Last week, I mentioned that I often dream about owning a Rolex MilSub. It is, however, ultimately a dream as financially an original MilSub is completely out of my financial reach. Even so, there are options out there. A number of companies make watches based off of the MilSub design and you can pick one up from anywhere between $50 and $1500.
So someone asked me the other day what my dream watch was. Practically speaking, I own it… The Sinn 856. However, if you throw practicality out the window and assume intrinsic value is meaningless, I would have to go with the Rolex Submariner. But not just any Submariner – The Military Submariner. It’s not a practical choice simply because Rolex MilSubs go for around $50,000 these days, but what tugs at the soul more than a mil-spec vintage piece?
There is something very visceral about an automatic watch. It’s a tiny machine that sits on your wrist and uses what amounts to simple motion to power itself. Open one up and you’ll find a wonder world full of cogs, springs, and other engineering feats in miniature. There aren’t many art forms in the world that are so purely mechanical. It all calls to me in a major way.
I’m on one of those dorky watch forums quite often and recently, the question was asked – What’s the best watch in the world for under $300. As you might imagine, answers came from every direction and arguments developed from all sides. After over 300 posts from watch nerds across the word, the Traser H3 P6600 had the most votes.
Admittedly, I’m more of a traditionalist when it comes to watches. I prefer swiss mechanicals and all of their glory, but I do have a Traser. And despite the resin case and the ultra modern mil-spec quartz movement, I have to admit that this is a proper time piece.
You can get yours here.
You forget that Timex is actually a pretty classic American watch maker. I’m sure they aren’t so American anymore, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t tip their hats to that old style. And they have… The new Timex Originals brand is pretty rad.
Check them all out here.
We told ya it wouldn’t be long… and it wasn’t. The Hex Watch Band is a silicone strap that your iPod Nano drops into – making it a fancy iTunes using watch… FOR DORKS! If that describes you, get out your $25. You are gonna need it.
Details here.
We’ve reviewed Lum-Tec watches before. I like the brand simply because they are built like tanks and feature clean military styling. A while back, Lum-Tec announced a new limited edition chrono based on the ETA 7750 movement. They call it the “Combat F” and frankly, I love it. Initially they were offered at almost $1500, but they have since dropped the price to $1,270.75. That’s a pretty smoking deal for a nicely finished 7750 watch. A Breitling with the same movement would easily run you four or five times that…
Get the details here.
Wanna be a huge dork? Get yourself a Zulu strap and mount your new iPod Nano on your wrist.
I dunno fellas… I know that would be great functionality in a small package, but really? Really?
I’ll stick with my obsolete swiss auto.
