Hypothetical situation

Im with you on that one Jim!

Ah, that's easy. I would give the money to Clemens as an advance payment to get his Pisa PPC:-))

I would buy the Vintage Edition Aquatimer.

Then if enough money left over, the Gold 3717

If I didn't already have a 3717, my first preference would be the Gold 3717 over the Aquatimer.

Hard to decide betwee these three choises:
1. A white Gold VC AT, or 2. A white gold BP, or 3. A 387806 Saint Exupery chrono in SS plus a VC Inge in SS.

My shopping list :

VC-INGE WG/ARDOISE DIAL
PILOT LE "SWISS PATROLLE" CHRONO

Now that's what I call GRAY MATTER.

Staying within the budget,
Andy

I agree with you Kevin. I occasionally get very jealous when I see the tell tale date window which mine is unfortunately missing....sigh

I don't know what watches cost but I would negotiate for a good deal for a combination of 1-3 of thes guys below.
1- BP Perpetual Top Gun in Cermamic
2- then BP DFB
3- then BP Muhammad Ali
4- Pure classic
5- Laureus Portofino Chrono

Why would these be much choice - I don't have them in my collection bit would love to have ether of them.

Anything goes!

I personally looked at this "problem" from the following angles:

• Wrist vs pocket?
  At this time I would like a wristwatch because I won't use a pocket watch daily. I have however seen an IWC pocket watch from 1892 in Basel which I kind of fell in love with. It would be nice to own one for those 2-3 special occasion per year where it would be appropriate to bring a pocket watch.

• Vintage vs contemporary i.e. from the last 5-10 years?
  Contemporary. Somehow they appeal more to me than older watches, maybe it's because of the recent increase in size. However a ref 325, cal89 or 5251 would be very nice as well! These, however I would see more as additions to an existing collection since there is more waiting for the right watch to become available involved.

• 1 expensive watch vs multiple less expensive ones?
  Since my collection at the moment is non existent I would like to diversify and buy multiple watches so I can pair the watch to the occasion.

• Multiple: from one family or from multiple families?
  This is the hardest question I think and is the main focus of my contemplations at the moment. I would prefer a mix of complications like a chrono + power reserve so for example a big pilot+3717.

Ultimately, however, I think it is important to adjust the watch to the occasion, so would probably end up buying something like a 3717 for everyday use, a 5001 for the more dressy/business occasions and an aquatimer (preferably Cousteau divers) for the weekend/sporty activities.

Then again, maybe a (second hand) PPC as just a general all round awesome watch would also be cool and complicated enough. Or a mix of contemporary and vintage pilots, like a big pilot + MarkXI. AAAAAH the (hypothetical) choices!!

Considering what I tried on yesterday, I respectfully request an increase in budget. :)

[A post explaining that to appear soon.]

I would lay the foundations for a GST mini collection; first up the salmon dial perpetual; then the split second Chrono with rhodium dial.