FRIDAY WIND DOWN: This is the worst thing in the watch world ever
Luke BenedictusThere’s a necessary change of format to this week’s Wind Down because we’ve discovered the worst thing in the watch world ever. Admittedly, there’s some pretty stiff competition out there in a nefarious scene full of flippers, fakes and 4 o’clock date windows. But a forthcoming auction at Bonhams really takes the horological biscuit.
The auction house is selling off a single owner’s collection of 11 Rolex Submariner “Hulk” watches. These timepieces are essentially identical save for the fact that they were each made in advancing years from 2010 right through to 2020. The watches are all being sold with their original boxes, papers and receipts with the bidding starting at $28,500 a pop.
So what makes this sale so aggravating that I almost want to gnaw off my own kneecaps in frustration? It’s the simple fact that not one of these 11 watches has ever actually been worn.
Countless watch lovers out there would’ve no doubt loved to have snagged one of these watches that became increasingly challenging to buy at retail over the years. No doubt, there are even people for whom a Hulk would’ve been something of a grail watch. Unfortunately, some self-proclaimed collector has used their advantageous position to snaffle up this precious haul. And that’d be fine, if they then proceeded to enjoy them. But what’s clearly happened here is the watches have been joylessly banished to a safe to keep them in pristine condition and maintain optimal re-sale value.
Keeping a beautiful watch unworn in a safe is a tragic case of wasted potential. Plus it also deprives genuine watch lovers of a true source of delight. Bonhams auction is sufficiently exasperating to provoke a rage worthy of a certain green-skinned superhero. But there’s a moral lesson in this sad, sad tale: don’t be a safe queen – let your watches experience the life for which they were made.
Have a good weekend. Unless you’re hoarding green Submariners, in which case, I hope you have an absolute stinker.
Luke
Watch meme of the week: The sacrifices of a watch lover
A while ago, I read a story about a guy who lived in his van but owned a Ferrari. It’s a stark example of how nice things cost money and buying them forces most of us to make financial sacrifices that impinge on other areas of your life. This reality is hammered home in this post from Drinking Coffee & Talking Watches. Do you drive the Porsche or own the Royal Oak? Decisions, decisions.
Wrist shot of the week: Clay of the day
We’ve rhapsodised over the fun of watching the the winding rotor of the M.A.D.1 RED in action. But what I like about this post from @miguelsealabra is the way he’s matched the colour of his watch to the red clay of the court. Presumably, come Wimbledon, he reaches for a green dial to synch with the grassy surface. What then for the green and blue courts of the US Open? May we suggest a MoonSwatch Mission to Earth.
Time+Tide Shop select of the week: The Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Green
Anyone interested in watch movements will be intrigued by Borna’s story this week about the Powermatic 80. So it only feels right to celebrate a watch that houses this calibre, in this case the Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Green, a terrific value proposition on an integrated bracelet. Read the review here.
Price: $1,050 AUD. Buy it now at the Time+Tide Shop.
Our favourite Time+Tide coverage of the week:
Evolution of a collection: Nick Faldo’s watch box steers well clear of the rough
It was a bit surprising when an elegant Blancpain reference was spied on Nick Faldo’s wrist recently, considering how closely the golfer’s association has been with the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak for the bulk of his career. D.C takes look at some of the tastier timepieces in Faldo’s watch box. Read more
The Bulova American Girl “K” shows why more brands should look to their women’s range for vintage reissues
Every brand with even the most remote link to a vintage catalogue has jumped on the opportunity to reissue their old watches, but there has been a glaring hole in that strategy for years. While it feels like we’ve seen almost every kind of men’s watch a hundred times over, the world of women’s wristwatches has remained vastly untapped. Bulova have leveraged the success of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit to re-release their 1957 American Girl “K” watch and to finally include some ladies’ watches in their Archive Series. Read more
Study reveals 8% of men believe they could beat a lion in a fistfight. Here are the watches they wear
A YouGov study has found that 8% of men believe they could beat a lion in a fistfight. I’m fascinated by the psyche of these men blessed with their never-say-die spirit and, let’s face it, incredible capacity for self-delusion. Trying to piece together a mental picture of these people, I began to speculate on what sort of watches these men must wear. Here are my conclusions. Read more