Honestly, I don't mind the new format that much. That said, "unfunny Dobbyesque sidekick" got me to laugh out loud a little. Totally can see where you are coming from.

Your Terrific is still doing the hands only style, so at least there is that. I do like Tim Masso's 5 minute reviews over at WatchBox Reviews as well. They are more focused on high end stuff, but I almost always find myself learning something from his reviews. That guy is a walking encyclopedia of watch knowledge, and has a dry sense of humor that sneaks in every once in a while.

I love that I can almost ready your story in the order of the watches you selected...fantastic!

My personal opinion: I have gone through a few different "strategies" through the years: each category (diver, dress, tool, GMT, etc), historically significant vintage, odd-ball movements (elnix, tuning fork). Right now I have a box of watches that I love to wear based on environment. I have watches for weekday/day job that range from tool watches to dress, weekend watches (mostly tool), and getting dressed up watches. There is a ton of crossover there, and that is the point. Each person has a different life and style with which they live it. Pick that watches that go with that, not some other formula. I like that on any random Tuesday morning I could pick ANY of my watches and be jazzed to wear it.

Man, great selections! That 120 hour power reserve is kind of mind-blowing. Been a huge fan of that movement and the watches they put it in for a while.

I might lean towards the Sinn rather than the Longines at the end. It seems like the Sinn fills a bigger spot in the wearing conditions/aesthetics.

Even though the Seiko is a robust watch, I find divers a little bulky when doing stuff like working on a car, light plumbing, etc. I appreciate a watch that wears a little smaller, and can get banged on a little. The Sinn is ~2mm thinner and 2mm shorter lug-to-lug. Since it is down the road, hopefully you will have time to try it on in real life and see how it fits for you.

You are right! I thought I wanted a Snowflake for a while, but this was more within reach. Then I saw a Snowflake in person, and it really didn't impress me as expected. The crystal seemed a MILE away from the dial and made the watch feel really deep/thick to my eyes. Turns out, I am really happy with this version...even more than I initially expected.

I had never seen this chart, or even knew these stats existed! Where did you get it? I would love to read more about this...already was a big GO admirer...now there is some math to back it up. Thanks!

I like seeing when somebody has a wide variety of well thought out watches. It is interesting to see how somebody else approaches this silly hobby.

A huge number of gShocks is just as strange to me as a box full of Rolexes. The fun part of this hobby is how much cool stuff is out there...why put yourself in a prison?

I have a watch box that has 10 slots and 3 of them are heirlooms or incredibly significant and meaningful watches that are there on that criteria alone. That leaves 7 slots for me to work with, and that is MORE than enough for me. I have been doing this for nearly 20 years and am pretty confident that I won't ever get a bigger watch box. I have re-homed almost 1/2 of the watches I have owned over the years, and seeing them out in the wild on the wrists of friends and family means they never really left. Just moved on...

Not that it matters, but I think that is a great choice. I saw some others mention Nomos and thought it might be a little tall for your budget. If you can swing it, that is a fun vibrant watch that isn't a novelty...which is a fine line to walk IMO.

Sorry about your loss. I lost my dad a couple months ago after a long battle with cancer. The end of suffering is a bitter pill, no matter how you wash it down. Your idea to honor/remember her with a watch is a great gesture. Love it!