0 - Provided I were in the market for such a watch (and I may yet purchase a MoonSwatch at some point), the Mission to Uranus would be the obvious choice.
1 - I recall test driving a Speedmaster at Tourneau when I was in college; I came away a little disappointed with it (and have never owned one).
2 - The comparisons with, e.g., downmarket German luxury cars break down a bit for me because the MoonSwatch is at such a low price point as to be a trivial expenditure for virtually everyone in America (at MSRP of $260). That’s a meal for two, an article of clothing, a fraction of a new smartphone, etc. In my anecdotal / firsthand experience, I don’t know anyone that can’t swing $260 for a toy.
3 - And speaking of anecdotes, I don’t know or interact regularly with anyone who owns (or at least frequently wears) an Omega (any model). Rolex is a different story.
My best friend got an Omega from his aunt about 15 years ago. It was pretty neat. I dont remember the mode. Sadly he overdosed a couple years back. I thought about asking his brother for it as a reminder of my friend but thats a pretty big ask.
I am embarrassed to admit that I am “friends” (on Facebook) with a fellow who convinced his wife to have a James Bond-themed wedding. Complete with music, etc.
There is a fellow in NorCal with a McLaren P1 that has a 007 Gun Barrel graphic on the rear quarter panels; he recently made the following declaration on Rennlist:
“I’m sort of the ring leader with tracking and supercars over by my way in California and know many pro’s”
After which, I quoted the shortest Bible verse in response. He was profoundly displeased at the lack of respect accorded to him, and I followed up with another piece of Biblical wisdom:
”Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”
We appear to be in a state of uneasy detente at the moment.
I own a stainless Submariner my wife got me for our tenth anniversary 22 years ago and I have bought new Porsches, although not recently, as I picked up a nice used Boxster T. It is a very good four cylinder sports car but was a bit more than $24,999.00.
My daily watch is a limited edition Speedmaster CK 2998. Probably the only thing I own that has appreciated, since I got it in 2016. It's the same blue colour as my LC 500.
i should be in that category as i already have multiple watches and am behind in my bills. if you want a solid beater get a casio duro. it’s a real analog 200 meter dive watch fir $45.
The General should give the Alpha platform to the Corvette team. This would keep the traditional Corvette buyer happy as you'd still be able to make a front-engine, manual transmission Corvette. It would allow a lower entry point into the Corvette brand, which would give the mid-engine Corvette breathing room to go further upmarket. And the Corvette design team isn't so blinded by nostalgia like the Camaro design team was that they would fail to design a car you wouldn't mind living with every day. It might even make a serious dent in pushing the average buyer age of the Corvette down!
Another point for the Moonswatch: it effectively cuts off the Chinese replica watchmakers off at the knees. To this day, the Chinese replica watchmakers still haven't made a Speedmaster worth a damn. (This is a big reason why I still think about buying a Speedmaster despite me having generally sworn off watches because of how goddamn insufferable Watch People are.) Now these Chinese repmakers have little incentive to chase this market when the market for people who like how a Speedmaster looks, but can't afford a few Gs for the real thing is satisfied by the Moonswatch.
Jan 24, 2023·edited Jan 24, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth
GM would have never done it because the performance is too close to the C8, but it’s too bad they didn’t keep making the C7. But the Corvette is all about the published numbers, not the capabilities of its buyers.
The c8 and c4 are the only corvettes i have never had any interest in. Id love a C7 in yellow with a manual but I’m pretty sure i cant fit three kids and a wife in it
As a Gen-X'er, I keep holding out hope GM will style a Camaro after the 2nd or even 3rd gen car. The 5th and 6th gen just look like generic 60s muscle car to me, except there is zero chance my fat ass is exiting through the window if I wadded it up on the track.
Jan 24, 2023·edited Jan 24, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth
The Chinese are repping the moonswatch quite accurately at the moment, The only reason they are not repping the real moonwatch is that there is not enough demand for one.
No rep will pass the muster of the loop. Even the best.
Watch people are no more unsufferable than car people. We are the same people.
The price increase for the C8 isn't that big over the c7. GM also wouldn't cannibalize their own sales volume that way. The kappa cars were an attempt to do a budget Corvette. As a former owner of both a kappa, it was subpar. I would have been way ahead to buy an ap2 s2000 for similar money.
The problem with the Corvette is that it's worse than a 911 in every unquantifiable way. For that matter, probably a lot of sporty cars these days. The Corvette cares about hitting numbers to appeal to a group of septuagenarians who will never use the power.
"The problem with the Corvette is that it's worse than a 911 in every unquantifiable way"
I have a lot of seat time in C7, C8, and recent 911s; I would strongly disagree here. Modern 911s feel ponderous; somehow they've managed to reproduce the experience of a 1981 Corvette.
I'd actually agree with both of you. The C8 has styling cues for people who liked '80s cars. It's actually too ugly for me to even consider sitting in. I don't care how fast it is, it's a tasteless mess I wouldn't associate with me.
Modern 911s are largely awful in the same way (wings, winglets, fender louvers, 12-inch wide wheels), but the one I owned for a little while, a Carrera T didn't feel ponderous. The relatively simple styling was handsome enough. It just didn't really excite me. But I could accept its existence much as I can't the C8's.
All that said, I own and love 2 987's and will fight anyone to the death who disagrees they are the bee's knees.
Jan 25, 2023·edited Jan 25, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth
I've seen a number of C8's on the road, and it’s the rare sports car that doesn't look good from any angle. Chevy really screwed up when they turned their back on Corvette design history, irrespective of the switch to going mid engine. I have a C7 which I love, but I think the C6 is the best looking modern Corvette.
I'm right there with you. I switched from 911s to the Boxster T because it drives so well. I like two seat roadsters and the Miata/MX5 is too small for me now. I fit in the 1990 version when it came out. Either they got smaller or I got bigger, or both.
The NC had significantly more space than its predecessors, but the ND went back to the same proportions. I fit slightly better in a 2022 miata than I did in a 1990.
I haven't driven a 992 at all, I've owned a C5, and have some seat time in C6s and C8s.
Driving a 991 Carrera S made my C5 Z06 feel absolutely prehistoric. My E36 that I owned at the same time had a much better sorted chassis as well, which made for interesting trade offs when choosing which of the two to drive.
The 911 might not be the best example given where Porsche has been taking things, but I'll stand by my point. Corvettes put down numbers, they'll perform well on track, but there's a lot of unquantifiable things that put other cars ahead for DD use.
When I was a young man of 20, there was a secretary at work who took a shine to me. She was 37 and married. Good looking, and built like a brick shithouse. I was oblivious.
She and her husband took separate vacations, and she sometimes suggested that I join she and her friends in the Bahamas. I’d laugh it off and wonder why she’d think I’d have any interest in vacationing with a bunch of frustrated secretaries.
Like I said, I was oblivious.
Now, to the point: After returning from one such trip to the Bahamas, she pulled me aside and presented me with a Tag-Heuer dive watch which she had gotten at the duty-free. I thanked her of course; said I couldn’t possibly, etc. She insisted I take it and I insisted I’d pay for it. It was a few hundred dollars if I remember right, back in ‘85 or ‘86.
I was wearing that watch on the Grand Teton in 1988. I was sitting on a rock at around 12,000 feet, with my elbows on my knees, taking a break. I looked at my watch, and the crystal popped right off the case. Apparently it was sealed well enough that the lower pressure at that altitude overcame the cement holding the crystal on.
The amount of trim i left on the table because i was an idiot and shy between 18-25 is staggering. “I have two nipple rimgs and a tongue ring, do you want to hang out and watch a movie” to hang out and actually watch a movie 🤦♂️
Yep. The secretary in question gave me a birthday card once. It featured a lit candle tucked into the cleavage formed by a lavender bra. As she gave me the card, she lifted her skirt and showed me her slip, demonstrating it was the same color as the bra on the card. I wonder how many slips are sold these days.
It helped that I had a girlfriend that I loved very much and who was utterly insatiable.
https://youtu.be/HVBDw6QcFdo I don’t know if i can beat that one. And yeah, not cheating on your girlfriend and not f*ckimg another mans wife was the right call even if it was for the wrong reasons
Btw, when I lived in Florida, I had a number of professional divers as customers. One day I started asking them what watch they wore on their dives. I was imagining Submariners or Seamasters. If your life might depend on a watch, you'd surely invest well in one. So, I started asking, and I couldn't have been more wrong. To a man, they all wore Seiko Divers. The oldest at that time was 28 years, never having been serviced. Shortly after that, I bought myself the best watch ever made, the Seiko SKX007, and it's the only watch that gets any wrist time regularly when the Omega gets a break.
yes, these are THE watch. prices have started to come down. decent used examples start at $300 but a nos is more like $900. long island watch sells the islander for $300. it’s an exact replica with better movement, etc. than the original. aliexpress heimdallr “sharkey” is damn good with a seko movement for $150.
After wearing my first SKX literally to death, I bought another one from a Japanese dealer just after production stopped. Owners of the SKX are enthusiastic about them in a way rarely seen with owners of the Swiss brands.
The enthusiast community is indeed huge on these. You can basically make them into anything they want, with all manner of mods available. The sapphire crystal is one that has had some appeal to me. The only mod I have done is one of the beautiful aftermarket bracelets that are available for not huge money.
The 007 and 009 are the small block Chevy of the watch world.
Since they’ve been discontinued the values are getting kind of crazy. Definitely on the verge of probably not worth it to buy a new one now. I say this despite wearing one every day and beating the shit out of it, and loving that it takes abuse like nothing else.
Same reason they killed the original Alpinist: if the aftermarket is willing to pay $799 for a watch you're selling for $399, you should discontinue it and reintroduce it at $799, thus keeping the money for yourself.
I genuinely appreciate a nicely-made watch. I love craftsmanship, and I love the look of something like a Speedmaster, Rolex Daytona, or any variety of Heuer (TAG or otherwise) wristwatches. I recall trying on Bark's Monaco a few years back with envy - using the modern vernacular, I was so cringey in a basic Seiko 5 with a Gulf livery-colored NATO strap. At the time, I was in between gigs and even the Seiko was a stretch for the wallet. Still, I aimed to have the best mechanical watch I could afford on my wrist.
Smartphones have - at least for me - rendered a wristwatch superfluous. Like you say - costume jewelry, meant to signal one's allegiance to a particular tribe. In retrospect, I probably used that Gulf strap to signal my allegiance to vintage motorsports, whatever that means - whereas some revitalized brands (Hublot, etc.) more likely signal one's Veblenesque allegiance to consumption.
And for whom are we signalling?
Assuming we're talking straight males..we are trying to impress other men. Picture the business card scene in American Psycho. Ellis' orgasmic depiction of font and cardstock seems quite similar to the ways we lust after the objects upon the wrists of other men. Trust me, I get it - I was one of those guys - but I've sworn it off likely for good.
These days, I can't even wear a watch - something resembling a cross between an RSI and arthritis causes aches any time anything more weighty than a cuff rests upon my wrist. Even an Apple watch aggravates me.
More power to you and those who indulge in this jewelry hobby, but I must bow out.
"These days, I can't even wear a watch - something resembling a cross between an RSI and arthritis causes aches any time anything more weighty than a cuff rests upon my wrist. Even an Apple watch aggravates me."
I feel for you on this. I've broken my wrists enough for the weight of a watch to be a real factor in my purchase and wear decision. 80% of the time I wear a titanium G-Square for that reason.
I have a titanium G-square with a carbon fiber strap. I bought it for geeky amusement, but the low weight is surprisingly useful. I can wear it loose without it spinning circles around my wrist, making it much more comfortable for summer yard work. Low profile keeps me from whacking it on every obstacle possible.
I don't wear my watches to signal anything. They are an intersection of art and engineering that has always been difficult to find, but more so in this day of disposable trinkets. I buy and wear what I like without concern for what anyone else thinks. They bring me joy every time I check the time or just want to admire the craftsmanship. I could make similar arguments about the cars I choose to drive.
I wish they would just sell the damn thing online already. I don’t wanna take a two hour train ride to New York City just to wait in line and find out the thing is sold. I want one, but not bad enough to pay a penny more than the retail price. Until I take a trip to the city or they sell it online, it looks like my Seiko SKX is gonna continue to be daily, much abuse taking watch.
I had no idea these were limiting the number of retail outlets for these. I tried to buy two last week and was dumbfounded that nobody carried them. The guy in the airport Swatch store looked at me like I was an idiot.
"Your humble author does not come from a family or ethnic background that would permit me to wear a $10,500 Cuban link gold chain..." and here I thought the perk of being on a hobby farm was to have the freedom to drive a Roxor shirtless wearing a fat chain.
I made a previous comment here about my Omega Speedy. It's a 1972 model and I bought from a guy on the ship that had a new girlfriend and needed more beer and party money - cost me either $50 or $75 (hell, it was 50 years ago) and it was new - still in the box. I wore it for years everywhere and doing everything - under my anti-c clothing in the reactor compartment, in the bilge dropping 1200# feed pump barrels with really iffy ratty nylon straps on ancient WWII chainfalls, out to the various dives in various towns all over Southern California and the fleshpots of Asia. It was just my watch - had to wind it everyday, kept excellent time, a part of me if you will. After about 10 or 15 years of ownership it stopped running - well the damned crystal was so scratched and cloudy from the beating it had taken I couldn't fault it. Into the bedroom drawer it went. I found it in a box a couple years ago, scratched and still not working, and memories of my old friend came flooding back. I decided to get it repaired and cleaned up. I took it to Kay Jewelers, an authorized Omega dealer, to get it serviced. The quote was $1768 for the work. The counterman must have seen my eyes glaze and my jaw drop - he pointed to the case with new Omega Speedmaster Professional watches, identical to mine, and the price tags. Holly shit! I'd been beating up my watch all those years, a high-dollar "my watch", not realizing that it was more than just Timex-class with "First Watch Worn On The Moon" engraved on the back. "Why, yes, why don't we just send my Speedmaster back to the factory for that necessary service, my good man.", said I. A little delayed in its return from Switzerland due to the Chinese Crud Scare, I now have my old friend back and it looks like new, the rather hefty weight on my wrist somewhat comforting and feels just as it did those 50 years ago.
My case was over restored, in fact the case is new - the gashes in it from wrench-slippages while straddling a passageway by standing on a handrail with one foot and the other on a pneumatic valve dome working over my head up in the air...yeah, I remember that day. It's okay that those gashes are gone - I'll not forget how they occurred in this lifetime.
I think we had this conversation in person back in November, but I’ll repeat my thoughts here for the cheap seats.
Considering I am both a car enthusiast AND a professional car designer, I am a rare bird because watches do absolutely (almost) nothing for me. My old bosses, including Gerry McGovern and Massimo Frascella (and a couple of their senior underlings) are SERIOUSLY into watches, but then they can afford to be. I consider myself firmly in the ‘who would pay in the thousands for a watch camp’. But then I spent £900 on a pair of hand made leather boots which I’m sure most men in my demographic would consider mad.
But, I am a massive space, and particularly Apollo nerd. So when I first heard about the MoonSwatch I thought it fun and naively thought it wouldn’t have much appeal outside of space enthusiasts. So I wanted to get one. They’re just over £200 here in the UK. Not quite impulse purchase money, but not exactly blowing the mortgage for the month either. The fact that people like Farah were losing their shit over them was just the icing on the cake (in fact Massimo posted something on his Instagram about them as well).
As of this moment I’ve been in Swatch stores in London, New York and Miami, and I still don’t have one, and we’re now what ten months after the initial release? They are available on the dreaded eBay and watch collector sites, but I’m not paying £400 for one. Provided Swatch stick to their word they should eventually be available at retail (although the danger will be like PS5s, scalpers will continue to snap up whatever becomes available and mark it up straight away. I was happy to pay £700 for a PS5 because I didn’t want to wait, otherwise I still wouldn’t have one). Swatch need to flood the market all at once with them to prevent this happening.
There was an Apollo - Soyuz Omega on the Antiques Roadshow on the BBC a while back. I almost choked on my Sunday dinner when it was valued in excess of £80k. I’m never likely to have that level of disposable income, but I have started sort of looking at G-Shocks (nostalgia and Japanese buttons being pushed) and for that I entirely lay the blame at YOUR door Jack!
I had my father's Accutron Deep Sea with the moveable interior bezel restored. There's a guy in Waterford, Michigan that specializes in Accutron repair and restoration. Not cheap, not fast, but he knows what he's doing. He also services conventional watches. https://www.accutrons.com/
The 50th anniversay edition Lunar Pilot is very nice but I don't think I'd ever spend $1,000 on a watch, let alone one with a conventional quartz movement, and spending 2X as much as the standard edition costs to get a slightly different caseback doesn't strike me as fiscally prudent.
Being a space and Apollo nerd brings to mind an interesting point. I and my cohorts were rocket boys. I was twelve when they landed on the moon. Talk about a life impacting event. My boys are dinosaur boys. The movie Jurassic Park pushed the whole idea. It's good to see space exploration making a comeback. My first grandson is due in March. I plan to expose him to space as much as possible.
I came too late, being born in 1973, but I find the technology and the optimistic attitude represents America at it's best. I went to KSC late last year and although it wasn't really nerdy enough for me (it's very much a family theme park rather than a haven for geeks) I did get very choked up upon seeing the Space Shuttle (the way they present it with a film and then drop the screen to reveal Atlantis is extremely well done). I'm really excited to think people might walk on the moon again in my lifetime - until then rewatches of For All Mankind will have to keep me going.
I watch my grandsons, 11 and 7, after school a couple of times a week. After homework they can choose Legos or a video. I put For All Mankind on and they were completely transfixed.
I was six when Alan Shepard went into space and there's a coin bank replica of his capsule sitting in a place of honor on my work desk right next to the bust of Frederick Douglass that I 3D printed. Years ago, when my son was a young teen I had Homer Hickam sign and inscribe a copy of Rocket Boys for him.
Did you see the comments on that? Man alive, talk about failure of reading comprehension. I'd have thought that after a year they'd have known where I was coming from, but apparently not.
My former ducklings in the Web team have had their jobs drastically changed after my departure. As I understand it, their primary task now is to build excitement for the Marketplace product, which from an outsider's perspective has been a bigger failure than DriveShare, the Hagerty app, the Radwood acquisition, or any of the company's other recent flops.
Considering that you can get a home improvement loan or a 2nd mortgage to pay for repairs, I'm surprised that nobody like Hagerty or RM offers financing to restore cars, with concierge service and authorized restoration shops to make sure the work gets done.
They didn't get me laid yet, but when I went to a goth festival in Germany a friend of mine saw them and liked them so much he bought a pair (they're a very simple calf length boot with a side zip, something non-existent for men but like most fashion items, something women a spoilt for choice for).
Possibly. They asked me for my calf measurements (I'm a skinny bitch with chicken legs) and I had to return them for alterations because they weren't snog on my calves. Might be a bit fashion to wear with a suit though:
I am not sure if I would stand in line for a trip to the actual moon. It is an interesting idea from a business model. It reminds me of something burned into my brain from a field trip to an art museum decades ago: I think someone had an easel set up and was copying a painting, so of course being raised on crime shows we asked the docent if they were worried about forgers swapping the real thing. She said as long they used a canvas that was 2" smaller or larger than the original they were free to copy away.
I was able to land an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean at a knockdown price a few years ago, as Omega transitioned from selling in jewelry stores to a boutique-only business. Timing is everything.
I chose it because the deepwater construction company I worked for didn’t need another Rolex Submariner rattling around its halls. I feel that this Moonswatch project reflects my purchase decision- Omega is the contrarian’s choice. (Insofar as higher-end watches could be contrarian, I guess.)
Jan 23, 2023·edited Jan 23, 2023Liked by Jack Baruth
I’m pretty much the opposite of a watch guy. I bought a Shinola Argonite-5021 over a “better” Hamilton because the Shinola was bigger and looked better on my giant gorilla wrist. It replaced my 15y/o Eco-Drive which finally bit the dust. And my wife doesn’t know it yet but she’s buying me an Apple Watch Ultra for my birthday next month because again, it’s big and looks better than my petite 4y/o current Apple Watch I wear any time I’m not wearing a button down shirt.
All that said, I could never buy one of those G-Shocks. Man they’re ugly. I may be misremembering, but I vaguely recall them being the Android to the ubiquitous Ironman’s Apple in middle school 25+ years ago; you got the G-Shock if you weren’t cool enough for the Ironman. A quick Google tells me the 100 lap Ironman I got back in the late 1990s is now a $500 watch? I think I still have it in a drawer somewhere. Hmm.
Probably fair, but they’re so ubiquitous here that they don’t really make any sort of statement at all. “That person is wearing an Apple Watch” is like saying “That person is wearing shoes.” Well of course they are.
Ive gone from iphone to windows to samsung to samsung to samsung and back to iPhone. They’re all the same after about a month. I do enjoy imessage to send the less technologically skilled family members pictures.
If the underlying OS is updated I would posit software bloat/creep.
There's a common assumption, which isn't necessarily wrong on desktop, that hardware is fast enough/memory rich enough you can be inefficient in lots of ways and that's fine until it isn't. This is particularly true in battery limited applications, where I want to say Apple was caught downclocking the CPU in order not to kill battery life at the expense of operational speed on older phones.
Would that modern software be as efficient as the code used on the Apollo Guidance Computer, which, by the way, was engineered by General Motor's AC Spark Plug division.
It's not well known today, but the American auto industry had an important role in the U.S. space effort. Chrysler made the Redstone rockets used in the Mercury program as well as the engines in the Saturn V. GM designed the Lunar Rover (though Boeing built it). Mission Control in Houston was build by Ford's Philco division.
I have a Submariner, a Cartier Roadster, and three different Shinola watches. What do I wear every day? An Apple watch. Why? Because it's a tool. I can see my next meeting and any other info I need at a glance. I want the Ultra for my birthday as well due to it's size increase.
A coworker told me that a while back. I tried to substantiate it today and could not, so I would not put not much credence in that story. Sorry.
One has to wonder if Buzz never sent it to the Smithsonian because he was still pissed about Armstrong being first. Maybe his new wife will "find" it in a few years when she is cleaning up the estate.
Buzz just couldn’t handle the lie anymore. These will all be worthless in 2037 when the classified info that we never went to the moon comes out. Enjoy your watch values while they last!
0 - Provided I were in the market for such a watch (and I may yet purchase a MoonSwatch at some point), the Mission to Uranus would be the obvious choice.
1 - I recall test driving a Speedmaster at Tourneau when I was in college; I came away a little disappointed with it (and have never owned one).
2 - The comparisons with, e.g., downmarket German luxury cars break down a bit for me because the MoonSwatch is at such a low price point as to be a trivial expenditure for virtually everyone in America (at MSRP of $260). That’s a meal for two, an article of clothing, a fraction of a new smartphone, etc. In my anecdotal / firsthand experience, I don’t know anyone that can’t swing $260 for a toy.
3 - And speaking of anecdotes, I don’t know or interact regularly with anyone who owns (or at least frequently wears) an Omega (any model). Rolex is a different story.
I will tartly suggest that the kind of people who own Rolexes are largely the kind of people who buy new Porsches.
Omega owners are all men of distinction and exemplary taste, with the notable exception of anyone who bought a "007" watch.
FORTUNATELY, I have never purchased a new Porsche AND I don’t own a Rolex (at least at the moment)!
I can think of several businesses that I know (intellectually) are large, but I don’t think I know many (any?) of their customers:
The Gap
Pepsi (specifically Pepsi, not PepsiCo); this is not limited to my residence in Atlanta
Burger King
Omega is another example
My best friend got an Omega from his aunt about 15 years ago. It was pretty neat. I dont remember the mode. Sadly he overdosed a couple years back. I thought about asking his brother for it as a reminder of my friend but thats a pretty big ask.
Or a 007 Aston Martin.
I am embarrassed to admit that I am “friends” (on Facebook) with a fellow who convinced his wife to have a James Bond-themed wedding. Complete with music, etc.
I'm not sure what is more nerdish: doing that, or my insistence that PEOPLE ARE MISUNDERSTANDING THE BOOKS
There is a fellow in NorCal with a McLaren P1 that has a 007 Gun Barrel graphic on the rear quarter panels; he recently made the following declaration on Rennlist:
“I’m sort of the ring leader with tracking and supercars over by my way in California and know many pro’s”
After which, I quoted the shortest Bible verse in response. He was profoundly displeased at the lack of respect accorded to him, and I followed up with another piece of Biblical wisdom:
”Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”
We appear to be in a state of uneasy detente at the moment.
He's a ring leader! Jesus wept indeed.
Sounds like those itasha geeks who put decals of anime girls on their cars.
There's an essay here
Possibly!
How could anyone misunderstand the books? There's nothing deep enough to misunderstand -- just Ian Fleming's daydreams about being a spy.
Well they took a bunch of books about an orphan who kills people for the government and turned them into Roger Moore movies.
Oh, the HELL with those people.
I own a stainless Submariner my wife got me for our tenth anniversary 22 years ago and I have bought new Porsches, although not recently, as I picked up a nice used Boxster T. It is a very good four cylinder sports car but was a bit more than $24,999.00.
So I guess I am guilty as charged.
I'm not sure you're exactly in the box I'm describing :)
Some women too. I bought my wife a Constellation as a birthday present.
You bought her an aircraft carrier? Wow.
Sure beats a Lexus for Christmas.
My daily watch is a limited edition Speedmaster CK 2998. Probably the only thing I own that has appreciated, since I got it in 2016. It's the same blue colour as my LC 500.
Unpack that, Jack
Anyone who owns an LC500 is clearly someone of taste. Fantastic looking things.
The best reference point for a Moonswatch is an Apple Watch SE, which is $280 at your local Best Buy for the bigger one.
60.00/week at a buy here/pay here.
The Mission to Uranus is much more than $260 I am afraid.
Sometimes it's free!
For some folks, I’m sure the $260 figure is unachievable, but a $260 car payment implies a substantial down payment or a very lengthy loan (or both).
Or a lease. Plenty of people in Detroit rolling on $169 a month.
i should be in that category as i already have multiple watches and am behind in my bills. if you want a solid beater get a casio duro. it’s a real analog 200 meter dive watch fir $45.
Nice, these are clean as hell. Very tempted, especially at the price.
Or a very cheap car
I’m a big fan of “If you can’t pay cash, you cant afford it.”
My business or not, I'd find it fascinating to know how, um, "leveraged" those who have exotic cars, luxury watches, McMansions, etc really are.
The General should give the Alpha platform to the Corvette team. This would keep the traditional Corvette buyer happy as you'd still be able to make a front-engine, manual transmission Corvette. It would allow a lower entry point into the Corvette brand, which would give the mid-engine Corvette breathing room to go further upmarket. And the Corvette design team isn't so blinded by nostalgia like the Camaro design team was that they would fail to design a car you wouldn't mind living with every day. It might even make a serious dent in pushing the average buyer age of the Corvette down!
Another point for the Moonswatch: it effectively cuts off the Chinese replica watchmakers off at the knees. To this day, the Chinese replica watchmakers still haven't made a Speedmaster worth a damn. (This is a big reason why I still think about buying a Speedmaster despite me having generally sworn off watches because of how goddamn insufferable Watch People are.) Now these Chinese repmakers have little incentive to chase this market when the market for people who like how a Speedmaster looks, but can't afford a few Gs for the real thing is satisfied by the Moonswatch.
Two awfully nice points here.
One more and you have to start your own Substack!
GM would have never done it because the performance is too close to the C8, but it’s too bad they didn’t keep making the C7. But the Corvette is all about the published numbers, not the capabilities of its buyers.
Yeah. You can easily imagine Ford continuing to build both, like they did with the F-150, and ALMOST DID WITH THE TAURUS AND LTD.
The c8 and c4 are the only corvettes i have never had any interest in. Id love a C7 in yellow with a manual but I’m pretty sure i cant fit three kids and a wife in it
Ah, but you can have quality time with each, just one at a time, which quadruples your seat time.
My kids are 3-1 and 0. It will be awhile
As a Gen-X'er, I keep holding out hope GM will style a Camaro after the 2nd or even 3rd gen car. The 5th and 6th gen just look like generic 60s muscle car to me, except there is zero chance my fat ass is exiting through the window if I wadded it up on the track.
Only way this happens is if enough Boomers leave the market before the (imaginary) electric singularity. At which point it would be a no brainer.
I know what you mean. For me, the iconic Camaro was never the '69 RS/SS, it was the '87 IROC.
EXACTLY.
The Chinese are repping the moonswatch quite accurately at the moment, The only reason they are not repping the real moonwatch is that there is not enough demand for one.
No rep will pass the muster of the loop. Even the best.
Watch people are no more unsufferable than car people. We are the same people.
Yes, yes we are!
The price increase for the C8 isn't that big over the c7. GM also wouldn't cannibalize their own sales volume that way. The kappa cars were an attempt to do a budget Corvette. As a former owner of both a kappa, it was subpar. I would have been way ahead to buy an ap2 s2000 for similar money.
The problem with the Corvette is that it's worse than a 911 in every unquantifiable way. For that matter, probably a lot of sporty cars these days. The Corvette cares about hitting numbers to appeal to a group of septuagenarians who will never use the power.
"The problem with the Corvette is that it's worse than a 911 in every unquantifiable way"
I have a lot of seat time in C7, C8, and recent 911s; I would strongly disagree here. Modern 911s feel ponderous; somehow they've managed to reproduce the experience of a 1981 Corvette.
I'd actually agree with both of you. The C8 has styling cues for people who liked '80s cars. It's actually too ugly for me to even consider sitting in. I don't care how fast it is, it's a tasteless mess I wouldn't associate with me.
Modern 911s are largely awful in the same way (wings, winglets, fender louvers, 12-inch wide wheels), but the one I owned for a little while, a Carrera T didn't feel ponderous. The relatively simple styling was handsome enough. It just didn't really excite me. But I could accept its existence much as I can't the C8's.
All that said, I own and love 2 987's and will fight anyone to the death who disagrees they are the bee's knees.
I've seen a number of C8's on the road, and it’s the rare sports car that doesn't look good from any angle. Chevy really screwed up when they turned their back on Corvette design history, irrespective of the switch to going mid engine. I have a C7 which I love, but I think the C6 is the best looking modern Corvette.
For about six months after the C7 came out, I reflexively said, "Wow, nice Fer...Oh, okay" whenever I saw one.
The more I see the C8, the more I think it looks like a fictional futuristic car from an 80s action movie.
This time, I don't mean that as a compliment.
I'm right there with you. I switched from 911s to the Boxster T because it drives so well. I like two seat roadsters and the Miata/MX5 is too small for me now. I fit in the 1990 version when it came out. Either they got smaller or I got bigger, or both.
The NC had significantly more space than its predecessors, but the ND went back to the same proportions. I fit slightly better in a 2022 miata than I did in a 1990.
I haven't driven a 992 at all, I've owned a C5, and have some seat time in C6s and C8s.
Driving a 991 Carrera S made my C5 Z06 feel absolutely prehistoric. My E36 that I owned at the same time had a much better sorted chassis as well, which made for interesting trade offs when choosing which of the two to drive.
The 911 might not be the best example given where Porsche has been taking things, but I'll stand by my point. Corvettes put down numbers, they'll perform well on track, but there's a lot of unquantifiable things that put other cars ahead for DD use.
I would love an ATS sedan with a V8 please! (I always thought they looked good, except for the whole CUE bit lol)
When I was a young man of 20, there was a secretary at work who took a shine to me. She was 37 and married. Good looking, and built like a brick shithouse. I was oblivious.
She and her husband took separate vacations, and she sometimes suggested that I join she and her friends in the Bahamas. I’d laugh it off and wonder why she’d think I’d have any interest in vacationing with a bunch of frustrated secretaries.
Like I said, I was oblivious.
Now, to the point: After returning from one such trip to the Bahamas, she pulled me aside and presented me with a Tag-Heuer dive watch which she had gotten at the duty-free. I thanked her of course; said I couldn’t possibly, etc. She insisted I take it and I insisted I’d pay for it. It was a few hundred dollars if I remember right, back in ‘85 or ‘86.
I was wearing that watch on the Grand Teton in 1988. I was sitting on a rock at around 12,000 feet, with my elbows on my knees, taking a break. I looked at my watch, and the crystal popped right off the case. Apparently it was sealed well enough that the lower pressure at that altitude overcame the cement holding the crystal on.
That is my only fancy watch story.
At least your Tag Heuer didn't get stolen by a jailhouse deputy!
"Envelope marked 'Bribe'" (Pockets cash) "Empty."
The amount of trim i left on the table because i was an idiot and shy between 18-25 is staggering. “I have two nipple rimgs and a tongue ring, do you want to hang out and watch a movie” to hang out and actually watch a movie 🤦♂️
Yep. The secretary in question gave me a birthday card once. It featured a lit candle tucked into the cleavage formed by a lavender bra. As she gave me the card, she lifted her skirt and showed me her slip, demonstrating it was the same color as the bra on the card. I wonder how many slips are sold these days.
It helped that I had a girlfriend that I loved very much and who was utterly insatiable.
https://youtu.be/HVBDw6QcFdo I don’t know if i can beat that one. And yeah, not cheating on your girlfriend and not f*ckimg another mans wife was the right call even if it was for the wrong reasons
Btw, when I lived in Florida, I had a number of professional divers as customers. One day I started asking them what watch they wore on their dives. I was imagining Submariners or Seamasters. If your life might depend on a watch, you'd surely invest well in one. So, I started asking, and I couldn't have been more wrong. To a man, they all wore Seiko Divers. The oldest at that time was 28 years, never having been serviced. Shortly after that, I bought myself the best watch ever made, the Seiko SKX007, and it's the only watch that gets any wrist time regularly when the Omega gets a break.
Those ARE brilliant watches.
yes, these are THE watch. prices have started to come down. decent used examples start at $300 but a nos is more like $900. long island watch sells the islander for $300. it’s an exact replica with better movement, etc. than the original. aliexpress heimdallr “sharkey” is damn good with a seko movement for $150.
After wearing my first SKX literally to death, I bought another one from a Japanese dealer just after production stopped. Owners of the SKX are enthusiastic about them in a way rarely seen with owners of the Swiss brands.
The enthusiast community is indeed huge on these. You can basically make them into anything they want, with all manner of mods available. The sapphire crystal is one that has had some appeal to me. The only mod I have done is one of the beautiful aftermarket bracelets that are available for not huge money.
The 007 and 009 are the small block Chevy of the watch world.
Love my SKX007. Looked them up recently and saw they're starting to go up in value...
Since they’ve been discontinued the values are getting kind of crazy. Definitely on the verge of probably not worth it to buy a new one now. I say this despite wearing one every day and beating the shit out of it, and loving that it takes abuse like nothing else.
The thing is that they were ridiculously cheap for so long, that they are probably just rising to where they should have been now.
I do wonder why Seiko discontinued them. The cynic in me thinks that they put the quickly rising prices of other new seikos in a bad light.
Same reason they killed the original Alpinist: if the aftermarket is willing to pay $799 for a watch you're selling for $399, you should discontinue it and reintroduce it at $799, thus keeping the money for yourself.
I'm torn here.
I genuinely appreciate a nicely-made watch. I love craftsmanship, and I love the look of something like a Speedmaster, Rolex Daytona, or any variety of Heuer (TAG or otherwise) wristwatches. I recall trying on Bark's Monaco a few years back with envy - using the modern vernacular, I was so cringey in a basic Seiko 5 with a Gulf livery-colored NATO strap. At the time, I was in between gigs and even the Seiko was a stretch for the wallet. Still, I aimed to have the best mechanical watch I could afford on my wrist.
Smartphones have - at least for me - rendered a wristwatch superfluous. Like you say - costume jewelry, meant to signal one's allegiance to a particular tribe. In retrospect, I probably used that Gulf strap to signal my allegiance to vintage motorsports, whatever that means - whereas some revitalized brands (Hublot, etc.) more likely signal one's Veblenesque allegiance to consumption.
And for whom are we signalling?
Assuming we're talking straight males..we are trying to impress other men. Picture the business card scene in American Psycho. Ellis' orgasmic depiction of font and cardstock seems quite similar to the ways we lust after the objects upon the wrists of other men. Trust me, I get it - I was one of those guys - but I've sworn it off likely for good.
These days, I can't even wear a watch - something resembling a cross between an RSI and arthritis causes aches any time anything more weighty than a cuff rests upon my wrist. Even an Apple watch aggravates me.
More power to you and those who indulge in this jewelry hobby, but I must bow out.
"These days, I can't even wear a watch - something resembling a cross between an RSI and arthritis causes aches any time anything more weighty than a cuff rests upon my wrist. Even an Apple watch aggravates me."
I feel for you on this. I've broken my wrists enough for the weight of a watch to be a real factor in my purchase and wear decision. 80% of the time I wear a titanium G-Square for that reason.
I have a titanium G-square with a carbon fiber strap. I bought it for geeky amusement, but the low weight is surprisingly useful. I can wear it loose without it spinning circles around my wrist, making it much more comfortable for summer yard work. Low profile keeps me from whacking it on every obstacle possible.
I don't wear my watches to signal anything. They are an intersection of art and engineering that has always been difficult to find, but more so in this day of disposable trinkets. I buy and wear what I like without concern for what anyone else thinks. They bring me joy every time I check the time or just want to admire the craftsmanship. I could make similar arguments about the cars I choose to drive.
"When I was younger I regret to say that I took watch ownership rather seriously"
Yet I am supposed to believe this line indicates you no longer take it seriously after reading this article?
Nowadays, I take nothing seriously but my PSA number and the work of Britte Lagcher.
I wish they would just sell the damn thing online already. I don’t wanna take a two hour train ride to New York City just to wait in line and find out the thing is sold. I want one, but not bad enough to pay a penny more than the retail price. Until I take a trip to the city or they sell it online, it looks like my Seiko SKX is gonna continue to be daily, much abuse taking watch.
They’ll never sell it online.
Yeah, they're taking too much pleasure in the statement that "Moonswatch has a more exclusive distribution network than Glashutte"
I had no idea these were limiting the number of retail outlets for these. I tried to buy two last week and was dumbfounded that nobody carried them. The guy in the airport Swatch store looked at me like I was an idiot.
I believe there are maybe 20 outlets across the USA, and four of them are in NYC.
I’m sure never in the immediate future, but I’m holding out hope for some point in the distant future.
They’ve stated on multiple occasions that they will not.
Damn. I was holding out hope, remembering that it briefly appeared online and then they took away the buy button option quickly thereafter.
"Your humble author does not come from a family or ethnic background that would permit me to wear a $10,500 Cuban link gold chain..." and here I thought the perk of being on a hobby farm was to have the freedom to drive a Roxor shirtless wearing a fat chain.
Gotta get some laying hens on that farm, then you'll be rolling deep.
I've got 9 dozen eggs in my basement, thinking about converting them into a down payment on a summer home.
Instead of tearing down the chicken coop on my property, I should have had some chickens in there making my payments on a Genesis G90!
I made a previous comment here about my Omega Speedy. It's a 1972 model and I bought from a guy on the ship that had a new girlfriend and needed more beer and party money - cost me either $50 or $75 (hell, it was 50 years ago) and it was new - still in the box. I wore it for years everywhere and doing everything - under my anti-c clothing in the reactor compartment, in the bilge dropping 1200# feed pump barrels with really iffy ratty nylon straps on ancient WWII chainfalls, out to the various dives in various towns all over Southern California and the fleshpots of Asia. It was just my watch - had to wind it everyday, kept excellent time, a part of me if you will. After about 10 or 15 years of ownership it stopped running - well the damned crystal was so scratched and cloudy from the beating it had taken I couldn't fault it. Into the bedroom drawer it went. I found it in a box a couple years ago, scratched and still not working, and memories of my old friend came flooding back. I decided to get it repaired and cleaned up. I took it to Kay Jewelers, an authorized Omega dealer, to get it serviced. The quote was $1768 for the work. The counterman must have seen my eyes glaze and my jaw drop - he pointed to the case with new Omega Speedmaster Professional watches, identical to mine, and the price tags. Holly shit! I'd been beating up my watch all those years, a high-dollar "my watch", not realizing that it was more than just Timex-class with "First Watch Worn On The Moon" engraved on the back. "Why, yes, why don't we just send my Speedmaster back to the factory for that necessary service, my good man.", said I. A little delayed in its return from Switzerland due to the Chinese Crud Scare, I now have my old friend back and it looks like new, the rather hefty weight on my wrist somewhat comforting and feels just as it did those 50 years ago.
Omega over-restored my Broad Arrow during a return-to-zero fix, accidentally erasing a lot of hard-earned in-the-race-car wear!
My case was over restored, in fact the case is new - the gashes in it from wrench-slippages while straddling a passageway by standing on a handrail with one foot and the other on a pneumatic valve dome working over my head up in the air...yeah, I remember that day. It's okay that those gashes are gone - I'll not forget how they occurred in this lifetime.
the over restored thing is an issue as it is with cars. patina is a thing.
I think we had this conversation in person back in November, but I’ll repeat my thoughts here for the cheap seats.
Considering I am both a car enthusiast AND a professional car designer, I am a rare bird because watches do absolutely (almost) nothing for me. My old bosses, including Gerry McGovern and Massimo Frascella (and a couple of their senior underlings) are SERIOUSLY into watches, but then they can afford to be. I consider myself firmly in the ‘who would pay in the thousands for a watch camp’. But then I spent £900 on a pair of hand made leather boots which I’m sure most men in my demographic would consider mad.
But, I am a massive space, and particularly Apollo nerd. So when I first heard about the MoonSwatch I thought it fun and naively thought it wouldn’t have much appeal outside of space enthusiasts. So I wanted to get one. They’re just over £200 here in the UK. Not quite impulse purchase money, but not exactly blowing the mortgage for the month either. The fact that people like Farah were losing their shit over them was just the icing on the cake (in fact Massimo posted something on his Instagram about them as well).
As of this moment I’ve been in Swatch stores in London, New York and Miami, and I still don’t have one, and we’re now what ten months after the initial release? They are available on the dreaded eBay and watch collector sites, but I’m not paying £400 for one. Provided Swatch stick to their word they should eventually be available at retail (although the danger will be like PS5s, scalpers will continue to snap up whatever becomes available and mark it up straight away. I was happy to pay £700 for a PS5 because I didn’t want to wait, otherwise I still wouldn’t have one). Swatch need to flood the market all at once with them to prevent this happening.
There was an Apollo - Soyuz Omega on the Antiques Roadshow on the BBC a while back. I almost choked on my Sunday dinner when it was valued in excess of £80k. I’m never likely to have that level of disposable income, but I have started sort of looking at G-Shocks (nostalgia and Japanese buttons being pushed) and for that I entirely lay the blame at YOUR door Jack!
In this case, Sir, we say "responsibility" rather than blame, just like Hamas "Claims responsibility" for what they do!
"Jack claims responsibility for me buying a G-Shock". That works for me, except I'm beholden to no-one at the moment!
Except for the "work accidents", tunnel collapses, and missiles that fall short and kill Palestinians instead of Jews.
Those are happy things I would take responsibility for.
if you can spare about $400 on sale you should be able get a bulova lunar pilot reissue. it’s a damn good real watch and one did go to the moon.
Oooooh interesting, thank you. That looks nice and I love the alternate strap.
Lunar Pilots are fantastic used bargains as well, as are OG tuning fork Accutrons.
1969 accutron devil diver with a black and red bezel is my grail watch
I had my father's Accutron Deep Sea with the moveable interior bezel restored. There's a guy in Waterford, Michigan that specializes in Accutron repair and restoration. Not cheap, not fast, but he knows what he's doing. He also services conventional watches. https://www.accutrons.com/
The 50th anniversay edition Lunar Pilot is very nice but I don't think I'd ever spend $1,000 on a watch, let alone one with a conventional quartz movement, and spending 2X as much as the standard edition costs to get a slightly different caseback doesn't strike me as fiscally prudent.
Being a space and Apollo nerd brings to mind an interesting point. I and my cohorts were rocket boys. I was twelve when they landed on the moon. Talk about a life impacting event. My boys are dinosaur boys. The movie Jurassic Park pushed the whole idea. It's good to see space exploration making a comeback. My first grandson is due in March. I plan to expose him to space as much as possible.
I came too late, being born in 1973, but I find the technology and the optimistic attitude represents America at it's best. I went to KSC late last year and although it wasn't really nerdy enough for me (it's very much a family theme park rather than a haven for geeks) I did get very choked up upon seeing the Space Shuttle (the way they present it with a film and then drop the screen to reveal Atlantis is extremely well done). I'm really excited to think people might walk on the moon again in my lifetime - until then rewatches of For All Mankind will have to keep me going.
I watch my grandsons, 11 and 7, after school a couple of times a week. After homework they can choose Legos or a video. I put For All Mankind on and they were completely transfixed.
I was six when Alan Shepard went into space and there's a coin bank replica of his capsule sitting in a place of honor on my work desk right next to the bust of Frederick Douglass that I 3D printed. Years ago, when my son was a young teen I had Homer Hickam sign and inscribe a copy of Rocket Boys for him.
Your recent article reminded me how badly I want an Alpine A110.
Did you see the comments on that? Man alive, talk about failure of reading comprehension. I'd have thought that after a year they'd have known where I was coming from, but apparently not.
Not after a year, and not after twenty. That's unfortunately the way the business runs.
I went and looked at the comments. Ugh.
I missed the article. I don’t go to Hagerty very often anymore.
The article on the crypto guy selling “shares” in the restoration of his Lamborghini was disgustingly pimpy.
Thank God I missed that one. I pretty much only read Sajeev and Sam Smith now Jack's gone.
My former ducklings in the Web team have had their jobs drastically changed after my departure. As I understand it, their primary task now is to build excitement for the Marketplace product, which from an outsider's perspective has been a bigger failure than DriveShare, the Hagerty app, the Radwood acquisition, or any of the company's other recent flops.
Considering that you can get a home improvement loan or a 2nd mortgage to pay for repairs, I'm surprised that nobody like Hagerty or RM offers financing to restore cars, with concierge service and authorized restoration shops to make sure the work gets done.
You're not alone. Good boots will take you a lot further than a good watch.
They didn't get me laid yet, but when I went to a goth festival in Germany a friend of mine saw them and liked them so much he bought a pair (they're a very simple calf length boot with a side zip, something non-existent for men but like most fashion items, something women a spoilt for choice for).
Possibly. They asked me for my calf measurements (I'm a skinny bitch with chicken legs) and I had to return them for alterations because they weren't snog on my calves. Might be a bit fashion to wear with a suit though:
https://www.richardsoderberg.com/product/dsmo-boots/
As somebody who just bought a fancy-ish pair of boots 2 weeks ago, I concur.
I am not sure if I would stand in line for a trip to the actual moon. It is an interesting idea from a business model. It reminds me of something burned into my brain from a field trip to an art museum decades ago: I think someone had an easel set up and was copying a painting, so of course being raised on crime shows we asked the docent if they were worried about forgers swapping the real thing. She said as long they used a canvas that was 2" smaller or larger than the original they were free to copy away.
Lines are for boomers in Vegas and the british.
I have ancestors from the Isles and am a natural born queuer.
That would be a queue :-;
I'm with you. I can't imagine anything I'd be less likely to stand in line for then a fashion watch.
I was able to land an Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean at a knockdown price a few years ago, as Omega transitioned from selling in jewelry stores to a boutique-only business. Timing is everything.
I chose it because the deepwater construction company I worked for didn’t need another Rolex Submariner rattling around its halls. I feel that this Moonswatch project reflects my purchase decision- Omega is the contrarian’s choice. (Insofar as higher-end watches could be contrarian, I guess.)
I should be a Planet Ocean owner. Brother Bark has a lovely one. I had the chance to buy a few really nice ones and didn't.
I passed on a discount PLOPROF during the transition. That was a big mistake...
I envy your ability to procure $25,000 Nautili, and no longer wonder how you can afford the life of gentleman racer and writer
I don't have a fuckin' Nautilus!
Maybe if I could add a zero to my Substack subscriber count.
You could buy the Pagani Design version.
Ha. More thinking that if you can find a few of them at $25k you can flip them and not worry about another job for awhile.
Oh. I think they're headed back down that way. God knows I skipped enough of them at $14k.
I’m pretty much the opposite of a watch guy. I bought a Shinola Argonite-5021 over a “better” Hamilton because the Shinola was bigger and looked better on my giant gorilla wrist. It replaced my 15y/o Eco-Drive which finally bit the dust. And my wife doesn’t know it yet but she’s buying me an Apple Watch Ultra for my birthday next month because again, it’s big and looks better than my petite 4y/o current Apple Watch I wear any time I’m not wearing a button down shirt.
All that said, I could never buy one of those G-Shocks. Man they’re ugly. I may be misremembering, but I vaguely recall them being the Android to the ubiquitous Ironman’s Apple in middle school 25+ years ago; you got the G-Shock if you weren’t cool enough for the Ironman. A quick Google tells me the 100 lap Ironman I got back in the late 1990s is now a $500 watch? I think I still have it in a drawer somewhere. Hmm.
I can't get over the very funny thing I read a while ago that wearing an Apple Watch makes the wearer look like a Spy Kid.
Probably fair, but they’re so ubiquitous here that they don’t really make any sort of statement at all. “That person is wearing an Apple Watch” is like saying “That person is wearing shoes.” Well of course they are.
For that reason alone, I will never stop giving the idiots at Samsung my money for phones.
Ive gone from iphone to windows to samsung to samsung to samsung and back to iPhone. They’re all the same after about a month. I do enjoy imessage to send the less technologically skilled family members pictures.
Do your Samsungs slow down? Mine seems to be lagging these days but it could be confirmation bias from something that I heard Louis Rossmann say.
If the underlying OS is updated I would posit software bloat/creep.
There's a common assumption, which isn't necessarily wrong on desktop, that hardware is fast enough/memory rich enough you can be inefficient in lots of ways and that's fine until it isn't. This is particularly true in battery limited applications, where I want to say Apple was caught downclocking the CPU in order not to kill battery life at the expense of operational speed on older phones.
Would that modern software be as efficient as the code used on the Apollo Guidance Computer, which, by the way, was engineered by General Motor's AC Spark Plug division.
It's not well known today, but the American auto industry had an important role in the U.S. space effort. Chrysler made the Redstone rockets used in the Mercury program as well as the engines in the Saturn V. GM designed the Lunar Rover (though Boeing built it). Mission Control in Houston was build by Ford's Philco division.
Dick Tracy
Or an inmate at Camp Holiday!
I have a Submariner, a Cartier Roadster, and three different Shinola watches. What do I wear every day? An Apple watch. Why? Because it's a tool. I can see my next meeting and any other info I need at a glance. I want the Ultra for my birthday as well due to it's size increase.
My winter "fun" job is at Kennedy Space Center. Too bad I was not the guy to find Buzz's Speedmaster in a box of junk last year.
That actually happened?
A coworker told me that a while back. I tried to substantiate it today and could not, so I would not put not much credence in that story. Sorry.
One has to wonder if Buzz never sent it to the Smithsonian because he was still pissed about Armstrong being first. Maybe his new wife will "find" it in a few years when she is cleaning up the estate.
Buzz just couldn’t handle the lie anymore. These will all be worthless in 2037 when the classified info that we never went to the moon comes out. Enjoy your watch values while they last!
Back when I was a poor student, all i wanted was an omega speed master. Now that I can easily afford one, dropping 5+k on a watch seems ridiculous.