I posted this a while ago on this forum to help me understand the Jumbo. As someone who appreciates history, it is hard not to like something that everyone says was the first of its kind, the AP Jumbo.
So after thinking about it a while, I decided to look for an AP Jumbo A series. I know it sounds like diving off the deep end when you can't swim, but my rationale was the following. If I liked it, I would have exactly the watch I wanted. If I did not, the values of the A series have only been improving so I had little concern of not getting my money back, at the least.
After a period of waiting, one of the dealers I buy from got an A series and I pounced. It has the original dial, hands, crown and bracelet, and has never been polished. It is also one of the first 1000 so it truly is one of the first of its kind.
Once I got to handle it in the metal, many of my concerns about the 70's look of it went away. It really is a little more timeless in its design than that, and many of the things that concerned me wound up being things I think of as pluses. What really got me sold on it though was the fit. The instant I put it on my wrist, it felt like it was custom made for me. I have many other bracelet watches, but none conform as well as this. Plus, once I put in on, the watch just does not move. There is none of the slippage on the wrist I am used to with any of my other bracelet watches. It is absolutely secure without any pinching; it really does feel like it was made for me.
The watch looks fantastic in the sun, it really does sparkle. I don't know how it does it, but the case and bracelet give a multi-faceted look that is just brilliant as you move it around in the sun. None of the other bracelets I have had, including those from Rolex, Omega, or IWC, play with light like this does. This is also something I noticed in the dial where it picks up many little reflections of light to give a lot of color to the dial that varies with the direction of the sun.
Oddly enough, one of the few minor negatives deals with how well this watch plays with the sunlight. While it may be a "sports" watch, I find the sparkle of it too much to wear with jeans and a t-shirt like I would a Submariner or similar watch. This is a watch that really does seem too formal for any "sport" unless you are talking about lounging on a yacht or sitting in the clubhouse after a round of golf (definitely not on the golf course, itself). The only negative of this is that it limits when I can wear it.
The other minor negatives are things I have heard about. The date is not quick set. To me, it is an annoyance when you don't wear a watch regularly. This is one of the things that keeps me from wearing my 1680 Sub more than I do even though I do like it a lot. The other is the clasp. The Gay Freres clasp has a little lip when closed that can pop open under some circumstances. Other than these few quibbles, I really can't say enough about the watch.
So thank you to all of you that lent me insight into why to buy this terrific watch. And, of course, a wrist shot.
- grogzog