PROVE. ME. WRONG.
The perfect watch for me LITERALL¥. DOESN’T exist. Prove me wrong.
The Bulova Astronaut in the picture right there WOULD be the perfect watch, except it has a non click, friction fit bezel and has no anti-magnetic properties. I would definitely throw it at the wall if every time I’d slide it out from under my jacket sleeve it’d be in another timezone. Also - to me any watch without anti-magnetism (be that Faraday cage, silicon hairspring or quartz mvmnt) presenting as a travel ready watch is just point blank a scam.
Is there ANY watch out there that has the following features:
Mid century or Art Deco style aesthetics (can also be modern, but must have an interesting case shape, cannot be a plain round watch)
Stark, dramatic and minimal black/white or black/grey design. (A slash of color is okay, best if red or turquoise)
Steel case (don’t like titanium - too light)
Steel bracelet with interesting link design (no three link oyster - personally find it boring)
At least 100m WR
GMT feature (travelers prefered but caller will sufice)
If equiped with a inner or outer rotating bezel, must ratchet. (Fine if no rotating bezel at all).
Anti-magnetic properties
Quartz is loved and appreciated - definitely an option
In and around 5000€ (can ofc be much cheaper)
At this point I am literally convinced this doesn’t exist. I would love to be proven wrong.
Did you consider the Apple watch? 😂
I heard Apple Watches is perfect for all occasion!!
Grand Seiko SBGN027
If you’re ready to sacrifice design, probably a G-Shock would cover most of your bases here. Dramatic design, interesting case (but no mid-century), available in black/white, available in steel, interesting-ish bracelet, 200m WR, world time functionality, quartz.
Consider the Lorca Model No. 1 GMT. I don’t think it’s antimagnetic, but it meets most of the criteria you’re looking for. I just received one 2 weeks ago, and it’s already a classic in my eyes.
Grand Seiko SBGN027
Appreciate the suggestion, but I personally find the bracelet and overall design rather uninspiring.
Consider the Lorca Model No. 1 GMT. I don’t think it’s antimagnetic, but it meets most of the criteria you’re looking for. I just received one 2 weeks ago, and it’s already a classic in my eyes.
Appreciate the sugestion, but every point on that list is a must for me. No anti-magnetism really is a deal breaker.
Elliot Brown Beachmaster. Steel bracelet is available.
Several color ways that fit.
Serica Dive or GMT.
Baltic.
Also look at early Bell & Ross. Their cases were made by Sinn, and the have that stark contrast thing going.
For that matter, Sinn has a few options as well.
Appreciate the suggestion, but I personally find the bracelet and overall design rather uninspiring.
I think you might be right, that watch doesn't seem to exist. To me the biggest hurdle seems to be the bracelet. You could look at pre-owned Aqua Terra or Planet Ocean GMTs, but they both have three-link bracelets.
If you’re ready to sacrifice design, probably a G-Shock would cover most of your bases here. Dramatic design, interesting case (but no mid-century), available in black/white, available in steel, interesting-ish bracelet, 200m WR, world time functionality, quartz.
Appreciate the suggestion, but on a metal bracelet, the Casioak is sadly too big for my 16cm wrist.
Glycine Airman no 1
are you a travelling magnet salesman?
How about the Serica 8315?, you can use the new fitted endlinks with any starp, and probably tons of bracelets. I couldn't find any info on the antimagnetic characteristics of the watch or the movement.
I think you may be right.
No gmt
I have to agree. There is no perfect watch. I have never believed in one and never will believe in one until a master watchmaker finds out how to add a butler and masseuse complication to a movement.
Imperfection is the very thing that draws me to this hobby. It makes the watches human. It's like owning an Alfa Romeo, to put it in automotive terms. It's an absolute nightmare. You lose all of your money to depreciation and repairs and the stupid thing doesn't even work half the time, but ask any Alfa owner if they'd do it all again. They'll say yes, even if they know their wife will leave them and their wallet will be burnt at the stake.
The same is true for watches, at least in my eyes. The more we chase perfection, the more we lose soul. My watches are all imperfect, but that's what gives them character and soul.
While I would agree, there isn't a perfect watch, isn't this more subjective to the wearer, I had the perfect watch during my younger days but it's dead now and for personal reasons I'll never get it fixed. So I bounce between watches because I'll never have that experience again closest I could get was with a budget orient bambino, still not quite right.
Where by someone I know bought a Casio world timer and has. Worn that watch for donkeys years, it was in his wrist during his wedding, first kid, second kid and he still wears it, I recently fixed the strap for him and asked him why he just doesn't buy another since his looked like it went through a tank.
Hes exact reply was when you find the perfect watch you don't need to look further.
There is no 'one perfect watch', that's why we have a collection. Also the human brain doesn't like perfection, it can't handle it and that goes for all walks of life.
It probably doesn’t. 30 years of mechanical watches, traveling many across the globe. Never magnetized. Just a myth to explained terribly inaccurate watches.
“Perfect is the enemy of good”. Voltaire.
While I would agree, there isn't a perfect watch, isn't this more subjective to the wearer, I had the perfect watch during my younger days but it's dead now and for personal reasons I'll never get it fixed. So I bounce between watches because I'll never have that experience again closest I could get was with a budget orient bambino, still not quite right.
Where by someone I know bought a Casio world timer and has. Worn that watch for donkeys years, it was in his wrist during his wedding, first kid, second kid and he still wears it, I recently fixed the strap for him and asked him why he just doesn't buy another since his looked like it went through a tank.
Hes exact reply was when you find the perfect watch you don't need to look further.
“ … for personal reasons I'll never get it fixed.”
Dude, don’t leave us hanging like that… LOL
Ugh, this watch and Bulova in general. How do you do reissues that are the exact 180 of the originals? Astronaut, originally quartz/electric, reissue is mechanical. Lunar Pilot, original mechanical, reissues quartz. I don't know why but it just bothers me. That Astronaut should have that bad ass quartz movement in it. I was so excited for that release in February, then instantly disappointed once it dropped. The Lunar Pilot in 43mm was nice. Picked one up. Super wearable for me, great dial, but who really needs a 1/10th of a second dial? Just give me a Sellita driven tri compax that can actually have the chrono run for more than an hour. But I digress, Bulova rant is now over.
You're correct. The perfect watch will never exist, because everyone's perfect watch is different. You've got 10 different criteria that must be met. If a brand has a watch that hits 3 to 5 of those 10, that's probably on of their best selling watches. At the end of the day it's a business and they just can't drill down that far. They need to keep it broad to attract as many potential customers as possible, regardless of how simple the ask might be from us common folk.
You need a mod watch/ custom build
I am curious why antimag is of such importance? You find other watches getting easily magnetized?
https://www.hamiltonwatch.com/en-us/h24411232-ventura-quartz.html
Omega Deville GMT might be an option
I am curious why antimag is of such importance? You find other watches getting easily magnetized?
Definitely. All four of the mechanical watches i presently own. Varies from them gaining an extra 10-15 sec/day to literally a couple minutes a day. Personally, on any end of that spectrum - kills the whole experienxe for me. I am however, an extremely demanding person in all areas of life 🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️✨
Currently daily driving the skeleton gold Casio G-shock - extremely happy wif dat 1.
This might be semantic but perfection doesn’t exist. We can only find things close to perfect so the question is “what are you willing to accept so you can get as close to perfection as possible.”
The other option is start your own watch company. 😛
These Citizen Series 8 GMTs may interest you
Or the bulova devil diver!