chum_2000_uk 0 Posted December 28, 2010 (edited) Hmmm. not sure my pedigree chum how long you;ve been into horology, but Maurice Lacroix have been around since the early 60's, altho comparatively young, they are an established atelier / manufacture designing and making their own movements, compare them to a similar brand from the late 60's Hublot, who still use ETA ebauche and who have nowhere near the design flair that ML has, their entire line is 7750 based and consists of virtually the same design dressed in different clothes, ML have an extremely diverse range and recently introduced the Memoire 1, a completely in house manufactured movement, they are not a 'lightweight' manufacture or brand. Well at 28, I am perhaps one of the younger members of this forum; no doubt there are many a lot younger and more naive than myself though But there are so many brands of watch that I know next to nothing about. Until joining here, I think I have been very narrow minded when it comes to watches. I owned a few random, crappy watches when I was younger and then became obsessed with Omega. I have owned about four gen Seamasters from time to time, but have always sold them on, mainly for financial reasons. The last one I had was a really nice blue 300m chrono that I wished I had kept, but I just felt as though I couldn't justify having a watch worth over £1000 on my wrist! At the moment I just have a couple of Seiko Arcturas as daily beaters (although they were not super cheap at RRP £450). Joining here has really started to open my eyes to all the different great makes and models of watch available, and with some of these reps looking so accurate, for the first time I feel as though they are in reach. I also really would like to get into a little bit of the service and repair side of things over the next few years - that is something that interests me greatly. I am an electronics engineer by trade, and I love to build things (have built myself a couple of really nice amps within my hi-fi system), so I think I have the patience it takes to learn basic watchmaking skills. I am quite careful and methodical in that sense. I did do a bit of physical restoration on the Seamasters I owned, sanding out deep scratches on the bracelet and lugs, polishing and rebrushing where necessary, so I am already fairly comfortable doing things like that :P Edited December 28, 2010 by chum_2000_uk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rav747 0 Posted December 28, 2010 I keed..I keed, ... Monsieur Lacroix you of course may call him Maurice, 'e 'az une collection étonnante de belles montres, appréciez :P HUBBA! HUBBA! Lovin this one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldrick 1 Posted December 28, 2010 Well you're still a youngster, so you won't have seen a lot of the developments that have taken place in the watch industry, since the advent of quartz watches from Japan which threatened to kill the Swiss watch industry and never did, the Swiss rose to the challenge ( thankfully) et voila, here we are today with a plethora of marques to choose from. I've been a watch nut and WIS / collector since the mid 60's. my first watch was a Buler which was on sale in Beaverbrooks ( defunct ) window, shit, I lusted after that watch, since then I've had hundreds if not a thousand different brands. Reps are a great way to satisfy some of your cravings and can also help to solidify decisions about purchasing the gen, 'try b4 u buy', just don't get hung up on the 'five letters on the dial mentality' :P Keep up the good work. Carry on ! PS..don't pay any attention to the naysayers on here, most of them stuff Mars bars up their arse to taste them, particularly those filthy chimps, always playing with their dangleberrys Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sconehead 5 Posted December 28, 2010 Well you're still a youngster, so you won't have seen a lot of the developments that have taken place in the watch industry, since the advent of quartz watches from Japan which threatened to kill the Swiss watch industry and never did, the Swiss rose to the challenge ( thankfully) et voila, here we are today with a plethora of marques to choose from. I've been a watch nut and WIS / collector since the mid 60's. my first watch was a Buler which was on sale in Beaverbrooks ( defunct ) window, shit, I lusted after that watch, since then I've had hundreds if not a thousand different brands. Reps are a great way to satisfy some of your cravings and can also help to solidify decisions about purchasing the gen, 'try b4 u buy', just don't get hung up on the 'five letters on the dial mentality' Keep up the good work. Carry on ! PS..don't pay any attention to the naysayers on here, most of them stuff Mars bars up their arse to taste them, particularly those filthy chimps, always playing with their dangleberrys B) ...I find Toblerones so much more suitable for the task...god knows at my age I need as much fibre as possible...mmmm and that texture...:P @Chum...yes there are many fine watches to choose from these days...sadly the above are of a lesser pedigree imo...no pun intended... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldrick 1 Posted December 28, 2010 @chum yes there are many fine watches to choose from these days And there are many fine members to choose from them, then you're left with Sconehead, ( or as the family call him 'flat bread head' ), well what can you expect from a hairy arsed wooly-back with a face that tells the tale, a lifetime of ram-raiding on a scooter, :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sconehead 5 Posted December 28, 2010 @chum yes there are many fine watches to choose from these days And there are many fine members to choose from them, then you're left with Sconehead, ( or as the family call him 'flat bread head' ), well what can you expect from a hairy arsed wooly-back with a face that tells the tale, a lifetime of ram-raiding on a scooter, :P I prefer 'ruggedly handsome'...sadly the flame that burned twice as bright has now burnt out twice as fast...but I had such fun in my youth...and it was scaleyback, not woolyback... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rychastings 0 Posted December 29, 2010 hmm they make some fine dress watches although Longines or A Lange & Sohn is a more subdued choice in my opinion Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldrick 1 Posted December 29, 2010 I prefer 'ruggedly handsome'.. Ruggedly 'modified' I think you meant. .sadly the flame that burned twice as bright has now burnt out twice as fast yep, they don't make Vestas the way they used to ...but I had such fun in my youth... We recall it well, by Christ, you gave the bars of your cage hell, especially when you went into anaphylactic shock after a little too much crunchy nut Toblerone. and it was scaleyback, not woolyback... Yeah I know, BTW how is the alopecia, you'll be glad of all that hair now, given the amount of snow that's been falling, keep warm and listen for the postman with the Gubbamints cold weather payment cheque, p'raps you can use it towards a new Pan, bedpan that is :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AustinTech 0 Posted December 29, 2010 1 guy - 1 Tolberone Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chum_2000_uk 0 Posted December 29, 2010 1 guy - 1 Tolberone :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldrick 1 Posted December 29, 2010 Tolberone You need to get to grips with the Janet and John books, waaay before you graduate to the complexities of the "Bibel"..dunce :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aren 27 Posted December 29, 2010 Thank you for the lovely photos from your homeland Baldrick. It is funny...all of my views of NYC look like the insides of the metro. All of the pictures you posted look like watches. These are all lovely watches, even if some members like some of them more than others. The beauty is in our differences as well as our similarities...for Watches are like people...some are beautiful to the eye, stunning in appearance, intricate, complicated, simplistic, sturdy and rugged, empty on the inside, sophisticated, unpretentious, some come, others go, some are never seen reliable, unfaithful, needing lots of TLC, needing almost nothing to perform, manual, automatic, atomic with jewels or without accurate, inconstant, shiny, satin or mat, deceitful, what you see is what you get proud, functional, grand or regal high maintenance or low maintenance expensive or economical gen or rep large medium or small if we see the watch...we see it all. Watches are like human beings. If we look carefully enough, and don't judge too much we can see the beauty in each one. It is all in how we perceive them, whether or not we appreciate them. We all have them...but some of us only see the warts. We all have our warts. If we see the beauty instead, we will all appreciate each other much more. :P Thanks for sharing Baldrick For next years RWG birthday...I will be a Timex. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldrick 1 Posted December 29, 2010 'Couple a' words..... thousand will do', do you ever get.. that sense of deja vu? Have I asked you that before, is it groundhog day today ? :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aren 27 Posted December 29, 2010 'Couple a' words..... thousand will do', do you ever get.. that sense of deja vu? Have I asked you that before, is it groundhog day today ? :P Yes my dear... It is groundhog day...same shit...different day. oh...sorry...I almost forgot...this is not the Steve thread. I am less wordy there. There, one word will do. I should confine my remarks to that thread, where I can be more succinct and still be understood. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldrick 1 Posted December 29, 2010 S'ok, ev'thang ah'ite. let's squeat sumtaym. caw may y'all :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chum_2000_uk 0 Posted December 29, 2010 Baldrick.... I've noticed you always start talking funny whenever Aren is around Anything you two wanna tell us? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldrick 1 Posted December 29, 2010 Baldrick.... I've noticed you always start talking funny whenever Aren is around Anything you two wanna tell us? 1. You're not old enough. 2. You don't have enough seniority. 3. You don't have the right pedigree, Chum. 4. It'd prolly go over your head,like a leash. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chum_2000_uk 0 Posted December 29, 2010 1. You're not old enough.2. You don't have enough seniority. 3. You don't have the right Pedigree Chum. 4. It'd prolly go over your head,like a leash. ooh getting defensive! That is definitely a sign.... of.... ... something. We're onto you Baldrick Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldrick 1 Posted December 29, 2010 Defensive you're 'definitely' new here, ah'm gunna huv may sum furn wit ya na'll Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chum_2000_uk 0 Posted December 29, 2010 Defensive you're 'definitely' new here, ah'm gunna huv may sum furn wit ya na'll By putting me on a leash? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chum_2000_uk 0 Posted December 29, 2010 Choke chain Such a charmer; now I see what Aren sees in you Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
offshore 0 Posted December 29, 2010 they are an established atelier / manufacture designing and making their own movements, Really? Maurice Lacroix Maurice Lacroix ML05, 15, 51, 58, 91, 102, 103 = ETA 2892 ML05, 15, 51, 58, 91, 102, 103 = ETA 2892 ML06, 20, 22, 45 = AS 5008 ML06, 20, 22, 45 = AS 5008 ML07, 16, 76, 104, 105 = Unitas 6498 ML07, 16, 76, 104, 105 = Unitas 6498 ML19 = Unitas 1380 ML19 = Unitas 1380 ML28, 93, 101 = Peseux 7046 ML28, 93, 101 = Peseux 7046 ML29 = ETA 2836 ML29 = ETA 2836 ML30, 61, 67, 88 = ETA 7750 ML30, 61, 67, 88 = ETA 7750 ML36 = Venus 175 ML36 Venus = 175 ML37, 54, 107 = ETA 2824 ML37, 54, 107 = ETA 2824 ML46 = ETA 7736 ML46 = ETA 7736 ML50, 53, 56 = Unitas 6376 ML50, 53, 56 = Unitas 6376 ML57 = ETA 2000 ML57 = ETA 2000 ML63 = AS1931 ML63 = AS1931 ML66 = ETA 7751 ML66 = ETA 7751 ML70 = Valjoux 72c ML70 = Valjoux 72c ML77, 99 = Venus 188 ML77, 99 = 188 Venus ML83 = Valjoux 23 ML83 = Valjoux 23 ML100 = Unitas 6497 ML100 = Unitas 6497 Looks like a lot of ETA in there, pretty much like most of the other houses. O/S Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Baldrick 1 Posted December 29, 2010 they are an established atelier / manufacture designing and making their own movements, Really? Yeah, really, 1. Established A. 1961, that seems pretty definitive. 2. Atelier A. Workshop, yep, I think they have that down pat. 3. Manufacture "1989 Purchase of own case factory in Saignelégier. Ongoing investments have made this production site one of the most modern facilities of the industry today." "2006 Thanks to the first manufacture movement and their own production of complex movement components, Maurice Lacroix has taken the last step toward becoming an exclusive Manufacture brand." "ML106 chronograph is a sophisticated mechanical movement which exhibits high end manual decoration as well as an impressive level of watch making expertise, which thrilled the brand's fans and watch experts worldwide" "2008 Maurice Lacroix launches with its Mémoire 1 the first mechanical watch with memory – an entirely new Grande Complication. Tomorrow The brand will continue to invest in the development of its own mechanisms and movements." A. Yep, I think they have that pegged also. 4. Designing see above. 5. "making their own movements see below The Swiss watch brand takes the last step to becoming an exclusive Manufacture brand In the watch industry, a company that produces a large part of the most important components of a mechanical watch in its own workshops is considered a Manufacture. After Maurice Lacroix presented in April 2006, during Baselworld, its in-house chronograph, the caliber ML 106 (housed inside the Masterpiece Le Chronographe) , the brand has now taken its place in the exclusive club of Swiss Manufacture brands with its own production of components for mechanical watch movements. Since the beginning of October, a workshop for the manufacture of highly complex watch movement components has been set up under the name La Manufacture des Franches-Montagnes SA in Montfaucon, very close to the Maurice Lacroix watch atelier at Saignelégier in Switzerland’s Jura Mountains. The production based on the latest CNC technology is primarily intended to encompass low-volume individual parts with high added value, which underscores Maurice Lacroix’ creative drive to differentiate its timepieces down to the smallest detail. Maurice Lacroix will continue to nurture its co-operation with external suppliers, but the in-house manufacture makes it possible for the brand to act independently in times of greater demand and to control better the production process of complex mechanical watches. Through this, it is possible to accelerate and manage flexibly the development and assembly processes. With the establishment of the Manufacture des Franches-Montagnes SA, Maurice Lacroix completes the last logical step in the development of the company during the last five years. During this period, the watch brand has focused increasingly on the development of innovative additional functions and complicated mechanical movements. The first Maurice Lacroix calibres containing components of its own manufacture will be presented in 2007. so tell me Einstein, in which particular aspect of my statement was I wrong pray tell. here's a clue fer ya cobber. NONE Now piss orf and stop trying to be a wiseass, you're failing miserably, go do some 'smithing or varnish a couple of boat decks or something B) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites