Chronographs - Vintage-style Reissues - Good or Bad?
So in another posting on Vintage Chronographs (https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/vintage-chronographs-what-s-your-favorite-period-5767#comment-37380) Omeganut referred to manufactures issuing vintage-inspired pieces.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing for us watch enthusiasts and collectors? What's your point of view?
With a handle like ChronoGuy you can probably figure out that I am on the side of the more the merrier. Why not have vintage-inspired references that are both available to purchase and made with modern technology.
I tried to put together a brief visual list of some of the releases in the past couple of years. These are ones that I have experience with - I know there are many more that I haven't pictured. So feel welcome to add your favorites to the list and let us know your thoughts.
I'm going to list these in alpha order so no comment as to my favorites - though the headline probably gives away one of my ultimate favorite brands.
If you want more on the following - you can check out these prior posts:
Favre-Leuba
https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-favre-leuba-4665
Nivada Grenchen
https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-nivada-grenchen-croton-5583
Straton
https://www.watchcrunch.com/KyleSchut/posts/lets-see-your-favorite-chronos-5654#comment-36519
Titoni
https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-titoni-5104
Wakmann
https://www.watchcrunch.com/ChronoGuy/posts/let-s-talk-about-wakmann-5481
I really like chronographs especially vintage ones.
Whoa!🤭 I want them all🍻
I feel like retro reissues are played out. I agree that why not have them as an extra choice, but it seems that a lot of manufacturers have given up on styling innovation and are focussing on reiusses, or such minute generational changes that they might as well be reissues.
I think mechanical watches as a thing, is a relic of the past that people still love. So retro inspired kind of just goes along with it.
This is probably true in just about everything we do that used to be required, but now we just do for fun. For example, riding a horse. All the tack involved could b made more modern, and out of carbon fibre or whatever, but those who enjoy the hobby like everything to look like it was hade 150 years ago.
I concur with @Jeremy on the fact that vintage reissues of chronographs just go hand-in-hand with the fact that no one actually uses them anymore for their original use case. One could even say that Date / GMT / Dive Bezels are used way more in day-to-day.
I reckon the other challenge that watch companies struggle with is that most enthusiasts actually want to buy iconic watches with historical provenance. And so as much as they would like to move forward, less people are buying say a Zenith Defy El Primero (modern design) vs a Zenith El Primero Chronomaster (vintage reissue). Similarly less people are buying a Breitling Top Time (less provenance) vs a Navitimer (more provenance). And so the brands choose to follow the money and play it safe by having vintage reissues.
Having said that, as a chrono-enthusiast myself, I would be very much keen to meet someone who owns either a Habring or a Singer Track 1. Now that would be something cool to see in person!
I like them, primarily because I can never imagine owning the originals. Even the new remodel I can't afford many of them haha. There is a bit less creativity going on, I give you that, but people still want them so why not give it to them. At the end of the day the people buying the watch are happy and so are those people selling it. I personally don't think it's "sullying" the hobby.
Love vintage-inspired! Can't get enough!
I realize now that I've unconsciously purchased a bunch of 'em, and that a huge proportion of my collection consists of the watch manufacturer deliberately plagiarizing their back catalog or just plain throwing on fauxtina so that it pantomimes vintage:
And the next watch in my queue is the Speedmaster '57!
Man... pretty soon I'm gonna have to sign up for a Renaissance Fair or maybe join the local Civil War re-enactment club.
My stance on vintage reissues, chronos or otherwise, is that as long as its not a half-baked attempt to bring it back, its fine by me. Options and variety are good!
But for the love of all that is holy, don't shoehorn an unmatched color date at 430, beef up the size by 8mm in every dimension, and apply so much fauxtina it looks like a spraytan accident... If the watch was worth being reissued, it probably didn't need to be redesigned or "updated".