Editor’s Note: In this edition of the ‘3 Watch Collection for $5,000’, reader Joseph S. shares his ideal lineup while staying on the practical side of things. I love candor on display here, and all of the sudden find myself wanting a solar powered Casio.
If you’d like to send your 3 watch collection for $5,000 you can use this submission form.
I’m not a suit and tie guy, and so there’s no pure dress watch here. I’d love to put in an Omega Seamaster 1948 but at $6500 that would of course break the bank. I’d choose the central seconds version because I don’t like a watch without lume–here’s the stink eye at you, Grand Seiko Heritage. I’d also of course love to put in a Rolex Explorer or OP, both of which I adore, but they’re basically unattainable for the average Joe who doesn’t want to bribe the AD with an extra purchase of ugly jewelry or some Omega that isn’t moving out of their case and that I also don’t want and can’t afford.
The T200 is sits right at the nexus of traditional three hand dress watch style, executed with precision that belays its price, tough quartz solar reliability, and Internet connected time perfection. This watch makes the beautiful Grand Seiko quartz line feels like both dated and a ripoff. If you’re going to do quartz, go all the way and connect it to atomic clocks and make it solar. With the T200 you don’t sacrifice anything and you get a remarkable bargain.
Date windows on a dive watch feel like a contradiction of purpose, beyond being problematic aesthetically. I really like Bremonts, for example, but no-go on no-date! Seamasters are gorgeous, but come on … the lack of symetry produced by putting a date at 3:00 just kills me. There are some Seamasters with no date but that would break this budget. On some new Seikos, the relocation of the date to the 4:30 works ok for me and that’s why I’ve chosen this watch. And the price seems like a deal for an 8L35 movement.
Hey, I’m under budget! I really love Arabic numeral watches, and importantly no-date ones. It’s part of why I love the Rolex Explorer I and it’s also why I love the Halios Universa. I also love that the Universa is hand wound only. The Universa can fly anywhere–dress, hike, everyday. It’s beautifully executed and comes from my hometown of Vancouver. Now if only I could figure out the ordering process and actually be selected for the honor of buying one … (Omega, I know you do no-date in the old school Seamaster Arabic style but why can’t you do that in the more modern style Seamaster divers with Arabic??)
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