My watch finally arrived after a little over 2 months, thanks to the efforts of Zhao Nan, the long-suffering assistant boutique manager who had to endure my frequent hounding. I was consoled by the fact that as opposed to others trying to obtain a Nautilus 5711, I will actually be able to get my watchĪnd it really wasn’t too bad. I am not a patient man by nature and having to wait for my watch to arrive was, I suppose, character-building. Where you could readily walk into a dealer or boutique and buy it immediately, now there seemed to a global shortage in supply, and I had to be placed on a waiting list. The boutique staff were always patient and accommodating.Īs it would have to be, by the time I finally decided that I would get the watch, there was already an increased demand for it. I lost count of the number of watches I had tried on over numerous months at both boutiques, but I never felt pressured to make a purchase. Given that my other purchases had been either through authorised or pre-owned dealers, buying from a boutique turned out to be quite an experience. My wife had previously purchased a restored vintage piece from the boutique, so we got familiar with the folks there. After much deliberation, not that there were many options left, I decided on the base model 4500V, and boy am I glad I did Sure, there were other models like the ultra-thin perpetual and the tourbillon that are absolutely stunning, but I wasn’t ready to put down that kind of money. The Dual Time 7900V, while practical, seemed a little bulky at 12.8mm and its asymmetry takes some attention away from the dial finish.

While I am very much into chronographs, I found the 5500V a little too large at 42.5mm. The problem was trying to decide which model. I love the dazzling blue dial and the versatility of the interchangeable straps.

Zenith chronomaster revival a385