Which watches in your collection are true 'keepers'?

[ubiquitous]

I know this has been done before, but it's always fun to post

I know we all have certain pieces in our collections that are long term keeps; maybe even permanent. So, I'd like to ask... Which are yours, and why? Do they have a sentimental meaning behind them? Significant for a specific date, or was it incredibly near-impossible to source or build?

Let's see those special pieces and the stories behind them...

Cheers,

//ubi

[gran]

It is a question of time....and if they get wrist time

Dial colour is listed...Black and Silver seem to be my favorites

all watches that I consider keepers have SS or Whitegold case

1. 
   
   
2. VC Chronographe (Silver)
   
3. CHOPARD GTXXL Chronograph (Black)
   
4. RWG WATCH (Black) actually have 2 different versions of this one
   
5. FM LONG ISLAND Crazy Hour (SilveryWhite)
   
6. 4th Gen 42mm PO (Black)
   
7. Mod7750 PO Chrono 45mm (Black) yes even with the deep date
   

+7. IWC JONES (White SS, Blued Hands)

+8. AP JA (White)

I most probably will keep all of these above

I also have other watches including yellow and red gold ones that I probably will not sell.. ..and I have some genuines too .....who knows

I must be Crazy to have this many watches

[Migge]

Well, Ubi, I would like to hear (and see) your favourites!!

Keepers permanently for me:

42mm Franken Planet Ocean

Franken IWC 3717

Franken IWC 3714

The ones I have not fiddled with I have no real attachment to. Selling one of my builds would not feel right

[geestyleed]

Definitely my Explorer II is a keeper - it was my first rep. Also my UPO, since it is one of my most favorite watches. And in addition to the UPO I try to keep my Porsche P6340 as long as possible, because it fits to my car

I wont have any problems to sell my: Chopard Speed Black, Hublot Big Bang, Rolex Yachtmaster,

[mactower]

IWC 3717 (Deutsch Day, ETA Date, Crystal, Serviced and Lumed, soon to be on a Custom Strap)

Pam Fiddy (Serviced and Lumed, Custom Strap)

Rolex DSSD (Serviced and Lumed)

B&R 01-92 (Serviced and Lumed, Custom Strap)

VC Overseas

[Justasgood]

This one:

For too many reasons to list. Let's just say it's a "Friendship" watch and it's "Ubi-liscious"!

[freddy333]

As many of the pieces in my collection are gen, mostly gen or gen-powered (nearly all are frankens), I consider everything to be permanent until/unless a better version of the same watch comes along, as in the case of the 2 Phases of my 6542 projects

(Phase 2 6542 in progress)

(Gen components for Phase 2 6542 with completed Phase 1 6542 at right)

[deltatahoe]

while there are plenty of watches that i currently consider a "permanent" part of my collection, if push came to shove the one watch i would hold onto would be my rolex 1680 birthyear watch (it has a serial number dating the watch to the year i was born). it is in immaculate condition, complete with box and papers; i don't ever plan to get rid of it.

deltatahoe

[lanikai]

There are too many over the years to choose just a few as my mood for what is on my wrist changes with the seasons ..

Variety is what I love about this hobby

genuine ... Frankens.... Pure reps ... I love the choices !!

[Nanuq]

There are too many over the years to choose just a few as my mood for what is on my wrist changes with the seasons ..

Wondering why Lani would have a tough time choosing which are the faves? Here's a picture of his "Warehouse #1" containing just a part of his small collection.

[maxman]

Wondering why Lani would have a tough time choosing which are the faves? Here's a picture of his "Warehouse #1" containing just a part of his small collection.

Nice

[thogaa]

Wondering why Lani would have a tough time choosing which are the faves? Here's a picture of his "Warehouse #1" containing just a part of his small collection.

[TeeJay]

These are definite keepers:

Incomplete, this needs a new movement (Swiss) and appropriate hands for the gifted dial. The insert and pearl are mods I did today, and will likely remain in place till better quality parts become available.

When I wore the body of this watch on my honeymoon, it looked like this:

Since then, it has been completely regenerated into this:

Gifted dial and movement make this watch mean a lot to me. The fact I have literally built it from parts makes it feel like my watch, and other than possibly upgrading the insert and pearl (if I can be bothered) I'd say this watch is just as I want it, and my ideal beater

This was on my wrist when my best friend got married in a traditional Shinto ceremony, although it looked like this at the time:

This watch has had a lot of time invested in it, and probably represents the first watch I fully built myself, as I also had to fabricate the dial. It still needs to have a coin-edge bezel installed, but to be honest, that's pretty low on my list of project priorities To me, this watch represents what I believe to have been the watch described in the novel of On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

This watch was a wedding present from my bro, Nikki6. Not really much more I can say about it than that :

This watch is a keeper for the simple fact that it makes a good backup when needed, and, I'm very happy with the lumejob I did on the dial. Other than that, I don't like it. I don't like wearing it, I don't like that it doesn't have a timing bezel, and I don't like that the dial makes my head hurt when trying to tell the time... Sorry, Steve, this one's just not for me...

I'm pretty sure what I'm going to do be doing with this gifted Daytona case set, but, as always, cash means it's going to take time to finish the way I want it to be... So far, I've removed the 'Daytona' text, added lume to the markers (not as per gen, but I don't care about accuracy if functionality can be enhanced ) as well as brushing the bezel and re-enameled the scale. To come, will be new movement (so possibly new hands needed) black bezel, and Tropic strap.

[jmb]

I just counted and I've somehow rat-holed about 20 watches! I really do need to thin the herd...

Keepers? I like 'em all but some never get worn. These are the ones I probably will never get rid of:

This because of all of the material help and moral support that flowed from people I hardly knew at the time. When I wear it it makes me feel "warm and fuzzy".

And, this because it got me started liking no-date watches whether they have CGs or not! Plus, it has so many goofs, short-cuts, rigged make-dos I would be embarrassed to sell it! It's the first watch I ever did any modding on and has undergone several revisions.

Probably this, just 'cause I think it looks cool!

And finally, this one is a "maybe", just because it's the only thing I can think of that I have ever won by the "luck of the draw". This will be my good-luck charm - plus it really looks bnitchin' on the wrist!

[TeeJay]

I just had a thought, bro, if you were to swap the bracelets between the Tudor Oyster and the Tudor Chrono, I think they'd be more complementary to the dials

[HauteHippie]

I rarely sell anything, but if I had to, then the one I'm working on right now would probably be the last to go.... Details at a future date and time, upon its return from the North Atlantic region.

[aeromatic]

My keeper has to be this!

In 1970 i was 10 years old and remember going to the movies to see a double bill goldfinger and thunderball bond movies

goldfinger was the film with the aston martin, the naken golden lady, and that hat! but my attention was on that scene when sean connery checks his watch with his lighter! even at ten i thought that bond was so cool! with that white tux and his rolex divers watch that rolex burt into my mind and for years after i was on a quest to find a bond watch after the internet

i was checking out gen 6538s but prices were way out of my league, and i could not find a rep that even looks like this watch until i found yukiwatch who supplied me with all parts including a gen 1030 movement! the strap i got from corvus but it was not quite correct because back then they did not have steel strap keepers but had a fabric keeper so i modified the strap by removing the two steel keepers and making a fabric one from a spare strap! although you can not see this fabric keeper in the movie there is a publicity shot of sean taken at the time wearing the watch on a fabric keeper !

i also have the watch on a undersized strap as i think this suits the 38mm diameter watch better than the 20mm one but the watch in the movie looked untidy with the strap sliding around on the watch so i had some spacers made to fit each side of the watch to keep the strap central, so i could keep the understrapper look!

[mastrmindalliance]

Thery're all keepers I guess but if forced to choose it would have to be the black SOH non-chrono V2.

It's so good I've forgone the gen (for now anyway).

[redwatch]

I've had my fair share of watches come and go, but for sure my Tudor is a definite keeper. It has been lovingly tended to by so many great members here! This one was a true labor of love and patience and I love every little bit of it!

[mastrmindalliance]

Beautiful! I'm really starting to dig these Tudors...

[TeeJay]

Beautiful! I'm really starting to dig these Tudors...

Tudors have all the benefits of a Rolex design heritage, with none of the recognition (so never challenged) and considerably more variety in the models when compared to Rolex-branded equivalents

[vafarmer70]

Have been through a ton over the course of almost 20 yrs. But this one can not be redone.

[HauteHippie]

while there are plenty of watches that i currently consider a "permanent" part of my collection, if push came to shove the one watch i would hold onto would be my rolex 1680 birthyear watch (it has a serial number dating the watch to the year i was born). it is in immaculate condition, complete with box and papers; i don't ever plan to get rid of it.

deltatahoe

Very nice. I've been planning on buying my birthyear 1680 for years now, too. You're 'lucky' you weren't born during the red sub years. I was.... thus no birthyear sub yet in my collection.

[cougaree]

I take my time to buy my watches, so I rarely sell any of my rep collection, especially the franken ones. Once I decide on a watch to franken, it pretty much automatically becomes a member of my permanent collection. My small collection mainly consists of Omega and Breitling. I have two Pam homages (gen RXW MM20 and a Vac custom) that are also to stay. Just FYI, my next purchase would be Breitling SOH, SOH chrono, SA and Pam 199 ultimate.

[vlydog]

My latest aquisition is here to stay.

1680