There is no such thing as one perfect watch collection. Everyone needs and wants something different, and honestly, I will always want another watch. When my collection grows, I intend to keep it at five watches, this was basically my only constraint I set on myself, I also wanted every watch on my list to be readily available, no limited editions. As always, all photos courtesy of the brands. This post is not a review of any of these watches.
Buci is one of the smallest micro brands around (as of publishing this post). I am just super impressed with everything about this watch. Based off of literature and poetry which is such a beautiful idea, how has no one come up with this before?? The packaging is styled after a book, the dial is paper like, and the leather band has a line of poetry engraved into it. Besides the little crown on the dial, I can see no problems with this watch.
The Buci Garde-temps is a beautiful dress watch, but what if I need something more traditional? Well, there’s only one real answer, the Cartier Tank! I love the small size, the cabochon shaped spinel, all of the details are executed at such a beautiful level, and at such a good size.
The Rolex Explorer such a great watch, but what if I can’t afford one? Or what if I just don’t want to wear a Rolex? My friends, the Lorier Falcon! The most obvious homage to the Rolex Explorer is the 3, 6, 9 numerals, but the textured dial is also inspired by an old model of the Rolex Explorer. But that’s not all, this watch also homages the Omega Seamaster, and the Seiko Alpinist. To make things better, the crystal is acrylic for that full vintage vibe, and the watch comes with a tube of Polywatch and a screwdriver to adjust the bracelet yourself.
I have talked about the orange version here, but this glossy white dial version is just as great, same incredible crown, same expert finishing, same incredible tight tolerances. This watch is a little bit vintage and a whole lot modern, but I honestly struggle to put into words how much I love this watch.
Finally, the Nomos Club Campus , which is such a cheery and sport design, not even to mention the in house designed and manufactured movement, it just feels perfect. Maybe, except for the lugs, the 36mm dial seems so nice, but the lugs go to 47mm which size the watch up quite a bit, but that’s also a part of Nomos’ design style, so I’ll let it slide.
Honorable Mentions
There are so many watches that I love, but there is just one small problem with the design. I’ll keep it short and sweet: The Seiko 5 Sports SRPD55, which has a day/date window that I really don’t like. The Traska Summiteer 36 because I don’t want two explorer homages. The Casio G-Shock GMAS2100 because I don’t want a watch that relies on bluetooth for time setting in such a small collection. The Bulova Lunar Pilot, because it wouldn’t fit a small collection, figuratively and literally. And the Sternglas Naos XS Edition, great watch, but I cant have 3 dress watches in my collection. I talked about the little wearing experience I had with the Caso G-Shock, Bulova Lunar Pilot, and the Seiko 5 Sports here. These were all so close to making the cut, but I just couldn’t bring myself to putting them on the main list.
Watching Watchmaking is written of Ribbon Eichler. © 2024. All Rights Reserved.
