Hodinkee
Three On Three: Comparing In-House, Manually-Wound Dress Watches Under $20,000
The manually-wound dress watch is a basic in any man's wardrobe, and we're putting three that feature in-house movements for under $20,000 to the test.
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Hodinkee
The manually-wound dress watch is a basic in any man's wardrobe, and we're putting three that feature in-house movements for under $20,000 to the test.
Hodinkee
Horological prowess ≠ Price
Worn & Wound
Editor’s Note: In this week’s installment of our ongoing “3 for 5k” series, reader Christopher Lee presents a collection that incorporates two watches he personally owns, and one that might be entering his collection soon. These three watches cover a lot of horological ground, from a classic Swiss diver, to the most tech-forward watch in Seiko’s catalog. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. Oris Aquis – $2,400 When setting out to name three watches for $5k, I knew I wanted to have at least one dive watch. It was the style of watch that first got me hooked on the hobby and in my opinion, every collection should have one. To me, the Oris Aquis has qualities that make it extremely desirable. Personally, I own the Caliber 400 model, but for the purposes of this list I will refer to the Sellita powered version. First off, the Aquis has great build quality and finish. The watch feels substantial in the hand and features 300m of water resistance. Furthermore, the transitions from polished surfaces to brushed are razor sharp. The head of the watch feels extremely solid with crown guards that are screwed onto it, which for me is a purposeful nod towards the longevity of the case. The bezel and its ceramic insert feel great to use with its snappy ratcheting feedback. Every set of links on the integrated bracelet features polished outer links and full articulation, contributing to a comfortab...
Teddy Baldassarre
We are back with another list of recommendations for the best watches you can get for a given amount of money. This time around, we will be looking at the best watches available for under $5,000, a crowded price point where the luxury watchmaking conversation really takes off. As we creep up on $5,000, we’ll be taking a look at luxury watch brands like Oris, Omega, Tudor, and a host of others, some of which may surprise you by their inclusion in this category. $5,000 is, objectively a lot of money, and we know you're looking for a lot of watch for your hard-earned coin. To aid you in your research, we have tried to include some popular, enthusiast-favorite watches as well as a few watches from brands you may be less familiar with. Before diving in, here are some ground rules: This list will be, by and large, strictly composed of watches with a retail price at or below $5,000. We'll also throw a few watches in at the end which retail for just a bit above $5,000 but can be found on the secondary market in our target price range. We’ve decided to further narrow our scope to watches with a starting price between $2,000 and $5,000. Again, we can’t possibly put every single watch in this price bracket on this list, but please feel free to refer to other guides on our sites, such as The Best Watches Under $1000, 30 Best Minimalist Watches and 25 Best Tool Watches, as they may have a watch or watches more to your taste, which is really what these lists are all about: to ...
Teddy Baldassarre
One of the most popular topics of discussion for watch enthusiasts in online forums and social media is how to get the most bang for your buck at a given price point. Today, we’ll be focusing on exactly that, taking a look at some of the most impressive value propositions at or around $2,000. And while price points like $500 and $1,000 each have their standouts in terms of what you’re getting for your money, it is right around two grand that we start to experience some of the more luxurious elements of watchmaking when it comes to case and bracelet finishing, movements, and specifications. We’ll be taking a look at brands like Longines, Oris, Tudor, Sinn, Nomos, and many others that are producing excellent watches packing a lot of enthusiast appeal within the confines of this price range. Before we get into the watches, here are some ground rules: In order to keep the list organized, we’ll arrange it by category, focusing on some of the most popular broad segments of the watch industry including everyday, Flieger, dress, dive, GMT, and chronograph watches. We also won’t be terribly strict about coming in under $2,000, but rather concentrate on watches that are priced around $2,000 as factors like currency exchange rates, local taxes, and whether or not you’re buying pre-owned have a profound effect on final pricing. We’ll make an effort not to include more than four watches from any single brand and will also limit the inclusion of micro-brands, not that ...
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Worn & Wound
“Watches, Stories, and Gear” is a roundup of our favorite content, watch or otherwise, from around the internet. Here, we support other creators, explore interesting content that inspires us, and put a spotlight on causes we believe in. Oh, and any gear we happen to be digging on this week. We love gear. Share your story ideas or interesting finds by emailing us at info@wornandwound.com Parmigiani Fleurier L’armoriale Pocket Watch Sometimes we get word of a watch that is just too beautiful and special not to feature. It’s become a tradition for Parmigiani Fleurier to create a special, completely unique pocket watch every year to celebrate founder Michel Parmigiani’s birthday, and this year they’ve really outdone themselves with a watch they’re calling L’armoriale. The heart of the timepiece is a mechanical caliber dating to 1890 that was restored by Parmigiani in 1985. Originally a chronograph minute repeater, the movement now features both of those complications as well as a perpetual calendar with a moonphase, a pretty incredible demonstration of Parmigiani’s skill as a watchmaker as well as his devotion to restoration and preserving and sometimes even enhancing horological history. The white gold case features a beautiful enameled caseback, and of course virtually everything here is completely handmade and hand finished, down to the intricate chiseled adornments that run across the case band. It’s a real work of art, worth spending some time gawk...
SJX Watches
While the headline-grabbing watches of the year often featuring big complications and equally hefty prices, the year’s new launches also included a good number of value buys – both bang for the buck and accessibly priced. We have assembled a list highlighting the best value propositions of 2023, focusing on watches below US$10,000. Leading the list is a collaboration between Louis Erard and Russian independent watchmaker Konstantin Chakyin – unsurprisingly given Louis Erard’s speciality of making independent watchmaking more accessible. The Le Régulateur “Time-Eater” continues with the whimsical aesthetic of Mr Chaykin’s bestselling Wristmons line, but the Time-Eater only has one eye in order to fit the regulator-style display. Like Louis Erard’s other regulator models, the Time-Eater in either version, 39 mm or 42 mm, is a thick watch at over 12 mm high, while inside is a no-frills Sellita automatic. But at CHF4,000 it was one of the best value buys in terms of independent watchmaking, and also the broader market. The 39 mm Time-Eater A fixture on our annual value-propositions list for some years now is Tudor, which has consistently distinguished itself with well-priced sports watches. Granted, all of the brand’s best products are dive watches – diversity is certainly not its strength for now – but the brand does one thing really well, thanks in large part to its brand-new, expansive manufacture. The brand had three noteworthy models in its line-u...
Worn & Wound
Editor’s Note: In this week’s installment of our ongoing “3 for 5k” series, reader George Nelson takes us through his personal collection, and his growth as a collector. He frames this as a typical “diver, daily driver, dress watch” arrangement, but each watch is much more personal than simply checking off a collecting box. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. I feel very fortunate to say that I own the three-watch collection I’ve always wanted. It took some time (pun intended) and a lot of watches that would come in and come out. Things could change in the future within the big picture of my rotation but these three will always remain. They each represent certain points in my life and also give an idea of what kind of enthusiast I am. It sticks to the first idea I ever encountered of a three-watch collection: the diver, the daily driver, and a dress watch. Seiko SKX013 – ($300-$500) During my early days of diving deep into the rabbit hole of watches, I came across a video about the Seiko SKX013 back in December of 2017. Up to this point, I had been wearing a $30 Timex Expedition I purchased back in 2009 from a local KMart (RIP KMart and that watch.) I was coming close to graduating college and wanted something a little nicer with a sweeping second hand. It was then when I came across this video and immediately was convinced that this watch was for me. I was familiar with the Sei...
Time+Tide
If you have other suggestions - we're all ears.The post The Citizen Series 8 GMT is the best true GMT for under US$2,000 appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Editor’s note: In this week’s 3 Watch Collection for $5,000, Griffin Bartsch (@cgriffinbartsch on Instagram), a seasoned collector and watch enthusiast, makes his case for value with a trio of watches that punch well above their weight class. In a watch environment where prices keep climbing, it can be tough to find quality and originality that’s budget friendly, and it can be even tougher if you can easily recall a time when these things just weren’t so expensive. But as Griffin points out, there are still great watches to discover at any price point. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. Talk to anyone who has been a watch enthusiast or collector long enough and a constant through-line will be that watches cost more than they used to. It’s hard to deny. In the near decade and a half that I have nominally been what could be called a watch collector, the market has experienced a dramatic surge. It’s gotten to the point where it is unavoidable that rising prices have become a pretty standard stop in the flow of conversation at meetups and on forums. Even I am not immune to the temptations of the topic - I have probably mentioned a few too many times that when I was 18 I could have bought a polar dial Rolex Explorer II Ref. 16570 for the same money as my Martin D-35 (around 3500 bucks). That Martin still floats right around that price today, the Rolex decidedly does not. A result of a...
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Two Broke Watch Snobs
Is the Zenith El Primero A384 Revival as close to vintage as you can get in a modern watch? Let's see if it's worth the price.
Deployant
Picture this. You have been a watch collector for at least the last decade or so, but the watches in your personal collection are predominantly the likes of the usual suspect: Rolex, Omega, IWC, and maybe one or two pieces from the “holy trinity of Swiss watchmaking” – if you are a little luckier inRead More
Worn & Wound
Editor’s note: In this 3 Watch Collection for $5,000, reader JT takes us through watches from his own personal collection, purchased largely on the pre-owned market for under $5,000. This real-life 3 for 5k is also thematically coherent, to say the least, with a trio of white dialed sports watches that cover a lot of ground, and somehow work well together as a thoughtful, wearable collection that features an indie favorite, a hot collaboration, and an uncommon example of a classic chronograph. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. Omega Speedmaster Reduced “Marui” (3510.20) – $3,000 This was the watch that started it all. I have a small wrist (6.25″), and I love white objects (Kenya Hara’s book, “White,” resides next to my white camera collection). I fell in love with the Omega Speedmaster Alaska Project, and after lots of research and patience, I decided I wanted a Speedmaster Reduced, and subsequently secured this Speedmaster for a very reasonable price. Image courtesy Bob’s Watches It didn’t come with a bracelet, but it actually worked in my favor because I wanted to pair it with a flat link (AKA Ed White) bracelet anyway, so it helped me bring the cost of the watch lower (an OEM 1469/811 is worth at least $500). Seiko x Rowing Blazers 5 Sports – $500 After spending way too much time doing my research, “buying the seller,” and reading forums to check my work, the inte...
SJX Watches
With “indies” all the rage now, auction catalogues usually have a generous helping of independent watchmaking. Amongst the many offerings from the genre this season, a handful stand out, including the Philippe Dufour Simplicity prototype no. 000 in Phillips’ Geneva watch auction that takes place on November 3 and 4, 2023. This is one of three prototype watches Mr Dufour made for the 2000 Basel fair when the Simplicity made its debut. Two of them were in white gold with a silvered guilloche dial – Mr Dufour himself frequently wears one of them – and the last was this watch, which is pink gold with a white lacquered dial. Initial thoughts Today Philippe Dufour has grown beyond the personality and is essentially a brand, an evolution that arguably took place after the 20th anniversary Simplicity was launched 2020. In contrast, this Simplicity prototype, along with the first 200 examples Mr Dufour made, encapsulates the artisanal beginnings of the man and his brand. At the time of the Simplicity’s launch, and for more than a decade after, Mr Dufour found neither fame nor fortune, given that he only made a handful of Simplicity watches each year and sold each for about US$40,000. The early watches are perhaps purer creations that capture the essence of Mr Dufour’s vision, which was to pay tribute to the heyday of Vallee de Joux watchmaking. Mr Dufour, of course, managed to do it slightly better, explaining why his creations are often regarded as having the best m...
Worn & Wound
Editor’s note: In this 3 Watch Collection for $5,000, reader Meg Tocci (@minutemeg on Instagram) brings us a well balanced collection hitting on a variety of enthusiast favorites – and all with blue dials, a constraint Meg chose to challenge herself to stick to with these picks. This collection has bronze, an integrated bracelet sports watch, and a bezel that will help you leave an appropriate tip. Between these three watches, you’ve got virtually any situation covered, even if you can’t use a slide-rule. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. If your watchbox is getting a little unwieldy and you’d like to pare down, the three watch collection seems to offer a solution. It frees you from the burden of becoming a One Watch Person (who needs that pressure?) while providing reasonable constraints to shield you from the black hole of price drop alerts and the illusory refrain of “just one more.” It leaves the collector with enough space to make choices without feeling restricted by them. With countless combinations, I knew this project required a strategy. While I considered dropping significant dough on one heavy-hitter and two inexpensive options, I wanted to challenge myself to stretch those dollars as far as I could, with all three choices weighing in above the $1,000 price point. I knew I wanted to prioritize real-life applicability by picking options for both work and leisure. Whee...
Video
Worn & Wound
Editor’s note: In this 3 Watch Collection for $5,000, reader Alec Dent brings us a trio of amazing and historic tool watches, each with a story to tell. This is a selection with loads of character and a surprising amount of flexibility. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. In putting together the perfect three watch collection, I’m looking for diversity. Who wants a collection where each watch is competing against the others? A well-rounded trio gets you more bang for your buck and can provide some assurance that each watch will get a decent amount of wrist time. With only three watches it’s hard to make sure you’ve got a watch for every occasion-like measuring radioactivity, keeping highly-accurate time for a thousand years, or calculating your rate of martini consumption-but I feel confident I’ve covered most of the important bases. Zodiac Super Sea Wolf – $1,500 Every watch collection needs a dive watch. (Or, as many in the watch community seem to think, two or three or four or five or…) There is no better value proposition than the Zodiac Super Sea Wolf. 200 meters of water resistance with a screw down crown? Check. Heritage? I don’t know how you could argue a 141-year-old Swiss made brand that launched one of the first true dive watches alongside Rolex and Blancpain doesn’t have heritage. And unlike those other two brands, which have seen their prices balloon exorbitant...
Hodinkee
A new digital platform seeks to promote watchmaking heritage with a searchable database of archives.
Worn & Wound
Editor’s note: In this 3 Watch Collection for $5,000, reader Huy Tran shares a well considered trio that touches on heritage and utility while staying entirely within the practical realm. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. A 3-watch-collection is a fairly common topic of the watch community, and for good reasons. It represents a somewhat minimalist solution for those who still want to enjoy the fascination of these little machines but don’t like the idea of succumbing to consumerism craze. To be honest, I’m actually one of those people and am fancying the potential of selling all my watches to start again with an empty 3-slots watchbox. So this challenge is the perfect opportunity for me to simulate an imaginary outcome and see if I like what I come up with. My three choices reflect the spirit of minimalism that I mention, they are all time-only three-handers that offered by brands from the same watch conglomerate and one of them has just been released recently and gave me the idea. Tissot Heritage 1938 Automatic COSC (Salmon Dial) – $825 When a watch comes with the word “heritage” you know you’re dealing with some vintage inspired design. In fact, this Tissot Heritage 1938 is reminiscent of the watches they produced in the 1930’s, with a classic looking case in a compact but contemporary size of 39mm. The tasteful salmon dial is matte and occupies most of the watch face with ...
Hodinkee
A new direction for the fan-favorite field watch.
Worn & Wound
I stopped using Facebook around 2010. As my first and only social media account, it met my needs for years. I used it to learn about upcoming events, to stay up to date on what shenanigans my friends were getting into, but mostly to communicate. Afterall, it was the dark days prior to unlimited texting. A text was 10 cents. Facebook was free. But then unlimited texting became standard. And, as friends went to different colleges and fell out of touch, suddenly only our mom’s friends were commenting on our photos. It was a sign that Facebook’s usefulness had run its course for us. I, like many others, stepped away. Some went to Twitter, which had been growing in popularity for a couple years. Others went to Instagram, the hot new photo sharing app that our parents weren’t on yet. I stayed out of it. For an entire decade, I happily sat on the sidelines as social media trends came and went, oblivious to it all. When I discovered horology, my watch world consisted of only two outlets. First, a welcoming group of local enthusiasts that met monthly and maintained a lively group chat. And YouTube, a platform where I could anonymously absorb information to my heart’s content. Marc from Long Island Watch taught me how to size a bracelet and use a bezel, and Marshall at Wristwatch Revival was nice enough to let me watch him service vintage watches. I loved my little self-imposed bubble. Between my anonymity on Youtube and the snobbery-free environment of local meet-ups, my ...
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Quill & Pad
Ask any watchmaker about the Rolex 31 family of calibers and the story will be the same: it has stood the test of time. Ashton Tracy hasn’t met a single watchmaker who doesn’t love working on these workhorse Rolex movements. They are easy to service, keep great time, and stand up to abuse. Put simply: they work. So how does it stand up to big brother, Find out right here!
Time+Tide
After delivering one of the drives of his career and scoring a podium in front of the Tifosi, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz found himself in a highly uncomfortable situation just hours after the podium celebrations. With the perpetrators reportedly posing as fans waiting for a signature upon his arrival to the Armani Hotel, the three … ContinuedThe post From podium to pandemonium – Carlos Sainz chases down $500,000 Richard Mille thief appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Time+Tide
While the numbers reveal many of you love luxury timepieces, there is an equal, if not larger, interest in more budget-friendly watches – this is especially true within the daily wearer segment. As much as people romanticise the idea, not everyone is comfortable getting down and dirty with a pricey watch on their wrist. While … ContinuedThe post Andrew picks out three new watches under $1,000 from Geneva Watch Days appeared first on Time+Tide Watches.
Worn & Wound
Editor’s note: In this 3 Watch Collection for $5,000, reader George East shares shares one of the most unique trio of watches we’ve seen yet in this series. There are classics, and there are under the radar specimens of interest. It’s focused and clearly from the mind of an enthusiast comfortable in their own skin. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. Ever since I got into watch collecting, I quickly understood that it need not be the elitist or financially ruinous hobby it’s made out to be at times. It’s a broad church of tastes, styles, and budgets – all of which should be celebrated. What’s more, the feelings and memories invoked by a watch are, to me at least, equally important to its looks – I have a Tudor BlackBay GMT as a daily wearer, and every time I look at it on my wrist, I see it as a memory box, a Pepsi-bezelled, stainless steel connection to my family and my friends across the world. With that in mind, I chose the following watches as my “3-Watch Collection for $5,000” as they have a certain amount of personal significance to me. Given watch collecting – at least in my mind – is about variety, they’re also completely different in nature. That’s enough of me talking. Let’s look into things a bit deeper, shall we? Omega Seamaster 300M 41 Quartz “Goldeneye” // REF: 2541.80.00 – ~$3,000 After much deliberation, I’ve settled on this as the gr...
Worn & Wound
Editor’s note: In this 3 Watch Collection for $5,000, reader RG shares a trio of killer watches that cover a range of flavors. From complications like a big date and GMT, to simple time only affairs, there’s a lot to love with these three watches. You can make your submission to the Three Watch Collection – Reader Edition by filling out the form right here. Mido Multifort TV Big Date – $1,200 With an impressive finishing at the price point and harkening back to the vintage TV case shape, Mido brings their own take on the steel sports watch. With some cues and derivatives from the fames Patek Philippe Aquanaut, Mido makes use of the TV case in a great way. The finishing is outstanding, like we have come to expect from the brand. And it also boasts a proprietary movement that is only shared with Certina. Other features that are very much appreciated are the sapphire glass with anti-reflective coating, see-through case back, that although not the most beautiful movement out there is still nice to look at and the compact size of 40mm in diameter with a lug-to-lug width of 46.5mm that is sure to fit the majority of wrists out there. But perhaps the one that steals the show, as it suggests in the name, is the “big date” complication. A complication normally reserved for high horology masterpieces from the like of A. Lange & Söhne and Glashüte Original. This one was an easy grab for me. Christopher Ward C63 Sealander GMT – $1,200 Christopher Ward has long been ...
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