When looking at watches you must have in your collection, you really ought to first look at the styles rather than the brands. Although some collectors may start with a mere brand vs brand analysis, I think it is better to start by looking at the type of timepiece it is and then comparing the options out there so that you can add a timepiece that fits your budget and personal tastes.
Dive Watch – Watches You Must Have In Your Collection
Owning a dive watch is probably #1 on every collector’s list. These timepieces are rugged and can be worn doing athletic activities and even worn to the beach, the pool or actually diving. You aren’t afraid to get them wet or to bang them around a little or a lot. More importantly these timepieces have large indices for hour markers and hands, and have great luminescence in both day and night time.
One of the great things about a dive watch is that you can wear it with a suit but also dress it down with a variety of vulcanized rubber straps to make it more than just another steel timepiece. The best dive watches have easy to adjust bands allowing you to fit it perfectly on your wrist on land or on the water.
The most noteworthy dive watch is of course the Submariner line from Rolex. At 41 mm and supporting a waterproofness depth of 1000 feet, the Submariner is a tour de force. It is now powered by the caliber 3230 and has a power reserve of 70 hours. This is the ultimate in diver watches. However, if 1000 feet isn’t deep enough for you, check out the 43mm Sea Dweller which supports a depth of 4000 feet, or the 44mm Rolex Deep Sea which truly conquers the deep at 12,800 feet.
If Rolex is out of your price range because of the tremendous demand and low supply, don’t worry. You can get a quality diver for much less. Check out this beautiful Omega Diver 300m Co-Axial Master Chronometer 42 mm with a blue dial with waves on the dial. This reference 210.32.42.20.03.001 lists at $5100, but is probably one of the best values in the diver market. If money isn’t a concern and you want something a bit more stylish than the “tool” watch by Rolex, you might consider an Audemars Piguet Offshore Diver. This 42mm beautiful timepiece with a blue Méga Tapisserie dial, and a matching blue rubberized band, is a prime example of dive watches at the top of their game.
Tudor is invited to the party with this Pelagros FXD with blue dial. Gorgeous timepiece made by the same people that make Rolex, for a mere $3,900. Panerai is another brand that makes premiere divers. The Panerai Submersible Blu Notte is a stunning timepiece with a blue dial and the protection mechanism over the crown that only panerai has. This timepiece is listed at just over $10,000, which is a significant discount over a Rolex Sub. Also, look at the Seiko Prospex Save the Ocean SPB297J1 which goes for around $1300 or the Seiko King Turtle that goes for less than half that price.
Chronograph Watch – Watches You Must Have In Your Collection
The Rolex Daytona is such a hot watch today that it is difficult for mere mortals to get our hands on such a prized possession. However that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t own a piece of horological lore and acquire a timepiece that is both eye-catching and practical. Above we see two examples of Rolex Daytona alternatives – the Omega Speedmaster and the Tudor Heritage Chrono.
The Speedmaster is not only a great timepiece for car racers, but it is also the official NASA Moonwatch that accompanied Buzz Aldrin and other on their trips to the moon. Even Rolex wasn’t able to pass the NASA test. The Omega helped saved the astronauts lives in space. At $6400 you couldn’t go wrong with that. The Tudor Heritage Chrono lists for a 2k discount to the Omega, but has some interesting styling with touches of Orange on both the dial and strap.
GMT Watch – Watches You Must Have In Your Collection
The ability to look at 2 time zones is critical to pilots, athletes, business people, and performers. And I am probably leaving out other critical jobs that depend on knowing what time it is in multiple places either because they travel frequently or because they are working with teams in different time zones. In this globalized world the big blue ball has gotten smaller, and we need to be able to deal with people around the world from wherever we are.
The Rolex GMT Master II is one of the top timepieces in this category. Pictured above is the “Pepsi” colored bezel which utilizes the large 24 hour hand to indicate the 2nd time zone. Honorable mentions go to the Rolex Sky-Dweller with its circular 24 hour indicator at the 6 o’clock position (a favorite of Lebron James) and the Rolex Explorer II which is both a powerful and useful timepiece with the same Oyster look that people know and love.
If you are looking for a Rolex alternative, this blue dial Bell and Ross is a gorgeous GMT and isn’t quite as in-your-face as the Pepsi bezel since it uses blues and greys instead to indicate day and night hours. Tudor Black Bay GMT is worthy for a discussion. It is not only made by the same people that make Rolex, but it actually looks much like the actual GMT Master II at 1/6 of the price. This Grand Seiko is an unbelievable GMT timepiece without the distracting 2-tone bezel. It is also a limited offering. Also, consider the Hamilton Jazzmaster, or the Seiko GMT.
Digital Watch – Watches You Must Have In Your Collection
If you think that watch collectors stick their noses up at digital watches, you would be wrong. In fact, some of the best watch collectors often wear two watches – a digital and an automatic – one on each wrist. There are reasons a digital watch might be useful for every day use. Besides its accurate time, date, alarm functions it has connections to your health – the amount of time you sleep, calculating your blood pressure or heart rate. Digital watches have even saved lives.
Probably the most well known digital watch is the Apple watch. However, if you are an Android user, the Samsung Galaxy timepiece is just as powerful. If you are less concerned with the tremendous features of these digital watches, you might opt for a more traditional digital offering by Casio. Casio makes some of the finest digital timepieces including its G-Shock series which are not only powerful, accurate and durable, but are also priced so low that everyone can afford one.
