My search for a watch & its result

#welcome

1 month ago

Well now..hey all!

After not having worn a watch for years, I (for reasons unknown) suddenly felt the need to have something on my wrist again. Not a functional digital device, but a proper mechanical one, put together with love and attention.

So, the search was on. What do the French, Swiss, Germans and Japanese have on offer nowadays? And what kind of watch do I actually want? Sporty, dressy…which complications? I early on decided I wanted a blue dial and a 40mm diameter. That helped narrow the search quite a bit. After a couple of evenings on the web, the shortlist looked this:

Nomos Tangente Neomatiik Bluegold: beautifully designed Bauhaus inspired watch from Glashütte, Germany their own, very thin calibre 3001. https://nomos-glashuette.com/en/tangente/tangente-neomatik-39-blue-gold-145
IWC Portugieser 40 mm with the blue and second indicator. Timeless design from Schaffhausen, propelled by the 82200 calibre (all in-house production?) https://www.iwc.com/nl/en/watch-collections/portugieser/iw358305-portugieser-automatic-40.html
Omega Speedmaster '57 Chronograph Co-Axial Master Chronometer 41mm; again, with the blue dial. Only chronograph I selected. 9906 calibre under the hood. https://www.omegawatches.com/watch-omega-speedmaster-57-co-axial-master-chronometer-chronograph-40-5-mm-33212415103001
Glashütte Original Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase: classic with a modern twist; beautiful galvanised sunburst blue dial and nomen est omen: with date and moon phase. Proprietary 36-04 calibre. https://www.glashuette-original.com/en/watches/senator/senator-excellence-panorama-date-moon-phase-1-36-04-04-02-30/
Baume & Mercier Clifton 1059. Featuring day, date and moon indication. Powered by their Baumatic BM14-1975AC2. Great package for a (relatively) modest price. https://www.baume-et-mercier.com/en/collections/clifton-men/watch-clifton-10593-moon-phase.html

Finally went with the GO Senator Excellence Panorama Date Moon Phase. Tried it on in the store and dit NOT want to take it off again :) Beautiful clean lines, finishings and finely crafted details and mechanics. Also got a good deal on it. Also found the backstory appealing, combined with the fact (at least, that’s what I read) GO only manufactures 15,000 pieces a year against IWC's (in my line-up its closest competitor) > 150,000.

Anyway, very happy with my purchase, enjoying it hugely every day & looking forward to learning more about the wonderful of watches on this forum.