Today I headed out to another Car Boot Sale in search of bargains. I thought it portentous to wear my fake Tudor 1926, as I bought it at a Car Boot Sale and so today it’d serve as a cautionary example. I saw a couple of obviously fake watches (a Rolex Sea Dweller and a Patek Phillipe ladies watch). Neither of them were anything close to the standard of my fake Tudor. I also saw a nice Pagani Design Watch for £25, but I didn’t go for it as I learnt that I’m not really a homage brand collector. It just didn’t call to me. (I did see an army of fake perfumes for sale, which is always hilarious.) So, a cheap trip for me. Every day’s a school day!

Came across this watch I haven’t worn for quite awhile Aquamatic II from Momentum. A watchmaker based in Canada this original came on an oyster bracelet which I’ve swapped out for a James Bond nato and currently this mesh. This watch has an ETA 2824 movement which currently is no longer available as the brand has switched to a less expensive Japanese automatic. At the time it listed at $575 which was a decent price for a watch of this caliber. They have a large variety of automatic and quartz models to choose from and at the time I bought mine in the 1990’s great customer service

This is one of the most valuable and highest quality in my collection, the Gerard Perregaux Ferrari. The watch was very expensive when I bought it in 2000 and still holds a lot of value over 25 years later. GP is an old and well respected watchmaker and their in-house movements and overall quality is still respectable in the luxury watch market. It wears small to modern chronographs so I guess that’s why I give it less wrist time. It’s still in almost new condition without a scratch.

Reaching for my Tourneau Gotham with the ice blue dial today. Of my three it’s the only one that doesn’t have an exhibition back, but that makes no difference to me, just a curiosity.

I’m fascinated by the backs of watches. Some are very plain, some are ornate and engraved, and others have a crystal to enable viewing of the movement. Since no one ever sees the back while it is being worn, I’m curious as to why the manufacturer puts so much effort into creating them. Any comments from the group?