What Three Watches Would YOU Choose?

Some people love dive watches, others love chronographs, and yet everyone loves a dress watch… I’m curious to know what three watches every collection needs according to other enthusiasts.
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Genuinely not trying to be awkward, but Dive, Beater, GMT.

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Field, dive, and beater for me. A nice enough field watch or dive watch can stand in for a dress watch, but a dress watch can't stand in for a beater.

Edit: I find GMT watches pointless for my lifestyle, the only time I care about another time zone I'm already holding a phone.

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Dress, Dive, Beater.

  • A dress watch for, well, dressing up.

  • A diver can take the place of a field watch, with potentially better WR.

  • Beater for working on the car, in the garden, etc.

🍻

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Not enough options to vote, Dress, GMT & Chronograph for me

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1 Flashy, 1 Understated, 1 Beater 🤣

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None of the above, and you don’t need anything.

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No option quite matched my 3 essentials:

Diver pretty, diver beater, diver luxury . … then a few divers. Something like that

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This ones a conundrum. I use my cheaper divers as beaters and ditto the less expensive field watch.

Infact the only ones I don't use as beaters are dress watches as mine are vintage and therefore more fragile.

But I don't like the term beater really as I try to take care of all of them.

Confusion reigns!

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GMT, Diver and dressy-sports or sporty-dress

I’m not sure what category people are putting the Santos in. But that’s me

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I’d need a pilot in my list

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Maybe I'm cheating with the field watch but my choices from the current rotation of watches would be:

My Cartier as dress, most definitely not going anywhere.

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My diver would be my Orient, though I am looking into "upgrading" the watch as I feel like a good diver really makes for a great all-rounder. I've become that guy who showers and sleeps with a watch on, so I think some WR and good lume is really nice to have. Also, it's not easy to dress it up IMO but I haven't worn a suit in a while so...

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I guess my "controversial" field watch pick would be a pilot watch (and a GMT, and a beater). I've seen many people refer to pilots as field watches, and I'll take it. I guess what I like most about this particular watch is it feels like a proper tool watch. The dull brushed titanium, the painted indices, the (perhaps useless for me) functions. Readability despite the busy-ness. And yet with the polished links and lugs, it does have a touch of flair for your viewing pleasure.

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I didn't vote, because I would take dive, field, and pilot if I could only choose three, and that wasn't one of the choices.

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Dress, field, beater. I'm assuming beater included cheap digitals or other plastic fantastics. I have less than zero desire for a chronograph or GMT.

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KristianG

Field, dive, and beater for me. A nice enough field watch or dive watch can stand in for a dress watch, but a dress watch can't stand in for a beater.

Edit: I find GMT watches pointless for my lifestyle, the only time I care about another time zone I'm already holding a phone.

You raise a valid point. But as a watch lover I see a major flaw... ANY time you care about the time, you're already holding a phone. Or, at least, 90% of the time for most people.

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For me, a field watch is generally a little thinner with a smaller case size at the cost of some WR. I prefer a field watch for daily use over a chunkier dive watch on my small 6.5" wrists.

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Chronograph (this doubles as dress) any Patek works here

GMT or Worldtimer Rolex GMT or Explorer 2

Diver (doubles as beater) too many to choose but I currently use a Pelagos 39 for this.

Preferred

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i voted c (field, beater, dress)... but can i give the dress watch away? 😊

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Porthole

None of the above, and you don’t need anything.

You, sir, are a party pooper

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Polishmadman

I'm going to take it from the picture, beater is a digital. Then, my choice isn't there.

Field, diver, beater(digital)

Same reason as @KristianG. Plus, I don't dress up to often. Dress watches just sit in the case.

Oh don't base your choice on the photo. I literally just grabbed a photo of a 3-watch collection off Google. Personally I plan to own 2 beaters: a $100 G-Shock for when I'm doing home reno work, detailing cars, and fixing my cars. Then, I'm looking at a cheap (~$200) Orient dive watch next time my wife and I plan a beach vacation. It won't be for a while, as we prefer trips to Europe and exploring cities over sitting on a beach in the Caribbean. But eventually we'll get to an island, and I don't plan on swimming with any of my nice watches on - in a pool, ocean, or otherwise.

So a beater doesn't necessarily have to be a digital. It's just something you wear to protect your nicer watches when doing dirty work, swimming or traveling. It's the watch that you don't mind sacrificing if you accidentally drop a cinderblock on it, get it caked with spackle, get sea water in it, or have it stolen off your wrist in London.

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AFChris

Not crazy about the poll choices since I don't wear or need a dress or a GMT watch.

I'd go Dive, Field, Chrono (with a digital beater)

Yeah unfortunately I only had 4 poll slots and there are unlimited possibilities. I'll do more, because I think they're fun.

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TheMightyOz

The closest choice for me was C. However, I’d say a chronograph is more to my taste than a field if I could only have three choices.

Thank you for playing along!

We only get 4 choices when creating a poll, and there are endless choices for a 3-watch collection. I'll do more polls like this with different options, because I think they're harmless fun.

And I agree with you, I'm a chronograph guy.

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Rocketfan

Chrono, Diver, and GMT. None of the dressy type so any of them except maybe the chrono could function as a beater but who I am kidding.

If beater really means a watch could take a beating scenario, I would either wear no watch or cheat and pull out my trusty but lovable G-Shock Square (5600, aka the cheap one). G-Shocks don't count do they? They're more utility devices that happen to tell the time like smartphones.

There are many people who would fight you for saying a G-Shock is not a proper watch hahaha.

While I have never been a G-Shock fan and vowed to never own one (and all the people who say, "every collection needs a G-Shock" make me want one even less), I have caved in. I don't have a watch to wear when working on my cars or doing home renovation projects. I was looking for a cheap watch for around $100 that would take a beating and that I wouldn't mind if it accidentally fell into a tray of oil while doing an oil change. For these purposes, I think G-Shock is the only option really.

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DukeMo

Swiss, German and Japanese.

Ahhh, I like what you did there!

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biglove

Can't go three

Five minimum

GMT

Diver

Dress

Sport/Field

Chrono

If you absolutely had to go 3, it could be done.

Personally I'm not a big diver fan. So out of your list of 5, I'd eliminate the Diver and the sport/field. I can (and do) wear a GMT every day, the dress would be for, well, dressy occasions, and a chronograph would be for my weekend drives.

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ChronoGuy

I choose...

  1. Chronograph

  2. Chronograph

  3. Chronograph

Chronograph Dress Watch with Annual Calendar...

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Chronograph Dive Watch...

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Double Chronograph Split-Seconds...

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As a chronograph fan, I like your style.

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Catskinner

I selected D because not everyone loves a dress watch. I can appreciate them but they are far from being my favorite type of watches.

I understand. And thank you for playing along. I realize that there are endless options, but I only had 4 slots to choose from.

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Timeflies

Chronograph (this doubles as dress) any Patek works here

GMT or Worldtimer Rolex GMT or Explorer 2

Diver (doubles as beater) too many to choose but I currently use a Pelagos 39 for this.

Preferred

All excellent choices!

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Mike199

Oh don't base your choice on the photo. I literally just grabbed a photo of a 3-watch collection off Google. Personally I plan to own 2 beaters: a $100 G-Shock for when I'm doing home reno work, detailing cars, and fixing my cars. Then, I'm looking at a cheap (~$200) Orient dive watch next time my wife and I plan a beach vacation. It won't be for a while, as we prefer trips to Europe and exploring cities over sitting on a beach in the Caribbean. But eventually we'll get to an island, and I don't plan on swimming with any of my nice watches on - in a pool, ocean, or otherwise.

So a beater doesn't necessarily have to be a digital. It's just something you wear to protect your nicer watches when doing dirty work, swimming or traveling. It's the watch that you don't mind sacrificing if you accidentally drop a cinderblock on it, get it caked with spackle, get sea water in it, or have it stolen off your wrist in London.

I totally get it. Though, it still doesn't change anything for me my beater would still be a digital. The watches would change according to the budget but not the type. And I personal like the Kamasu. You could dress it up or down and not afraid to get it wet.

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Mike199

If you absolutely had to go 3, it could be done.

Personally I'm not a big diver fan. So out of your list of 5, I'd eliminate the Diver and the sport/field. I can (and do) wear a GMT every day, the dress would be for, well, dressy occasions, and a chronograph would be for my weekend drives.

Ok, ok.

1-Sport (surely a Monta Noble can double as a dress watch)

2-Diver (doubles as a beater-best candidate is a Pelagos)

3-GMT/Chrono (Omega has a couple that would fit the bill but 44mm is too large)

Or the sport/dress model could be a GMT (Omega A-T GMT or Monta Atlas GMT)

I honestly never would have thought a three watch collection would be enough. Your exercise and proven me wrong.