Pilot Watch Dilemma!

[toffeesthings]

Hi fellow collectors,
I don't normally seek mass opinions in decision making but I would appreciate some thoughts and inputs to ease my collecting dilemma.

I own five Pilot watches, namely the Mark XV collection: classic, Spitfire silver dial and Spitfire limited edition plus a Mark XVI classic and classic UTC that I affectionately dub my 'Small Pilot' collection.

Main issue of contention here is not having nabbed the elusive one, the Big Pilot so I'm torn between clearing four of my small pilots to help fund the Big Pilot or just remaining content with my little collection.

I'm not gonna have my cake and eat it as I'm pretty sure the 'small pilots' will be neglected if I get the Big Pilot so something's gotta give.

Feel free to laugh or share your inputs! : )

[GadgetGuy]

Agree with you on other pilots in your collection will be neglected if get Big Pilot. Might as well sell the rest and go for BP if you really desire it. But as any watch lovers know, you'll never stop. Later on, you'll want something else

[ckhouse80]

bro, can try steinhart pilot watch. Reasonable price....i just order one watch from them, good customer service

[pilotsnoopy]

i wont be able to bear the thought of parting with my original collection which are great pieces in their own right.

if i can't keep all of them...i will at least keep half of them...otherwise having the BP wont be any consolation...

regarding Steinhart, i do like their watches and was quite keen on adding them on to my flieger collection till i learn they are pretty much a 'private label' producer...so perhaps i'll get 1 just for the fun of it or as a daily beater to add on to my Stowa, Laco, IWC flieger pieces.

[turboducky]

Hi fellow collectors,
I don't normally seek mass opinions in decision making but I would appreciate some thoughts and inputs to ease my collecting dilemma.

I own five Pilot watches, namely the Mark XV collection: classic, Spitfire silver dial and Spitfire limited edition plus a Mark XVI classic and classic UTC that I affectionately dub my 'Small Pilot' collection.

Main issue of contention here is not having nabbed the elusive one, the Big Pilot so I'm torn between clearing four of my small pilots to help fund the Big Pilot or just remaining content with my little collection.

I'm not gonna have my cake and eat it as I'm pretty sure the 'small pilots' will be neglected if I get the Big Pilot so something's gotta give.

Feel free to laugh or share your inputs! : )

Well, look at it this way; it's a good problem & I am sure many people would love to have that sort of dilemma. Tell you the truth, it would be great to keep the collection & yet able to get the BigPilot too; that's the best option! However, we are only human & we do have a limit.

My past collection includes 1 Ulysse Nardin San Marco GMT, 2 Pams, 3 Breitlings, 2 Spitfire chrono, 1 classic pilot, 1 Portuguese chrono & 2 Corums. Of course, I didnt buy all at one go, just one or two & started trading with fellow collectors. What you may consider is to sell your collection & keep the UTC Classic, that's 38mm with the UTC at 12 o'clock, right? The reason is that it's probably harder to find than the rest of your collection. Thing is, one day if you struck TOTO, you could still find the rest of the collection in the market, whereas the UTC is pretty rare, think there's one on sale by Elshan. Also, IWC only produce your model, the newer UTC at 6 o'clock & the limited edition Pilot St Exupery. After you have gotten your BigPilot, do consider the Portuguese 7Days, you will fall in love with that too!!

Just my humble opinion & good luck!!

[toffeesthings]

Thanks for all the inputs Bros!
I've owned a Steinhart before and yes, it is a solid piece of work but pales in comparison to the heritage of Stowa, IWC and Laco in terms of the pedigree in producing pilot watches.

Still, I miss the look and feel of the Steinhart from time to time, they're pilot straps feel like the real deal and cost much less than Azimuth : (

Thanks also for the advising on keeping the IWC UTC, I didn't realise it was a rarity.

I'll have to check on the costs of servicing the Big Pilot too, if Richemont charges more than the collective costs of five smaller watches that use relatively easier (and more affordable) to service ETA movement, that's another stumbling block.

[exxondus]

Servicing for in-house movements is usually at a premium .

As for steinhart, i find they are more of a makers of popular watches then anything else. Their watches are def value for money and they have great customer service. But i don think their watches will be worth collecting and def not a good comparison with IWC BP.

Steinhart and Epos might be better comparisons.

Bro. I say keep the mark xv n sell the rest if u want . Not because xv is rarer than the utc. But bcos u actually rebought this model after selling it. This might mean that it might b one of the models that u will miss more shld u sell. And if you do sell, i wll poison u with pics of it everyday till u regret

[turboducky]

Servicing for in-house movements is usually at a premium .

As for steinhart, i find they are more of a makers of popular watches then anything else. Their watches are def value for money and they have great customer service. But i don think their watches will be worth collecting and def not a good comparison with IWC BP.

Steinhart and Epos might be better comparisons.

Bro. I say keep the mark xv n sell the rest if u want . Not because xv is rarer than the utc. But bcos u actually rebought this model after selling it. This might mean that it might b one of the models that u will miss more shld u sell. And if you do sell, i wll poison u with pics of it everyday till u regret

I have a Steinhart pilot chrono 44mm & it's my travelling watch. Probably cos if I get hijacked in some foreign country, I would be more willing to hand over it than my IWC or Breitling! Having said that, the Steinhart isnt some ugly duckling & it looks pretty decent on the wrist; moreover it has a chrono & both day & date!

[turboducky]

Servicing for in-house movements is usually at a premium .

As for steinhart, i find they are more of a makers of popular watches then anything else. Their watches are def value for money and they have great customer service. But i don think their watches will be worth collecting and def not a good comparison with IWC BP.

Steinhart and Epos might be better comparisons.

Bro. I say keep the mark xv n sell the rest if u want . Not because xv is rarer than the utc. But bcos u actually rebought this model after selling it. This might mean that it might b one of the models that u will miss more shld u sell. And if you do sell, i wll poison u with pics of it everyday till u regret

I have a Steinhart pilot chrono 44mm & it's my travelling watch. Probably cos if I get hijacked in some foreign country, I would be more willing to hand over it than my IWC or Ulysse Nardin! Having said that, the Steinhart isnt some ugly duckling & it looks pretty decent on the wrist; moreover it has a chrono & both day & date! But I do agree that it's not a collectors' item yet, I am just hoping that some Hollywood superstar decides to wear one in some blockbuster & then we might be able to sell one on SGROC at around
S$5000!!

[toffeesthings]

Haha,
Thanks for the humorous banter guys!

Bro Exondus,
I find the Epos design frightfully similar to the Big Pilot, I'd rather the classic pilot sterile dial design.
Having said that, if IWC comes out with a classic dial big pilot like the 5002 but without the date and power reserve, I'll surely grab it...and you're right, the Mark XV is a very distinct piece as well, hard to let go.
Btw, you ever considered changing the strap to a pilot strap with rivets and normal fish crown to IWC pilot diamond-shaped crown?
Hehe, I ask because its crossed my mind before, I think the Mark XV and XVI crown can be replaced with the Pilot Father & Son smaller crown!

Bro Turboducky, the Steinhart Chrono is nice but have you considered the Fortis B42 Chrono, quite affordable and nice too! Has pretty good brand equity too but won't burn a hole in pocket!

I'll take a while to mull over this dilemma, besides, it won't be that easy to clear off 4 or 5 pieces too soon : )

[exxondus]

Haha,
Thanks for the humorous banter guys!

Bro Exondus,
I find the Epos design frightfully similar to the Big Pilot, I'd rather the classic pilot sterile dial design.
Having said that, if IWC comes out with a classic dial big pilot like the 5002 but without the date and power reserve, I'll surely grab it...and you're right, the Mark XV is a very distinct piece as well, hard to let go.
Btw, you ever considered changing the strap to a pilot strap with rivets and normal fish crown to IWC pilot diamond-shaped crown?
Hehe, I ask because its crossed my mind before, I think the Mark XV and XVI crown can be replaced with the Pilot Father & Son smaller crown!

Hence, i would like to change it to the diamond crown. But find might look a bit odd on the 38mm Mark XV

I do agree that it's not a collectors' item yet, I am just hoping that some Hollywood superstar decides to wear one in some blockbuster & then we might be able to sell one on SGROC at around
S$5000!!

Bro Turbo, i will be happy if these gets sold/traded at the asking price, much less $5k

http://www.sg-roc.com/showthread.php?t=35494

*** also have a few, sadly demand not there sigh....I oso have one hoping to offload in the future if the price ever increases

[turboducky]

Haha,
Thanks for the humorous banter guys!

Bro Exondus,
I find the Epos design frightfully similar to the Big Pilot, I'd rather the classic pilot sterile dial design.
Having said that, if IWC comes out with a classic dial big pilot like the 5002 but without the date and power reserve, I'll surely grab it...and you're right, the Mark XV is a very distinct piece as well, hard to let go.
Btw, you ever considered changing the strap to a pilot strap with rivets and normal fish crown to IWC pilot diamond-shaped crown?
Hehe, I ask because its crossed my mind before, I think the Mark XV and XVI crown can be replaced with the Pilot Father & Son smaller crown!

Bro Turboducky, the Steinhart Chrono is nice but have you considered the Fortis B42 Chrono, quite affordable and nice too! Has pretty good brand equity too but won't burn a hole in pocket!

I'll take a while to mull over this dilemma, besides, it won't be that easy to clear off 4 or 5 pieces too soon : )

Yeah, I thought about the Fortis too but I guess Steinhart sounds more romantic!! Hahahhaa, sorry lah, buying a watch is like buying a car; not trying to be too cocky here, but f I could afford it without having to eat Maggie mee, then I would rather buy something that's quite non commercialised & different from what the others are wearing.

Good luck & to be honest, it's a good problem! Happy CNY!!

[toffeesthings]

Haha, Happy Chinese New Year to all you Bros too!
Thanks again for the candid responses!

[kulcha]

I would suggest u keep the 5 pilots & buy the BP in later days, just my 2cents.

[wlche2]

Save up for the BP

The BP is iconic... suggest you save up for it too... if its me i'll search for a used 5002 or transitional model instead of a 5004... its more 'authentic' IMO... to round off your IWC flieger set must definitely get a BP!