The (Less intimidating) Watch Thread

[Giles]

If he told you, he'd have to kill you…..

[JDelage]

I'd rather live then…

[UnTucked]

I work on a military base.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/global-heat-map-us-military-bases-revealed-soldiers-gps-tracking-jogging-fitbit-strava-a8182826.html

I don't work on a secret compound, but some local commanders have formed a more extreme interpretation on how this should be handled since the initial guidance was pushed out after this story broke. Better safe than sorry, I guess

[DougNg]

It actually makes sense considering military bases have been targeted in the past.

[JDelage]

It makes a lot of sense. Stay safe, get a nice mechanical timepiece.

[Warner]

@UnTucked:

I work on a military base.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/global-heat-map-us-military-bases-revealed-soldiers-gps-tracking-jogging-fitbit-strava-a8182826.html

I don't work on a secret compound, but some local commanders have formed a more extreme interpretation on how this should be handled since the initial guidance was pushed out after this story broke. Better safe than sorry, I guess

We're very proud of the fact that our bracelets, rings and key chains are still GPS-Free! Bless this old-world tech and those who still love it.

[Graeme]

Hodinkee on sub $1000 watches.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/best-new-watches-under-1000-dollar-2018

There are a few more suggestions in the comments.

[mclaincausey]

@Graeme:

Hodinkee on sub $1000 watches.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/best-new-watches-under-1000-dollar-2018

There are a few more suggestions in the comments.

By no means new, but the Hamliton Khaki pilot watch can be had in quartz or automatic day/date chronograph for less than $500. Without being able to speak to the quality and reliability of the movements, that seems to me to be a good deal, a large-faced, classic (and IMO attractive) design.

[neph93]

^ I’ll be surprised if end up with anything other than a Hamilton or one of three specific Seikos

[mclaincausey]

IMO those are the best, or among the best (not an expert), budget watch choices in the market.

[neph93]

There are plenty of Hamilton Khaki Field series I could own but I really like some of their dressier watches too. The only issue I can see is that my brand addiction tendencies might kick in and I’d go from 0 to 60 watches in the space of a year…

[Chris]

The more I see that silly metal G-shock, the more I like it.  The chrome one, not the gold, that is.

[mclaincausey]

I'm a watch monogamist today, but I have been itching for a 42mm+ pilot watch of late as a mistress in addition to my go-to Speedy. Hamilton is my main interest there, though there are a few other brands I've been keeping in mind as well. I really love to have a chronograph (as if I time things frequently) but for budgetary reasons may settle for day/date or date (the latter being essential to me, I tend to forget the date frequently).

[neph93]

Agreed on the date. Otherwise Chronographs leave me cold unless they’re incidental on an otherwise sublime watch. There are a few Hamilton day/dates where the day is written in full and placed under the 12. They are fugly (EDIT: in my humble opinion, of course [emoji1])

[JDelage]

I like the Seiko diver on that list, as well as the metallic G-shock. Not sure about the rest.

[DougNg]

That metal G-Shock keeps grabbing my attention too.

The more time I spend with the square G-Shocks the more I like them. I literally find all the functions useful.

Time and date (obviously)
World Time-my business partner travels to India a lot for work, and they have a weird time zone that has half an hour built into it, so a GMT wouldn't work for me.
Alarms-I use this as a three minute warning for my next meeting, audibly lets people know I'm about to jump out of the current meeting so finish up
Stopwatch-for running (and I find the digital display much easier to read than a chronograph on a watch)
Timer-I do the bulk of the cooking in the house so it keeps me on point when I'm on multiple burners

It really has become by do all watch. Which I hate because I have thousands of dollars locked up in mechanicals. But I'm a function over form kind of guy.

With that being said, I think I'm going to finally break down and buy an Apple watch. I hate carrying my cell phone on my back in this weird reverse brassiere looking thing. I need music, the ability to call in case I get hurt (like I sprain my ankle or I get hit by a car), and to be able to turn off my alarm system to the house.

[Graeme]

I like the metal G-Shock too.

It's got Bluetooth connectivity and an app, which allows time to be set and updated. I don't know what else it can do, and whether it'll give notifications from your phone, but it sounds like an interesting development.

I haven't looked at the Apple Watch. I've not bought into their ecosystem because I write apps for Android devices for a living, and I don't think that my phone would be compatible as a result.

Google are rumoured to be offering a Pixel watch, which will be unveiled in October. It's likely to use the new generation Qualcomm chipset that's just been announced. It might be hanging on to see what that offers if you can wait.

[DougNg]

We're pretty heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, and I had a less than stellar introduction to the Android universe close to a decade ago. Thanks for the heads up though.

[Graeme]

I'm tied into Android because I've been developing for that platform for the last few years.

However, I think that Google is going to run into the same problems that Facebook is currently having, maybe significantly more so. They hold roughly ten times the data on you as Zuckerberg's mob. That alone is making me think that going Apple might make sense.

Still, I'm curious to see what Google come up with for their new line of Pixel devices in October.

[louisbosco]

i think ben clymer gave the cellular version of the apple watch a thumbs up. so i guess you're safe..