5 Times a Watch Surprised Me After the Fact

Watches can be tricky things to judge without getting some real world wrist time. Details like their scale or finishing details can be lost in even the best of images, and that’s to say nothing of more intangible things, like their heft or the way the bracelet wraps around your wrist. Try as we might, we still sometimes end up writing a watch off, or worse still, prematurely lauding it, before allowing enough hands-on time to appropriately confront our biases. These watches have a way of coming back to us, and like many things in life, a way of surprising us after the fact. With each example, we hope to learn a bit more about our blind spots, and take a bit more pause when scouting the landscape ahead. 

These are some examples of watches that surprised me after their initial launch, and what I learned from the experience. Jump into the comments below to share your thoughts and experiences.

The IWC Tribute to 3705: Learning to Ignore the Numbers

IWC has ridden their Pilot and Big Pilot ranges heavily in recent years, and while I enjoy the aesthetic of these watches, I’ve never been fond of the on-wrist experience with any of them. When I first saw the Tribute to 3705, I was quick to dismiss it based on some of the numbers, predominantly the thickness measurement north of 15mm. But then I got my hands on one, and it was the watch that triggered a reassessment of how I think about the numbers around watches. I even wrote an article implying you to do the same. The Tribute features a case made of Ceratanium, and it strikes a perfect balance between heft and wearability. It’s light, but never feels too light. This is a watch that, like many others I’ve discovered in the meantime, places wearability at the forefront, and lets the numbers fall where they may. 

Since my time with the Tribute, I’ve taken a step away from any hard rules around numbers or dimensions, and instead reserve judgements on wearability based on the package as a whole. Sure, sometimes the numbers play a big role, but they don’t tell the whole story. We use them in reviews and when sharing news to help you contextualize the watch, but take it with a grain of salt, and if you like a watch don’t be deterred by a single measurement.

The Omega X SWATCH MoonSwatch: When Fun & Hype Collide

There have been many takeaways from the unlikely partnership between Swatch Group stablemates, Omega and SWATCH and the resulting MoonSwatch. We’ve discussed the watch and the aftermath of the release here on Worn & Wound (right here, if you’re interested), but after the dust settled, what surprised me the most has been the generally cold feelings toward the watch itself, and how we square that with the idea of the watch. 

This is an undoubtedly fun watch that’s captured the interest of enthusiasts and regular folk alike, and it’s opened the Speedmaster ownership door to a new segment of the market. All good stuff. But in use, in the hand, on the wrist, the watch struggles to meet the outsized impact of its cultural relevance. Does that even matter? Surely not for all of us, but it leaves me slightly disappointed with the execution as a watch enthusiast, and gives me pause to how I might buy into such an experiment moving ahead.

The Citizen “Barnacle” Promaster Diver: Seeing Beyond Materials 

If there are any broader themes to this list one of them is surely “there’s an exception to every rule”. In-house doesn’t always equal better, exotic materials aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be, and any particular feature you’re fond of doesn’t automatically make a watch a winner. I love titanium watches, and while this year I learned that there are people who prefer steel (such as our own Kat Shoulders), I also found that the material can be downright off putting in some applications. 

The Citizen Fujitsubo, or “Barnacle” Promaster Diver was among my most anticipated releases of 2022. The design is right up my alley, and this is a brand I’ve been cheering for over the years, so seeing things starting to click has been a satisfying experience. This particular watch, however, missed on several levels for me, and one of them was the feeling of the titanium case and bracelet. Critics of the super light material finally started to make sense in my head, and this is the watch that crystallized their point of view. It was too light, too plastic-y feeling, and overall a relatively unpleasant watch on the wrist (though not just because of the titanium). You can read more of my thoughts on this watch in the review right here. Overall this is just another watch that helped me clear out any pre-set rules I had been going about this hobby with.

The Sinn EZM1: Meeting (and Owning) Your Heroes

The Sinn EZM1 enjoys a wealth of lore around its origins, and the watch itself lives up to the hype in many ways. It’s undoubtedly one of the coolest watches I’ve managed to get my hands on in recent years, and it’s a story I love telling. You can read our Missed Review on the EZM1 here. When it came to owning and using one in my own collection, however, the EZM1 never quite hit the mark. 

I use the watches I own, and I expect a certain level of practical utility and wearability out of all of them. The EZM1 was meant to be the ultimate practical tool watch, but in use it just didn’t pan out for me, largely thanks to the execution of the domed crystal. The watch ultimately ended up in far more capable hands, moving on to a member of New York City’s highly specialized rescue operations teams (and a dive instructor at that). My period of ownership taught me I don’t always need to own watches that I feel enthusiastic about. Even watches that, on paper, feel like a perfect fit for my collection and style. The U50 has ended up being a far better partner, and even the EZM2 (pictured in the header alongside the EZM1) has caught my adoration since coming to the conclusion that not all heroes are worth owning.

The Seiko SPB149 & the Pelagos 39: Chasing an Ideal

I haven’t been shy about my adoration for the Seiko Prospex diver reference SPB149. It’s still among my favorite releases of the past few years, and a watch I garner a great deal of enjoyment from wearing to this day. What has surprised me about this watch, after a period of ownership, is how I’ve come to recognize its flaws, and embrace the watch for what it is. This watch, more than any other, has taught me to stop chasing an ideal, and instead recognize and appreciate character, charm, and maybe even flaws all the same. 

Presumably we’ve all had thoughts along the lines of “if only this watch had…” or “this watch is great, except for the…”. I’ll freely admit I still have those thoughts, but sometimes a watch comes together so well you start looking past those little niggles, and eventually begin to appreciate them. It’s gotten to the point where I’ll come across a watch that’s damn near perfect, and feel almost bored by it. Such was the case with the excellent Pelagos 39, a watch with which I struggled to find flaws. I found myself wanting more character, something surprising, something a bit off or otherwise endearing. The Pelagos 39, which I reviewed here, is indeed a watch that’s lingered in the back of my head since spending time with it, and I’d welcome one in my own watchbox, but I still reckon I’d reach for the watch that provides more of a memorable experience.  

As I look forward to another year of new releases, I’ll be looking for the unique over the perfect.