One watch dilemma

[MaximusIV]

Okay fruit cakes ... I'm looking t purchase a new daily wear time piece. I work with my hands quite alot with joinery / mechanics and general boisterous dicking about so the watch needs to be durable and take a beating.

Previous watches include a 114060, purchased second hand, sold on as it seemed too pretentious to me, every time i wore it, it seemed to be the topic of conversation. Lovely piece , I can see why it has the reputation it has, just not for me.

Breitling seawolf on he rubber strap - loved it just got sick of its bulk.

Omega PO chrono - sat well on my wrist, the orange was too shouty shouty for me. I still have it but seldom wear it.

Omega Sm300 - birthday present, wont wear it now for sentimental value.

So my current thoughts are £5k ish budget, I need to be able to wear it with hoodys jeans and suits, it needs to take a beating as once its on my wrist it literally wont come off.

Bremont S501 love the design, the subtly of the case / face, not keen on its heritage or what looks like they are trying to create a heritage by tagging on to other people?

Rolex OP 39 black face and put it on a leather strap?

IWC spitfire either the chrono or the straight forward automatic

Omega AT black or blue face.

So, opinions? suggestions?

Out of all of them i am drawn to the Bremont if im honest ... just a little on the fence with the company.

[ZesPak]

A nice Seiko diver seems like something you haven't had yet.

They do a limited edition that looks great imho, though slightly over budget:

https://www.seikowatches.com/uk-en/products/prospe...

[7mike]

I put my S501 on one of their cloth NATO straps and the missus made an elastic loop to stop the Velcro curling up all the time. It's quite comfortable despite the bulk and seems pretty bomb proof (sorry about the crap pic).

[Ninjin]

why not keep the nice watch for evenings and weekends and just buy a sub £200 disposable watch.

My go to is G-Shock. Nothing will beat the durability of it, period.

Here's my work collection:

Edited by Ninjin on Sunday 19th April 14:36

[The_Doc]

"general boisterous dicking about"

Love this!

Seriously though, don't go for one watch, spend £4500 on something beautiful, mechanical, and destined for your first born son.

And then £500 on a g-shock.

for the dicking

around

[The_Doc]

Eg

https://blowers-jewellers.co.uk/product/pilots-spi...

And

https://www.watchshop.com/mens-casio-g-shock-range...

[outnumbered]

What about an Exp 1 (214270) as another option to the OP. I've got the earlier version of this with the slightly smaller hands, it's been my only watch for about 8 or 9 years.

[Dolf Stoppard]

Much as I like the IWC it really isn't a watch to take a beating. I've got one of the latest Pilots and it's lovely, but it's not exactly 'tough'.

How about one of the latest Explorers? Probably the least pretentious Rolex, works well on a bracelet and a strap, straightforward movement and good residuals.

https://www.markworthingtonjewellers.co.uk/rolex-e...

A bit of post Covid negotiating would be needed!

Or how about a Tudor Black Bay? Various colours, sizes and strap options available for you to choose from. This was mine:

https://johnsonsjewellers.co.uk/pre-owned-tudor-he...

[mcpiston]

outnumbered said:

What about an Exp 1 (214270) as another option to the OP. I've got the earlier version of this with the slightly smaller hands, it's been my only watch for about 8 or 9 years.

Same here, bought in 2012, 39mm is the perfect watch size. The watch goes just as well with Jean's and a T Shirt or a suit.

[dai1983]

Not sure if they take a beating but for wearing with different clothing and on different straps you can't beat this:

https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Omega-Speedmaster-Moo...

[shopper150]

dai1983 said:

Not sure if they take a beating but for wearing with different clothing and on different straps you can't beat this:

https://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Omega-Speedmaster-Moo...

Good discount there.

[crispyshark]

Tudor Pelagos🤙

[Fallingup]

Stop fannying about and get the Rolex. Job done. And keep it on the bracelet. If you regret it then I'll eat my chicken coop.

[r159]

Victoriox INOX if a tank cannot break it then it should stand up to a bit of ruff and tumble. Automatic and quartz, carbon, steel, titanium diver or plain bezel cases and loads of strap options.

[Dicky Knee]

Sinn.

Chose one with tegiment scratch resistant case and bracelet.

[Barchettaman]

Helm Vanuatu.

Matt at Helm is releasing the next batch in May/June.

You‘ll never see another one, they look like a Sinn on steroids, are massively cool and overbuilt, and at $300 inc. strap and bracelet and shipping come in at approx. 6% of your budget.

https://helmwatches.com/vanuatu1.html

Can’t think of many reasons not to.

Edited by Barchettaman on Sunday 19th April 23:11

[MaximusIV]

outnumbered said:

What about an Exp 1 (214270) as another option to the OP. I've got the earlier version of this with the slightly smaller hands, it's been my only watch for about 8 or 9 years.

I much prefer the symmetry of the OP. The face looks alot cleaner and unformed compared to the exp1. I do however like the exp2 on a nato!

[Voldemort]

I've been wearing a Breitling SuperOcean Heritage on their mesh bracelet for the last six years of general dicking about and it hasn't missed a beat. Would recommend. Just went to their website to grab a picture and saw a limited edition version is upcoming. I like it: but I suspect many wont, which makes me like it even more. A bit more expensive than their normal versions - £4k, bar a tenner.

[MaximusIV]

As mentioned earlier I had a seawolf for many years and although I loved it I got sick of its bulk - the heritage isn’t much different in size.

I did find mine sat a lot better of the steel strap and on a rubber strap!

[richthebike]

I have a white dial OP39 and it's a great one watch collection.

Can't argue with the 41mm Aqua Terra in blue on the fitted rubber. That might actually be a smidge more interesting as an every day option.

Black Bay 58 would do the job well too, and it has a lot of charm. Pretty versatile with a strap change, and small enough to stay out of the way most of the time.

I'm after a quartz GS at the moment. The GMT with the fixed bezel would make an awesome "only watch". I'm waiting for a UK import SBGV245 which at 40mm looks like a great option too. If you ask nicely the boutique will get you one in.