I need your opinion

 

Over the years, I’ve spent a great deal of time collecting railway pocket watches. The collection contains between 400-500 individual timepieces. Covering mainly Australian and Japanese issued watches, which were in actual use, as official watches by their respective national railways. It all started as some harmless fun, until it become a passion. Eventually, the collection took a life of it’s own, presenting a ‘snapshot of an era’. But as the collection grew, it become obvious that the historical value as a lot exceeded the value of the individual pieces. My original intention was to continue collecting – until the day I would retire, and then write a book with the intention to not just preserve, but to encourage watch collectors to build on it and take the research to the next level. Unfortunately, as the watchmaking and manufacturing sides to the business grow, there is no longer any time for further research and expansion of the existing collection. The question is simple: what should I do? Here are a few options: 1.  To do nothing, put all watches in a container, seal them and let them be discovered one day when I am gone. The collection remains intact, and research / historical data is preserved. 2.  To sell the whole lot, to one person who has a passion to continue the project. 3.  To sell them individually, one by one. Difficult, time consuming, which would require weeks of work. Collection broken up, but proceedings of sale could be invested in advancing NH watchmaking projects. What would you suggest? Is there a fourth option? As with any collection, some pieces are basic, others extremely rare with significant investment potential; some are ready to be worn, others would require a complete overhaul. At this stage, I have absolutely no idea what the total value would be. Not even the final count, so please don’t ask for details. Thank you for your feedback.

Holding two opposing ideas

 

Yesterday, in the midst of the madness created by the release of Seiko Resin, as the phone was literally melting down and while emails were pouring in, a remark by a subscriber caught me by surprise: "Seriously, how low can you really go? $299? Would there be a $99 Seiko next week?" The broader context of this insult hinges on two points: am I really a watchmaker of the reputation I claim to be, and is this Seiko anything more than cheap junk? One thing that separates humans and monkeys is the power of imagination. Imagination is the ability to form mental images; the ability of the mind to build mental scenes, objects or events that do not exist, are not present, or have not happened in the past - or those which will not happen in future. Imagination based on facts is reality, and non factual imagination is just a speculative fiction. It is up to each one of us to strike the balance between the two. In other words: if I find pleasure in selling affordable watches, then that is really just my business and no one else's. Cheap and expensive are just constructs of our imagination. As someone said, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." So yes, intelligent people can find enjoyment in both cheap and expensive, affordable and exclusive, mass-produced and masterpieces. Because they are intelligent enough to tell the difference between the two.

Yesterday, while we were selling the cool and affordable Seiko, we also bought a wonderfully exciting 1880 single pusher chronograph pocket watch by Nicole Nielsen which is now undergoing a complete restoration. "The high regard in which some of the best watchmakers in London were held is due, in large part, to the work of 'Nicole Nielsen' (Charles Nicole & Emil Nielsen). They could make watches with any escapement and had the ability to supply calendar, chronograph and repeating watches, as well as special complications including tourbillons of the highest quality. In short, Nicole Nielsen's watches are superb." Minutes later, completely unexpectedly, we acquired a collection of 32 Omega railway pocket watches issued to NSW rail - a historically important find. As well as an extremely fine 1950 Omega bumper in completely original condition. Plus Another six vintage Omegas. And on top of that, 18 modern watches, to be listed over the next couple of days.

We can go low, we can go high, and either is fun. Almost forgot: there is a parcel from Seiko on it's way too.

Widelux: A Space Odyssey

The 60’s was the golden age of space. As man crept closer to venturing out into the unknown, people began to contemplate our place among the stars and what the future of space travel would look like; it was a question that many people, far and wide pondered. Probably one of the most influential pieces of media from the time (apart from the moon landing itself) was a film which has now been cherished and loved by many for over 50 years; not only for its visual spectacle, but its technical achievements too. Of course this movie is none other than 2001: A Space Odyssey. While being one of the most influential film directors of all time, Stanley Kubrick was also a prolific photographer whose images spanned almost his entire life. He also prided himself on his knowledge of cameras, so it was an obvious choice when shooting with super wide angle lenses on Super Panavision 70mm film cameras for production the of 2001, to take set photos on the Panon Widelux.

A Widelux pictured next to a photo taken by Kubrick (featured in the book - 'Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures') of the production of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Why the Widelux?  Because of the Widelux’s swivelling lens design moving across the film to capture a large field of view, instead of creating a normal ‘flat’ perspective, it creates a unique ‘bowing’ effect on the vertical lines in the image - without heavy distortion. The result: it gives the same look and feel as the wide angle shots from the cinema lenses being used on the film, but in a ‘compact’ format. To do this on a regular 35mm format camera you would need an enormous fish eye lens or super expensive and impractical anamorphic lenses and even then, the image quality wouldn’t be the same. But with the Widelux, Kubrick could take photos on the same colour negative film as the Panavision cinema cameras, with almost the same frame sizing and resolution he would get from the 65mm motion picture film, and then develop and inspect the image much quicker than developing motion picture film reels - and if you know anything about filmmaking, time is the most valuable currency.

I consider myself somewhat a movie buff and will take any opportunity I can to watch a film in the cinema rather than at home, even going to the lengths of waiting years for a cinematic release of an old film. Possibly one of my most anticipated was Kubrick’s 2001, regarded as a ‘masterpiece’ by many. So when Hayden Orpheum theatre announced they were doing a 70mm film screening of the film last Saturday, I jumped at the chance.  In anticipation I had spent the day shooting on the Panon Widelux F6B, because what better camera to use before seeing 2001 than the same one Kubrick used while directing the movie - here are some of the images that came out of the camera.

-a shot of Sydney's two greatest monuments usually extremely difficult to get, made easy with the Widelux F6B listed below.

By the time I had wrapped up for the day, nearing the start of the screening of 2001; I decided to go, camera in hand.  While sitting in the theatre waiting for the film to start, one moviegoer had curiosity get the better of him and asked me about the Widelux - still perched around my neck. “I collect vintage cameras but I’ve never seen anything like that, what is that?”. I told him the brief history about NASA modifying one for the Gemini missions, Kubrick using it to shoot set photos on 2001, how the PANON factory burnt down which led to their demise and that it shoots in a wide angle ‘scope’ similar to that shown in 2001. I could see the excitement in his eyes as he was processing all of this, the same excitement I felt when learning about the rich history of this camera. “Wow, I think you’ve just started my new obsession”. He chuckled.  And I think that perfectly sums up a camera like this; not only is it eye-catching, an absolute joy to shoot on and a unique and rare camera (with an awesome story); but you won’t know you need one until you learn its story and pick one up for the first time. After that - there’s not turning back.  - Michael On todays offer:

K7735 - Widelux F6B  Widelux F6B - Manufactured circa 1970 35 mm - wide format Fixed 26mm Lux Lens f2.8 - f11 Mechanical shutter - up to 1/250 1 of 2000 made Comes with original box, papers and leather case.  Overall condition: 9.5/10

The return of the Nikon S3

On today's offer we have a superb condition S3. It is in such fine condition that you’d wonder if it was ever even touched before, with the shutter protection also still in place. All of the surfaces and finishes are absolutely perfect. This is an entirely mechanical camera hand assembled in Japan and it looks like it's straight off the production line all the way back in 2000.

K7650 - Nikon S3 Y2K  Nikon S3 Year 2000 Millennium Model Number of units produced: Approx. 8,000 35mm coupled rangefinder focal-plane shutter camera Nikon S Mount Mechanical rubberised silk cloth focal-plane shutter speed up to 1/1000 Nikkor-S 50 mm f/1.4, lens cap, and lens hood Manual aperture adjustment from F1.4 to F16  Comes as a full set with original box, papers, it also comes with the original leather case and box.  Overall condition: 9.9/10; unused.

The more you delve into the rich history of Nikon and discover all the incredible stories of manufacturing advancements, triumphs over competition, and how they were used countless times to capture history in the making, the more you gain a greater appreciation of not only the company, but what they have done to bring us to the point we are at today - A pocket sized, super complex image capturing device conveniently on our smartphones. Nikon was one of the main companies that paved the way to modern camera technology, but in the late 90’s, when film camera development almost entirely ceased, they had the crazy idea to remake a camera from their history books, the S3. If you haven’t already read the story of Nikon painstakingly remaking this S3 for the year 2000, I highly recommend checking it out here: http://nickhacko.blogspot.com/2021/05/they-dont-make-them-like-they-used-to.html

A once in a lifetime...

Once in a brand's life does a defining product come around, an iconic product that stands at the top of all the company's products without debate; think Rolex Submariner, Omega Speedmaster, Audi R8, Apple iPhone, or the Big-Mac. While all of the examples I gave are still being made today, Nikon's ‘most iconic product’ ceased production in 2001, despite being superseded by later models in 1988 and 1996. This camera is known as the Nikon F3.  Straight off the bat when Nikon began to develop the F3 in the early 70’s, they brought two superpowers together to develop this camera, a daring partnership from opposite ends of the globe. The first, a little old research facility known for their technological and research achievements in space, known as NASA. The second, an Italian designer best known for designing possibly the most iconic car of all time - the DMC DeLorean, and the Seiko 7A28-7000 seen on Sigourney Weaver's wrist in ‘Alien’ - none other than Giorgetto Giugiaro. The result: A NASA developed, Italian designed, Japanese built machine, which is as gorgeous as it is a reliable powerhouse.  Why would NASA want to involve themselves in developing a silly consumer camera? Well because it was the official camera of the space shuttle missions and the camera that marked the start of Nikon's official development partnership with NASA, still in place to this day. Interestingly, the main photo used commonly to depict an ‘Astronaut’; a photo of Bruce McCandless doing the first untethered spacewalk, shows the Nikon F3 mounted to the MMU (Manned Maneuvering Unit) protected by a thermal blanket.

The camera was famous not only for its extra-terrestrial endeavours but also its photojournalism. Famous Vietnam war photographer Eddie Adams was an avid fan of the F3 and had the clever advertising catchphrase ‘going to war with any other camera would be taking a risk’. A powerful statement that lives up to the F3’s reputation of reliability and robustness.  Nikon is extremely proud of the F3; so proud in fact that it is the only camera model to feature its own wall in the Nikon Museum in Tokyo, Japan. Check it out here in this 'JapanCameraHunter' video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nBnvFuXa38&t=302s

It’s not hard to see why Nikon would be proud of this camera, historic achievements aside; this camera is a machine to be reckoned with. The chassis is machined from a solid block of steel with everything else built and assembled meticulously on top of this sturdy structure. Picking it up, you’re instantly greeted with something that is extremely rare in today's world, the feeling of metal, not plastic. This thing is so solid it could be used as a weapon in the wrong hands.

Despite that, the best thing about this camera isn’t its solid build, iconic history, or even technical features. The best thing is the fact it looks exactly like if an Italian automobile designer made a camera - it is stunning. The almost entirely black design has one bold display of colour, the thin red line running along the length of the grip; a design feature introduced with this camera that is still used by Nikon in their modern digital cameras.

If you’re a serious Nikon collector or enthusiast - then the F3 is a must-have in your collection.  On offer today is an unused Nikon F3 Limited, a model only released for the Japanese market in October 1993. It is the smallest batch of ‘regular’ F3’s made by Nikon, with production estimated at 2000 sets. It comes with a unique serial number with an ‘L’ in front of it as well as the word ‘Limited’ engraved next to the F3 symbol on the front of the camera. This set comes as a full set and is the closest to brand new condition you will find, with the shutter protection still intact.

K7652 - Nikon F3 Limited    Nikon F3 Body with unique serial number and ‘Limited’ engraving 35mm SLR  Nikon F mount Mechanical shutter - up to 1/2000 Estimated 1 of only 2000 made Released in 1993 Comes as a full set with original box, papers and strap.  Overall condition: 9.9/10 - unused