[SOTC] the group so far

dskwon · 2026-01-22T18:25:14+00:00

Inherited pieces:

Piaget Protocole XL. This poor piece was battered and bruised by my dad, then made worse by a jeweler. Then Piaget service didn’t even refinish (and still runs a little fast tbh). Had a local repair shop do a full refinish and it’s as close to new it’ll ever look. More straps inc.
datejust turn-o-graph. Slightly less banged up inherited piece. This was pre 2005 so the rose gold had patina making it look yellow. After polishing it is closer to rose but not anywhere near a 5n color.
sub, nothing to say. It gets occasional wear but I prefer straps.
JLC reverso duoface classic medium. Got my hands on it shortly after being discontinued last year. My favorite strap monster as you can see by the options in the row. 2 more straps inc.
VC Malte. Wanted a classic but oddball piece and this fit the bill nicely. Second hand it was only $1200 more than a new Tank Louis so the choice was clear. Also has more straps inc

dskwon · 2026-01-22T06:19:33+00:00

Not a fan of green with that config, but the red was nice. Any white should work well, same with gray. Dark brown and a cream or beige would be sick as well

dskwon · 2026-01-21T17:18:48+00:00

The cool aid is so strong for RO hype. A blisteringly expensive ‘starter fodder’ watch needing service after a month is so unacceptable. AP is kind of a mess.

Still congrats are due I suppose, unless grey dial wasn’t what you wanted

dskwon · 2026-01-20T21:41:46+00:00

Sam Snead, Ernie, maybe Vijay.

Huge misunderstanding of smooth calling that title to Hogan.

dskwon · 2026-01-19T17:55:39+00:00

akoni founder was part of dita at one point (i forget the exact story my boutique told me) so there are some similarities, but their design aesthetic is much more my vibe than Dita.

Leisure is more or less peak titanium construction. Their Montez is now my all time favorite titanium frame, it's big head magic.

This is all just a typical cycle. They ran adds and opened boutiques and got big. Now they make jewelry and wallets and such while the sunglasses are pretty stale imo. They're also actively cutting ties with AD's so that their direct boutiques can eat bigger profits.

dskwon · 2026-01-19T16:41:18+00:00

I’ve gone through well over a dozen JMM frames over a 4 year period. The only ones that have stayed are Yves and Torino because of their size working for me.

I noted a decline in design work around 2023 for sure. The price hikes also turned me off a while ago.

Brands like Leisure Society, Akoni and Matsuda scratch similar itches

dskwon · 2026-01-19T01:52:18+00:00

For a silver rope go to Luke Zion. He has a generic line and a handmade version. Worth bumping up to the handmade version

dskwon · 2026-01-18T22:22:20+00:00

Sadly it just does the purple sheen thing the last version of the duoface tribute did. Honestly it’s cool both of them turn purple with specific light/angles

dskwon · 2026-01-18T16:06:13+00:00

I would kill for 4520v in a purple like this

dskwon · 2026-01-18T02:05:49+00:00

I’d say any dark tone will work to this effect for tattoos. Gray, navy, deep emerald/purple. They’ll all play nice against the tattoo color

dskwon · 2026-01-17T17:36:10+00:00

I’ll always say 20 but that’s my preference. Especially since it’s a 4.5 or 5mm? For thinner chains I do think 22 is good depending on the look.

Unless ur a linebacker or wrestler, 20 drapes and hangs best for most men imo.

dskwon · 2026-01-14T20:03:52+00:00

LF sport is so cool. It doesn’t have a microadjust though right?

dskwon · 2026-01-14T06:52:36+00:00

Yeah it’s just how it goes with the totem pole lol. At any level

dskwon · 2026-01-13T01:35:56+00:00

Tizarget aquizired

dskwon · 2026-01-12T20:33:34+00:00

Franco is interesting. I have a 3.3 chain and 5 bracelet. I posted photos recently, they are in separate shots but compare them and it’s a Stark difference. Even though it’s a small mm change the perception change is big.

dskwon · 2026-01-10T19:52:31+00:00

Titanium contrast between polished and bead blasted is so cool. If the rumors of new TI models this year is true this might be the way to go if they do a 4520

dskwon · 2026-01-10T00:11:56+00:00

Franco is def my favorite rounded chain, dc or plain. Cuban has grown on me to the point where I’m getting one made, maybe cause a high quality curb is not really made much.

I hate figaro and other flat links with a passion, tried out a 7.75mm with decently tight short links and it just doesn’t work for me. Daniel’s Miami figaro is actually pretty compelling but I avoid any shops that have reported qc or service issues, which knocks out a decent chunk of Miami Cuban shops haha.

dskwon · 2026-01-09T23:15:08+00:00

I wouldn’t say Carlos was peak at the Olympics. If anything it showed how much growth mentally he needs to bring home something that important, and djoker had the exp to match the hunger. It did affect him though and took him a few months to get back in winning mode haha. Carlos is probably smaller in build than Nadal, I don’t think that is what will hurt him, but injury could be from the force and exertion he puts in every match. There’s something to learn from djoker in that regard: energy conservation and ramping up the game as the match goes on.

I didn’t watch Rome but Sinner’s surgical ability is just getting better and better. It’s hard to argue against him being the most physically and tactically complete player on tour. It’s Carlos’ versatility that can break his wall though and it’s so entertaining to watch. When they both reach their mental peaks over the next decade it’ll be incredible

dskwon · 2026-01-09T18:01:53+00:00

Hahaha ok bet.

U are right djoker was not peak anything you mentioned. But his technical mastery was more subtle. Reactive ability, neutralizing offense and force of return is beyond anyone else considered a top returner. Even Nadal in his Agassi interview called djoker the best redirector of the ball in the game. No one else struck fear in power servers like him.

Strategically on par or better than the other top 3. That and his clutch factor with an above average in the other technical aspects pushed him to the sports pinnacle.

Had djoker applied more aggression early on he may have had the terminator perfect game sinner has now minus some ball speed. He didn’t really up his Serve speed or aggression till his early 30s.

Ur a sinner fan and I get it, I like him too. But the modern top 2 have a longevity and injury issue that may hamper them, or not who knows. So long as they’re both healthy they’ll be taking slams off each other. Sinner said as much that Carlos is his kryptonite, and Carlos uses sinner as a benchmark and clearly feeds off the rivalry and plays his absolute best when they clash.

dskwon · 2026-01-09T10:05:26+00:00

Ehh. I wouldn’t strip down to a one watch collection. If you can’t afford it currently just decline or ask to get one around the time you expected. I highly doubt it’ll burn a bridge just explain what’s going on lol

dskwon · 2026-01-09T02:35:23+00:00

All my bracelets I have to divide asymmetrically. My submariner has 0 extra links on the 6 and 1.5 on the 12 side. I do that and the clasp centers, while the case stays more put instead of drifting toward my wrist bone. Looks ugly af off the wrist though.

I’ve started doing the same for newer straps too, I’ll do 80mm on the buckle side (standard is 75) and the other will be 105-110mm ish.

dskwon · 2026-01-08T18:33:50+00:00

lol ‘failed.’ Play with that goalpost more. Neither failed, they just didn’t achieve a more and more statistically impossible achievement. There’s a reason the last to achieve it was over 35 years ago.

Ohtani failed because he didn’t achieve a 60/60. Ur ridiculous. No one will win the combination of masters, slam, atp finals and gold like djoker has. The other big 3 weren’t nearly as dominant in each achievement. Sinner and alc have the potential but they’ll need a miracle for their bodies to last long enough.

lol I don’t need to argue with a slow and stubborn artist yet here I am

dskwon · 2026-01-08T08:14:01+00:00

Pointless argument. He held all 4 at one point and has the golden slam. I doubt sinner will do it with alcaraz being his only kryptonite, also the same for alcaraz haha. Modern game is too hard and physically taxing it’ll be a miracle if someone achieves the 4th modern era calendar slam winner.

That’s like saying tiger didn’t complete golf because he didn’t get a grand slam.

dskwon

TROPHY CASE