So what I have I learned about what I like about a watch? Well the most important thing is legibility. I like to tell the time at a glance and I also wear my watches in bed, if I can’t read the time in the dark just before dawn without my glasses on then it’s not tended to stay in my collection very long. I also like some sort of timing function, either a chronograph or diver bezel. I use these to time cooking and parking meters and use them a lot. Comfort is also quite important, I like an adjustable bracelet and nothing too heavy. I also like to consider every watch to be a ‘one watch’. If I ever had to sell up, I’d like to think I could keep any of these and they would be something I could wear all day every day. Watches that have a limited functionality, either no timing, or hard to read in the morning, have all mainly been moved along.
So let me share with you what I hope is now a settled collection, I can now slow down with the buying and selling and really enjoy, and be grateful, for what I have.
First here is my SOTC from about this time last year for reference.
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Only two watches have survived until today so let’s start with telling the story of those.
First up, my Zenith El Primero. This was bought with money I received when my mum passed away. I have it on the bracelet now but also have black and brown alligator straps to dress it up. This probably goes against some of what I have said above, in that it’s not a watch to wear in bed due to the poor lume. However the sentimental reason for owning this watch means I will never sell it. I’ve owned it about 4 years now and I tend to wear it whenever I feel I need to have my mum watching out for me. Whenever I’m going to need a little luck at a job interview or know I’ll be having a tough day then out it comes.
This could easily tick the chronograph box in the collection but I tend to see it as my dress watch. It’s a bit big to do the job properly but it’s good enough for me. It definitely the one I wear for a wedding or when I have to dress up.
Next up is the pilot watch, the IWC Mark XVIII. I’ve had this for about 5 years and since I added the bracelet it gets a lot of wear. It’s my slimmest watch at 11mm and also my smallest at 40mm. Legibility is brilliant and the bracelet is the most comfortable I own. If it wasn’t for the lack of a timing function it could be a ‘one watch’ and probably would be by now. My daughter also loves it and likes me wearing it. She nicknamed it Duckface as she thought the triangle and dots at 12 looked like a ducks face. I think this watch will always remind me of her and is another one I’ll never sell.
Next I’d like to present my IWC Spitfire chronograph. This ticks the chronograph box over the EP, as that one is on dress watch duties. I shared a detailed post about how I came to own this watch and I’d like to refer you there rather than tell the tale again here. Feel free to head off and come back when you’ve read all about it, I’m not going anywhere.
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Every collection needs a dive watch doesn’t it? Well my collection has never been without one. The Tag Aquaracer was my first proper watch about 9 years ago. Since then I’ve had 6 CW tridents, as well as Bremont and Zelos divers, it’s my most owned style of watch. So when considering what dive watch to add to this slot it needed some careful thought. If I’m trying to keep the numbers low then it needs to be the right one and something worthy of its place in the collection. So I’ve decided that this slot will go to the Omega Seamaster and I’ve gone for the blue version as it’s the classic colour. I hadn’t really considered the Omega before, but a couple of friends have recently bought themselves the white and silver versions. It wasn’t until I looked at theirs did I realise what I was overlooking and one has now been added to the box.
Now all those four are fantastic watches, however they are all a little bit Swiss aren’t they? Could you imagine going to Schaffhausen for a factory tour and seeing the owner come out of his office to say hello and check you’re enjoying yourself? Would the owners of Omega stay behind after work to arrange evening Zoom meetings with their fans to show off upcoming new watches?
I think the answer is no and that is what I love about the brands behind the watches that fill the final two spaces. I know there are others such as Elliott Brown, Pinion and Zero West who are held in high regard by their fans, but the two British brands that stand out for me are Bremont and Christopher Ward.
Let’s start with Bremont. I’ve owned 5 of them and they are the second in terms of number I’ve had. After the factory tour last year then my love of Bremont has been cemented and I love what they are doing down in Henley with their new Wing technology centre. I think I’ll always have one in my collection, but which one? I’m trying to keep numbers down so had to choose wisely. I therefore went for perhaps their most iconic watch, the Martin Baker MB2. I preferred the older models with the day date over the new version and chose the orange barrel for a bit of colour. I love this one and I picked it up used for a great price.
And now the final piece of the jigsaw, the space reserved for the most owned brand in my collection. I’ve had 9 CWs over the years and I do love them. I think I’ll keep this space fluid and my CW slot will change over time now all the other spaces have long term keepers in them. For now I have the ocean blue super compressor. I did have a black sand version last year but sold it to raise funds as part of a consolidation. How long will this one stick about? Well I’ve bought a few watches recently so need some stability for a while, so by this time next year, it might still be here. Then again who can tell.
That’s it, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the post.
