Fratello On Air: Wearing Vintage Watches On Airplanes

And a host of other topics...

March 19, 2024

comments 25

Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air. This week, we discuss flying on airplanes with our vintage watches and why we avoid it. We also cover several other watch-related topics before and after the main subject. Enjoy the show!

Flying on airplanes may be a normal and safe activity, but how does it affect our vintage watches? We discuss our thoughts on the question and why we tend to wear newer pieces. For those who don’t love our banter, we begin our main subject after 40 minutes. However, all but a few minutes of the first portion are related to watches, so fast-forward at your peril!

Handgelenks Kontrolle

We kick off our show about wearing our vintage watches on airplanes with several topics. Balazs mentions a recent visit by his friend and fellow Angelus lover Bosko, who brought along a stunning Angelus Chrono-Datoluxe that made Balazs just a tad envious. We then discuss the recent Sunday Morning Showdown in which the black-dial Speedmaster Professional easily bested the new white Speedy. The Handgelenks Kontrolle brings a story from Mike about a newly acquired vintage Jaeger-LeCoultre piece. The watch was purchased at auction and needed work. This led to a fun adventure in London last week. Balazs, on the other wrist, is wearing his Grand Seiko SBGA439 on a Delugs strap.

Wearing vintage watches on airplanes

Today, we respond to one of our listeners who asked why Balazs no longer wears vintage watches like his Rolex GMT-Master on airplanes. Balazs isn’t the only one as Mike also tends to wear newer watches. The risk of spills, knocks, and more leads us to choose newer, more robust watches. Are we overprotective and unreasonably concerned? Perhaps, but both of us have flown a lot and experienced our share of accidents. We’re curious if you’re also cautious when flying and keep your older, more fragile watches in a bag or at home. Feel free to let us know!

Thanks for listening to today’s episode, and we hope you enjoy it! If you have ideas for future episodes, let us know.

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Fratello On Air: Wearing Vintage Watches On Airplanes

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DG
GoldenYears says:

Mar 19, 2024 at 09:43

I leave my older, more fragile and valuable watches locked up at home when traveling. But not because they are older and more fragile but primarily because they are more valuable and difficult to replace and I don’t like to take these heirloom quality watches on vacation with me. For me, holidays are when I let my guard down so there’s a greater chance I will lose something due to my carelessness or to theft.

I do tend to wear less valuable < 5,000 €, neo-vintage watches on my holidays. I also bring an inexpensive Casio G-Shock with me.

Before I was retired, I’d wear even my best watches on business travel. It was important element of my business attire then.

Reply
1. Enuona says:
  
  Mar 19, 2024 at 14:01
  
  As you know, I take a liking to vintage Omegas, and purchased botht serviced and in good working order for the wrist, I have no concerns as long as I use it within the original intention of the watch. Well within budget brackets, thus the fiscal risk is minimal, and restored++ likely would make such watch less than important in terms of history and collecting value.
  
  I’d probably would have used it like a Murph or a Commuter with a little more attention to rain.
  
  There are some perks attached to residing within the budget brackets ?
  
  Reply
  1. DG
    GoldenYears says:
    
    Mar 19, 2024 at 18:36
    
    Yes, and everyone has their own budget brackets ?
    
    Reply
    1. Enuona says:
      
      Mar 20, 2024 at 16:39
      
      Yeah,
      
      The term “budget watch” kind of amuses me frequently. Got to love the versatility. Bet JayZ’s Chrono Chime is within budget brackets too ?? A minor watch by the way. Almost disappears in its box. Probably have to pay property tax for the box, space for a family with friends.
      
      Reply
      1. DG
        GoldenYears says:
        
        Mar 20, 2024 at 17:19
        
        ? So true!
        
        Reply
MB
MarkBu says:

Mar 19, 2024 at 10:01

I don’t travel overseas for business and my holiday attire is as casual as I can get away with, so affordable quartz is standard for me. I’ve got a Citizen Eco-drive GMT and my G-Shock ‘Square’ that are fine for this, along with a Citizen Eco-drive Paradigm Titanium for the evenings.

Reply
AM
Veliero says:

Mar 19, 2024 at 11:57

Until today I never actually knew this was a thing. As you can’t take them with you, I say wear them wherever and enjoy

Reply
1. RV
  ralfybaby says:
  
  Mar 21, 2024 at 00:41
  
  Watch dweebdom at its very best ?
  
  Reply
Graham says:

Mar 19, 2024 at 12:38

Good dry episode

Reply
PK
cal30t2 says:

Mar 19, 2024 at 12:55

Havent had a chance to listen yet but I always get the feeling there is a kind of anti-survivor bias amongst watch collectors. Survivor bias being “wow look at these buildings from 100 years ago, they dont make them sturdy like they used to.” Yes, because the buildings from 100 years ago that are still standing were the best built in their day – 4-5 generations have actively decided to not knock them down and build something else. The bad quality buildings from 1924 all got torn down in 1954 or 1964 or whenever.

Similarly, any watch that has survived 50 years is probably so well built it will survive another 20. All the bad watches are in a landfill or look so awful they’re only worth a tenner. Especially if its worn under a cuff (if anyone gets on a plane in short sleeves we need to stop talking) any modern watch use sitting in a plane, at a desk or in a car doesn’t qualify as “high risk” for me.

I do appreciate planes are a bit more cramped and damage to a vintage watch can mean having to find a difficult to find part, but in the end: own the scratches on your watch! It’s what makes your watch yours. Dad’s scratched watch he has on in every picture is 10x a better heirloom than a watch dad went to go see at his bank box once a month on Saturday.

Reply
Peter says:

Mar 19, 2024 at 13:09

Some of my vintage watches like the Omega UK2292 HS/8 and an early non branded UDSSR P3133 were actually used by the Air Forces, so it is a joy to be able to take them to a airplane again…and even bigger joy that it is a non military airplane…

Reply
Vincent says:

Mar 19, 2024 at 13:38

One GADA watch on the wrist and maybe a g-shock as a backup.

Reply
1. Serious_Panther says:
  
  Mar 19, 2024 at 16:39
  
  Good choice. Especially if a trip by plane involves being incredibly tired or jetlagged: Being tired makes me just plain stupid sometimes. Better have something on you that can take that stupidity.
  
  Reply
Enuona says:

Mar 19, 2024 at 13:52

Probably that would be for the watch to answer… Will it be content being strapped to a vintage creature like yours truly?

Reply
Serious_Panther says:

Mar 19, 2024 at 16:36

I’ll listen to the main topic, thanks for including the time when it starts. If I travel through time zones by plane, I like to use a Nixon Regulus military digital watch that offers me a second time zone, and no more. It’s super easy to keep track of home time and destination time with that. Since I have lost or damaged other things while travelling by plane in economy class, like my glasses, I am going the most practical route.

Reply
jimf says:

Mar 19, 2024 at 23:58

nice podcast…I have no problem with you waiting 40 minutes to get to the episode title. Beautiful Angelus. I too refrain from wearing vintage watches on trips for all the reasons you state. I try to only wear sub 1,000$ watches, usual Farer, Zelos or Yema GMT, preferably in inconspicuous stainless. I particularly worry about water resistance, bumps and theft. Very true about Lufthansa…make everyone warm and get them to sleep…

Reply
RW
Richard says:

Mar 20, 2024 at 00:45

Well done, guys. I’ll go on record as saying that there’s no shame in putting Roku gin in a Negroni. It’s cost effective and tastes good. Citadelle gin, from France, is another one.

My airplane watch is typically a Fifty Fathoms or Omega Seamaster Nekton if I’m traveling domestic, or a Grand Seiko SBGN027.

Ideas for future show topics –

1. Current Grail Sneaker?
2. Favorite watch and strap pairings – 2-3 each
3. If you had to add one brand to the Holy ?Trinity, which would it be?

Cheers

Reply
Dan Trelford says:

Mar 20, 2024 at 16:28

I enjoyed this freewheeling episode very much, especially the story about Mike and Lawrence’s visit to Hatton Garden. Though be careful which doorway you enter around there – it might end up being less Guy Ritchie, more Quentin Tarantino.

Reply
Robert says:

Mar 21, 2024 at 06:15

Turning bezel chronographs with steel bracelet and good WR. All GADA. Breitling Chronomat 41, IWC AT chrono 371928 and Sinn 103 St (plexy).

Reply
Paul says:

Mar 21, 2024 at 09:10

Dear Fratello editorial team,

As a German, I would like to ask you to write “Handgelenkskontrolle” instead of “Handgelenks Kontrolle” in the future.
It looks to me as unnatural as Sun Day instead of Sunday or Air Planes instead of Airplaines to English speakers.

Best regards from Germany!

Reply
eric.mcghee says:

Mar 21, 2024 at 11:41

Great episode and some very good insight on a topic I didn’t think much about before now. And stop fretting over how long it takes for you both to get to the topic; I for one would hate if you just dove right in and the episode was only a half hour.

Cheers!

Reply
1. RW
  Richard says:
  
  Mar 21, 2024 at 18:50
  
  Well said, Eric!
  
  Reply
2. Roy-65 says:
  
  Mar 22, 2024 at 10:31
  
  Amen
  
  Reply
Roy-65 says:

Mar 22, 2024 at 10:53

Well leave the old stuff from the 40-50’s at home, I understand they are fragile timepieces.
Take the other stuff on a trip. Why not? A 60-70 (neo) vintage Omega or Seiko is tough enough and rocks so much harder than a G-Shock.
Ok, a G-Shock is fine when You are pre 20’s.
I just don’t understand… Which adult man buys and wears a Hodinkee G-Shock?

Reply
RW
Richard says:

Mar 23, 2024 at 16:55

Mike and Balazs – over on the TGN slack, there is a groundswell of support for you two to do a joint episode with Jason and James. GreatLakesWatch came up with the idea and I think it’s a brilliant one. I would even go so far as to say that the dominant view is that the four of you could talk nothing but sneakers, Rimowa luggage, and NBA basketball for over an hour and it would be the perfect watch podcast.

Reply