Are you almost the only one?

You may not know it when you buy the watch, but after a certain time you may find out that for one reason or another you are about the only one that seems to have that watch: there is a certain natural limitation. So the watch is a slow seller, and I wonder what your feelings are about it. On the one hand there may be some disappointment, and you may even question your own taste: was I wrong about it, what is wrong with the watch? On the other hand you suddenly realise that you may have an almost unique watch, it might even become desirable after some time: you didn't buy it for that reason, but it might be a bonus.

I encountered this situation several times: it seems like I do not like main stream, or I like special features that others are not interested in. Most buyers may not notice this at all, but when you by chance visit several fora you just find out. The first time, I found out with the yellow gold Portuguese Perpetual Calendar: it disappeared out of the catalogue in two years, and I was so disappointed that I even considered to swap it. I am glad I did not, and there is no hope for others here to obtain this watch from me. I got more used to it with the titanium Ingenieur Automatic AMG, a really nice watch with that titanium bracelet. My latest watch, the steel VC Pilot's watch, is not popular either, but I saw one or two pictures of it in this forum. But the champion is the watch I bought before it, the rose gold VC Portuguese. I think it looks terrific, and I don't understand why IWC didn't market it, and the whole gold VC series, better: I wonder why you build a watch and then seem not to want to sell it. Is there anybody here at this forum that bought this watch? Maybe one of the silent readers? At the moment I believe I may be the only one that has it.

Do you have one or more watches that seem made almost only for you? What are your feelings about it?

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing rose gold VC Portuguese

I'm glad that you have the VC RG Port...

At least, we have a chance to see it once in a while. This is the most appealing of the entire VC collection, imho. Thank you for posting those wonderful photographs of it. As I see it, you're the only "revealed" owner of this watch on this forum.

Regards,
Jean, wearing Ingenieur Titanium with black strap (another no so polpular watch).

Are you almost the only one?

I bought the BI 5005 because I liked it the first time I saw it.

I haven't seen many on the watch forums and I received a lot of e-mail inquiring about the watch - even since I sold the watch to fund another IWC!

I've only seen two people with IWC watches on the island so any IWC watch I wear here is pretty unique.

Tracy (Honolulu)

If I didn't suffer from premature acquisition ...

syndrome by buying two steel VCs when they first came out and, if I knew that there would such beautiful the gold versions following unannounced a few months later, I would have waited. I still have the VC Ingenieur because it is very sympathetic to the original which was produced in steel and gold. The Portofino was sold because I couldn't get on with it from a comfort and the hassle of setting the moonphase. It funded the down payment for my PPC which has an easier moonphase to set.

That gold VC Portuguese is a stunning watch and well done with the wrist shots. There's nothing wrong with ploughing your own furrow.

Gee, Paul, if it bothers you,

I'd be happy to trade. It would be nice if this were gold, though I must say, the black dial provides a nice change from my RG Jubilee.

I did about the same as Rave

At SIHH 2008 I was convinced the steel VC Portuguese was so beautiful that I ordered it quite quickly. I was a bit mad when the gold one was announced so soon afterwards, if both would have been offered at the same time I would have bought the gold one and not the steel one. Still, I bit the bullet and bought that gold one too, without selling the steel one. They are quite different in character, and I love them, and wear them both quite often as they both have a lot of presence and are thin and light. That rose gold Jubilee is an absolute dream, by the way.

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing rose gold VC Portuguese

Hi paul, as close as I come is my SS Regulateur

of which I know of a few others, but it is defintely a rare bird.
--
Cheers from Isobars.

i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee278/RWK29/IWC5444SSRgulateur.jpg

Well it shows you have great taste, those are >>

wonderful watches Paul.

One does sometimes get that feeling...

although I have seen a couple on this and other forums.
I think it's going to be pretty rare and sought after in years to come ,)
(besides, demagnetisers are easy to find and are very cheap)

Very fine watch indeed Paul...

But the feeling of wearing something unique is what matters most, and it's great that you can experience it.
I somewhat get that with the Regulateur.

Cheers,
Evan

I find this an extreme beauty...and am totally...

surprised to hear what you were writing.

Indeed had to x-check with the "collection" to see that the golden series disappeared ?!? How is this possible ?

I believe you made the perfect decision to buy it, but of course, at that time you did not know this.

I am still very surprised. Is it because of "gold" and "the crisis"... and probably the whole platinum series was already pre-produced, so no cut-back in that area ...?

Big Q? as they were really filling the gap in the VC collection.

Ciao, Rob.

P.S< quailty pictures ! especially being taken out of one hand.

The golden ones never were in "Collection"

They even did not make the beautiful paper catalogue. The only honour they got was a few weeks on the splash page here, that is, the rose gold ones. As they are so beautiful: the rose gold Portofino and, yes, the rose gold Pilot's watch are really stunning, as are particularly the white gold Aquatimer and the white gold Pilot's watch, I really was not only surprised, but also did not understand it. The rose gold VC Pilot's watch I saw again in Rotterdam, months after the meeting in Schaffhausen last year: if someone really wants something special, this is the one.

I wonder if they still can be ordered: if not, well, then you have to hurry of course.

About the one handed photographer: I had to stand the cold outside, to make sure the pictures were sharp enough, with my simple point-and-shoot Nikon.

Kind regards,
Paul, wearing my giant, the yellow gold Portuguese Perpetual Calendar

At least I now understand the quality pictures...

... totally frozen outside, thus ... no shake or vibration possible.

Well, it's just another way of approaching things in life...

Ciao, Rob.

(please enjoy this beauty, I am already doing this in your place)

I’ve got a kind of this felling about these ones …

I bought these two when it was discontinued and the new versions were available:

For the AT 2000, I noticed there are two frequently extreme positions: the old school radical fans, who put the 3536 as the best and insuperable AT ever (a cult watch), and the ultimate lustrous bigger version defenders who thinks the 3565 is a better upgraded version of the older ATs. I personally like both. But rarely, you would find someone arguing in favour of the intermediated generation of the AT, which is my favourite, the 3538. This is the AT 2000 that better resembles the look of the Deep One, the most beautiful AT ever IMHO.

About the black Spitfire Chrono, it is a watch that you hardly see around. It was discontinued since 2005. I bought it on 2006. I thought about sale it to but a 3717, a more popular version, but currently I wouldn’t do it. No way! Every day I found it more and more beautiful, even the aged croc strap looks better to me than the new one.

The Inge is of course a Limited Edition and certainly not a watch for everybody. It has a colourful dial, a striking big case, blue rubber straps, part polished part brushed finishing edges that make it shines with every movement…. It is not a low profile watch and it usually extracts comments from people. I enjoy this watch every time I use it and currently it was the most of the time. It is a rare Inge, no doubt, especially when you compare it to the sharp black and silver classic 3227.

2

3

5

Fully agree on your AT view, as I have considered

buying the 3538, with the inner rotating bezel, the 2 crowns nicely located at 2 and 4... but I had to be selective, budgetwise.

And mind I am indeed a 3536 addict, which I bought, just FYI, just after coming back from Geneva SIHH where the new AT's were presented. Btw. I immediately chose for the Titanium, as I had tried on the wrist the steel 3536 of Tonny B. which he still possessed at that time. But I found it too heavy. These days I don't know what I would have chosen, as after the CFI 3227, there is not a lot more heavy stuff anymore.

Nice collection, by the way.

Ciao, Rob.