Today’s UNBOXING is a freaking CIRCUS! We’ve got tons of grails and some very unique timepieces that I promise you haven’t seen before!
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UNBOXING 16 watches everyone wants… and one they DON’T!
Video Transcription
Roman:
Guys, we have an exciting one today. We have a watch they gave Mr. Bjorn his start in the watch industry. We also are going to have a bit of a circus and a bit of a battle on this unboxing-
Adrian:
Circus?
Roman:
Yes. So stay tuned.
Roman:
First of all, I want to give a quick shout-out… Why am I wearing a small samurai sword? I want to go give a quick shout-out to Alex’s sister who was here-
Adrian:
I thought you were going to stab me with it.
Roman:
No. Who was here visiting us from Japan. And she brought me this souvenir. She’s currently in the US Air Force. So shout out to you, it was a pleasure meeting you.
Adrian:
Thank you for your service.
Roman:
Thank you for your service and thank you for this wonderful sword. With that said, we have a really, really big unboxing today. And like I said, it’s going to be super special, a circus, a battle, and a watch that gave up Bjorn his start. So we’re going to start with the basics. Let’s go with-
Adrian:
Why don’t we just go box by box?
Roman:
Let’s go.
Adrian:
Heavy 12679 meteorite dial for GMT. These things got upwards of $90,000 in our trading, and the around $70,000 range for a given condition piece, like this brand new 2022 meteorite, never disappoints.
Roman:
So again, a watch that I originally kind of slept on because I felt like the bezel was taken away from the meteorite dial, but then it kind of grew on me and the watch stabilized in terms of price. So this is where it’s at now.
Adrian:
Yeah, I think it’s just due to low production on it that’s why it’s holding firm. Next, we got nice things, which come in brown boxes.
Roman:
So, Hungarian which I hate to open because of the whole condom situation. Now-
Adrian:
The what?
Roman:
This whole condom situation.
Adrian:
Oh, condom. I thought you said common situation.
Roman:
I can’t get enough of Patek, Annual Calendars, and Annual Calendars Chronos, which is the 5905. Due to the fact that it’s just a gorgeous, gorgeous dress watch that can be considered a sports watch because it does have that cross-over to a sportier look, I feel like. Especially with the 5905, the Chrono version of this. Just like, what’s not to love?
Adrian:
It’s just so much character in comparison to, let’s say, college travel counterpart. I mean, it’s got an annual calendar, it’s got a moon face, blue sunburst style, white gold. It’s just, and fit you can wear it casually, you can dress it up with a suit and it just fits everything.
Roman:
What do you think about throwing something like this on a rubber strap?
Adrian:
Oh, absolutely can work.
Roman:
Yeah.
Adrian:
Absolutely.
Roman:
This says, oh this is papers inside it’s called. It is a Cartier. Look, I’ve talked to you guys about the collection Privee from Cartier. Every year Cartier comes out what’s called collection Privee or the private collection, right? They always come out with something fairly amazing, like this particular watch here.
Adrian:
And as you can see, this model is a little bit older hence the CD disc that they give you. Clearly, they don’t do that anymore.
Roman:
So this is the Cartier Rotonde de jump hours, is what they call it. The way you can tell is the window here, as well as the single hour hand that comes around. Now, very reminiscent of that clock we talked about when we discussed the Star Wheel, remember? Because this has Roman numerals on top. I’m sure that was a play on that old clock that the Pope wanted to see in the middle of the night.
Adrian:
Definitely grown a much bigger appreciation of Cartier because if a lot of people used to think Cartier, they used to think jewelry brand, first and foremost, when obviously it is a jewelry brand. It’s the top jewelry brand in the world, if not the top three. A lot of times their watches are overlooked and looked at it’s more jewelry pieces, but some of the high-horology stuff they make is absolutely sick and incredible.
Roman:
What I personally go after is the collection of Privee pieces, especially some of … This is one of the newer ones, especially some of the older ones. That is extremely hard to come by. If you go and check some of the auction results and some of those oddball pieces from the past, they fetch Buku dollars not to mention Cartier crash trading at about $350,000 today, the one that was made in the ’90s.
Adrian:
All right, so here we have a Richard Mille, RM 1104 Mancini, and NTPT case. Now, I mean, okay, so this watch for a lot of RM … He always does this. You cannot drop NTPT. So this watch actually there’s a lot of love, hate relationship with it. Everybody seems to like it, but to own it, it’s something a little bit different because a lot of people feel that the dial if you actually zoom in here, is a little bit busy.
Roman:
Well, let’s talk about the functionality of the watch. So this was made for Mancini, who is the coach of the Italian soccer team. The functionality of this watch is you’re able to track overtime in periods of a soccer match, 45 minutes plus 50 minutes overtime. You’re able to track that mechanically within the watch. I actually did a video on this, on the older version, the RM 11 Mancini.
Adrian:
The 11-01.
Roman:
The 11-01 Mancini, which was the first one. That was with the green, right? Was that-
Adrian:
They made it in titanium and also rose gold, the 11-01.
Roman:
So I did a video explaining how that functionality works. That’s why-
Adrian:
It’s still stickered up, baby.
Roman:
That’s why the dial is busy, and the reason the dial is busy is that it has a lot of functionality.
Adrian:
It’s got a lot of character though. I mean, it’s a big watch, but it sits really nicely super light. You get a lot of wear out of it. I mean it’s crazy. Actually, these are on a Velcro strap, sometimes you might not even think you have a watch on, you forget.
Roman:
I’m going to open up something that’s still exciting to me. 15400 black dial. Again, the market may have corrected on these, but that doesn’t mean that these aren’t selling, that’s why we’re still buying them. Today, what’s the 15400 high market? What are we talking about? Most likely pre-
Adrian:
Where it got to at the height?
Roman:
Yeah.
Adrian:
15400, we’ll use a black dial as an example because we have a black dial here, reaching heights of mid $50s to low $60s.
Roman:
And now there’s still at about $40?
Adrian:
They’re in the $30s.
Roman:
$30s.
Adrian:
This one? Yep.
Roman:
Okay. So this one is one of the ones that took a bigger correction versus others, let’s say. Oh.
Adrian:
Titanium beast.
Roman:
The titanium beast that somebody with a very small wrist for obviously.
Adrian:
It’d actually probably fit me. All right, so my favorite part about this watch is the gray and the black. It’s so subtle. It’s so clean. There’s not a lot going on here and it gives what do you call it? What’s the word I’m looking for when you’re paying homage to …
Roman:
The original beast?
Adrian:
The original beast. Right? So it kind of has that vintage-y, the older beast look.
Roman:
What do you mean? It does. It literally looks like the old beast.
Adrian:
It doesn’t look like a modern piece.
Roman:
Exactly.
Adrian:
It definitely pays homage. And the best part about it is the ease of putting it on a strap-
Roman:
No, the fact that you get the best of both worlds, means you get it on a strap on a bracelet. Now for those that don’t know it’s titanium, it actually looks exactly like its counterpart in stainless steel, but titanium does give off a bit of a darker hue. So if you know, you know.
Adrian:
More polished, yeah.
Roman:
But this thing weighs nothing.
Adrian:
Take that bracelet off real quick.
Roman:
Well, let me take the condom thing off.
Adrian:
What’s with you and condoms today? Everything’s a condom.
Roman:
No, no, no.
Adrian:
You haven’t used a condom in 30 years.
Roman:
That’s true.
Adrian:
Talking condoms and stuff. It’s been a long time.
Roman:
I’m not that old bro.
Adrian:
I mean, 25 years?
Roman:
And now you have a whole new watch and it just looks amazing.
Adrian:
Totally different look, and a totally different vibe, as you can see on the wrist.
Roman:
Summertime, rubber strap. Wintertime, bracelet.
Adrian:
I love this watch, and I’ll explain to you why I love this watch. Because when it was originally released in the 116 form, I hated it. I was like, “This is the worst ever.” Because it’s the first time they made a yacht master on an oyster flex strap or a strap for that period, it didn’t fit. Yacht-Master has always been, not the most popular sporty model-
Roman:
But you would think, well, yacht master, the rubber strap is perfect.
Adrian:
Right. Then it made it in gold and I didn’t like it. Then I wore it one time out and it just-
Roman:
Comfortable.
Adrian:
First off, it’s comfortable. It looks nice. It’s clean. There’s not a lot going on in the dial. A lot of people complain, let’s say, Oyster Flex sky wheelers, there’s too much. It’s too busy on the dial. Right? But this is perfect.
Roman:
So what are we talking about market pricing on these now?
Adrian:
So these got upwards of high $40s and now they’re in the low $30s, especially in a condition like this.
Roman:
Okay.
Adrian:
We’ve got a Master 126 reference.
Roman:
All right, so here we go. Another Patek. Double rapid.
Adrian:
You’re a very good Patek-
Roman:
Oh. A Patek that probably gets-
Adrian:
No love.
Roman:
No love. And it’s an iconic one too. It’s a Patek, it’s the Patek Ellipse.
Adrian:
5738 reference.
Roman:
This is a newer reference where it’s a larger size. This is a watch that people either absolutely love or absolutely hate, there’s no in between. Probably one of the worst sellers from Patek. But when you throw it on the wrist, it’s just so … I have one of these clocks in the house-
Adrian:
But every time we have them, they’re good because it’s the price point, right?
Roman:
And they actually fly pretty fast.
Adrian:
$25,000 from Patek modern, bigger case size.
Roman:
I mean the double edge sword when something is not as popular as, let’s say other models that fly out every single day, is that we also don’t get as many of them. Not as many are produced, not as many … And again, for most, I know some Patek collectors that have Ellipse models going back to when they were like this big. It’s just their thing. This is the quintessential Patek. It’s one of those Pateks that when you look at it from afar, you know it’s a Patek Ellipse. It’s one of those models. Ellipse is again, one of those watches. You get into some of the Annual Calendars from afar, they tend to look the same a lot of them, this is quintessential Ellipse.
Adrian:
You really just compare your Nautilus, recognizability to an ellipse recognizability, really?
Roman:
It’s just the same.
Adrian:
You just said that, right?
Roman:
Yeah. But it’s literally the same.
Adrian:
You said it, not me. Just making sure you know you said it.
Roman:
Two-toned Rootbeer. Oh, talk to me about the market on the two-tone Rootbeer. Because again, the watch that I think that propelled two-tone Rolex is To The Moon and Back. This is what gave the rebirth two-tone Rolex is the two-one Rootbeer. Again, the best looking two-tone Rolex out there in my opinion.
Adrian:
Yeah. I think it took a deep nasty dive because-
Roman:
How nasty?
Adrian:
Because it was a watch at the peak in the mid to low $30s. We sold a few out and bought a few out and now it’s in the low $20s. So from a dollar perspective in comparison models, it’s not a lot, but percentage perspective it’s bad.
Roman:
Oh of course it’s bad.
Adrian:
It’s pretty stable.
Roman:
It has stabilized.
Adrian:
You have to figure at this point, that you can’t really get that watch on a list. Out the door in the United States, you’re paying sales tax on the watch for over $15,000, right? How much lower can it go for $20?
Roman:
Can’t.
Adrian:
Not much.
Roman:
It really can’t.
Adrian:
That’s why it’s a good-
Roman:
Talk to me now about this really, really pretty Datejust.
Adrian:
You know me and my Datejust from, you know my relationship with Datejust.
Roman:
Do tell.
Adrian:
I love them so much. I dream about them. I love buying them, I love selling them.
Roman:
I think you had too much Celsius today.
Adrian:
I had no Celsius today. Two hours of sleep.
Roman:
Looks, what’s there to be said about a Datejust with the exception of the fact that this is an “affordable Rolex.” And I like the fact that in the affordable line, back in the day, the older Datejust they were just kind of blah, right? Back when I bought my first Datejust, it’s like blah, the dials weren’t as colorful, and they weren’t as shiny.
Adrian:
What reference did you have, the first one had?
Roman:
I think it was the 1601, yeah.
Adrian:
Yeah that’s old.
Roman:
Yeah, and I paid $1,000 for it back then. But look, if you look at the dial, look at the combination of the flu de bezel and the bracelet makes it an extremely pretty watch. And oddly enough, very unisex too. My wife has one of these as well. Even though it’s a large size … This Datejust, the difference in this Datejust and some of the older ones, is that this has a presence on our wrist, and that’s all I have to say about that.
Adrian:
I mean, from a business perspective every time we get them in, it’s just such a liquid watch. Because again, it fits the unisex-
Roman:
Affordable.
Adrian:
Men, women. Price point. Right? Beautiful watch. Especially with the blue Roman dial, blue index dial, Wimbledon dial.
Roman:
The Roman dial is a major peak by the way.
Adrian:
Of course.
Roman:
Definitely.
Adrian:
But of course.
Roman:
Major key item.
Adrian:
Just kidding.
Roman:
Oh, here’s another good one to talk about. The John Mayer Daytona green dial. Got the links, that’s a good thing. Tell me?
Adrian:
This watch has history, man. This watch, I remember when they first came out.
Roman:
Is that the one that got away?
Adrian:
Definitely, the one that got away, for sure. Because you used to be able to pick them by bargains, under list. They were at the Ads, nobody really cared for precious metal Daytona’s at the time.
Roman:
I had one as cheap as $28,000.
Adrian:
Yes, $28,000. Then Mr. Mayer came out with an interview-
Roman:
This is before … yeah-
Adrian:
Talking about this dial and from there-
Roman:
It was dubbed the John Mayer dial.
Adrian:
Then from then on, it was dubbed the John Mayer dial and the rest was history and went upwards of $145,000, which is crazy. It settled back down pretty stable. Because again, you can’t really get … Your AD point of sale down the road from where you live just does not get many of them.
Roman:
So where’s it at now? $80?
Adrian:
Yeah, $80, $85, $90.
Roman:
Which is still double list, damn near. So it’s not to say that, “Oh my God, what happened?” But it’s still ridiculously priced, but it’s not outrageously priced.
Adrian:
Dude, a bad sip of coffee. Sorry.
Roman:
Oh, I know what this is. I bought this.
Adrian:
Yay.
Roman:
So I know you guys are probably expecting some Overseas, a plain jane old Corona old dual time or bluesy, whatever you want to call him. But the Astron is not just about the overseas. I hate when the brand becomes about just Royal Oak or just Nautilus or just hype. Right? The Vacheron is one of the three brands, right?
Adrian:
Holy Trinity.
Roman:
Part of the Holy Trinity. Right? As they call it. Which is who?
Adrian:
AP, Vacheron-
Roman:
And Patek, right? So with that-
Adrian:
I was finishing my thought, but-
Roman:
Yeah, my bad. Go ahead, sorry.
Adrian:
It is so hot.
Roman:
It is hot in here. Actually, the AC people are coming today to finally replace that.
Adrian:
I was going to wear a black shirt and jeans. I decided to wear a black shirt and shorts.
Roman:
It’s a great idea. And what this is, well, I’m just going to unwrap this.
Adrian:
Value?
Roman:
Value, no. This is horology and value at its finest. Because while people are paying double, triple, quadruple for certain overseas models, they’re sleeping on … All right this is starting to annoy the shit out of me.
Adrian:
You really don’t have patience with it? And I can unwrap it? Man, this is fail-proof.
Roman:
Here come the keyboards flying.
Adrian:
Here you go, Roman.
Roman:
All right, so let me wind this.
Adrian:
Use a little bit of oomph. A little bit of muscle.
Roman:
Also known as a Cyclops. Now I’m going to show you the front. I mean the movement on this is incredible. He would go ape shit interviewing this particular watch. So what this is, a Monopusher. Marco, did I get that right? It’s a Monopusher Chronograph, which is complicated, forget the fact that the Tourbillon is one of the most complicated complications out there. Right? Top two, after, I’m going to repeat a Tourbillon, right? Then perpetual calendar. The Monopusher Chronograph is actually one of the highest and most difficult complications to execute. I talked about the Chronograph before. The Chronograph being a very complicated complication for the lack of a better word. People sleep on it because it’s like a given, it’s been around for so long people say, “Oh, it’s just a Chrono.” A Chrono’s just a Chron. It’s very difficult to execute. A Monopusher Chrono, which basically all the functions work from one button. So I set the Chronograph off, you can see the hand, push and it, and it starts to go. I push it again, and it stops. I push it again, it resets.
Roman:
This is a complication that, goes across 20 brands to see how many of them actually even have a single pusher or single button chronograph or Monopusher chronograph. Right? Just think about it in that realm. To pair that up with a Tourbillon, it’s just an amazing feat. Honestly, there’s not an overseas Astron out there that I would choose over this watch. Size-wise, it’s amazing. Astron bumped up on the size. Look, it’s a big watch. This is like a 42, I think.
Adrian:
Like a skeleton Perpetual?
Roman:
I will take this over that, from a horological perspective, I will take that watch over the overseas Perpetual.
Adrian:
We’re just talking about just from an owner standpoint. I mean, this is crazy. Because it’s a single pusher-
Roman:
Aesthetically.
Adrian:
Aesthetically looks a lot better. If it had pusher here and here-
Roman:
It wouldn’t work.
Adrian:
It would be too much.
Roman:
More Pateks. It’s like a Patek day today. A lot of Pateks today. Condoms. My favorite 5905. The chocolate rose gold is the best looking 5905.
Adrian:
Agreed.
Roman:
I love the platinum, but this chocolate is just-
Adrian:
Rose gold on chocolate works better.
Roman:
It’s just like, let me look at that.
Adrian:
Yep. The market on these has been stable.
Roman:
It never really changed. I mean, it’s been more or less the same.
Adrian:
No, I mean look, prior to let’s say this bull run, as they call it, they traded for under lists, actually significantly under list. You used to be able to get them at a significant discount. Now they’re pretty much over list.
Roman:
Oh wait, here’s a little one. Anna will remember this one. This is before your time.
Adrian:
I promise I did not buy that.
Roman:
I did. This was AP’s answer to or comparable watch to the Patek 24 line when they made them in that shape. And it is a bit of a flop for them. That’s why you can find them pretty cheap. But for an entry-level watch for a lady for a couple of thousand dollars, this is the ticket.
Adrian:
Got a look at it.
Roman:
You can own an AP for $2-$3,000. Again, this is not a vintage one. They don’t make these anymore, that line is discontinued. But they haven’t been around for the last five years, they haven’t made them. But this is a watch that was around for quite a few years because again much like Patek, AP achieves the same exact thing with the Premisse as they did with the 24 line. They made an affordable ladies’ watch that you can just walk into the store and buy for under $10 grand. That’s what this watch was about. Bulgari can never get … Wow, somebody did a really good job wrapping this. But can never get enough of the Opta line. Shout out to Gerald Genta. So Bulgari, in one year, I believe it was 2007 or 2008 bought out Daniel Roth and they bought out Gerald Genta, both companies and they branded them under the Bulgari name, obviously very reminiscent of the Genta design.
Roman:
They didn’t have much luck with their existing Bulgari watches that they were making up until then, the Bulgari line and all that other stuff. Purchasing Daniel Roth and Gerald Genta as a company, I think propelled them to that next level. So now when you say Bulgari, you don’t just think jewelry, you think the thinnest watch. Well, up until Richard Mille said, “Hold my beer.” You’re thinking, like me, I start to think of watches, as a watch guy. Where before I wouldn’t before they purchased these two companies. Again, these things take … We get requests from them every day, they sell the hotcakes. Hublot makes beautiful watches. The king power, unfortunately is a bit big for most to wear, myself included.
Roman:
What I like about these king powers specifically-
Adrian:
They can be used-
Roman:
I forget what limited edition this is because that’s what they do, they do a limited edition every time I go to take a leak. But if you close in the combination of the matte black with sort of that subdued blue and the little hints and touches around, I think, makes for a wonderful design. In terms of design, I think Hublet knocks it out of the park. Whoever their designers are whenever they make these watches, again, seemingly maybe all look the same. But if you look at the details, a lot of the Hublot’s, especially the limited editions, do a great job in terms of design. Oh, how about, I will call this, Patek-
Adrian:
They’re the sleeper.
Roman:
They’re the complete sleeper. And for some reason doesn’t get as much love as the rest of this stuff.
Adrian:
5230 in rose gold.
Roman:
The World Times.
Adrian:
World Times.
Roman:
You can pick up the older World Times the 50, what was the first one? Anna, what was the first World Time? 5030 or 5130?
Adrian:
5130.
Roman:
5130? You can pick them up relatively inexpensive, $30,000 price range.
Adrian:
5230s are just better looking, man.
Roman:
Well, they’re bigger for one. They seem more refined and more polished, I would say because the older one the bezel was-
Adrian:
There’s a very affluent look to that. I can’t put my mind on it, but I think maybe … I think where was I walking? Somewhere in Europe and the first 5230 came out and I walked by a Patek boutique they had it in there and just, it looked so rich. You know what I mean? Just quintessential Patek.
Roman:
You took the words … you know what I was going to say? It fucking looks expensive.
Adrian:
It looks expensive.
Roman:
That’s what this watch looks like. It’s unmistakably a Patek World Time and it looks expensive.
Adrian:
Looks expensive, yep.
Roman:
And for some reason, people are sleeping on this and my advice is don’t because-
Roman:
5110, that’s right. 5110, then it was the 5130 and now it’s the 5230. In terms of value, are you still buying this under list?
Adrian:
Yeah. Close to.
Roman:
Yeah. So there’s your value and it’s good looking watch.
Adrian:
That’s going to be one for me after I buy my house. My wife said I can’t spend any money. So I’m like this right now.
Roman:
Got your hands tied? That’s what you’re saying? All right, let’s get to the special stuff. I promised you guys a circus and a battle. You’re Louis Arden. I know a company that you don’t see a lot of unboxings, but this is still a company that we buy a lot of. Louis Arden was very famous for their animated minute repeaters, right? Watches that repeat the time out loud, via chime. I’m going to wind this before I show it to you because it needs to be wound. And by the way, if you’re ever dealing with minute repeaters, make sure you don’t-
Adrian:
Oh right.
Roman:
Set the watch or do anything with the watch while the minute repeater is operating, because you will break it.
Adrian:
What did we use to call these watches?
Roman:
What did we use to call them?
Adrian:
Oligarch special.
Roman:
This was an oligarch special. Sold quite a few of these to Hungarian and Russian Kazakhstani markets. Quite a lot. So why we call it a circus? Because the watch depicts the scene of a circus. What Louis Arden was most famous for is animating the scenes, where the first watch was not this one, one I will show you later. As I set this off, you’ll notice it is a literal circus.
Adrian:
Viv would love that.
Roman:
But Arden does this on steroids. They’ve done various versions of the circus mini repeater. But the one watch-
Adrian:
The Erotica?
Roman:
The Erotica, right where there’s literally somebody screwing on the screen. The first watch they came out and actually gave him fame for that was not the circus mini repeater, it came out later, but it was the Genghis Khan, which today is probably one of the most iconic complications from Louis Arden. Which is what we have here among all these tissue papers and stickies and stuff. So I’m going to go ahead and wind this one. Of course, this is more complex because this is not just a minute repeater-
Adrian:
Actually, I think the first six-figure watch I ever sold in my life was Alexander, The Great.
Roman:
Alexander the Great came after.
Adrian:
It came after.
Roman:
It was this. Then it was Alexander the Great which depicted the battle. Then the last one, the current one is the Hannibal. So again, the same thing, but this is also a Tourbillon. So two of the most complicated things, again with the animation of the battle of Genghis Khan. Did you know that one out of every six people has Genghis Khan genes?
Adrian:
I am for sure related to him in some capacity.
Roman:
Yeah, probably in the violent one. So the circus and a battle, and again, Genghis Khan is if you think of Louis Arden, there’s a lot of iconic pieces they’ve made over the years. This was a bit of a shift for them because there were very, very Marine-themed all the time. Like the Royal blue Tourbillons, they came out with-
Adrian:
They’re a yachting company.
Roman:
The original owner, who’s since passed away quite a few years ago, unfortunately in Bozel where they used to display, not in the main holes, they used to set up a party in one of the hotels outside of the main holes in Bezels. And what he used to do-
Adrian:
Is that how Erotica was born?
Roman:
Probably, yeah. And what they did there is they actually, brought his yacht. His yacht was a sailboat with three, I don’t know, posts? What are those things called?
Adrian:
Catamaran?
Roman:
No, no. It was an actual big humongous yacht. It was probably almost 100 feet. And it had three, what are those-
Roman:
Sails, but what’s the pole called? Sail pole, I guess? It was a triple sail humongous yacht.
Adrian:
Oh yeah.
Roman:
The problem in bezel is the little river that runs through it it has a bunch of little tiny old bridges that cannot be opened.
Adrian:
Oh, right, right, right.
Roman:
So it was a superyacht, so he could not be brought through. So you know what they did? He would hire a company that would take the boat apart … Masts, that’s the word I’m looking for. The mast is the stick. So they would take the mast off this boat so they can fit through and they would put it back together in front of the part.
Adrian:
That’s crazy.
Roman:
It cost them, I don’t know how many thousands of dollars. Last but not least, and very, very important. I have a Piaget box. I promised you to talk about a watch that gave Bjorn his start. Now, when you start a watch company, what’s the first thing you need?
Adrian:
Eyes?
Roman:
Yes. Set of hands that can put watches together, but you also need money.
Adrian:
A few bucks.
Roman:
You need money. So a lot of these independent watch makers got their start by creating movements for other major brands, such as Piaget. And if you think of history, the most comparable thing to that was when AP started making complicated movements for Tiffany and Co Patek watches. That’s how they got their start. Well, Mr. Bjorn got his start by creating this. Of course, the climax gets killed, gets ruined by all this plastic. Right? So what this is a Grande et Petite Sonnerie minute repeater made by F Bjorn for Piaget. Now, this is an extremely, extremely special one. And again-
Adrian:
Look at that deploying buckle. Holy smokes.
Roman:
Yeah. They made, from what I understand, he made about 12 of these movements for Piaget, maybe 20, I don’t know, that went into a regular watch without all these baguettes and diamonds, et cetera. This was a piece unique that he made. And here’s the thing is that when I say he made, it’s a bit of a stretch because what he made is what you see in the back. You see the movement. Now, the Grande et Petite Sonnerieis the most complicated thing that you can make within the watch. And if you guys want to learn more about that, just Google it or go to what’s on my desk where I reviewed an AP Grande et Petite Sonnerie. But from what I understand again, and don’t quote me on this, and Mr. Bjorn if you’re watching feel free to correct me, he raised about half a million bucks.
Adrian:
The tale goes-
Roman:
He raised about half a million bucks making these movements to Piaget and what Piaget did is it took one of those movements and they made it into a piece unique making this thing, not only aesthetically beautiful-
Adrian:
Roman, you shocked me with this Piaget.
Roman:
I know.
Adrian:
You got me.
Roman:
I know. I know.
Adrian:
Because normally … I’m just kidding. Go ahead.
Roman:
Normally, like Piaget. So this is a little piece of history. If you remember, not too long ago, we had the Harry Winston Opus one, right? Where F Bjorn, they did the Tourbillion for them. And they did the resonance for them. We had the Resonance and I think we had the … They made it like a purpled out all-piece unique. This was part of Harry Winston and he brought on the independence to start the Opus series. He actually started with F Bjorn. Because back then an up-and-coming watchmaker that basically needs money was easier to say, “Hey, listen, make me this movement. It’ll cost me $25, $30, $50,000 to make.” Then in turn at the factory, make the watch. And that’s what this Piaget watch was. Back at the time, Piaget was all the rage.
Adrian:
Back in the ’80s and ’90s, Piaget-
Roman:
Are you talking about the nugget watches, are you kidding me? That was having a president Daytona on your wrist. That was like the shit to have now that gets melted down.
Adrian:
Yeah.
Roman:
But look, I don’t want to downplay Piaget as a company, they’re still a powerhouse know watch group, the whole to do. But this is probably for, a Bjorn collector, this is as a unicorn as a unicorn gets. And what is it? #rareiswhatwe do. This is about as rare as it gets for a Bjorn collector.
Adrian:
Yeah. As a medallion. What do you think?
Roman:
I think Mr. Bjorn would be pretty upset if you did that. So guys promises kept, a circus, a battle, and a watch that seemingly gave Mr. Bjorn his start from Piaget.