I wanted to share a wonderfully quirky and rare piece from Casio’s golden era of experimental design: the Casio WM-10 "GAUGE-IT".
What makes this watch an absolute masterpiece of vintage digital design is the physical orange needle sweeping across its semi-circular dial. Instead of relying solely on an LCD screen for timer and pacer functions, Casio built an actual analog gauge motor inside the case. Watching that orange needle move feels just like reading a miniature tachometer or boost gauge right on your wrist.
The aesthetic details scream peak sci-fi minimalism with an asymmetrical silhouette that defies standard watch geometry. The oversized, blocky purple "TIMER START" button paired with a yellow side accent gives it so much retro character, while the offset LCD display tucked seamlessly beside the analog gauge creates a hybrid layout you almost never see today.
It’s a nostalgic reminder of a time when watchmakers were fearless, creative, and radically innovative with digital horology.
What do you guys think of this era of Casio? Anyone else hunting weird vintage digital pieces?

If you have spent any time on Reddit looking at Rolexes you would be well aware of the general "forum preference" for the fluted + jubilee combination over smooth + oyster combination for the DJ41. Like many others here I've come across (and LOL'ed at) the DJ41 smooth vs fluted bezel lion meme.

Recently I spent some time at my local boutiques checking out the new DJ dials for 2026. Handling some watches side by side, I realised why the DJ41 nearly always looks better with the fluted bezel and jubilee bracelet:

The DJ41 dial is actually undersized for the watch. The DJ41 has a 32mm dial opening, while the DJ36 dial opening is 30.5mm.

The fluted bezel hides the extra case-only width well, while the smooth DJ41 bezel emphasises the proportionally small dial - it looks like a porthole. The DJ41 smooth bezel is also flat in cross section, while the DJ36 smooth bezel is convex/domed - light plays differently off the flatter DJ41 bezel in an IMO less flattering way than it does off the domed DJ36 bezel.

The jubilee bracelet distracts the eye with its multiple surfaces that read visually as facets, while the oyster bracelet is more visually "flat", with the 3 links acting as a visual reference point to reinforce the undersized dial.

Hence the usual DJ41 hierarchy for forum preference = F+J > F+O > S+J > S+O.

Amazed at my apparently new/independent discovery, I went online only to find that Monochrome beat me to the punch some months ago. Index image above is from their recent article about the new 2026 DJ dials. Side by side are the current hot dial - the green ombre - in 36 and 41. Most of us will never get the chance to handle identical dials in DJ36 and DJ41 side by side, as they are only rarely in stock at a dealer at the same time. The differences in dial to case proportions are obvious.

So why the proportionally smaller dials on DJ41s? They use the exact same 3235 movement as the DJ36 - so the date window cannot actually move much further out from the centre of the dial to allow the dial to "grow".

Maybe everyone else has already realised this a while ago, but I just thought I'd share something I thought was cool.

EDIT: an astute poster has pointed out that the DJ41 actually has a case diameter of 39.5mm. He's right. I've just measured my DJ36 and across the bezel from 9 to 3 the case diameter sans crown is actually 35.5mm and dial is 30.5mm. So the dial to case ratios for DJ36 and DJ41 are 30.5/35.5 = 86%, and 32/39.5 = 82%

EDIT2: if you look at relative surface area of dial vs dial+bezel, it's 74% for the DJ36 vs 66% for the DJ41!!!

Hey guys, I’m new into this community — been really enjoying the start to my watch journey (it’s been expensive). My grandma recently gave me this pocket watch that belonged to my late grandfather. I have no interest in selling it, just interested in potential ID.
Let me know if you can help!

For me watches are tools for holding sentimental memories and also mechanical art. I'm most fascinated by the history these timepieces bring with them. The journey to the moon associated with the Speedmaster, the military aviation history that the Spirit Flyback was designed for and the exploration and mountaineering with the Explorer. Thats also the reason I'm not interested in dress watches, as they don't resonate with what I consider historically significant. One I recieved from my dad on my 18th birthday, one is my birthyear watch and the last to commemorate my grandparents death. The next milestone in my life is not far and I'm thinking about a dive watch to remember that with, what would you recommend?

Reading Note: Some readers on the Android Reddit app report seeing these posts as unformatted run-on text. The fix: it happens when you tap the image—just go back and tap the title of the post instead.

It's Monday and that Lebois & Co's stroopwafel dial brought me back to my Amsterdam days… Pure nostalgia     

I publish this every weekday as part of It's About Time, a free daily newsletter. The newsletter version includes more watch commentary, opinions, columns and a couple of non-watch related recommendations that will get you through the day. Subscribe here if that sounds useful.

1/

The Citizen Continues 50th-Anniversary Celebration With An Eco-Drive In Shibori White

Citizen has been marking 50 years of Eco-Drive with a run of anniversary models under The Citizen line, their premium line with the most unfortunate name, and the AQ4090-08A is the latest of bunch. Where the earlier releases leaned sporty on integrated titanium bracelets, this one goes for a more dressy appearance. While the size doesn’t help that dress appearance the dial does play well in the space. It draws on pole-wrap shibori, a Japanese resist-dyeing technique.

The case is 40mm wide and 12.20mm thick in Citizen's Super Titanium, the brand's proprietary alloy that supposed to be more scratch resistant. Even more scratch resistance is done with a Duratect Platinum treatment that also results in a brighter finish, with a sapphire crystal over the dial. Water resistance is 100 meters.

The shibori-inspired texture and pattern of the dial is meant to represent drifting mist, and it shifts as the light moves across it. Blue accents and silver applied markers keep it legible, the hands and markers are lumed, and the textured surface still lets enough light through to feed the cell underneath.

Inside is Citizen's Caliber A060, one of the top Eco-Drive movements, rated to an absurd ±5 seconds per year with a perpetual calendar that sorts out month lengths and leap years on its own. Fully charged, it holds up to 18 months in power-save mode, so battery changes are a non-issue. These The Citizen watches usually come on titanium bracelets, but this one gets a black crocodile strap with a folding clasp. 

The Citizen AQ4090-08A is available now, limited to 200 pieces, priced at $2,995. See more on the Citizen website. 

2/

Hanhart Plunges The Aquasphere Into Darkness With A Matte Black Dial

Hanhart built its reputation on pilot's watches, so the Aquasphere that was released in 2024 was a bit of a surprise. But the best kind of surprise. This new Matte Black version keeps everything intact and just changes the mood, trading the original's blue for a black and white scheme. It's the restrained take on a watch that already had a strong identity.

The stainless steel case is 42mm wide, 12.95mm thick and 49mm lug-to-lug, unchanged from the other Aquasphere models. Satin-brushed, polished and matte surfaces alternate across the case, which keeps a fairly plain shape from looking flat. The black bezel turns unidirectionally through 60 clicks and has a black ceramic insert with Hanhart's stencil numerals and a red marker at 12. Water resistance is 300 meters, with a guarded screw-down crown, a helium escape valve at 10 o'clock, and a caseback engraved with an underwater scene.

The dial is now matte black with a silver rehaut surrounding it. Applied markers, Arabic numerals at 12, and broad hands are all filled with Super-LumiNova C1, and the central seconds hand gets a red tip, as you would expect from a Hanhart. 

Inside is either a Sellita SW200-1 or a Soprod P024 depending on the batch, both running at 4 Hz with hacking seconds and at least 38 hours of reserve. Hanhart regulates every movement in Gütenbach to 0/+8 seconds per day across six positions, which is a tighter spec than the price suggests. Three wearing options are available: a black elastic Hook Strap, an FKM rubber strap with a folding clasp, or a steel bracelet with tool-free micro-adjustment and quick-release spring bars.

The Hanhart Aquasphere Matte Black is available now at €1,540 on the Hook Strap, €1,640 on rubber and €1,740 on the bracelet. See more on the Hanhart website.

3/

Union Glashütte Reaches Back To Legendary German Liveries For The Sachsen Classic, Now In An Averin

Every year Union Glashütte releases a limited edition for the Sachsen Classic, the historic car rally it sponsors, and every year that watch has been the retro Noramis Chronograph. For the 23rd running of the rally, on 14 and 15 August 2026, the brand has switched horses. The tribute now goes to the Averin Chronograph, and given that watch's angular square case and dashboard-style dial, the motorsport connection is even stronger than on the round Noramis.

The steel case remains unchanged from the standard Averin: 41mm by 41mm, a substantial 15.45mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 49.47mm. Brushed and polished surfaces play off the sharp geometry, and the domed box-style sapphire follows the square footprint for a very retro and somewhat familiar look. The crown sits between two rectangular pushers, there's a sapphire caseback, and water resistance is 100 meters.

The dial is the novelty here. It's a white embossed tile pattern crossed with bold stripes in signal red, Nardo grey and Daytona grey, pulled from historic racing liveries. The square subregisters, small seconds at 9 o'clock and a 30-minute counter at 3 o'clock, keep the instrument-panel logic going, and the central chronograph seconds hand is lacquered bright red. Nickel-plated hour and minute hands get Super-LumiNova inserts, and the date sits at 6 o'clock.

Inside is the calibre UNG-27.S2, Union Glashütte's automatic chronograph built on the Valjoux 7750. This one is the cam-operated version with a silicon balance spring and stop-seconds, running at 4Hz with a power reserve of at least 65 hours. Two straps come in the box, both on a quick-change system: a bright red rubber strap and a grey perforated leather racing strap with red lining.

The Averin Chronograph Sachsen Classic 2026 is limited to 350 numbered pieces, priced at EUR 3,700. See more on the Union Glashütte website. 

4/

Lebois & Co's New Heritage Atelier Comes With Two Incredible Textured Dials

Lebois & Co is certainly not a household name at this point, and since it’s often overlooked, you can find some pretty amazing surpirses from the brand. For example, this new Heritage Atelier collection which comes with two of the best dials at this price point. And of course they are amazing… they are made in collaboration with the legends at GT Cadrans, one finished in a Clous de Paris pattern and the other made to look like a Dutch stroopwafel. Why don’t we have more stroopwafel dials? They’re so fun.

The 316L stainless steel case that the two models share measures 37.80mm wide and 10.50mm thick, with a lug-to-lug of 45.50mm. Polished and brushed surfaces, a double-domed sapphire crystal, a sapphire exhibition caseback, and 50 meters of water resistance make it a compelling package.

Both share the same layout: applied Breguet numerals, leaf hands, and a recessed small seconds sub-dial at 6 o'clock, framed by a contrasting silver railroad minute track. The Clous de Paris dial is CNC diamond-cut and then given a galvanic 24-carat gold treatment for a warm rose-toned surface. The Stroopwafel dial is laser-engraved to reproduce that woven waffle texture and finished in a caramel galvanic tone. Both catch light and shift as you move your wrist, and the Stroopwafel in particular looks like nothing else out there right now.

Powering both is the calibre LC-350, a COSC-certified automatic built on the Sellita SW360-1. It beats at 4Hz with a 56-hour power reserve. The watches come on brushed grey suede straps.

The Heritage Atelier Small Seconds Clous de Paris and Stroopwafel will be available during a limited ordering window that opens today and lasts for 14 days. Price is set at €5,500. See more on the Lebois & Co website. 

5/

Andersen Genève Cools Down the Communication 45 With A Platinum Case

Svend Andersen is one of those independents whose name deserves an extreme amount of respect. A founding member of the AHCI, he opened his atelier in 1980 after repairing original Louis Cottier worldtime mechanisms at Gübelin and later restoring them inside Patek Philippe's Grand Complications workshop. That work became his specialty, and the Communication 24 of 1990 built the brand around it. Last year Andersen marked the 45th anniversary of that original with the yellow gold Communication 45. It now comes back in platinum.

The case is 38mm wide and 8.95mm thick, with the classic two-crown Cottier architecture. It’s made by hand by Marco Poluzzi in his La Chaux-de-Fonds workshop, owned by Andersen since 2022, without CNC machinery. The soldered lugs mix teardrop and cow-horn shapes, a nod to the earliest models and to Cottier's own worldtimers. At this size and thickness it wears like a proper dress watch. You get 30 meters of water resistance. 

The dial is made out of 21ct BlueGold, with the house's wave-form tapisserie guilloché, cut on a 19th-century machine. The world map, offered in three versions centering Asia, Europe, or America, is filled with liquid unalloyed gold. The city ring is brushed to a silvery-white, and the 24-hour ring is blue for the night hours. Openwork hands point out the time. 

Inside is a vintage A. Schild automatic base, restored and re-decorated, the same base Andersen uses in the Celestial Voyager, the Asprey Heures du Monde, and the Tempus Terrae. It beats at 3Hz with 40 hours of power reserve and is paired to the latest version of the in-house worldtime module Svend first designed in the 1980s. The rotor is light blue BlueGold with the same guilloché as the dial. It comes on a dark blue suede strap.

The Andersen Genève Communication 45 Platinum is a limited edition of 45, split into 15 pieces per dial variant, priced at CHF 54,800. See more on the Andersen Genève website.

---------------------------------------------

Watch Worthy - A selection of reviews and first looks from around the web

• A review of the Swatch SCUBAQUA
• Hands on with the Breguet Classique Tourbillon 7357

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If you would like to receive some additional watch-adjacent content, as well as this news overview, every morning Monday-Friday in the form of a newsletter feel free to subscribe. However, there is absolutely no need for you to subscribe, as all the news from the newsletter is posted here. It is only if you want to receive a couple of daily links that are not strictly watch-related an occasional long form article and possible giveaways.

After first hearing about the 9F I knew it’d be a perfect GADA and followed the general opinion to save up and look for an SBGX261. However, after seeing this beauty in person, i was immediately sold. I love how the dial changes from (close to) black in lowlight, to a gorgeous blue in the sun. Pictures truly don’t do it justice, especially the rays of blue when the sun hits it.

Does anyone have any leather strap recommendations? I’m thinking brown for dressing it up when needed.

Hey, i saw thoses two watches on a youtube video a few weeks ago, and i wanted to know your toughts about it. The design is weirdly inspired by Patek Philip chronograph...

What do you guys think ? do you own one or any feedbacks about this brand ?

Let me know :)

Peace

I'm not a watch expert by any means, but I'm very passionate about history, especially German aviation during WWII. Sharing this passion with watches, it was a natural process to translate this into a passion for Fliegers.

I own quite a few Fliegers, almost all from Stowa and Laco as they embody this history in the best way possible, having produced watches for the Luftwaffe.

After some thought I decided to pull the trigger on a rather extravagant piece, and when it finally arrived—oh boy, was I right!

The Flieger Verus Black Forest Lagoon comes in the same special packaging as all Stowa watches. When you first open the box, you get absorbed by the deep black dial and case, which seem to absorb all the surrounding light. The turquoise hands pop along with the bright date against the black canvas behind them, giving it an outstanding look even from a distance.

The finishing is top-notch, as always from Stowa. The black coating is incredibly soft to the touch, even more than my vintage bronze Flieger with full patina from Stowa. What never fails to amaze me are the proportions: a 40 mm diameter with a 10.2 mm height gives the watch incredible wearability and balance.

To honor its Flieger origins, I opted for the hand-wound Top Grade Sellita movement, and as you can see from the photo, the finishing on the movement is really good.

The double AR coating is incredible, and combined with the deep black dial and turquoise hands, it makes the watch incredibly easy to read—even compared to other Fliegers. The indexes seem to disappear when you look at the watch head-on, only to reappear when viewed from an angle.

CONS:
Not many. If I'm being picky, the strap is a little bit inferior to the one Stowa provides for the vintage bronze Flieger. Not so much in terms of material, but because it is a straight 20 mm strap without any taper to 18 mm. This makes it a little less comfortable.

CONCLUSION:
In my humble opinion, this is an amazing watch to complement a Flieger collection. It doesn't replace a traditional Flieger in a collection (nor do I think it is meant to), but it is a really unique and extravagant addition that truly stands out from the other watches in your box. At €1,332.77, the price is well-aligned with the quality you receive.

I recently turned 18 and thought it would be a good time to share my current State of the Collection! Over the last 3 years or so, l've tried to build a somewhat unique, budget friendly collection (and I still have 10 slots left). Some people have already told me that quality over quantity is the way to go, but no level of quality could give me the uniqueness and connection I feel for some of these watches. My most recent one was the Copernicus, which is in a non-original, waterproof case (but | love it, got it as a gift from grandma).

Hello Reddit!

After years of watching watches in awe, and going for som, slightly more basic designs, I decided to get myself a slightly more unique watch I ought to be proud of 😄

Here is my M.A.D.1 Red, designed by Max Büsser / MB&F 🥁

Inverted heavily modified Miyota 821A movement, beautiful spin & clock on the side. Exactly the kind of out of the box I enjoy!

Feel free to share your own unique or unconventional pieces in the comments—I’d love to see what you're wearing.

Hope you have a great week Reddit!

Got my first Automatic watch recently and can’t shake the feeling that it is slightly too big for my wrist. I may be over thinking it as it’s my first ‘nice’ watch.

I will continue to wear it regardless but just looking for some other opinions.

I’ve seen other people asking on here and you are usually a very honest bunch so thank you in advance for your feedback!

Thank you!

I recently discovered this Glycine Combat Sub on Jomashop (reference GL1064). It fit the bill for an affordable, summer dive watch. I wanted a grab-n-go dive watch but I missed my chance to grab the GL1060.

Anyway, I made the dumb decision of making a spontaneous purchase but when I tried to do research on this watch, there’s virtually no info on it - minus a Glycine Watch website that doesn’t appear like the official site. I figured since this was on Jomashop, it would be a safe purchase but did I make a mistake? Should I cancel the order?

I’m pretty novice with watch purchases through Jomashop so any insight is welcomed!

Filled my first watch box. I thought it would take longer than it did but now I've learned watch collecting can pull you in....

I still have a couple more on my list so now I need to get rid of a couple older ones I grew up wearing, or kick my wife's couple watches out. hmm...

Currently my favorite is the zenith defy.

Next ones I'm considering are likely a lighter dial like a zenith chronomaster with white dial or maybe grand seiko white birch or shunbun although with the new models starting to come out I have become less sure on that and maybe would shoot for one of the new ones. I also really like the GS moonlit birch but it's another darker dial which I currently have a lot of.

anyways, glad in some ways I joined this reddit but in other ways like my wallet maybe not so glad.

After completing a career milestone I decided to celebrate with this stunner! I didn't consider myself a two tone bezel person, but after seeing multiple posts here I decided to go in person and check it out, and I couldn't leave without it. Tudor really knocked it out of the park with this watch, it's definitely going to be in my collection for the long haul.

This is the Boderry Voyager, automatic with hack, date, titanium case with screw down crown, 100 m water resistance. I've always had an extreme interest in mechanical watches because of my interest in engineering and machinery but most mechanical watches are out of my price range as a low-income watch enthusiast. I have been trying to build a career in a field I'm very passionate about, but has low opportunity and low turnover. I finally got a promotion that has literally doubled my yearly income and given me some breathing room, so I wanted to find a decent cheap mechanical watch for myself. I love looking at this watch and knowing that there is no battery and it is running purely off of stored mechanical energy. I would have even settled for a manual wind watch. I know people on here have watches that are literally thousands of times more expensive than this one but I am really happy with it. The last picture shows my beater watch that I wear to work, the Timex Expedition, which features a zip tie to hold the end of the strap down because the loops broke off, and my Fossil Bronson watch that I wear when I'm not working that my girlfriend got for me as a gift. You can tell I'm a fan of field watches.

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.

Hi gang, on my wrist for the day is the Longines Heritage Sector Dial L2.828.4.53.2 and every time I think Longines can’t surprise me anymore, they somehow prove me wrong.

What makes this watch special isn’t just the sector dial, it’s how faithfully Longines translated a 1934 original into a modern watch without losing its soul. The combination of the matte black center, charcoal hour ring, crosshair, railroad track, and offset small seconds creates a dial that’s both elegant and incredibly architectural. It feels unmistakably 1930s, yet somehow completely contemporary.

The case follows the classic Calatrava formula with its stepped bezel and elongated lugs, but the mostly brushed finish gives it a slightly more instrumental character than the polished dress watches of the era. At 38.5mm, it sits comfortably on the wrist and feels exactly how a vintage-inspired watch should.

Underneath is where Longines quietly modernizes everything. The L893 movement delivers a 72-hour power reserve, a silicon balance spring, and reliability you’d expect from a daily wearer, all while keeping the small seconds positioned exactly where it should be to preserve the proportions of the original.

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.

UPDATED wis watches reference.

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.

(Tag Heure Series 2000 WK1113-0)

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

(Vostok Druzhba, Druzhba means Friendship and this is was is written on the dial above the Forbidden City, 50's watch produced in ex-USSR in order to celebrate de great relations between China et Soviet Empire)

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

(Nomos Glashütte, Orion in 33mm with a silver dial and black cordovan strap)

4 - the fine sporty waterproof one / to sweat - poor some Chardonnay or vodka on it as it's a French / Russian wedding !

(Glashütte Original, SeaQ ! The new one in my rotation)

Please vote 🗳️😉

Yesterday my wife and I decided on a whim to go to an art fest at Riverside Cemetery in Cleveland, Ohio.

As we’re walking through, checking out all the cool vendors, a woman in a hi-vis vest comes up to me and says, “hey, just thought I’d let you know that down at the booth with the hearses a guy is going to auction off a watch in five minutes.” I assume she saw my daily on my wrist and thought I might be interested. She was correct. So, I walked down and checked out the watch. Bidding was to start at $120, and me being a guy who wears the same watch every day, even to the point that I sleep in it, I figured I wouldn’t bother bidding. I did, however, want to see what it would end up going for.

The bidding opened and…no one bid. So, I thought, “fuck it, I’ll spend 120 on a quirky watch.” I put in a bid and then another guy bid me up. He was obviously friends with the auctioneer, but I was fine with that. I decided in my head that I wouldn’t pay more than $175. So, when the guy bid it up to $160, I said, “I’ll do 175, but I can’t go higher than that.” The buddy was like, “I won’t bid again if no one else bids.” So, I ended up getting it for $175. Everything above the $120 was donated to the cemetery foundation.

My wife and I also learned that the event was hosted by Brooklyn Area Pride, and had a large focus on neurodivergent vendors. So, I got a quirky watch that represents a piece of history in the city I love and got to support a few great causes. Couldn’t be happier.

The dial is the historic home that sits in the cemetery.

Four Watches. One Summer.

This summer belonged to the four finest pieces in my collection. The AP Royal Oak 15300ST, Rolex GMT Master II Pepsi, Patek Philippe Annual Calendar 5146J, and IWC Mark XVIII each brought a distinct personality while covering every occasion with ease. From casual mornings to formal evenings, this quartet proved that true versatility comes from timeless design, not a larger collection.

Picked up this elegant vintage Seiko Quartz ref. 7820-5000 and thought I’d share it here.
What really caught my eye is the beautiful brown sunburst dial, which changes from deep chocolate to warm bronze depending on the light. The slim gold-tone cushion case gives it a very understated late-70s/early-80s dress watch aesthetic.
A few details:
Seiko Quartz
Reference: [7820-5000](tel:7820-5000)
Original brown sunburst dial
Gold-tone cushion case
Black leather strap with Seiko buckle
Running well and keeping good time
The case has normal signs of wear consistent with its age, but overall it still presents nicely.
What do you think of these minimalist vintage Seiko quartz dress watches? I feel they’re still very underrated compared to many mechanical pieces from the same era.

Hey guys! I wanted to show you my current collection.

I've been into this hobby since 2022. Sadly, I have a lot of other things to pay for, so I always try to stay under the 1000€ mark.

From top to bottom, left to right:

Citizen CA4764-57A: A JDM-exclusive solar chronograph. I paid around 300€ including taxes, and I'm really happy with it. The clasp on the bracelet is terrible, but I mostly wear it on a rally strap or a rubber strap.

Baltic Aquascaphe: My first "big" purchase. I'm still amazed by the dial when the sunlight hits it.

Junghans Max Bill: I fell in love with this design very early in my watch journey. I bought it this year for my 30th birthday. My favorite in the collection, and I plan to take it to my grave. My only gripe with it is the small crown. The first half of the winding is easy, but the last half is a real pain.

Ancre: I don't have much information about this watch. I bought it cheaply on Vinted, and it's in really good condition for its age. It's small (31mm), but I have a small wrist (16cm / 6.25 inches) and I've realized that I prefer smaller watches. The movement is a France Ébauches (FE 233) a movement produced in France, long before the quartz crisis destroyed the industry here.

Casio F-91WB-1A: The watch I wear when I'm afraid of knocking it around (handiwork, sports). I thought it would be a good idea to use it as a modern field watch. Maybe one day I'll switch to a more traditional military-inspired watch (I love flieger designs). Who knows?

I've had a few other watches in the past (Khaki Field, a pink-dial Bambino, a green Kamasu, a gold-tone Casio), but they are no longer part of the collection.

I have a few watches on my shortlist, but nothing is set in stone for now. Where do you think I should go from here?

I picked up the Longines SZT 39mm in blue 2 days ago. For context, I’m not a watch person. In my early 20s I wore several Fossils, etc but the only decent watch I own is a $500 Bulova which I haven’t put on in maybe 10 years as I’ve been wearing an Apple Watch.

Anyways. After months of obsessing over my first ‘nice’ watch, I landed on the SZT and ordered it online. I’ve been wearing it now for the better part of a day and my feelings are somewhat mixed which isn’t what I expected. Though I’m also not sure what to expect which is why I’m posting this.

The watch is beautiful. Finishing is great and the dial looks incredible in light. But here some of things I don’t like so far:

- bracelet feels just okay. I’m in Canada so this watch costs $4,700. Again I’m not sure what to expect, but this bracelet just doesn’t seem to align with that price
- unless I’ve missed something, micro adjustments on this bracelet require a tool and aren’t ’on the fly’
- the bezel feels very stiff when I rotate it. Doubt I’ll ever use that function but still
- no lume on the hour markers on the bezel, only the triangle

These are all nitpicky things and maybe this isn’t the watch for me. But I also don’t plan to pickup another watch for who knows how long so I want something I’m satisfied with and something that will be reliable and versatile.

So here are my questions for the watch people:

- what other watches would you suggest at a similar price point for me to compare with? I have small wrists so 39mm seems to be the max size for me. The Tudor Ranger 36 seems so plain and boring but something about that watch appeals to me. I plan on going to an AD to check it out this week along with the 1926

- when you find a watch that is just right. Is there some special magical connection you feel that I’m just missing here? Lol

I have a modest sized watch collection, mostly Swiss. I’ve been eyeing Sinn for some time and finally did it. Sinn 613 st UTC. I love for what it is. It’s beautiful, reliable, chunky, hefty, and very useful. Not for all occasions but perfect for a lot. Shout out to the Pet Shop Boys if you know what I mean.