# The challenges of being a female watch collector...the "little lady" syndrome



## LauraLovesWatches

Dear Ladies,

Do you experience a "lost" feeling on watch collection forums? A quiet "ladies" section and many brand forums that don't fit a ladies interests? Vintage ladies watches are clearly a different scale from men's watches. Brand specific threads are often near exclusive to men's watches. Starting a thread on the brand thread for a ladies model...well....crickets. Or a polite "I don't know about the ladies watches". Ladies threads are very quiet, with every possible interest crammed into "ladies", or a place for men to get a female perspective on a watch purchase for the Mrs. It feels like a sandbox where the little ladies can occupy themselves. It can feel patronizing. I like looking at the men's watches too, and believe that the men have so many choices that I envy. I also envy the chat and participation rate.

So...noticing a problem (or maybe this is just me?) and not giving a solution is a lesson in futility, right? If this is a common issue and not just my perspective, what would help solve the problem? A female watch collectors site with a full spectrum of threads and interests? Are there even enough women who have this issue or collect watches? Invade the men's threads, and create mutiny while we chat about our X branded MOP dials with diamonds? Same brand, different conversations.

I don't have an answer. Would welcome perspectives. I would welcome ideas. Ladies, what are your collection interests? Am I missing another hang-out thread?

FYI - I am new here, but spent several years active on a different forum under a different name. At that time there were ladies who contributed. I dropped out of collecting for a while, and then went back - it was a ghost town on the ladies thread. I then found this forum. 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.


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## SunnyOrange

Hi, Laura,

Again great thread and all well spotted. Unfortunately, Ladies' forum is kind of neglected. I believe it is due to less number of Ladies who participate. Automatically, it gets less interest.

I'm into watches for a quite a while, but mostly vintage, as I got them from my parents; I don't know much about contemporary watches, but I follow different threads here, I notice them, and I always learn.

We must admit that people who have greatest knowledge in watches, are mostly men. They know less about Ladies' watches, but still they can provide answer, if we ask them.
This is why I spend much time in Vintage & Pocket watches forum, I really enjoy what I can see and learn there.

I hope each one of you feels welcomed, but often, expressing your opinion about something can show the unpleasant side of some members.

Another thing I have noticed, there is some kind of 'struggle', for a Lady to prove herself here, to search for her own space here, to let everyone know that we have equal rights to participate and contribute. Majority of men are more than nice and they support the growth of female members. However, my experiences weren't always the best.

You may ask why I didn't always have the best experiences; it's because I like to express my opinion as it is, no matter if it's opposed to all. This can lead others to describe you as a 'troll', and to survive consequences in a form of unpleasant treatment and language. I like diversity, and I have never abused the fact that I'm a minority here, and therefore expected some kind of 'better' treatment . On a contrary. But, people have to be aware that we are different, we _think_ different, we see things differently. Diversity should be welcomed, keeping the manners and nice behaviour.

Laura, I think there actually aren't many solutions to what you pointed out; the best would be to find the way to attract more Ladies, and get more activity in this forum. The remaining option is to take part in all the other forums where you can find something that can interest you, including Ladies' watch forum. This is the truth we must face, because women are much less into watches than men.
We can only hope that more Ladies will join us here in the future. 

Regards,

Mimi


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## katfromTN

Hi Laura, there’s definitely truth to what you say but from my experience women really are not into forums like men are so there’s just not a lot of us here. Forums in general just don’t get the same feedback these days as they did in the past. If you’re looking for more female members I would suggest looking into one of the Facebook groups such as UGWC where there are several active female members such as myself that post quite frequently. 

I don’t know what the answer you might be looking for is. I have an understanding that being a female, I’m a minority with this hobby and I’m ok with that. I converse mostly with men on a daily basis about watches through FB or Instagram and again, it doesn’t really bother me. I can refer you to some FB groups that have quite a few female members but even with those groups, a lot of the females are still not quite as active as the guys.

I’ve had mostly great dealings here with all of the members I’ve come to talk to. I’ve bought and sold countless times to guy members here and they’ve all been lovely to deal with. I personally don’t have a huge interest myself with ladies watches, as most of my collection are men’s watches I guess. Or at least not marketed to ladies anyway. I buy what fits my wrist and my style and most ladies watches, besides vintage, are too bedazzled for me anyway. 

I hope I’m not coming across as too blunt but I just think there’s just not enough of us gals on here to start a new forum for ladies unfortunately. I think your best bet would be on social media as I find there’s more people in general that participate there than here. 

All the best, 
Kat


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## KCZ

I've been on this forum for about ten years, incl. several as a lurker before joining. I haven't found any other forums that seriously discuss women's watches like this one does...most others are more focused on watches as fashion accessories. (I don't do FB or IG so I can't comment on those.)

When I came here, there were a few women who were really enthusiastic and kept the forum going solely by their participation. Several had post counts well into the thousands. After a few years, they disappeared, but the new participation rate since then has never equaled the attrition rate. We seem to get a lot of new members who come to ask a question, then never return after that questione is answered. 

There just isn't a critical mass of members here to have a really active Ladies forum. Unless there's a way for this forum to attract (and retain) new members, I don't think things are going to change much. I don't think we could start a new forum limited to ladies' watches (or watches worn by women) and expect it to flourish.


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## Sussa

I mostly hang out in the Affordable forum. There's a breadth in the style and brands discussed and folks are pretty easygoing. As much as I like knowing that there are other women collectors out there, I feel more of a connection with people whose collections mirror mine. My collection is eclectic to say the least, with only one watch that's even marketed as a ladies' model. I go where the microbrands are, where quirky Russian watches are discussed, and where modders are welcome because that represents my interests. 

Around the other forums, I do get a little frustrated that 1) you're assumed to be male unless otherwise stated and 2) any thread asking for recommendations for a women's mechanical watch will immediately be met with "Are you sure she wants mechanical? Women prefer quartz." But I work in IT and am a hobby woodworker, so hanging out in mostly male environments with low-key sexism is status quo. I don't see a solution here, other than persistence. Given the number of threads asking for recommendations for a wife/girlfriend, I'm inclined to believe that the men here are passionate enough about watches to want to learn what's available for women but have been too focused on their own collections to look around. So yeah, pop into any thread with your MOP and diamond dial and be confident that you do belong.


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## LauraLovesWatches

Mimi - thank you for your reply. First, I have felt VERY welcomed in the threads, the forums, and especially here with the ladies. 
Guess my frustration was pretty evident. Ladies watches are great, but they are as alike as all the men's watches from each forum catagory. I left out the part of how thankful I am this resource is here.

_"I'm a minority here, and therefore expected some kind of 'better' treatment. On a contrary. But, people have to be aware that we are different, we think different, we see things differently. Diversity should be welcomed, keeping the manners and nice behaviour. "_ Boy, you can say THAT again  I think we are a little unusual in the population. I am probably too sensitive on the subject. I worked in hardware stores for years. Had so many calls that said "let me talk to one of the men". I even had a lady throw L brackets at me one day because she wanted a man to serve her. My interst in watches are based in admiration for the mechanical as much as the design and beauty and utility.

My next watch trick I hope to perform - I want to learn to service my own watches. They say only a fool or a watchmaker should take the back off a watch. We'll see how this works out. I could be a fool. I have a few older movements around the house.

I agree with you, let's hope for more ladies.


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## LauraLovesWatches

Hi Kat,

Thank you. I just applied to join UGWC. That may help with the watch bug. Looks like a nice group and I have watched some of his videos. 

I appreciate your take on the female collector challenges. I agree, there are not enough of us to populate an active forum. And so many women collect for different reasons. I appreciate your thoughts, Kat. Very glad to know why you're here and what your interested in collecting.


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## KCZ

LauraLovesWatches said:


> My next watch trick I hope to perform - I want to learn to service my own watches. They say only a fool or a watchmaker should take the back off a watch. We'll see how this works out. I could be a fool. I have a few older movements around the house.


My parents gave me my first watch when I was about eight. After I'd had it for 3 days, I decided I just had to know how it worked and took it apart, without being able to put it back together, of course. That experience made me very wary, but after realizing that the people changing my batteries mostly knew less than I could learn in 10 mins of googling and had far less concern for my watches than I did, I decided I could change my own batteries and adjust bracelets, at least in my inexpensive watches.


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## LauraLovesWatches

Hi KCZ,

You make a great point about the number of ladies on a watch forum. Unless something changes, like a movie about a lady watchmaker - I don't see them/us show up en masse and ready to talk watches. Hey - you know, that would make a good movie. Let me just throw this thread here: https://www.watchuseek.com/f2/famous-female-watchmakers-847557.html

I enjoy your posts very much. You have a knack of finding great options for the folks who come to the page looking for suggestions. I like to help/shop for watches too. The beginning post mentioned men showing up looking for help, like it was a bad thing. It's fun to help out. It was more a refrence to the posts by men for women and women for women is running about 50/50.


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## SunnyOrange

LauraLovesWatches said:


> Mimi - thank you for your reply. First, I have felt VERY welcomed in the threads, the forums, and especially here with the ladies.
> Guess my frustration was pretty evident. Ladies watches are great, but they are as alike as all the men's watches from each forum catagory. I left out the part of how thankful I am this resource is here.
> 
> _"I'm a minority here, and therefore expected some kind of 'better' treatment. On a contrary. But, people have to be aware that we are different, we think different, we see things differently. Diversity should be welcomed, keeping the manners and nice behaviour. "_ Boy, you can say THAT again  I think we are a little unusual in the population. I am probably too sensitive on the subject. I worked in hardware stores for years. Had so many calls that said "let me talk to one of the men". I even had a lady throw L brackets at me one day because she wanted a man to serve her. My interst in watches are based in admiration for the mechanical as much as the design and beauty and utility.
> 
> My next watch trick I hope to perform - I want to learn to service my own watches. They say only a fool or a watchmaker should take the back off a watch. We'll see how this works out. I could be a fool. I have a few older movements around the house.
> 
> I agree with you, let's hope for more ladies.


Hi Laura,

Sorry if my previous post 'breathed' with frustration, it all comes with the 'struggle' I was mentioning, in trying to get the point, to equally take part. 
Then sometimes a tolerant person doesn't always seem so tolerant, if you try to defend your views. The consequences are unpleasant experiences.
Another of my obstacles is the language, English isn't my native, but I try to express the best I can.
Communities here differ.
I have only nicest words for all the members in Vintage & Pocket watches forum.

I like that you mentioned sensitivity, it's something that is so present is us, but so little understood and so 'omitted'.

The struggle should always exist; insist on what you want to know, to learn, to show, to express. It may sound harsh, 'struggle', but this is what the reality is, in men's environment.

Servicing your own watches - great idea! For years I've been thinking about watchmaking, as I'm impressed with watch movements. But this is tough work, requires years of learning and many broken watches. :-s
I wish I had more time to dedicate to it...


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## LauraLovesWatches

Sussa said:


> I mostly hang out in the Affordable forum. There's a breadth in the style and brands discussed and folks are pretty easygoing. As much as I like knowing that there are other women collectors out there, I feel more of a connection with people whose collections mirror mine. My collection is eclectic to say the least, with only one watch that's even marketed as a ladies' model. I go where the microbrands are, where quirky Russian watches are discussed, and where modders are welcome because that represents my interests.
> 
> Around the other forums, I do get a little frustrated that 1) you're assumed to be male unless otherwise stated and 2) any thread asking for recommendations for a women's mechanical watch will immediately be met with "Are you sure she wants mechanical? Women prefer quartz." But I work in IT and am a hobby woodworker, so hanging out in mostly male environments with low-key sexism is status quo. I don't see a solution here, other than persistence. Given the number of threads asking for recommendations for a wife/girlfriend, I'm inclined to believe that the men here are passionate enough about watches to want to learn what's available for women but have been too focused on their own collections to look around. So yeah, pop into any thread with your MOP and diamond dial and be confident that you do belong.


Hi Sussa, Sorry it took me so long to respond. I like the Affordable Fourm too. Very busy and fun group. I just bought a Timex Fairfied after seeing it in a post. _"Are you sure she wants mechanical? Women prefer quartz."_ HA! That one always gets me, too. I'm IT too. Like playing with Excel formulas. I have dropped into a thread or two and dropped my watches on the brand threads  Laughed in a thread that asked what the smallest watch you wear. Showed up with a 16mm Titus. Oh well, I amuse myself.

I do love that them men want to share their passion with their ladies and want them to be happy. I support that behavior!


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## jkingrph

Now you ladies have gotten me interested. My parents have been deceased almost 20 years now, but my sister and I kept their house over in NE Louisiana, where we use for some small family gatherings and weekend getaways, I live in E. Texas and Sis over in W. Miss., and my son in Jackson, Miss, so it makes for a convenient meeting place. If I remember correctly one or two of mom's old watches are still in a dresser in the bedroom, so next time over I may pick them up and see if they still run and will get them serviced. The are of the small shape that ladies wore back in the 40's if I remember correctly, probably either Bulova or Elgin.


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## mrv

I think the best way to go if you're interested in watches, especially mechanical ones, is to find a good watch repair guy and get to know him. These people are usually watch enthusiasts, and would appreciate female's interest in 'serious' watches, not a cheapy 'fashion' type, because there are very few female watch collectors, as it was correctly stated earlier. Not all of them like to chat but some do, and they can give you recommendations, advice, and answer all your questions. When I started collecting watches, first I educated myself on the internet, so I wouldn't sound totally clueless, and then I found a great local watch repair guy who services them, change batteries, etc. You can read a lot on the internet on a history of watchmaking, how watches are made, how to spot fakes, your favorite brand, etc. But before that you'll need to decide for yourself what kind of watches you want to collect, and what is the purpose of your collecting, like is it to have watches with different functions? for different occasions? in different colors to match your outfits? or just to admire them in a jewelry box and rarely wear them? Or is it a sentimental value, like watches my parents had when I was a child? or whatever... And then there are also always questions of budget and time, because vintage mechanical watches will need more care than quartz ones that can get expensive really fast.


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## LauraLovesWatches

mrv said:


> I think the best way to go if you're interested in watches, especially mechanical ones, is to find a good watch repair guy and get to know him. These people are usually watch enthusiasts, and would appreciate female's interest in 'serious' watches, not a cheapy 'fashion' type, because there are very few female watch collectors, as it was correctly stated earlier. Not all of them like to chat but some do, and they can give you recommendations, advice, and answer all your questions. When I started collecting watches, first I educated myself on the internet, so I wouldn't sound totally clueless, and then I found a great local watch repair guy who services them, change batteries, etc. You can read a lot on the internet on a history of watchmaking, how watches are made, how to spot fakes, your favorite brand, etc. But before that you'll need to decide for yourself what kind of watches you want to collect, and what is the purpose of your collecting, like is it to have watches with different functions? for different occasions? in different colors to match your outfits? or just to admire them in a jewelry box and rarely wear them? Or is it a sentimental value, like watches my parents had when I was a child? or whatever... And then there are also always questions of budget and time, because vintage mechanical watches will need more care than quartz ones that can get expensive really fast.


My collection. All automatic or mechanical. Does not include a man's mid century Bucherer I have slated to go to the shop for a refurb. It's exciting! Only one of these. In the box: 2 Rados, 1 Tissot, 1 Fossil, Waltham, Hamilton, Boulova, Titus, Erima, Solar. I have been collecting for 15 years.









Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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## mrv

Very cool! I love Rado second from the right in the bottom row, they have this unmistakable case. 
And first from the left in the bottom row looks like Russian Chaika.


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## LauraLovesWatches

mrv said:


> Very cool! I love Rado second from the right in the bottom row, they have this unmistakable case.
> And first from the left in the bottom row looks like Russian Chaika.


Yes! You called it. A Russian Chaika watch. I'm impressed. It's not the most dependable watch, but it runs. The value keeps me from sending it in for repair.

I love that gold Rado. It makes me happy every time I wear it.


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## mrv

I have many Russian watches. I love them, they are very well made and beautiful, but not very practical being mechanical. I prefer quartz for everyday wear.


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## SunnyOrange

Great collection! :-!

Laura, I'm thinking that this thread can turn into some kind of our 'daily chat', to keep it active, and write our experiences and thoughts about watches.
I already see it got people interested! We will have more things to talk about, as other people keep joining.


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## SunnyOrange

jkingrph said:


> Now you ladies have gotten me interested. My parents have been deceased almost 20 years now, but my sister and I kept their house over in NE Louisiana, where we use for some small family gatherings and weekend getaways, I live in E. Texas and Sis over in W. Miss., and my son in Jackson, Miss, so it makes for a convenient meeting place. If I remember correctly one or two of mom's old watches are still in a dresser in the bedroom, so next time over I may pick them up and see if they still run and will get them serviced. The are of the small shape that ladies wore back in the 40's if I remember correctly, probably either Bulova or Elgin.


Hi!

We would be happy to see them, if you find the opportunity to post pictures of them. ;-)


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## LauraLovesWatches

SunnyOrange said:


> Great collection! :-!
> 
> Laura, I'm thinking that this thread can turn into some kind of our 'daily chat', to keep it active, and write our experiences and thoughts about watches.
> I already see it got people interested! We will have more things to talk about, as other people keep joining.


Let's do a daily chat...that's a good idea.

Also a collection thread: Show me your collection. I think we can show that a ladies collection might look like. Now I'm curious too!


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## LauraLovesWatches

Maybe a man's thread? - "What to get my wife?" 
Or write a sticky about women's watch tastes? Knowing her style, her curiosities? Have them start with a questionnaire of things that will help us give suggestions. 
Sometimes our dear WIS brothers struggle to fill up her wrist.


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## katfromTN

*The challenges of being a female watch collector...the "little lady" syndrome*



LauraLovesWatches said:


> Let's do a daily chat...that's a good idea.
> 
> Also a collection thread: Show me your collection. I think we can show that a ladies collection might look like. Now I'm curious too!


I love the idea of having a thread where we post our collections and how they may change over time.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## mrs_LA

Kat and KCZ are two of the most frequent posters around here - and two of the reasons why the ladies forum still has some form of engagement. I'll admit to being one who tried to participate and keep an active forum, but it's just too difficult and the lack of interaction solely in the ladies forum kind of makes it fall off the radar. There are surely more ladies like myself who simply don't participate because they're discouraged from a 'slow' forum. I think the best thing we can do to achieve this active participation is to continue to contribute. 

On another note.. Yes, I like the sound of a collection post! Mine comprise mostly of vintage watches given to me by my parents, particularly my dad's watches when he was much younger. Sizes back then for men are what we call 'mid-size' today. In my opinion, none of the current modern watch releases stand up to my current vintage collection, except the modern Rolex OP that I received from my parents as a graduation gift - this is purely because everything in my watch collection has a sentimental value. But yes, there is more to us than just our MOP dial with diamonds!


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## SunnyOrange

LauraLovesWatches said:


> Maybe a man's thread? - "What to get my wife?"
> Or write a sticky about women's watch tastes? Knowing her style, her curiosities? Have them start with a questionnaire of things that will help us give suggestions.
> Sometimes our dear WIS brothers struggle to fill up her wrist.


This is great idea, Laura!
Instead of frequently asking other men what watch they should buy to their girlfriends/wives, they should find their way to this forum and ask, since we are more familiar with female tastes.


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## SunnyOrange

mrv said:


> I think the best way to go if you're interested in watches, especially mechanical ones, is to find a good watch repair guy and get to know him. These people are usually watch enthusiasts, and would appreciate female's interest in 'serious' watches, not a cheapy 'fashion' type, because there are very few female watch collectors, as it was correctly stated earlier. Not all of them like to chat but some do, and they can give you recommendations, advice, and answer all your questions. When I started collecting watches, first I educated myself on the internet, so I wouldn't sound totally clueless, and then I found a great local watch repair guy who services them, change batteries, etc. You can read a lot on the internet on a history of watchmaking, how watches are made, how to spot fakes, your favorite brand, etc. But before that you'll need to decide for yourself what kind of watches you want to collect, *and what is the purpose of your collecting, like is it to have watches with different functions? for different occasions? in different colors to match your outfits? or just to admire them in a jewelry box and rarely wear them? Or is it a sentimental value, like watches my parents had when I was a child? or whatever... *And then there are also always questions of budget and time, because vintage mechanical watches will need more care than quartz ones that can get expensive really fast.


This is a very good advice.

I agree with bolded; it all depends on our requirements, which purpose watches need to fulfill. I see majority of watches in my collection as jewelry, especially those vintage, tiny ones, that need a loupe for checking the time. I admire their bracelets, but at the same time I love the brands, and always examine their movements.

But for one different occasion, as a long distance cyclist, I wear only quartz, mostly Swatch watches which I change all the time, as the battery lasts. These watches survived all kinds of temperatures, weather changes, and none disappointed me for now.


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## LauraLovesWatches

mrs_LA said:


> Kat and KCZ are two of the most frequent posters around here - and two of the reasons why the ladies forum still has some form of engagement. I'll admit to being one who tried to participate and keep an active forum, but it's just too difficult and the lack of interaction solely in the ladies forum kind of makes it fall off the radar. There are surely more ladies like myself who simply don't participate because they're discouraged from a 'slow' forum. I think the best thing we can do to achieve this active participation is to continue to contribute.
> 
> On another note.. Yes, I like the sound of a collection post! Mine comprise mostly of vintage watches given to me by my parents, particularly my dad's watches when he was much younger. Sizes back then for men are what we call 'mid-size' today. In my opinion, none of the current modern watch releases stand up to my current vintage collection, except the modern Rolex OP that I received from my parents as a graduation gift - this is purely because everything in my watch collection has a sentimental value. But yes, there is more to us than just our MOP dial with diamonds!


Hi Mrs_LA,

A shout out to the frequent and faithful posters of Watchuseek's Ladie's forum! Point well made for keeping content going.

I would love to see what you have collected. The Cartier tank you are sporting in the Daily thread is very beautiful. A Cartier tank is definately on my wish list.

I am so curious about other lady collectors, I am also very curious about why you love what you select, and the information you posted about WHY you love your watches is as important as the watches. Maybe this would help the thread grow, too. There is no single "right" way to do this. A collection thread may help ladies feel confident in their choices.

great post!


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## SilkeN

I think the problem still is we are just a few. A while ago I post here some of my ladies pocket watches just to start a discussion with other ladys what they think about them. No woman answered. Therefore I resumed: Here in this section no person excist who even has one thought about my watch treasures. Therefore I still post within the Vintage and Zenith section ladys watches as well. It works and I don't feel special or read disparing words about them. I feel accepted and I am happy about men and women who share the hobby. Of course they are nothing the mainy male "colllector pool" wear but they get discussed in a simular way than the others. Personal I think the gender of a collector makes no real difference but woman have often another perspective and taste. This enriches the collector's world. 
A few woman and a lot of differend watch themes, aeras and interests is hard for this section to be lively and colorful.


Cheers Silke


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## SunnyOrange

SilkeN said:


> I think the problem still is we are just a few. A while ago I post here some of my ladies pocket watches just to start a discussion with other ladys what they think about them. No woman answered. Therefore I resumed: Here in this section no person excist who even has one thought about my watch treasures. Therefore I still post within the Vintage and Zenith section ladys watches as well. It works and I don't feel special or read disparing words about them. I feel accepted and I am happy about men and women who share the hobby. Of course they are nothing the mainy male "colllector pool" wear but they get discussed in a simular way than the others. Personal I think the gender of a collector makes no real difference but woman have often another perspective and taste. This enriches the collector's world.
> A few woman and a lot of differend watch themes, aeras and interests is hard for this section to be lively and colorful.
> 
> Cheers Silke


You have a good point, Silke.

I have to say that I have never met someone knowing more about pocket watches than you, your knowledge is impressive.
Your Spring and Winter pocket watches (and not only them) are surely something that would be welcomed and admired here. After seeing them, I'm just amazed.

P.S. We can keep trying, as we take part in other forums, to post here, too.


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## SilkeN

Thank you for the compliments but in my pw world I'm a very smal light with a knowledgeabout a smal aera and region. I'll try to make a thread not for freaks but generally understandable with watches I really love. May be someone is interested to discus now. Please give me a little bis time. I've to think about the content and I really fight with the english language. 


Regards Silke


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## SunnyOrange

LauraLovesWatches said:


> Let's do a daily chat...that's a good idea.
> 
> Also a collection thread: Show me your collection. I think we can show that a ladies collection might look like. Now I'm curious too!


I took some of my watches today, I wish I could take picture outside, but the weather is cold and snow over 1m! 
They don't always turn out good, inside house atmosphere, but I thought it wouldn't be bad to try.

There are : few Junghans watches, Marvin, Raketa, Pobeda, Zarja, Cortebert, Swatch, Slava, Omikron, Rodania, Invicta, Lip, Ricoh, Eterna, Old England...









P.S. They are given to me by my parents, it's what my dad was buying, and all Ladies' watches he used to buy for my mom. Now being retired, they don't need them, so I took them.


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## SunnyOrange

SilkeN said:


> Thank you for the compliments but in my pw world I'm a very smal light with a knowledgeabout a smal aera and region. I'll try to make a thread not for freaks but generally understandable with watches I really love. May be someone is interested to discus now. Please give me a little bis time. *I've to think about the content and I really fight with the english language.
> *
> 
> Regards Silke


Oh, Silke, only people to who English isn't native language, know what struggle we go through... And how much time we need to write meaningful posts, with least possible mistakes.

Please don't rush, take your time for it, when suits you the best. I'm sure now, when we 'woke' the interest, it will be followed by many.


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## jkingrph

SunnyOrange said:


> Hi!
> 
> We would be happy to see them, if you find the opportunity to post pictures of them. ;-)


It may be a few months before I get back over there. My wife is getting over surgery on both feet for misshaped toes and I don't want to chance a long trip especially this time of year with her.


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## SunnyOrange

jkingrph said:


> It may be a few months before I get back over there. My wife is getting over surgery on both feet for misshaped toes and I don't want to chance a long trip especially this time of year with her.


No worries, if someday you can, no obligation.

Hope your wife recovers soon!


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## mrv

Here are some parts of my collection. I like Omega watches, especially Constellations, because they are so comfortable and very well made (the last 2 on the bottom are not Omegas, it's Concord and Raymond Weil). Now prices dropped and it's possible to buy a used Omega from the 90s for $200-$300 on eBay. The other photo are my costume watches with colored gemstones to match my outfits. They are very inexpensive but fun.


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## KCZ

I'm trying to catch up here...

I really like the ideas being thrown out. A daily chat thread and a collections thread would be great.

Silke and Mimi, your English is very good and very understandable. Please don't worry about it.

These collection photos are impressive. 

Mimi, those are only "some" of your watches? Do they all work? Do you wear them all? How do you store them? I have ~20 watches and almost no place to put any more.

mrv, your collection is equally impressive. Can you post a close-up of the Concord? They are rare on this forum. And I love your gemstone watches. Who are the manufacturers? Does the 4th from the right have opals?


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## mrv

Yes, these are some of my watches because I don't have time to take pictures of all of them. I used to collect Russian watches, I have about 100 of them but I don't wear them anymore because they are mechanical, and it's just not practical to set them up every time before wearing, it takes too much time. I also have maybe another dozen of other pretty costume watches.

I keep my watches in a jewelry box like this:

https://www.jewelrydisplay.com/js-4-4-drawer-jewelry-organizer

Mine is smaller in size, but it's the same idea. It can hold A LOT of watches. Smaller jewelry boxes can be inexpensively purchased in stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls, and you can remove the dividers inside to gain more space for watches. There are also similar boxes in jewelry supply stores but bigger.

All watches in my photos work, and I wear all of them. I also learned how to clean and polish/brush the cases and bracelets, so I keep them looking like new. Or sometimes I buy a really beat-up watch and restore it. It takes a lot of time and elbow grease, but it's a hobby. )

My gemstone watches are mostly from Mainline Time, Jules Jurgensen / Apropos, Gemtime, Aria and other costume brands that mainly used to be sold on QVC and other TV shopping channels. And yes, that is an opal watch from Jules Jurgensen - I think those were popular in the 80s-90s.

I don't have a picture of the Concord, it looks like this one:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/LOVELY-LAD...106175?hash=item1ef0b0527f:g:HroAAOSwFs1cEsVi

I also have 14K similar Concord, but I'm selling it now.


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## Shikyo

I rarely end up here for the simple fact that I usually browse the forum via the "New Posts" button. The activity levels are lower here thus I rarely end up seeing any posts from here. Thus I end up being everywhere else but here. However, now in my in the middle of the night smartness I subscribed to this forum specially. Maybe this will help me ended up here more often and help awakening this forum more. 

I jump in to the conversation when I feel like I can provide something for others or to gain more knowledge myself. I'm addicted to knowing more and more about watches and watchmaking. All of you who were thinking about venturing into watchmaking just do it. You just need patience, time and tools. You may fail, but you learn from each failure, so don't be afraid of them. Embrace them and use the failure to further progress you on your journey. 

As for collecting, I collect anything that catches my eye either for its history, looks or practicality. Latest catch was a first generation Citizen Navihawk.


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## mrv

I like to go to Omega forum, they have a sub-forum for spotting fakes. Some fakes are hilarious, and some are really good, I would have never guessed. I find it very informative, and since they don't know that I'm a woman by my name, they often call me "he". I find it amusing. ))


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## LauraLovesWatches

SunnyOrange said:


> I took some of my watches today, I wish I could take picture outside, but the weather is cold and snow over 1m!
> They don't always turn out good, inside house atmosphere, but I thought it wouldn't be bad to try.
> 
> There are : few Junghans watches, Marvin, Raketa, Pobeda, Zarja, Cortebert, Swatch, Slava, Omikron, Rodania, Invicta, Lip, Ricoh, Eterna, Old England...
> 
> View attachment 13721773
> 
> 
> P.S. They are given to me by my parents, it's what my dad was buying, and all Ladies' watches he used to buy for my mom. Now being retired, they don't need them, so I took them.


You have so many interesting watches, Mimi. Love the colorful men's dials. I know the name Marvin, Swatch, Omikron, Invicta, Ricoh, and Eterna. Many are new, and now I am very curious. Some of these are not sold or imported in the US. I am sure many US WIZ would know them - but I am still learning  Some of these names sound Russian (?).

You have 1 meter of snow ?!!!???, dear lady stay warm! 
Love your posts


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## LauraLovesWatches

SunnyOrange said:


> This is a very good advice.
> 
> I agree with bolded; it all depends on our requirements, which purpose watches need to fulfill. I see majority of watches in my collection as jewelry, especially those vintage, tiny ones, that need a loupe for checking the time. I admire their bracelets, but at the same time I love the brands, and always examine their movements.
> 
> *But for one different occasion, as a long distance cyclist, I wear only quartz, mostly Swatch watches which I change all the time, as the battery lasts. These watches survived all kinds of temperatures, weather changes, and none disappointed me for now*.


I love how much we are learning about each other


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## LauraLovesWatches

SilkeN said:


> I think the problem still is we are just a few. A while ago I post here some of my ladies pocket watches just to start a discussion with other ladys what they think about them. No woman answered. Therefore I resumed: Here in this section no person excist who even has one thought about my watch treasures. Therefore I still post within the Vintage and Zenith section ladys watches as well. It works and I don't feel special or read disparing words about them. I feel accepted and I am happy about men and women who share the hobby. Of course they are nothing the mainy male "colllector pool" wear but they get discussed in a simular way than the others. Personal I think the gender of a collector makes no real difference but woman have often another perspective and taste. This enriches the collector's world.
> A few woman and a lot of differend watch themes, aeras and interests is hard for this section to be lively and colorful.
> 
> Cheers Silke


Hi Silke,
Thank you for adding your thoughts. I agree that there are many simularities with the men. I have participated with the men's threads too. They have been wonderful. But I have been so curious about the other ladies who do this, and our motivations to collect. What makes us tick ? 

I agree though, having an active Ladies group is challenging for those reasons.


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## De Wolfe

An Instagram account dedicated to women watches would be an ideal place imo; its easier to get followers.

Generally speaking, forums are kinda of dead, only the top ones in their respective category are still active, though with lower active members compared to couple of years ago.


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## LauraLovesWatches

mrv said:


> I think the best way to go if you're interested in watches, especially mechanical ones, is to find a good watch repair guy and get to know him. These people are usually watch enthusiasts, and would appreciate female's interest in 'serious' watches, not a cheapy 'fashion' type, because there are very few female watch collectors, as it was correctly stated earlier. Not all of them like to chat but some do, and they can give you recommendations, advice, and answer all your questions. When I started collecting watches, first I educated myself on the internet, so I wouldn't sound totally clueless, and then I found a great local watch repair guy who services them, change batteries, etc. You can read a lot on the internet on a history of watchmaking, how watches are made, how to spot fakes, your favorite brand, etc. But before that you'll need to decide for yourself what kind of watches you want to collect, and what is the purpose of your collecting, like is it to have watches with different functions? for different occasions? in different colors to match your outfits? or just to admire them in a jewelry box and rarely wear them? Or is it a sentimental value, like watches my parents had when I was a child? or whatever... And then there are also always questions of budget and time, because vintage mechanical watches will need more care than quartz ones that can get expensive really fast.


This is great advice for a collector. I actually started out in a watch repair thread at another forum, long ago. I found it most interesting (and puzzling). The men were really wonderful and encouraging. I developed a website for thewatchtech, a hobbist I met at the other forum, and he serviced a few tiny movements for me. I am sure it gave him a headache (poor man, they were so tiny). This was years ago. Time went on and on the heels of some personal hardships, I had to let my best watches go. My attention went elsewhere. My biggest loss of that time was a Omega Ladymatic that he restored. I sold it to a collector in Japan.

I have learned the lesson about vintage the hard way. they are wonderful to have, but can be a challenge to keep serviced properly, if there are many.


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## SunnyOrange

KCZ said:


> I'm trying to catch up here...
> 
> I really like the ideas being thrown out. A daily chat thread and a collections thread would be great.
> 
> Silke and Mimi, your English is very good and very understandable. Please don't worry about it.
> 
> These collection photos are impressive.
> 
> Mimi, those are only "some" of your watches? Do they all work? Do you wear them all? How do you store them? I have ~20 watches and almost no place to put any more.
> 
> mrv, your collection is equally impressive. Can you post a close-up of the Concord? They are rare on this forum. And I love your gemstone watches. Who are the manufacturers? Does the 4th from the right have opals?


I like it too, it already attracted more Ladies here, and guys are also welcome! 
I noticed that after logging in, I first go to Ladies' forum, and this shows how more active it have become!

It's just a part of watches I like, I have many Men's watches which I took from my dad to examine and learn. Dad removed straps off, so he could easily store them in some wooden boxes which have glass cover above them (carpenter made it, following dad's desire and measurements). But he is primarily a clock collector. This number goes up to thousand...
I store mine in boxes, Danish cookie tin boxes, and smaller wooden boxes.


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## SunnyOrange

LauraLovesWatches said:


> You have so many interesting watches, Mimi. Love the colorful men's dials. I know the name Marvin, Swatch, Omikron, Invicta, Ricoh, and Eterna. Many are new, and now I am very curious. Some of these are not sold or imported in the US. I am sure many US WIZ would know them - but I am still learning  Some of these names sound Russian (?).
> 
> You have 1 meter of snow ?!!!???, dear lady stay warm!
> Love your posts


Hi, Laura!

They look good from afar, but many of them have visible 'trace of time', in form of scratches on glass and the case. I think most of them work, but majority need cleaning, but since I don't intend to wear all, I just keep them in collection, and don't wind them.
Only few quartz watches aren't tested yet, I don't have all sorts of batteries they need.

Russian ones are Slava, Pobeda, Zarja, Raketa. I have many Russian watches at dad's home.

Oh, snow is big here! We haven't expected it would fall so much. There was some problem with power, but it's ok now. 
I don't know if we make it to go to friend's birthday in nearby town...
_Update_ : on -11 not possible to go anywhere, unfortunately, all is frozen...


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## rodia77

Hello ladies, are guys allowed here? ;-)

@OP: Thank you for starting this thread. It literally was a few weeks ago when I had this thought 'hey, what's in the ladies' watch world, anyway?'. My angle was about how seriously (or trivially) manufacturers treated this segment -- I'd never heard of or seen horological breakthroughs there and I wasn't sure if it was because it's marginalised or if it was me not digging deep enough or looking at the right news. (Well, I did NOT dig deep, to be honest).

To your point about why you don't have a lot of presence and how to change it -- for me, just as someone up the thread mentioned, I also browse the forums by 'New Posts'. For this reason, I think it's an excellent idea to keep it as a day-to-day convo.

I don't really contribute to 'watch for a missus' threads when I see them, and I'm guilty as charged of looking at ladies' watches as fashion trinkets most of the time, and as I put it not that long ago:



rodia77 said:


> I'd be a lousy adviser when it comes to ladies watch style


but hey, I'm curious of what's going on and want to learn more. I find there's something fascinating about seeing your collections (the 'discover new territories' kind of fascinating) so if I may have a request, keep those pics coming. Cheers!


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## SunnyOrange

rodia77 said:


> Hello ladies, are guys allowed here? ;-)
> 
> @OP: Thank you for starting this thread. It literally was a few weeks ago when I had this thought 'hey, what's in the ladies' watch world, anyway?'. My angle was about how seriously (or trivially) manufacturers treated this segment -- I'd never heard of or seen horological breakthroughs there and I wasn't sure if it was because it's marginalised or if it was me not digging deep enough or looking at the right news. (Well, I did NOT dig deep, to be honest).
> 
> To your point about why you don't have a lot of presence and how to change it -- for me, just as someone up the thread mentioned, I also browse the forums by 'New Posts'. For this reason, I think it's an excellent idea to keep it as a day-to-day convo.
> 
> I don't really contribute to 'watch for a missus' threads when I see them, and I'm guilty as charged of looking at ladies' watches as fashion trinkets most of the time, and as I put it not that long ago:
> 
> but hey, I'm curious of what's going on and want to learn more. I find there's something fascinating about seeing your collections (the 'discover new territories' kind of fascinating) so if I may have a request, keep those pics coming. Cheers!


Hi, we are glad to see guys joining!

There certainly was a question why the forum was less visited, and what can we do to attract more people, both men and women. But I guess we didn't take much effort to change it (only few Ladies were regular here). Then Laura did just perfect job with this thread, asking for our opinions. Many Ladies responded, and we hope this is a driving force this forum needed, to be active.
Let's hope it stays like this in future!

Guys are more than welcome - I'm sure many of you will be curious to find out and learn more about something men usually know less - Ladies' watches. It may help them choose watches for their girlfriends/wives, and can be fun! 

P.S. Just not to forget one thing I had in mind - I've noticed few Ladies on WUS some time ago, they had very smart and impressive posts, but I just don't see them anymore... Hope they will show up again.


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## LauraLovesWatches

rodia77 said:


> Hello ladies, are guys allowed here? ;-)
> 
> @OP: Thank you for starting this thread. It literally was a few weeks ago when I had this thought 'hey, what's in the ladies' watch world, anyway?'. My angle was about how seriously (or trivially) manufacturers treated this segment -- I'd never heard of or seen horological breakthroughs there and I wasn't sure if it was because it's marginalised or if it was me not digging deep enough or looking at the right news. (Well, I did NOT dig deep, to be honest).
> 
> To your point about why you don't have a lot of presence and how to change it -- for me, just as someone up the thread mentioned, I also browse the forums by 'New Posts'. For this reason, I think it's an excellent idea to keep it as a day-to-day convo.
> 
> I don't really contribute to 'watch for a missus' threads when I see them, and I'm guilty as charged of looking at ladies' watches as fashion trinkets most of the time, and as I put it not that long ago:
> 
> but hey, I'm curious of what's going on and want to learn more. I find there's something fascinating about seeing your collections (the 'discover new territories' kind of fascinating) so if I may have a request, keep those pics coming. Cheers!


 Thank you for your thoughts, Rodia77. Thanks for dropping in. I am glad you enjoyed seeing our collections. I am learning too. First time I have really seen what other women collect, save the daily wear thread. I agree, we should keep the conversation going.

That reminds me to start a collection thread.


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## Samantha

Hi Ladies,
What a wonderful thread, thank you! I've been a member for some years, but as a moderator I've stayed mostly in the Watchmaking and Accutron, Bulova, and Caravelle forums. I'm so glad I came to this forum!  As a female, it can be difficult in the forums, especially with some perceptions that we don't know anything about watches or that there are not any females that enjoy watches like the men do. As a watchmaker, it took some time for others to realize that watchmakers are not just men! This will definitely be my first stop after taking care of my forums when I log in!  I will have to post some pictures of what I have collected.
Samantha


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## LauraLovesWatches

Samantha said:


> Hi Ladies,
> What a wonderful thread, thank you! I've been a member for some years, but as a moderator I've stayed mostly in the Watchmaking and Accutron, Bulova, and Caravelle forums. I'm so glad I came to this forum!  As a female, it can be difficult in the forums, especially with some perceptions that we don't know anything about watches or that there are not any females that enjoy watches like the men do. As a watchmaker, it took some time for others to realize that watchmakers are not just men! This will definitely be my first stop after taking care of my forums when I log in!  I will have to post some pictures of what I have collected.
> Samantha


Oh, delighted you came by Samantha! Seeing other ladies collections have been a treat. It will be so fun to see what a watch maker loves. That will be a great addition to the Ladies forum - Thank you! The watchmaking forum is very interesting. I have been lurking.


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## SunnyOrange

Samantha said:


> Hi Ladies,
> What a wonderful thread, thank you! I've been a member for some years, but as a moderator I've stayed mostly in the Watchmaking and Accutron, Bulova, and Caravelle forums. I'm so glad I came to this forum!  As a female, it can be difficult in the forums, especially with some perceptions that we don't know anything about watches or that there are not any females that enjoy watches like the men do. As a watchmaker, it took some time for others to realize that watchmakers are not just men! This will definitely be my first stop after taking care of my forums when I log in!  I will have to post some pictures of what I have collected.
> Samantha


We are very pleased to see more Ladies, Samantha, as we all usually spent more time in other forums, but with just little effort, it started to get more attention! We can share our interests here, and give some importance to Ladies' watches.



Samantha said:


> As a female, it can be difficult in the forums, especially with some perceptions that we don't know anything about watches or that there are not any females that enjoy watches like the men do.


This is the classical and untrue assumption made by men, but the example of us here _refute_ (right word, I hope) their assumptions. Especially you, as a professional watchmaker! (I just saw your profile, and I'm impressed ;-) ).
I intend to check Watchmaking forum more from now on, it's always fun to learn!


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## excelerater

the MFGs ,many dont even make a female version of the products which is a shame . 
So like my wife wants a new watch and the pickings are slim,you can find many shopping mall brands(tossot,citizen,seiko,Bulova etc)
and super high end brands but like these is no female divers or micro brands out there


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## LauraLovesWatches

excelerater said:


> the MFGs ,many dont even make a female version of the products which is a shame .
> So like my wife wants a new watch and the pickings are slim,you can find many shopping mall brands(tossot,citizen,seiko,Bulova etc)
> and super high end brands but like these is no female divers or micro brands out there


Truth. So we click on "men" instead of "ladies" and set the case size to whatever we like. You're right. No end to the cheap watches for ladies. Thanks for checking out the thread.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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## LauraLovesWatches

mrv said:


> Here are some parts of my collection. I like Omega watches, especially Constellations, because they are so comfortable and very well made (the last 2 on the bottom are not Omegas, it's Concord and Raymond Weil). Now prices dropped and it's possible to buy a used Omega from the 90s for $200-$300 on eBay. The other photo are my costume watches with colored gemstones to match my outfits. They are very inexpensive but fun.


Hi MRV, it took me a while to think of it, but would you share one/some wrist shots of your Constellations? I have never seen one on the wrist and am curious to see one. Thanks


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## mrv

I have a couple of pics - this is 23 mm Constellation Iris, and my wrists are pretty small (6 1/2").


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## Samantha

That is a very pretty watch mrv! 
Samantha


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## LauraLovesWatches

mrv said:


> I have a couple of pics - this is 23 mm Constellation Iris, and my wrists are pretty small (6 1/2").
> 
> View attachment 13771641
> 
> 
> View attachment 13771643


Oh my gosh, I am so sorry for the delay. Had a crazy day at the house with an emergency automotive situation with one of my kids. It looks great on you. That's a fun dial, too. I like bling. I appreciate the time to send the pictures over. Very kind of you to show a wrist shot. I am tempted to add one to the collection.


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## mrv

This is one of my favorite Constellations, I love rainbow colored gemstones with rose gold. I think I took these pictures when I got it, maybe like 6 years ago. This is the smaller Constellation version, 23 mm. I have a larger one 25 mm too with a different dial, it's not much larger. It looks great on a small wrist, very elegant, and feels super comfortable, no other watch compares.


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