Pre-owned watch shops : Melbourne

Recently in Melbourne for horological and other assorted activities, visits to the main pre-owned watch dealers were, of course, on the agenda.

Unlike the compilation of my Hong Kong list of pre-owned watch shops, this was an easy task, as there are three main dealers, two of whom are conveniently located in the CBD, within short walking distance of each other.

Antiquorum (also known as Watchtime), is situated in Melbourne’s most well-known (and heritage listed) shopping arcade. Designed by architect David C. Askew, who has been asked to find his inspiration in the Galleria Vittoria in Milan, the beautiful Block Arcade took two years to build, and was finished in 1893. Originally known as "Carpenter's Lane" (the precinct was referred to as "The Block"), its current name was as a result of a successful petition by local shopkeepers. Antiquorum stocks a mix of both new and pre-owned pieces, and its website is kept up to date.

Shop 15, The Block Arcade

100 Elizabeth Street

Melbourne

VIC 3000

Phone: +613 9650 3936

A matter of minutes away is The Watch Gallery, which is quite a different watch beast to Antiquorum. Physically a smaller shop, but with more watches on display, it deals solely with pre-owned, both modern and vintage, and has proven to be a source of the odd vintage Omega for many a person. Their website is also kept up to date, with new arrivals listed.

337 Little Collins St

Melbourne

VIC 3000

Phone :+613 9670 4233

A brief train or tram ride will take you to Armadale Watch Gallery in South Yarra. Having visited their previous premises once, their current premises is a lot larger and brighter. Shonie at Armidale was very engaging, so we ended up chatting for a while, and he was happy for me to take some photos. He stocks a wider range of pre-owned (vintage and modern) watches than the other two dealers, and has a newsletter that you can sign up for.

Shop 1, 209 Toorak Road

South Yarra

Vic 3141

Phone: +61 3 9827 5695

An outer Melbourne dealer that I did not get the chance to visit is Ferntree Gully Watch & Clock, who specialise in vintage pieces, often military, but whose online stock is much smaller than that of the other three.

As was the case when I did my Hong Kong post mentioned above, I do want to note that I haven't personally bought any watches from any of the dealers I have visited, so don’t ask me about my own experiences. However, unlike Hong Kong, I do know people who have purchased from all of these Melbourne dealers.

Happy watch shopping!

PS: Dear Melbournians – as my knowledge of Melbourne is still a bit scratchy, please do include any dealers I have inadvertently missed out in the ‘comments’ section.

[AP]

Pre-owned watch shops : Hong Kong

Watches. Hong Kong. The two go hand in hand, much like me and Vacherons (vintage or modern, I’m not fussy. Jump hours would be good, though). It’s hard to go anywhere in this city without bumping into a watch shop of some description, whether it’s one of the many branches of City Chain, the plethora of shops in Central, TST and Causeway Bay, or a brand boutique (kudos to Vacheron, Omega and Franck Muller in Causeway Bay for being open at 11pm on New Years Eve).

The city loves its watches, whether it’s haute or hot pink.

When a watchnerd/ WIS visits Hong Kong, one question seems to always pop up – where are the pre-owned and vintage watch shops? Google searches and going through watch fora and blogs only brings up a dozen or so places, so I thought, on my recent trip there, that I’d try to compile as comprehensive a list as possible, as a resource.

In all cases, I visited each place to verify its existence, but I ran into problems with one or two places which a) had no opening hours; b) were never open when I walked past, even when I made repeated attempts at random times of the day. They did seem to exist in the sense of there being signage, and in one case, an online presence.

There are also a number of places that I have chosen not to include - the businesses which are ADs for a varying number of brands, but which seemed, inevitably, to have the anomaly of a small section of a window with Panerais and often Rolexes as well, but which do not appear to be ADs of either brand.

I have personally only purchased from two of these listed places, over the years, and I will identify them and give my personal experience. You will find certain brands dominating (Rolex, Panerai, Patek, Omega, Cartier), and the vintage/ modern quantity and proportions variable.  For all of these dealers, the usual caveat emptor applies.

There are almost 40 shops listed, so hopefully you can find something of interest in at least one of them.

Horological window shopping in Tokyo

Sept 2009

After returning from Sendai to Tokyo on September 30 (around 7pm) I decided to check out Ueno. Ueno has about 4 streets of roughly 5 blocks of shops selling everything from cheap shoes (try a pair of Puma or Addidas sneakers for AUD$60 when we expect to pay double that in the land Down Under) to bags (real and fake) to food but of course, surprise surprise, there were a few pawn shops AND secondhand watch dealers!!!!

Actually, what really caught my eyes were these Casio Calculator watches!!! At 6000 Yen I really wanted to get one.  As a child I had always wanted a Casio Calculator watch as I was never allowed to have one so now, I have a choice!

I have never seen so many vintage, modern, limited edition Omegas etc in a single display window!

The usual suspects in the vintage Rolex line-up...

Blancpain, Corum, and of course, being in Japan, the Seiko!

More Rolex. Actually, the Japanese really care for their watches and you can often could pick up watches in near mint condition. Of course, they don't come cheap either!

However, some shops had a few Pateks PLUS one Lange Datograph, which really caught my eye!

I don't understand the Japanese though, as there seemed to be a lot of second hand Chanel J12 and Bvlgari watches but these are not my style...

Some dealers dealt with  only Rolexes. I saw a few nice 1680s with original dial and hands AND box and papers... plus many 16800 with the matte dial (i.e. matte dial but with sapphire instead of plexi) to many, and I mean MANY, SS white Daytonas with the Rolex-modified Zenith El-Primero movement (cal 4030).

Note : The exchange rate at the time - 1 AUD bought 78 YEN

[JH]

KRASNAYA - THE WATCH GALLERY

August 2009

I don't often get waylaid by a watch shop for any extended period of time, as I am not much of a browser, and what watch buying habits I have don't tend to arise from random shop visits. Nonetheless, it was en route to a special luncheon with friends old and new that I found myself distracted for almost an hour inside the new ION Orchard shopping complex.

Red Army Watches are the folks who have been helping to popularise Russian watches in the watch mad place that is Singapore. Krasnaya is their new flagship store (not restricted to Russian watches) and is self described as "a gallery like experience", the horologically themed wall decorations adding to this atmosphere.

The design of this shop is quite conducive to browsing, with the brand sections carefully laid out and the displays forming quite discrete units, with information being provided on each brand, similar to art gallery descriptions of artists. In terms of trying to introduce more people to these brands, there has clearly been some thought put into the method of display.

The design of the space works well, and incongruous as the bar like area seems at first, I ended up quite enjoying it despite my initial scepticism, as it is a more pleasant informal way of looking at watches than sitting down at a desk or table.

The shop is split into two halves, with this section being behind the bar area.

I am not familiar with Nauticfish, but a quick glance at their website shows a young company (established 1989) whose goal is to "develop waterproof watches which are suitable for professional applications as well as for leisure activities".  In terms of the ever increasing size of watch boxes, I'd hazard a guess that this case would be a good contender for the the largest.

Azimuth display

This is the very interesting Azimuth - Back in Time. Limited to 120 pieces in "beige" (I think perhaps that they should have chosen a different choice of name, "beige" is well......) and 80 pieces in "brown" (yes there's a pattern here, and perhaps next time they need to work on the whole naming business), it retails for S$1999.

Your eyes do not decieve you, the photograph is not flipped and it is indeed an counter clockwise watch. There are other counter clockwise models available from Azimuth.

Another brand represented by Krasnaya, a brand which I'd first heard about two years ago from a friend in Prague, is Alexander Shorokhoff, a Russian name but hailing from Germany.

Alexander Shorokhoff arrived in Germany in 1992 (from Russia) and became Managing Director of Poljot International. He founded his eponymous brand in 2005.

The byline for Alexander Shorokhoff watches is "Great Russian Masters : Past & Present", and this is realised in the names of their collections, for example Leo Tolstoi, Fedor Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky.  His ambition is to make watches that are a tribute to Russian art, history, craftsmanship and traditions. 

As I write, I have a copy of the "Leo Tolstoi Collection" catalogue in front of me. If you are an admirer of movement decoration, then there is plenty to admire here.  The catalogue itself also includes a number of photographs from his life, as well as biographical details and miscellanea. One thing I didn't know was that he founded 22 schools; there is a photograph of his first pupils, as well as discussion about the influences on his major works.

from the Peter Tchaikovsky Collection

One brand that did excite me, as I had yet to see any in the flesh, was Lip.

Although more well known for their funky 1970s watches, and in particular the iconic Mach 2000 designed by Roger Tallon (1974) that is enjoying a revival, Lip is in fact a company with a history dating back to 1807 when Emmanuel Lipmann created a chronometer watch which the good citizens of Besançon presented to Napoléon Bonaparte.

By 1914, Lip employed 150 watchmakers and was making watches for artillery officers in the French Army.

Winston Churchill (a golden T18 LIP) and President Eisenhower are amongst those who have been presented with LIP watches by France.

During the late 1970s, a period of industrial unrest beset the company, and it really wasn't until the 1990s that the company got back on its feet again.

In 1997, Manufacture Générale Horlogère (MGH) was granted a license for the worldwide distribution of LIP watches, and LIP France became Sensemat Lip France. Both of these companies now collaborate in the development and creation of LIP watches.

Playing around with strap changes for  two Mach 2000 chronographs

I wish that I had more time to spend looking at the watches at Krasnaya but alas I had run out of time, and though the friends I was meeting were all watch connoisseurs and would have understood, it was also in the interests of my wallet that I said my goodbyes.....

Krasnaya Watch Gallery

#B3-03

ION Orchard
Open 10.30am - 9.30pm daily
(+65) 6509 8606

[AP]

Timeless Gallery
#04-06
ION Orchard
Orchard Road
Singapore

Purveyors of luxury watchwinders if you have a spare hundred thousand or so. Unfortunately it it was closed both times when I walked past. Brands represented include Erwin Sattler, Orbita, Dottling, Scatola del Tempo and Buben & Zorweg.

Here are some photos from when a Timeless Gallery boutique opened up at Starhill Gallery in KL, Malaysia.

A Plea to Watch Companies

I have a sister who wants to be able to wear watches, but who has been unable to for a number of years now. The reason? A nickel allergy (contact dermatitis), which extends to an allergic reaction to leather straps as well. For some unknown reason this surfaced only in her late 20s, but it has meant that she has not been able to wear a watch for a long time.

Many chemical agents, including nickel, can cause allergic contact dermatitis (ACD), which results in inflammation of areas of the skin in sensitised individuals. ACD is caused by sweat corrosion of nickel and the formation of nickel ions as a result of prolonged contact with the skin.

The European Nickel Directive 2004/96/EC determined that the level of permitted nickel release be 0.5 micrograms per square centimeter for products intended to be in direct and prolonged contact with the skin.

Products may contain nickel in higher concentrations, but only where they have a non-nickel coating and the coating is sufficient to ensure that the rate of nickel released from parts in direct and prolonged contact with the skin is less than 5 micrograms per square centimetre per week for a minimum period of 2 years normal use.

In spite these regulations, it is an issue which does arise periodically on watch fora. There are people who are unable to wear Omega Speedmasters for example.

Non-occupational ACD reportedly affects between 5-15% of females. According to the Nickel Institute, public health advocates are using these figures to project that over 10% of the world's population are at risk of being sensitised to nickel.

Not being as horologically addicted as I, but nonetheless owning a couple of decent watches, the absence of a watch on her wrist has not bothered her as it would me, but she has nonetheless hoped that she would be able to wear a watch again some day. The other week I finally managed to convince her to try again, by purchasing a new one. The general agreement amongst the Tarts who gave advice was that Titanium or ceramic would be the best options.

Titanium and ceramic watches are not hard to find for men (or women who wear men's watches), but for women like my sister, whose wrist is too small to wear a men's watch, it is much more difficult. Another compounding problem is that the use of ceramic or Titanium is sometimes combined with stainless steel on watches. This is perfectly fine for most, but for those with skin allergies who need the caseback to be Titanium or ceramic, and not stainless steel, this reduces the already very limited options even further.

My sister wanted a practical watch, nothing white, nothing with diamonds, and at a reasonable price point. Basically it came down to Rado, who are in fact well known for the Ceramica line.

With this as a starting point, she visited some half a dozen watch shops in Central, Hong Kong, where she has been holidaying, and at each dealer, there was only ever one woman's watch available in Ti or ceramic, regardless of brand.

Yes, it became an issue of stock availability.

Her eventual purchase was the Rado True Active R27678152. The watch will serve the purpose, but with the projected figure that 10% of the world's population could be nickel sensitised, if nothing else it makes some degree of financial sense for companies to consider increasing the range of (not just women's) watches available in materials such as Titanium and ceramic not just for aesthetic reasons, but for health ones. There is hypo allergenic and non nickel coated jewellery readily available after all, so why not watches as well?

[AP]

When a certain Tart is in love, the object of his affections has no choice but to be drawn into his horological obsession, and so it proved one warm Sydney Winter’s day when he crossed paths with first one and then another, Tart, all in the name of watches.

He has given me permission to put his photos (taken with a Nokia N71 in bad lighting conditions so pardon the bad quality).

Having cycled in, the man sometimes known as the Cheesemaster first met with one Tart at the Lindt Cafe on Martin Place for a drink,

after which the latter returned to work, and I met him outside a certain AD. We had been unsure as to whether we’d be welcome, given that he was in cycling gear and, with no lock, the racing cycle would have to be taken into the shop. To our surprise, he was allowed in. Surprise on a whole lot of levels but that’s a story for another day.

The lady in question has taken a fancy to the Girard-Perregaux Cat's Eye Bi-Retro in WG as a dress watch, but at this first AD, they only had the Cat’s eye Bi-Retro Zodiac Calendar.




We weren’t hyper enthused by this version of the Cat’s Eye, both of us because of the skeletonised hands making legibility a minor issue (with so much else going on the mother of pearl dial) and in my case, additionally because of the Zodiac, which I found a bit well, silly, although there seems to be some sort of a market for such things, as there is for another Girard-Perregaux women’s watch which focuses on shopping, so women can figure out whether the shops are open on Rodeo Drive yet.

Onward we went to another AD and Girard-Perregaux stockist, where they had a different, and to our mind better Cat’s Eye, the Reference. 80480.

The hands are luminous on this, and it is a happily cheaper as well LOL. The Tart’s girlfriend is interested in pink straps, so he sent her this photo as well :

The Cat’s Eye desire on her part is a long term one, but she is in need of a quality day time work watch, and the front runner at this point is the JLC Duetto Duo :

Will she get either or both of these watches, who can say.....?

Le Sentier..
by pj.m

This is a panorama of the beautifully pastoral Le Sentier. After an extraordinary lunch with Mr. Philippe Dufour, Mark Schmidt, Ian Skellern, and my good friend Christine, I could not help but capture the view. This lake was frozen until April and there was still snow when this was taken around the 3rd of May, so I can understand the necessity to do something like watchmaking to pass the non-farmable months.