I mean sure, who wouldn’t want a Nautilus, an Overseas, or a Royal Oak? The problem
I have isn’t with these particular models - it’s that these models are pretty much the entire reputation of these ‘haute horology’ brands. Even if the finishing is stellar and the history long, assigning this label to a group from which you wouldn’t buy the majority of the catalogue, and whose watches are less durable than a Rolex, never resonated with me.
What else does AP have outside of the Royal Oak? the answer is nothing, and their bracelets are so finicky which is crazy at this price point.
I’ll give the Patek the Nautilus, Calatrava and Grand Complications, but the Aquanaut is so ugly. VC’s Overseas line and Patrimony are nice, but paying $25K for a simple blue-faced watch is a pass for me (the most popular model).
Think about JLC. Reverso, Master Ultra Thin, Memovox, Polaris. Priced reasonably. Lange: Lange 1, Langematik, Odysseus, Zeitwerk. And, yes, Rolex-who has probably the most complete catalogue if you were forced to 1 brand: Datejust, Sub, GMT, Daytona, Day Date, 1908. Yes, some of these are harder at retail but for the price of the ‘Holy Trinity’ you can get any one of them, save cash, and have a more durable watch.
Disagree or not, but you gotta give me it’s a hot take at least!