SOTC, part 4 and Grand Finale!

[Henry Krinkle]

I have far too many watches to post all at once, so I will split my collection up into groups. My collection does not follow a grand plan. I see something, I like something, I buy something is about as focused as it gets. I think I started collecting watches in or around 2008. When my wife's mother passed, we found her father's late thirties/early forties Gruen. I got it fixed and then their was no looking back. My wife has been semi-bitten by the bug,so she is no help whatsoever. I had built up a small collection of vintage pieces and then had my house broken into. The thieves made off with very little but they did get my collection. Fortunately insurance covered me and because of the silly way insurance works I ended up with generally better watches than the ones the thieves got.

On to the watches. I will start with the moderns and work in descending order. "Modern" in this case means this century.

My most recent purchase is the Rado 50th anniversary Diastar from 2012. When Rado announced this watch in 2011 I was quite critical of it. I thought they had shown a complete lack of imagination or thought with this piece and Rado had gone all out on the Diastar's 40th anniversary, releasing no less than eight men's models and at least one women's model. In the intervening years I had changed my mind. Rado have actually made a very nice flat crystal Diastar with a lot of nice elements from various years and integrated them quite nicely. When I found it at Ashford for under $500 delivered I couldn't resist.

P1200739 by hankblanc, on Flickr


I'd been looking for a one hander for awhile but wasn't sure how I felt about the general 42mm size of them. I stumbled across the 36mm Neo and fell in love with the vintage styled case. I gave my wife two options for my birthday present last year- the Meistersinger or a Stowa Prodiver. This is the one she picked.

P9020207 by hankblanc, on Flickr


A general query at the other watch forum I frequent about the low end RGMs led to an offer I coudln't resist to buy the bead blasted Model 22 Deck Watch. I wasn't sure I actually liked the watch before I got it. This watch has numerous elements that normally turn me off a watch but I fell in love with the engraved dial and the 38mm size as soon as I unboxed this one.

zP1010633 by hankblanc, on Flickr


The only thing I can say about the Stowa is that it is such a perfect watch that I didn't much care for it at first. Without quirks or flaws I was left... a little cold. Then one night about three months in, I looked down at it and BAM!

aaP1010193 by hankblanc, on Flickr


After I smashed my D-Star and before Swatch fixed it, I joked to my wife that I might need to replace it with the Limited Edition Hyperchrome Golden Horse. I casually emailed my Rado connection in Chicago and asked him if he knew what the price on one was. Dennis, said, "Well I have the only one Rado will give me in my shop and it's $xxx, but for you $xxx." I buy all my watches from a specific portion of the proceeds of my paintings. Still not intending to buy it my gallery notified my three times within two days that I had sold pieces and that I had another couple of commissions. I'm no dummy. I know when fate is speaking to me. This is as close to "The One" watch I own.

PC280680 by hankblanc, on Flickr

zP1012365 by hankblanc, on Flickr


The Eterna is the biggest watch I have ever bought and I will never buy one larger. At 42mm plus that giant crown and 15mm thick it is only the short lugs that make it small enough for me. But I love it nonetheless.

P1040687a by hankblanc, on Flickr


The D-Star is Rado's re-imagining of the Diastar fifty years on. I fell in love with the all black ceramic model and actually pre-ordered it from the factory. As well as a ceramic bracelet and case this watch features a black steel caseback. The colour is throughout the steel so that if one scratches the steel it remains black. A steel link pin failed on the bracelet, it fell a good distance and smashed to bits. It was still under warranty and Swatch fixed it all and more, so I guess they deserved the money for the Hyperchrome, right?

5bfaf493-8f1b-40e9-928e-7f916c842f11_zpse6c3d8fc.jpg~original by hankblanc, on Flickr


Fiftieth birthday present from my wife. The 2011 Centrix was meant to be Rado's entry level replacement for the venerable, and generally ugly, Florence line. As such it was meant to be available as a quartz only model, but at the last minute Rado popped a decorated 2824 into one. It sold so well that the next year Rado had more auto variants than quartz.

Centrixglow_zpsf38d6c16 by hankblanc, on Flickr


And finally two of the eight Limited Edition mens Diastars from 2002, the 40 Years of Diastar and the Diastar 40. The 40 Years was Rado's first XL sized Diastar while the Diastar 40 had a polar white dial, blued hands and markers and something that was quite uncommon for Rado back then- a display back.

IMG_1585 by hankblanc, on Flickr

aaP1010236 by hankblanc, on Flickr



Thanks for your patience. I promise I will try to write less in the other installments.

[CamB]

You are starting to get me into looking at Rado!

[Henry Krinkle]

You are starting to get me into looking at Rado!

Yay! They are not for everybody but they make some nice pieces.

[whatmeworry]

You are starting to get me into looking at Rado!

Yes, that was my first thought too, some really beauties there

[Henry Krinkle]

Yes, that was my first thought too, some really beauties there

Throughout the nineties and into the noughts Rado deserved the rep they gained, with the possible exception of the Original/New Original lines. Starting in 2011 though, with the introduction of the Centrix, which took a lot of it's design cues from the classic Starliners, they have been remaking their image. Over at the Rado forum there is some suspicion that we may have helped. Rado regularly checks the page and when they got their new CEO Rado America photographed a friend's collection. He and his wife have more than 350 vintage and new Rados!

[Martin]

I must say that I always enjoy your beautiful pictures!

I promise I will try to write less in the other installments.

Please don't. I like all the info. Thanks for taking the time.

Regards,

Martin

[Henry Krinkle]

I must say that I always enjoy your beautiful pictures!



Please don't. I like all the info. Thanks for taking the time.

Regards,

Martin

Thank you Martin.

[WWII70]

+1. Write as much as you want. It is the stories that make our watches more interesting.

Originally Posted by Henry Krinkle
I promise I will try to write less in the other installments.



Please don't. I like all the info.

[MHe225]

+1. Write as much as you want. It is the stories that make our watches more interesting.

I can only agree - without the write-up, we're only enjoying the pictures. Very nice ones, but still. The info and stories bring these pictures to life and make me / us look in to brands that we normally wouldn't look at. That may not always be a good thing, though
So let's keep them coming, the pictures and the text.

I do enjoy SOTC-threads and I've more than once thought about doing one myself. But then, I don't have any special or interesting watches and there is definitely no big philosophy or master-plan driving my collection ..... The only themes (apart from buying what I like): a space connection and project watches.

[Nutty28]

Thanks for sharing not just the collection, but more importantly the story behind each watch. The stories told add not just "life" into the watches, but give meaning to this hobby. And here's wishing you luck in search of the Gruen....I believe good things will happen to good people.