This is doing rather well on our work ebay site
2 days left to bid!
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Cartier seem to have been rehabilitated recently; I think basically with the Crash bringing up other less fashionable models with it.
Although theyāre not my style (I find the numbering too heavy and a tendency towards the bling), Iāve always thought theyāve done some nice watches - e.g. the Drive de Cartier.
The Tank and Santos models have always been fairly well regarded although I wouldnāt want a Cartier.
The A.L and S that Josh posted on the other handā¦ 
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Fucking lovely! 
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If I can be a bit extremely self-indulgent, below is my shopping experience/journey as a first (and likely only) time āseriousā watch buyer.
Although before I do that, something about that model that just bought me particular joy, was that the hands (including sub-dial hands) are a metallic blue, which doesnāt stand out in shop or dim lighting, they look almost black, but in daylight, at the right angle, they can momentarily light up as they catch the light and look amazing against the matt background and gold case. An unexpected bonus.
Another nice touch is the non-reflective glass (Iām sure many others use this although JLC donāt seem to on the models I tried) which means itās always easily readable.
Anyway enough babbling, hereāre my thoughts on my watch-buying experienceā¦
So one thing that I found interesting was how different watches appear in reality as opposed to in pictures, and again how different on the wrist. Watches Iāve yearned after for a long time (e.g. previous model JLC Master Calendar and to a slightly lesser extent its updated version) I just didnāt like once I tried them on. With that JLC model, the day and month windows are actually quite small and not easily legible. Along with other design elements (see sidenote) it was a shame as I like the JLC brand and generally love their stylings - they were the first watches I went to look at - but none of them quite worked for me.
On the other hand, although the Lange 1 is my all time favourite watch, Iād never considered a Saxonia or 1815 as I thought they looked a little plain from the pictures (and also all of them way above budget). When I saw them in the ALS concession though, they piqued my interest and when I tried them on I was blown away - they immediately felt ārightā in a way the JLCs didnāt. I actually found it extremely difficult to choose between the Saxonia Outsize Date, Saxonia Moonphase and 1815 Up/Down I finally settled on. And yet again, although I normally love moon phases on watches and initially set out to get one with the JLC MC, when trying on the Saxonia Moonphase, it felt a little too much and preferred the simplicity of the Outsize Date. So it was really interesting seeing all my preconceptions about what Iād like blown away upon actually trying on the watches.
The other thing that struck me was the difficulty in trying on different AL&S models. Iāve never worn a yellow/rose gold cased watch before, and I struggled with feeling too ostentatious when looking at myself in the mirror (although I loved in when looking at it on my wrist). The shop only had the Saxonia in white gold and the 1815 in rose gold. It takes months to order in the other versions (and you basically have to buy them by placing a non refundable (although it is transferrable to another model) deposit) by which time thereās no guarantee the original models will still be around to compare them against. Ultimately, I felt the 1815 had a greater sense of occasion and more interesting detailing, and after a while of sitting with the rose gold, it grew on me and I felt more comfortable with it, so went with that. But I had multiple visits to try them on, going back and forth and it took long time to decide. I guess for me this was a once in a lifetime purchase and so had the natural concerns about making the wrong choice. And also maybe Iām just crap at imagining how an image of a watch would look on my wrist.
The last thing that struck me was how relatively unknowledgeable the salespeople were in all the shops (and arrogant in the case of two VC salespeople I spoke to in different shops). Iām far from a horological maven but even I felt patronised by being repeatedly told, āOur watches are really special, the company is like really old and still use traditional techniques going back to the mists of timeā¦ā. Iām not looking for a detailed description of the workings of a rattrapante movement but being told something I wouldnāt know from the summary webpage about the watch would have been good. I guess the majority of clients donāt seem to care though.
Anyway, it was all a fun, interesting and slightly nerve-wracking experience!
[As a sidenote, JLC do seem to make some odd design choices - the small windows as mentioned above (when similar models like the VC FiftySix Complete Calendar are so much clearer). And with the JLC Perpetual Calendar the date sub-dial is so cramped, with detailing all the day numbers, and the day sub-dial also looks a little oddly spaced, compared to the neat and tidy AL&S Saxonia Annual Calendar.]
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Amazing watch Josh,
Have you got a pic of the back?
Iāll take a better shot later in less yellow lighting when I get the chance, but just something for now (and some stock photos which are probably better than Iāll manage anyway). The blued screws, red jewels and gold chatons really stand out against the silver three-quarter plate. Under a magnifying glass, the ribbing on the plate is fantastic. I think they also finish it with black polish to help the details stand out.
Another detail I only just learned of is that each hand engraved balance cock has a signature style so you know which craftsman made it.
Lastly, the bottom photo of the face shows what I was talking about when the blued steel hands catch the light - the effect is exaggerated in that picture but when the light strikes the hands correctly, you get flashes of that colour and itās really lovely against the gold case and red āABā power indicator.
You can read more about the 1815 model here and 1815 Up/Down model here, if youāre so inclined.
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Anything blue has been superheated to harden and protect it.
If you didnāt already knowā¦
The blue sheen is the side effect.
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Yeah, I originally thought theyād been painted/anodised, but did learn it was heated instead.
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Faptastic. Just great.
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Just stunning. Wow. Enjoy mate 
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Very classy 
Wempe is decent if you need anything from ALS
Theyāve stopped selling them. Only the Bond St. shop and Harrods concession sell now (as I discovered when I was told I couldnāt get a white gold version to compare to and I tried to ring round to see if anyone had it)ā¦
Damn, Iām out of touch now 
I think it was very recent.
In other news, interesting moveā¦
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Nice, older eta one or newer in house?
Itās new, so I guess the in-house.
Numbers indicate 2021 manufacture.