I’ve just come back from a work related marathon tour of the UK and Prague. Naturally I managed to squeeze in a few moments to explore what horological treasures London has to offer.
After a week of hectic meetings discussing the current financial mess, I finally had a whole Saturday to myself to relax and explore the sites. Some good walking shoes were a wise investment.
First stop, a walk down New Bond Street. This is a true luxury bazaar in every sense.
I stumbled into Wempe to be surprised by a very thorough collection of A Lange & Sohne including the split second chrono.
Further down I see Watches of Switzerland.
However I was really searching for the London Patek Philippe Boutique. As luck would have it, it was closed for renovation. Maybe that was a wise thing, as the alternative would have been a personal liquidity crisis (hmm maybe I could have issued some CWO’s (Collaterised Watch Obligations) now there is a thought).
It took a few excursions up and down New and Old Bond Streets until I finally noticed ASPREY showcasing a Rolex 'Paul Newman Daytona' in Gold. I dream of this watch and thought this picture would make a nice tribute to a great man, actor and philanthropist.
‘Paul Newman earned 10 Academy Award nominations but his only Oscar win was for best actor in the 1986 film The Color Of Money with Tom Cruise, portraying the same pool shark, Fast Eddie Felson, he had played when he was nominated in 1961 for The Hustler. A passionate racing car driver since the early 1970s, Newman became co-owner of Newman-Haas racing in 1982 and also founded Newman's Own, a successful food company he built from the ground up in which all the proceeds go to charity. More than $US220 million has been given away to humanitarian projects worldwide from sales of salad dressing, pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, salsa and wine. In 1988 he started Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a residential summer camp for seriously ill children’.
Now off to Burlington Arcade which is a real treasure trove for the vintage watch collector.
I passed by David Duggan who had a rich assortment of Rolex including another Paul Newman Daytona and a wonderful 3970R.
Now, The Vintage Watch Company’s selection would surely drive most vintage Rolex collectors wild. The selection was truly astounding as were the prices. I suspect there is also a real ‘Oyster Pearl ‘ amongst the assortment for everyone.
The best was left at the end of the Arcade. I will leave the photos to do the talking.
WOW, is all I can say at this point.
Here is a Photo for all you Vintage Omega fans.
In summary, one has to say that London is as ever changing as the weather forecasts LOL. A real mecca for the watch connoisseur who demands only the best. The Rolex crown seems to resonate in this place with the highest concentration of vintage watches I have ever witnessed. Guess the notion ‘ they don’t make them like they used to’ bears favour here.
