Welcome to my Renato collection / collezioni. The title, An Embarrassing Number of Renato's, stems from what I've been telling my watch-collecting friends, both online and off, for the better part of a year now. With all the things I'd come to learn about Renato's founder and original CEO, Daniel Mink, all of the Renato's I'd been collecting since 2008 just seemed to lose their luster. Yet it was those very online friends, both here and at Watchlords, who brought me back around to where I was before, though this time with eyes wide open. At the request of my WL friend and Admin of this forum, mrneddles, I've decided to "show them off" here.

The watches in this collection are, in my humble opine, exceptionally attractive. Yet, there are some problems with a few of them, problems that certainly aren't "show stoppers," but are still of concern to someone who, like me, genuinely loves the brand. I'll point out a couple of them here, but I won't dwell on them. After all, a man with 29 Renato's - or 29 of any lower- to mid-priced watch brand - can't expect the near-perfection of Rolex, Patek, Longines, etc.

A word about the pink boxes (as someone - no doubt with the awesome force of a 5th Grade education behind them - is bound to mention them): Yes, I have two of them. There was - and still is, as far as I know - a shortage of the original black Renato collector's boxes. When you can find them, they are invariably pricy. The pink ones seem to be far more plentiful these days, and they have a price that reflects this. As a man who does not fear the sight of the color pink (unlike the aforementioned 5th Grade insult-hurler), I was glad to find them. I did recently find a second black box, but having already just about filled the second pink one, I didn't see any reason to transfer them over simply because of the color of the box. Now, if you still want to give me a hard time for the ladies (or "girl's" if you prefer) box, have at it. I'm a proud WL WIS, and I'm more than up to the task of responding in kind.

Again, welcome to my Collezioni de Renato.

Box Numero Uno


Box Number Two


I dunno - Third Box! (So-named in honor of Abbott & Costello)


My Very First Renato



A stainless steel Cyclops, with a salmon-colored (or pink, if you insist ) carbon fiber dial and an ETA 2824 Swiss automatic movement. I had "fallen in like" with the Cyclops the first time I saw it, and I was thrilled to get this one for under $400 on SNBC's auction pages. (My second Renato, the Jakal on the far left lower row in Box 2, also came to me courtesy of the auction pages. I don't know if they still have those pages, but they were a great source back in the day.)

My BIGGEST Renato


GREEN is my favorite color, though that's not the primary reason I purchased this green + gunmetal Mostro 55; that particular honor goes to the great price I paid for it. (And no, I won't tell you what that was; with Renato and Shop asking nearly $800 for them, it would be unseemly and "bragadocious" of me...don't know if that's a word or not, but I like it, so it stays. )

My Biggest DISAPPOINTMENT


Black diamonds in a pave' setting. Sounds like a great idea, but the reality was a bit of a disappointment. Black diamonds don't catch the light and return a fiery, beautiful light the way white or yellow (and even some species of brown) diamonds do. (The above photo was the best I could do with the flash feature on a sunny day...) On the plus side, the gold electroplated Swiss ETA 2824 is a beautiful thing to look at (see below); maybe I should have the bracelet turned over so I can wear it with the movement on display...?



My Strangest Renato


While the watch looks pretty decent in the above photo, the bezel and center links in the bracelet are actually made of an off-white (almost grey) rubber-like substance. It seems to be on the porous side; I say this because it seems to be something of a "stain magnet." Although it is rather difficult to photograph, take a look at the picture below; between points A and B, running along the top edge of the bezel is a soiled area about the width of a pencil lead. While it's not easy to see in the photo, it's far more noticable in-person.



My LOUDEST Renato
A picture is worth a thousand words, though my photography is not...



...'Nuff said.

My Second-Most Disappointing Renato


See it...? No? How 'bout this one:



Alas, the retrograde day indicator, the small yellow hand near the cannon pinion at about the 10 o'clock position, has a little problem that not even Viagra can fix. I guess it'll get fixed eventually; I'm just not so sure I want to send it to Renato to have it done.

Still, it's a beautiful watch, and the big date quartz movement is cool; cool enough that Android also uses it (see the comparison photo below).



My Coolest Looking Renato (IMHO)


Just L@@K at all that gold! (Sorry for the silly eBay thing with the word "look"; don't know what came over me...) For a watch that's all the same color, it's amazingly easy to read unless...



...someone interferes with the photographer...and I managed to get a photo of the perpetrator:



Now how can anyone be mad at a face like that one? (BTW, that's my beloved "hairy child," Daffodil Clementine." Cute, ain't she...?

Okay, So They're NOT Renato's...But Think of Them as Cousins Now that Renato and XOSkeleton are Part of the Same Family





I actually had a friend over at WL ask me "what the hell is that?" when I posted one of them (the one with the red stones) on the Watch UR Wearing page a couple of weeks back. I told him that it was an XOS "Superlative Star," and that it was so bloody-damned fugly that I just HAD to have it. He was cool with that, but I guess he probably still wonders what's wrong with me...

[color=blue]That's ALL, Folks!!
Well, fellow Renatoforumites, that's it; my "embarrassing" collection of Renato (and XOS)watches. Hope the post wasn't too long (or boring, for that matter). Many thanks for taking the time to have a look, and remember: a clean response is a happy response. [/color]

Pictures Mort or it never happened.........

Working on the pics.

Welcome to my Renato collection / collezioni. The title, An Embarrassing Number of Renato's, stems from what I've been telling my watch-collecting friends, both online and off, for the better part of a year now. With all the things I'd come to learn about Renato's founder and original CEO, Daniel Mink, all of the Renato's I'd been collecting since 2008 just seemed to lose their luster. Yet it was those very online friends, both here and at Watchlords, who brought me back around to where I was before, though this time with eyes wide open. At the request of my WL friend and Admin of this forum, mrneddles, I've decided to "show them off" here.

The watches in this collection are, in my humble opine, exceptionally attractive. Yet, there are some problems with a few of them, problems that certainly aren't "show stoppers," but are still of concern to someone who, like me, genuinely loves the brand. I'll point out a couple of them here, but I won't dwell on them. After all, a man with 29 Renato's - or 29 of any lower- to mid-priced watch brand - can't expect the near-perfection of Rolex, Patek, Longines, etc.

A word about the pink boxes (as someone - no doubt with the awesome force of a 5th Grade education behind them - is bound to mention them): Yes, I have two of them. There was - and still is, as far as I know - a shortage of the original black Renato collector's boxes. When you can find them, they are invariably pricy. The pink ones seem to be far more plentiful these days, and they have a price that reflects this. As a man who does not fear the sight of the color pink (unlike the aforementioned 5th Grade insult-hurler), I was glad to find them. I did recently find a second black box, but having already just about filled the second pink one, I didn't see any reason to transfer them over simply because of the color of the box. Now, if you still want to give me a hard time for the ladies (or "girl's" if you prefer) box, have at it. I'm a proud WL WIS, and I'm more than up to the task of responding in kind.

Again, welcome to my Collezioni de Renato.

Box Numero Uno


Box Number Two


I dunno - Third Box! (So-named in honor of Abbott & Costello)


My Very First Renato



A stainless steel Cyclops, with a salmon-colored (or pink, if you insist ) carbon fiber dial and an ETA 2824 Swiss automatic movement. I had "fallen in like" with the Cyclops the first time I saw it, and I was thrilled to get this one for under $400 on SNBC's auction pages. (My second Renato, the Jakal on the far left lower row in Box 2, also came to me courtesy of the auction pages. I don't know if they still have those pages, but they were a great source back in the day.)

My BIGGEST Renato


GREEN is my favorite color, though that's not the primary reason I purchased this green + gunmetal Mostro 55; that particular honor goes to the great price I paid for it. (And no, I won't tell you what that was; with Renato and Shop asking nearly $800 for them, it would be unseemly and "bragadocious" of me...don't know if that's a word or not, but I like it, so it stays. )

My Biggest DISAPPOINTMENT


Black diamonds in a pave' setting. Sounds like a great idea, but the reality was a bit of a disappointment. Black diamonds don't catch the light and return a fiery, beautiful light the way white or yellow (and even some species of brown) diamonds do. (The above photo was the best I could do with the flash feature on a sunny day...) On the plus side, the gold electroplated Swiss ETA 2824 is a beautiful thing to look at (see below); maybe I should have the bracelet turned over so I can wear it with the movement on display...?



My Strangest Renato


While the watch looks pretty decent in the above photo, the bezel and center links in the bracelet are actually made of an off-white (almost grey) rubber-like substance. It seems to be on the porous side; I say this because it seems to be something of a "stain magnet." Although it is rather difficult to photograph, take a look at the picture below; between points A and B, running along the top edge of the bezel is a soiled area about the width of a pencil lead. While it's not easy to see in the photo, it's far more noticable in-person.



My LOUDEST Renato
A picture is worth a thousand words, though my photography is not...



...'Nuff said.

My Second-Most Disappointing Renato


See it...? No? How 'bout this one:



Alas, the retrograde day indicator, the small yellow hand near the cannon pinion at about the 10 o'clock position, has a little problem that not even Viagra can fix. I guess it'll get fixed eventually; I'm just not so sure I want to send it to Renato to have it done.

Still, it's a beautiful watch, and the big date quartz movement is cool; cool enough that Android also uses it (see the comparison photo below).



My Coolest Looking Renato (IMHO)


Just L@@K at all that gold! (Sorry for the silly eBay thing with the word "look"; don't know what came over me...) For a watch that's all the same color, it's amazingly easy to read unless...



...someone interferes with the photographer...and I managed to get a photo of the perpetrator:



Now how can anyone be mad at a face like that one? (BTW, that's my beloved "hairy child," Daffodil Clementine." Cute, ain't she...?

Okay, So They're NOT Renato's...But Think of Them as Cousins Now that Renato and XOSkeleton are Part of the Same Family





I actually had a friend over at WL ask me "what the hell is that?" when I posted one of them (the one with the red stones) on the Watch UR Wearing page a couple of weeks back. I told him that it was an XOS "Superlative Star," and that it was so bloody-damned fugly that I just HAD to have it. He was cool with that, but I guess he probably still wonders what's wrong with me...

[color=blue]That's ALL, Folks!!
Well, fellow Renatoforumites, that's it; my "embarrassing" collection of Renato (and XOS)watches. Hope the post wasn't too long (or boring, for that matter). Many thanks for taking the time to have a look, and remember: a clean response is a happy response. [/color]

Now that is some serious bling............Congrats on a very nice collection,Mort.

bigedsurf wrote:Now that is some serious bling............Congrats on a very nice collection,Mort.

Thanks, Ed!

There is no doubt the minkster had a few steak and lobster dinners on your $.

willy wonka 2.0 wrote:There is no doubt the minkster had a few steak and lobster dinners on your $.

Point taken. But that is what capitalism is all about; you pays your money, you makes your choice, and somewhere, someone [hopefully] makes a profit. And seriously, who cares what his dietary preferences are? Lobstermen and cattle ranchers need to make a living, too. And I don't care what they eat, either.

Not trying to be a jerk here, but why are you a member of this particular forum if you hold Mr. Mink and, I presume, his once-and-former products, in such low regard? And while I genuinely appreciate your reading/viewing my technically-challenged post above, why take the time to do so if Renato's not your thing?

When I dislike something, it's off my radar and I don't bother with it or its secondary associations. I don't even go to websites that pertain to it, much less post in them. I leave that kind of on-the-face-of-it silliness to the myriad 'net trolls out there.

I meant no harm at all. I have never said I hold the brand in low regard. Not all of the models appeal to me but some othe 3hand do. I am here actually to try and convince myself to purchase one by learning and seeing collections like yours so I can make a wise choice.

Why so defensive? It was just a post. Nothing negative was said about you, your collection, minksters dietary habits or about the brand.

willy wonka 2.0 wrote:I meant no harm at all. I have never said I hold the brand in low regard. Not all of the models appeal to me but some othe 3hand do. I am here actually to try and convince myself to purchase one by learning and seeing collections like yours so I can make a wise choice.

Why so defensive? It was just a post. Nothing negative was said about you, your collection, minksters dietary habits or about the brand.

Soooo...you're trying to tell me that your post was positive? Meh.

Mort wear them if like them. By my name alone you know I'm a Hater. Back when you started collecting them in 2008-10 I would have said very very cool. 2010 I started questioning everything I had collected by late 2010 I had sold off most of my TV brands my collection went back to 2004ish. I owned your very first Renato kinda still wish I did. What DM did to this company is run it into the ground,I wish it had died but oh no MBZ bought it. Your XO's I think are much better than what MZB puts out now and I also see the same thing coming with renato. What I'm trying to say is I guess in a couple of years when they sell cheaper junk yours will look real good.

I count 5 in your collection that have graced my watch box in the past. Thanks for taking the time to share your collection.

I'm taking a wait and see to Renato 2.0. I expect we will see the first MZB Renatos this summer.

hater2 wrote:Mort wear them if like them. By my name alone you know I'm a Hater. Back when you started collecting them in 2008-10 I would have said very very cool. 2010 I started questioning everything I had collected by late 2010 I had sold off most of my TV brands my collection went back to 2004ish. I owned your very first Renato kinda still wish I did. What DM did to this company is run it into the ground,I wish it had died but oh no MBZ bought it. Your XO's I think are much better than what MZB puts out now and I also see the same thing coming with renato. What I'm trying to say is I guess in a couple of years when they sell cheaper junk yours will look real good.

Many thanks & great post, H2. I went through much the same thing, though my epiphany came right around the time Renato was starting to lose steam with Shop for the second time. By then, I had come to detest Jim Skelton, mainly for his adolescent on-air behavior; it was only after SNBC flushed him that I found out what a genuine 18K turd the guy is. I've been quietly selling off most of my Invictas and Swiss Legends, and all my Stuhrlings for the better part of a year now. It's a long, cathartic experience, but there is a lot of satisfaction in seeing them go out the door. I still love my Renatos and Androids, and still occasionally buy both brands, but these days I find I like saving my bottlecaps for higher quality brands, such as Seiko, Citizen, Orient Star and Hamilton.

Lastly, I find myself agreeing with you where MZB is concerned. The "XO" they make now is just plain Stauer-like crap, and I dread seeing the same thing happen to Renato; like you, I'd rather just have seen them fade away and die.

mrneddles wrote: I count 5 in your collection that have graced my watch box in the past. Thanks for taking the time to share your collection.

I'm taking a wait and see to Renato 2.0. I expect we will see the first MZB Renatos this summer.

Me too, though, as H2 notes above, MZB hasn't exactly set the world on fire with their "revamped" XO.

Thanks so much for helping me bring this post to life. (As I said in my note, all the pix showed up great in the preview but somehow didn't make it to the final sent product... )

A colorful collection you have. Only six or so of 40 some are automatic?

Hater wrote:A colorful collection you have. Only six or so of 40 some are automatic?

Think about what you just wrote..... First Renato put out mostly quartz Eta G10's most of the time , if you read his post money was an issue which in almost every case money is an issue otherwise I'll take a Patek, JLC, a Royal Oak and a few more to be named later. AT the time He bought these Renato was priced high.

Still trying to figure out why you bought the ugly cousins myself. Did they not have a date for the Prom and you being the good guy took out for night on the town?

hater2 wrote:

Hater wrote:A colorful collection you have. Only six or so of 40 some are automatic?

Think about what you just wrote..... First Renato put out mostly quartz Eta G10's most of the time , if you read his post money was an issue which in almost every case money is an issue otherwise I'll take a Patek, JLC, a Royal Oak and a few more to be named later.

I'm with you on that one, H2; heck, I'd love to add a Rolex Sea Dweller to go along with that Patek, JLC, et al. Ain't it a shame these things cost money?!

@H1: Of the 29 Renatos in my collection, only two are automatics; the good news is that they're both ETA 2824's. There were a couple of occasions where a Renato with a VJ 7750 was offered, but that old arch-enemy of mine, price, was always there to mess it up for me. If cost were not an issue, I'd love to have the Renato 'Stallion' with a VJ 7750 movement; of course, that might end up being my last Renato, what with MZB's notorious reputation for 'dumbing down' the product lines they acquire...

hater2 wrote:Still trying to figure out why you bought the ugly cousins myself. Did they not have a date for the Prom and you being the good guy took out for night on the town?

Great metaphor, H2! And an excellent question. **37-Second PAUSE Spent Looking Up at the Ceiling** At the time I bought them, I had just about reached the zenith of my geekhood; they were unusual, to say the least (and downright FUGLY, to say the most), but they appealed to my love of the unusual. Or, put another, simpler way, I just liked them. They're extremely solid and very well-built, and the moonphase complication in both pieces really appealed to me. (And them big 'ol red 'n blue jools looked awful purty, too, now that ah 'member it...)

Or, as another example of the same concept: my favorite holiday is 'Dia de los Muertos,' AKA 'Day of the Dead.' Families set up altars in the home or at the gravesite(s) of a beloved member(s), and bring the deceased person's favorite food, clothes, etc. Part of the celebration are the so-called 'sugar skulls' and the 'Katrinas,' clay statues of skeletons that wear amazing clothes and hats. Some consider them to be morbid or evil, but there is an odd beauty to them that appeals to many people, most of whom are not named Mortuus. Here's a coupla pix:




At any rate, that's sort of an 'in-the-ballpark answer' to your question; the watches had an odd appeal to them, much like the figures above, and that old saw about beauty being in the eye of the beholder applies as well. And the craziest thing is that I still love and enjoy both of them, though admittedly, they do get some [unwanted] stares and/or comments...

Hope that made at least a little sense, H2.

Thanks for the photos and entertaining read. I, too, have an embarrassing number of Renatos -- 23 to be exact. They remain from selling-off most my TV watches purchased when I was clinically insane. I still like them despite Mink's shenanigans. He might have been over the top when claiming his watches were "built to perfection", but they were the highest quality of all made-for-shopping-channel watches.

Some within my collection may get the boot, but I'm no hurry.

I highly recommend you send your disabled retro hand Beast to customer service. I recently sent an original Buzo Diver to have the precariously designed bracelet clasp replaced due to it snapping off in my hands. They replaced it with no questions asked and promptly, too. Renato CS has always been good in my opinion, but I bet they are trying even harder to impress these days with the brand's "relaunch".

Many thanks, CM; I appreciate the info, and will probably do just that. BTW, would love to see pix of your Renatos when you get a chance to post some pix.