Does Anybody Really Care What Time It Is? Leica Sells Watches

David Hughes said:
Yes, since then I've often wondered if everyone and his wife think all other makes are secure...

Regards, David
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Any of these devices can be cracked by professionals and governments. All depends if you're worth the effort.

In the Peeplz Republik just as in the defunct DDR, seems everyone is worthy of a 'watcher'.

dourbalistar said:
Leica already made some coffee mugs, so I guess they're on their way:​
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Hey, don't knock those cups!!! Best, most durable coffee mug I own.
 
It´s respectable they made their own movement instead of just building a case around any stock ETA / Sellita. The price is not that far off from other niche high end watches but the name LEICA is tied so strongly to photography that a LEICA watch will always irritate or come off as something you got for promotion with your new camera.

I have been into watches a lot the last couple years. I own, among others, IWC and Zenith, highly appreciated brands in the watch world, both running time-tested in-house movements (Ingenieur and El Primero) you cant get anyhwere else. The two of them werent as expensive as what LEICA wants for their watch. I think they will have a hard time adressing people who dont care a lot about cameras.
 
Bille;n4774383[U said:
]It´s respectable they made their own movement instead of just building a case around any stock ETA / Sellita.[/U] The price is not that far off from other niche high end watches but the name LEICA is tied so strongly to photography that a LEICA watch will always irritate or come off as something you got for promotion with your new camera.

I have been into watches a lot the last couple years. I own, among others, IWC and Zenith, highly appreciated brands in the watch world, both running time-tested in-house movements (Ingenieur and El Primero) you cant get anyhwere else. The two of them werent as expensive as what LEICA wants for their watch. I think they will have a hard time adressing people who dont care a lot about cameras.
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Leica builds their own watch movements in a Leica facility with Leica staff? Is that what you are saying? That is quite amazing for a company that has a hard time repairing cameras.
 
In the late '60s the Leica store sold three models of watches. The movement was a Valjouox which was used at the time by Breitling and others. The case was made by Wakmann. I have one which I paid $20 and had it serviced. It is a windup and runs perfectly much like the M6. Today there are many knock-offs with the Leica name on the face. For the most part they are inexpensive quartz models..
 
This is a reminder that high fashion brand Hermes owned as 36% share of Leica from 2000-2006. Currently, Leica is 45% owned by The Blackstone Group which licenses the Leica brand name from the Danaher Corporation-owned Leica Microsystems GmbH.
 
Being somewhat anti-Leica anything and everything at heart, I tend to avoid expensive gewgaws like this - and I do agree the watch looks rather cheap and nasty for the price being asked for it, but then that's me.

Now if Weztlar could make a retro style watched similar to their beautiful, even majestic LTM cameras from the 1930s and 1940s, that would be another story entirely...

Time is, well, time. For decades I kept detailed notes in a travel notebook, recording all the small details of the photography I did. After I retired in 2012 I spent most of a year going thru my paper archives and eventually came to the several notebooks (all Moleskins, which must say something about me) I'd kept from the 1970s and 1980s - and realised I'd not referred to them even one time or paid any attention to the times and dates so carefully, even lovingly entered with my (again, saying something about me) Mont Blanc fountain pen, a once-in-a-lifetime AUD$5 purchase from a charity shop.

I've kept the notebooks. In a few years, when I've shuffled off to somewhere that will most definitely not be Buffalo, my executor can decide to keep or throw out. Not my concern then, or for that matter even now.

So yes, I'm sort of elitist, in my own little amusing (my partner uses a different word to describe this, but let's not go there) ways.

Back to watches. A Leica watch, nice, even fun, but to me, definitely a horses for courses choice, and let's face it, I can't afford it anyway. For now I will make do my 1957 Tudor Oyster (by Rolex) and a Tag 2000 I bought at a super discount price in Hong Kong in 1989.

At my age, a watch that runs in reverse would be infinitely more preferable, if any such a thing exists.
 
New model releases :)

Leica ZM 1, ZM 2 and Leica Watch Monochrom Edition | Zeitmesser from Wetzlar

Symbiosis of design and technology – made in Germany: the Leica Watch. Handcrafted in Wetzlar, precise and iconic: it’s about time for the Leica ZM 1, Leica ZM 2 and Leica ZM Monochrom Edition.
leica-camera.com leica-camera.com

leicarumors.com

New Leica ZM 1 and ZM 2 Monochrom Edition watches announced - Leica Rumors

Today Leica announced two new ZM Monochrom Edition watches. The exact models are: Leica ZM 1 Monochrom Edition Leica ZM 2 Monochrom Edition Additional information: New: Leica Watch Monochrom Edition Wetzlar, 27th April 2023. The Depth of Simplicity The new Leica Watch Monochrom Edition takes its...
leicarumors.com leicarumors.com
 
New Leica M11 Monochrom Camera - $9,195 (USD)
New Leica ZM 1 Monochrom Edition Watch - $12,724 (USD)
New Leica ZM 2 Monochrom Edition Watch - $17,021 (USD)

😂 😂
 
Many moons ago, I bought some 'expensive' watches. Looking back, I don't understand why these purchases made me happy, except for the Omega Constellation, which is kinda pretty. Today, I mostly look at my phone.
 
Bille said:
It´s respectable they made their own movement
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From Leica ZM2

"To achieve the venerable "Made in Germany" status, Leica's "Ernst Leitz Werkstätten" has partnered with Lehmann Präzision of the Black Forest region to develop the completely new watch movement"

This means that Leica does not make the movements. I'd be surprised if they even make the cases. This does not change the fact that these Leica ZM1 and ZM2 watches are very nice, high quality timepieces that are made in Germany.

There are several boutique watch manufacturers that have come into being in the past decade or so, in Switzerland, Germany, and other places including the USA. They make customized movements and complete watches for folks like Leica based on existing designs. To design, tool up, and make a "completely new" watch movement requires a considerable investment. There's a good chance that Leica's "completely new" watch movements use proven components from previous designs.

Here's the website for the company that makes these watches for Leica:

Watch Manufacture - Lehmann Uhren

www.lehmann-uhren.com www.lehmann-uhren.com


- Greg -
 
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wlewisiii said:
I have a Seiko 5. Mechanical movement. Automatic winding. $114 with tax and shipping. I'm more than satisfied :)
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I also wear watches for checking on time. Much easier instead of phone.
Wearing while working with equipment in the racks, while swimming, walking under rain or dealing with bicycles parts.

Some years ago I got Seagull watch directly from Seagull factory. Similar to this:
www.watchuseek.com

Affordable Bauhaus review - GT&FQ Rider M005...

The popularity of Bauhaus-inspired watches shows no sign of abating, with the market now saturated with affordable mechanical offerings. I took the plunge last year with a Rodina watch which, at the time, represented the best value for money. But I think there's an even better proposition on the...
www.watchuseek.com www.watchuseek.com
It was around 200$.

Sapphire crystal really makes difference for person who doesn't not afraid to gets hands dirty and scratched.
Have to send those for deep cleaning in December 2022 and they are smother than new.
 
wlewisiii said:
I have a Seiko 5. Mechanical movement. Automatic winding. $114 with tax and shipping. I'm more than satisfied :)
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I have the same watch, minus the steel bracelet. It's a great knock-around watch for daily use.

One of the cool things about the world of watches is that there are neat and interesting watches to be had at every price point. From $100, to $1000, to $10,000, to $100,000 and even higher. And when you factor in vintage watches the opportunities are almost endless.

It's funny how cell phones have kinda taken us back to the days of pocket watches. You can even buy a case with chain for your Apple Watch that turns it into a pocket watch.
 
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