Modifying an Icon

I saw this AP Royal Oak on Hodinkee. I believe it has been customized. Do you think Iconic watches should be preserved in the condition that they were made?
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I am torn on this one. On one hand, I personally would never modify an iconic piece and for the most part the market supports that stance, be it cars or watches. On the other hand, I really do not care about the Royal Oak. But that is me and one should do what they want. 

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Did you know that the original wording of the Declaration of Independence was "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and Property"?

I wish Thomas Jefferson hadn't taken poetic license with Locke's original concept of natural rights.  As a result, I think, over time, we've come to lose sight of the sacredness of private property.  

In that sense, whoever owns that watch should be able to do whatever they wish with it - put glitter on it, paint some pink unicorns, maybe add some diamonds?  Per Locke, this is an unalienable natural right!

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It's your watch. Your property. What's the difference between doing this to a G-Shock than the AP? A price tag and a wait time. If you shell out thousands of dollars on a watch, and wait god knows how long for it, you earn the right to mod it to your heart's content

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Not a big fan either. Go ahead mod it out, can't see it from my house!!

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If you can actually afford a Royal Oak, you can afford to "ruin" one with mods to make it the perfect watch for you. The kind of people modifying luxury watches, are not the kind of people who are worried about resale value. If they want a new watch, they buy it and keep the old one... 

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There are many things in life that we can do.  That doesn't make all of them good ideas to do.  Some purists may feel it is not a good idea to modify.  It could easily change the resale value of your watch.  If you could save a Royal Oak that has taken a terrible beating with a can of white spray paint, why not.  If you buy a new $70,000.00 Royal Oak and paint it so it looks like a $200.00 Movado I would question the sense of it.

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Tippex, liberally applied...

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I'm not a mod fan, for me acceptable limit would be new bracelets/straps. Like classic cars, only new wheels. 😆 But people do what they like.

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If I got it correctly, your question was about the principle itself, the principle or idea of modifying something "iconic".

So we are not questioning someone's freedom to do whatever with their property. We are questioning if they should do it. 

My vote is in...which disagrees with the principle. Especially with icons or artistic pieces, that includes watches, cars, etc. 

If you own the Mona Lisa, Van Gogh, or Egyptian statute should you paint over it? You definitely can, but should you? 

I am not comparing watches to rare art or history pieces, but making a point about an "iconic piece".

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My opinion is that just about any watch is fine to mod - even daring and outstanding watches (AP, JLC, Patek etc). Just look at all these rappers who smother their watches in after-market diamonds and ruin the value of them. It's all fine in my book..... But you should not do it to a watch that is vintage or has a unique history. That is all. 

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Yes if you own the Mona Lisa and you want to set it on fire, you are more then then welcome to do whatever you want. If you own anything do whatever to it, no one should question your actions. 

My opinion is you shouldn't change what the artist or creator did. Admire it the way it is.

My debate is about the idea of changing a creation. Not debating the freedom to change it or not. 

So, back to the poll. I think it shouldn't be modified (the watch in a vacuum). I'm not condemning or limiting the owner's free will to mod his property. 

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Mr.Dee.Bater

Did you know that the original wording of the Declaration of Independence was "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and Property"?

I wish Thomas Jefferson hadn't taken poetic license with Locke's original concept of natural rights.  As a result, I think, over time, we've come to lose sight of the sacredness of private property.  

In that sense, whoever owns that watch should be able to do whatever they wish with it - put glitter on it, paint some pink unicorns, maybe add some diamonds?  Per Locke, this is an unalienable natural right!

Look at you getting all deep and Lockean. Couldn't agree more.

I also agree with @AllTheWatches . I wouldn't do it, but bedazzle that thing if its yours.

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Aurelian

Look at you getting all deep and Lockean. Couldn't agree more.

I also agree with @AllTheWatches . I wouldn't do it, but bedazzle that thing if its yours.

To each their own of course, but as a collector it saddens me when there is one less of a thing. That is why unsullied models of popular Japanese sports cars and BMWs from the 90s command massive premiums. For many enthusiasts and collectors alike, we like the option to try and find the best one at a certain price point, and rationally or not, that means original. Once someone decides that they know better than an OEM, it is rare that it can go back to what it was. As Jens Lekhan once wisely said, ”What is broken can be fixed, what is fixed will always be broken.“  I am not talking Singer improving on a Porsche, I am talking random dude thinking his eBay exhaust and CAI will improve a new Supra. I know I am talking cars, but the same applies to watches, which largely boils down to iced out cases and bracelets, or after market dials. Again, to each their own, it is yours and do not save it for the next owner, but it does not make it any less sad that it is one less in existence as a result. 

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As stated by a few: your watch, do what you want 

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Aurelian

Look at you getting all deep and Lockean. Couldn't agree more.

I also agree with @AllTheWatches . I wouldn't do it, but bedazzle that thing if its yours.

You both agreeing in a couple of threads OMG must be a full moon!! Oh well I wouldn’t know cuz in don’t have moonphase watch…hmmm moon phase…

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if you own it you could do whatever you want with that. not a fan of that mod on white ap, looks more casio oak than the real royal oak. just an opinion

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JaeBust

I am a big fan of modding humans! Don't these lads and ladies with Plastic Fantastic look great? It's your body, and you own it, do whatever you like to it!! 🤣 I love modding! Carry on... 🧐😜

https://i2-prod.irishmirror.ie/incoming/article9420460.ece/ALTERNATES/s810/MAIN-Jocelyn-Wildenstein-seen-in-mugshot-after-she-slashed-boyfriend-with-scissors-and-poured-ho.jpg

Source: Irish Mirror

how bout this guy lol

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You buy it, you can do what you want.

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Unholy

how bout this guy lol

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Beautiful! 👍 I love modding! Carry on... 🧐😜🤣

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UnholiestJedi

You buy it, you can do what you want.

Yup, you sure can! I love modding! Carry on... 🧐😜🤣🤣

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Unholy

how bout this guy lol

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Fantastic! This is precisely what my son and I, wife and daughter, would choose for a permanent look! 😎🤣 On Fridays, only, that is!! 😉🤣😎 I wonder what watches he wears, curious?! 😂

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JaeBust

Yup, you sure can! I love modding! Carry on... 🧐😜🤣🤣

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Now, whether or not modding is a good idea, well that depends on whether you want to eventually sell the watch & get the most out of that transaction. 

Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. 

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A Royal Oak isn't the Mona Lisa. If someone wants to do that to their watch, more power to them. Plenty of other, unmolested Royal Oaks out there. Easily in the 100s, if not low 1000s.

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There should be an option C

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Mr.Dee.Bater

Did you know that the original wording of the Declaration of Independence was "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and Property"?

I wish Thomas Jefferson hadn't taken poetic license with Locke's original concept of natural rights.  As a result, I think, over time, we've come to lose sight of the sacredness of private property.  

In that sense, whoever owns that watch should be able to do whatever they wish with it - put glitter on it, paint some pink unicorns, maybe add some diamonds?  Per Locke, this is an unalienable natural right!

Locke wrote the fundamental plan for the colony of Carolina, based in part on the model of plantation slavery in Barbados, laws that governed and justified slavery and became a significant part of the laws pertaining to slavery in the United States.

That was part of his thinking about  “property” and natural rights. I don’t consider his thoughts to be a strong guide for action today.

Private property is not sacred. It might be good, it might be bad, but it is not ordained by any gods.

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Sometimes it’s putting truffles on a Big Mac. Sometimes it’s putting ketchup on puttanesca. But sometimes — sometimes — it’s deep frying a mars bar. 


Take from that what you will. 

I think there are people for everything I for example would buy a Pro-Hunter Explorer over the Rolex since it makes it different and also less recognizable! Same goes for Omega and the speedmaster I would rather go for the Dark Side of the Moon with meteorite than the normal one. With the omega you could say its not a MOD but it actually is but comes from the factory. 

Let’s take the example to cars 20 something years ago when AMG wasnt owned by Mercedes they were creating Masterpieces by modding the cars, now they are part of Mercedes. 
Would you say they mod the cars no? 

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I dont get the collective idea of why one cant modify an icon when its not yours in the first place? Like, who are we to hate? 

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Do what you like. My opinion means nothing. 😂
 

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Now they have a really expensive yet kinda ugly watch with fake screws on the bezel and a fragile movement.

I can’t see how that’s any different than before the paint job so I’d call it a wash.…

Get it?   As in whitewash?  LOL.  I crack me up.