oh, where do I start!

It is my most worn watch. If you go on my profile and check out my wrist shots you'll see it is there very often. Also you'll see I have 2 straps (brown and black, 3 Natos and the bracelet. It is most comfortable on the black Hirsch strap or on any Nato than the other options. That is mostly because I wear the bracelet rather loose. On the bracelet, with a slightly loose fit, it is a bit top-heavy and feels a bit bigger than on the straps. (it's the 42 mm) This also means the crown can dig a bit in the back of my hand, issue that does not exist on the straps.

I do appreciate the 70 or so power reserve, compared to my Sellita-based watches and their 40 hours.

Speaking of the movement, it runs quite consistently. If I wear the watch all day or if I put it down on the side (crown up) it keeps great time (less than +2 secs a day). If I put it in the watch box (face up) it'll go to +4 secs a day. not the end of the world, just a minor annoyance.

I had a Tudor BB GMT in hand a few weeks ago. On the Tudor the date snaps nicely at midnight. I have to admit I was surprised the Zulu Time does not. The date starts moving by 11:30 pm and finally snaps to the next date by 1:30 am. Again, minor detail.

Initially I wanted to check out the green bezel model but it was not in store. I didn't like the orange GMT hand of the blue version so I went for the most subdued version, best decision!

I absolutely love the design in its balance of class and sport, modern and classic. It is a large watch, for sure, but for the 39, if the size is nice, I think the overall proportions between the case, the numerals the bezel etc does not work as nicely as on the larger one. May be a 40,5 version would have been better.

Last, I often travel between time zones, so I do use the "traveller's GMT" function quite a bit. It is so nice!! changing the local hour hand without stopping the balance is just a brilliant feature.

There you go! Let me know if you pick one up!

By the way I realize now that the tone of my initial comment was a bit rude and patronizing. ooops. sorry about that, I didn't mean to 😉

Oh! The price on my Explorer is way above what it would be worth in a world devoid of marketing, hype, flex culture etc., I have no illusion about it. It is clearly overpriced and not just a little. I decided to buy it because I think there's a good chance it might more or less retain its value over time. Somewhat similar to buying a bit of gold, except it also satisfies my ego (again, not fooling myself) and it's a beautiful object I do enjoy.

I doubt the IWC has the same value retention, and just out of personal taste, I don't find the design particularly inspired, which doesn't mean I look down on anyone who likes it. I had an IWC in hand once or twice, and to me the build quality did not feel anything special (unlike Rolex and Tudor)

Personal opinion 1: the dial of this generation of Air King is a cluster of after -thoughts. I find the mix of printed and applied material really off-putting.

Personal opinion 2: I just don’t understand the appeal for IWC. Or more precisely I would understand it at 1/8th of the proposed price. These designs are so pedestrian and the finishing just does not justify the price.

Do yourself a favor: Keep the Tudor, and use 1500$ of the cash you’ll make on selling the 2 others to get a solid side kick like a Sinn 556.

Thanks Mike, much appreciated 🙂

Me too! I'm looking at the Sinn 556 from time to time, it's a great design. Then I look at my 104 and think "oh well... don't need to change anything, really"

Thanks Riz! yeah, they all have something real special :-)