WindupWatchFair: I tried on 50+ watches, here's my favorites

This was my first watch fair, and it was a phenomenal event. Over the course of 5 hours I tried on watches from nearly every vendor. Here are the top brands that fit my wrist and caught my eye:

• Zodiac

• Lorier

• Nodus

• Islander

• Serica

The surprise hit for me was Zodiac. Trying them on in person, everything hit: Right size, right fit, right colors, good finishing. So much so that I bought one. They are at a higher price point than most of the other brands there, but the fact that Lorier and Serica didn't have watches for sale at the fair and I was missing a small-mid sized diver in my collection meant I splurged on a Zodiac Super Sea Wolf 53. Also, the Zodiac Olympos is a cracking good dress watch.

Lorier on wrist is like perfectly buttered toast. Hesalite vs Sapphire, don't know don't care. The Lorier Falcon is *chef's kiss*. If they had some for sale, I would have bought one.

Nodus was a brand I definitely wanted to check out and they did not disappoint. I am overloaded with field and pilot watches right now, so I didn't pull the trigger on what they had, but their new Unity fit me well and looked great. As they bring new colorways up I'll keep an eye out for it. The Nodus Sector Deep looks amaze in person.

Islander was great to see as well. We know what they are, homage-y designs, Seiko movements. They are executed well and are great watches. I'm definitely glad I got to handle some Islanders in person.

Serica was another one I definitely wanted to check out. The 4512 is as pretty in person as it is online. I also saw a bunch of 4512s on random wrists at the event. While I was impressed with how easy the bonklip was to use, every wild 4512 I saw was on a different strap, and it is a strap monster. If you want a one and done watch, the 4512 is a good choice and won't break the bank.

Honorable mentions:

• Bespoke Watch Projects: Super cool guy, and his dials are amazing to see in person. He treats his dials as art and it shows. Dials that look like they are printed are actually multi-layered and are engraved to show different colors.

• Abingdon: Great to see some serious tool watches in a smaller diameter size. They're owned by a woman who hates the "pink it and shrink it" trend of womens's watches, but their watches look great on men too. I'm a dude with smaller wrists, and their watches fit me pretty well. Almost bought one for myself.

All in all, it was a wonderful, exhausting day, and trying on watches in person has definitely re-ranked some brands in my mind. If you're in the bay area, it's definitely worth your time to check it out this weekend.