Get one of the expensive Citizens that looks nearly identical :^) - same level of polishing and hand assembly, but they use a proprietary hardened titanium which is the most scratch-resistant material on the market.

Looks like regular wrist cheese to me, you can see the rubber strap also has some rime on it.

I really like that they're more accurate than the original.

I write museum grant applications and I use the two words interchangeably >_>

* Addendum: Nobody ever said I was good at it

My business took off last year and I started traveling for work much more, so I thought I could justify owning one $2,000-ish watch. I picked one of these Chronomasters about 8 months ago and have not looked back.

People on watch forums love specs but for god knows what reason, the A060 - the most accurate perpetual calendar on earth!!! - is relatively slept on. (Maybe we just like arguing about specs, so it's actually kind of boring when something is unambiguously the best of its kind, while also costing less than a used car.)

It's perfect for my purposes. I meet with a diverse clientele, so it's important that I look sharp, but a $2,000 Swiss watch would scream "I'm a lawyer", and to be mistaken for a lawyer when you're a different kind of white-collar consultant is very dangerous. At farm shows and working with tribal governments, an expensive watch with a proletarian twist goes over very well. (Farmers are notorious for having millions in the bank while spending about $50 on their outfits.)

BTW in order to defend the honour of my purchase: more accurate to say that GS and The Citizen co-evolved, it is not a new trend for both companies to have similar product lines while Seiko holds somewhat of a marketing advantage. Except for that weird trend of putting a dial power reserve on the last generation of Chronomasters. I can't justify that.

Deprecation: seen another way, watch collecting is full of amazing bargains, as long as you only buy good pieces that you won't want to resell. I bought my Chronomaster slightly used, instantly saved $1,000, and threw away the papers. (Not like they would have been good for anything, Citizen doesn't guarantee any of these things that leave Japan.)

In Canada, engineers and geologists (who share a regulatory organization) both receive a pinky ring upon graduation. For the engineers, it's meant to be a reminder of their solemn duty towards the public. If geologists also use it to promote a social conscience among their membership, I've never personally seen any evidence that it works.

OK, I just have one more blast from the 90s to share...