Watches You Must Have In Your Collection - Budget Edition

I sit down to write this article minutes from reading another article published by a renowned watch blog. The article on that blog gave a list of luxury pieces - which I agree with, however only appeals to the higher end watch snobs; a lot of us simply cannot afford it. Now, most of us has all been in that situation. Be it in highschool starting out your first collection or just having other bills to pay. Don't worry. I understand and I have you covered on a budget list of watches you must have in your collection.

1. Seiko SARB033

This is one handsome watch. Coming in just north of $300 Seiko has really hit a home run on this piece. Rocking a 38mm case it will fit on alot of people's wrists and can be worn as a dress watch or as an everyday watch. Not only that, it has a sapphire crystal and the automatic movement is can also be handwound and hacked. This watch will eventually make it's way into my collection and can make a great one watch collection under $500 for anyone.

2. Seiko SKX007

Another great watch out of the Seiko camp. The SKX007 which comes in a few different flavours - jubilee bracelet, rubber bracelet, pepsi bezel or the black bezel you see here. This watch is iconic and there is a cult following for it online with people modding them into completely different watches. This watch is 200m water resistance - you can take it scuba diving without worries and has a day and date function making it great for an everyday watch.

3. Seiko Monster

A budget watch list has to include the Seiko Monster. The monster has been around many years and has gained quite a cult following. There are many different variations, dial colours and even a few variants with the Tuna style shroud. The watch looks absolutely bad-ass with its brushed finish and boxed edges. This watch will make both an everyday watch or a watch you whip out just to go diving. 

You Can Afford a Rolex, But Can You Keep It?

Every beginning watch collector aspires to own a luxury piece. All the power to you. However, can you afford to own it? While you can find Submariners as cheap as $4500 on the pre-owned market, can you afford to keep it running and keep up with the maintenance schedules?

Sending your watch to an authorized dealer for maintenance might sound like the best option, but can you afford to pay for it? A Rolex Submariner full service at a dealer may cost upwards of $1500 and that is suggested to be done every 4-6 years. If you aren't willing to pay that just to keep your watch healthy, maybe you should consider a more budget piece without an in house movement.

My Breitling B-1 was quoted around $1000 for a full service along with a battery change. That is for a quartz watch with an ETA movement. While most people view quartz watches as being more budget friendly to maintain than their mechanical counter parts, this is not always the case. A Jaeger Le Coultre quartz may cost more than a Tudor running an ETA2824 movement to maintain!

The point of this article is to inform my readers of the costs of owning a luxury watch. Saving up to buy a luxury piece is just half the battle. There are expensive maintenance cycles and touch ups that have to be done every few years. And if (god forbid) something goes on your piece, you will be surprised to see how owning a luxury watch can actually be!

My suggestion would be to research the maintenance prices at the authorized dealer before going on to buy the watch. Or, if you are fortunate enough to know watchmakers skilled and experienced enough to work on these pieces, maintenance prices can be slashed significantly.

Invicta - Love/Hate Relationship

Many people hate on Invicta. A person wearing an Invicta piece is quickly registered as uneducated. Why all the hate for Invicta? For one, they make derivative designs of popular watch companies. These are also called Homages. Many people have different opinions on homages, however that is a debate for another post. Invictas also have ostentatious, over the top designs. Think crown chains and huge 50mm+ cases of rose gold. They also have a very high retail price which is often slashed by 80-90% when actually being sold. Any season watch collector will know that any Invicta watches are a big red flag. I however, disagree.

There are numerous reasons to hate on Invicta, however there are also numerous reasons as to why people shouldn't hate on them as much. One reason is buying an Invicta watch or being gifted one creates a watch collector. I was guilty of buying an Invicta early in my watch collecting career. My first serious watch was an AVI-8 flieger, my second was an Invicta JT Edition. It had a 50mm+ case, chronograph, Ronda Quartz movement and was rose gold with black accents. I thought it looked good, my girlfriend thought it looked good. What sold me was the price. On the website beneath the retail was $160 and a huge 90% OFF from the original price of $1600. That sold me. 90% discount for a $1600 watch WITH a swiss movement? Take my money! That was my first big regret in my watch collecting career. However, I don't regret it.

The experience of buying the watch pictured above made me interested in watch collecting. I dove deep into the forums, found out about iconic pieces such as the Omega Speedmaster and budget ones such as the Seiko Monster. I quickly realized that the Invicta I had purchased was out of bad taste and went on to buy from more respectable brands such as Seiko, Tag Heuer and Breitling. An Invicta brought me into watch collecting. It will bring many people into the hobby with their outrageous designs and marketing. I applaud them for this.

Pilots Watch - Butler Watches OOOI

This one is for all the people that have always admired the Breitling line of ana-digital pilots watches but could never afford one.

Fresh on Kickstarter and to be delivered in August 2017 comes this homage the the Breitling ana-digital watches for pilots. At first glance the dial looks really similar to the Aerospace and Professional line of watches. Although I am not a fan of homages, I am a fan of this. It is about time a company has come out with an alternative to the Breitlings. Although there are a plethora of ana-digital watches out there, nothing is as close to the style of Breitling Pilot watches as this one. The only other watch I can think of is the Orient CVZ00001b.

Starting at around $500, the OOOI houses an ETA 988.333 movement, a proven and popular quartz movement that is relatively affordable. The case, looks like a larger Rolex Explorer case giving in a very minimal look. The dial has has 12hr markings and on the outer ring, corresponding 12-24hr markings. The digital screen, looks just like the one on my Breitling B-1. Extremely legible and actually one of the few watches easy to use while flying! I have used my B-1 to time actual flight legs and I believe this one can be done just as easily.

The OOOI has the same functions as the Breitlings, albeit for a backlight. This maybe a problem while flying at night when legibility in the cockpit is intentionally reduced. However the dial and the hands feature SuperLuminova luminous coatings.

The features include:

• Hours and Minutes (hands and screen)
• Second, Date, Perpetual Calendar
• Day and Date in multiple languages
• Timer function
• Second Time Zone
• Chronograph 1/100 second
• Add or Split functions
• Alarm
• EOL (End of Life) indicator

These functions are all what higher end Breitlings include and you get it for 1/5 of the price of one. This is definitely a watch that has caught my attention on Kickstarter.

You can make a pledge and purchase the watch here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/812490532/oooi-analog-digital-wrist-watch-eta-988333-movemen

Choosing a Watch for Your Next Adventure

I have been trekking in canyons, desert of the Middle East, mountains of Bhutan and diving in South East Asia. There has always been one thing in common on these trips - watches. I have always brought a watch along with me. This guide will help you choose the right watch for your next adventure. Now this guide is formed from my opinion and experiences and you should use your discretion before taking and potentially destroying a nice watch on vacation. There are a few elements to consider when choosing a watch for your next adventure.

1. Geography. The climate of your next adventure is highly dependent on what watch you should bring. A cold climate is not favorable for automatic watches as the grease and lubricants may become more viscous or even freeze. An automatic is much better suited for tropical climates or warm water diving. For cold climates, I have had good success with a Casio Protrek (all digital screen) in up to -20c.
2. Budget. Budget will arguably make up 95% of all watch purchases regardless of intended use (the other 5% is watch investment or trading purposes). While I know some people who have taken their Rolex GMT Master II scuba diving, I do not recommend it nor do anything of that sort. Going on a trip that requires alot of outdoor work in harsh(er) environments than everyday city life, I would choose a watch on the cheap side you wouldn't mind scratching up because you will definitely scratch it up. If you don't are you really going outdoors?
3. Functionality. Another thing to consider is functionality. Do you want a triple sensor watch? Do you want to track multiple timezones? Are you diving? How deep will you go? Do you want a chronograph? Dive timer? While most adventures do not require you to track multiple timezones or even require any specialized functions a watch with a simple dive timer will do just fine. I have had good luck with a simple Seiko Monster on dive trips or even on treks. My Protrek in Bhutan was also nice for calculating temperature, altitude and pressure which is important to see your density altitude - how much oxygen is actually available to you given pressure and non standard temperature.
4. Waterproofing. While there are much more comprehensive articles on watch waterproofing. This section is here just for you to be aware of the issues and of those articles addressing them in much greater detail. Watch waterproof ratings may as well be a scam. First of all, no watch is ever waterproof. They are water resistant. And while there are definitely high end watches that are true to their waterproof ratings (some even go beyond such as the Seiko Tuna) most lower end watches aren't water resistant to anywhere near their advertised rating. For example, a 100m water resistant watch probably shouldn't be taken diving even if you are going to depths of no more than 18m.
5. Size. While size may not be everything it is more important than you think. There are definitely large watches floating around in the 50mm range that are marketed for to be rugged terrain companions. However bigger is not always better. A bigger watch makes it easier to clip and accidentally bang into things scratching it or just simply inhibiting you from certain movements. While my Citizen Ecozilla is rugged as hell, I would probably not take it into the desert or on a trek where I'll be constantly gripping to rocks or brushing past them.
6. Straps. This one is obvious, however some are not aware of this. A leather, crocodile skin or shark skin straps ARE NOT waterproof. I do not recommend you bring any of those straps on your next trip. Instead, try a rubber, NATO or even a rubber NATO strap (if you can find one). These are very rugged and durable. The NATO strap also have an advantage over traditional ones. They don't stress the pins as much as traditional ones. As for bracelets, while are perfectly fine for most rugged terrain, should be used with discretion. Mainly due to scratching and potential damages to the bracelet. If you really have to go with a bracelet, a mesh variant will do just fine. 

While this guide will only help you choose a watch for your next adventure, it is up to you and your discretion to select one that fits your criteria. 

Feel free to message me and ask if you have any further questions.

Bulova Moon Watch Automatic?

Why doesn't Bulova make an automatic Moon Watch? That is a question I have seen being asked around on countless forums and blogs. I have decided to answer this question once and for all.

Lets start with alittle history of the Bulova brand and the Moonwatch. Founded in New York City in 1875 by Joseph Bulova, it was the company to first manufacture the first fully electronic watch with a proprietary tuning fork based technology. Bulova then went on to create the 'Accutron' line up - the swiss made Bulova division. As of 2017, Bulova is owned by the Citizen Watch group and have made many different watches from a curved chronograph, the Bulova Curv, a Automatic diver, the Bulova Sea-king, the 7750 powered Accutron Gemini, and last but not least the Moonwatch. As is the case with most Bulova watches, somewhere on the watch is Bulova's tuning fork logo - arguably their most iconic development.

Why did Bulova take this beauty out of production? (Bulova Accutron Gemini Valjoux 7750)

So enough about Bulova's history; I'm not here to write a guide about Bulova. I'm here to discuss why one of their most popular selling pieces, the Moonwatch doesn't get the authentic treatment that the Omega Speedmaster got. As you may know, Man landed on the moon in the 1960s. During that time, the Omega Speedmaster was selected officially by NASA as the 'first watch on the moon'. During NASA's fourth manned mission to the moon, aboard the Apollo 15 was Commander David Scott. All crew member wore the Speedmaster, however since Bulova had been developing a watch to rival the Speedmaster (however didn't get the contract), Commander Scott was given a Bulova Chronograph Model 88510/01 and brought it along as a backup. During one of the excursions on the Moon's surface, his Speedmasters hesalite crystal popped off - requiring him to wear his Bulova onto the surface. After the mission, the watch sold for $1.6 USD while all of the Speedmasters worn by the other astronauts (which were government property) are still kept by NASA in various museums. This makes the Bulova 88510/01 the ONLY watch that a private citizen owns that has been to the moon.

So why didn't Bulova release a Moonwatch true to the original? I don't work at Bulova so I will only voice my opinion. Not in anyway an official Bulova statement. In my opinion, Bulova hasn't and will not release a true-to-the-original Moonwatch for a few reasons:

1. It's out of place for Bulova's line-up. If you are a fan of Bulova or an avid entry level watch collector you would know that Bulova's line-up is mostly comprised of entry-level and quartz watches with their selling point being UHF (ultra high frequency) quartz watches. Ticking at 262 khz, the Moonwatch uses Bulova's UHF movement. This makes the chronograph sweep and not tick - reminiscent of automatic pieces. Bulova slowly phased out their Automatic watches years ago and are now in the mid-end quartz market. A true to scale Moon watch just doesn't fit their brand image.
2. It may be too expensive for them to produce. I'm pretty sure that Bulova still has the original blueprints for the Moonwatch, however it may just simply be too expensive for them to produce. Look at the Omega Moonwatch - those are retailing close to $4000. A Bulova Moonwatch with a mechanical movement may retail for $2000 - about two times the cost of their high-end watch line. It may just simply not be feasible for them.
3. I'm stretching it abit on this one - but they may have deemed it to be 'not original' as Omega is doing the samething to their Speedmaster. I'd like to digress. What is there not original about the only watch that has been to the moon and is currently owned by a private citizen (none of the Omegas that have been to the moon are in the hands of a private citizen)? To me that is a huge selling point right there. There is alot of heritage behind it - the Moonwatch that never were, one that lost the race to the Moon.

Would I buy a Bulova Moonwatch if it were true to the original? HELL YES. Should Bulova release the Original Moonwatch? HELL YES. In fact, the only reason I don't have a Bulova Moonwatch yet is because IT IS QUARTZ! Now, don't get me wrong I have nothing about quartz watches - I own quite a few of them including the Breitling Chronometre B-1. But I just can't justify buying another Quartz watch as of the moment. Too many batteries to keep track of replacing!

Another watch Bulova developed worthy of a mention: Bulova Accutron Astronaut.

Micro Brand Watches - CJR Watches

CJR Watches, created by Calvin Ng of Hong Kong creates industrial watches inspired by machinery. Namely aircraft. CJR has two watches in production as of this writing: The Velocita and the Airspeed. Both are ambitious designs that really speaks to the spirit of microbrand watches - trying to enter a market saturated with many different watch options.

The Velocita - a thick industrial, rugged looking watch with a bullhead configuration crown and pushers. Now, I have a soft spot for Bullhead watches. This piece however just doesn't do it for me. Bullhead watches are the embodiment of mid to late 20th century racing chronograph design. The Velocita however doesn't scream heritage. It has an awkwardly looking case with struts(?) and bracing at the bottom of the case. This most likely adds unnecessary thickness to the case (booo!).

The watch comes with many different looks. Pictured is the Spacecraft from the collection. Priced at $799 and inside ticking is a Ronda 3520D Quartz movement -  a movement you can literally buy for $50. A typical run of the mill quartz movement in an $800 watch!? Moving on..

Pictured is the USO from the same collection. Let me just mention that the description on the website for this watch still says 'spacecraft' where 'uso' should be. Not a good look guys. This blued-out watch comes with a price tag of $799 with the same Ronda Quartz movement.

Thank god. CJR does offer a cheaper(?) watch under the Velocita collection; the Army. Coming in at $499 I can hardly call it cheap. Like its more expensive variants, it also houses the Ronda Quartz movement. For $499 though. I get that you will be hard pressed to find a automatic chronograph for this price point but why not just go with a Seiko mecha-quartz movement? You are getting very little bang for your buck in terms of movement here.

If you thought an $800 watch with a Rhonda Quartz movement was bad, pictured above are the two automatic variants of the Velocita. Both houses an ETA 7750. However, this is still VERY steep for an ETA 7750 equipped watch. Expect to pay around $1000 USD for an automatic chronograph from reputable brands such as Hamilton, Victorinox and Fortis. C'mon guys. You can't price your watches like this! Especially not as a microbrand!

Next in their lineup is the Airspeed collection. A watch inspired by round dial instrument of aircraft. The collection has five different dial and case configurations and each watch comes in at 43mm in diameter and 14.8mm thick. Not the skinniest watch but not terribly thick either.

Housed inside the stainless steel case is a Miyota 8219 automatic movement. Along with that the watch has a Hesalite crystal (same material as found on the original Speedy Moonwatch). Coming in at $550 it isn't a bad price for what you get. Alot better than the Velocita collection thats for sure!

Next in their line up is the Commander - as of now not much information is available. However it seems to be a unique design that again is inspired by aircraft. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking here.

Another interesting industrial design that definitely has my attention...... If the price isn't crazy high!

Micro Brand Watches - Zinvo Blade

What was your first impression after seeing that picture? Mine was: it looks just like an airplane turbine! Sure enough that was what Zinvo was going for. Founded in Geneva, Switzerland, Zinvo is a fashion-centric brand that creates watches for the modern and dynamic consumer. They surely have done that. Name one other watch that is styled like this (other than the Perrelet Turbine).

Unline the Perrelet Turbine, the Zinvo however has a little twist. You may not have noticed any second hands. That's because the turbine blades on the dial is the second hand. Not only that, Zinvo made the really smart decision to go with an automatic movement as opposed to quartz. Imagine seeing a turbine that goes tick-tick-tick. Yeah. That doesn't look too good does it. The sweeping hand creates beautiful movement across the dial - this creates a more dynamic feel to the watch as opposed to a traditional dial layout. The industrial case styling and the turbine blades on the dial makes for many different color combinations that work well.

There are many more and case combinations to choose from and can be found on Zinvo's website. The watch is crafted from a 316L stainless steel case that may be coated for different textures and color (depending on variant). The case measures 44mm in diameter and 12mm in height and the watch comes with a Sapphire crystal along with a Hardened mineral glass on the back. A Miyota 8215 with 42hrs of power reserve turns the blades on this watch and the watch is water resistant of up to 100m (although I wouldn't take this watch diving).

There are just so many different designs to choose from. It is getting hard to decide! At $229 it is a steal and I will be adding this unique piece to my collection pretty soon!

Crowd Funded Watches: Maen Watches - The Manhattan 40

Up on Kickstarter is a new Micro Brand watch, The Manhattan 40 by Maen Watches. The company, based out of Stockholm Sweden curates minimalistic and stylish watches. They weren't playing when it comes to minimalistic - none of their watches has a second hand! Which may be a blessing in disguise as these $200-300 watches all come with a quartz movement and seeing a ticking hand may take away some of the luxurious feel from a watch - something Maen is trying to create with their minimalistic designs.

The two designs they offer, The Manhattan 40 and the Moonphase (which is essentially the same watch with an addition of a moonphase indicator) both comes in a few different configurations: Gold case with white or black dial and silver case with a white or black dial. For now, I'll let the pictures from their campaign do the talking.

The Kickstarter campaign is beautifully laid out showcasing each trait of the watch. Coming in at $200-300 I feel obligated to remind you that there are other offerings from Japanese manufacturers such as Orient that not only offer similar design, but are automatic. Not trying to belittle Maen or anything - I think they nailed it in the low end watch market - they actually were funded 3x over by 187 backers as of the time of this writing. I just feel that a better movement than the Ronda one should have been considered. Although the Ronda is a Swiss quartz it is one of the cheapest and mass produced Swiss quartz out there - you can find this movement on that costs less than $100!

Nevertheless, don't judge a watch mainly by its movement. The Manhattan is a sleek, elegant design that will go well for any formal occasion or even a casual day in the city.

Breitling SuperOcean 44 Special

One of the my favorite watch manufacturers known for creating Pilot's timepieces and rugged military watches recently released a new watch in their diver's lineup: The SuperOcean 44 Special. Now, Breiling's SuperOcean models have been around since 1957; next year will mark 60years so it was a surprise for Breitling to bring out a special edition a year before its 6 decade anniversary.

The watch is nothing new or 'special' from Breitling's current trend of offering a black steel edition for everyone of their designs. The 44mm case is a satin brushed black steel and it is fitted with a glossy ceramic unidirectional bezel. The watch also sports a new dial with over sized luminous markers with 13-24hr markings on each marker. The hands also features luminous properties and the seconds hand is accentuated at the tip with red.

At 9 o'clock is a helium escape valve along with the double gasket screw down crown allows the watch to go down to depths of up to 1000 meters. Inside ticks a COSC Breitling 17 movement (All Breitling models are as of this writing - something I fully support).

More information can be found on Breitling's website.

Micro Brand Watches - Rebel Time

THE STORY

Based in Brooklyn New York, Rebel Time started out as a passion project from the creator's desire to bring quality watches without 'mortgaging the house'. They promise to deliver quality watches through 'classic design principles' and 'modern tailoring from Swiss consultants'. Their watches are made in the same factories as Movado and Bulova and their straps are locally sourced in New York to support local vendors. Read more about their story here.

THE WATCHES

So far, Rebel Time has only four different designs to choose from. All of them flieger inspired chronograph watches.

Classic Chronograph

The Classic Chronograph priced at $249 is a modern interpretation of the military field watch. Which features a date between the 4-5 o'clock position, chronograph function and a brushed stainless steel case with a screw down caseback. The watch is powered by a Miyota 0S20 Quartz chronograph movement (same one in some of the Bulova chronographs). The watch is 44mm in diameter and is 12.48mm thick. It comes with a sapphire crystal and a black rubber strap, watch case, leather band and a strap changing tool is included. The watch also comes in another dial color:

Aviator Chronograph

The next in their lineup is the Aviator Chronograph. The specifications are exactly the same as the Classic Chronograph. It includes the same band and rubber strap and is also priced at $249.

It also comes in two color choices. Apart from the slightly different design inspired by olden time pilot watches the Aviator Chronograph is mechanically the same watch as the Classic Chronograph.

Aqualung Diver

Frankly, those first two watches were boring; two more fliegers in a field saturated with fliegers of the similar shape and design. Coming soon is a rugged diver with an automatic movement (Selitta sw200-1) and 300m of water resistance. Now this is a watch I am excited for!

The design is bold, rugged and definitely looks like something I see myself wearing to a lake, fishing or even just going outdoors. So far there are no price published yet and no ETA for this watch but I will be keeping my eye out for it! Check it out here (coming soon link).

Oh and one more thing. Rebel Time, if you are reading this it is DEPLOYANT not deployment. Rookie mistake guys.