About
From Enthousiast
The first watch my parents gave me was a Swatch with a transparent case through which I could see the quartz movement. As a teenager, I loved going to the skate park or the arcade. To get there, I walked through the mall and often stopped at the jeweller to look at the Breitling and TAG Heuer watches. At the time, I thought those were cool brands with great looks and was not at all concerned with the technology.
The first watch I bought myself as a teenager was a Festina with Breitling Chronomat looks. My interest in watch technology was sparked when someone showed me his Seiko with an automatic movement. I found it fascinating that you could see the movements of the rotor and balance. Also, listening to the higher beat rate was really new to me because I was only familiar with battery-powered watches. So, my first automatic watch was a Seiko 5 with an open caseback to get a good look at the movement.
To collector
It took several years before I started collecting Seiko divers, such as the SKX007/009and its vintage precursors 7002 and the 6309 Turtle. I found out that there were models for sale in Japan that were not delivered in Europe or the US. The so-called JDM Only. I found the Seiko SARB, SBDC, and SBDX series especially interesting. I then also started modifying the SKX divers. I liked the idea that you could change a watch into a unique piece. Besides the many Seiko’s, I also bought watches from other brands such as Omega, Panerai, Rolex and Breitling. Often, I would buy several models of a particular brand in a short period because the brand interested me or others in the watch community were praising them.
To dealer
Through trade-ins and occasional sales, I had built up a sizable and diverse collection At that time, I was already totally crazy about Grand Seiko. I was always looking for a limited edition. It was not such a favourite brand then as it is today. Most people I showed the watches to liked them, but upon hearing the price, many still gave up because, for that money, you could also buy a respected Swiss brand. The supply of used Grand Seiko’s was scarce in Europe at that time. Few dealers and jewellers included it in their stock. The same was true for the JDM Seiko such as the sarb017 Alpinist, sarb033/035, SBDC Sumo, Shogun and SBDX Marinemaster. In that sense, I had a fairly unique position as a watch dealer in Europe.
To building the Angelier classique
Over the past few years, I have owned some very nice dress watches. Some of these watches quickly fall into the outer category in terms of price with brands like Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin and A. Lange & Sohne. These watches seem almost perfect. In terms of comfort, sizing and finish, they are, but that also has a downside. I could not wear them daily and carefree in every situation. They are just too expensive for that.
I think a dress watch should meet the following specifications. First, the case. It should have a diameter of about 38mm and should be no more than 9mm thick with a clear caseback. The lug-to-lug ratio should be 46-47mm with a strap attachment of 20mm.
Second, the movement. That should be a hand-winding movement with the small seconds at 6 o’clock. No date or other complication. Somewhat waterproof. So preferably at least 50m WR.
So here we are. It is an image of a watch that I would like to wear but couldn’t find. Therefore, i had to build it myself.
Paul Angelier