Is the Memovox the most iconic watch ever made?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- Today we have a gorgeous 1952 LeCoultre Memovox on the bench, perhaps the most iconic watch ever made. Join Stian for a full service and repair of this living legend as we discuss the history of the Jaeger-LeCoultre brand. We'll also take a detour in the streets of Strasbourg and consider Bulgarian bean farmers' impact on global Methane emissions!
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bit.ly/3J8mX0u Polywatch
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bit.ly/3J6UND7 Bergeon tools
bit.ly/3X21iwL Horotec tools
bit.ly/3X2xiAU Chinese made watchmaking tools
bit.ly/3qFqgWk Digital microscope
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bit.ly/3qAAPtX Ultrasonic cleaning solution
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bit.ly/3P5EQR7 Demagnetizer
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Thanks for another great video with a gorgeous watch. I really enjoy your slow mo camera work, too.
I really love mechanical alarm watches. It's a shame there's not many modern ones, It's such a cool complication. I've got a Seiko Bellmatic and a Poljot alarm watch but would love to add one of these to the collection. Great video.
Yeah, alarm watches are very cool. I honestly think the alarm itself is much better in the Cricket and especially in the Bell-matic, but my own personal favorite watch is still a Memovox...
Stian, I'm fairly new to your channel and love watching you repair watches. Could you do a video one day of all the tools you have and explain the reasons for the tool and the costs of them? I was an electrician for 35 years and I was a tool junkie too. But I know I didn't spend as much as you have on the tools of your trade. Thank you.
I had the modern version, an Amvox 1 in Steel...I miss it terribly. That chime was so beautiful to wake up to. Great video, thanks for the inspiration to find another.
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*I’d call the Memovox one of the most innovative of all time, along with the Vulcain Cricket, BlancpaiN Fifty Fathoms, Rolex GMT Master and Zenith El Primero Chronomaster, all being cutting edge offerings in their day. As far as icons, representative of sales, uniqueness, popularity and market penetration, I’d say 3 lead the way: Rolex DateJust, Omega Speedmaster and the Seiko 5.*
It was very enjoyable again watching your expert work, Stian. Thank you. But apologize to your daughter!
I too had the opportunity to closely examine a later automatic version of a Memovox mounted in a one-piece case -- split stems, of course (male ends on the movement side). I was given the watch for examination by a lady who inherited it from her husband who passed away not that long ago. She thought it needed new batteries because it stopped running. Thankfully, after a full wind I found the watch to work perfectly on my time grapher, almost as well this one. It had been serviced by Tourneau, NYC not that long before. It took some time explaining to the lady how an alarm wristwatch works. I wish I could've bought it from her to add to my collection, but knowing its history and the emotional attachment, I never even asked.
Wow, that's a great story :) Would be nice indeed to secure that one! And I will apologize to my daughter as soon as she stops her flatulant misconduct 😎
I was very gratified to watch this well-presented document. I have my grandfather's edition of this watch. There are some differences. The "tuxedo" hour track on yours is a lighter, goldish shade than the darker minute track on mine. But like yours, and unlike later(?) editions, the hour and minute tracks are distinctly separate and contrast with the alarm 'carousel' (which is marked 'Wrist Alarm'). It is also branded as 'LeCoultre' without the 'Jaeger' moniker. Another difference is the back: It's 10K gold filled like the case and has six standard detents for a back removal tool. This watch was not working when I received it. I had it overhauled, and a new part was made for it. It keeps very good time. Thanks - I finally got to see what it's like inside - rather different than I expected.
Funny that you posted this just now. I just put one of those a side because I need to source a part for it. One of the sliding pinions had a couple of teeth broken off. And parts for this movement does not come cheap. Great video and work as usual. And yes, it is quite iconic.
You are a great dad and a great timepiece repair man. I was a draftsman, civil engineer. Property survey, home. Before that I was a light man for rock and roll band.
Cool!
masterclass:D i just love learning about the history aswell as learning by seeing:D
Beautiful and complex. Thanks for the video.
Well, I was going to ask about lubing the entry pallet stone on this particular watch. Thought there must be some esoteric reason. Then I sifted through the (many!) comments and found one other inquiring mind... Simple explanation.
Your work is simply superb.
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always worth watching.
Like Marshall you have a nice calm voice ,which beats the whole lot of rubbish on tv ,everybody’s screaming and shouting a showy display and full of violence and anger ,so nice to find you and your hobby relaxing , bless you stian
Thanks so much 😊
A very enjoyable and entertaining video, with superb narration!
Thank you for another enlightening video of your fine workmanship on this beautiful watch, the 1952 LeCoultre Memovox Do you work at night, sometimes? My daughter loves the peace and quiet of night to work on her timepieces, incidentally she finds watchmaking has vastly improved her OCD. Like me, she adores mechanical alarm watches, especially the very complicated movement of the Glashütte Original Senator Diary. All the very best and God bless you, Stian ~ Wendi UK 🌻
Stian, you are far and away my favorite TH-cam watchmaker. Your dry, sardonic humor and clear passion and appreciation for the watches you return to service is a delight to witness.I would like nothing better than to patronize your Patreon (or, better yet, your online store), but, unfortunately, I'm a man of limited means. I am, however, a proud husband, father and grandfather, and I'll take that trade-off any day.
If my economic reality ever improves, though, I would rather spend the money on one of your beautifully restored vintage timepieces than on a grossly over-hyped, overpriced modern Swiss watch that looks exactly like every other watch in the company's catalog and that I would be too terrified of scratching or having stolen to actually wear. What's the fun of having a watch that's too precious to wear?
Thanks so much for your comment and you would be welcome to my store at any time 😊
I spent most of my life working on or with machines, and machinery. Nothing as small as clocks or watches though, I find mechanical watches amazing, your craftsmanship is evident, and your commentary and humour much appreciated.
Thanks, Keith!
Its deffo up there!
Excellent. Thank you.
Thanks, great video and watch repair.
Every time I watch your videos I just want to become an amateur watch maker but then I realise how steady your hands are and I just wake up…
That's very cool to hear :) And my hands are actually not steady at all... They're shakier than most people's. But by supporting them on the desk, supporting one hand with the other etc, you can get around that 💪 So don't let that hold you back!
Excellent video and a nice piece 👍👍👍
Gorgeous watch! And the usual blend of expertise and entertainment. Thank You, Stian!
We’ll Stian that was another great restoration and unfortunately a little bit of trouble in paradise this week. Keep well from New Zealand 🇳🇿
Thanks Bruce! Paradise is still safe 😊
Great video. Always a pleasure watching. Thank you
Thanks Darryll!
Interesting watch but not the alarm tone I was expecting. Still, for 70 years old, it's survived remarkably well. Another timepiece lives to tick another day. Thanks for sharing, Stian.
Yeah, it's not that loud. The Cricket is very much louder. The newer Memovox versions with a chime have a nicer sound, imo.
Beautiful watch, and nice work. Thanks, and best to you, Stian.
Great close-up and slow motion, lovely work 😘
Thanks!
Excellent! I have a Poljot alarm watch. It's one of my favorite complications as it's so practical!
Once again a great video
A Beautiful Watch - Thankyou for sharing
Really enjoyed watching
Wow 😯 just wow …no words ,pure masterpiece !😊
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A beautiful watch. I love seeing your skills in use and your narration is always good too! Your knowledge of languages is also a wonder to a true man of the British Empire. In the British Empire it was only the Brits that couldn't speak more than one language ... so sad!
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Thank you again for an excellent video. I really enjoy the history information.
Great video.
Love the watch and the movement is exquisite. My restoration is a larger stainless version. And loud! Best wishes and thanks for your channel, Geoff
Another good job....thank you....ta ta
Nice one. I have the European automatic version from 1957, took me years to find a good one. Mine had been reconditioned by JLC complete with a list of work done. Straighten a bent horn, reshape the hands, replace one crown and solder the anvil pin to the case back. What the hell do people do to their luxury watches?
If I were asked which of my watches had the smoothest winding it would be this one despite being an automatic.
Keep ‘em coming Stian.
The alarm pin in the case back actually gets a pretty hard beating every time the alarm goes off. So it's not uncommon that it is damaged or even broken off.
Outstanding video thank you.
Amazing 😊
Fantastic job as always. One remark though, le courtre actually produced chronograph movements but they they for pocket watches and usually paired with repeater function as well.
Thanks for informing me!
Your work is amazing. I would love to know how you remember where everything goes when you put the watch back together - I think I would have bits left over 😂
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Alarm watches fun!
That seemed like a more complex rebuild than normal. But you didn't have any screws left over, so it's all good! The Bulgarian bean farmer will be pleased!
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nice video Mr.stian
Thanks, Ched 😊
Beautiful work. I’m glad you think watchmaking is glamorous (ha ha)
I can solve one mystery for you, Stian. Windows 7 was built on the NT kernel rather than using the legacy Windows kernel. After Windows NT 4.0, there was XP (5.0), Vista (6.0) and then 7.
Yes, but then my question to you would be why was there no NT 1 or 2? 😉 It's just a bit of fun with their messed up numbering scheme :)
@@VintageWatchServices NT 4.0 was a new version following Windows 3.1. It wasn’t until after 3.1 that the kernels were split - NT 4.0 and 95. The NT branch proved far more stable than the 9x branch, which had to continue to rely on MS-DOS to retain backwards compatibility.
Great work but would have like to have seen your polish and clean it more.
Started watching, paused and went and got mine. Mine is white and sliver dial, gold case.
Nice!
So, how is the work progressing so far? 😉
Bulgarian Bean Farmer! That's priceless!
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Yaaay!. My Memovox is finally here. Thanks, S!. Your channel is my favorite among watch repair videos.
But...I thought for sure your Memovox would have a Roamer-style case and be one of those front loaders where you have to remove the crystal or use that little air pump to blow it off. Admittedly, that's what I was hoping to see. They say "USE ALL-PROOF 1260 WRENCH" on the back. Why the two different cases?. Did the front loaders just come along later?. I see yours has the screw down ring like the old Accutrons.
I had a Lord Elgin from around the same era as your Memovox that had the dang "1260" case (Longines was bad for those except they read, "USE ALL-PROOF 1200 WRENCH").
I initially had a time figuring out what it was because the back is stainless, has nothing written on it, while the case is 10 KT RG. It looks like a snap back but is really a front loader.
I have one of these that I haven't attempted to work on yet, mine doesn't have the tuxedo dial though.
984 views and 181 likes? I think it should be 984 likes. Well edited with some family anecdotes that I’m sure your daughter will be pleased in 10 years time! 😂 It is on my bucket list to purchase a vintage watch from you, at some point. Nice watch that.
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As always Stian great work and narrative. Apparently flatulence is part of our every day ritual, keep the windows open😅😅. Greetings from Victoria Australia 🇦🇺
😁 Thanks, Peter!
Love that video Stian, you are no idiot!, that's for sure. If I had a request for a service on a special watch to me, where would I send it?. Thank you. Adrian
Thanks Adrian! If you can send me a mail at stian@vintagewatchservices.eu we can discuss there
Another quality and infomitive video. Thanks EVER SO VERY MUCH! Love your histories and back stories on the brands and how they came to be and went forward. When you were pulled over to Breakin the Law and your good wife called you an idiot, you should have responed with..You gotta another thing comin.....JP rules. Wish there was still music like that and like the music these vintage pieces make as well..Thanks again and keep it going. I appericiate it and I'm sure everyone else does as well!!!!
Thanks, Peter! 😁
@@VintageWatchServices peter?
@@davidhendricksgolfprofessi2321 Not sure where I got that from 😂 David, then :)
A pretty watch 🙂🙂
Lovely restoration Stian!! are the dial pips Radon? the look like it. really look forward to your uploads. Also when are you doing your review of the BHI distance learning video?
Hello Carl, yes, that is Radium. Thus it's not a watch you would want to wear every day and sleep with next to your mouth :) I'm awaiting some footage from the BHI people to incorporate in my video. So I'm not sure how long it will take but hopefully within a few weeks.
Stian, thank you very much for showing us this gem. After revealing to the entire internets the fatulencent tendencies of the female members of your family, I expect that this may be the last time that we hear from you and the Memovox will be a fitting way to remember you by. 😯
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I'm just not feeling that dial.... but it's interesting to see all kinds of watches, eh?
Excellent videos as always Stian. What is the grease you have used to lubricate the mainspring? Looks slightly thicker than hp-1300 perhaps. All the best.
Hello Mark, I use Moebius 8200 for the mainspring.
I have an automatic Memovox on my bench right now, awaiting my repair. I'm a bit scared to crack into it, as I've never worked on a mechanical alarm watch!
Step by step!
@@VintageWatchServices to make matters more complicated, it belongs to my employer, so I hope I don't make it worse. I shall do my best!
Beautiful watch made better, no doubt, by the camera work. Does the alarm wheel add any drag on the time keeping. i.e. how did they ensure that it keeps time when the alarm is set or not set?😅
Thanks Andy! The alarm wheel creates a little bit of drag but the train and mainspring is designed to compensate for it. So it shouldn't matter for the timekeeping.
Very nice and detailed video as always Stian! This watch was really beautiful and sort of useful even today cause that alarm vibration must be quite annoying and lasts for a fair amount of time. I have a question: How did old watchmakers know when a watch couldn't keep the time quite well without that electronic timegrapher you have there?
Cheers from Greece, Jim.
Hello Jim, to answer that you have to put yourself in the situation at the time you're thinking of. If you for instance mean watchmakers 100 years ago, you can imagine that in 1923 the society wasn't anywhere near as time pressured as it is today. Thus timing a watch to a few seconds off a day wasn't something anyone would ever require. The watchmaker would have a reference clock in his workshop which he set the watch to and then checked and adjusted it over a few days. A regulator clock could be as accurate as a chronometer watch today, but I'm pretty sure the watchmaker would say the watch they were working on was running fine if it was within maybe half a minute off per day. It would simply take too long to adjust a watch to within a couple of seconds and the customer wouldn't expect it.
I have an old wall mounted case with hooks in it presumably to hang pocket watches that are being timed after cleaning. It's about 2 X 3 feet by two inches. It's waiting to be hung in my office where some my larger pocket watches will be stored. I have no recollection where I acquired the thing.
I always pronounce Seiko like you do...nothing wrong with that...And Jäger I pronounce the German way too, naturally.
Love the channel dude. Have been going through your back catalogue of vids 😁 hours of entertainment. One thing I would like to see that I can recall seeing yet is how you get the balance spring back behind the index pin. Do you screw the the hairspring in first then put the spring behind the index or do you put the spring behind the index before screwing it back?
Thanks for watching! I generally try to put the hairspring in between the pins while placing the hairspring on the balance, but it can also be gently put there with your tweezers later if that doesn't really work.
@@VintageWatchServices thanks for the reply and thanks again for the awesome content.
who made the best screws for watches?
Hey, do you speak French? If you do, it's very cool. Speaking foreign languages is always a cool thing! *I just saw on the description of your channel that you are from Swiss. Hey, you are a foreigner as well. I've been struggling to learn English.
I'm not actually Swiss, I'm a Norwegian living in Switzerland. So yes, I do speak a few languages :)
Another gem. So my question for the day is, do you work off memory, your understanding of Watch design, photos or technical diagrams? Maybe it is all of the above. I know you put the screws back on chronographs but this watch was fairly complicated with the second alarm train.
Hello Paul, The layout of this watch is actually very straight forward once you understand how it works, much more so than for instance the Cricket or the AS 1475 imo.
Incase your interested Windows 7 was called Windows 7 because Windows Vista's program version was 6.0 and the expectation was for Windows 7 to be 7.0, but it subsequently ended up being 6.1 for compatibility reasons 🤣
Yeah, their numbering scheme is quite erratic :)
Super
Iv seen many watch repairs vidios but never see the repairers sign inside the watch the date and who did the repair ,like when you open a watch and look for the last repair mark inside , can we see your mark please , thanks
That's an old practice and I would never intentionally make marks in a watch
I'm surprised you had so much trouble getting the cannon pinion out. Because I know most watch repairers are body builders as a hobby. lol
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Well, the main issue was of course trying to limit the force I used so the whole movement wouldn't bend. 😎
@@VintageWatchServices Oh I know sir. I was kidding with as you always make witty remarks while you are repairing watches. Something I could never do because it takes an awful amount of skill with so many small parts. The precision you are able to accomplish that is amazing to me.
Wonderful watch, but definitely not the most iconic, far from it. BTW, love your content.
Why do main spring barrel lids have those two notches set 180 degrees apart? Wouldn't that introduce openings to allow dirt to enter and mess with the power of the spring?
Hello Philip, most barrel lids have only one notch, which is actually for inserting a screwdriver blade to open the barrel. This one has two since the mainspring has a T-shaped end which fits into the notch. It might make the barrel a bit more susceptible to dirt entering, indeed.
@@VintageWatchServices thank you so much for the reply! I guess i never thought of that being a screw driver opening method since all the watch makers i watch on here use the method of popping the lid off from the bottom pushing up on the barrel arbor.
I have one of these but the balance staff is broken. I'm looking for someone who will fix it. JLC didn't want to.
That's ridiculous by JLC. You can send me a mail to stian@vintagewatchservices.eu and we'll see how we can fix your watch.
Amazing! Thrilling! The feel good hit of the summer -- two thumbs up! Oh sorry, I meant really nice work Stian. On the brand pronunciation discussions, I like to go into high end watch stores and say "Jäger Le Culture" repeatedly just to see them cringe, it's free entertainment.
P.S. if your child needs an exorcism I know a great old priest/young priest duo that specialize in just this kinda of thing, just let me know.
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Hello,
I have two Rolex watch, both has some issues and I don’t know what going on with the Watch but they needed some TLC if you like to check and fixed for your next videos let me know what do you think if you want to take care my two Rolex Watch
Hello John, can you send me a mail at stian@vintagewatchservices.eu with some photos of your watches? Then we'll discuss there
The alarm in that watch kind of reminds me of a weak fart...lol...All jokes aside, nice watch!
Hello. How would you place the hands on for this watch if there is also a date function? I’m just finishing up a K911 and curious about hand placement with the date and alarm. Thanks!
You should have an alarm indicator, which you place at the point when the alarm starts ringing. The hour hand is placed at midnight when the date flips over as usual.
@@VintageWatchServices sorry I may not have asked that question correctly. The way you did it was you turned the hands until it rang which gave you the hour hand position. But for me it’s not accurate because of the date flip. So I’m thinking turn the hands until midnight flips and then turn the alarm till it rings. And then place everything on at 12?
Not all parts of the British empire use imperial measurements.
Australia, NZ & Canada are metric countries and are three I can think of.
In fact many people regardless of where they live need to use both systems. Many machinists and mechanics that work on vehicles/machinery/aircraft so on and so forth from the US, UK and Europe simply have to use both systems. It is a fact of life.
In aviation it is mandatory for commercial pilots flying under ICAO to use both systems too.
Professionals smile at imperial and metric snobs. It is just too stupid to worry about which is better or not, they just are; and it's easier if you can use both.
Finally a comment on my jab! 😂 I love making a bit fun of the Imperial "system", it's such an outdated and complicated bunch of measurements... If you've grown up with it I'm sure it works, but looking at it from the outside it's just amazing anyone would voluntarily use it :)
@@VintageWatchServices Yeah I took the bait. I'm lucky I grew up in an era where I can use both - a bit like a bilingual household I suppose.
Canada is officially metric, but in practice it's not so simple. Very much a mixed system here, and in many industries it's all imperial; just too impractical to be different from our neighbours (and biggest trading partner) to the south.
*lay-cool-TRAY?* *_Before Hunter (Jäger) got involved?_* YAY-ger lay-cool-TRAY
I bet you know why the hands on any analog watch when photographed for advertising is either 8:20 or 10:20 (?) I worked as a photo assistant in the ‘60’s in Toronto and that was a standard. ……. Keep the brands and type clear and able to see.
Yep, and when at 10:20 it makes one subliminally associate them with a smile :)
Oh no no no the presto cannon pinion remover has failed. Say it ain't so.
Such a tragedy would have been avoided with the hammer/collet type of canon pinion remover yes sir!
Stian, you knew the first video that happened you would find me making some comment such as this.
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Stian, any reason you used a crystal lift instead of your Robur press to install the new crystal? I dislike the lift if there is any alternative to it.
Hello Rick, yes, I actually used the lift to show that you don't always need expensive tools. Lots of people probably get a crystal lift early on in their adventure so I thought I'd use it :)
@@VintageWatchServices I thought that might be the case. But I have to say that my first experiences as a watch-ruining moron (a position I still currently hold when I reach for tools) is not positive on the lift. If the crystal was big enough to fit properly, I could never get the lift to compress it enough without using Vice-Grips. Then it would leave impressions around the rim. I finally found an old Robur set--so much better. True, not that cheap, but a lot less than the fancy Bergeon version of same that I see in your videos. 😎
@@VintageWatchServices Missed your response, Stian. Yup, a crystal lift was one of my early purchases. Ruined the hands on a lovely 50's-era Ebel with it, too. I had dropped the watch and broken the "unbreakable" crystal, and hoped to replace it without removing anything else. Oops! Slipped! %&*(&! I was able to straighten the hands, but now they need new lume. As I get better at this, I'll be able to fix it again. Fixing things twice is the story of my life.😁
It's a very handsome piece, and great work as always. Tell me though, so you have issues with getting things delivered to "Stian Tricky Idiot"?
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Den der likte jeg :) hva kan en sånn koste ?
Memovox ur er ganske dyre, de starter vel rundt ti tusen norske, tipper jeg, men da er de ikke i veldig god stand
Did you smelt a smurf? ;)
I blame advertisers on the state of modern women's digestion. All those commercials about yogurt and "gut health" have left us all with an air of... well, not roses. 😁 Nice watch.
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Poljot будильник очень похож.
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And when you loose a spring you can go on a floorboard Safari for free :)
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That's a marvelous watch, which I will henceforth associate with farts. What could possibly be better than that, right? Well, pretty much anything, if I'm going to be honest. I recommend counseling. 😉
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You're wearing a Fitbit? Why does that upset me?😅
...wait, maybe not...had to go back...couldn't tell😊
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651 thumbs up
Nice video, but 'THE chanel'..?
1/43rd of an inch is too unwieldy. Freedom units would demand you switch to the hair color system for thickness.
-An American
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Most iconic? I'm just going to make the bold claim that if it's the "most iconic", then maybe even a novice like me should have at least HEARD of it, even if I don't understand it's importance. 😄
I'm sure the average person in the street wouldn't have heard of the Memovox, but among watch lovers it's certainly very, very iconic 😉