Watch pet peeves?

Sounds like you might enjoy vintage

I really love the Omega Seamaster SMP. But I can’t look past the carbuncle-like helium escape valve poking out asymmetrically at 11 o’clock. If only the SMP did not have this, I would have pulled the trigger on the stunning NTTD and maybe more!

$1,000+ watches that can't keep within 10 seconds/day.

Automatics that don't have a manual wind option.

Cyclops on the date window.

Ridiculously overpriced watches, especially ugly ones.

Upside down numbers (Roman numbers, in particular) unless they're on a rotating bezel.

Single hand watches.

Really ugly watches, especially if they're overpriced.

A few more things I can't recall at the moment.

The photo illustrates a necessary step to remove the bezel from my Orient Kamasu. VERY carefully.

I can be flexible on many particulars of a watch. However, there is one factor that I will never accept and turns any ‘yes’ to ‘no’.

Artificially created product unavailablity at MSRP at an AD.

I understand wanting to make a product appear ‘exclusive’. However, I don’t care about these things. If I can’t walk into an AD and buy the watch properly, with full warranty and at MSRP without being required to buy a bunch of expensive junk I don’t want there is no chance I will ever consider the watch. If I’m expected to sign up on an invented ‘wait list’ that is openly a useless waste of time, I am not interested. It’s just a watch, and life is too short for these insulting marketing ploys.

Full stop from a yes to a no. Both Rolex and MoonSwatch are examples of this that sent me to the homage brand Pagani Design and there’s no interest on my part at ever looking back.

Vent you say, what's that?

To vent: to express displeasure, to voice annoyance.

If it says Superlative chronometer, it better behave like one, vintage or not

Non-sapphire crystals

Off the shelf movements

Mis-aligned hands

Font clashes (ie california dials)

Gmt hand in between hour and minute hands; That hand better stay at the bottom

Day windows on divers/GADAs

3rd party serviced

Top-side AR coat

HEV’s

fauxtina AND patina

The California dial thing is an odd one. I wouldn't say it's something I totally disagree with but I can also recall plenty of instances of thinking, 'nice watch, shame it's a California...' so I must be more biased than I thought.

1) A ghost date (although there are a few pieces I'll forgive. My CWC G10 and the original CWC diver for starters).

2) The Miyota 8000 series movement. No.

3)16mm + thickness. It's going to be put on a NATO at some point if it lives with me so there's just no point it being outrageously thick anyway.

4) A lug to lug bigger than 47mm. My wrists are reminiscent of Kermit the Frogs, so big l2ls are a no go.

5) Microbrands. One of my favourite things about this hobby is the history behind brands and doing my research, so little kills my interest more than knowing that the watch on my wrist was made by a company founded 3 weeks ago by a bloke from Shropshire called Jerry.

This one hurt so much. Shame its actually a nice looking watch for a Rolex, just cant get past the normal numerals on the track and then Roman numerals on the dial…

I think that I may have done that once.

Roman Numerals

Cyclops on date windows

Fluted bezels

Too much text

Trying to look too much like a Rolex (particularly a Datejust), looking at you Ricoh, Gruen, and Bulova.

Too much empty space on a dial or numerals and indices that are too small (almost all Longines)

I am sure that I could find more.

Thinking about numerals, I would also add crap, off-the-shelf numeral fonts to the list.

Yeah, the Roman numerals feel out of place. Can't say why, but they always feel overly fussy and formal on a watch face. Can't recall a dial that I didn't think would look better in Arabic or with indices.