HOW DID YOUR FASCINATION FOR MECHANICAL WATCHES START?

hi there, i am new here and found this forum about 3 months sgo, benefited from many of you for mechanism ( though i am not very good into this area) and history. lately bought a gst perpectual ( preowned). i guess people love the design especially the latest like perpectual stainless steel ( limited edition come with orange dial etc).
cheers

I honestly don't remember.

I grew up in a family which has a great appreciation of mechanical watches. My father and grandpa would visit watch shops every weekend as a pastime. Back when I was a kid, I hated going to watch shops. There was nothing for me. I just sat there for an hour or so waiting and twiddling my thumbs for my family to leave. They have different brands of expensive watches, namely AP, PP, JLC, Piguet, Cartier, Rolex, etc. in their possession.

I have always been contented with just wearing a Casio quartz watch all through university. Since I graduated from university and came out to work, my grandma got me a Rolex as a present, and my father bought me an Omega and Tag Heuer. Except for the Omega which I for the longest time used as a daily beater, I rarely wore my Rolex and Tag Heuer. (The Tag Heuer short-lived, and I put it aside so well that I didn't even know it was now). My father also got my wife and I a pair of nice Cartier as our wedding gift. Once again, I had worn it once--on my wedding day only.

As I aged though... I started to have a better appreciation of mechanical watches. Since then I have been eying on different (affordable) mechanical watches that I myself could afford... watches like Hamilton and Oris.

I have my eyes set on the IWC GST series for years though... particularly the titanium ones. They are just sooooooo nice-looking and elegant. I don't recall my family having an IWC... (or maybe I haven't been paying enough attention). However, spending US$3000 on a watch seemed like an absurd and inconceivable idea. I have much better use of my money than that.

So... I have put aside the idea of owning an IWC for maybe 10 years...

So... a little while ago I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a NOS AMG Ingenuier... promising myself that I could go wild once in a blue-moon... just ONCE.

Then... as I pushed my envelope, I started to realize I could not stop. Since then, I acquired one IWC after another... and still eying on a few. This is how my passion for IWC started.

It would had been on the middle 1970's, I remember being in my early teens then. One day I was making a comment to my dad about a nice Rolex watch that the father of a friend of mine had purchased and how the watch was so good, etc. etc.

My dad then told me that if I really liked and appreciated "really good watches" he was going to show me some "really ggod watches"! Away he took me to the jewlery store representing IWC in town (that was in Panama City, Panama) I still remember being introduced to the "Compass Watch the Inge and all other models then.

Nearly 40 years later, my little stable of watches includes several models of IWC (I even got that original compass watch as a reminder of that fantastic lesson from dad, best of all it is an unworn, totally original in the box sample!)

MY FASCINATION FOR MECHANICAL WATCHES STARTED
WHEN MY QUARTZ STOPPED IN 1996...
Never had the urge to explore another brand
since my first MARK XII
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cheers
BAS DEKKERS

My previous watch wasn't working well and I was thinking of buying a new watch for a while. Then I started doing some research on the options available - and the more I learnt about the interesting features of mechanical watches, the more I wanted to buy one, as an appreciation of the great craftsmanship that the watchmakers are putting into an instrument of such a compact size.

Incidentally, I entered an IWC Boutique, and it was "love at first sight" - the pilot watches looked great and stylish, and not long thereafter, I bought the first mechanical watch, an IW371701. Love it!

Thanks IWC!

Cheers,
AL

Naci y vivo en Buenos Aires, tengo 54 años, mi padre fue aprendiz de relojero en su juventud cuando conoció a mi madre y se casaron puso su negocio de relojería en la ciudad, se asocio con una persona que manejaba la administración mientras el reparaba relojes su pasión, pero una mañana se encontró sin negocio y sin socio le habian robado todos los relojes y sus herramientas, cambio de empleo y trabajo en la administración publica para pagar todas sus deudas y reparaba relojes en mi casa. yo nací cuando en trabajaba en casa y recuerdo por muchos años ver a mi padre trabajar de noche reparando relojes en su pequeño taller casero. De allí nació mi curiosidad y amor a los relojes. hoy tengo una buena colección de relojes muchos son vintage pues marcaron itos importantes en relojería, de IWC tengo un bellisimo calibre 88. Un Saludo a todos. Juan

I have always been fascinated with all things Mechanical, I guess you can say I have a Mechanical mind. I have always worked with my hands,and always thought how cool would it be to own what is a Mechanical feat, a watch. I first started with a very nice Swiss Quartz, and finally moved to my first Auto 12 years ago. Well I never looked back...

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i bought an IWC pilot chrono in LA one month ago. I since went to thailand with it for a week. I was in LOVE with this watch, but when i got home i realised it was losing 5 minutes a day easy, its ONE month old. Very disappointing. So took it in to be fixed under warranty and they tell me its going to take SIX week. Thats longer than i have the watch. Seriously when you spend 5 - 10 k on a watch you expect it will keep time for more than a month ! i am really disappointed.

i bought an IWC pilot chrono in LA one month ago. I since went to thailand with it for a week. I was in LOVE with this watch, but when i got home i realised it was losing 5 minutes a day easy, its ONE month old. Very disappointing. So took it in to be fixed under warranty and they tell me its going to take SIX week. Thats longer than i have the watch. Seriously when you spend 5 - 10 k on a watch you expect it will keep time for more than a month ! i am really disappointed.

i bought an IWC pilot chrono in LA one month ago. I since went to thailand with it for a week. I was in LOVE with this watch, but when i got home i realised it was losing 5 minutes a day easy, its ONE month old. Very disappointing. So took it in to be fixed under warranty and they tell me its going to take SIX week. Thats longer than i have the watch. Seriously when you spend 5 - 10 k on a watch you expect it will keep time for more than a month ! i am really disappointed.

I did a deal with my father in law, about ten years ago, he was a watch repairer, one of the watches I got off him was a Mk X11 pilot, very plain and simple to look at at with its buffalo hide strap and uncomplicated face, but oozing class with every tick (silent tick that is)

My fascination for watches begin in 2001 when i was reading a magazine about aviation; A publicity has incliuded for Bell&Ross, ad at this moment i have decided to order a catalog, and when i have reading the first page about mouvements iwas said"wonderful" one day i want the same! on christmas 2000 i have buy my first watch a Festina just hour/date in quartz mouvement, and my secod purchase arrive on 2001 when i own a sector expender 210 chrono. aAnd my first automatic watche arrive on summer 2002 with a festina kinetic automatic in 2003 i have buy 3 watches in a year; the consecration of passion arrive in 2005 in december 12st when i buy my Frederique Constant Heart Beat Manufacture Limited Edition for... 750€ and in 2006, my father give me his first watch buy in his army service in 1969, my watches dealer have restored it(buttons change, winding system restored and a new glass and strap) this is a Wencia Cronograph in yellow gold, manufactured early 1960 in Besencon France with a swiss manual winding movement, my last purchase is a seiko Trooper watch replica automatic mouvment, that's my story with watches sincerly yours