But They're Soooo Pretty!

I develop one new obsession every six to nine months, and my latest one is watches. Mechanical watches, to be precise.

Most watches we see today are quartz watches. First developed and popularized by Seiko in the 1970s, these watches regulate time by passing electricity (supplied by a battery) into a quartz crystal, which vibrates at a very precise, set rate when given electrical current is applied. It's therefore fairly easy to create a microprocessor that parses these vibrations into precisely measured seconds; every set number of vibrations marks the passing of a second. Simple microprocessors are cheap and easy to create these days, and the resulting watch can be precise to within one to five seconds a month. Quartz mechanisms can be easily and cheaply mass produced, and thus, quartz watches are cheap, precise and reliable.

Mechanical watches, on the other time, keep time through a complex network of minuscule gears and levers. Those gears and levers are generally driven by a spring-loaded device that is typically powered by manual winding or an automatic winder, in which a very sensitive, off-balance lever moves everytime you move your wrist and thus winds up the spring. Think about it: these master craftsmen created device the size of ... well, a wristwatch ... that consists of hundreds of thin, precisely fit gears and perfectly balanced levers. It's hard to achieve precision in a mechanical watch. A lot factors will affect how that power spring unwinds and thus how precisely the gears tell time: gravity (a watch runs at different speeds depending on how it's positioned -- face up, face down, on one side or another, or moving clockwise or counterclockwise); whether the spring is fully wound up or nearly wound down; and temperature. One gold standard of quality in a mechanical watch movement is a loss or gain of no more than 4 to 6 seconds a day, regardless of position. Only the best (say, the top five percent) of watches fall within those specifications. Clearly, it's far more costly to create a good watch "movement," and that even the best ones can't come close to matching the precision of a quartz watch. There's something cool about knowing that this much skill and work went into a device you're wearing.

In addition to the artistry involved in a mechanical watch movement, mechanical watches are cool because they are far more uniquely and richly finished. Quartz watches are often put into cheap, mass produced cases, with cheap plastic crystals, with cheaply made folded sheet-metal bracelets or low-grade straps. The goal is a low production cost. (There are, of course, many quartz watches that are very very well made. But they're in the minority.)

But with a mechanical watch, the goal of a low production cost is already a moot point once a mechanical movement is involved, so watchmakers take the time to pay attention to the details. Solid metal links. Sapphire or mineral crystals that better resist scratching and cracks. Glass display backs. Screw-down crowns to increase water resistance. Detailed, precisely created dials and handcarved hands. No detail is omitted in a mechanical watch.

One watch idiot savant online puts it thusly: a mechanical watch is a beautiful work of art. A quartz watch is a cheap computer that just happens to tell time.

Having said that, here are the five current production watches on my wish list, from most expensive to least expensive:

1. Patek Philippe Gondolo Calendario (Model 5135G). Features: Self-winding movement. Tracks day, date, year and moon phases with leap year indicator. Minute repeater (can be set to ring a subtle bell every minute.) Individually hand-made movement. Estimated price: at least $28,900. Comments: Although this is not even close to being one of the world's most expensive watches, (even if we don't count -- and I don't -- count watches encrusted with jewels) Patek Philippe is THE standard in fine horology, and it's showpieces are it's grandes complications. This is the one I like. (To be honest, it's doubtful the wife will ever let me get this, even if someday we could easily afford it.)
2. Officine Panerai Luminor Marina Automatic 44mm (Model PAM00220). Features: Self-winding movement, sapphire crystal, personalized Panerai Op III (based on an ETA ebauche movement) movement. Extra-thick sapphire crystal, shockproof, 300 meters water resistant, unique, trademarked lever-based crown protector. COSC certification. List price: $5,900. Comments: Based on a design Panerai created for the Italian Navy, the Panerai is just beautiful and simple -- sleek and masculine, and a little retro. The Panerai is just another example of the genius and beauty of Italian design -- like Ferrari or Armani. However, Panerais have been discovered by some celebrities (Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham (OK, he's pretty cool), the Rock, and Hugh Grant are all big "Paneristi") so if they become the "in" thing, I may have to drop this watch, as much as I love it.
3. Kobold Phantom. Features: Screwed-in bracelet, countdown bezel, triple PVD black matte scratch-proof coating, dual shock protection systems, chronograph, Valjoux 7750 ebauche movement, extra-thick sapphire crystal. Cost: $4,550. Comments: First of all, this is a cool looking watch: all black, with a red hands for the sweep second and chronograph indicators. But then you realize that this watch was designed to precise specs of Green Berets and SWAT teams, and every feature has a function. The matte black coating makes the watch antireflective and is ultra scratch resistant because -- well, when you're a SWAT team member or a Green Beret, you'll do things that bang up your watch. Ditto for the shock resistant system and the sapphire crystal. The screw-locked bracelet is designed to keep your watch attached to your wrist, even during a life-or-death close-quarters combat situation. And the countdown number on the bezel is there to facilitate synchronized tactical attacks. Another cool thing about this watch: Kobold is based in Pittsburgh, PA. Gotta support a hometown boy ...
4. MarcelloC Nettuno 3 (black) (Model 2007.2). Features: Sapphire crystal, solid-link bracelet with divers extension. ETA 2824-2 movement. Cost: around $500. Comments: Basically, this a classic, practical, functional diver's watch that, like many others, is modeled on the classic Rolex Submariner divers watch. I've always liked the design -- it's classic, after all -- but hated the how overpriced Rolex is. Watch connoisseurs know that the value of a Rolex is not actually in the quality of the watch, but in its marketing. Rolex has artificially manipulated its market to the point where the point where you can pay $4,000 for a Rolex and it'll be worth it. But take away the Rolex name from the dial and bracelet, and this is an $800 watch -- at best. MarcelloC is just about as good -- as accurate, as well made, as luminous -- and yet, it costs one fifth the cost of its Rolex equivalent. Now it's true that the Rolex is a good deal more water resistant -- 1000 meters compared to 300 meters. But to be honest -- only the hardest core divers even go down to 300 meters or more, and when they do -- they rely on an electronic dive computer, not a watch. To choose a Rolex is basically like saying, "My favorite violinist is Itzhak Perlman" or "If you want a good college, try Harvard." It's the easy answer, and in all three cases, the image is greater than the substance involved. Itzhak Perlman isn't a very good violinist, Harvard isn't a very good college, and Rolex isn't a very good watch. But I digress.
5. Russian Army watch. Top example: Poljot Okeah. The features? Well, the movements are known to be reliable, and they carry with them a sense of history. Sure, they're not as renowned as the Swiss (or even the Japanese), but these are the watches that the Soviets wore as they suffered through harsh Russian winters and a draconian government and still managed to achieve great things.