It’s Black Friday, and I know that most of you are probably tired of one season and ready to move onto the next.
However, before you start spending all that money on sale items, why not take a moment to remember how blessed you really are, like at this very moment.
I got a very late start on putting out a Thanksgiving video for my YouTube channel, but I published it, anyway. The reason is because regardless of what time or season of the year, we still have things for which we can be thankful.
Whether or not you are a watch fan, I believe you will enjoy this video. If you don’t have time to watch it all, at least skip forward to the 10th reason we can all be thankful.
Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know that I have started a brand-new YouTube channel called The Humble Horologist.
Why a new channel? Well, simply because I’ve wanted to do something like this for a few years, and to be honest, there’s the possibility of an additional income stream.
So, do me a BIG favor and check out the video below. Then, if you would be so kind, PLEASE “like” and “subscribe”?
I’m still new, so pardon the quiet part where I show the watch in the dark.
Folks, I don’t know if I will ever come close to even scratching the surface of the level of popularity others have gained over the last few years, but doing watch reviews for YouTube is fun!
I honestly don’t know how much of an impact I can make in such a crowded field, but it can’t hurt to throw my own 2 cents-worth of an opinion into the mix of decision making.
Will I become a star? I highly doubt it. Will I get monetized? Probably not. But will I have fun and make new friends as I talk watches and point people to the One who created time? Absolutely!
The Known
There’s a lot I don’t know, but I do know one thing: if I don’t do anything, I won’t make any kind of difference.
You see, I can point you all to multiple examples of where just being involved and vocal on Facebook and Instagram have led to Christian friendships and gospel conversations. I believe the same thing can be done on YouTube.
Most watch reviewers have separate channels dedicated for such. However, I’m going to do things a little differently. Instead of starting a whole new YouTube channel for my watch review videos, I’m going to include them on my personal YouTube channel – the one with all the Sunday morning sermons.
You see, if someone wants to receive notifications of my watch videos, they will also receive updates when I upload other videos, including live and recorded sermons. So, tell me, considering the popularity of watch review channels, some of which get hundreds of thousands of views, don’t you think it’s worth me sharing my thoughts about those ticking time pieces every once in a while?
If there is one thing about collecting watches that makes it fun, itās the story behind each piece. And oh boy, have I got a story for you!
Last year, while scrolling through watches on eBay, I came across several watches for sale in a lot. In that lot of 8 watches I saw a couple that seemed nice enough, but one was worth the price of all of them, a Casio MD-1010 āSubmariner.ā So, for 62 dollars I bought 8 watches.
Upon receiving my little box full of goodies, I went straight for the Casio, only to find that it needed more than a battery to work; it needed a new movement. However, I was fortunate to purchase a NOS movement just like the one that had died and before long it was running like new.
There were a couple of other neat watches in the group, including a rare Invicta tank. But what I did not expect to find was a watch connected to one of the most famous watch transactions in history.
A Peace Talk Purchase
In 1954, peace talks were being held in Geneva at the Hotel des Bergues (now the Four Seasons). Attending those peace talks was the last Emperor of Vietnam, Bao Dai. As history would show, the peace talks were not that successful, and neither was Emperor Bao Dai who was later exiled in 1955. But if there was one thing that could be said about him, Bao Dai had expensive tastes.
Frustrated with how the talks were going, Bao Dai stepped outside to get some fresh air. On a whim, he left the Hotel des Bergues and walked across the street to the respected watch retailer, Philippe Beguin, and asked for the most expensive Rolex he had.
“Bao Dai” Rolex ref. 6062
Not having anything extravagant enough, the jeweler contacted Rolex and begged for something fancier ā¦ and thatās what he got. The watch that Rolex sent over was the one-of-a-kind Rolex ref. 6062 in 18k gold with a diamond-set dial. It is said at that time the watch cost SFr4000, almost the same as a Patek Philippe perpetual calendar.
That Rolex the last Emperor of Vietnam bought became a daily wearer. But later, after his death, in 2002 the āBao Daiā Rolex ref. 6062 sold at auction for $235,000, making it the most expensive Rolex sold up to that point. But is was in 2017 that the same watch sold by Philippe Beguin to Bao Dai went for a staggering $5,060,427. Yes, 5 million.
Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information about Philippe Beguin. However, one interesting thing to note was that his relationship with Rolex was such that each model sold through his store had his name printed by Rolex on the dial! Iād say you would have had to have earned a little respect for that to happen. But as history would have it ā and Iāve not been able to find out why ā Philippe Beguin went out of business not long after the sale to Emperor Bao Dai.
An eBay Purchase
What does all this have to do with anything? Itās because one of the watches I got in that lot of 8 was a Philippe Beguin. Inside is a gold-plated Peseux 320 movement with a 40-hour power reserve thatās only 3 millimeters thick!
So, for an initial investment of around $7.75, then servicing by James P. Soboleski in California, I have a watch made in the late 1940s to early 1950s which was sold in the shop by the very same man who sold one of the most famous watches in horological history!
Welcome to another episode of Wednesday Watch Day. I hope you are enjoying these weekly trips into my personal horological world. However, my best assumption is that you’ve almost got to be a watch nerd to read past this sentence š
Anyway, are there things in your life that you wish you could have, but reality has whispered in your ear, “Get real”? I’m that way with a particular brand of watch – Tudor.
Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41 (Retail: $3,050)
And when it comes to Tudor watches, there are three that I sometimes daydream about. One of those is the Heritage Black Bay 41 with a black dial (I’ll tell you about the other two, later).
Now, I don’t want to go on and on about the Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41, but some details may help lend perspective. This particular watch is 41mm in diameter, made of stainless steel, and has a scratchproof sapphire crystal. It also has a screw down crown at the 3 o’clock position, a screw down solid case back, and has a water resistant rating of 150 meters (500ft.).
Inside the Tudor is the caliber 2824 movement (based on the Swiss-made ETA 2824) which has 25 jewels and bits at 28,800 vph (vibrations per hour). Besides being very accurate for a mechanical watch, this smooth movement give Tudor an approximate 38-hour power reserve.
Reality Ain’t So Bad!
Here’s the reality: unless I become a famous painter, author, or pastor of a church with a big, golden globe rotating behind me when I preach, I’ll be saving a long, long time for a Tudor.
However, just because I can’t afford a Black Bay 41, that doesn’t meant I can’t have the next best thing, a SeikoSRPE55!
Seiko SRPE55 ($200 – $300)
Honestly, I love my Seiko and wear it more than any other watch in my collection. To be specific (because I have an app on my phone that track all this stuff), my SRPE55 has a wear rate of 12.5%, compared to the next-most-worn watch at only at 7.5%!
And why shouldn’t I love it? I mean, look, if you didn’t know anything about watches, a quick glance at both would make one question the huge price difference. They look very similar and the Seiko even has a day/date complication and a longer (41 hour) power reserve!
My watch on a page from a Tudor catalogue. Left-Right: Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41; Seiko SRPE55; Tudor Heritage Black Bay 36 (all to scale)
Look, there are real, honest-to-goodness reasons why Tudors cost 10 times the amount of a Seiko (although you can pay over $5 grand for some Seiko’s). The 4R36 movement in the SRPE55 has 24 jewels and operates at 21,600 beats an hour, but it’s not as smooth at the Tudor. Neither is the water resistance rating of 100 meters as good, partly due to the push/pull crown.
But that’s not all the differences; the Seiko only has a “Hardlex” crystal, not sapphire, which is more prone to scratches. But the real differences go much deeper than a casual glance can see, and these differences are what demands a much higher premium for one and not the other.
However, the Seiko DOES have a pretty open case back š
True Beauty
You know the old saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”
There’s another saying you may know. It goes like this: “True beauty is more than skin deep.”
But if true beauty is more than skin deep, and if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, who can actually see the true beauty?
I know Who! He’s even the One who invented time!
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the LORD sees, for humans see what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7 CSB, God speaking to Samuel regarding Eliab, one of David’s brothers
Samuel listened to God and didn’t choose the “next best” option. Looks weren’t everything.
But I think the Lord would still prefer me stick with what I’ve got š
Welcome back to Wednesday Watch Day! Today I am going to share with you a true classic, but one that is more sentimental to me than practical. It’s my 1992-ish Swiss-Made Swiss Army field watch.
Say that three times fast! LOL
Second, But Better
Last week I told you about the watch I’ve had the longest, the Vostok Komanderskie (actually, this month makes 30 years!). But this week I am going to tell you about the second watch my wife ever purchased for me.
Back in 1992, not long after my wife and I were just dating, she wanted to buy me a new watch. Now, my memory isn’t the best, but I think she wanted to buy me a watch because she like me, or something like that.
Back in those days, back in Chattanooga, TN, there was a very respectable jewelry store called Rone Regency Jewelers. It was a locally-owned establishment with a stellar reputation for selling fine jewelry and watches, such as Rolex and Patek Phillipe. This is where my wife (girlfriend at the time) took me to shop.
Long story short, I found a watch that I considered to be a work of art and absolutely gorgeous, and it didn’t cost as much as a Rolex (which was only about $2,500 at that time). No, it was a beautiful Seiko Chronograph. It must have been a rare piece, because I’ve never since been able to find an example of it.
But the Seiko kept breaking! Literally, the second hand kept coming off inside the case! At one point they even accused me of doing something to it! That didn’t make me happy, of course. I didn’t have the foggiest idea how to take a watch apart.
So, eventually, the remedy was to exchange the Seiko Chronograph for something else. What did I pick? The relatively new Swiss Army field watch with the white face and red bezel, and it was really a stunner.
We took it home for only – only – $110. That would be about the equivalent of $200, today. We saved money over the Seiko, that’s for sure.
Nearly 30 years later and it’s NEVER broken!
A Duh Moment
Now, I just said that this watch never broke on me. That’s not 100% correct. To begin with, the strap finally fell apart and I had to replace it. That’s not a big deal. But the real problem was that the hard resin case might have been tough, but years of wear caused a spring pin to wear out one of the retaining holes. Therefore, the watch band would keep coming off.
So, what did I do? I took it back to the store where I originally purchased it (except at there fancy new location). Could they fix it? No. All they could do was tell me they could send it back to the manufacturer and receive a NOS case . . . for $250!!
Nope. Not gonna.
I was pretty sad at that point. What was I to do? That’s when my wife suggested something that made me feel like an idiot. She asked, “Why not use a bigger pin for the strap?”
Duh! It worked. Go figure.
Not My Type?
Fast forward to today. My wife and I will have been married 27 years, and she’s still, if not more, my type. But not the Swiss Army watch.
The problem with the watch is the size. These days I prefer a casual watch to be in the 40mm range (the width of the case). The Swiss Army is smaller than that at only 38.5mm. It really looks small on my 7.5 inch wrist.
Or does it?
Just yesterday a brand new strap I ordered, one like the original, came in the mail. Just for this post I decided to put it on and see how it felt. Lo and behold, it’s not as small as I remember! Maybe it had something to do with the small NATO strap I had on it?
It actually looks pretty good! Maybe it’s time to show it some long-overdue love.
I mean, really, it was love that bought it, right? š
Within the wristwatch-wearing community ā those who wear timepieces, not computers ā there is a term which describes the watch (or watches) you someday hope to own. These watches, often expensive and/or rare, are called āgrails.ā
A few watches immediately come to mind when we think of āgrails.ā
Grand Seiko Snowflake Dial
Rolex Submariner ($15,000 avg.)
Omega Speedmaster ($5,000 avg.)
The Grand Seiko āSnowflakeā ($6k-$7k avg.)
Rolex Datejust ($6k – $15k and moreā¦a lot more)
Tudor Black Bay 58 ($4,000 avg.)
Grail watches, depending on a personās dreams and aspirations, vary greatly. However, what is typically the same is that they are difficult to obtain and often prohibitively expensive. And weāre not even talking about upper-end luxury watches that can cost over $100,000.
But not all grails are expensive. Some are simply rare. For example, those who collect Timex watches have different models they would love to obtain. My first Timex grail was a 1967 Marlin ādot-dash.ā I picked one up for $67 off eBay, but only after I lost a bid on another a few weeks before. Other collectors dream of that perfect vintage Timex dive watch.
Just recently I was thrilled to obtain a grail. For months I had been going to farmerās markets and posting paintings online, all to generate enough money to buy a Seiko SRPE 55. When the last painting sold brought in what I needed, online shopping I a-went! Like a Knight of the Round Table with a key to the gate, I charged the virtual castle and captured the Japanese-made legend.
But let me point out a few things before you think I spent ten thousand dollars on something. First, the watch I bought, the Seiko SRPE 55, cost me less than $200. It could have cost me $275+, but I shopped around and got the best deal. Also, every dime I spent on the purchase of this watch was earned from selling my paintings, prints, and an old Timex or two.
One reason I wanted this watch was because how similar it was to the Tudor Heritage Black Bay 41 and 36, watches costing around $3,000. The Tudor could be considered a true grail watch for me, but I canāt justify spending that much. Therefore, when I saw the striking similarity between the Seiko and the Tudor, my decision was made. And, I didnāt have to save for 10 years to make the purchase!
My Seiko between the Tudor Black Bay 41 and 36
Are there any other grails I want to buy one day? Honestly, not at this time (no pun intended, but it works).
Right now, my main goal is to finish my doctoral assignments, prepare sermons, visit people, and be a husband, dad, grandfather, and son. As I find old Timex pieces to add to my collection, I will take them home, clean them up, and work on my watch servicing skills. But what I am not going to do is dream about a watch that could pay for a trip to the Holy Land!
That brings me to my final though about grails: Do people ever think about the futility of what they are seeking?
From where to the term āgrailā originate? Well, it comes from the word used to describe the cup from which Jesus shared the wine with His disciples at the Last Supper. That cup is often referred to as the āHoly Grail.ā
Youāve probably seen other things besides watches referred to as the āholy grailā of one thing or another. Itās a term meant to describe something as the ultimate, most-elusive prize to be had. This stems all the way back to when legends described the cup Jesus used as one made of gold, encrusted with precious stones, and even capable of mystical powers.
But what was the āholy grailā? Would it not have been a simple cup made of wood, stone, or clay? Most certainly it was simple, lacked ornamentation, and had no other significance other than that it was handled by the Word made flesh, the Creator of time.
What made the grail “holy” was that was set apart unto a holy work. Other than that, it was humble. A humble grail.
So, that brings me back full circle to watches. Why do we have āgrailā watches? In reality, just like the elusive Holy Grail of old, how many fortunes are lost in pursuit of something glittery, shiny, hand (of man) crafted, with no inherent power other than the ability to do what it was designed to do?
It seems very ironic to me that we want those glittery cups and not the humble one. We lust after the opulence of the Tudors and scoff at the utilitarian simplicity and dependability of the lowly Timex.
Even more ironic is that the very āgrailā for which the Indian Jonesā of the world search is the very same cup (metaphorically speaking) that Jesus asked, āIf it be Thy will, let this cup pass from me.ā He knew what it was going to cost Him, but He wasnāt purchasing it for Himself; it was meant to be a gift for those who could NEVER afford to purchase it.
Therefore, what makes the grail precious? Itās monetary value? The gold and jewels? The intricate, fine-crafted details? Or could you be satisfied with something simple?
To be honest, the most precious watches in my collection, those for which no price could buy them away from me, are those which my wife and daughters gave me as gifts. They are irreplaceable, even if they only cost $20.
Iām wearing a $30 Timex MK1 Steel on a canvas strap now, and I really like this watch! But I’m going to swap it out for my new Seiko before I leave the house.
I wonder what Jesus would wear.
Your thoughts and comments mean a lot to me, so let me know what you think š
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
James 4:2 (KJV)
I’m Just Asking
Maybe you’ve done all your shopping. Maybe you only plan to purchase a few small gifts for your dearest loved ones. Maybe it’s just you and your significant other – no kids, no relatives, nobody you like at work – and you’re only getting a single gift for each other.
Whatever your situation may be, unless you are out of work and broke, I am going to ask you to consider how you can gift me with some items I would like to have.
In the above verse, James said, “You have not, because you ask not.” Evidently, people will literally start wars and kill people over “stuff” they want. I don’t want that! I want peace! That’s why I’m asking š
Let’s avoid that whole global conflict nonsense, shall we?
My List
So, if you have been looking for somebody to buy for, or if you have extra money in your investment accounts that you need to burn, please allow me to share with you some options. The following are items I would like for YOU to purchase and give to ME.
Ready?
As you can see, the Tudor looks pretty good on my wrist. It could even help me tell the time!
A Watch. It doesn’t have to be too expensive, nor does it have to be a specific style; I just like watches. But if you want me to ask for specifics, sure, I can do that!
Rolex Explorer (or pretty much any other model)
Tudor Black Bay 58 with the metal bracelet. But of course, I’d take pretty much any Tudor watch, within reason.
The Recovering Legalist 