That’s why you should just whack a minute repeater, perpetual calendar with tourbillon Patek Philippe watch in Platinum. Cannot top up after that unless planning to buy a maxi yacht..

I think I am done collecting for now as my kids’ school fees are expected to go up soon. Lol.

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Mar 1 2021, 03:06 PM

You have only one kid. Apa susah? Whack the minute repeater and #yolo first.

When I had 2 kids I still can yolo and fomo all the time until the 3rd one came out.

Now my wife is having serious thoughts about getting a 4th one. She missed having a baby to play with..

If I ever end up with 4 or 5 kids, I can kiss most of my hobbies goodbye already. And also maybe have to cash in that half a million USD for the education of the 2 additional kids..

Sekolah Kebangsaan don’t have French and Spanish classes..

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Mar 1 2021, 04:17 PM

Cannot like that. If she wants another baby, then it’s my duty as a husband to provide her with the means to have one. I can only afford up to 5 kids comfortably. Anything more than that, I may have to start liquidating my assets.

The good thing about 3-5 kids is that once they grow up, family reunion during CNY should be very fun. Lol.

Anyone here got a PS5 yet? I just collected my preorder yesterday.

Ps - have to show picture of watch in order to be on topic again. Otherwise, mod will marah..

[attachmentid=10800436]

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Mar 1 2021, 05:08 PM

Nothing entice me either but my son wants one. I am using it to play Spider-Man Miles Morales and Control.

Ya. That’s exactly what happened to my wife’s family. Her sister is in the UK and her brother is in Australia.

Same here in Malaysia. Scalpers and low supply is killing it for everyone. I lucked out as I randomly asked a shop and they agreed to give me a preorder slot in the 3rd preorder. I waited less than a week for them to produce the PS5 for me. Lol.

Here’s a topic on watches that is worth discussing about.

Watch companies destroying unsold inventory to save brand value and also to make the item seem more exclusive and rarer than it actually is.

https://qz.com/1284838/why-richemont-is-des...piaget-watches/

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Mar 2 2021, 11:01 PM

Yup. It’s all smoke and mirrors. That’s why I laughed when people mentioned watches as investments.

Watches are men jewelry which some of us collect for fun with our spare cash. But to call them investments is a joke.

The so-called top 3 watch brands also manipulate the market to make their watches more desirable.

Patek was a pioneer in buying back their own watches at very high prices during auctions. This is to shore up desirability in their timepieces during the early to mid 2000s.

Rolex fine tuned Panerai’s wait list and low demand model while successfully implement it in a larger scale. One million watches produced per year but yet none to be found in any authorized dealers.

Audemars has fine tuned Rolex’s strategy further by removing Authorised Dealers and control the flow of pieces flowing into the grey markets which effectively destroyed any hopes of discounts.

The reality is that no modern watch is truly rare as the manufacturer can easily make enough to meet demands.

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Mar 3 2021, 03:53 PM

Just in case anyone is interested in reading old article on how Patek Philippe and Omega bid on their own watches during auctions to shore up the final hammer price.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB119178753176051433

The bottom line is that watch shortages are fake. And hammer prices for watches are not a great indicator on how the real market value.

It wasn’t too long ago that I was offered an Aquanaut at a discount by Woo Hing when they were still Patek Philippe’s authorized dealers. I declined as I didn’t have the money at that time to pay RM30k or so for a watch as I was still a poor fresh graduate.

They all are.

Once they see how successful the scam is, everyone will follow.

Even seven Friday is pulling the same stunt with the multiple limited editions. And if a low end cheap ass watch brand is doing it, what more independents.

Those of us who have been collecting for decades know about this. It’s just the newer collectors who are suckered in by the “investment” angle.

It’s a house of cards. And whomever is left holding it at the penthouse level will get burned very badly when the cards collapse.

The thing is that the art world is losing it luster as the medium of choice for certain.. ahem.. transactions.

Most who use Art to transport an obnoxious amount of cash are now looking into smaller mediums that are able to store a huge amount of money while being inconspicuous enough to smuggle out of the country.

Enter timepieces. Small objects that can store huge amount of value while wearable on your body hence easier to transport across state lines.

Watch collecting is no longer a hobby for the rich as a lot of my wealthier friends are leaving the hobby after they completed their collection. Instead, watches have replaced art as a way to transport huge amount of money while legitimizing your income stream.

Wearing $5 million on your wrist is much more convenient than trying to fit your cardboard tube with your rolled up painting inside worth $5 million into the side luggage compartment of your seat on a plane.

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Mar 4 2021, 04:45 PM

I used to collect art for fun 15 years or so ago until it became too expensive.

I would usually buy directly from the painter himself/herself as the galleries will usually take a commission from them.

The art collector’s world is very small. Once you know one artist, they will introduce you to their friends.

I once flew to Canada to buy a few art pieces from an artist. I went down into her basement and view her artwork. Paintings, depending on the medium used, need to be kept away from sunlight and moisture.

I purchased the ones I like, paid her and rolled them into several cardboard tubes and flew them back to my home.

I used to have a frame maker on speed dial. He would make all the frames for all my paintings.

Good times until the art world was besieged by people who started to bid stupid amounts for paintings. I pulled out when stupid amounts of money were exchanging hands on new paintings and art installations.

It’s fine when stupid amounts of money is being paid for artwork by artists who are dead. But to pay so much for art from someone who is still alive is crazy.

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Mar 4 2021, 05:03 PM

No need. It used to be artwork is worth more money after the artist dies.

But nowadays, art can also appreciate and go up in value while the artist is still alive. I remember when I was collecting, Damien Hirst was a very prolific artist.

I quit the arts scene when art pieces became unaffordable and unavailable for genuine collectors like myself. Looks like I will be quitting the watch collecting scene soon too as watches are becoming too expensive and the unavailability of watches plus endless waiting lists are killing the passion for me.

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Mar 5 2021, 09:40 PM

I was just at AP House KL to get my new straps. Have the chance to try on the new Diver models.

My diver with new clothes!

[attachmentid=10856659]

The new divers group photo with my diver!

[attachmentid=10856669]

Trying on the new Grey diver.

[attachmentid=10856679]

Please note that these are just exhibition models. They are not for sale.

Nice FP Journe. I saw Hour Glass selling this for around SGD$18k. Did you get any discounts for it?

Bruh. Is this the quartz model? The Elegante? How long does the battery last before you need to change it?

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Apr 24 2021, 10:21 PM

Hantam jer Diver baru tu. I like the Grey color.

I also saw one last piece of ROO Vampire and also the older Blue/Yellow diver at AP today. Both are for “display only”..

They told me not to place my order so fast for the 15202 last few units as they are having something planned next year for the 50th anniversary of the Royal Oak. So, I hold off my purchases until next year to see what they will come up with.

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Apr 23 2021, 07:11 PM

And then get blacklisted when you sell the watch? No thanks, buddy.

Look. If you are a genuine buyer, just approach them and talk to them. I did that and now they are slowly opening up the options for me.

Surprisingly the new buckle on the Divers is also quick change as was demonstrated to me yesterday.

The new quick change straps and buckle can be retrofitted onto the older divers and 42mm chronograph models as confirmed by the CEO of AP in their recently concluded Live Presentation. They will release a kit later down the road.

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Apr 24 2021, 10:42 AM

Then let them know you are a genuine buyer. Email them and set up an appointment. When you collect the watch also need to come to KL. Might as well just make an appointment now.

No games lah. Not at AP themselves. Maybe your friend went to an AD instead of AP owned stores.

AP very straightforward. They will tell you when you can get your watch, if it’s possible. And don’t go in and tell them “I want a Royal Oak.” Be more specific. I went in and told them I want a white/blue dial with white strap Diver. I didn’t want anything else.

You go in and say you want a 15500 in any color or just looking for any steel oak, confirm they will think you are a flipper.

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Apr 24 2021, 12:44 PM

I love this color better than blue. It’s more lively.

Doing my part in adding more oil...

Still, it’s a beautiful watch. I would have gotten one if not for the 50m water resistance.

As for the readability issue on your Oak, I bet it’s nothing compared to the TT Daytona with white dial. I can’t even read the subdial numerals under intense light due to the yellow gold rings blending in with the black writing. The Tachymeter scale numerals also disappears under intense light on the 18k yellow gold bezel. Sure it diffuse light like a disco ball and looks fucking awesome but the chronograph function is next to useless as I can’t read the bezel or the subdials.

The only thing that Rolex got right with the TT Daytona is the yellow gold hands with a strip of black running across the middle of the hands. I looked at the black part and it looks like gold but colored black. This aids in readability when trying to tell the time in full sunlight.

This post has been edited by friedricetheman: Apr 24 2021, 08:15 PM

That’s because of the 300m water resistant. The crown is special for the diver models, I believe, to ensure 300m water resistant.

Ya. Agree. Daytona is too small for today’s standard. I wonder when will they release a 42mm Daytona..