Blogs

If you’re reading this then you probably agree with my assertion that a special watch can become a very important part of a person’s life.

Sometimes in the process of developing a new model of watch, Rolex have been unable or unwilling to change everything at once.

In 1970 Tudor entered the chronograph market with a watch that was very different from its Rolex Daytona brethren – The two incarnations of the ’Monte-Carlo’ were bold, bright and colourful and occupied their own place in the Rolex family lineup, as a slightly inferior model to the Daytona.

After designing the greatest road going car of all time* the Porsche 911 (or 901 as it was back then), in 1972 Ferdinand Alexander (‘F.A.’ or ‘Butzi’) Porsche, grandson of the company’s founder, decided he should let someone else have a go and left car design for good to set up the Porsche Design Studio.

At the end of the 1960’s while discussing designs for new motor sport related watches, Heuer decided to build a less traditional timepiece that Jack Heuer described as “something out-of-the-box” and “avant-garde”.

The Cartier Santos undoubtedly deserves a place in this series of blogs as one of the most significant watches through time – definitely one of the watches that changed the world – because it was the first in a long and prestigious line of pilot’s watches.

Since the beginning of time (or at least the accurate measurement of it), clocks have been kept running using a balance wheel – a spring for power, an oscillating mass to regulate the movement and some gears (cogs, or ‘wheels’) to connect this all to the hands and to make sense of it all.

One of the questions that I’m often asked as a member of the luxury watch trading fraternity, normally by the ‘bloke down the pub’ is this:

“So then, what’s the best watch in the world?“

My answer on these occasions is usually circumspect, but today I’m actually going to answer it properly….

What do we mean by a ‘Full Set’?

Now there’s a question which is rarely asked but to which the answer is often assumed.

We’ve decided that this September it’s about time we did something to celebrate our wonderful customers and their prized Oakleigh wristwatches by way of a photo competition.

“Has it ever been polished?”

Now there are those of you out there who are actually looking for a completely factory fresh, unpolished Rolex 5513 from 1968. You know that this watch will take you years to find and that you may never ever find or own it. You also know that if you do find it you could pay twice as much for it as you would for even the best polished examples out there……

Last week I had a discussion with a customer about a mark that had appeared on the plexiglass plastic lens of his vintage Rolex….

Buying a luxury watch can often be a little nerve racking if only because of the increasing number of high quality ‘replicas’ out there. Fortunately, these are often relatively easy for the experienced eye to spot and so – touch wood – they don’t slip through the net to the customer.

You will no doubt recall that a while ago we had the Rolex Sea Dweller of a gentleman called Sam who was unfortunate enough to lose it in a marina… you’ll find the full story somewhere below.

Sam Brown used to be a diver and after he stopped he’d always hankered after a ‘proper’ diver’s watch – ‘THE’ proper diver’s watch in fact – a Rolex Sea Dweller.

Twitter is very important to Oakleigh Watches as a way of interacting with our customers and potential customers – our business started through Twitter it will always be a part of us.

This weekend The Saatchi Gallery in London’s Chelsea hosts the UK’s biggest annual gathering of watch manufacturers, enthusiasts, journalists, sellers, buyers and nerds, and it’s quite an event.