The Watches We Wore the Most in 2017

We don’t often talk about our personal collections here on Worn & Wound (though we do dabble a bit on the podcast), but with 2017 nearing its end, we thought it’d be fun to highlight the watches the W&W team wore the most this past year. As usual, we’d love to hear from our readers, too, so let us know which watches graced your wrists the most in 2017 in the comments section below.

Ilya Ryvin – Sinn 356

This was a bit of a tough one to figure out, but I think I can safely say the star of 2017 was my Sinn 356. This is my everyday-beater—a solid tool watch in a perfectly sized case that looks damn good on all sorts of straps, and for those reasons alone it’s taken up quite a bit of wrist real estate over the past year.

Now, I’ve gotten some real doozies over the last six months, among them an Omega FOIS Speemaster (a wedding gift from my wife) and an Autodromo x Worn & Wound Group B (a gift from the team), so 2018 may look a little different, but the 356 will definitely be a rock in the rotation.

Jon Gaffney – Seiko 6117-8000

2017 saw a number of pieces pass into and out of my collection, and with that came a rotation of what was on my wrist most days. There was one piece that stood out for both the time I wore it (disproportionately high) and the inspiration it fostered (more vintage Seiko). That piece was the Seiko 6117-8000 “NavigatorTimer” I stumbled across over the summer. The “NavigatorTimer” example I have is a a true sock drawer find dating from 1969 with an unmarred bezel, original bracelet (with spare links!) and a flawless dial and handset that still give off a dim glow. While it was tempting to leave it in the watch box for safe keeping given its condition, I went the other direction and used it as my travel watch on a number of trips to different locales, domestic and international. It’s a watch I don’t ever see leaving my collection.

Christoph McNeill – Seiko SBDX001 Marine Master 300

While I’m primarily a “vintage guy,” I have to admit that my most worn watch of 2017 would be my 2011 Seiko SBDX001 Marine Master 300 (MM300) diver. It’s my go-to watch (I love my vintage pieces, but I admit I do baby them.) The obvious reasons are that as a modern diver, it is robust enough to wear any day or time and pretty much while doing any task. I don’t have to worry about getting it wet or tweaking any delicate part, and I don’t worry too much about banging or scratching it. Hey, I could easily replace it if something catastrophic happened to it. I constantly change between the OEM bracelet and a plethora of straps including an Isofrane rubber, Drew canvas, MJ Leather and K-Straps Shrapnel leather straps. This watch looks good on just about anything. And just for fun, I would say that my most-worn vintage watch is a three-way tie between the 1979 Tudor Snowflake, the 1980 Omega Speedmaster and the 1980 Seiko 6309-7049. Too many watches and not enough days in the year!

Allen Farmelo – Bell & Ross BR-123 GMT 24HR 42mm

When Bell&Ross emerged during the 1990s, I was smitten with how they riffed, and even improved, on classic designs. Out of my price range back in the day, I finally got a B&R earlier this year. The BR-123 GMT 24HR 42mm is an overt riff on the Rolex Explorer II GMT 42mm, but Bell & Ross makes this design their own by narrowing the bezel, applying their signature large-scale Panerai-esque numerals, reducing the bug-eye’d Rolex date display to a mere pinhole at 4:30, and polishing the case to a mirror finish. Of all the BR-123s, this was my least favorite in photos and my absolute favorite on my wrist. Though it ships with a supple rubber strap, I love this watch on leather. I’ve been wearing it on a W&W Single Pass in Amber for months, and it goes with almost any outfit or occasion.