Anonymous Surgeon - Australia

Anonymous Operating Theatre

So as a Surgeon… do you really need a watch?

As a surgeon a watch is essential so I know how late I am running every day. Being a Virgo and a surgeon (a bad combination of OCD and pedantry) I hate being late, but it seems to be the norm. There is also the concept of surgical time – basically any procedure takes about 30% longer than the surgeon allows. It’s not our fault if all the others involved slow us down!

Your an Australian right? Are you originally from Sydney?

I am Australian, and born and bred in Sydney. That said, my training took me to live in other areas – 1 year in Newcastle (2 hrs north of Sydney) and 18 months in Melbourne.

Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge

Did you know that Aussies have the highest percentage of multiple watch ownership in the world?

I was not aware that we Aussies have that honour. My wife would argue that the statistic skewed by my efforts at hoarding! Strangely most of my mates have only 1 or at most 2 watches and enjoy laughing at me as some sort of freak.

Vintage Rolex Submatiners 5512/3

What interesting places has your job taken you?

I haven’t really travelled much with work – apart from the odd overseas junket (oops, I mean conference). In an effort to sound interesting, I will say I took a year off in the middle of university and travelled around the world for 8 months with a good mate – back-packing bums! I was 22, and I wore a Swatch which served me perfectly! South America and Canada are 2 of the most stunning places I’ve been since with my lovely wife.

What was your first watch..?

First watch was bought from a local jeweller when I was about 12 – little manual wind jobby which kept me going all through school. It remains unphotographed! My first “proper” watch was a Tag-Heuer 6000 steel watch (quartz) I bought myself in 1996 when I passed my surgical primary exams at my first attempt (an unpleasant process that involves 6-12 months of intense study). My mate’s brother got it at wholesale price (don’t ask!).

When did you realise that watches were not just to tell the time?

I was nudged into WIS-dom by a mate who had a lovely late 1950s Seamaster he bought from a pawnbroker – it was then I realised they could be beautiful too. It was looking for a similar watch that I stumbled onto a site called ATG Vintage Watches a few years ago…

ATG Vintage Watches Web shop and Forum

Does anyone at work notice your watches?

Yeah, some people notice them. One of my anaesthetists (female) loves wearing my watches when I’m operating – she likes men’s watches. My associate has a beautiful Audemars Piguet he got from his father which he just got fixed up, so he tends to notice any new ones. I know a few other WIS doctors, but they are often very focussed (Paneristi and Rolexicons!).

I know you have quite a cool collection of vintage watches… Do you wear a different one every day?

I don’t wear a different watch every day as a rule. I’ll wear the vintage ones if I am consulting all day, or going out to a nice dinner. For day to day stuff I’ll wear something modern, mainly for the reassurance of it handling a knock or immersion – Seadweller, Sinn U1 SDR or EZM-1, Doxa PVD, Bremont, Seiko Sumo are the most common.

Dive Watches - Vintage & Modern

How do you choose what to wear?

See above. Also depends if I’m going to the beach, swimming, golfing, the gym etc… I have favourites for each. If I am in a shirt and tie, my Virgo comes out a bit and there may be some colour-coding at times, and it often has to fit well under a cuff, so the vintage ones do well. Favourite vintage wearers – Aquastar, UG Compax, Speedy 1967 and 5513 Sub.

From left; Omega Speedmaster, Universal Genever Compax, Wittnauer Professional, Aquastar - Deepstar

Do you keep them all wound and running as a lot of collectors do?

No, but usually have about 5 wound up at a time

I notice a lot of your watches are from the late 60’s Is there a reason for this…?

The late 60s thing (well, 1967 to be precise) happened a bit by chance. You sold me the Aquastar Deepstar (which happened to be 1967), then the Wittnauer (ditto) and I got on a bit of a roll. I wanted a Speedy and a 5513 so the natural progression was to go 1967. It didn’t help that you kept finding 1967 treasures to tempt my weak flesh – UG Compax for example. I think it is no accident, since the period produced a lot of very good looking (and indeed iconic) watches, and no period since has challenged it, I would say. The 70s had a some unusual and interesting pieces, some also very beautiful.

How many watches have you owned…?

About 30 or so. Current count about 24 I think.

What is the worst watch you have owned that was supposed to be good?

I haven’t really had a “worst” watch so to speak. I got burned with a Franken Speedy early on, which thankfully went back to its seller with good grace. The Doxa 5000T was fun for a while, but ultimately a bit too big and blingy, so it moved on quickly. But it was very well built. I’ll get another orange Doxa at some stage, but it will be smaller.

What is your most expensive purchase?

Bremont EP 120

Bremont Spitfire EP120 Chronograph

Is there a watch out there that you would love to own but can’t bring yourself to spend big?

1665 Double-Red Seadweller 1967 thin case – a pretty rare bird. Kind of almost took the plunge a year ago, but it was crazy money I didn’t really have.

Who do you think are making interesting new watches right now?

Bremont, without a doubt. I am impressed mostly with their technology and construction principles, and I think they have created a style that is their own with their case and lug styling in particular. Some high end Seikos are interesting (especially the movements), and that funky Eterna 1000m diver – perhaps the most interesting I’ve seen for a while. And yes, I put the Seiko bit in to be annoying!

Where do you see things going as the prices of vintage have been going up and up..?

I think a lot of vintage will plateau, with the really high-end stuff staying pretty strong, which for most of us will have little effect. For us Aussies, it is a buyers market with our dollar tipped to go past $1 US this year, and just hit all time highs against the Euro, and 30 year high against the pound. I am, however, deficient in funds as the house renovations crawl onwards!

If there could only be one then which would it be…?

Out of my current stable – Seadweller makes the strongest claim. Good size, tough, functional, can be dressy but can also play on a Nato (now for instance), can be serviced to last for ever. The Sinn EZM1 also would be a contender, for most of the same reasons, plus it is a chrono and titanium. It really needs a better bracelet though – pretty crap I have to say. My Alt1-C is my most loved watch, but if it had to be one, it would probably have to go.

Bremont ALT1 - C Panda

Advertising Agency Creative

Omega Tuning Fork and Electronic Speedmasters

ATG - You’re from a famous Industrial Northern town in the UK right…? How come you’re a creative not an engineer?

Fecklessness, stupidity and stubbornness really. The secondary modern school I attended was geared for churning out factory or canon fodder. You were forced to do the entrance test for the local big employers, who at the time were Rolls Royce, Crewe Works and Midland Rollmakers, If you failed all three it was a case of “off to the Army for you then laddie”.

Essentially I didn’t have a clue as to what I wanted to do but I was certain I didn’t want to work in a factory. So I flatly refused to take any of the entrance tests, much to the consternation of my teachers. Then I heard about a thing called the Art Foundation courses and decided that was for me.

Unfortunately I was too young to enroll so I did a ground course instead and got my A-levels at the same time. I was a good way to find a direction and decide what you wanted to pursue. I was also a complete culture shock to a naive, small town northerner. The tutors treated you as equals, called you buy your christian name and took you to the pub at lunchtime, despite being 16. It didn’t take me too long to adapt though.

Crewe Station 1952

ATG - What interesting places has your job taken you?

Mainly Europe but no-where out of the ordinary really. I find the people you’re with and situations you find yourself in are usually far more interesting than your location. Probably the most surreal situation was in the Italian Alps with a German stunt driver, blacked up and in drag. He was driving on ice and playing the part of a black American female doctor on the way to a helicopter crash site. Hans was on route to his car for the first scene and came over to me and said “Hello Gary, I’m feeling a bit off colour today”, which was his attempt at humour but delivered in a Schwarzenegger like flat, monotone voice. You had to be there really but it did sum up the sometimes daft nature of what I do for a living very well.

ATG - What was your first watch..?

Can’t really remember in all honesty, I did have a very 70’s style Timex at some point when I was young.

ATG - When did you realise that watches were not just to tell the time?

At this point I’d love to utter some profound epiphany moment. However the truth is I came to watches pretty late in life. It’s a cliché but I make no apologies for it but my interest was sparked by arrival of my 40th birthday. I was looking for something to remember it by and thought a decent watch would be a good idea.

My first choice was a Heuer Carrera re-edition. I’m a motor racing fan and the fact that the Carrera was originally released a year before my birth (close enough for me, or it could have been a conceived year watch maybe) was all it took for me to decide this was the one. However the internet deal I’d hatched from a site in Switzerland was too good to be true and I never saw the watch, fortunately I did get my money back though after a lot of aggravation. I often wander if, had I got the Carrera, would I have been content and stopped at just the one watch? Probably not, knowing me.

ATG Does anyone at work notice your watches?

Very rarely and if they do they never really say anything. But then they’re all a bit blasé about international packages arriving these days. If anything arrives without a name on the label they automatically put it on my desk now.

ATG - I know you have quite a cool collection of vintage watches… Do you wear a different one every day?

Thanks mate, coming from you that’s quite a compliment. Yes I try and rotate my watches on a daily basis whenever possible. I don’t believe in safe queens so even the rarer and more expensive pieces get an outing now and again.

Omega Seamaster 200 'Shom'

ATG - How do you choose what to wear?

They choose me, I just pick a watch that vaguely goes with whatever I’m wearing on the day. I tend to keep them all running just in case I have a last minute crisis of confidence.

ATG - I notice a lot of your watches are from the late 60’s and early 70’s. Is there a reason for this…?

There’s something about that period I really like, and that applies to music, architecture, engineering and a lot of other disciplines as well. I think it was a time that was uninhibited by too much fiscal control which in turn led to a lot of madcap ideas going into production. These days it’s all seemingly about profit and how quickly you can see a return, too much short term thinking in other words.

We also seemed to have far more ambition too, whether it was Kennedy’s decision for man to go to the moon before the end of the decade or the British / French collaboration that led to Concorde. Both of which I doubt would get off the ground - no pun intended - if instigated now). Where’s this generations equivalent projects? Apart from the Hadron Collider (which I just don’t understand) there’s not a single project that is really capturing the publics imagination at the moment. A fact which considering the amazing leap in technology, materials and computing power I find faintly depressing. It’s said that the whole of NASA’s computing prowess at the time of the Apollo 11 could now fit into a mobile phone, so just imagine what we must surely be capable of doing now. When I was growing up the year 2010 seemed light years away and would surely be full of amazing science and wonderment. By now I thought we’d have a worldwide teleportation grid or at the very least personal atomic jet boards or such like. What happened to all that promise, potential and pioneering spirit? Killed of by the bean counters and health and safety, that’s what.

Seiko 6138-3002 FS

ATG - How many watches have you owned…?

I lost count a long time ago. I’ve experimented with an awful lot of brands and types of watches but found having a theme really helped give some direction. That’s why I restrict myself to mainly Omegas and Seikos these days.

ATG - What is the worst watch you have owned that was supposed to be good?

I doubt you’ll print this but probably a Rolex Submariner (14060). As a time piece it was exeptional, keeping time to a second or two a week. It felt good on my wrist and seemed like a perfect fit for me. It was also in amazing condition with boxes, papers and all the rest of the gubins that goes with them.

So what was the problem? Well I suspect the answer says more more about me and my parsimonious tendencies than the watch in all honesty. After the initial honeymoon period died down I became acutely aware of how much it had cost me and how easily it would be, for a clumsy oaf like me, to damage it. Every slight knock on desks and doorframes resulted in a tremble in the pit of my stomach quickly followed by a frantic inspection.

I know I could easily have had it repaired / refinished if necessary but once that feeling of doubt was instigated there was no going back, it had to go. I think, depending on your budget, certain tool watches are unfit for purpose and the Sub fell into this category for me. I consider Seiko dive watches more appropriate in all honesty, at least you can just wear and treat them with impunity.

Having said all that would I buy another? Without a doubt but it would have to be a 5513 (the lack of AR coating on the sapphire really annoyed me too) and preferably a battered example I can just enjoy for what it is, the ultimate tool watch.

ATG -What is your most expensive purchase?

See above

Rolex Submariner 14060

ATG - Is there a watch out there that you would love to own but can’t bring yourself to spend big?

See above again, plus loads of others but I have to admit the fact that I’m a man of limited means. When I started my search for a 40th birthday present to myself I never dreamt that I’d spent the amount I have or that it would become a hobby / obsession even. Not to mention the amounts of hours, actually make that months if not years, I’ve spent researching them.

ATG - Who do you think are making interesting new watches right now?

I’m primarily a vintage watch collector so most new watches, even Omegas, hold little interest to me. However I think Bremont are producing some very interesting pieces at the moment. I think the case design is a work of genius and having had the privilege of meeting both Nick and GIles their enthusiasm is contagious. I also like a lot of the re-editions but find the originals far more interesting and characterful as a rule.

ATG - Where do you see things going as the prices of vintage have been going up and up..?

I guess prices will continue to spiral. I have mixed feelings about this, on the one hand it’s increasing the value of my modest collection, on the other I can’t buy quite so frugally now. Plus it will mean collectors on a budget will be more attracted to the less well known brands and models increasing there profile and values too.

I’m sure we all lament the passing of the days when SM300’s could be had for £500 but ultimately there’s not a lot we can do about it really.

Personally I try and pick out pieces that are aesthetically pleasing to me, have an interesting history or technology behind them but aren’t yet in the public limelight. That’s why I like my esoteric Omega Megaquartz and tuning fork watches. You can pick them up for a reasonable amount, they were by far the most advanced and accurate movement of their day (the cal.1510 is still one of the worlds most accurate movements nearly 40 years later) and they look brilliant. Think Bootsie Collins meets K9 on your wrist and you’re half way there.

Omega Constellation 'Stardust' Mega Quartz

ATG - If there could only be one then which would it be…?

What a horrid thought, I don’t even want to think about that one.

ATG Watch Collectors Interview
Anonymous City Hedge Fund, Assistant Manager

Colour of Money

ATG - You work in the speculative world of hedge funding Geoff…? Is it as exciting as it sounds..?
Exciting as it sounds, um, it has it’s moments.
I’ve been in the same team for the last 10 years, so I figure I must enjoy it.
There is a great deal resting on our shoulders as we manage close to 10 billion Euros for our Client’s.

ATG _Was that your first career choice?
Good heavens no. My Father was a jet pilot, and the day I discovered I couldn’t be one too I cried. When the optician told me I was colourblind it was time for a change of plan.
Many years later I fell into finance.

ATG - What was your first watch..?
I can tell you the first ever watch I bought myself - it was a Casio multi-alarm digital number.
I think it boasted 10 different musical alarms

ATG - When did you realise that watches were not just to tell the time?
When the third rendition of Auld Lang Syne went off and I got detention

ATG - People think that you guys have clocks all over the walls with times world wide.. is that true..and do you use your watch for timing?
I think there might be an array of world times behind our reception, but to be honest the pricing and news screens we watch on our desk have all the time zones on display.

I have been known to time my friends going round Brands Hatch using my vintage Daytona - I mean come on, that’s what is was built for……..

Daytona Timing

ATG - Is it competitive having the right watch to meetings..?
No, besides, us city folk have very poor taste as a rule.

ATG - You wife is also a watch collector right? How did that happen?
Luckily she isn’t a collector, however, she loves wearing my watches - which is great because they get the wrist time they deserve.

ATG - I imagine there are some bling watches out there, what are the crowd buying right now..?

Bling, bling is dead - once they saw me with my gold HP-01 Calculator on my wrist they all gave up trying to compete. The crowd, well,  I’ve spotted one new Bremont in the office this week.

Tech Bling!

ATG - I know you collect Rolex but are quite sensible about it… why do they drive people mad do you think?
Sensible, how very kind….I just can’t chase the ones I really want.
For every one they drive mad, there must be one thousand that want one - clever the Rolex lot eh!

ATG - Now I know you own a couple of watches…what are your favourites…?
I love my Zodiac triple calendar, especially as it’s a third of the value of it’s Heuer twin.
My HP-01 and my Pulsar calculators are just crazy.
But, if it really had to be just one, my 6239 Paul Newman Daytona, it’s in the configuration that it really got it’s name from too. It took a lot of studying, and a faithful dealer to secure it. It’s smaller than most people realise, doesn’t shout anything, just understated class.

Colour of Money

ATG - What watches are impressing you at the moment…?
Anything with a tourbillon movement. I just find them captivating, except maybe the Zenith monstrosities, ghastly.

ATG - I know you ride bikes and drive nice cars… do you match watches to a vehicle?
The only watch that comes close to matching my vehicles is my Polar heart rate monitor and my
push bike - they even communicate, if only it could pedal too.

ATG - What would you say to someone thinking of  getting into the finance markets …?
Unfortunately we’re all buried deeper in the financial markets these days than ever before thanks to some very ignorant bankers, or do I mean arrogant?! Some people get very rich investing in stocks and shares, some get very poor. Recent events have once again proved it’s not rocket science!

But!  if you don’t do the work and the research, then it’s just gambling!

When exactly is the time to Double-Down ?