Watches and Espresso

Last year Robert-Jan from Fratellowatches and Gerard from Horlogeplatform Nederland initiated an informal meeting of local watch enthousiasts. The idea was to make the Watches and Espresso meeting into a returning event in different locations in the neighborhood. Recently we met at a place near the sea, where it was very quiet due to the lousy weather. 8 Fellow watch enthousiasts joined to talk about watches, admire newly aquired watches and discuss the watch industry.

One of the things has become a returning topic is the size of watches and specifically the very large sized watches. I think most of us think that the BIG hype has gone far enough and it’s time to return to smaller sized watches.

Personally i think large watch can be nice, but only for watches with a history of being big. Like the Panerai Luminor Marina and Radiomir models which have always been 45mm or 47mm large, which made sense for the purpuse they where designed for. Also the IWC Big Pilot has large ancestors in aviation. These watches are not only large because it’s fashion, they have always been large sized.

I don’t like that all brands want a piece of the pie, regardless of their heritage. Some brands never had 45mm or larger models, but since a few years most brands offer watches of these measurements. Especially huge wristwatches with fine complications just don’t make sense to me. I mean, who needs a 47mm wristwatch with a tourbillon and perpetual calendar?

That’s why i enjoyed some of the watches, on wrists of those present, so much. There where two beautiful vintage watches, a fully restored Longines Conquest and an Omega that awaits some restoration.

A more modern nice sized watch was this Gerald Genta Retro Classic that measures 36mm in diameter. Of course i couldn’t resist making a quick wristshot. It feels very comfortable on the wrist and looks great. Even after years of wearing Panerai watches, this still looks excellent. No millimeter too small.

And last but not least… This could well be the first Linde Werdelin in the Netherlands (but certainly not the last). It’s a 2-Timer in steel on a beautiful alligator strap. The Linde Werdelin 2-Timer was limited to 222 pieces and now followed up by the Linde Werdelin 3-Timer. Here you can see some photos of Linde Werdelin i shot during Baselworld 2009 where it was released. Fratellowatches covered all new releases of Linde Werdelin here.

And last but not least… Since we choose to have our Watches and Espresso meeting at the sea side, there where of course some watches that feel completely comfortable in such a location… of course Rolex. From left to right: Sea-Dweller, Oysterquartz, Milgaus and Yachtmaster.

Sorry for the bad quality photos… this light was horrible and so where my skills. Next time i will make better photos. Promise!