A (real) grail watch

My All Time Holy Grail watch is the specific military issued watch from my grandfather's best friend who flew Mosquitos in WWII.

I don't know if it was a Dirty Dozen or something different issued to RAF pilots, but I sort of remember it as a little kid as having a black dial.

Because it's whereabouts is unknown now long after his passing, I'd like a Vertex M100A someday as a tribute.

I’d say a grail watch also constitutes a watch they never thought they would be able to afford. I also think sometimes a grail could change as own evolves in the hobby.

Timex 25th hour. It's an April fool that has been sold only for one day. It's nearly impossible to find out and I took three years to find it, but in the end, I did it.

I don’t have one. I just enjoy watches.

Agree, for me the "Holy" Grail is Buzz's Speedmaster. A Grail would be a modern Speedy.

“Grail” is one of those jargon terms (like “homage”) that people into watches like to throw around to signal they’re “in the know”.

Agreed on most points, Grail watch by definition is almost completely unobtainable. Much like the search for the actual article, it's the quest for something out of reach.

Term gets misused to the point where now it stands for a very expensive watch one has wanted for awhile and finally had the disposable income to buy.

For me, a Grail would be something like an early UDT Blancpain, left hand drive, with bonafide issue number, and verified service issue. Or an EOD countdown bezel Tornek-Rayville, or a verified service record MACV-SOG LRRP Benrus Type I LHD. (These are almost non-existent due to the 100% MACV-SOG casualty rate and the inherent crazy dangerous missions they went on. The Raider Rolex Seiko variant is a little more well known and available since they purchased a lot of these.)

Last issued Tornek-Rayville I saw probably went for a quarter of a million or more. Never checked back on the final sale price, but it started at Christy's at $100K US if I recall.

Good one

That’s an aspiration. It’s not truly a grail. If your “quest for the grail” involves nothing more saving and then going on Chrono24 to buy it, I’m sorry but it’s not a grail watch.

Cool example

Yeah that’s a good one for sure!

Wow that’s a proper grail watch (and quest!)

Yeah, most use “grail watch” to mean “goal watch.” A goal and a grail are certainly distinct ideas

That’s a great way to describe the distinction. Thanks - do you have a grail watch?

Every next watch I gets a grail gone 🙄🤣😂

I dislike the term grail, and prefer to call them 'aspiration watches'..... Currently for me I have two, the GS Night Birch and the JLC Polaris in green.

Dear sir I hear by accepting your challenge 🤝just give me a little time to answer-thank you for responding by the way 👍

I'd have to find a pot of gold as well my friend 🙄🤣

It’s a stylistic affectation and cringeworthy.

We don’t acquire eggs or milk or clothes, or even property. We buy them. Same with watches. We use words like “acquire” and “acquisition” to elevate ourselves above base commerce.

Taken in isolation I admit it seems a little snarky to make an issue of this but it’s enough for me to enthuse about watches without larding up the experience.

Nice post. Grail for me is a watch that would stop me from using the other 11 watches i currently have. After all , I can respect other peoples opinion but mine is watches are meant to be used , a lot. So l probably would never find one just on that. That said here is my list. Perfect color( no idea) , for the next 20 years , I hope.. Perfect weight for me is 100 grams . Width 40-42. Thin please Under 12. Saffire . Most comfortable adjustable metal bracelet ever( probably would have to be titanium because weight limit I put). Automatic , see thru back . Not paying more than 3k for a watch( major part of grail for me).

This is my personal grail since I'd never thought I would be able to get my hands on one (in decent enough condition to fix it up and for a reasonable price) since these are rare and well known by the collectors.

But it just showed up in my local marketplace and I was lucky enough the seller would sell it to me.

It was a bit rough but after work done on it it turned out nice.

Seiko 7A28-7020

Nice discussion thread. Really interesting to see different peoples thoughts on the matter. I must admit it got me thinking about what I would actually consider as a holy grail (the unobtainable)

For me the holy grail watch is the Philippe Dufour Simplicity with a blue guilloché-dial.

I don't think I will even have the chance to see one in person.

I think I like the term ‘goal watch’ you mentioned in one of your replies. I think these would be the ‘grails’ many people mentioned that the save up and work hard for but are rasonably obtainable. I think proper grails are ones that you are unlikely to every be able to find or afford for more than a decade.

When one looks at the definition of the meaning of Holy Grail it can be defined as follows:something that people want and are looking for but that is extremely difficult to find or get. I guess that I started out looking for the perfect watch, which is a impossible task. Some of the watches I own at some point felt perfect-almost. All of them is bought after serious consideration, very few were extremely difficult to get. Long time ago I realised nothing as a perfect watch existed. It is important to accept that there are many things here in life that you don’t get regardless of how hard you try. Once you accept that and at the same time accept that you will always try, that you never will give up, then things get easier and more manageable. At the same time the idea of going on a quest to find the grail off course loses all meaning because I also realised that what life is all about is living a decent life where you respect others and yourself and not losing yourself in a quest for happiness or material things. That is for a lot of us a constant struggle. And if you have a weakness for watches and it gives you something, it’s not a big deal as long as you treat yourself and others with the respect they deserve. Have fun with collecting, enjoy the moments weather is the awe of a beautiful dial or movement. Never forget that collecting is only a hobby and you are allowed to enjoy it however you like. Life itself is a quest!

Best regards T.Fischer

Another interesting take on the idea is a grail. The quest killed king Arthur’s knights! Yes, it should not be such an obsession.

True that 👍

I have the same view a Grail watch is something that isn’t close to achievable in the near future. Let’s say a solid gold open work AP 1. Being the availability to get this peice and 2. The price. I can’t call a Tag Aqua racer or even a Rolex sub a grail watch because with discipline and an Eye on the prize most could attain one of these watch in a few years or less than a decade. One of mine would be a standard Rolex Day Date with a white face preferably new. The caveat would be price rather than availability as I would have to trade in all my Rolex’s and put down some cash to hit the 40k+ to achieve this, and I am not there yet. Something like that I would consider grail status-ish. But it’s something more of a Rose gold Nautilus to be Holy Grail because the odds of me being able to receive allocation and afford it are questionable.

I kind of list impossible to find or extremely difficult to find watches into the unobtainium category while I list grail watches more into the always wanted category.

Interesting thanks