Roger Smith Auction

[kkqd1337]

Anyone tempted?

Reserve price £297,500 (excl. of VAT)

https://www.rwsmithwatches.com/aucti...tchmakers-day/

I think these are beautiful watches, designed and made by a legend.

[WatchEater666]

Nope. There are so many sloppy mistakes on his watches and it's not because they are HaNdMAdE lol...

Contrast VS something like a Greubel Forsey handmade1 which is flawless every time. RW uses a CNC now too, so there's really no excuse.

His watches were nowhere near this much prior to the covid runup for good reason.

[kkqd1337]

Originally Posted by WatchEater666

Greubel Forsey handmade1

no arguments there. spectacular.

[FrugalGreubel]

>Nope. There are so many sloppy mistakes on his watches and it's not because they are HaNdMAdE lol...

You mind elaborating on this? First time I’ve heard that but then again I’ve never really taken a deep dive into Roger Smith.

[WatchEater666]

Originally Posted by FrugalGreubel

>Nope. There are so many sloppy mistakes on his watches and it's not because they are HaNdMAdE lol...

You mind elaborating on this? First time I’ve heard that but then again I’ve never really taken a deep dive into Roger Smith.

https://quillandpad.com/2015/04/10/b...mith-series-2/

Tons of his watches at auction clearly have sloppy mistakes too.

But tbh, most of the guys buying them do not really know what they are looking at and aren't spending their own $ anyways lol

[Ichiran]

Originally Posted by WatchEater666

But tbh, most of the guys buying them do not really know what they are looking at and aren't spending their own $ anyways lol

Yep that perfectly describes me but I do spend my own money on the Series 5.

[Ichiran]

Originally Posted by kkqd1337

Anyone tempted?

I'm very tempted and will put in a bid. I think George Daniels and RWS are 2 of the most talented engine-turning masters ever. I also like the conservative dial layout of the Series 1.

[FrugalGreubel]

Originally Posted by WatchEater666

https://quillandpad.com/2015/04/10/b...mith-series-2/

Tons of his watches at auction clearly have sloppy mistakes too.

But tbh, most of the guys buying them do not really know what they are looking at and aren't spending their own $ anyways lol

Thank you for the link. It was enlightening for sure.

[GB-man]

I can understand why others covet RWS but I’m not one of them.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by GB-man

I can understand why others covet RWS but I’m not one of them.

Ditto here, and like you i do respect RWS.

Am more an MB&F / Kari V kinda guy. Agree with others here, the Greubel Forsey handmade1 looks very, very.... very... niiiiiiiice

[Calatrava r]

Interesting the few photos I have seen of RW show him wearing an Explorer 36. Good taste there.

[Ichiran]

This Series 1 fetched well over double the reserved price (£297,500) at the auction. That’s a stunning result.

[kunlun]

Originally Posted by Ichiran

This Series 1 fetched well over double the reserved price (£297,500) at the auction. That’s a stunning result.

Well, although I do like RWS' work, his tendency to re-price his watches based on auction results means there will be another price jump when he opens his books again.

Of course, I wish him well and want him to be successful...but the price increases have been a little crazy.

Price aside, I do want to say that I think people should value very highly having a non-Swiss lever escapement and really developing that escapement further, as Roger has with the co-axial.

That's real horology. Having shiny polishing on a not so interesting watch (GF Handmade 1 for example, just to stir the pot) is exactly what George Daniels criticized.

I say that having tried the Handmade 1 on my wrist several times, I would be happy to have one. And I do respect what it represents and the preservation of hand work skills in horology. And, in a weird way, the HM1 is a better value than any RWS which went for a quarter of the current price a few years back or whatever the markup has been. But hopefully collectors can realize that going beyond a swiss lever is a big deal and also that the British style of finishing has a real understated beauty to it and a Philippe Dufour is a deeply boring watch, horologically.