SalonQP 2010: Straight highlights
By Straight-Six, published on 19 November 2010
Watches – perhaps even more so than cars, films, food or gadgets – are very subjective things to assess. We all have our personal preferences and distinct tastes: you know, the oddities that blow our skirt up when nothing else will.
So, although we normally like to speak with one voice here on The Prodigal Guide, when it comes to giving you the highlights of an event as broad as SalonQP 2010, we thought it fairer to do so in two parts.
Today, we present Straight-Six’s personal favourites given The Prodigal Fool tickled your eyeballs and wallets yesterday.
A. Lange & Söhne
Given The Fool and I are joined at the hip flask it should come as no surprise that more than a few pieces attracted both of our attention. Clearly, I don’t want to bore you with yet another technical explanation of the fascinating and beautifully constructed Zeitwerk but I will categorically state this particular piece is a great step up from the mainstream brands. And one never tires of watching the jumping numerals in action. Only caveat, at least to my amateur eyes, is the differing depth between the two minute counters. Ian Skellern and Elizabeth Doerr explained why it was mechanically impossible to have them at the same depth, but I maintain this is the only tiny aesthetic blemish on an otherwise superb watch.
Bell & Ross
Patina does it for me. But I mean really does it – good and hard. Maybe that’s why I ended up with three vintage Rolexes in one shot. Even so I never tire of looking at the palette of patina that vintage watches can sport: from the darkest swamp green to the depths of egg yolk yellow. But with this comes big price tags – the nicer and more consistent the patina across the luminescent areas (dial/hands/pearl) the larger the cost. Oh, and they don’t shine either, so there. So, how ballsy is it for a brand like Bell & Ross to come out with a Heritage range (part of the Vintage Collection) sporting spot-on patina that actually does what it should while being protected by a domed sapphire crystal – domed crystals also being desired by vintage freaks. The matching strap and darkened case mean that this stands out as the only successful modern interpretation of the effects of ageing on a watch. No small feat. And we’re particularly partial to the Vintage BR 126 Heritage pictured here.
Bonham’s: vintage Heuers…any of em!
We love Bonham’s. And hate them. Why? Cause we would love to buy most of the very tasty timepieces they sell at auction. I should know after raising a bidding paddle in a drunken rage at not wanting the guy next to me “have” an IWC chrono. But that’s all in the past now, ahem! Anyways, Paul Maudsley introduced us to Arno Haslinger who in turn showed us the vintage Heuer light that is/was his collection of NOS pieces and we’ve never been the same since. So, after having perused the entire catalogue of vintage pieces I can tell you that I have my eye on at least a dozen of the pieces up for auction on December 15th. Will I end up going home with one? We’ll see, but I’ll be bringing sobriety into the auction room with me and hopefully come out a little poorer and much, much happier.
Zenith
Yeah, The Fool and I were blown out of the water by the fabulous and eye-wateringly expensive Christophe Colomb. I laughed aloud when I first spotted that gyroscopic module which somehow reminded me of a bull frog blowing out its cheeks! Yes, the visual comparison is a strange one. But while this watch really shouldn’t work from aesthetic or ergonomic perspectives, it managed to convince me completely once the very, VERY nervous salesman let me try it on. You really could look at the gyroscopic module for hours at a time. Perhaps that’s enough to distract you from what otherwise comes across as a slightly bland watch dial. We want Francis to buy one now so we can play and look and giggle too. By far the most impressive piece at the show.
In case you can’t tell, we adore this show: intimate, fun, lively and designed for watch lovers. Come. Quickly.
Photo credit: Many thanks to Ian Skellern for the SalonQP photo.
SalonQP 2010: Straight highlights
Watches – perhaps even more so than cars, films, food or gadgets – are very subjective things to assess. We all have our personal preferences and distinct tastes: you know, the oddities that blow our skirt up when nothing else will. So, although we normally like to speak with one voice here on The Prodigal [...]
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2 Responses to “SalonQP 2010: Straight highlights”
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Smooth sands of time: the Panerai PAM 386 « The Prodigal Guide
28 January 2011
[...] first to do this successfully in our eyes, with their Vintage Heritage series which we devoured at Salon QP and our trip to Antwerp’s finest watch retailer, Slaets. The Vintage BR 126 Heritage is a [...]
Delving deeper into Antwerp Slaet’s cave of timepieces « The Prodigal Guide
3 December 2010
[...] up was Bell & Ross. Straight-Six’s SalonQP highlights included mention of the Vintage BR 126 Heritage as a damned successful modern rendition of a [...]