The (Less intimidating) Watch Thread
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The Farer Aqua Compressor is a nice looking diving watch with a compressor case. These have the rotating bezel ring fitted internally, and it's rotated by one of the crowns.
The watch uses an ETA movement that's been decorated. It looks rather nice in the display back.
Time and Tide watches have a favourable review, if you want to read more.
The UK list price is £1095, or $1295 in the US. That's a little above the price limit mentioned earlier. Sorry.
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The Emile Chouriet Challenger Deep is a similar price to the Farer, above. I don't think that it's as successful a design, but it is dressier.
There's a review at aBlogToWatch, which is hilarious in its pickiness. (Why doesn't it have a natural rubber strap instead of silicone? How dare they call it the Challenger Deep when the brand has no heritage!)
The trouble is that Jomashop are offering the Oris Divers Sixty Five for about $1100 to $1200, and I'd get one of them instead.
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I think the Challenger Deep is a pretty nice looking watch, and the specs are respectable as well. I'd be curious to see how it depreciates- it might be a very reasonable used market purchase.
And I'm with you, @Graeme, this one is just cool.
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I don't even know the location of most of my jeans…they're somewhere in the house, here and there...
i don't even know the location of most of my jeans. they're somewhere in the house, some in another country…
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I like it, but there's not much about it that's distinctive. Dive watches are a competitive category, and a company with little to no name recognition is going to have a hard time breaking out of the pack with a watch that's simply "nice".
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Actually, I think the micro brands aren't really risky. They almost without exception use massively produced movements from major manufacturers. Long after some company that sold a handful of watches before closing its doors is gone, ETA 2824 and Miyota 9015 movements and parts will be getting cranked out by the thousands. And repair shops with the expertise to fix them will still be easy to find.
I think the more dangerous proposition is a smaller brand that has a more "prestigious" in house engine under the hood. If they go under, good luck finding parts or a qualified repairman.
But yeah, a Rolex is always a safe choice…
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Just came across this on eBay, aesthetically it’s what I enjoy so going to watch and see how it goes. A submariner is my end goal, but not quite just yet.
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I don't think that it's as successful a design…
How do you mean? Aesthetically I find this rather attractive.
I meant to say that I didn't find it as successful a design as the Faver or the Oris. It's a nice watch, but it doesn't immediately jump out at me. It's a pleasant enough watch, but it's just a little bit conventional.
That said, it looks well executed (except on the bracelet), and it's not a hugely clunky diver's watch.
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I agree with what @Chris said, though I'd argue that there might be a problem getting things like replacement hands, dials, or case parts.
The biggest issue with in-house movements in future is likely to be silicon components. For a conventional movement, if a part isn't available, it'd be possible for watchmaker to machine a new one. But if you need a lithography process to get a new balance spring, then there might be a problem down the line.
Then again, you could buy something like the Mr Jones skull watch, and replace it every four or five years with a new one for what it'd cost to service a Rolex.
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I'm going to buy a dedicated diving watch. I've been wearing a Seamaster for the last 10 yrs, and it's a great watch but a shitty dedicated diver (the bezel is not made to be easily rotated).
My criteria are:
- Max price $1,250 (some wiggle room for the right piece)
- Water resistance >= 20 ATM
- Well established, easily serviceable automatic movement
- Quality materials in terms of solidity & resistance (within realistic limits of course) to dings, scratches, UV, sea water, sand, etc (high grade stainless or titanium, sapphire, ceramic, etc)
- Unidirectional bezel with grippy profile that can be manipulated with fairly thick gloves
- Bracelet or strap useable on land and under water, with or without a dive suit (or easily swappable for aftermarket ones)
- High visibility dial & hands
- Must be wearable out of the water in a 'casual smart' setting (long pants, BD shirt)
- Near mint to new
- <=43mm (will make exception for the right piece)
Not required but nice to have:
- Second time zone
- Date
Not trying to optimize for:
- Minimal price
- Brand prestige
I'm just starting my search (and a new Excel sheet - I know, I know…) Preliminary list includes the following watches, some of which fall outside those parameters:
Seiko SBDC051 (the clear winner from a purely rational standpoint)
Halios Seaforth (lovely design, maybe too pretty to be a tool)
H2O Marlin 40 (infinite customization, a lot of watch for the money)
Magrette Moana Pacific Professional Kara (lovely Ti piece, but not available for several months)
Steinhart Ocean Titanium 500 Premium
Damasko DSub2 -
The Rado Captain Cook has an RRP of $1900, so a bit above your cutoff, but it's a lovely looking watch. Jason Heaton wrote a favourable review on Hodinkee. In fact, it was the watch he wore the most in 2017.
