2012 Smellody’s year in review. . .

2012 Smellody’s year in review. . .
2012 was a great watch year. My collection took off in a new direction dwindling from some 60 watches to 25. All sales proceeds were used to buy some “better” watches, but as we all know, beauty is the eye of the beholder.
2012 Watch #1:

My birthday Tudor Sub. Model 76100. Came with all boxes and papers. My jeweler serviced it and polished the crystal. I found a nice Tudor Hydronaut rubber strap with deployant on E-Bay and quickly united the two.

2012 Watch #2:
While picking up my Tudor Sub, I stumbled on the Greenwich Chronograph. My father has a Gevril from the mid-90’s and I was taken by the build quality and little enamored by the gold. So I started selling off some watches.

I think it is a fabulous watch and is my “go to” when I have to wear a suit. The chronograph in this one is the 51 jewel Dubois-Depraz 2025.
2012 Watch #3:
I saw Ron, Barnbuilder, back in April and started sourcing bits for another build. The result was the Hamilton Montgomery.

I think the jewel to this watch is the Hamilton decorated ETA 6498.

Ron is a master craftsman and cased this up for me at the kitchen counter in about 15 minutes.

2012 Watch #4:

The picture says it all. Wow! Can’t believe it is mine. 1974 Rolex 1680.
2012 Watch #5:
In selling off all the watches to fund the Gevril and 1680 I found I was without any warranted “fun” watches. Before our annual summer trip to Maine I picked this one up:

Incredible lume on this one!!! In 2013, I think I am going to find a quartz one with a bracelet and steal the bracelet for the automatic.
2012 Watch #6:
Wow, I just realized that I’ve had a really good watch year. Over the summer I decided I really needed a Breitling and picked up the Superocean A17360 from Northwestguy:

This one has kind of a cool back story. As some of you may know, I also collect vintage saxophone from the 10’s and 20’s of the last century. Back in college, the first time, I stumbled across a German saxophone from 1938. Not too rare, but the stencil work made it rare. It was embossed with Eagle and Swastika. OK, I’m not a weird Nazi memorabilia collector, but realized the historical significance and snatched it up for a couple of hundred bucks. The saxophone symbolized the German future, but the horn was not playing jazz it would have been belting out National anthems. I found a guy on the web collecting an entire orchestra of Nazi horns so I sold off the horn and bought the Breitling and a few other things. I didn’t really like the stigma of the horn, but I am glad it went to a proper collection.


2012 Watch #7:
The Armand Nicolet Sloop Royal GMT is just in. I’ve been working on a TT GMT Rolex but the deal fell through, this watch is pretty nice and is good GMT placeholder.

2012 Other:
Just had to make mention of my new Omega bracelet:

I bought my PO right when it first came out in the early 2000’s and wish I had initially stepped up and bought one on a bracelet. I could only afford the crocodile. It looked nice, but was not quite right for a diver like the PO. Over the years, I tried a rubber PO strap and a couple of leather straps. All were nice, but the Omega mesh is a masterpiece:

2013:
I’ve recently sold off a few more. The Tudor Black Bay is my next purchase; I’m a third of the way there. It will be on bracelet.
That is my story guys. How about you?

Christopher, that really is a great great collection there !!!

It's terrific not only the direction you went, but also how you have every corner of the hobby
covered from uniquely cool, classy, and smooth, to the amazing home made masterpieces,
to the just plain mean, and sporty. You even have that phenomenal mesh in there ! Honestly
is so cool sir, and something to be very proud of.

Can't wait to see that Black Bay eventually, and how 2013 shapes up for you !

Fantastic Chris!!! Great watches!!!!