Can you please share the instructions for sending Zelle payment for FTW collective purchases?

Thank you

Hey, guys!

Do you think $23k is a fair price for a GG Arena Perpetual Calendar GMT, ref. AQG.Y.66, tantalum bezel with white gold case and clasp, no box or papers, in very good condition?

Anyone have any thoughts on the Rado Captain Cook line?

The ceramic refs have a really unique look and the price seems like potentially a good value. I don't really see to much about them online.

In particular I'm looking at the Hi-Tech and Hyperchrome models. Any input would be appreciated!

Anyone familiar with the Icelandic watchmaker JS Watch?

Thanks!

Hey ya'll, this thread is a follow up to a discussion we had during the live stream on Sunday. We discussed spinning up a group watch, customized for us as Delray did with Tourby a while back. Fed had generously volunteered his time to help us source a manufacturer and facilitate the project.

Fed perhaps you can give us a little color as to the procurement process and time from order to funding to delivery?

I think the best way to kick this off is getting a list of people interested and understanding what their maximum budget would be for their watch. If we generate enough interest we can further refine the vision by voting for movement type, bracelet material, dials etc.

There is no right or wrong answer on budget, just shout out what you are comfortable with if you would like to participate. I'll kick it off:

1) Josh B - $7,000

I already thought Longines is pretty much the de facto pick for the mainstream (note I used the word mainstream before you inundate me with worthy microbrand offerings) luxury watch brand “bang for buck” award.

But from a guy that absolutely adores his Tudor FXD, these new Hydroconquests look like a very, very solid offering at around $2K. Longines really hit it out of the park with the design and size changes. If I was in the market for another “entry level” luxury diver, I would have a very hard time plunking the extra money for a black bay over these new Longines.

Hi Fed, recently was given a 116400 by my reformed finance bro friend. The watch is not running and was PVD treated with the coating in fairly rough shape.

Do you have anyone you'd recommend for help in restoring the original finish?

What is everyone wearing this week?

Hi ALl

New to the group, so I figured I would introduce myself by starting a discussion that might be of interest.

I have been collecting watches "quietly" for many years, mostly reading, researching, and learning rather than posting. Most of my active forum experience has actually been on automotive forums, but I have always enjoyed following watch discussions from the sidelines. This seems like a smaller and more focused group, so I thought I would give it a shot and hopefully contribute something useful.

To that end, I thought I would start a conversation around a watch in my collection that many people may not have encountered, although I am hoping some here have. I wanted to talk about the Jean Lassale, specifically the Calibre 2000.

So here is the TLDR on why I wanted to bring this watch up and why I think it deserves attention.

Research Dossier: Jean Lassale Calibre 2000 (1976)

1. Historical Significance and Rarity

Brand Origins: Founded in 1976 by Jean Bouchet Lassale in Geneva.

The Era: Independent Swiss production from 1976 to 1979 is widely considered the Golden Era for collectors. Most later Lassale watches transitioned into Seiko owned quartz production, so the early mechanical versions are often viewed as the true Holy Grail pieces of the brand.

Movement Pedigree: The Calibre 2000 automatic and the Calibre 1200 manual movements were so advanced for their time that after the company collapsed, the designs were licensed and adapted by major Swiss houses. These became the basis for Vacheron Constantin Calibre 1160 and Piaget Calibre 20P.

2. Technical Innovation: The "Floating" Architecture

Thickness: 2.08 mm for the automatic movement.

Engineering: The movement achieved its extreme thinness by eliminating traditional bridges and instead relying on a baseplate only architecture.

Ball Bearing Axis: The movement uses 14 microscopic ball bearings, approximately 0.20 mm each, to support the gear train and the central rotor.

Exhibition Back Value: My specific example has a factory exhibition case back, which from what I understand is particularly uncommon. It allows the floating architecture to actually be seen, which is normally hidden behind a closed case back.

That is the core historical and technical context behind why this watch caught my attention and why I thought it might be worth discussing here.

I am curious if anyone here has handled one of these in person or has spent time studying them. I would be interested to hear whether this is a movement that people here view as historically important or more of an interesting side branch in the evolution of ultra thin watchmaking.

The reason this topic really came to the surface for me recently was that the watch needed service, and the repair estimate was not trivial. It forced me to decide whether this was a watch worth saving or whether it should quietly fade into history as one more casualty of an ambitious but fragile engineering idea.

There is also a bit of humor in all of this. Sometimes when I see this watch sitting in the winder next to pieces like my Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and my JLC Deep Sea, it feels like the oddball in the group. Yet at the same time, the more I read about it, the more it feels like it may be one of the more intellectually interesting watches in the box.

Curious to hear what others here think, especially from those who have restored one, owned one, or studied the movement in depth.

Hi. Looking at trading in a watch only (serviced by Patek in 2021) Neptune 5085/1a. What would be the approximate value for that watch by dealers? Appreciate your help!

Random questions. Anyone in here happen to be a lawyer with experience with car purchases etc?

Why do these watches not have the dates or years indicated? Especially with watches that have papers...

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this community, but I've been collecting watches for quite a while. It's great to see a place like this where I can connect with dealers and get practical advice and insight on trades.

I'm currently looking to trade a brand new, unworn GMT Bruce Wayne on an Oyster bracelet, dated last week (03/2026). Ideally, I'm hoping to trade toward a GMT Pepsi on Oyster.

From my understanding, when comparing similar year and similar bracelet configurations, the typical differential between the Bruce Wayne and Pepsi models has been in the $2,000(ish) range, setting aside the recent market swings and rumors about potential Pepsi discontinuation. I'm trying to seek advice outside of that recent madness and focus on what is realistically fair.

One thing I'm considering is whether it makes more sense to stay within a similar production year and accept that typical $2,000 to $3,000 difference, or instead try to reduce the cash difference by targeting an older Pepsi, perhaps from 2021-2025, still in very good to like new condition and within the Rolex five year warranty window.

My preference is specifically for an Oyster bracelet. The Pepsi does not need to be unworn, but overall condition and remaining warranty are important to me.

I'm mainly looking for a one for one trade with cash on my end as appropriate, and I'm open to hearing both advice and potential offers from anyone who may be interested.

Appreciate any guidance or perspective from the group.

I am local to the Philadelphia region FYI

EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE PLEASE JOIN THE WHATSAPP CHAT HERE: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DMeAvRyzd5s6qNO0iXaFBJ?mode=gi_t

IF YOU ARE HAVING ISSUES ENROLLING OR USING WHATSAPP PLEASE SEND ME A PRIVATE MESSAGE.

All: Fed and I had in depth conversations this week with Elshan of Zelos and Armand of Sartory-Billard. These gentleman are both owners so we know they have full authority to make representations. Both of them are happy to participate in the project and it is now time to pick a path and start moving to design conversations. I'll write this summary style for brevity.

Zelos:

Pros: Most Cost Effective, Options Starting approximately $2,000 with a skeletonized ETA 7001 a la Ming with manual wind, very open to designing custom cases to potentially fit higher end movements and do a true never before seen watch project.

Cons: Leads times for higher levels of customization or high end movements can take over a year, we would need to do most of the design/art on our own, less brand cachet and resale value should that be a concern.

Sartory Billard:

Pros: Fully developed bespoke program work flow with in house designers providing support, shorter lead times (as fast as four months from deposit to completion), established and rapidly growing Swiss brand recognition and residual value retention.

Cons: Locked into the case design ( https://sartory-billard.com/products/sb04-e ), locked into movement (La Joux-Perret G100), more expensive with apples to apples movement (approximately double).

Both watches would come with metal, rubber and leather straps in the package.

We need around 20-25 confirmed participants to make this happen feasibly with either brand and we would like to get voting on it quickly to kick things off. Please meet us on the Whatsapp chat to take this conversation further, and it there is anyone not on the below list and still on the fence feel free to hop on and drop a comment so we know who to expect. This is going to be an awesome, unique project and a great way to kick things off here. Feel free to post or PM me if you have any questions.

1)Josh B, $7,000 - Joined Whatsapp

2)Jnsgator, $5,000

3)Jlcollect. 1 Billion Dollars

4)Sopanada,$7,000

5) Shane, TBD - Joined Whatsapp

6)kbwatchkidney, Money is no object, peasants

7) drheckles, $5,000

8) andrew_e_truman, $5,000 - Joined Whatsapp

9) Rich_R, $5,000

10) pthomas, $7,000 - Joined Whatsapp

11) Optywatch -$TBD - Joined Whatsapp

12) Cajuncowboy, $5,000

13) cyrulnik, $5,000+ - Joined Whatsapp

14) Ntinos1000, $5,000+

15)BrilliantMistake -$3,000

16)Admiralawesome- $2,500ish

17)Buffy1 - $7,000

18) KCcyclone1-$3,000+ - Joined Whatsapp

19) bakjor - $5,000+

20)scottperfecto - $2,500+

21)Watchtime- $5,000

22)Ranvir -$5,000+ - Joined Whatsapp

23)Soulvaccination -$3,000+

24)DeadOnMondays -$Imrichbiyatch!

25)AdamsJK- $5,000+

26)Dimka- $2,000+

27)Odysey- $4,000+ - Joined Whatsapp

28)Razcat- $7,000

29)scooter260 -$5,000

30)borisbazan -$3,000

31)jwyds44 -$tbd - Joined Whatsapp

32)pacergus -$5,000

33)spider2469 -$infinite!! - Joined Whatsapp

34)Shaun -$5,000

35)ZachLA -$5,000 - Joined Whatsapp

36) Sadnysports- - Joined Whatsapp

Thanks!

Ok, I just discovered this and have to say it changed my mind about Rolex. Sooo cool.

I updated my grail wish to this guy, but there are some on eBay currently with ‘make an offer’. What would be a reasonable offer for one in ‘very good’ condition?

Wanted to get you all tuned into this small American independent watchmaker.

I got this watch to commemorate the sale of my company!

I could look at this dial all day -- it's crazy to think that this was done by hand on a machine from the 1930s...

39mm case, deep blue dial. I've been watching Teddy Baldassarre's videos for years, and I have loved RGM watches. One of the very few American Watchmaker out there. When I saw that they collaborated, I just knew that I needed to get the watch!

I got two of them and gifted the other to my CEO, so that we can match 😆

What do you think about a calibre de Cartier diver w2ca0004 with box and papers, 2021, for $6895? Very good condition. Rose gold bezel. Thank you very much!

Hey guys,

Anyone used WatchCheck for repairs? I have an early 70's Seiko Bullhead that I had serviced by a local guy in NYC and it's running well but needs new seals as it's pulling in moisture and they (supposedly) can't source them.

I talked to WatchCheck and they said it would be no problem. The seem really legit although a little pricey (full service again including seals for $825).

Any other NYers have suggestions for somewhere else I can try? I've called all the usual suspects (and even went to Grand Seiko) and none of them have the seals.

Thanks!

3 watches that all cost about the same thing are on my list and while they are different styles all are integrated-ish sports watches. I was set on a vc overseas but then I tried on a breguet marine in titanium and really liked the way it wore. And the moser streamline center seconds speaks to me in a totally different way. Let’s discuss!