Jewelry

[JavaQueen]

Thanks

It was a chilly day and I was suffering from "cold wrist." LOL.

For those who like bling and those who like Croton watches, they have the TTV for Tuesday night.

It's the newest generation of the Balliamo watch.

Japanese quartz and Austrian crystals, I think. They used to have Swiss movements (auto) with CZs. I don't think they ever did it with diamonds.

This will be the TTV because they have posted it on instagram.

644-406.  No reduction yet.

Whether 36mm, 39mm or 44mm, that would alwys be too much bling for me. I think I had one pave dial and it was a modest 30mm. That was in diamonds, sapphire crystal and rhodium plating. I think I wear it to parties and the opera. Otherwise, I have come to realize that I never wear those knds of watches.

I am posting just in case there might be someone out there that would want it. Croton has brought out a lot of women's pieces for this watch discovery month. Some of them have sapphire crystals and Swiss movements. They always had that very classic look to them.

[Lavenderjunkie]

Thanks,  Java.  I was just going to post about the Croton.

I have a fairly large collection of Croton watches,  collected over the years.  And they have held up very, very well.  Most are classic,  timeless pieces.  But even my less expensive watches have been very reliable.

I've noticed that bling is back in ladies watches.   Of course,  very few diamond pieces, due to price. A few of the higher end brands at Basel featured very ornate woman's watches.   But many of the mid and lower priced  brands are doing lots of watches with crystals.   And I'm seeing more and more of them on wrists.  Most are not my taste,  and I'm sure a lot of what I see walking around are very inexpensive fashsion pieces.  But bling is back for sure.   Now we all have to dig out our diamond watches and give them more wrist time.

[Lavenderjunkie]

Tonight, Tuesday,  the round Lupah diver is a once only for under $70.  643 802  Very tempting.  I have the original version of this watch and I've enjoyed wearing it over the years.  Current version has different movment, etc,  but it's a nice look, mop dial, and a choice of colorful leather straps.

[aubnwa01]

LJ, I've never seen a Lupah Diver before, but I like it.  I ordered the black strap version, which looked to be sold out, but it says it's supposed to arrive May 25th, so must be their variation of waitlist/advance order.  I was going to order the blue strap version, but then I noticed the black said Almost Gone & not Sold Out, so I got that instead.

ETA: Thanks for the heads up.... aub

[aubnwa01]

I don't own any Croton watches, but I don't see anything right now that's speaking to me.  That blingy Balliamo is pretty, but I don't know where I'd ever wear something like that.  Maybe, if I lived in Las Vegas or had a lifestyle where I dressed up to attend formal events, but I just don't.

[JavaQueen]

My thought exactly. They are practically throwing them out the door.  Very pretty, but where do you wear it? These are brass also.  I guess it's OK if it's just for dress. I thought the crystal was cool.

Some of the other watches are brass or lack WR, so you have to keep your eyes open. They did have two very lovely Swiss movement pieces. Very classic. I am now back in the NBZ.

[Lavenderjunkie]

aubnwa:  congrats on the Lupah diver.  I wanted to order one,  but I couldn't justify any of the strap colors.... I have orange strap watches, and black strap watches,  and my original Lupah divers have a blue strap and another a pink strap.  Convinced me,  I didn't need another one.

Java: I thought the Croton TTV was really nicely done.  If I didn't have those diamond Renatos to wear,  I would have ordered the Balliamo.  Those crystals looked clear and bright and well set.... better than most of the diamond watches we see these days.  And I liked the way the watch crystal was faceted and the bracelet was textured.

I think this is the kind of watch you wear all dressed up,  or anytime you want to make a statement with an all solid color outfit.  I can see it with all black and a black leather jacket.

I also loved the baguette crystal flower watch with the 3 straps.  That fluted, multi level bezel was beautiful.   I admit,  I saw this watch in person,  and it's stunning.  A dress watch for sure, but really well done.

Most of my Croton collection is made up of classic watches,  both men's (when they were under 40mm) and women's sizes.  And I'm lucky to have a few all gold pieces in the collection too.  Over the years I've found that my Croton watches hold up well.... both the bracelets and the movements.  And that been true on the higher end pieces and on the fashion watches.  I never had a problem with their gold plating,  even when I wore the watches frequently when my collection was much smaller.

Glad to see they are still offering a lifetime warranty on the movements and extra links if you need them.   I've always gotten really good CS from Croton.

[Lavenderjunkie]

They got me with the OTOs.... GT Russian Diver with abalone dial and rosetone GU SAN III.  And I found some 15% off coupons by searching the web.  I can't resist a great sale price.

I know Java loves the RD,  so I'm blaming that one on her.  As for the other....just insanity.

[JavaQueen]

Hi LavJ,

So happy to oblige!  Hope you enjoy. I am firmly in the NBZ, so I am not even tempted.

I am wearing my RD as I type.  I know I paid more, but at the time I was recovering from surgery and wanted it. Those special codes hadn't started yet, and then I instinctively thought that yes, I would be paying more, but it wasn't the full price.

. I am not going to lose sleep over it. It's not like paying $800 for a watch and then they cut it to $400. That happened to me once.  

Nice little deals here though. 

The only really great deal that I have had recently was Wing's watch. They threw in the gift box with that one. That almost should never have been $89. It was every bit as good as the Invicta's selling $40 more as a special value. Nothing cheap about it; that 40mm watch sells for nearly $300 on the Aragon site.

Unfortunately, that watch is limited in sizing. If your wrist is within average range, it will fit. It doesn't fit the tiny or large wristed folk.

The gemstone SANI auto and SAN2 were good deals also, but I think the Wing watch was a better value, because it was priced at a fraction of the other two, yet still had great value for the price: WR of 20 ATM and build quality. The others are great because they are Subaquas with fantastic WR and great build. Plus, the SANI auto is pretty. But then we are comparing $100 vs. $225 vs $250.

On a silly note: I figured out how jena knows how many watches are left. You just act like you are purchasing a watch and then bump up the counter. until you get the little checkmark and the note saying the item is not available.  LOL. There are literally  4 of each of the hydros. Or something like that.

Tomorrow is May 1. I will try to start the thread tonight.

[Lavenderjunkie]

Java:  I'm going back into the NBZ,  just as soon as I check the line up for tonight's shows.    You are right,  we can't look back on earlier purchases... prices change... sometimes we scored,  sometimes it was just a very decent price,  and sometimes we wish we had waited.  As long as we enjoy our prior purchases,  we should obsess over the prices.  It seems the only prices I remember are for the watches that over time aren't giving me much joy,  so I feel I over paid for them.