Would you ever buy a Patek Philippe Watch?

These watches do look good but how accurate are they compared to something like a $20 Casio? If a watch cannot keep accurate time, which is its primary function, I couldn't justify spending such a huge sum of money; it would be like spending money on shoes that didn't fit correctly.

Automatic watch? Are you thinking of a mechanical watch? Because mechanical watches come in automatic or manual.

TLW wrote:

If you can afford it and like it. Buy it. It's that simple.

Only someone who is VERY into watches will notice a Patek. It will not draw unwanted attention at all. It will totally fly under the radar.

It's only wasteful if you buy it and don't wear it. If you buy it - wear it often. That is why you bought it.

I'm into watches and my daily wear is a Rolex Submariner.

Rolex Submariner? Everybody has a Rolex Submariner.

Chrome plated Festina wrote:

These watches do look good but how accurate are they compared to something like a $20 Casio? If a watch cannot keep accurate time, which is its primary function, I couldn't justify spending such a huge sum of money; it would be like spending money on shoes that didn't fit correctly.

No, they will not keep as accurate time as a $20 Casio. Almost any low quality electronic watch will be more accurate than even the highest quality mechanical watch. If you want a more accurate mechanical watch with more vibrations per hour and a tourbillion, you will have to pay more than a less accurate mechanical watch, but even the accuracy of those does not compare to your typical mechanical watch.

In this age, you do not buy a high-end mechanical watch for its timekeeping accuracy over an electronic watch; you buy it because it is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, first and foremost. These watches often take years to design, manufacture, and assemble. Other reasons include fashion, status symbol, collecting, or you have so much frickin money that you want to spend it on some ridiculous expensive item just because you can.

Anyways, nobody needs an expensive mechanical watch. You just buy it because you want one. I recommend that you get one because watchmaking is one of the few old professions that has not been rendered obsolete by electronic technology. A well made mechanical watch is a wonderful combination of art, mechanics, physics, craftsmanship, style, tradition, and functionality. You will not only own a wonderful device, but also support an antique trade that should be sustained.

vivalarepublica wrote:

In this age, you do not buy a high-end mechanical watch for its timekeeping accuracy over an electronic watch; you buy it because it is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, first and foremost. These watches often take years to design, manufacture, and assemble.

They take years to manufacture, they're beautiful pieces of craftsmanship, and yet they fail at their primary purpose: being a watch that keeps accurate time. Maybe those craftsmen need to work a little harder and longer to make a watch that works properly!

The primary purpose of an expensive watch is the communication of status and prestige, of belonging to a particular stratum. Euros go nuts over these things, I know, I spend half the year there, when my wife is forced to wear her Jaeger LeCoultre Reverso for social reasons, just like I have to wear my stupid Rolex once in a while, when the stupid chunk of metal rolls around to whatever side of my wrist happens to be down. Morons and the desperate, who slice the baloney ever more thinly in order to hierarchically socially stratify (the Euros, who exhibit many zoo-animal behaviours), really care about this stuff.

As far as admiring them as works of fine craftsmanship, fair enough, they certainly can be. I have a very nice old Weill clock on my bedside, for which I need a new pallet and fork, all handmade, very nice. I wasn't talking about your type when I was disparaging "watch guys".

timex man wrote:

vivalarepublica wrote:

In this age, you do not buy a high-end mechanical watch for its timekeeping accuracy over an electronic watch; you buy it because it is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, first and foremost. These watches often take years to design, manufacture, and assemble.

They take years to manufacture, they're beautiful pieces of craftsmanship, and yet they fail at their primary purpose: being a watch that keeps accurate time. Maybe those craftsmen need to work a little harder and longer to make a watch that works properly!

You have no clue what you are talking about, and accuracy has nothing to do with the work ethic of the craftsman. Mechanical watches do not fail, they just cannot achieve the timekeeping accuracy of electronic watches, for a variety of reasons.

A mechanical watch does work properly. A good mechanical watch will be off by not more than a couple seconds per day, and perhaps a minute or two per month. They will require some re-adjustment every now and then to maintain their accuracy. Accuracy also is affected by gravity, temperature, shock, magnetism, and the movement of the wearer.

You have to understand that a mechanical watch is a precision manufactured machine with dozens of moving parts working together to keep accurate time. Like your car engine, all of these parts have to be lubricated. The vibrations per hour (vph) of the balance wheel in a watch is a one generic measure of accuracy. Most mechanical watches cannot operate at more than 36,000 vph, because at higher speeds, the lubricants will fly off the parts.

For comparison's sake, the first quartz watch had 300 vibrations per SECOND, which is over one million vibrations per hour.

In the long run, a mechanical watch might be more accurate because the parts are more durable than the electronic components and no batteries to deal with.

Here are some links from a basic Google search that might be helpful if you care to learn about the differences in accuracy in a mechanical watch vs. an electronic watch.

So watchmakers came up with a better technology that's significantly cheaper (electronic watches), and yet people fetishize mechanical watches...why?

Google "watch snob" and you will learn from the master...

timex man wrote:

So watchmakers came up with a better technology that's significantly cheaper (electronic watches), and yet people fetishize mechanical watches...why?

Status, craftsmanship, and too much money to burn. Not much more than that. Personally, I would buy a nice watch for the appreciation of craftsmanship that went into making the item. I also find non-electric mechanics more interesting than electronics.

Also, with proper maintenance, a mechanical watch will last longer than an electronic watch. The electronic components break down faster than the moving parts of a mechanical watch.

You buy a print of your favorite painting, or you could buy something original. Both can be used to decorate a house.

You can buy a Ford Focus or Bentley. Both do the same thing. One is just nicer than the other.

You can buy cheap countertops, or granite countertops. Both do the same thing.

Patek Philippe = triumph of marketing.

I have that PP. I paid $34K i think (last year). It is a great watch. I do sometimes feel guilty about it.

AND - BTW no one has ever noticed it. I've gotten a few "nice watches" when I wear my Omega Speedmaster (everyday watch) but no mentions on the PP.

Chrome plated Festina wrote:

These watches do look good but how accurate are they compared to something like a $20 Casio? If a watch cannot keep accurate time, which is its primary function,

The primary purpose of these sorts of watches is to be jewelry. They also keep pretty good time, but if your own goal is to have something that tells time then a cheap quartz watch or a cell phone will do that nicely.

I couldn't justify spending such a huge sum of money; it would be like spending money on shoes that didn't fit correctly.

More expensive shoes don't necessarily fit better than inexpensive shoes and a $50 pair of sneakers will likely be more comfortable than a $500 pair of leather shoes. Just FYI.

ten and six wrote:

Patek Philippe = triumph of marketing.

Probably true. If I had $40,000 to spend on a watch, I would opt for something custom made and (mostly) produced by one of the few American mechanical watch makers left.

vivalarepublica wrote:

Rolex Submariner? Everybody has a Rolex Submariner.

Agreed. It's tough, reliable and classic. Perfect watch.

Yes. You may look for some reviews of Patek Philippe Nautilus at https://www.revolution.watch/category/patek-philippe/ before getting one.

Does it have a heart rate monitor?

I would buy a watch with an interesting dial or complication. Two watches by Martin Braun are the Selene and Heliocentric.