Recent Comments
I completely get wanting a nice, clean, perfect dial, but refinishing a dial often impact the value of the watch. Have you considered hunting up a dial on eBay (or another source, of course), getting that one refinished, and keeping the original as-is? That way, you can always return the watch to it's unaltered condition should you ever wish to.
If were going to get the original dial refinished, I'd definitely get it done by Omega, as MegaBob suggests.
I'm left-handed and I've always worn my watch on my right wrist. Why? Good question. When I got my first watch when I was six or seven (it was a very cool Hot Wheels-branded watch - I wish I still had it), I'm guessing that my mom, who was also left-handed, put it on my right wrist, (as she always wore her watch) and it just kind of stuck. But it makes so much sense to wear your watch on your non-dominant wrist (less likelihood for damage, if your dominant hand is occupied, you can still check the time, etc.) that I couldn't imagine ever switching. Also, when you shake hands with someone, it gives them an opportunity to notice the very cool watch you're wearing :-).
Have you taken a look at Doxa? I picked up a SUB 200 Professional last month and I'm loving it, especially at the sub-$1000 price point. The Sharkhunter (black dial) variant has that classic retro-diver look. And there's some history behind this watch as well - it's a re-release of a model that Jacques Cousteau wore back in the '60s.
https://doxawatches.com/collections/sub-200/products/sharkhunter?variant=32317119889517
I think folks ask about Tag (I've noticed that it's always "Tag", never "TAG Heuer"), because they're so aggressively marketed to the mainstream population. It's the only high-end watch brand that's in their face as much as Rolex.
I get what you say about GMT watches. IMHO, the best GMT movement (from a readability/usability standpoint, at least) is the Ulysse Nardin Dual Time movement. The second time zone is in a window that snaps to the next hour pretty much instantaneously. And there's a quick-set feature for the main hour hand: you have +/- buttons on the left side of the case. These bump the main time up/down by one hour, so it's trivial to set the watch to local time when you get off a plane. And finally, the big date display is one of the very few that can be set in both directions. This isn't a GMT thing, of course, but it's absurdly cool to watch the date display go backwards as you're setting the time.
https://www.ulysse-nardin.com/usa_en/243-20-3-43.html
Think about a Speedmaster Professional. The black dial pretty much always works, it's big enough to feel sporty and provide some presence with causal dress, but not so large that it won't fit under a shirt cuff. The bracelet works pretty much all the time, IMHO, but you can dress it down with a NATO or a sixties-style rally strap, or dress it up with a leather one. I've worn it to weddings on a black gator strap.