Don’t Choose Poorly: Revisiting The Concept Of “Grail Watches”

A few weeks back, Zach Kazan and Blake Buettner discussed the concept of a ‘grail’ watch on the podcast. You can listen to that episode right here, but we felt there was more to say on the subject and invited Zach Weiss to chime in as well. Is it overused? Misused? Misunderstood? Maybe all of the above, but there’s something about this concept that speaks to each of us as watch enthusiasts and collectors. What does it mean to you? Let us know in the comments below.

With that, here are our thoughts on ‘grail watches’.

Zach Kazan 

I’ve never cared for the term “grail watch.” Even when used to describe a watch that’s exceptionally rare, expensive, or both, it breathes a seriousness into the hobby that has always made me uncomfortable. Yes, it’s fun to think about the watches we’d own given unlimited funds, or even watches we might realistically plan to acquire one day after a great deal of planning, searching, and saving. But a search for a single specific watch that’s difficult to find when there are so many great watches out there that are relatively easy to get feels like missing something great about this hobby. Or maybe I’m just a curmudgeon. That’s also entirely possible. 

As a collector, there are watches that I’ve read about, studied, or otherwise been exposed to that I’d love to own, and because of the nature of vintage watches, in particular, some of them indeed would be quite difficult to track down. For me, these oddballs that you might come across in an auction catalog, see in an old movie, or read about in a forum archive are the closest thing to “grail” watches. Do I desperately want to own a Lange 1 Time Zone? I sure do. But even now, it’s just an ill-advised credit card swipe away, and all I’d have to do is strike up a conversation with any number of gray market dealers. It could be at my doorstep tomorrow. Surely that can’t be a grail watch, at least if the quest is part of what makes a grail a grail.

I concede, though, that the search is part of the fun of being involved in this community, especially when it’s for something that you truly want because you feel some kind of connection to it, as opposed to it being the hype watch at a particular moment in time. For me, one of my earliest fascinations in the watch hobby was the alarm watch, and as I started researching the complication, and the relatively small handful of brands that made these special watches and their unique movements, I became particularly drawn to the Jaeger LeCoultre Memovox references of the late 60s and 70s. These funky designs seemed to be worlds away from the conservative, somewhat staid JLC that exists today, which was a huge part of the draw. 

Is my E872 Memovox a grail? When I acquired it last year, it felt like a long journey had come to an end, so maybe it is. It wasn’t particularly expensive, but it took a very long time to find one in the condition that I wanted. I’m proud to own one with a case that retains its original brushed finish (most examples you’ll find for sale have been polished to an almost mirror shine, which is deeply unfortunate). And it’s genuinely rare – only about 7700 watches with this reference’s Caliber 916 were produced over a nine year period. Add 50 years and a corresponding number of botched polishing jobs and refinished dials, and divide by the six other references that used the same movement, and an E872 in good shape is considerably tougher to track down than many so-called limited editions produced by big Swiss brands, JLC certainly included. 

It’s great to have collecting goals, and to aspire to own certain watches, but I think it’s important not to get caught up in Grail Mania, a condition which I liken to feeling like you have to make a definitive and final choice about your own taste, and being possessed of the idea that part of being a collector means being involved in the pursuit of something outside your own personal financial comfort level. Neither of those things are true, at least in my experience. Curiosity is the most valuable trait to have in watch collecting, and a flexibility with what you like and don’t like follows naturally over time. And lusting after five figure watches can blind you to things that are incredibly satisfying at a small fraction of the cost. I’d argue that few things in collecting are quite as satisfying as being pleasantly surprised by something affordable and under the radar. Can a feeling be a grail? Because if so, that’s mine.

Blake Buettner

As with many things in life, I have my own goals when it comes to watch collecting. The pursuit of knowledge and understanding, experiences big and small, and relationships all factor into how I enjoy the hobby. I particularly love finding new blind spots, pockets of knowledge that have eluded me for some reason or another over the years that offer a fresh perspective and journey to embark on. All things considered, I’d say I’m still relatively new to this space, and have much to learn. That excites me. 

No where on this theoretical list of goals does ownership of any particular watch appear. The concept of a grail watch has always been curious to me. Surely, our tastes aren’t written in stone, and given the many years you can put into the hobby, they are subject (more like guaranteed, I’d say) to change. And that’s just fine. It’s all part of the process, the journey, the fun, really. Having a singular grail feels, to me, at odds with that fact. Perhaps I’m missing the point. Where better to turn than to other collectors for some differing views. 

As luck would have it, shortly after our podcast went up a thread appeared on the Rolex forums addressing the very subject. The thread, “Is the term “GRAIL” misused nowadays?” echoed our sentiments, and signaled that we weren’t alone in our apprehension around the term. But one comment in particular made me pause, and re-think the term a bit further. User “daOnlyBG” offers their thoughts on actual grail watches, and I found myself largely in agreement. 

In referencing a couple of watches that may or may not even exist, this user more or less defines a grail watch as not a thing to be acquired, but rather a thing to be discovered. This removes money from the equation entirely, as it’s not a matter of accumulation, it’s a matter of genuine interest and scholarship that adds value to the community as a whole. This is a concept of a grail watch I can get behind. It speaks to my natural curiosity and it’s completely inclusive in nature, open to all who care to put the time and effort into the discovery (even if it’s just their own, years after the fact). 

With this mind, I find myself entirely open to the concept, and look forward to discovering more on my own time. Discoveries that I hope to share with you down the line.

Zach Weiss

It’s only recently that I’ve bothered to think deeper on the term “grail watch”. Is it the same as an “exit” watch, which is to say a pinnacle piece, or is it more abstract? Before getting into it, I’ve always tied the etymology of the term, as it applies to watches, to the Speedmaster “Holy Grail” as named by Chuck Maddox, the late watch scholar whose work pre-dates most watch blogs. He labeled the 376.0822 as such because it was a highly limited hybrid of a moonwatch case and a Lemania 5100 movement. The best case with a legendary caliber. At the time, I imagine they never or rarely popped up for sale, contributing to their mythic status. Thus, a grail.

Regardless of this anecdotal tidbit, the idea of a grail watch is a funny one. Is it a real watch that is just so far out of reach that I will never touch it, let alone own it? That’s boring to me, to be honest. A set up for failure. If you always want what you can’t have, you’re creating a situation, or life, in which you are always disappointed. Is it then a watch that combines in some way I’ve yet to perceive of, all of the things I most like about watches in perfect harmony? This is perhaps more accurate, because it’s also impossible.

Which leads to the most important part of the grail, which is the hunt. As portrayed in films, attempting to find the Holy Grail (literally) is one of danger, peril, and madness. It will likely lead you to your doom. And what happens when or if it is obtained? Nothing good. Which is why one never just has the grail. You can’t have it. You can only seek it. This becomes more interesting when applied to watches, as it becomes a pursuit of learning about yourself, and your tastes. Chances are, you’ll never find a grail watch, but you will find pieces of it here and there, over the years, creating a collection that, if magically distilled and combined, would create a singular grail.

Now, with that all said, will I cut the word “grail” from my vocabulary? No. If I see some sexy watch I’d love to have but know I can’t, I might in passing call it a grail. There are many of them. But as a concept by which I collect, I won’t set my eyes on anything singular, rather I’ll continue to chip away at individual experiences, amassing my knowledge of what it is I actually like.