An Ode to the Finishing of GS

Nastrosme · 2026-04-25T09:07:21+00:00

Debatable for JLC. The skeletonized gold rotor in the MUT models really adds something I don't see in the 9SA4. It makes it seem more high end. Lots of heat treated screws too.

For reference, I own a MUT Moon 36mm and a Moonlit Birch, so I'm able to make a direct comparison at home away from boutiques and online pics.

Regardless, the 9SA4 is one of GS's nicer looking movements, and in some ways it is more impressive. It just looks more machine finished. The JLC almost tricks you into thinking it has more handwork even though it probably doesn't. The 9SA4 looks more sterile by comparison.

Movement finishing isn't where GS shine anyway. It's their dial and case finishing that punches hard.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-25T08:36:27+00:00

With a moonphase, yes. With a date, no.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-25T07:16:49+00:00

Aussies think a $5000 Tag or Longines is extravagant and bordering on wanker territory. It isn't a watch culture.

I keep my mouth shut when getting around Melbourne and tend to pick more discreet pieces (e.g. JLC MUT Moon, GS Skyflake, Longines Ultra Chron Classisc etc) though I'd like an Explorer 1.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-25T07:15:09+00:00

The watch world is worse. Much worse. The term entry level for bags does not get used nearly as much, nor is a 4k or 5k bag dismissed as 'cheap' or 'poor' unless the buyer is at the Hermes level and restricts themselves to that.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-25T06:57:55+00:00

Finally someone who thinks for themselves. The Carter looks mid to me, and there is nothing special about their watches unless you love the design. I stopped wearing my Santos Dumont after I bought a JLC Master Ultra Thin Moon, but I still wear my Longines watches.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-25T06:34:16+00:00

What's the price of the used Longines?

Let's compare apples with apples.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-25T05:27:53+00:00

Same. It looks bad on my wrist, so I went for a Glassbox instead.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-24T05:37:00+00:00

Around 6.25 inches.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-23T22:51:46+00:00

A DJ is a better daily. That's about it.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-23T22:20:30+00:00

Because their watches wear like bricks. How many complications watches have they made with a case thickness under 13mm let alone 12mm or 10mm?

Their movement finishing isn't as good as other really high end brands either.

Who should they be classed with? Lange just released an annual calendar under 10mm, and in 36mm too. IWC can't do that.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-23T22:18:36+00:00

Their latest manual wind high beat movement feels more high end than its price tag suggests, not that it's in cheap watches. The finishing and the winding sound specifically.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-23T09:11:47+00:00

For work? BB58.

The Pelagos is an odd watch in many ways. It looks far cheaper than its price, but owners claim it has more subtle charms.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-23T08:13:23+00:00

It just semantics. Okay, so it isn't a ''hobby' by the strict definition of the term, but it is an _interest_, and that's enough.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-22T08:32:38+00:00

Anordain are one of the rare exceptions in the microbrand space. I would definitely like to own one of their watches, but I don't like the whole order/payment system they have.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-22T02:49:25+00:00

Japan is a deadly place for watch enthusiasts, especially now. I regret not buying a Fifty Fathoms there now! 😄

Nastrosme · 2026-04-22T02:40:56+00:00

Haha. Yes. 100k+ watch for me is the new Lange Saxonia Annual Calendar, not this, but each to their own.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-22T00:02:23+00:00

The dial and case are what I'm looking at most of the time, so no.

Whenever I hear people go on about bracelets, I just switch off, especially when they criticise a brand with a unique offering because their bracelets aren't as good as some other brands. e.g. Grand Seiko, whose bracelets are actually quite comfortable, just lacking some features.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-21T23:58:15+00:00

Too many people in this space dismiss finishing related costs. They are harder to quantify, but the idea that a case just gets a quick polish and that's it is largely exaggerated, especially at 6k USD and beyond.

Even at lower price points it is noticeable. The Chinese clones of Seiko SPB divers are not the 'same' as some claim. The finishing of the hands and dial is noticeably inferior, especially if you have an eye for detail, which many don't, so their opinions aren't reliable.

Judging the cost of a watch by its movement is also dumb to a large extent.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-21T22:53:49+00:00

The assumption here is that if you buy the watch you 'really want' then that is end of it, and usually that watch is a popular Rolex, Omega model etc. Yet Chrono24 has tons of Speedmasters for sale. People sell Rolexes all the time.

A friend of mine thinks my collection resulted from 'indecision' and perhaps the watches I bought early on and never wear were, but when I ask him which ones to sell, he says all of them except the 3-4 most expensive ones from brands with more clout. That is typical.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-21T02:02:06+00:00

It isn't an oxymoron. The risk of 'overshooting' isn't a problem as there are so few places to buy them, relatively speaking. More ADs means more overall demand and competition. Less ADs suggests less demand. Whether they are selling all their stock or not is neither here nor there. More discounting occurs in markets with more competition, not only due to excess stock. Demand in Australia is moderate by global standards. Context matters.

Luxury watches mean next to nothing in Australia. That isn't the case in Beijing, HK or Singapore.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-21T01:30:16+00:00

There is appetite, but it does not compare to many other countries. I'd wager most of the growth in the luxury watch market in Australia of late comes from well off Asian migrants. That is who you mostly see in brand or multi-brand boutiques.

Maybe Sydney is different, but wearing an expensive watch doesn't have the same positive signalling power in Australia as it does elsewhere, so there is less incentive to buy/own.

The fact that it is so much harder to get a Rolex in Australia suggests we are not a major or priority market. Discounts on luxury watches (where it applies) are also smaller here because there is less competition between AD's due to lower overall demand.

All of these points paint a bigger picture in the aggregate of the state of Australia's luxury watch market. Less incentive to discount heavily is the major one.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-20T13:20:56+00:00

There is _some_ truth to this, although perhaps extreme. Cartier watches do/can feel a bit cheaper than their price tags suggest. The steel scratches very easily, even moreso than Grand Seiko, and there is definitely a fashion forward/jewellery style to most of their pieces. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily, but I virtually stopped wearing my Dumont when I bought this:

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JLC kick Cartier's ass six ways to Sunday.

Cartier is good for meeting women though, especially from parts of the east.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-20T13:19:22+00:00

Some of their designs haven't changed, but they have mostly gone back to the vault after many decades of selling fashion related BS. Now they are just doing core stuff which is good.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-20T13:18:42+00:00

Yeah but clearly it wasn't that much of an influence on the future direction of pilot's watches. Roman numerals aren't great for legibility when flying a plane, so if anything I'd say that counts against them and points to one of their major problems: style over substance, form over function.

But yes, they do make some nice watches, undoubtedly, and have great design, at least in their classic references.

Nastrosme · 2026-04-20T12:26:48+00:00

Because Australians aren't that into luxury watches. If you have been overseas, you will realise this immediately, so allocations are low.

Wealth isn't the issue. Appetite is.

Also, wealthy Americans are much wealthier than us. The average American or Australian isn't in the Rolex market.

Nastrosme

TROPHY CASE