Watch Snob: The Best Heirloom Watches Out There

Patek Philippe

“When we’re talking about heirloom-worthy pieces, there’s really only one brand to speak of: Patek Philippe.“

The Watch Snob is in.

Which Watch Makes The Best Keepsake?

Dear Snob,I am looking to buy a watch for my son as a keepsake in memory of me and our relationship after I leave this world. (I was just diagnosed with end-stage cancer.) I was hoping to buy something he can wear now and for as long as possible (he is only 22 this year), and would not be outdated even with the passing of the years. However, I have not thought of my budget, and would hope that you could recommend something in the below-5K, below-10K and below-20K categories for my consideration.  

First of all, I’m sorry to hear of your situation. I applaud your attitude and your desire to leave something memorable to your son. Now on to your question. My advice? Forget the first two categories and shoot for the $20,000 mark. After all, as they say, you can’t take it with you, and if you’re worried about spending your son’s inheritance, a watch will last a lot longer than most other things money can buy.

When we’re talking about heirloom-worthy pieces, there’s really only one brand to speak of: Patek Philippe. It doesn’t matter which one. Walk into your Patek dealer (if you can) and buy the one you think your son will wear.

If you insist on leaving some non-horological inheritance behind and prefer the other two price ranges, I’d suggest you go vintage, and that means Rolex. There will be countless 1960s Submariners under $10,000 and close to $5,000, but I’d suggest looking beyond these clichés and finding an early GMT-Master or, better yet, a 1016 Explorer.

All the best from the Watch Snob in your last days.

Mechanical Watch Precision

Hi Snob,I’ve noticed on some of those quartz analogue-digital watches a tiny, rather interesting characteristic about their movement. It’s when the minute hand points to exactly one minute marker (dead center, not in between or anything) for the whole duration of that particular minute, and only when the second hand strikes 12 does the minute hand move on to the next minute marker. This is obviously something I’ve never observed on any mechanical watch (not even most quartz watches), but in my opinion it is a grand showcase of watch precision. My question is, does such a movement (or at least something close to that) exist for a mechanical watch?

“A grand showcase of watch precision”? On the contrary. A minute hand that behaves like you describe is actually a misrepresentation of the passage of time. Does the sun jump to points in the sky as the day progresses? A specific minute only lasts for an instant, and as the seconds between each minute pass, the minute hand creeps on its endless path around the dial. At a glance, a minute hand that is halfway between one mark and the next on the dial actually makes for a more accurate reading of the time so that you know when it’s closer to one minute or the next. This is why I also find the jumping tick of a quartz movement’s seconds hand annoying. The sweeping hand of a high frequency mechanical movement more elegantly reflects the continuity of time’s passage. But I’m guessing this sublime elegance is wasted on you.
I serve in the Special Operations community and wear a Rolex Submariner as my duty watch. From a durability perspective, do the shock waves generated by rifle recoil or parachute landings pose a risk to the timepiece?

I realise that, given your profession, I am at risk categorising you as a Watch Knob. Then again, I am doubtful we will ever have occasion to cross paths since I’m not spending too much time in war zones these days. I’m not sure whether to commend you or condemn you for wearing a $7,000 mechanical watch on duty. As you might expect, my experience with rifle recoil and parachute landings is slightly less comprehensive than yours, and while I suspect these might not be the best things for the pinions and balance wheel in a mechanical watch movement, if any of them can survive it, the Submariner can.

Of course, every watch brand that makes a dive watch likes to say that its timepieces’ movements are lubricated with the saliva of Navy SEALs and have straps made from Al Qaeda scalps, but unlike the Beverly Hills-edition Jaeger-LeCoultre or Kobold’s pumped-up tough-guy watches, the Rolex has been through countless conflicts from Vietnam to the Falklands to Hollywood divorces. So fire away (ahem, sir).