guy's "junk box" and came up with four Bulova wristwatches:
The one on the left I believe has the original band with it, and runs. The second one is a rare Academy Award model from 1953, also with original bracelet. It needs a cleaning. The third one is a "His Excellency" from 1949, running, with a 21 jewel movement. All three are gold filled cases, front and back, and in excellent condition. All have their original signed crowns. The last one is a stainless steel Art Deco styled "Senator" with a 15 jewel Caliber 10AE movement manufactured in 1936, gauged by the box-shape emblem engraved on the movement plate.
With what I traded the guy, I figure I have $20 apiece into the Bulovas. The stainless Senator should be an easy $100 sale all by itself, no work involved. With a $35 cleaning, the Academy award should bring $150-$200. The other two gold-filled Bulovas I will probably sell on eBay as resto projects. With their blemished dials, it will probably cost more to restore them than will bring.
So all in all, a good haul, and I'm sure my friend is happy with his two pocket watches.
Bulova watches are a budget watch collector's bonanza. They are plentiful, reasonably priced (most models anyway) and parts are readily available.
Joseph Bulova, a Czech immigrant, founded the company in 1875. Only 23 years old at the time, Bulova opened a modest jewelry shop in New York City. Initially, Bulova sold mainly pocket watches and other jewelry, but over time he expanded his line of products. He was manufacturing and selling his own desk clocks and other timepieces by 1911, the year he incorporated the operation as J. Bulova Company. By that time, Bulova's pocket watches had already attained a reputation for excellence, and New Yorkers bought them as fast as he could make them.
In 1919, Bulova introduced the first full line of jeweled wristwatches for men. In 1926, the company sponsored the first nationally broadcast radio spot commercials, featuring the immortal "At the tone, it's 8 p.m., B-U-L-O-V-A Bulova watch time" tag line. Bulova began selling the world's first clock radio two years later, and continued to make them into the 1960s. Meanwhile, the company's name was changed to Bulova Watch Company, Inc., reflecting the growing role of Arde Bulova, Joseph's son, in the firm's management. Arde Bulova, along with his head of sales, the brilliant John H. Ballard, are responsible for taking Bulova from a relatively small company to one of the world's largest watch companies. Though always based in the United States, Bulova is considered a Swiss watch, since nearly all their movements were imported from Switzerland, and then cased and timed in the United States.
Bulova continued to innovate in the areas of marketing and advertising over the decades that followed. The company launched the first million-dollar advertising campaign the watch industry had seen in 1931. Ten years later, Bulova aired the world's first television commercial. Broadcast just before a 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game, the advertisement showed a simple picture of a clock superimposed on a map of the United States. The message was simply "America runs on Bulova time."
Some people denigrate Bulova, saying they are all too common to be considered collectible. But Bulova has its legions of fans, and in fact there are two websites devoted exclusively to Bulova watches. One is My Bulova, and the other is Watchophilia.
Cheers,
Bruce
The one on the left I believe has the original band with it, and runs. The second one is a rare Academy Award model from 1953, also with original bracelet. It needs a cleaning. The third one is a "His Excellency" from 1949, running, with a 21 jewel movement. All three are gold filled cases, front and back, and in excellent condition. All have their original signed crowns. The last one is a stainless steel Art Deco styled "Senator" with a 15 jewel Caliber 10AE movement manufactured in 1936, gauged by the box-shape emblem engraved on the movement plate.
With what I traded the guy, I figure I have $20 apiece into the Bulovas. The stainless Senator should be an easy $100 sale all by itself, no work involved. With a $35 cleaning, the Academy award should bring $150-$200. The other two gold-filled Bulovas I will probably sell on eBay as resto projects. With their blemished dials, it will probably cost more to restore them than will bring.
So all in all, a good haul, and I'm sure my friend is happy with his two pocket watches.
Bulova watches are a budget watch collector's bonanza. They are plentiful, reasonably priced (most models anyway) and parts are readily available.
Joseph Bulova, a Czech immigrant, founded the company in 1875. Only 23 years old at the time, Bulova opened a modest jewelry shop in New York City. Initially, Bulova sold mainly pocket watches and other jewelry, but over time he expanded his line of products. He was manufacturing and selling his own desk clocks and other timepieces by 1911, the year he incorporated the operation as J. Bulova Company. By that time, Bulova's pocket watches had already attained a reputation for excellence, and New Yorkers bought them as fast as he could make them.
In 1919, Bulova introduced the first full line of jeweled wristwatches for men. In 1926, the company sponsored the first nationally broadcast radio spot commercials, featuring the immortal "At the tone, it's 8 p.m., B-U-L-O-V-A Bulova watch time" tag line. Bulova began selling the world's first clock radio two years later, and continued to make them into the 1960s. Meanwhile, the company's name was changed to Bulova Watch Company, Inc., reflecting the growing role of Arde Bulova, Joseph's son, in the firm's management. Arde Bulova, along with his head of sales, the brilliant John H. Ballard, are responsible for taking Bulova from a relatively small company to one of the world's largest watch companies. Though always based in the United States, Bulova is considered a Swiss watch, since nearly all their movements were imported from Switzerland, and then cased and timed in the United States.
Bulova continued to innovate in the areas of marketing and advertising over the decades that followed. The company launched the first million-dollar advertising campaign the watch industry had seen in 1931. Ten years later, Bulova aired the world's first television commercial. Broadcast just before a 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game, the advertisement showed a simple picture of a clock superimposed on a map of the United States. The message was simply "America runs on Bulova time."
Some people denigrate Bulova, saying they are all too common to be considered collectible. But Bulova has its legions of fans, and in fact there are two websites devoted exclusively to Bulova watches. One is My Bulova, and the other is Watchophilia.
Cheers,
Bruce
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Mid Winter Regional Draws Fewer Dealers/Collectors
DAYTONA BEACH -- Wintery weather in many parts of the country may have played a factor in what many people were calling the most lightly attended Mid Winter Regional in memory. Two full days of the World Wide Traders (WWT) collectibles show also may have diluted attendance, especially among wristwatch folks, in what was, once upon a time, the largest regional show of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors (NAWCC).
I arrived at the Plaza Resort & Spa Monday afternoon Feb. 10 to temps in the '70s, and promptly stripped down to cargo shorts and T-Shirt, and walked down to the Daytona Beach Pier and had an early dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. All of it was a welcome relief from sub-zero temperatures in Wisconsin.
The first day of the WWT show netted me three Omega Seamasters from collector/trader (he doesn't consider himself a dealer!) Keith Yarbrough, of Dalton, Georgia. We had agreed to meet ahead of time via email and telephone, and there is a good tip right there: It often pays to set up meetings with contacts ahead of time if you are both going to a certain show. This provides a good "ace in the hole" if the pickins' are slim. I also picked up an Elgin watch from one of my repair people. It's an oversize model with two-tone gold filled case from the 1930s, and I have never soon one like it. When I bought it, it was missing the bezel, and this fellow manufactured a bezel for me out of sterling silver. I have the hands for it back home, where I will complete re-assembly:
Jarett is an extremely nice fellow who runs a website, and also repairs Hamilton electric watches, having tutored under the great René Rondeau (René will be doing a guest post on this blog, by the way).
Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of dining with Fred and Joy Friedberg at nearby Anna's Trattoria (wonderful place, by the way). We talked mostly about Fred's new book on the Illinois Watch Co. that will be published by Schiffer sometime mid-year 2015. This is Fred's second book on the topic, the first one being published in 2005. You might ask yourself, "What else could be said about Illinois after the first book?" And the answer is "plenty." This book will focus less on the watches (though there will be plenty of info, including newly discovered models) and more on the company. Specifically, what happened when Hamilton bought Illinois in 1928, and closed it in 1932. The story is a lot more involved than originally thought, and involved a TON of original, forensic-style research through newspapers and trade journal archives.
Another good chunk of the book is devoted to the period during the 1950s when Hamilton introduced (and then quickly withdrew) the Hamilton-Illinois wristwatch models. The big question: Would the Illinois Watch Co. have survived had it been left to run on its own? I don't want to ruin the surprising answer to that question! You'll have to read the book.
The second day of the WWT show yielded two more Omegas, a manual wind, and an automatic, from a dealer I had not met before by the name of Francisco "Frank" Dumenigo, of Coral Gables, Fla. Like me, Frank is into a little bit of everything watch-wise, and is also collects/deals in writing instruments. He is a consummate professional, and a very nice fellow, and I hope to be doing more business with him in the future.
That afternoon (Wednesday) I also met Stan Czubernat (pronounced ZOO-ber-not) for a couple of beers in the Plaza hotel bar, to talk about American WWI trench watches in general. He identified and evaluated six American trench watches that I had brought to the show, and bought three of them. We also talked about Stan's book on WWI Elgin trench watches, which is coming out this summer. I will mention this again when I hear from Stan that the book is near publication. Do not miss it. The book will be the first ever devoted to this sub-genre of watch collecting, and I don't believe it's exaggerating to say it will turn this part of the collecting community on its ear.
Stan is a frequent contributor to the Vintage Watch Forum, as well as running his own blog. He is extremely passionate about American trench watches, having restored over 150 of them to pristine and "as original" condition.
On a couple of non-watch related notes:
1. I'm sorry to report that the Plaza Hotel, long my favorite of the two host hotels for the WWT and NAWCC shows, fell way below standards this year, and forced me to bail after just two nights, and move about 1/4 mile north to a Comfort Inn. The issues/problems with this hotel can no longer be considered "quaint and charming"; they were just a damned nuisance and detracted from the overall experience. Certainly, the regional is about the "show," but at the end of the day you need a comfortable sanctuary in which to recharge your batteries.
2. A pretty serious storm moved through central Florida Wednesday night, and left in its wake temperatures that were colder than originally predicted this week. This makes three years in a row that Daytona has had unseasonably cold weather during the mid-winter regional. Luck of the draw, I guess.
The first day of the NAWCC show proved disastrous, sales-wise. I sold one watch, a 2-register Orloff chronograph with Valjoux 92 movement, that I mentioned in an earlier blog posting. Sold that for 60 bucks. I purchased another Omega Seamaster, an earlier bumper-wind model with gold shell case. That makes six Omegas that I'm coming home with, most of them Seamasters.
I also purchased a Vietnam-era military watch with hack set (not sure if it's a Hamilton or Benrus yet):
And also a beautiful 1930s era Alpina rectangular model with formed movement:
I spent Thursday evening with Mike and Pat Porter, of Dayton, Ohio. at their rented condo along Atlantic Blvd. We had lasagna, fried calamari, salad, garlic bread, and strawberry gelato for dessert. Wine with the meal, and coffee with dessert. It was nice to have a home-cooked meal while on this trip. Mike has been a long-time friend and watch source of mine, and we always try to get together for a meal and some watch swapping during this regional.
The final day of the NAWCC show, I attended a morning lecture, Evolution of the Wristwatch: From Wristlets to Wrist Devices, presented by Randy Jaye, who is president of NAWCC Chapter 154 - Daytona Beach, Fla. Randy has done quite a bit of research into the past, present, and future of wristwatches, and has an article in the queue for publication in the NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin. Be on the lookout for it.
I sold one additional watch, the Summit II, and on a last pass through the mart room bought a bundled lot of 15 wristwatches for $20 apiece, or $300 for the lot.
This is further evidence of my statement in the home page of this blog that there are still a TON of watches out there that can be had for $50 or less, in this case much less. They were all in nice shape, most of them running, and all were complete with stems/crowns/crystals. All that remains is to "band" them and they will be coming soon to an eBay listing near you. I should easily double my money (or better), and the proceeds can be used to buy a nice watch for myself, or (more likely) pay next month's heating bill.
All in all, a great Regional, and I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures and acquisitions.
Sincerely,
Bruce Shawkey
I arrived at the Plaza Resort & Spa Monday afternoon Feb. 10 to temps in the '70s, and promptly stripped down to cargo shorts and T-Shirt, and walked down to the Daytona Beach Pier and had an early dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. All of it was a welcome relief from sub-zero temperatures in Wisconsin.
The first day of the WWT show netted me three Omega Seamasters from collector/trader (he doesn't consider himself a dealer!) Keith Yarbrough, of Dalton, Georgia. We had agreed to meet ahead of time via email and telephone, and there is a good tip right there: It often pays to set up meetings with contacts ahead of time if you are both going to a certain show. This provides a good "ace in the hole" if the pickins' are slim. I also picked up an Elgin watch from one of my repair people. It's an oversize model with two-tone gold filled case from the 1930s, and I have never soon one like it. When I bought it, it was missing the bezel, and this fellow manufactured a bezel for me out of sterling silver. I have the hands for it back home, where I will complete re-assembly:
I also picked up two Hamilton electric watches that were repaired by Jarett Harkness of Longview Texas. These were a Summit II, and a Nautilus in one-piece stainless case. (I subsequently sold the Summit II at the NAWCC show on Friday).
 |
| Summit II (left) and Nautilus |
Jarett is an extremely nice fellow who runs a website, and also repairs Hamilton electric watches, having tutored under the great René Rondeau (René will be doing a guest post on this blog, by the way).
Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of dining with Fred and Joy Friedberg at nearby Anna's Trattoria (wonderful place, by the way). We talked mostly about Fred's new book on the Illinois Watch Co. that will be published by Schiffer sometime mid-year 2015. This is Fred's second book on the topic, the first one being published in 2005. You might ask yourself, "What else could be said about Illinois after the first book?" And the answer is "plenty." This book will focus less on the watches (though there will be plenty of info, including newly discovered models) and more on the company. Specifically, what happened when Hamilton bought Illinois in 1928, and closed it in 1932. The story is a lot more involved than originally thought, and involved a TON of original, forensic-style research through newspapers and trade journal archives.
Another good chunk of the book is devoted to the period during the 1950s when Hamilton introduced (and then quickly withdrew) the Hamilton-Illinois wristwatch models. The big question: Would the Illinois Watch Co. have survived had it been left to run on its own? I don't want to ruin the surprising answer to that question! You'll have to read the book.
 |
| From left: Joy and Fred Friedberg, Bruce Shawkey |
The second day of the WWT show yielded two more Omegas, a manual wind, and an automatic, from a dealer I had not met before by the name of Francisco "Frank" Dumenigo, of Coral Gables, Fla. Like me, Frank is into a little bit of everything watch-wise, and is also collects/deals in writing instruments. He is a consummate professional, and a very nice fellow, and I hope to be doing more business with him in the future.
That afternoon (Wednesday) I also met Stan Czubernat (pronounced ZOO-ber-not) for a couple of beers in the Plaza hotel bar, to talk about American WWI trench watches in general. He identified and evaluated six American trench watches that I had brought to the show, and bought three of them. We also talked about Stan's book on WWI Elgin trench watches, which is coming out this summer. I will mention this again when I hear from Stan that the book is near publication. Do not miss it. The book will be the first ever devoted to this sub-genre of watch collecting, and I don't believe it's exaggerating to say it will turn this part of the collecting community on its ear.
 |
| Stan enjoying a cold one at the Hoffbrau beer garden in Munich, Germany |
Stan is a frequent contributor to the Vintage Watch Forum, as well as running his own blog. He is extremely passionate about American trench watches, having restored over 150 of them to pristine and "as original" condition.
On a couple of non-watch related notes:
1. I'm sorry to report that the Plaza Hotel, long my favorite of the two host hotels for the WWT and NAWCC shows, fell way below standards this year, and forced me to bail after just two nights, and move about 1/4 mile north to a Comfort Inn. The issues/problems with this hotel can no longer be considered "quaint and charming"; they were just a damned nuisance and detracted from the overall experience. Certainly, the regional is about the "show," but at the end of the day you need a comfortable sanctuary in which to recharge your batteries.
2. A pretty serious storm moved through central Florida Wednesday night, and left in its wake temperatures that were colder than originally predicted this week. This makes three years in a row that Daytona has had unseasonably cold weather during the mid-winter regional. Luck of the draw, I guess.
The first day of the NAWCC show proved disastrous, sales-wise. I sold one watch, a 2-register Orloff chronograph with Valjoux 92 movement, that I mentioned in an earlier blog posting. Sold that for 60 bucks. I purchased another Omega Seamaster, an earlier bumper-wind model with gold shell case. That makes six Omegas that I'm coming home with, most of them Seamasters.
 |
| An Omega 6-pack! |
 |
| Vietnam (1967) era miltary watch with hack |
And also a beautiful 1930s era Alpina rectangular model with formed movement:
 |
| 1930s Alpina rectangular wristwatch |
I spent Thursday evening with Mike and Pat Porter, of Dayton, Ohio. at their rented condo along Atlantic Blvd. We had lasagna, fried calamari, salad, garlic bread, and strawberry gelato for dessert. Wine with the meal, and coffee with dessert. It was nice to have a home-cooked meal while on this trip. Mike has been a long-time friend and watch source of mine, and we always try to get together for a meal and some watch swapping during this regional.
The final day of the NAWCC show, I attended a morning lecture, Evolution of the Wristwatch: From Wristlets to Wrist Devices, presented by Randy Jaye, who is president of NAWCC Chapter 154 - Daytona Beach, Fla. Randy has done quite a bit of research into the past, present, and future of wristwatches, and has an article in the queue for publication in the NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin. Be on the lookout for it.
I sold one additional watch, the Summit II, and on a last pass through the mart room bought a bundled lot of 15 wristwatches for $20 apiece, or $300 for the lot.
 |
| eBay meat |
This is further evidence of my statement in the home page of this blog that there are still a TON of watches out there that can be had for $50 or less, in this case much less. They were all in nice shape, most of them running, and all were complete with stems/crowns/crystals. All that remains is to "band" them and they will be coming soon to an eBay listing near you. I should easily double my money (or better), and the proceeds can be used to buy a nice watch for myself, or (more likely) pay next month's heating bill.
All in all, a great Regional, and I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures and acquisitions.
Sincerely,
Bruce Shawkey
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