Time and the Power of 10

^{♫ Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin', into the future ♫}

I’m fascinated with numbers and the power of 10. When I first started getting into watches, much like wine, I wanted to find value in different price categories. I sought out watches that I could enjoy at all different levels and set up a up a wish list of watches at different powers of 10, namely 10², 10³ and 10⁴.

I worked backwards from the more expensive one, @10⁴, mainly because I had just bought it. The Bulgari Octo Finissimo was a large leapto make, but I jumped and landed just fine.

But…I wasn’t going to wear a watch like that for every day. So, I started looking for a watch I could wear more often. It had to be rugged, durable, but still have some style. I researched watches and came up with the Doxa Sub200 Whitepearl (reference: 799.10.011.10), a snow-bright diving watch.

Now, I’m not a diver and probably will not ever be at this point in my life. But I am outdoors a lot, walking, doing gardening, swimming, and hiking. I liked that the watch was bright and cheery, but was also a solid, well-made watch. I ordered the watch with the stainless-steel bracelet, but also ordered a white rubber strap for more casual moments.
The Doxa cost $1,000, which was 1/10^th what the Octo Finissimo set me back for, or 10³.

Let me say, I’m not super technical, but I do like the different aspects of watch movements. The movement in the Octo Finissimo is of another world for a novice watch owner and lover. It’s thin, sexy and proprietary to the company that makes the watch.

The Doxa is an ETA 2824-2 caliber, which is considered a reliable and durable movement, one surely to last my lifetime. It’s a workhorse, not a show pony high pedigree like the Octo Finissimo. In other words, I could kick around more casually with this watch and not worry about expensive repairs.

And I really liked the watch. It reminds me of a bright sunny day, which lifts my spirits. The Octo Finissimo, I remarked in the last post, strikes me more as a brooding, dark, stealthy watch. Don’t get me wrong, I’m infatuated with it. It’s just another emotion than that which the Doxa exudes.

Two down, one to go.

My guide, let’s call him Il Doge di Orologi (or DDO, for short, no relation to dentistry or Dungeons and Dragons), was all excited about a G-Shock watch, the  G-Shock GA2100, which he called the Casioak, because it mimicked the AP Royal Oak. The Casioak was a hot commodity, long before the Moonswatch. And he got ahold of several. One of them landed on my wrist.

Ok, this G-Shock is 180⁰ from the Octo Finissimo. It’s plastic, it had a quartz battery, and it needs an instruction manual just to change the time, let alone all the other functions it supports. But it’s also very cool. Light, a clear strap, waterproof, and one of those watches you can put on to take on a walk or a run and not worry if someone jacks you for your watch. It’s about $100, or 10². I probably wear this watch as much as the Octo Finissimo, maybe even more. Why? Because it gives me the thrill of wearing a watch, the emotion, without the alto-Borghese baggage that a super expensive watch has. It’s fun, it’s easy, and it’s always running. The only time I have to mess with it is during the daylight savings time change. And from what I read, that’s going away. So, I’ll never have to mess with it. Just strap it on and get on down the road, Jack.

These three watches represent a different form of enthusiasm for watches in totally different price categories. Look, I’m not going to probably ever find a real AP Royal Oak in these times, when those watches are going for $40,000 to $400,000. I don’t have the money, the time or the energy to chase that unicorn. And I already have my Grail (or Unicorn) watch anyway. So, I’m done with that nonsense. I just want to enjoy wearing watches and maybe collecting a few interesting ones along the way. In the meantime, my predilection for mathematical symmetry is satisfied with my three watches and their distinct powers of 10, namely 10², 10³ and 10⁴.

It's as simple as that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

written and photographed by Alfonso Cevola - limited rights reserved