Watches in the Wild (On Holiday, Volume 54)

Disclaimer: Vacay.

This is the fifty fourth in a semi-regular digest of cool watches I happened to see this week.

Past posts in this series have been hashtagged to #watchesinthewild

As always, my general policy is that I never ask for wrist shots (because approaching strangers and distant acquaintances to talk about watches is already weird enough) so all pictures below are sourced from the internet. People are mostly cool, I try not to annoy them.

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I was on vacation.  And by vacation, I mean a family trip.  And by family trip, I mean that I'm parenting without any of my stuff.  Which, for the parents among you, is something like going white water rafting without a paddle. Or a life vest. 

Or a raft.

Anyway, on said vacation, I was informed by @righthandwatches that the Dink has purloined my watch spotting format for it's own nefarious purposes.  

I'm shocked, SHOCKED that a publication as august as Hodinkee might stoop so low as to copy an individual creator like myself.  I swear, this is everything that's wrong with the world.

But wait....their first edition of watches in the wild went live in March 2022, three full months before I even joined watchcrunch!  Oh no, I'm the trademark pirate!

Now I suppose all there is to do is wait for the copyright claims, cease and desist letters, and claims over my extremely existent earnings from these completely unmonetized columns.  So that's something to look forward to!

Maybe I can categorize myself under a protected speech category.  I hear parody has openings.

Anyway, sorry for not getting this out earlier.  January has been an absolute disaster and I don't know that I feel real good about February.  But regardless, I hope you enjoy!

First a couple of respots.

Rolex Deep Sea (probably a 126600?  Ceramic bezel, red text and an HEV)

Seamaster Professional 300m in Black on a Bond NATO

Panerai Luminor PAM01086

Panerai Submersible PAM02305

All seen on the outbound flight to Mexico.  These are all remarkably archetypal, entirely over engineered watches for a beach and sun vacation.  I've talked about all of these watches in one measure or another in past watches in the wild so I won't retake old ground.  But it did spur a thought about what constitutes a vacation watch.

My vacation watch for many years was my most expensive one, a Cartier Roadster Chronograph.  I reasoned then that that was the watch I wanted to make memories with.  And memories I made, climbing to the top of mountains, wandering temple markets in search of tom luad moo (no need to look that one up), and exploring ancient cities overgrown with jungle.  

As I have grown older, I have realized that most of my hangups around what watches to bring in vacation are silly.  100m of WR (screw down crown or not) is more than enough for the incredibly pedestrian sporting activities I actually do.  It is far less likely for me to dine in a Michelin starred restaurant than it is for me to grab a breakfast sandwich from a greasy corner Bodega.  Any notion that I need a dress watch is laughable.

These days I mostly go for something colorful, capable, and replaceable.  There's nothing quite so vacation destroying as the constant worry that you're going to misplace a watch during bag check or when hurriedly trying to clean out your hotel room before scrambling to the airport. Less hassle, not more.

What are your vacation watches?

Rolex Explorer 217270 Mark 1

Seen in the airport on the wrist of an older gentleman.  He was very engrossed in a game of online chess, so I left him alone.

The Explorer is one of those universally beloved collector watches. It almost doesn't matter which version from the 1016 to the newest 40mm version, people go ga ha for Explorers.  Fair enough, I say, though the appeal is somewhat lost on me.  Somehow I find all the iterations of this watch incredibly boring.

There is two things about this specific version that just kills me though.  First, the hand lengths feel out of proportion.  The hour hand should be closer to the indices and the minute hand should touch the minute track.  But by far the biggest design strike against this watch is that the 3-6-9 indices have no lume.  

I feel this is a rare occasion where Rolex literally lost focus in designing a watch, a feeling they evidently shared because lume suddenly appeared a couple years later in the Mark 2 version of this watch.

Maurice LaCroix Aikon

Seen on a flight to Mexico on the wrist of my kid's pediatrician's husband.  It's a long story and one that I won't relate in full, but I am embarrassed at just how long it took me to recognize her (hint: my wife informed me that it was her post the flight).  In my defense, I saw a watch!

I did not have a conversation with said gentleman as it appeared that he had had an early morning and was trying to make sure his kid was entertained during the flight. If anyone can sympathize, it's me.

The Aikon is one of those watches you really should try on before you decide to commit to.  The headline proportions (42mm x 48mm lug to lug) dont really reflect how the watch wears on wrist.  I think it wears substantially larger than that.

 I used to think this was a broader problem with integrated bracelet watches but in reality it's just a problem with watches that insist on emulating the Royal Oak Bracelet.  The way the first links down from the end links flare out make it wear very large.

That bracelet tends to attract criticism of course along with the dial because of its resemblance to the Royal Oak.  I even think it would look better with a different bracelet style.  Imagine it with a Direnzo style H-link!

It's too bad really because the Aikon and it's various iterations seem like rather nice watches.  They're large, of course, but thin and well made.   Visually, I don't really love the mostly brushed case and bracelet paired with the high polish tabs on the bezel.  For something that is trying to be a luxury integrated bracelet sports watch, it feels like the case finishing (style not quality) falls short of some micro brand competitors like the DRZ04. It makes it feel a touch toolish...which clashes with the other aspects of the case style.

No shade if you love it of course...but it's not really for me.

And speaking of homages...

Ginault Ocean Rover

Seen at the taxi stand at the airport.  I definitely had to talk to this guy. In chatting with the owner, I tried to be as nonjudgmental as possible, given the never verified but apparently sordid allegations about how the maker was a major manufacturer of fake Rolexes.  (Yes, I am aware of that big wordpress/reddit post and yes, I think it's reasonably serious but no, I don't think it constitutes particularly strong proof given the anonymity of the source.)

We very cheerfully chatted about dive watches and watch collecting and about how he had a thing for Sinn and Omega but half the reason he loved wearing the Ginault is because of how it infuriates Submariner owners.  Fair enough I say.

There is a part of me that thinks I should try out a Ginault at some point if only to have a point of view.    Whatever its provenance, I tend to like the combination of old Submariner case and neo vintage Seamaster sword hands.

It reminds me of OG Tudor honestly, down to the aesthetics.  Not a bad thing frankly.

Omega Apollo 8 "Dark Side of the Moon"

Seen in a clothing boutique on the wrist of a gentleman.  I asked if it was a Dark Side of the Moon and he looked down at his wrist, as though he had forgotten he was wearing it.  I suspect the real reason for the confusion was this stranger asking about it.  He was a pleasant enough gentleman but sadly no further conversation.

For someone who is largely tepid towards the standard Speedy, I find that the Dark Side of the Moon captures a certain lightheartedness missing from the rest of Omega's deadly serious collection.

Indeed, I almost think of Omega as that lovely but definitely over serious watch friend who has to remind you every time you put on a watch about how the marine chronometer on the HMS Victory was crucial in signalling the Royal Navy to break through the Franco-Spanish line at the Battle of Trafalgar thus ensuring the end of Continental System and setting the stage for the colonial era, modern Europe and the world. 

Dude, I just liked the color of the dial.

I kid of course but Omega is definitely guilty of leaning very heavily on Bond and the Moon landings with the idea that these are consequential watches  , a notion which I laugh at.  You might be wearing a Moonwatch but you definitely didn't walk on the moon and neither did your watch.  It's like if your grandfather was Neil Armstrong.  Super cool stuff but also not your accomplishment.

And now that I've enraged all the speedy nerds here, I'm actually going to talk about how I like this watch.  The dark side of the Moon to me is one of those watches that allows Omega to indulge in its light-hearted side.  The bright yellow seconds hand and accents are fun, the hint of skeletonization on  the dial and the beautiful impression of the lunar surface.

The newest model even has a tiny model of the Saturn V rocket for the left subdials.  The space camp nerd in me shrieks with happiness.

Modded Seiko with 62MAS Reinterpretation case with a Samurai bezel and a yellow seconds hand

Seen on the wrist of a mariachi band player serenading my daughters.  I had to stop him and ask about it.

"Tus reloj, que es eso? Modded 62Mas?"

"Si!  Your watch Spanish isn't bad!"

Well then.  We had a good laugh and I bought him a drink and I wondered how he managed to combine two iconic Seiko divers.  He pointed out that he always loved the bold minute markers of the Samurai more than the arabics of the spb143-149s but greatly preferred the case shape of the 62mas reinterpretations and the yellow seconds of the spb149.  And so the build was born from parts sourced by a friend.

Despite my general indifference to dive watches, I have often entertained increasingly unrealistic plans on how to get an 62mas into my collection.  First, I tried scratching the itch with an SPB143. 

Then, I tried to perused vintage listings looking for an old model. 

Then I tried to convince @Fieldwalker to buy me an SLA043 the next time he was in Japan to take advantage of those sweet sweet Japan only grey market deals. 

And then I put myself in line for the SJE093....only to realize that I am a rank amateur compared to Seiko diver fans. 

My AD told me the wait-list at his store had 150 people ahead of me.  It would be easier for him to get me a Submariner at retail.

I do all this knowing full well that I am extremely unlikely to ever keep a Seiko diver in my collection more than a couple weeks.  But my reptile brain sees a 62mas case and thinks "surely, this time will be different."

Perhaps it is the romance of it all.  The 62mas case shape (and really most skin divers) is one of those timelessly simple case shapes that leaves absolutely zero to the imagination.  It is simple and rugged and just so very good looking. 

This particular specimen was awfully handsome, with the new 143 case and dial, a yellow seconds hand for interest, and that striking Samurai bezel. 

What a time to be a watch nerd that such things are possible!

What cool watches did you see this week?