Czapek

[dchang81]

It cuts both ways. Makes it harder for enthusiasts/collectors to get their watch but it also makes it more valuable. I was checking out the AP code. Now I really like it despite it's poor reception, but it's also hard to swallow losing 40% as soon as I walk out the door. Still debating it since I like it regardless but if my tastes change down the road that's an expensive hit. And I was telling my wife my tastes have been changing a lot recently, watches I previously wouldn't be caught dead buying now interest me a lot

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by charger_vital

On point about what specifically?

Like I said, I'm trying to understand why flipping is such an "evil" other than getting guys upset that they can't spend their disposable income.

Let's say you wanted Cocoa Krispies but find out someone got to the store earlier and bought all of the Cocoa Krispies with no intent of eating them. They just put them in their cupboard. Then the boxes show up on Facebook marketplace for a $2 upcharge per box.

You can still get Rice Krispies or even spend your money on Eggo waffles or a yogurt parfait. But it's annoying when someone buys all of the Cocoa Krispies with no intention of eating them, and you would've enjoyed them for breakfast. It's their right, but wouldn't you resent that guy every morning a little bit?

[dchang81]

Hah, me and my wife were at a sushi restaurant and they occasionally have this special golden eye snapper. We split I think maybe 4 orders. The guy a few tables down tried ordering it and they said sorry we don't have any left. He literally screamed those f-ers ordered all the golden eye!!! It was weird he kept complaining during his entire meal. The guy was being a complete douche, my wife was so annoyed she wanted to just just leave the golden eye uneaten on our plates. Anyways not completely the same but your cocoa crispy analogy reminded me of that day

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

Let's say you wanted Cocoa Krispies but find out someone got to the store earlier and bought all of the Cocoa Krispies with no intent of eating them. They just put them in their cupboard. Then the boxes show up on Facebook marketplace for a $2 upcharge per box.

You can still get Rice Krispies or even spend your money on Eggo waffles or a yogurt parfait. But it's annoying when someone buys all of the Cocoa Krispies with no intention of eating them, and you would've enjoyed them for breakfast. It's their right, but wouldn't you resent that guy every morning a little bit?

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by dchang81

Hah, me and my wife were at a sushi restaurant and they occasionally have this special golden eye snapper. We split I think maybe 4 orders. The guy a few tables down tried ordering it and they said sorry we don't have any left. He literally screamed those f-ers ordered all the golden eye!!! It was weird he kept complaining during his entire meal. The guy was being a complete douche, my wife was so annoyed she wanted to just just leave the golden eye uneaten on our plates. Anyways not completely the same but your cocoa crispy analogy reminded me of that day

Haha I can only imagine. "If I can't enjoy it then neither can you!" If you told the guy he could buy it from you in exchange for covering your check, or you were gonna bring it home and leave it in the fridge, then you're a cocoa krispy hoarder

[charger_vital]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

Let's say you wanted Cocoa Krispies but find out someone got to the store earlier and bought all of the Cocoa Krispies with no intent of eating them. They just put them in their cupboard. Then the boxes show up on Facebook marketplace for a $2 upcharge per box.

You can still get Rice Krispies or even spend your money on Eggo waffles or a yogurt parfait. But it's annoying when someone buys all of the Cocoa Krispies with no intention of eating them, and you would've enjoyed them for breakfast. It's their right, but wouldn't you resent that guy every morning a little bit?

Haha... I get the concept well enough. Though I appreciate the colorful analogy. But I guess the answer is only that deep: its "annoying" that someone else got it and you didnt... Fair enough

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by charger_vital

Haha... I get the concept well enough. Though I appreciate the colorful analogy. But I guess the answer is only that deep: its "annoying" that someone else got it and you didnt... Fair enough

This is true. We don't need any of these things. I've gotten over the fact that I won't be acquiring a 15202/16202 for a long time if ever. I do miss that short window of time where the Antarctique was simultaneously desirable and attainable, glad I got mine when I did.

[charger_vital]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

This is true. We don't need any of these things. I've gotten over the fact that I won't be acquiring a 15202/16202 for a long time if ever. I do miss that short window of time where the Antarctique was simultaneously desirable and attainable, glad I got mine when I did.

Indeed! I am glad that I was able to get my order in as well... just in the nick of time. Though, I am still bummed that I could not get the Salmon dial in 40mm. Wore it once.... that thing is sooooo killer. Alas, baby blue is not a bad alternative.

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by charger_vital

Indeed! I am glad that I was able to get my order in as well... just in the nick of time. Though, I am still bummed that I could not get the Salmon dial in 40mm. Wore it once.... that thing is sooooo killer. Alas, baby blue is not a bad alternative.

When I ordered the choices were the darker blue, black, white, and the limited edition grey. I almost went with blue as I don't yet have a blue dial watch (what is wrong with me), but ended up choosing the white dial which is more dynamic than I was expecting. That said, I would have been very hard pressed not to choose the baby blue if it was available. That one is a stunner. I've made a deal with myself that the only salmon-ish dials I'd ever own are the 15202BC or a Gronefeld, no substitutes! But that is unlikely to happen outside of the dreamworld

[charger_vital]

Originally Posted by uscmatt99

When I ordered the choices were the darker blue, black, white, and the limited edition grey. I almost went with blue as I don't yet have a blue dial watch (what is wrong with me), but ended up choosing the white dial which is more dynamic than I was expecting. That said, I would have been very hard pressed not to choose the baby blue if it was available. That one is a stunner. I've made a deal with myself that the only salmon-ish dials I'd ever own are the 15202BC or a Gronefeld, no substitutes! But that is unlikely to happen outside of the dreamworld

Actually, I was close to pulling the trigger on the white dial as well. To be honest, I don't love the color in the pictures, but when I put it on wrist, it was very impressive. I was surprised and how great it looked... perhaps even better than the baby blue (I dunno close call). And how dynamic it can be depending on the environment it's in. Great choice!

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by charger_vital

Like I said, I'm trying to understand why flipping is such an "evil" other than getting guys upset that they can't spend their disposable income.

Human perception. Let's call it 'Geed is good' versus 'doing the right thing'.

Baby formula may be more profitable btw. How do you feel about profiting off baby formula?

Fertilizer and wheat is another 'play'. Or is food 'off limits'?

Said another way, are there 'limits' to free-market 'ethics', or is anything fair game Charger_Vital?

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by dchang81

Hah, me and my wife were at a sushi restaurant and they occasionally have this special golden eye snapper. We split I think maybe 4 orders. The guy a few tables down tried ordering it and they said sorry we don't have any left. He literally screamed those f-ers ordered all the golden eye!!! It was weird he kept complaining during his entire meal. The guy was being a complete douche, my wife was so annoyed she wanted to just just leave the golden eye uneaten on our plates. Anyways not completely the same but your cocoa crispy analogy reminded me of that day

I feel for the other guy. Here in the UK, we are regulars at a restaurant co-owned by one of the largest fish suppliers to Japanese restaurants in the country. They occasionally get some Japanese delicacies in very limited numbers: Hokkaido uni, mirugai, shima-aji, kinmidai, raw tako etc. If a single table had cleared them all out in one go, I'd probably be glaring a lot...

[charger_vital]

Originally Posted by enjoythemusic

Human perception. Let's call it 'Geed is good' versus 'doing the right thing'.

Baby formula may be more profitable btw. How do you feel about profiting off baby formula?

Fertilizer and wheat is another 'play'. Or is food 'off limits'?

Said another way, are there 'limits' to free-market 'ethics', or is anything fair game Charger_Vital?

HA! I mean.... baby formula? C'mon man!

Interesting idea about food though. I grew up in the Imperial Valley (produce mecca in CA). I can't tell you how many "farmers" I know who have won and lost millions by speculating on produce.

Perhaps more interesting, how many farmers have retirement funded as a result of land fallowing (gov't payout).

Ethical limits on food? Not sure about that. But when it comes to luxury watches, I don't find anything unethical about folks making a few bucks at the mild expense of annoyance from guys wealthy enough to drop $25k on an unnecessary item.

Annoying yes... but unethical? That's a stretch.

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by charger_vital

HA! I mean.... baby formula? C'mon man!

Not sure you remember the tainted baby formula scandal in China about a decade ago. People in Europe were clearing out supermarkets and selling them to the Middle Kingdom for markups that would make 5711 speculators blush. Anyone with a child locally in the EU couldn't get formula for themselves.

It's a valid point. At what point does 'capitalism' become 'speculation' become 'exploitation', and at what point does that cease to be capitalism at all? Yeah, you can't equate watches with baby formula, but exploiting demand you have no use or desire for, that's pretty douchy.

[ap1]

The greys can have the cocoa crispies but if it’s fruity pebbles or lucky charms I’d be upset

[sgrossma]

Many watch flippers are also watch consumers. And I think that is where the main difference lies.

Most baby formula consumers are not flipping 1 formula to get a different, or better formula.

If no secondary market existed and you could not resell a watch (resale value = $0) you'd get nothing out of it but enjoyment and money spent is money spent. And if you did have a market, but removed all dealers, flippers, and investors from the equation, your very expensive stainless steel machined watch would be more ALOT less if you did choose to sell. Consumers would have to really think twice about spending $25k on a luxury watch and as a result the swiss watch industry would suffer greatly and you'd get people buying 1 watch a decade instead of 5 to 10 watches a year.

At the end of the day, these watches are an extreme example of a luxury good that serves no real purpose, other than enjoyment. And I'd argue that flipping can give the savvy purchaser (who has no real business buying luxury watches in the first place) an opportunity to temporarily enjoy what they otherwise couldn't afford. Besides, there are plenty of non hyped watches and brands you can readily buy. Most people are just buying the hype.

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by sgrossma

Many watch flippers are also watch consumers. And I think that is where the main difference lies.

Most baby formula consumers are not flipping 1 formula to get a different, or better formula.

Yeah, I don't buy this at all. A lot of flippers have zero interest in watches (or a fleeting interest at best) and see it as an accessible and easy-to-grasp asset class (low $ point of entry) with a buoyant market and triple-digit returns.

Anyway, can we talk about Czapek again? This is boring.

[enjoythemusic]

Originally Posted by mongrelnomoad

Anyway, can we talk about Czapek again?

YES!

So, am STILL in love with the Monochrome White and wearing it daily over all others. Feels kinda lonely as hope those here waiting gets theirs soon.


Ok, admit yesterday I wore the M.A.D.1 Red to the dentist office, he's timepiece-curious and one day may get something nice. Thought I'd throw him a curveball.

[dchang81]

The one thing that gives me pause is the bracelet. Some say it's fine. Others say it's rattly. Rattle or slop would irritate me to no end. Different price point but the royal oak bracelet IMHO is what sets it apart from other watches.

This flipping talk is relevant since if I can't get it to work it has to go. Before the streamliner got hot, I sold it for a loss since I couldn't get along with the bracelet, and it seemed like I was the only one with issues.

[mikemargolis]

Originally Posted by JR16

Mike works for Czapek. He represents the company in the US.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I am self employed, Czapek hires my company to do everything in Americas for them: distribution, sales, retailers, coordinate repairs, marketing, trade shows, etc...

I am also a former moderator of Timezone in its heyday, and a watch collector since the 1970's. Name a brand, I probably own one.

I have bought and sold plenty of watches along the way, and yes I am biased on Czapek, but frustrated by the flippers of AP, PP, VC etc... also.

[enjoythemusic]

Dchang81, agree the RO bracelet is very tight, smooooth on the wrist, etc. My personal fave is the Omega Speedy 50th Buzz, followed by Bvlgari Octo FS. The Czapek is verrry nice, yet not super duper silky on-the-wrist, yet am cool wearing it whatever wherever. The links are very tight.

Since moving to warmer beach climates am more a strap guy nowadays, very comfy... plus lower weight is a nice bonus. My wife prefers the bracelet, we share pieces. So yeah, if you're a silky tight smooooth bracelet fanatic (said very friendly and understandingly) the Czapek might not be for you.

[JR16]

Originally Posted by mikemargolis

I am self employed, Czapek hires my company to do everything in Americas for them: distribution, sales, retailers, coordinate repairs, marketing, trade shows, etc...

I am also a former moderator of Timezone in its heyday, and a watch collector since the 1970's. Name a brand, I probably own one.

I have bought and sold plenty of watches along the way, and yes I am biased on Czapek, but frustrated by the flippers of AP, PP, VC etc... also.

thanks for the clarification!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by dchang81

The one thing that gives me pause is the bracelet. Some say it's fine. Others say it's rattly. Rattle or slop would irritate me to no end. Different price point but the royal oak bracelet IMHO is what sets it apart from other watches.

This flipping talk is relevant since if I can't get it to work it has to go. Before the streamliner got hot, I sold it for a loss since I couldn't get along with the bracelet, and it seemed like I was the only one with issues.

Zero issues with the bracelet. And that's after having been one of the first handful of Antarctique owners, and having worn it every day for 18 months, and never even sized the rubber strap.

I told you lately that I adore this watch?

[charger_vital]

Originally Posted by mongrelnomoad

Yeah, you can't equate watches with baby formula, but exploiting demand you have no use or desire for, that's pretty douchy.

Agreed

[charger_vital]

Originally Posted by mikemargolis

I am self employed, Czapek hires my company to do everything in Americas for them: distribution, sales, retailers, coordinate repairs, marketing, trade shows, etc...

I am also a former moderator of Timezone in its heyday, and a watch collector since the 1970's. Name a brand, I probably own one.

I have bought and sold plenty of watches along the way, and yes I am biased on Czapek, but frustrated by the flippers of AP, PP, VC etc... also.

[uscmatt99]

Originally Posted by dchang81

The one thing that gives me pause is the bracelet. Some say it's fine. Others say it's rattly. Rattle or slop would irritate me to no end. Different price point but the royal oak bracelet IMHO is what sets it apart from other watches.

This flipping talk is relevant since if I can't get it to work it has to go. Before the streamliner got hot, I sold it for a loss since I couldn't get along with the bracelet, and it seemed like I was the only one with issues.

The links themselves are tight. There is a greater freedom of motion at each link joint than I recall from trying on (but never owning) a Royal Oak. There is significantly more play at the endlinks where they meet the case with the Czapek. In most pics you can see that the surface of the endlink isn't always flush with the case. This is the result of the quick release system. If that bothers you, then definitely reconsider! I happen to like it as it allows for a lot more freedom of movement compared to what I remember from a Royal Oak, so it wraps perfectly around my wrist. The RO bracelet angle at the endlink is almost fixed, so it can either flare out a bit or slope down acutely depending on your wrist size.

One side note on the RO vs Antarctique for day to day. The crystal on the Antarctique sits significantly higher than the polished bezel and is slightly domed. I've bumped my wrist on a doorway edge several times and there is not a visible mark on the bezel. By now, I would've had several scratches on a RO steel or PM bezel. Comes with the territory, but it would bug me a bit. I like that design feature on the Czapek. By looks, it wears thinner than it measures.

[GB-man]

Originally Posted by mongrelnomoad

Zero issues with the bracelet. And that's after having been one of the first handful of Antarctique owners, and having worn it every day for 18 months, and never even sized the rubber strap.

I told you lately that I adore this watch?

Are you invested?

The one thing that bothers me is there’s like 200 investors out there who crowdfunded this business and how can I ever tell who is giving an honest review and who is talking their own book?

Xavier strikes me as the kind of guy who could sell a ketchup popsicle to a lady in white gloves. I know a few as good.

If you come across such an individual do whatever it takes to hire them.

I love his energy and I’ll admit they have done many things right. I’m still warming up to the whole indie watchmaking without a watchmaker front and center. MBF has definitely forced me to warm up to this model with their shear awesomeness.

[dchang81]

That model also puts them at the mercy of their suppliers.

[solaire]

Originally Posted by Rexplorer214270

What are people’s thoughts about the market for Czapek? Could all the models retain their value or even appreciate.

The ANTARCTIQUE only achieved a $20k in a recent auction ….


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mongrelnomoad]

Originally Posted by GB-man

Are you invested?

The one thing that bothers me is there’s like 200 investors out there who crowdfunded this business and how can I ever tell who is giving an honest review and who is talking their own book?

Xavier strikes me as the kind of guy who could sell a ketchup popsicle to a lady in white gloves. I know a few as good.

If you come across such an individual do whatever it takes to hire them.

I love his energy and I’ll admit they have done many things right. I’m still warming up to the whole indie watchmaking without a watchmaker front and center. MBF has definitely forced me to warm up to this model with their shear awesomeness.

Not invested, no. Just a happy customer.