Budget black chrono, £500 budget...
Discussion
I have time on my hands (groan) due to being an inpatient again, so I’m going to make some suggestions of a few microbrands. Some won’t be to budget, some won’t be all black. 8 will at least try and make them all chronographs!
First off, the A-13A. €793, so way over budget, not all black and not a traditional looking chronograph, as it’s a centre seconds one. Designed by a chap who is a pilot, so some provenance there and seems to have positive reviews.
Next, Boldr Journey Wasp. $259 plus taxes, shipping and any duties.
I can’t copy a picture for this one, but it is all black and in the link.
Next up, Certina Podium. Slightly over at £575, but a slight motoring feel to it. There are a few other chronographs on the Certina website.
Dan Henry has a couple of options; The 1939 Military Chronograph at $220 or the 1963 Pilot Chronograph at $230. Both ship from the EU, so no charges and free shipping. Again, not all black watches. And again, I’m struggling for photos with these. I have the 1970 Diver, which I’m really pleased with. I have got a photo of that one!
Then there is the LIV GX1. $490 and yet again, struggling with pictures...
Then there’s Lum-Tec. Again, a few options, including the Bull 42 A19 Phantom. $535, and it’s all black! Another one that won’t let me copy pictures (I’m sure there’s a way to hyperlink them rather than Thumbsnapping them, but all the links should take you to the watches anyway).
Sinn would be the obvious choice, apart from the budget... so have a look instead at Torgoen, such as the Torgoen T16 Black. £294.41, with a further 5% off if you sign up to their emails (there are a few of these suggestions with a few extra per cent off if signing up to email). Sorry, you guessed it, no pictures. There are plenty of black chronographs, sub £500 on the Torgoen site, many with the clear Sinn “look”.
Traser is my next suggestion. Again, loads to choose from, Black as requested, but the P67 Officer Chronograph Pro is of course over budget at €679. At least there’s a picture!
Undone Watches might just be the answer... you can build your own watch, choosing case, dial, handsets, straps, in a variety of options. 30 seconds of playing about gave me this, for £220:
Finally, there’s the Wancher Navigation. It’s only $220, but out of stock at present. Not black, either.
There are tons to go at and ok, some of my above suggestions aren’t strictly microbrands. Some probably aren’t waterproof, but I think most will be ok for lazy pool time. Probably. Possibly. Maybe. E&OE.
Spend a bit more and you can look at Tutima, Sinn, yada yada, especially if you’re happy with second hand (badum, tish).
I hope the above is useful. Even if it isn’t useful for you, it’s kept me occupied for an hour or so, so thank you!
First off, the A-13A. €793, so way over budget, not all black and not a traditional looking chronograph, as it’s a centre seconds one. Designed by a chap who is a pilot, so some provenance there and seems to have positive reviews.
Next, Boldr Journey Wasp. $259 plus taxes, shipping and any duties.
I can’t copy a picture for this one, but it is all black and in the link.
Next up, Certina Podium. Slightly over at £575, but a slight motoring feel to it. There are a few other chronographs on the Certina website.
Dan Henry has a couple of options; The 1939 Military Chronograph at $220 or the 1963 Pilot Chronograph at $230. Both ship from the EU, so no charges and free shipping. Again, not all black watches. And again, I’m struggling for photos with these. I have the 1970 Diver, which I’m really pleased with. I have got a photo of that one!
Then there is the LIV GX1. $490 and yet again, struggling with pictures...
Then there’s Lum-Tec. Again, a few options, including the Bull 42 A19 Phantom. $535, and it’s all black! Another one that won’t let me copy pictures (I’m sure there’s a way to hyperlink them rather than Thumbsnapping them, but all the links should take you to the watches anyway).
Sinn would be the obvious choice, apart from the budget... so have a look instead at Torgoen, such as the Torgoen T16 Black. £294.41, with a further 5% off if you sign up to their emails (there are a few of these suggestions with a few extra per cent off if signing up to email). Sorry, you guessed it, no pictures. There are plenty of black chronographs, sub £500 on the Torgoen site, many with the clear Sinn “look”.
Traser is my next suggestion. Again, loads to choose from, Black as requested, but the P67 Officer Chronograph Pro is of course over budget at €679. At least there’s a picture!
Undone Watches might just be the answer... you can build your own watch, choosing case, dial, handsets, straps, in a variety of options. 30 seconds of playing about gave me this, for £220:
Finally, there’s the Wancher Navigation. It’s only $220, but out of stock at present. Not black, either.
There are tons to go at and ok, some of my above suggestions aren’t strictly microbrands. Some probably aren’t waterproof, but I think most will be ok for lazy pool time. Probably. Possibly. Maybe. E&OE.
Spend a bit more and you can look at Tutima, Sinn, yada yada, especially if you’re happy with second hand (badum, tish).
I hope the above is useful. Even if it isn’t useful for you, it’s kept me occupied for an hour or so, so thank you!
AlasdairMc said:
Thanks for a great post Dibble - loads of food for thought in there, even if I’m not looking for anything new at the moment. I think... 
No problem at all. As I say, it kept me occupied for an hour or so. I’ve got a folder on my iPad with links to about fifty watch sites, from big ones like Tudor, Sinn, etc, down to some real niche/microbrands stuff. And that’s without going on the likes of Kickstarter!I was thinking the other day whether it was worth creating a sticky wiki for watch sites, but never got around to posting a thread asking for views. I might just start it anyway, they seem to work for stuff like the restaurant ones in Food and Drink and it might give options people would never be otherwise aware of. I’ve seen some great stuff I’ve never heard of from a bit of Googling after looking at stuff on TZ-UK.
The other thing I forgot to mention was a lot of the microbrands seem to use Seiko movements, mostly the NH35 or similar, so you’re basically buying a rebadged Seiko anyway!
Dibble said:
First off, the A-13A. €793, so way over budget, not all black and not a traditional looking chronograph, as it’s a centre seconds one. Designed by a chap who is a pilot, so some provenance there and seems to have positive reviews.
I picked mine up for less than £500 pre-owned yet in pretty much as new condition - it's become one of my most worn watches.
dai1983 said:
Those Dan Henry watches are really nice and I can’t understand how they are so cheap. Problem is that I want them all
I’m really pleased with mine. My one minor gripe is the lure isn’t that great. Love everything else about it though!Back to the OP, another option is the Junkers Hugo. €299. There a quite a few others on the Junkers website, this was the first all black one I saw. A little “busy”, but I quite like the red pusher.
Seiko Arctura
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=seiko+arctura+ki...
Had mine for about 8 years, but barely used. Love the look of it, but since am getting a new Louis Moinet in the next week or so, the Seiko will be going back in the box for good, or until I sell it one day
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=seiko+arctura+ki...
Had mine for about 8 years, but barely used. Love the look of it, but since am getting a new Louis Moinet in the next week or so, the Seiko will be going back in the box for good, or until I sell it one day
lostkiwi said:
Greendubber said:
The vlack Bulova Luna Chronograph can be had at Earnest Jones for £299 with an extra 10% off on top of that if you register.
Only until midnight when the sale ends, looks like a bargain to me.
That is a bargain!Only until midnight when the sale ends, looks like a bargain to me.
If only I didn't already have a Luna Pilot!
Greendubber said:
Balls.....ordered.
Like that a lot (saw your pictures in one of the other threads). I’ve not had a chrono for a long time (I’ve got an old Seiko 7A28 tucked away somewhere) and although I’m not in the market for one, that’s a nice looking watch. Good choice and with the added bonus of a decent price too.Gassing Station | Watches | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff