Monday May 28, 2012

JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION

Watchmakers compete for the young, old and rich, smartphone crowd

Technology Mar. 26, 2011 - 06:46AM JST ( 5 )

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5 Comments

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asianTouristMar. 26, 2011 - 07:03AM JST

“The watch was a symbol for the universe,” he said. “There’s something magical or mystical in it. I mean, I’m fascinated by it.”

I agreed.
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NovenachamaMar. 26, 2011 - 10:01AM JST

A watch is a watch right? A watch's quality is something you should consider. A cheaper watch often has worse quality. However, their are two things that you might want to consider if your're going to purchase a watch. Looks. What about looks? Like expensive looking things? They look expensive because they are! Well, you probably won't get that with a cheaper watch, and if you do, most people will be able to tell it's a fake. If you love looking good, an expensive watch does add the touch that might be missing from your outfit, or look. Features. The basic uninteresting watch is indeed, basic. There are no extra features. You can tell the time, and maybe the date. But that's it. No question, no hazzle, no extras. But if you need some extra things on your watches, or just want something interesting to talk about, a more expensive watch will have it. A lot of extra's actually. There's nothing wrong with extras, and so if you want them, then a more expensive watch is for you. Well, if you want an expensive watch for the features, the looks, or maybe just the quality, then you should buy something a little more expensive. But if you just need it to tell the time, then maybe you shouldn't spend that much.
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jeancolmarMar. 26, 2011 - 03:53PM JST

A few thoughts.

I always hope that Basel World will have few a practical innovations along with the diamond-studded stuff. Truth is that there are things that a mechanical watch can do that a quartz watch and a smartphone watch (yuk) cannot do. One example. A mechanical chronograph's stop watch has instant return and a quartz watch doesn't. You can run a mechanical chronograph's stopwatch for 12 hrs every day with no problem. Do that to a quartz chronograph and you burn out the battery in a year or less.

I love Breiting because it makes beautiful utilitarian watches for flyers, spacemen and divers. But I also like the Rollex GMT and Sea Dweller. Their Dayton is a nice chronograph but too much of an icon and therefore overpriced. (I saw one with its face made from a piece of the moon and didn't ask about the price.) The Omega Seamaster is a gem and the Speedmaster is cool as well. Seiko makes some cool mechanical watches. Check out the Landmaster. A good mechanical watch is expensive but it need not be outlandishly so as long as it is made of steal and does not have useless doohickies.

One doohicky I don't need is a tourbillon. It was developed in the 18th century by Abraham-Louis Breguet and its purpose was to aid in the watch's accuracy by countering gravity with the escapement was rotated. There is debate amongst horologists as to whether it was ever useful (I think it was not) and is as useful as teats on a boar hog on modern mechanical watches. It unnecessarily raises the price of a watch and is only there for show. The joke is that the Chinese are putting cheap tourbillon mechanisms on the market that might cause a crisis in Switzerland.

In the end a watch is a watch. Quartz beats mechanical and radio controlled watches beat them all. But mechanical watches have their grace, charm and practicality; and they are green.
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BadseyMar. 27, 2011 - 11:23PM JST

With gold being $1400 an ounce and even silver at $37oz -these older unwanted watches are worth a look. With electronic clocks on nearly every device -selling a watch is a hardsell.

24k = 24/24 100% gold 22k= 22/24 18k= 18/24

This is an investment you can wear, and also look into gold jewelry -but don't get fooled by fake electro-plated gold either. Precious jewelry stones also.