The Three Watch Collection for $5,000: Reader Edition – Danny L.

Editor’s note: In this Three Watch Collection for $5,000, reader Danny L. gives us a nice spread that touches three distinct genres for maximum usability. We appreciate this collection for its creativity and its willingness to have a bit of fun alongside some serious wrist hardware. 

If you’d like to submit your own 3 watch collection for $5,000 can you do so at the form right here.

For my three watch collection I wanted to center it around one watch that could pull everyday duty and round it out with a dressy option and a true sports watch. I also wanted to have a range of movements which in this case includes one Sellita, one quartz, and one in-house movement.

Stowa Flieger Classic 40mm – $1,300

The Stowa Flieger Classic in 40mm size makes a perfect all round, everyday watch to be the workhorse of a three watch collection. Its simple looks, easy readability, and versatility make it well suited to a number of situations. You could easily wear this watch all week and all weekend and it would hardly look out of place. Especially in a much more casual, work from home world we’re currently living it, this watch can pair with business attire or handle weekend drinks with friends. It’s also robust enough that you could leave it on while doing a bit of light yard work. I wouldn’t hesitate to get a few light scratches on the case because it’ll just help with the casually rugged look and feel of this watch. 

I like that this watch is powered by a Sellita movement. You get a reputable Swiss movement that is easily serviceable and has proven reliability. You can also opt for an automatic or hand wound movement depending on your preference. At $1,300 it’s just expensive enough to feel like a luxury item, but affordable enough that you can put it through its paces. There is an added bonus that Stowa was one of the original manufacturers of Flieger watches for the German air force in World War II, so this watch comes with a bit of history.

Bulbul Pebble Watch – $400

The Bulbul Pebble is a bit of an oddball, but it complements the classic simplicity of the Stowa. The styling on this watch is unique with its quasi-rectangular case and lack of any markings on the dial. Its clean look makes it suitable as a pairing with a suit and tie, without being too pretentious to wear with shorts and a polo shirt. It comes in a variety of colorways, but my choice is the stainless steel with white dial and black hands. 

The Pebble is powered by a Swiss quartz movement so it won’t require winding or setting before wearing if you’re not putting it in regular rotation. As a simple two hander with no seconds hand, you won’t even notice that its beating heart is powered by a battery. The quartz movement also means this watch is quite thin and will fit easily beneath a shirt cuff. This watch provides a great way to stand out a bit without being too obvious, perfect for days when you want to mix it up.

Eterna Kontiki Bronze Diver Green Dial – $3,400

The Eterna Kontiki Bronze Diver with the green dial does push the total cost to $100 over the limit, but I’m pretty sure you would be able to get at least that amount off the suggested retail with minimal haggling. This watch covers a few bases that the others are missing and helps to round out the collection. It comes with an in-house movement, is cased in a unique material, has a bold dial color, and is capable of pulling duty as a full on dive watch. This is the watch you can wear on the weekend and bring on your vacation to the Caribbean to let the salty air start adding patina to the bronze case. 

It’s nice to have a watch that can take pretty much anything you can throw at it, within reason for a mechanical timepiece. And it’s even better that the watch will patina and change as you wear it, creating a story and giving the watch true character. I love that the Kontiki Bronze is a full on dive watch but clearly stands out from the more typical dive watches. The no decompression limits dive bezel is quirky and interesting and the indices are bold and fun.