The range of collecting from 1990 till today, no matter what, exclusivity can be harmful

Mar 10, 2014,03:08 AM
 

Being exclusive will usually mean being expensive.

It takes decades as well as many psycho and social links to open a market for collectables.

I am always FOR the watch collecting hobby to become a mix of exclusive and inclusive..like the collecting of antiques, old books and art.

Cars will be too exclusive, and definitely will not be within my budget.

Here goes what it is to peek into my watch collecting:





The above is my new..nov 30th 2013 addition to my 8 watch LV boxes.

I was in Paris for my daughter's debutante Le Bal and thought I would build a small collection just for her..which is what you see above.

Not inexpensive...but fun and will remind her of Paris with her parents.





The MBF Panda will be in the box for my other girl. Or they can exchange.




I love the SEIKO Galante series for what it can do in circles of friends who will be much more comfortable with SEIKO.

SEIKO makes some extraordinary watches.





My age old 3919..now so small...

The girls need, and so do I, time off from serious tourbillons..and this Verbene was so darn cool, with acrylic case and a thermometer that is accurate.

See below:










See..not all tourbillons will cost millions.

This raw but totally functional one is a rarity.

Cased beautifully, and it pokes fun at ourselves.

Priced below a SWATCH tourbillon, maybe half of a SWATCH.

BUT..a real cage ala Breguet style!!!





AHHHH..the champagne of the era.

To my humble eyes..the best possible.

I had to buy the Invention Piece 1 as I took the WRONG risk as well as having not enough money to buy used second hand from a known collector in Singapore.

He was a GOOD chap. He is, I mean.

The highly recommended Invention piece was selling at over half a million dollars, no way I could come up with that money.

But years later, I did...but I had to pay MORE than the original price..rats.

The platinum 24 incline is my high recommendation...I thought it was not attractive at first, now, after a year..which I learnt lesson, buy GF new...like Patek.

This piece is accidentally stealth..it has a WG model dial...not a platinum model dial, unusual and is not in the GF catalogues.









See the difference?

The craziness of the tourbillons?

The Cabestan, number 1 to be precise.

Also a tourbillon, but the chains make it so darn whatchamacallit.

Finally..a blast from the past...the ORIGINAL pack of Fraanck Muller's watches...this one is a hand wound perpetual QP with a real tiny woman's movement..it was so darn cool.

Back then, he did not have the dial guilloche yet.









My second and favorite controversial piece, the MBF1 skeletal tourbillon.




My eta based split seconds..the first of the series back in the 1990s.

They were still about to make the Porsche Design Ocean.




As you can see...the watch is "up to date".

On the minute.

On the winder.

It was ugly back then.

But today..one of my favorites.

So there...from SEIKOS to IWC to MBF to VERBENES to Pateks to Greubel Forseys.

I can't get more eclectic than that...yet.

Wait till you see more of my crazy stuff.

But one thing in common...I feel the soul in them all.

For me.

It is right.

My kids will know me..for sure. And I am NOT looking after them, I am using them.

The real deal...

Now..I need more money.

I hope we all have fun, and will conquer our insecurities...I am still trying.

I hope that this breaks down more barriers that prevent people from joining in....watches will be the art for the future generations.

It has the soul.


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Well said

 
 By: Ares501 - Mr Green : March 10th, 2014-03:38
Specially like the "I hope we all have fun, and will conquer our insecurities" part Watches aren't shabby either but far from cheap & ordinary :) Cheers D

Boy that is mighty generous of you, Bernard. Can you tell me...

 
 By: Ronald Held : March 10th, 2014-10:39
More about that vabene tourbillon?

Thanks Ronald. It's a doctor thing from the old days.more pics soon.

 
 By: bernard cheong : March 10th, 2014-18:33
The tourbillon...it is probably Chinese...but if you wait...I will post more. the cage is a typical swiss tourb which the Chinese never did often....they used the carousel type. This tourb is an unfinished, unpolished raw movement...that works very well..... 

thanks for sharing Bernard....we should do a straw poll on everyone's favourite!!

 
 By: Hororgasm : March 10th, 2014-21:36
I would have chosen the GF IP1, but instead, its the Cabestan that captures my imagination most. best, Horo

We do not have to be rich. We need discipline to save, luck to have one on FS

 
 By: bernard cheong : March 11th, 2014-02:02
I was owner number 1 for the Cabestan, brand new. Owner number 3 for the Greubel Forsey..and I was fated to own it. I wanted 00 of 11...but no money. Owners 1 made a KILLING...owner 2 owned for a short while, enough to make a second profit. At above $500,... 

I love the watches from both sides of the spectrum

 
 By: Nicko16 : March 11th, 2014-02:01
From the simple time only Patek, to the designs from childhood MB&F, The Captain Nemo VH and the Machine looking Cabestan.

I have some really strange watches!!! Will post.

 
 By: bernard cheong : March 11th, 2014-04:41
These are from my 1990 days. Good to see they are healthy.

Wonderful.....

 
 By: Darren : March 11th, 2014-07:19
Always love to see your timepieces. Quite a range across your collection. Can't wait to see what you have coming down the pike. Darren

I will prepare the next post..collecting and sharing is good for stress

 
 By: bernard cheong : March 11th, 2014-07:51
I hope that I do not come across wrong as boastful, and if so..forgive me. I just wish to have the entire young and old world friends discover a wonderful and hopefully inexpensive way to enjoy life.

I've never seen that Vabene before! Now I need one!

 
 By: nicewatch : March 13th, 2014-20:56
Thank you for sharing your wonderful collection. And thank you for educating me on Vabene, i had never heard of them before. I think I need to find one of their tourbillons for myself!

A Proper Real Tourbillon..

 
 By: bernard cheong : March 14th, 2014-00:41
I am tempted to have the watch dismantled and the tourbillon alone polished.

Bernard....

 
 By: Gianko : March 15th, 2014-07:45
...Only your crazyness ( forgive me for that word ) can dismantle the watch to have only the tourbillon polished !! Great Bernard....do it please...so we can admire the lovly polished than !! Who will polish than ?? Let's guess !!! Have a nice week end...... 

Info

 
 By: Gianko : March 15th, 2014-07:56
Bernard, that black LV it's smashing !! I think in that box missing some pieces, like the OPUS and also some Horological Machines...without them the future generations cannot understand the level that we have reached !! Best Giancarlo

Yes. You are right. I am currently restoring another box(es) of 8 (16)

 
 By: bernard cheong : March 26th, 2014-18:36
Then we would have for the purists...a good span.

Wow

 
 By: Gianko : March 27th, 2014-07:00
Beanrd, you know we all want to see the pictures !! I'm loking forward to it ! Best Giancarlo

I knew about them Gianko..I was on the same jury with Stephen and Robert in 2011

 
 By: bernard cheong : March 27th, 2014-08:08
BUT... the big thing was I was and still am VERY sure that work as GOOD as what Greubel Forsey did, I was on the jury before 2011, in 2010 that awarded them... would always be FULLY booked and bought and sold out when(1) they make 100 a year, (2) they kno...  

Bernard....

 
 By: Gianko : March 28th, 2014-07:13
...belive me I know very well that you were sitting next to them at 2011 GPHG....(I also saw some pic of you next to Setephen at the jury table).. and exactely for that reasons I was wondering ever more how you can recognize their superlative job only now... 

so your daughter is a watch nut too?

 
 By: Arie - Mr Orange : March 15th, 2014-19:07
why would she want men's watches (apart from the resale value)?

The gender factor among items with intelectual movments..take photography, cars and books

 
 By: bernard cheong : March 18th, 2014-01:47
Remove the genderization of a commercial product, and the audience expands, and discussions go deep into emotional territory. Women can bring that in. Watches have colored my marriage, bonded my family, as it is an object easy to love, sentimental, lasts ...  

dude....

 
 By: Arie - Mr Orange : March 18th, 2014-18:35
chill out.... I was just wondering because of the size of most (aimed at) men watches. If a lady has got a lady-like wrist it often doesn't look right (40 mm+) and isn't comfortable wearing (at least that's what I often was told by the ladies). Again: jus...  

You are right..I must. Too much of women's rights activism for me. chuckles...more

 
 By: bernard cheong : March 18th, 2014-23:03
I mean all in good faith. More to try to get as much of my wife to accept more watches. And to bring a hobby for sharing between the married guys.