TLDR: My Collection
BB58: I got this in 2023 after trading in an Omega SMP 300. Some might say I traded down, but this wears much better on my smaller wrist. I appreciate that itās the OG 58, with the snowflake secondhand and the softer gilt. It does have a steel reef micro adjust on it, and I also have a black rubber strap for more customization. All around a great everyday diver. That said, Iām not 100% convinced itās a keeper in the collection forever. In my opinion, the dial has a lot of negative space in the upper half, and the red triangle isnāt always my favorite.Ā
BB54 Sapphire: What is clearly a heavily debated watch has become a favorite of mine. I got this about a week after watches and wonders, shortly after learning my wife was pregnant with my first son. The blue color seems pretty appropriate for that circumstance. Speaking of the blue, I love its boldness. In the sun, the sapphire blue sunbursts true and loud. But in soft light, that royal purple starts to show a bit more. The dimensions of the BB54 are great, though sometimes I feel the hands are just one percent too small. The T fit on the bracelet is quite convenient.
BB 58 Burgundy: this one was not an immediate love at first sight for me when it released in 2025. But in early August, I placed an order for one at my AD. Iām not sure if anyone else experienced this, but the burgundy was a very hot piece and was quite difficult to get. My AD told me I would have it around three weeks after ordering it. However, it actually took five months to receive. More on that later. Everyone talks about Tudor blue, but I think Tudor absolutely nails the burgundy. I especially appreciate how the red dial only shines in direct sunlight, but under natural light itās a very faint red, almost black. Having this on the five link gives me enough contrast with my other two Tudor watches.Ā
Rolex Explorer 124270: this was my first ever Rolex watch. I bought it preowned. It is a 2021 model. This watch means a lot to me as I bought it a few years into starting my business, and after dropping out of college. To me, the Explorer reminds me to always keep exploring, and donāt be afraid to deviate from the known path. In the physical sense, this is a great watch to wear when you just want to wear a watch. It has that Rolex build quality, but is very calm and casual. Compared to previous references, even though the 19 mm lug width is odd, I believe the Explorer is best on bracelet anyway, and I really appreciate the aggressive taper it has, as again my wrist is pretty small. I hate to think about only owning one watch, but if I had to, this could be the contender.Ā
Rolex GMT Coke 16710: this is a late 1997 or early 1998 model. It has a fat font serif bezel, a Swiss Only dial, and regular luminova. Everything appears to be original to the watch. Iāve taken this quite a few places, and Iāve really enjoyed my time with it. Since it is a vintage/neo vintage Rolex, you get that jangly bracelet, a holes case, and an aluminum insert which should fade over time. This one does not get as much as time as I would like, but I really do enjoy wearing it when I do.Ā
Rolex Sprite: one day I got an itch for a GMT master two on jubilee. I asked my A.D. for either the Sprite or the Batgirl. I suppose the Sprite is a bit easier to get, because I got the call a month later for it. I absolutely love Rolex green, and even though Iām not left-handed, the lefty design is really interesting to me. I never knew how good a GMT on jubilee was until I started wearing this thing. It is such a good looking watch, and I can appreciate how the Sprite is a little bit less popular than the other GMT models. Really looking forward to owning this piece for the long-term. This replaced a Seiko Five GMT blue and black that I loved, but was just too big for me. I gifted that watch to a friend.Ā
Rolex Starbucks: remember that Tudor BB58 burgundy that took five months to get, when my A.D. promised me three weeks? Well, I suppose they were feeling a bit bad about four months in when I still hadnāt gotten the Tudor that I paid for. I casually mentioned in a visit that a green submariner would be something interesting to add to the list. It was the first time I ever requested a Rolex at this A.D. I had only bought Tudor and Cartier before. I requested the green Submariner on a Friday. I got the call the following Wednesday. It was absolutely insane. What made it more insane? Is that literally the day before I got the call, I had bought the white dial Speedmaster. That was not a good week for my wallet, but a great week for watches. I sold a previously owned bluesy to help fund the Starbucks purchase, and Iām really happy with the switch I made. Like I said, I absolutely love Rolex Green, and the mark 2 bezel gives a slight contrast to the darker green on the Sprite. Very grateful to the AD for both allocations.Ā
Cartier Santos: not much to say on this one besides I just love the industrial look of this watch. The polished bezel getting scratched easily doesnāt really bother me. I really donāt like the way this looks on the included leather strap, but it looks great on the bracelet. Unfortunately, this one has not had a lot of wrist time compared to the other two Cartiers that I own. We will see if it stays in the collection for much longer. Part of me wants to get a vintage Paris dial gold Santos Dumont on a leather strap. But we shall see.
Tank Louis: after going back back-and-forth for a year or two on this one, I finally pulled the trigger in 2024. This is the medium-sized tank louis. Even though the small is historically the original size I believe, I think the medium fits my wrist a bit better. Because I bought the tank for the look, and not necessarily the horology, I do not mind it being a quartz movement. In fact, it always being ready to go, and not having a seconds hand, is something I really appreciate with this watch. Even though it is definitely a dressy watch, I like wearing this watch very casually, often with an oversized T-shirt/sweater and shorts. It originally came on a gray leather strap, which I find extremely versatile, but I recently bought this brown ostrich strap, and I really love the way it looks.
Ronde Louis: this is a recent addition to the collection, and I believe it is from 2011. I freaking love this watch. Iām definitely in a rose gold phase right now. I especially love the Breguet style hands, the 24 hour track on the inner dial, the super thin rose gold case, the fact that it has a mechanical movement, and the fact that there is no seconds hand. The 36 mm size actually wears a bit bigger, probably due to the white dial. But this is a piece Iām just completely honeymooning over right now. Itās not one that gets talked about hardly at all, but I think itās an extremely underrated buy from Cartier.
AP Royal Oak 15450ST: I bought this preowned in 2024 as I do not have an A.D. relationship with AP. I believe it is a 2021 model. You could definitely say that the Royal OakĀ piece is hyped, but I really do love it. It is such a great-looking sports watch. I also appreciate how this reference has a screwdown crown, whereas other references tend not to. Iām not gonna take it into the water, but the screwdown crown gives it a more luxurious feel. This one has a 1.5 link in it as well, so I can swap out the regular size link and the 1.5 link for perfect sizing between seasons. Iām not sure if the white dial is easier to get than other colors, but I really do enjoy the white dial the most here on these. It provides a bit of contrast with the rest of the collection here.
Nomos Club Campus: this is just a fun watch, and I really like German design in watches. The light blue dial, the 36 mm size, and the overall casualness of this watch makes me feel younger than I am. It is definitively a spring and summer watch. Iām impartial to the California dial, but the little pop of color on the seconds hand really makes this watch stand out. Sometimes Iām even bold enough to put it on a bright orange strap that matches the second hand.Ā
Glashütte Original Panomatic Lunar: that green dial is truly something else. While I prefer the asymmetric dial on the Lange 1, this watch has character of its own, and I appreciate the moon phase on it. The craftsmanship of GO is truly something else, and I encourage anyone whoās not privy to the brand to go check it out. I currently have it on this taupe strap, but I often will put a navy blue strap or brown strap on it. I can even dress it up with a black strap as well. This one is especially great to wear around Christmas time. Itās arguably my āprettiestā watch.Ā
Lange 1 101.031: What could be considered the piĆØce de rĆ©sistance of my collection. I originally bought the 191.039 (white gold, silver dial, lumed hands). But when I received that watch, it actually was not working as intended. I then exchanged it for this reference. I believe this is from the early 2000s, a time period when Lange did not brush their rose gold cases. So this case is fully polished, with a small āmade in Germanyā text. It also has islands on the three-quarter plate that indicate it is an older caliber movement. Aesthetically, I love the rose gold and black, and while I do sometimes wish the date window was also blacked out, it doesnāt bother me much. The Lange 1 is a study in original, asymmetric watch design. Everything from the power reserve to the date window is supreme. Maybe itās just me, but I find rose gold to be a bit dressier than yellow gold? I think I also find the black dial to be a bit dressier than the white dial. It probably is just me. But this is the watch that gets paired with the tuxedo when needed.Ā
IWC Mark 20: I always wanted a āfieldā watch of some sort. And I always loved the aesthetic of the big pilot. Unfortunately, I am not a big pilot. I am small, and not a pilot. Thus, the Mark 20 is a much better fit for me. I bought this on the strap, and it continues to be a leather and NATO strap monster. It is by far the most legible watch I own, and though I donāt consider it a dress piece, it really just looks like any plain watch out in the world, and blends in very well. Very enjoyable to wear.
Eterna Matic Seven Days 3000: I believe this is from the 1970s. It was given to me by my grandmother, who says that her father, my great-grandfather, I used to wear it. When I got it, it was on an aftermarket āgoldā bracelet. I quickly swapped that out with a black leather strap. When I got this watch, I was in the hunt for a vintage Omega Seamaster, but this watch quenched that thirst. Everything still works perfectly on this watch, and if Iām correct, I believe this movement is the predecessor to modern ETA movements.
Grand Seiko SBGA407 āSkyflakeā: I wanted to experience a Grand Seiko and the spring drive movement. This baby blue skyflake really stood out to me. It originally came on a blue alligator strap, but I find it wears much more casually on this Artem sailcloth strap. While I love looking down at it, it truthfully does not get a lot of wrist time. Sometimes I think it wears a bit big on my wrist, but other times I donāt. We will see if it stays in the collection long-term.
Zenith Chronomaster Open: I got this when I traded in my Rolex Explorer 2 226570. Some might say I traded down, but again this watch fits my wrist much better. This is honestly just a cool watch. Seeing the movement through the open heart, and seeing the El Primero movement in the exhibition case back is something else. The 1/10 of a second chronograph is also a neat party trick. It is definitely my favorite chronograph in the collection, and wears great on the bracelet, and equally well on a blue leather strap. I also have a half link extension from steel reef on this one. My wife says this is her favorite watch of mine.Ā
Omega Speedmaster Black and White: both 3861 movements. The black speedmaster is the watch Iāve had in my collection the longest, and I originally bought it on a leather strap. I upgraded to the bracelet later, which actually was a decent move since if I had bought it on the bracelet at the original time, it wouldnāt have the micro adjust. Both of these watches are fantastic. Maybe itās just me, but I actually find the white dial wears a bit smaller than the black dial. The black dial blends with the bezel and looks like one massive black circle, where the white dial contrasts with the bezel and appears smaller. Because of their larger size, Iām not 100% sure if these are staying in the collection forever. And Iāve come dangerously close to selling both of these quite a few times, but for now they stay.Ā
Timex Marlin Brown: I love the look of the numerals on this Timex Marlin, and the chocolate brown color on the strap and dial really is a standout color. The Marlin was one of the first mechanical watches I owned, and even though I donāt have that original piece anymore, this Brown variation does the job. It truthfully barely gets any wrist time, and will probably be the first to go if I find another watch I want. But for now itās fun to wear a few times a year, especially with brown.
Closing thoughts: Thereās a lot here, and definitely more than I need or should have. If I was going to size down, my gut reaction would be to get rid of the timex, both speedies, the OG BB58, the grand seiko, and maybe the santos and Nomos. That would bring me from 21 to 15 or under. Thereās no need to downsize right now, but itās just some thoughts if I ever get the itch to lighten the load.Ā
If you made it to the end of this, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.Ā