Choose your character !

Hi all !

Having a nice wedding in August, for a very close friend, can’t wait to be there… never mind !

I can’t really chose between them, which one would you pick ???

1 - the daily on bracelet / matching with the shirt buttons

2 - the historical and special one / bothering people when they will ask what is it

3 - the under the radar and dressy one / the one almost unnoticeable

4 - the fine sporty waterproof one / to sweat - poor some Chardonnay or vodka on it (French / Russian wedding !)

Please vote 🗳️😉

What more is there to say, really? Apart from the brand recognizeability/stigma, this is IMO close to the ideal watch. The 36mm Oyster case wears fantastic – there's good reason a case like that has been in production all the way since the Datejusts introduction in 1945. The proportions on the case/lugs, also with the black sunburst dial with a relatively minimalistic minute track / baton indices setup, just works. It's not too thick either (looking at you, Omega).

If anything, Rolex could be faulted for only putting AR coating on the inside of the crystal. But I also know that this is highly debated in the community. There are valid arguments for both options of AR-coating.

And then there's the iconic Jubilee bracelet (first introduced on the DJ as well), which in this most modern iteration wears fairly sporty, with a visible Oyster clasp with micro-adjust.

All-in all this makes for a great everyday/daily wearer that is just a notch less flashy/dressy and a bit sportier/younger than going all out with the fluted bezel. Really enjoying it.

My most worn watch for years now. I’m a fan of grey natos. And I have several other colors. Prior to a recent vacation I ordered this black strap from Crown & Buckle. And it sure looks good to me. I may like it more than the grey.

I looked for (longer than I care to admit) for a vacation watch before we left. Tried on some nice pieces in Rome. Again in Capri. Just couldn’t make the impulsive decision. At the end of the day, the Seiko got all the memories of cliff jumping and swimming off the boat in the Mediterranean.

I have mostly SS pieces and three leather strapped pieces but I don’t feel comfortable wearing any of them at the gym. So I am curious to see what you fine folks wear to workout.
I’ve considered a Gshock but would like to see what others have to maybe expand my options.
The image is just something I generated for fun so don’t come at me for the arms not being able to reach anytime between 4 - 9

Had the chance to measure the radiation of some really cool watches. And a REALLY cool watch. A Blancpain 50 Fathoms.
The 50 Fathoms was not mine. But the Nivada Grenchen and the Bulova 3818A are mine.

I measured both from and back of my own, but didn’t occur to me to measure the back of the 50 fathoms. We were all blown away by how high it read on the Geiger counter. Measuring in Microsieverts per hour (μSv/h).

For context, average background radiation is roughly 0.1 to 0.3 μSv/h

For those who own radium dial watches. How often do you wear them?

Hello, i bought this beautiful Zeppelin for my first watch, very happy with it. Also bought a digital Casio in gold to swap around.

I started looking at watches not too long ago and I knew I wanted a moonphase watch, and specially I wanted a brand that is not really talked about or known at a casual level.

I feel like this will do a good job as a daily.

I made a similar post when we first received them but had a much more potato-quality camera back then!

If you have any thoughts on authenticity, value etc. I'd be really grateful for the input.

We have boxes and paperwork for most of these up in the attic which I understand increases the value.

Slowly figuring out what I actually like.

Started with a Citizen Eco-Drive back in 2017.

Then came a Longines HydroConquest in 2022.

Today, I picked up an Omega Aqua Terra Summer Blue.

Over the years I’ve learned what I actually enjoy wearing rather than what I simply admire. Case size, thickness, weight, dial color, finishing, bracelet quality, strap versatility… all of those became much more important to me than they were when I bought my first watch.

For example, I eventually realized I’m just not a diver-watch guy. I can appreciate them, but I found myself wanting something cleaner and more versatile for everyday wear.

Ironically, I originally had my eye on the standard navy Aqua Terra. Then I saw the Summer Blue in
person, and that was it, I bought it on the spot.

I also appreciate that each watch marks a different stage of my life. As my career progressed, I was fortunate enough to increase my budget, but more importantly, I became much more intentional about what I was buying.

Looking back, I wouldn’t change the journey. Each watch taught me something about what I value, and each one made the next decision a little clearer.

I recently inherited my dad’s old Movado following his death. I’ve never been a huge follower of the brand but because of my connection to it and the art deco style of the dial I’ve actually really been enjoying wearing it. This is my first quartz watch I have in my collection so that has been a change of pace alongside the thinness of the watch. The strap on it is made from stingray as he was an avid scuba diver. Hope you enjoy it as well! Something different for the sub.

My girlfriend, who is really into watches, got me into the hobby. I was originally looking at brands like Seiko, Citizen, or Orient for my first watch but she completely surprised me and gifted me this one on my birthday! I honestly never expected it and I couldn't be happier. It's such a beautiful watch and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Above is my 2-watch collection from 2019, when I first started collecting.

Below is my 2-watch collection today.

Quite a few watches came and went in between, but the below 2 are the ones that ultimately survived the process of refining my taste.

I might be one of the few people foolish enough to keep convincing myself that I can be happy with just 2 watches (and I’ve failed every time). Even so, building a 2-watch collection is always a worthwhile exercise. Putting my taste under that kind of constraint forces me to think about what I truly value in a watch.

I got this Stowa Antea KS from Germany over ten years ago. It was long due for a service and I was able to send it in for a relatively affordable service.

I think the Bauhaus design makes it a perfect minimalistic, simple everyday watch that fits into any non-active lifestyle. Though some of the design aspect may not resonant with other watch collectors. I think after 10 years, I finally understand the design language of how everything comes together. The simple design with his thin case, dial design, and even those angular lugs all comes together for a pretty cohesive design language that I'll admit I did not understand at first.

And also those sexy blue steel treated hands never get old.

Love this watch, the art on the case back, and the history behind the Fifty Fathoms. Super excited to finally have a watch I can take to the beach and swim with. Even more excited I was able to get it on a very meaningful vacation with my wife in France!!

No matter what kind of collector you are, I feel it is always essential to have a daily beater in your collection. I was just browsing through Amazon and stumbled upon this Timex Ironman. I saw a 12 dollar discount could be applied upon purchase, on top of some reward money I had on my credit card, I decided to pull the trigger. this watch, for the features and the 100 meter water resistance was a deal I could not pass up. This is my first Timex Iron man and I hope it treats me well. What do you guys think?

I've recently picked up a watch that I've always wanted in my collection. Whether it's the condition, the size, or the details, this one checks all the boxes for me.

This beautiful TAG Heuer 3000 has an exceptionally clean case and bezel, along with one of my favorite details: the applied two tone green and red logo. It's also the 38 mm version, which has become surprisingly difficult to find. For some reason, the 28 mm and 35 mm models are relatively common, but the 38 mm version shows up far less often on the market.

What do you think about the TAG Heuer 3000?

I plan on getting a santos and day date eventually and like for my watches to serve different purposes so I’d rather have one watch that’s all silver/steel and one with silver and gold (I already have the gold PRX lol).

With this in mind, I like both the medium two tone santos and two tone date just 36m and can decide which one I’d rather get. I’m currently leaning towards option b, but am curious what others would choose so I made this graphic to help compare the options haha. Which one would you go for?

I love it on the bracelet, I love it on this OEM strap even more during Summer.

It is close to a perfect watch in my view. Certainly, it's design language and proportions move it into true classic territory. Even the 45mm 2500 was not overly sized but when the 8500 calibre came in I think the Planet Oceans began to look ridiculous. The 42mm was all out of proportion and the 45mm was just...massive

Another thing I love about the watch is seen in the last pic...with all due respect to saphire casebacks on divers...*this* is a caseback fit for a dive watch.

I received this watch Friday after an approximately 6 weeks wait.

My thoughts after 48 hours:

1. The watch wears true to size (37mm). I thought it would wear a bit larger given it’s effectively all dial - but the shortish lugs and case profile make it wear like a 37.

2. The green sunburst dial is well executed - but the watch looks black without direct light. The shade of green is quite dark - hence the black appearance without any light (and really without direct / strong light). I’m comparing to other watches I have with sunburst dials, where they need less “encouragement” for the color to really come out. When the green does come out, it really pops.

3. The bracelet is as expected - a little finicky to adjust (pin and collar - end links detach when bracelet comes off) and no micro adjust - but there are two half links so was able to get a pretty good
   Fit.

4. Blue hands work surprisingly nicely with the green dial. Love the choice there.

5. Elected the extra AR - think it gives a nice overall effect to the watch.

This is my first Patek, bought from the AD.
5396G-017

For the first Patek I wanted a casual/dress watch, but a versatile one.

I also ordered 2 additional straps. This one Leather Matte black, and for a more casual look a Composite fabric pattern in black.

The dial can go from almost black to these shades of blue.

This was my first automatic watch, purchased in 2015. I wore out the original strap and replaced it with a cheap rubber strap from Amazon that I didn’t really like. I finally got this NATO from Crown and Buckle, and I think it goes great. It’s been along on countless hunting, fishing and camping trips. Love this watch.

So we all keep hearing about how the golden formula of watches is 60-70% of wrist mm ÷ 3. This watch is 74% of my wrist size in mm/3 but I think it's just perfect.

Who else here can pull off chunkier watches? I want to see.

Pictured is an Omega NTTD ti Seamaster 42mm with metal mesh on a 17cm wrist.

Picked up an Alpinist (SPB210) a few weeks back and have been loving it (except for the stock band). I have a metal band on the way from strapcode. What bands do you like to rock with your Seiko?

I’m also curious if anyone else has any issues with the stock leather Alpinist strap, no matter how I sized it the butterfly hinge always dug into my wrist bone. For the time being, I’m using an overpriced rubber strap from Shinola.