Who Watches the Watchmen (Our Chit Chat Thread)

banie01 · 03-01-2023 9:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120061661#Comment_120061661

Sinn prices have gone up recently at retail and some of their stuff has 6 month wait for delivery now.

hitemfrank · 03-01-2023 10:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120061859#Comment_120061859

I remember paying €1350 delivered for my 556 on a bracelet - that's now €1480. Sinn saying 1-2 weeks for the 105 at the moment.

I've a bonus coming at the end of the month so there might be enough left after the current planned expenses for it.

funkyouup · 10-01-2023 1:01pm

Has anyone any experience of these straps,could swear someone had issues with them but cant find the post now.

https://www.hirschstraps.com/collections/robby

blue5000 · 10-01-2023 7:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120089417#Comment_120089417

Not the exact same strap, but I have a Hirsch strap on my Damasko, holding up ok. Nice and comfortable, but the one that came with the watch fell apart. Should be available a bit cheaper than that though, think I paid around €45 2 years ago.

OmegaGene · 10-01-2023 7:06pm

Hirsch straps are very good in my opinion I use them all the time

Fitz II · 15-01-2023 6:49pm

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11636433/Luxury-watch-shop-10M-worth-stock-seized-Britains-FBI-money-laundering-probe.html

This has to be the end of consignment business. A high profile reminder this is all based on dirty money.

banie01 · 15-01-2023 7:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120112466#Comment_120112466

If memory serves, they were in a little trouble with HMRC recently too. The consignment business is being looked at hard by some at the moment and once they start pulling those threads?

It will unravel and lead back to some interesting funding sources I reckon.

OmegaGene · 15-01-2023 7:39pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120112545#Comment_120112545

The hmrc issue from memory was they were given a tax bill which they disputed and despite that they were told they had to pay it and dispute it later which would have wiped the company out so they went into liquidation and started the new company hence the name change

the consignment issues here with money laundering are happening the world over, I can’t see what the lads have done wrong it’s not like they can ask the customer where they got their money from to buy the watch

Fitz II · 15-01-2023 9:11pm

THats the problem with these sort of watches isnt it, small, portable, untraceable, and as good as currency around the world. Even Nico leonard said on a live stream one time that the watch trade will never die as long as criminal activity exists.

OmegaGene · 15-01-2023 9:14pm

You can’t bring over €12k on a plane to the U.K. without questions but a Richard Mille is no problem

all the attention from the rain is making the shop look complicit which is a shame, I enjoy their content on YouTube and they are very good at finding virtually anything quickly

banie01 · 15-01-2023 10:20pm

Agree with regards watches being very handy means of portable and tradeable wealth. I don't think the lads at Watchtraders have done too much wrong TBH. Esp given that HMRC have let them continue trading.

I'd like to see the court order that allowed seizure of consigned stock. It seems to be quite a heavy handed and broad means of forcing a group of folk otherwise unconnected, to prove ownership of an asset and it's purchase via clean funds.

I have 2 watches that I've bought directly with crypto. My taxes are in order 😉 but explaining to the local plod that I paid 1ETH for a watch and then giving him the TX hash as my proof of purchase? Would make for an interesting day.

In other more personal watch news. I got my pension drawdown calc from Irish Life and there may be scope for a new watch. I've may even have an eye on one already in the parish 😂

The sooner they actually transfer the cash to me, the better 😁

scwazrh · 15-01-2023 10:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120112682#Comment_120112682

The tax bill arose from a vat margin scheme which HRMC said they couldn’t avail off but the shop said they should be able to .Both sides would have a valid point I think.The shop is selling second hand goods so should use vat margin but they are also selling some unworn full sticker watches which the should class as new so that means they don’t qualify for vat margin.

it’s not like they can ask the customer where they got their money from to buy the watch

They can.My last purchase in weirs I was paying cash and as it was over a particular amount they got me to fill in a form stating where the cash came from.

OmegaGene · 15-01-2023 10:46pm

When I said

“it’s not like they can ask the customer where they got their money from to buy the watch”

I meant when the person hands a watch over for consignment or straight sale to them, I should have explained it better

obviously any cash purchase over the set amount in store has to be reported to revenue

Wibbs · 16-01-2023 1:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120113052#Comment_120113052

Nigh on ten years ago a chap I know in the art world said the same, though in that case back then he was talking about the vintage stuff. It had come up in conversation because he knew I was into that sorta thing. He knew little about watches but had noticed more and more talk about them among his set, particularly rarer steel examples from none of the obvious names(back then). No solid gold Rolex with diamonds look at me styles. Basically that it was easier to move cash around on a steel cased "ordinary looking" watch with an obscure that had an agreed value within the trade. The art world is well plugged into that kinda cash movement and fakes etc. Ditto with antiques.

The watch world has changed a lot since then of course. For a start vintage is pretty much dead and it's far more about current models, and of course there's a lot more knowledge out there. You might have strolled through customs ten years ago wearing a unicorn poo rare 50's steel cased PP Calatrava, but these days customs would be a lot more wide to that.

pjdarcy · 17-01-2023 10:39am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120112466#Comment_120112466

"...stock seized by Britain's FBI..." 🤣 The Mail is such a sensationalist rag

dinorebel · 17-01-2023 11:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120118825#Comment_120118825

Surprised they never found a way to call the business "Woke"

banie01 · 19-01-2023 3:34pm

I'm at a bit of a loose end today and found myself over on Reddit's r/reptime. I browse it fairly often tbh as it is a real eye-opener as to just what's being faked and to what level.

Anyway, came across this. A full 18ct gold Patek 5712, it's the guts of 2kg of 18ct gold along with costing $19k👀😲

I mean surely if you have that money to throw at a watch? You either buy genuine, or don't buy at all!

Starting to think that even the fakes are becoming a means of moving wealth if they are being made in high quality gold? Easy to wear 0.2kg **(I originally typed 2kg I missed a decimal place, Thanks to Cyrus and Esel for the spot)** of gold when travelling and at least have the melt weight if shít hits the fan?

https://redd.it/10g1zsl

https://imgur.com/a/oWtUda7

Esel · 19-01-2023 5:12pm

By my calculation, 2Kg of 18ct gold is worth about €94,000 at today's prices. Bit heavy for the the limp-wristed! 😀

Btw, apparently the original use of metal detectors in airports was to detect passengers with gold in their possession. Could be an urban legend I suppose.

banie01 · 19-01-2023 5:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120130157#Comment_120130157

Its probably fake gold and all then too 😉

Apparently gold plated tungsten is a thing, and it'd be fairly close weight wise🤔

Cyrus · 19-01-2023 5:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120130279#Comment_120130279

i think its 200g Banie, so 12k worth of gold

youd want to be off your chops

Esel · 19-01-2023 5:40pm

There's no way any watch weighs anything like 2Kg though.

banie01 · 19-01-2023 5:41pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120130288#Comment_120130288

I should maybe not have assumed that the scale was set to 1 decimal place 🤦

Rookie error

Esel · 19-01-2023 5:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120130279#Comment_120130279

That's mad about tungsten! Uranium Is very close as well.

Gold Density:

(near r.t.) 19.3 g/cm3

when liquid (at m.p.) 17.31 g/cm3

Tungsten Density:

(near r.t.) 19.25 g/cm3

when liquid (at m.p.) 17.6 g/cm3

banie01 · 19-01-2023 5:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120130350#Comment_120130350

Isn't it! I read a few months ago that one of the fake factories was going to release a gold plated, tungsten day date on a presidential bracelet. It would be quite close in weight but whereas gold will dent if dropped, the tungsten is far more likely to shatter.

scwazrh · 19-01-2023 6:40pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120130368#Comment_120130368

It’s getting to a point where buying from anywhere but an AD will be too risky

banie01 · 19-01-2023 6:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120130579#Comment_120130579

I've been saying that since the Australian/Horology house shenanigans with fake Daytona's.

From looking over the posts over on Reddit? More and more effort is being put in to closing the gaps. Some of the stuff over there is scarily accurate and tbh? I wouldn't have confidence in my ability to discern between a good fake and the real thing.

NIMAN · 20-01-2023 10:17am

Recently bought a cheapie retro Casio beater, like something I had in my teens.

Thing is, I have just clocked it, and it's gaining 16sec over 24hrs.

Now I know it was only 15 quid, but I'd have thought that even a basic digital quartz watch would keep better time?

I know the chances of me having bought a fake at that price might be high, so perhaps that's it? Or are the inards of these cheapo watches so bad that it's to be expected? (Although I'd have thought a genuine Casio cheapo would keep better time).

Cyrus · 20-01-2023 1:27pm

Have been keeping a close eye on rolex grey prices lately and they really are coming back, 124060 are now on C24 private sales asking 11.7k, WF&Co are offering under 10k to buy them in, retail isnt far away imo.