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The Car Thread ... !
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I actually prefer the 7 series design. Haven't liked an S-Class design for a few generations now. They always look bloated and whale-ish to me. And i think only a RR can get away with that look. The 7 series still looks like an actual car. The E66 was disgusting but the F01 and the G11 i like.
The S is obviously the king when it comes to luxury bells and whistles which is why almost every government/company on the planet has a fleet. But if i were buying in that segment...i'd most likely go for the 7er.
Think I'm in this phase whereby the only merc designs that appeal to me are the C-coupe and S-coupe. Everything else i find underwhelming
In case of BMW the only design i don't like is the 2 series tourer and the X3.
With Audi i like the A6/A8 and A3 sedan. The end.
The S is obviously the king when it comes to luxury bells and whistles which is why almost every government/company on the planet has a fleet. But if i were buying in that segment...i'd most likely go for the 7er.
Think I'm in this phase whereby the only merc designs that appeal to me are the C-coupe and S-coupe. Everything else i find underwhelming
In case of BMW the only design i don't like is the 2 series tourer and the X3.
With Audi i like the A6/A8 and A3 sedan. The end.
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That's great. This is the best manual gearbox ever.
Funny, but sad and true. When you all told me about the deep discounts on the SS a few weeks ago, I checked dealers in the area to see if I could find a manual one. I found one in town listed with a "6 speed" transmission. After I called the dealership and pressed a little bit, they finally told me it was a 6 speed auto, at which point I said "Sorry to waste your time on this car, but I'm not interested. I want a manual."
I kid you know, the salesman then said "We have a great Aveo on the lot with a manual that I think you would love". I just shook my head and hung up.
BTW, as far as back seats, I still think it's hard to beat a Town Car. It doesn't have the amenities of an S class, but I've yet to sit in another car with the living room couch feel of that car...if nothing else, body on frame is great for isolating the drive train from the body, and combined with air suspension it does give the "floating on a cloud" feeling.
When I think of luxury cars, I tend to think of MBZ, Rolls, Bentley, and to a much lesser extent, Audi. I may have triggered a certain someone in this thread. BMW doesn't exactly say luxury to me. They were a long time ago, but now now. The 7 series in that video is near the pricing of the S, but it seems to be the poor-rich man's S. I'm not sure what a true poor man's S would be, the Lexus LS or the Equuis?
I should note I have a heavy bias toward MBZ because we've had them for many generations. I grew up with them, my father did, my grandfather owned them as well. I believe his father had a very old antique one, too, or antique now but not then.
I should note I have a heavy bias toward MBZ because we've had them for many generations. I grew up with them, my father did, my grandfather owned them as well. I believe his father had a very old antique one, too, or antique now but not then.
While luxury is a pretty subjective term, I'm not sure I agree with Mercedes-Benz being in the same league as Bentley or Rolls-Royce. A Phantom costs as much as TWO S Classes. You can get TWO G wagons for the price of a Bentley Bentayga.
If we were going to use some sort of tier system, it might go like this:
Elite: Rolls-Royce, Bentley [Ferrari, Bugatti]
Upper Tier: Porsche [McLaren, Lamborghini, Aston Martin]
Tier 1: Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Range Rover
Tier 2: Cadillac, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover
Tier 3: Infiniti, Acura, Lincoln, Buick
Since the pricing of a Panamera is significantly above an S-Class, does that mean the S-Class is a "poor-rich" man's car?
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I had this conversation with forum members, it all depends on what/how you classify each brand. To me, I categorize only Rolls Royce and Bentley as true luxury cars under the traditional definition - that is extravagant and difficult to obtain.
Audi, BMW and Mercedes are premium brands, not luxury brands. They may have luxury amenities/features, but they don't fit the definition of luxury.
But that's just me.
Audi, BMW and Mercedes are premium brands, not luxury brands. They may have luxury amenities/features, but they don't fit the definition of luxury.
But that's just me.
It was a general example. MBZ is a premium brand, but they offer a car at ever price point. CLA or the C class as baby entry level Benzes, the E for the mid-level and corporate appropriate car, which comes in a lot of engine sizes in the previous generation, and then the S. I'd classify Bentley and Rolls as hyper luxury, and not necessarily luxury. Porsche is an anomalyin luxury and sports cars. They demand a premium based on how great their cars are. I can't say the same about the 7 series or S series, as both have risen in price with each generation. The Panamera S is a few thousand cheaper than the base S550. Alas, you're comparing two different cars in the sense that they supplement two different buyers. The buyer who's deadset on opulence not in the RR or B or Maybach (Or whatever the hell MBZ operates it as now), will settle for the S. Not necessarily the Panamera. Though let's face it, the Panamera is a hell of a lot more fun to drive and it'll retain value better. Not to mention be more reliable than the MBZ in the long run. Would I call my GL luxurious? In a way, but not really. The S class of that year beat it and this hunk still cost a lot of money. You need to look at each brand and its offerings objectively. And I was speaking about the S specifically, and not necessarily every other car on the market. Compared to the S class, the 7 series in its top trim isn't an S and can't get close per that video. So what else could offer S class like amenities and luxury level of the S but at a lower price point. I think we're in general agreement that a Rolls Royce Wraith or even the new one will blow away an S class. A RR also have more sound deadening than the new S, IIRC. So you, as that chipmunk looking guy on YouTube said, can run over a cat and not hear or feel it.
I think a spreadsheet or tree diagram is in order. I'm actually glad you questioned what I said, Otto.
This post is a mess, I know, but I've managed to bite down on my cheek while eating buttered peanuts. Need to go clean out the blood.
I think a spreadsheet or tree diagram is in order. I'm actually glad you questioned what I said, Otto.
This post is a mess, I know, but I've managed to bite down on my cheek while eating buttered peanuts. Need to go clean out the blood.
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Either it's luxury or not. You can't have uber luxury because by definition, it's either hard to obtain and extravagant or it's not. The definition of the term luxury is already defined as an extreme so there's no lower or higher level or standard.
You would be surprised with what you can do with the 7er through BMW Individual. I'm not saying one car is better than the other but in terms of features and not aesthetics, the 7er is up there with the S-Class. There is absolutely no argument this generation. Do not use that video as any definitive evidence to say that the 7er can't be put up there with the S-Class. When you compare cars and one fault you find is that the BMW grille looks too big, I can't take you seriously because what would you call Mercedes' grille? Small? That Motor Trend was a bunch of over exaggeration.
When it comes down to it, you're going to pick one or the other based on aesthetics because in features and comfort the 7er is definitely up there. If the S-Class is a 10/10 in those areas, the 7er is a 9/10. Like I said earlier, if the only fault you can find with the 7er is something subjective like looks, then BMW did what it needed to compete with the S-Class.
But by your definition any car that isn't econo would be premium. So a Honda would be econo, the Acura would be premium, and the RR or Bentley would be luxury. By that simplistic definition, an A4 Prestige is the same as an S class, you're simply paying more for a bigger body and bigger engine for the latter. And that the only luxury cars are those that cost $200,000 and more.
I'm not using that video as my basis. On paper and to your own taste, the 7 is the same or up there with the S while I see it falling short. And I'm not using the body style as an argument. The S class has always had a level of prestige in its price range and class. I can't say the same about the 7. Matter of fact, I don't see many 7 series BMWs, but see many S Class cars on the road. I've never heard anyone say they'd prefer a 7 over an S.
BMW Individual, like other customer-end customization programs are going to be used by a minute percentage of customers. It's not fair to bring it up when we're talking about the cars available at the dealer and not custom ordering one to your personal liking. I see the A8 as more a competitor to the S than the 7.
I have trouble seeing McLaren, Lamborghini and Ferrari as luxury cars. Super cars, yes, but luxury? They're luxurious inside, but they're super cars first and foremost. Though you can get a 2nd hand McLaren for cheap because they have terrible resale value.
Be it modern rap videos or even back to the late 70s, the luxury cars you saw in music videos or films were a MBZ, not a BMW. Even now you're more likely to see a JLR car, a MBZ or an Audi. Though that last one is often bullet proof. If you asked a bunch of people on the street which brand is better, they're going to say MBZ unless it's for the driving experience, and from what I've been told BMW lost that a while ago.
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Is it really fair to include these cars? They're lower tier luxury, but I honestly can't imagine myself spending money on either of the bolded. Your Range Rover and F-Pace are what I'd go for if pressed for these tiers. More inclined with the Jaguar for the B-2-B warranty they offer for 5 years or 60K miles. And from what you've said, this included 2 break and rotor changes?
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Absolutely. I have a narrow definition/criteria of premium vs. luxury. Just because the S-Class starts at a price significantly higher than an A4, doesn't mean it should be classified as luxury, at least using my definition. The higher price of the S-Class just means it has a lot more features than the A4 which it does. At the end of the day, anyone who has the financial means and can justify it can buy one. Luxury brands (Rolls Royce, Bentley), only a very small percent of the population can afford the brand.
I'm not saying you're wrong but what you just said is another variation of being a brand-whore (not saying you're one). Looking down on the 7er because it doesn't carry the same prestige as the S-Class is like saying the Cadillac ATS/Lexus IS/Jagaur XE isn't up there with the 3-Series/C-Class/A4 because they don't carry that level or prestige in the class. You're basing your preference based on reputation, which is absolutely your right, but put all that stuff aside and do a true comparison, the 7er is absolutely up there with the S-Class as a big limousine. Again, if you want to pick one over the other because styling is better and carries a certain image, fine, but you can't objectively say it's not up there.
Your argument or the video's argument was that someone could never get the 7er to meet or exceed the S-Class which is not true. Sure you might have to spend more, but its definitely possible. It's not like the S-Class' we see in comparisons are stock. All that glitz you see are a result of being optioned up and gone through Mercedes Designo program. Besides, the high volume dealerships (in my area) have BMW Individual upholestry spec'd 7er's.
But again, that's all subjective. Other posters in here already stated that they prefer the design of the 7er over the S-Class.
This isn't the F01 vs. W222. The G11 7-Series is a great effort to finally compete with the S-Class.
I'm just going to say agree to disagree. I can't see the G11 being as good as a rival product, even if both are glitzed up through their optioning. There's varying degrees of luxury. One needn't buy a RR or Bentley to experience luxury. But as you said, you have a narrow definition of luxury. I'm inclined to go with Auto's tiered level which makes sense, sans the super cars. The difference between a Cadillac and an A6 or whatever is more than just reputation. You get a quality product with the Audi. You do with the Cadillac too, but it's not really the same level. At first look, both offer what looks to be the same thing, but drive them and own them for six months, and it'll be clear as day that the Audi is the better car.
Going the luxury vs premium route is akin to saying an Audi A6 is merely a pricey Passat. Where VW's line is more along the line of econo/budget, and Audi's the premium product. If the next A8L at its top trim offered single origin leather, wood trim, lavish features that were the same as a Bentley Mulsanne and cost almost the same, would it be fair to call the Audi a premium vehicle? It would be harder to obtain for the average person, because I'd imagine like the Bentley, you'd be required to pay at least $30,000 up front, limited to a few thousand miles a year and have a monthly payment ranging from $2400 to $3000.
And I've said it before, but I've never found it easy to see the 7er to be a competitor to the S class. It always falls short of everything. Maybe I'll take a test drive in one, but I'm sure my expectations will fall flat like previous generations.
Going the luxury vs premium route is akin to saying an Audi A6 is merely a pricey Passat. Where VW's line is more along the line of econo/budget, and Audi's the premium product. If the next A8L at its top trim offered single origin leather, wood trim, lavish features that were the same as a Bentley Mulsanne and cost almost the same, would it be fair to call the Audi a premium vehicle? It would be harder to obtain for the average person, because I'd imagine like the Bentley, you'd be required to pay at least $30,000 up front, limited to a few thousand miles a year and have a monthly payment ranging from $2400 to $3000.
And I've said it before, but I've never found it easy to see the 7er to be a competitor to the S class. It always falls short of everything. Maybe I'll take a test drive in one, but I'm sure my expectations will fall flat like previous generations.
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Jesus Christ, you're really having an argument over semantics here. I feel like I'm at a heated Hertz Rent-A-Car advertising meeting.
"It's a Chevy Cruz it should be classified as an economy"
"No! It's a subcompact"
"I think it should be called a standard"
Guy in the corner "Excuse me? Before we go any further it's not a Cruz it's a Daewoo Lacetti Premier"
Personally, I would call Mercedes, Audi, BMW, etc "luxury cars". I would call Acura and Infiniti "Premium" cars. What would I consider Rolls and Bently's? How about Exotic. They may be luxurious but are not exactly mainstream cars. I think it's pretty standard vernacular to call MB/A/BMW luxury cars.
Exotic? Luxury? Upscale? Premium? Why does this matter?
@Zenithal most people I know who have "exotic" cars typically don't keep something like a Bentley as their daily driver. In that sense people aren't cross shopping the two, and in many cases already own something like an S-Class.
You say a Rolls must be better than the S-Class, but in what context? The wood and leather? Technology? Driving dynamics? Typically what happens with things like Rolls Royces and Bentleys is that they *might* be up to date cars when they're released but very very very quickly fall behind the mainstream competition. Look at the end of the Arnage (or even beginning) life cycle. That thing was quite a hodge podge of late 90's BMW switches and electronics that was far behind the same year 7-series, hell even 5-series. And I'm pretty sure the (optional) Nav in the Arnage was BMWs crappy gen 1 X3 flip top system, not even iDrive.
Haven ridden in Bentleys and Rolls a few times in life I can say that they're cool, but not necessarily a better all around package than an S-Class or 7-Series. I wouldn't call a flag ship mainstream "luxury" sedan unsatisfactory in terms of luxury, especially considering these often offer more features overall. You're mostly paying for the status, prestige, and the head turns.
"It's a Chevy Cruz it should be classified as an economy"
"No! It's a subcompact"
"I think it should be called a standard"
Guy in the corner "Excuse me? Before we go any further it's not a Cruz it's a Daewoo Lacetti Premier"
Personally, I would call Mercedes, Audi, BMW, etc "luxury cars". I would call Acura and Infiniti "Premium" cars. What would I consider Rolls and Bently's? How about Exotic. They may be luxurious but are not exactly mainstream cars. I think it's pretty standard vernacular to call MB/A/BMW luxury cars.
Exotic? Luxury? Upscale? Premium? Why does this matter?
@Zenithal most people I know who have "exotic" cars typically don't keep something like a Bentley as their daily driver. In that sense people aren't cross shopping the two, and in many cases already own something like an S-Class.
You say a Rolls must be better than the S-Class, but in what context? The wood and leather? Technology? Driving dynamics? Typically what happens with things like Rolls Royces and Bentleys is that they *might* be up to date cars when they're released but very very very quickly fall behind the mainstream competition. Look at the end of the Arnage (or even beginning) life cycle. That thing was quite a hodge podge of late 90's BMW switches and electronics that was far behind the same year 7-series, hell even 5-series. And I'm pretty sure the (optional) Nav in the Arnage was BMWs crappy gen 1 X3 flip top system, not even iDrive.
Haven ridden in Bentleys and Rolls a few times in life I can say that they're cool, but not necessarily a better all around package than an S-Class or 7-Series. I wouldn't call a flag ship mainstream "luxury" sedan unsatisfactory in terms of luxury, especially considering these often offer more features overall. You're mostly paying for the status, prestige, and the head turns.
My reasoning
Infiniti/Acura/Lincoln/Buick are in the lowest tier possible. That's pretty self explanatory. They're all mediocre brands.
Cadillac is right below the Germans because they do offer a large lineup with many different engine options.
However, they cannot command the same price tag as a Tier 1 brand. It's happening slowly. To their credit, they do offer performance models like the ATS-V and CTS-V.
Volvo did a fantastic job with the XC90 and S90, but they will not move up to Tier 1 status until they bring back larger engines.
Jaguar used to be Tier 1, but the F-Type and XJ don't sell very well. I split up Range Rover and LR because RR routinely sells $80k+ SUVs and LR struggles to sell the POS Disco Sport.
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The difference between premium and luxury has been blurred over the years with how consumerism has changed. If you want to call BMW/Audi/Mercedes luxury brands, I can understand that since much of the world labels them as such. But like I mentioned earlier, to classify what is or isn't luxury is clear to me because I have a very narrow definition of what luxury is and isn't and I don't expect everyone to agree with me.
A luxury brand is only available to a very small percentage people, generally those who can afford it. The price significantly exceeds the value of the product which allows it to only be affordable to a small percentage of people. As for the good or item itself, it's not mass produced, is typically hand made, item/good lineup is usually slim and there could be a waiting time for the item or good to be actually produced.
So applying that specific definition of what luxury is, BMW/Audi/Mercedes may follow some of the criteria but not all which makes them a premium brand to me. If you want to use the term luxury on how it may be perceived or used today, you're not wrong, it's just not to me by definition.
A luxury brand is only available to a very small percentage people, generally those who can afford it. The price significantly exceeds the value of the product which allows it to only be affordable to a small percentage of people. As for the good or item itself, it's not mass produced, is typically hand made, item/good lineup is usually slim and there could be a waiting time for the item or good to be actually produced.
So applying that specific definition of what luxury is, BMW/Audi/Mercedes may follow some of the criteria but not all which makes them a premium brand to me. If you want to use the term luxury on how it may be perceived or used today, you're not wrong, it's just not to me by definition.
Luxury by definition implies being comfortable by definition. Therefore I wouldn't call Ferraris, Lambos, etc luxury cars. They might be a luxury to own, but as cars they're not designed for comfort, instead preformance. Once again, here comes that word Exotic, or super car is acceptable.
I again don't see why this matters. It's an argument of Semantics. You could call a Ferrari a sports car but you could also call a Miata a sportscar. Maybe even a Chrysler Seebring. At the end of the day I don't see why this matters.
People are going to buy what they like. The S-Class from what I see is the best selling car in its class, but you still see a lot of 7's and A8's around.
My girlfriend's father had Mercedes up until getting an original Lexus LS. Now he has a 2008 LS460 (nearing 300k miles) and is getting a Tesla Model S 90D at the end of the month. For $100,000 the Model S has the worst interior probably of any $100k car by far. But he's not buying it for the same reason someone would spend that much on an S/7/A8 etc.
I again don't see why this matters. It's an argument of Semantics. You could call a Ferrari a sports car but you could also call a Miata a sportscar. Maybe even a Chrysler Seebring. At the end of the day I don't see why this matters.
People are going to buy what they like. The S-Class from what I see is the best selling car in its class, but you still see a lot of 7's and A8's around.
My girlfriend's father had Mercedes up until getting an original Lexus LS. Now he has a 2008 LS460 (nearing 300k miles) and is getting a Tesla Model S 90D at the end of the month. For $100,000 the Model S has the worst interior probably of any $100k car by far. But he's not buying it for the same reason someone would spend that much on an S/7/A8 etc.
Basically, we all have a different opinion on what's luxury or not and what's premium or not. This was rather civil. The definition of luxury is fluid. If one compares a white gold Omega to a Blancpain, clearly the Blancpain is the luxury watch whereas the run of the mill $15,000 Omega is premium. The point I tried to make yesterday is that what's premium and luxury is dependent on what you're selling. I don't see many 7s, as I said, more S's and not enough Audis. I see many 5s with the bigger engines. But BMW practically gives their cars away like it's herpes and it's 1995 in a college town. The RR and Bentley dealers the city over will hand the keys over with a nominal down payment, X mileage a year and it's about 800 more than a base S550, keyword being base here.
I don't mind that ilog genius has a different opinion than me. That's his right. I do take issue with Tesla owners saying their P90Ds are more luxurious than the competition. It's times like that I wish a wrecking ball landed atop their Tesla. Even when loaded with all the goodies, the P90 and build quality (from owner reports, not fanboys) is that the car is terrible, to be frank. It's fast, it's electric, it's cutting edge. But it isn't something that could compete with an S class let alone an E class in terms of refinement.
Anyway, I went to a Lexus dealership this morning to drop the car off for maintenance, twice. First went with my wife's car and about a third of the way I realized I wasn't driving our Lexus, and made a trip back home to switch out cars. Confirmed an airbag change in November. I walked around the lot and saw the GS F, nice looking car. Not 80K nice, but nice. They did have some RC Fs on the lot, one was loaded with all the options putting it over $100,000... I was asked if I wanted a test drive but declined due to there being a light rain in the morning. I did sit in the car and enjoyed it. It was more comfortable than I expected it to be given my height. Being rather tall, there aren't many "smaller" cars that are comfortable for a tall driver. I quite liked it! Not enough to spend money you could spend on a Porsche, of course. I fit nicely in them. On of the more sobering thoughts of future cars is that I'm tall, my wife is quite tall and so are our families. The kids will be tall, so we can't exactly go for sedans with minimal leg room in the back. Though if we ever do get a 911 Turbo, albeit of a previous generation (which saves some money but not much), we can simply lay the kids atop each other like an open faced sandwich. I'm kidding of course. Ideally, the upcoming E Wagon is on the books. I've been taking the Lexus to work more than I have my GL simply to get used to driving lower than I have for the last several years.
I'm waiting out my airbag change. I've spoken to people on various MBZ forums I'm a member of and the private sale route is abysmal. The problem is two fold. It's expensive and time consuming, but also because dealers are still getting paid a stipend per vehicle affected by said recall. At the higher end of the stipend, they're collecting a very large monthly payment that would exceed the finance or lease rate of the car. Greed all the way around.
I don't mind that ilog genius has a different opinion than me. That's his right. I do take issue with Tesla owners saying their P90Ds are more luxurious than the competition. It's times like that I wish a wrecking ball landed atop their Tesla. Even when loaded with all the goodies, the P90 and build quality (from owner reports, not fanboys) is that the car is terrible, to be frank. It's fast, it's electric, it's cutting edge. But it isn't something that could compete with an S class let alone an E class in terms of refinement.
Anyway, I went to a Lexus dealership this morning to drop the car off for maintenance, twice. First went with my wife's car and about a third of the way I realized I wasn't driving our Lexus, and made a trip back home to switch out cars. Confirmed an airbag change in November. I walked around the lot and saw the GS F, nice looking car. Not 80K nice, but nice. They did have some RC Fs on the lot, one was loaded with all the options putting it over $100,000... I was asked if I wanted a test drive but declined due to there being a light rain in the morning. I did sit in the car and enjoyed it. It was more comfortable than I expected it to be given my height. Being rather tall, there aren't many "smaller" cars that are comfortable for a tall driver. I quite liked it! Not enough to spend money you could spend on a Porsche, of course. I fit nicely in them. On of the more sobering thoughts of future cars is that I'm tall, my wife is quite tall and so are our families. The kids will be tall, so we can't exactly go for sedans with minimal leg room in the back. Though if we ever do get a 911 Turbo, albeit of a previous generation (which saves some money but not much), we can simply lay the kids atop each other like an open faced sandwich. I'm kidding of course. Ideally, the upcoming E Wagon is on the books. I've been taking the Lexus to work more than I have my GL simply to get used to driving lower than I have for the last several years.
I'm waiting out my airbag change. I've spoken to people on various MBZ forums I'm a member of and the private sale route is abysmal. The problem is two fold. It's expensive and time consuming, but also because dealers are still getting paid a stipend per vehicle affected by said recall. At the higher end of the stipend, they're collecting a very large monthly payment that would exceed the finance or lease rate of the car. Greed all the way around.
Had a couple of fantastically fun cruises this weekend, after a few days of sketchy weather (we had very minimal impact from the storm).
You _might_ want to consult with a doctor about that ...
You _might_ want to consult with a doctor about that ...
I can say on a couple occasions I've walked to the wrong car. But I've never driven off in the wrong car. That's bizzare.
Speaking of false identification I tend to have this problem where people think I'm an employee of whatever place I am in. It can be a medical building, clothing stores, Walgreens. Do I just look like a generic employee? Is it the way I shop? Is it how I dress? Do I just look too comfortable? Or is the general public just that stupid. I don't get it.
I was buying ibuprofen at Walgreens a month ago and this guy comes up to me with two boxes of hair dye "excuse me, do you work here? Could you tell me..." And I just snapped "I don't f***ing work here!"
Speaking of false identification I tend to have this problem where people think I'm an employee of whatever place I am in. It can be a medical building, clothing stores, Walgreens. Do I just look like a generic employee? Is it the way I shop? Is it how I dress? Do I just look too comfortable? Or is the general public just that stupid. I don't get it.
I was buying ibuprofen at Walgreens a month ago and this guy comes up to me with two boxes of hair dye "excuse me, do you work here? Could you tell me..." And I just snapped "I don't f***ing work here!"
I always help them, but provide horribly inaccurate information.
"Oh those shirts are actually buy one, get five free ..." *leaves store*
Personally, I'd take a Daniels Coaxial Omega of a Blancpain any day.
But if we're going to split hairs, Blancpain isn't even the same league as Patek Phillippe, Vacheron Contantin, and A-P
It's what happens when you don't get enough sleep and forgo having some form of caffeine. Pop off a few mini Goldbergs and you'll join the club.
I always help them, but provide horribly inaccurate information.
"Oh those shirts are actually buy one, get five free ..." *leaves store*
I've always felt this is the appropriate way to answer. Sadly, I don't have many strangers coming up to me. On occasion, I've helped people out who had a terrible salesperson that was fibbing or if the person didn't know their products, and telling them to have it price checked against another retailer. Often the difference is commission; they didn't deserve that money to begin with.
They serve different buyers. I've not seen a Vacheron Constantin up close, but knew someone with an A-P many years ago. This was around the time when broadband was becoming more mainstream, so information like who A-P was and price shopping was not as easy. I've window shopped Pateks before. Which was fun. Around 8 or 9 years ago, there was a trend among collectors/buyers to go for large diving watches with heavy bracelets or the ability to swap them out with rubber like material. That died out quickly.
Anyway, I prefer Omegas. I've owned Rolexes but never really wore them. They were bought for investment purposes and sold years later. I had a small collection of late 1980s and 1990s Cartiers I finally offloaded in 2009 for a tidy profit. If pressed, I'd rather daily an IWC simply because it isn't flash and it's simple. Timeless would be a better word.
Sleep? I am confused and frightened by this word, in my village, we do not have this thing you call sleep.
Next you'll tell me you don't age!
It's quite amusing. I never enjoyed sleeping when I was a child or even as an adult. I didn't value a proper night's sleep until I had children. Nights where neither of us are awoken by crying are the best nights. They'll soon sleep through the night and I can get back to being a night owl.
Next you'll tell me you don't age!
It's quite amusing. I never enjoyed sleeping when I was a child or even as an adult. I didn't value a proper night's sleep until I had children. Nights where neither of us are awoken by crying are the best nights. They'll soon sleep through the night and I can get back to being a night owl.
Well, I have the mind of a 15 year old and the body of someone 70 ...
So you have very young children? We had the incredible fortune that our little G was a really good sleeper, I mean just amazing, from weeks old through to a few years old. Er, now, she's very engaged with stuff -n- things, in the evening as well.
Shouting upstairs at 10p: "What are you doing, why aren't you asleep?"
Return shout down: "I'm working on my play, I needed more paper ..."
*sigh*
FWIW, I wear a two-tone Datejust(16013) nearly every day. It's a great crossover between being a casual enough for daily wear but still a bit dressy.
I have an extensive collection of early American and high grade American pieces, along with private labels and several other somewhat nuanced areas of collecting. When I'm going to a watch show I'll usually carry something rare and interesting. On other occasions, or just for the heck of it, I'll carry a railroad watch, although I don't have so many of those(unless I want to fill both niches and pull out my dozen-known New South Wales Government Railways watch). I took a train ride a few weeks ago and wore one of my favorites-an early 21j Illinois Bunn Special(1st pattern circular) carrying a private label for a Covington, KY watch inspector.
Occasionally, I'll also wear an older wristwatch. I have a few nice Hamilton, Illinois, and Longines pieces that are interesting.
As far as modern wristwatches go, I hate the trend toward modern huge blingy watches. You couldn't pay me to wear a Panerai or a Hublot.
At least as watches go, though, to me it's all in the movement. Patek likely makes the finest movements in the world today, with A-P and VC not far behind. If I had the money, I'd have a bespoke RGM Caliber 801 made(make mine nickel with Geneva stripes, Wolf's teeth winding, and freesprung). Unfortunately, some of the fine finishing touches of the past have been lost.
Far too many makers are dropping ETA or equivalent movements into cases and calling it a watch. This happens top to bottom in the Swatch group with exception of Breguet. Also, the co-axial Omegas are based on ETA calibers but have significant parts of their own design.