I have a Nomos Club, and an Alpinist is not much more substantial than that. Perhaps you are over-thinking this. Buy a King Seiko and enjoy it, for it is a fine watch. Watch those categories or they might doing terrible things to your mind (mental illness is no joke).

I have a 43mm Formex Essence. The watch is the definition of a GADA. Strap changes are easy as well. Just buy one, although that Christopher Ward Twelve is calling to me.

Why bother with Quartz at all then? I do not understand. I just bought a 4-pack of watch batteries from Amazon. It was $5 delivered after tax. You could save considerably more money collecting aluminum cans, or paper. I know a guy who will pay you $120 for quality paper, or $30 for newsprint, per ton. Your crown trick saves you what, one watch battery per decade or two? So a savings of $1.25 per decade or so???

I want to propose a mainstream any man watch that is both good and affordable. For me it would be a recent era Sumo (sapphire crystal), but a higher-end Promaster or Turtle would do. I like the idea of say a Solar Quartz Citizen Promaster. A good one with sapphire crystal on a bracelet, yet under $1,000 (today it seems like $500-$1,000 is the Goldilocks zone). Today’s watches are so good, and a radio-updated solar Quartz with modern finishing at say the $800 price point is just plain amazing.

Great story. I am so happy you found The Watch for you.

I bought a Quartz Seamaster back then. I miss that watch. I had a Quartz Longine and a Quartz Movado. I acquired a collection of vintage solid gold watches (Movado, Longine, Onega, Doxa, Eterna,…), which I sold in 2009-2010 after my first marriage ended and I involuntarily left Wall Street. I would never again make anything like that kind of money again, but I never imagined that watch prices would go nuts like they are today. I seem to have a knack for getting in and out too early. I was big into Bitcoin, and sold out at $10 (it just seemed like such a high price). Now I just want to get that Seamaster back.

For me it is more of the db association. I think Rolex is ruined for me because so many obnoxious people have identified with the brand over the last five years. That said, I love all of my Seiko’s that are widespread. I am shopping for an Astron now. So for me, it really depends on who I see wearing the watch. When I see a Nautilus, I think needy loser trying to overcompensate for being bullied and ridiculed in adolescence. I see Rolex and think that guy is desperate for social approval. Grand Seiko used to mean cool watch nerd, but alas, that is changing as I see ever more pathetic losers with over-sized “girlfriend” watches on. They love to announce themselves by telling anyone within earshot that GS is a LUXURY watch, not a mere Seiko. Luckily such sad men are rare, but sufficiently prevalent to drive up watch prices.