My 2023 Watch Family Photo
Here’s my 2023 watch family photo (I personally prefer the term ‘watch family’ to ‘state of the collection’).
All were purchased new, and I haven’t sold a watch yet (or have any plans to).
From top left to bottom right, with year purchased, why I bought it, and how I see the watch fitting into my life:
Tag Heuer Monaco Vintage Limited (2006). My first ’real’ watch. I loved - and love - everything about it: the design, the heritage, the chronograph. It’s a watch that can go unnoticed, but when someone does, it’s distinctive. Once I had settled on the Monaco, I couldn’t quite pull the trigger, though, until I saw this version, and then boom, done. This is my dress/nice watch: it goes great dressed up or suit, and the weaksauce water resistance (just 30m) and relative fragility makes it ill-suited for anything active. A great piece, and my most precious watch after the next one.
Omega Seamaster Professional 300M GMT (2010). My engagement gift from my wife. I probably took 6 months to decide which watch I wanted, and landed on this one. It was also inadvertently my exit watch for 13 years, since I lost interest in the hobby after getting it. I was so happy with what I had that I didn’t care to look at anything else. Now that I’m back in it, I’m as pleased as ever. This is my elevated allrounder, with timeless dimensions and styling, durable co-axial movement, traveller GMT hand, timing bezel, and depth of detail in the dial make it an elevated allrounder. It can be worn hiking or swimming, everyday, vacation, or wedding. And it’s a strap monster: bracelet, leather strap (as pictured), pink rubber strap, it does it all. And given the sentimentality attached to it, it’ll be the last watch i give up if I have to ever.
Chopard Mille Miglia Gran Turismo XL (2008). I got this one to celebrate quitting being a lawyer 😄. If I remember correctly, the main alternative I had been looking at was the Grand Carrera - this was near the beginning of the big watch trend - but this spoke to me more. This is my most casual watch, and has a TON of wrist presence, with the clean dial featuring two oversized numerals and under-crystal date cyclops, thick 44mm polished steel case, and 23mm Dunlap rubber strap. The GT XL just does not do demure. Instead, this watch punches you in the eyes (and is heavy enough to be used as a knuckle duster). It’s not something that is good with everything, but when you want a casual watch that stands out, it’s as good as anything I’ve seen on the market. The GT XL is admittedly my least favorite of my mechanical watches. I do eye some newer eye-catching watches (like the Aqua Terra 75th anniversary), and wonder if I should sell this watch for something ike that, but I’m certain that it’d inevitably settle into being an occasional piece like this one has. Why bother? I still like this one well enough.
Hamilton Khaki Team Earth (2010). I wanted a more vintage-looking watch and something aviation inspired, and this one fit the bill extremely well, with the coin-edged bezel, tropical lume, and cathedral hands. I still really enjoy this watch; not a single current pilot watch interests me as much as this one still does. The proportions and theming are A+. It’s not perfect, of course. The non-matching date window isn’t great, but doesn't bother me. It’s not quite as ‘do anything’ as the SMP GMT - it needs to be on a tan or brown strap; it doesn’t even look right on a black strap. The lack of screw down crown also make me question the 100m water resistance. That’s fine - I knew what I was getting when I bought it. The only major flaws are the engraved Harrison Ford signature on the case back from the Team Earth partnership (but I don’t need to look at that very often 😉) and the odd 21mm lug width. All-in-all, as an aviation watch with business casual-to-suited & booted versatility, it’s pretty wonderful.
Mühle Glashütte Panova Turquoise (2023). This is my only ‘impulse' purchase, taking just two weeks to go from discovering to buying online without seeing in person (the store had a good return policy). It’s also my first watch since getting back into the hobby this year. I love the juxtaposition of field watch design and ruggedness with an elevated jewel-ness from the turquoise dial. It’s a statement, for sure. It’s as much of a statement piece as the GT XL, and really doesn’t work great as casual or active (despite the rugged movement) due to the shiny turquoise dial. Nonetheless, it looks great on any black or grey strap you could imagine, and does night out or business casual perfectly and pears with a suit beautifully. It’s almost the perfect counterpoint for the Hamilton above, as both do the same job but one does understated and the other does flashy. Full review here.
Omega x Swatch MoonSwatch Mission to Mercury (2023). I’d wanted a MoonSwatch for giggles since I first heard of them, but every time i went by my nearest Swatch boutique, they were either sold out or had a crazy long line and I didn’t care enough to bother. Except one day, I happened to be walking by right after 10 am, and there was just a couple people ahead. They only had this one, the Pluto, and one of the beige/brown ones. The Mercury was the obvious pick of the three for me. I know the criticisms (and did before purchase), but whatever it’s fun and looks great. I also really like how light it is. I have to be careful with it, obviously, but as a fun, casual-but-not-active, every-so-often watch, it’s great.
Tag Heuer Formula 1 (~1995). I got this as a gift in high school (can’t remember the exact year). I didn’t wear it much since wearing something that expensive to school seemed really gauche. It eventually sat in a drawer for literally decades until I found it again a few months ago . Miraculously, the battery didn’t explode or leak despite sitting for so long. The watch maker I took it to also replaced the bezel friction ring and found a few extra links, which was necessary since today me has much bigger wrists than high school me. It wears extremely well. It’s the watch I wear when I want to be hipsterish or just want something that’s demure and casual. As a side note - brushed jubilee-style bracelets really ought to make a come back. They’re great bracelets, but sometimes you don’t want polished links.
Seiko SFK001/Solar Sumo GMT (2023). I wanted a purposeful travel watch. As great as a travel/GADA watch as my SMP GMT is, it has a fatal flaw to me for travel: it's quite literally impossible to replace for sentimental reasons. So, I don’t want to take it places that I don’t know well. The Solar Sumo GMT, on the other hand, is still a Seiko quartz watch: no one will risk stealing something that’s so obviously not valuable (that’s the story I tell myself at least!). Yet it looks good enough for business meetings. The solar movement is the icing on the cake, and promises years/decades of service with just a date advancing ~every other month and some light. Full review here.
This should be it for this year (I mean, I did already buy 3 this year! Though combined they were healthily below $2K all in). But I’m still looking for another nice mechanical watch and, most importantly, I have the spousal green light to do so!
But I haven’t figured out what I really want, though. I don’t really have any needs that need to be filled. The only gap I guess is something that I just don’t need - a dress watch - as I wear a suit maybe 1-2 times a year, and what I have already do the job very well.
But were I to get a watch, right now, the shortlist is:
Black Bay Pro. I don’t need another GMT, but I really do like this watch, but it would be nice to have a watch that I can default to in the morning. The understated/no-bling/do-it-all/look-better-with-scars feel of this really appeals
Tag Heuer Carrera Glassbox. Loved it since I set eyes on it. When the question of "Speedmaster or Daytona?” comes up, I’ve always answered “Carrera.” and this series just makes that choice even more emphatic. A perfect little chrono that ought to be great dressed up.
Rolex Explorer 36. I only have one small watch, and while I’m not a Rolex fan, I really like this one. As a small GADA watch, it works, I think. I’m on the waitlist for it, but who knows if I’ll pull the trigger if called.
Maybe I’ll decide to buy one of the above, or maybe something that’s announced in October/November (at the WatchTime or Windup fairs in New York or Dubai Watch Week) or April (at Watches & Wonders and the LVMH events) will catch my eye and demand a purchase. Fortunately, I have a great watch family, so I’m in no rush here. 🙂
Thanks for reading to the end!
If divers wear dive watches, and pilots wear pilot watches, who wears tool watches? 😉
36mm Rolex will age well. In 30 years it will still be relevant and is the perfect size to pass onto the next generation.
Excellent start...I have added a couple of Tudor's to my collection for my everyday watches. I think my GMT is one of the best tool watches out there..
Now that I am retired I dont dress up but still like to wear a quality timepiece.. Enjoy the hobby
Refreshing way to post a SOTC! Cool photo and interesting stories on the watches. Thanks for posting.
PS Awesome strap combo on the Mercury!
Must've been a good family get together, they've all fallen over drunk!
Great collection!!! I like diversity of brands, styles and colours.
Mühle and Chopard are two under represented brands with models on my mental list of watches to acquire.
I think my problem is there aren’t any points of sale near me when I’m out shopping for watches. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.
The Mühle Glashütte immediately catched my eye. A stunning member of your family. I can understand why it was an impulse purchase.
36mm Rolex will age well. In 30 years it will still be relevant and is the perfect size to pass onto the next generation.
I think that’s the wrong way to go about it. for sure, one of the great things about watches (mechanical watches especially) is that they can be heirlooms, like jewelry.
But the value of heirlooms is the sentimental value attached to them, which is directly tied to the memories associated with those items. Weighing “pass-down-ability” at all, instead of focusing on what I will enjoy and will wear seems like a fool’s errand, as I’m not going to wear it as much ... meaning there won’t be all that many memories associated with them, and there’ll be limited sentimental value.
I also don’t think there’s a ‘perfect size to pass onto the next generation.’ Who knows what will be in fashion 30 or 40 years from now? In 2012, one reviewer referred to a 42.5 x 14.5mm watch as an “ideal size for the case and design” and found it to be "perfectly comfortable.”If I was gifted an Explorer 36 twenty years ago - when the big watch trend was getting started - would I have cared to wear it? Probably not - or really only to the extent that there’s sentimental value attached to it.
Maybe my kids in 30 or 40 years - if they wear watches at all - will like a smaller watch, maybe they’d like a bigger watch. But whatever watch it is, they’re more likely to wear it/care for it if it’s a watch that they see me wear a lot and make memories with.
Excellent start...I have added a couple of Tudor's to my collection for my everyday watches. I think my GMT is one of the best tool watches out there..
Now that I am retired I dont dress up but still like to wear a quality timepiece.. Enjoy the hobby
That Tudor’s really cool, but unfortunately for me, I have a (a very high) number of design disqualifiers, one of which is a bicolor bezel. I find them oddly distracting
Great collection!!! I like diversity of brands, styles and colours.
Mühle and Chopard are two under represented brands with models on my mental list of watches to acquire.
I think my problem is there aren’t any points of sale near me when I’m out shopping for watches. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess.
For sure; some brands aren’t making it easy to buy them. It’s a chicken and egg thing: you need to have enough popularity to get a dealer to pick you up, but you can’t get popular if you don’t have visibility.
At the same time, dealer networks have shrunk as well. When I first moved to the SF Bay Area in the 2010’s, there were a number of Chopard AD’s and a boutique in SF. Now, there’s one, and no boutiques at all.
Companies need to figure out how to get people hands-on, or at the very least, make it very easy and risk free to buy online. Without a generous return policy, I wouldn’t have tried the Panova, for example.
I think that’s the wrong way to go about it. for sure, one of the great things about watches (mechanical watches especially) is that they can be heirlooms, like jewelry.
But the value of heirlooms is the sentimental value attached to them, which is directly tied to the memories associated with those items. Weighing “pass-down-ability” at all, instead of focusing on what I will enjoy and will wear seems like a fool’s errand, as I’m not going to wear it as much ... meaning there won’t be all that many memories associated with them, and there’ll be limited sentimental value.
I also don’t think there’s a ‘perfect size to pass onto the next generation.’ Who knows what will be in fashion 30 or 40 years from now? In 2012, one reviewer referred to a 42.5 x 14.5mm watch as an “ideal size for the case and design” and found it to be "perfectly comfortable.”If I was gifted an Explorer 36 twenty years ago - when the big watch trend was getting started - would I have cared to wear it? Probably not - or really only to the extent that there’s sentimental value attached to it.
Maybe my kids in 30 or 40 years - if they wear watches at all - will like a smaller watch, maybe they’d like a bigger watch. But whatever watch it is, they’re more likely to wear it/care for it if it’s a watch that they see me wear a lot and make memories with.
As it was listed I assumed it was being considered? And yes fashion changes and therefore a mid sized watch has longevity. Extremes less so. And some airlooms can be left to females. And as you've got 10+ nice watches already the chances of you being remembered for one only is probably quite slim. I've got 5 kids 4 girls and a boy. There'll all be getting watches left to them but I doubt there'll be able to place them to events only that I liked them.
Being considered, yes, but the watches are quite different - a small watch (the Explorer 36 is far from midsize in any modern reckoning), a midsize GMT all rounder, and a midsize shiny chrono. As I said, I’m not sure what I really want yet, and those are three examples of very different pieces. If I ultimately decide that my next watch should be something along the lines of the Explorer 36, then sure, it’ll be the one to get (presuming I can). But unless I decide that’s the one I want, using inheritability as dispositive doesn’t seem wise, as if I don’t really vibe with it, it’s going to sit. I’d rather not buy anything and invest the money than buy something that will end up getting sold as there’s no sentimental attachment to it.
A couple other points:
It’s less of a ‘this watch was worn to this event,’ as it’s a memory of seeing me wear a watch. I know I think a lot more of my dad’s beat up gold-toned Citizen Eco-Drive than the (actual) gold watch he got a bit before, since he has never bothered to wear the latter (I can’t even remember the brand).
Presuming that all women don’t like bigger watches isn’t something I would do. I’ve seen more Seamaster Ultra Deep’s and Panerai Luminors on women’s wrists than I have on men’s.
And I’ve got 8 (as pictured); not sure where you get 10+ from …
When my kids are old enough, I wouldn’t be surprised if I buy a watch specifically for them to inherit, but I’ll make sure they like it before I do that. But if I do that now, my daughter would pick a Pikachu watch, and my son an Apple Watch!
That Tudor’s really cool, but unfortunately for me, I have a (a very high) number of design disqualifiers, one of which is a bicolor bezel. I find them oddly distracting
Well maybe this one...
Well maybe this one...
Yep, it’s on my shortlist above!