Scratching the Explorer itch!

Let me just throw the Atticus Daedalus in here to stir the pot a bit.

I don’t have experience with that specific Steinhart model, but I do own their 904L premium model. Essentially it’s an explorer dial with a rotating bezel. The steinhart will serve you well. They are very well made watches. I’ve even seen videos with people who own a Rolex say that they wear their Steinhart when they want the look and feel without worrying about wearing their more expensive watch. That being said, you could also try these options from Long Island Watch and Lorier. I own watches from all 3 brands. In terms of quality, I would say Steinhart, Lorier, Long Island. They also descend in price too. With that in mind, I believe the Lorier has an acrylic crystal, whereas the Steinhart and Islander have sapphire. Me personally, I like to have a variety of brands. I would pick a non-Steinhart watch as my next option or sell your current steinhart to fund the adventure model. 
 

$650? I have no horse in this race, but:

Why not just get the Sinn 556 then? At around $1400

That's a nice one, I don't think I've heard of them before – thanks!

Oof, I like those options! I knew about the limited edition Rangemaster, but the Manhasset is a new one to me — I've signed up for an email when the black dial comes back in stock. I was quite keen on the Lorier Falcon, too, but I'm not sure how I feel about the acrylic crystal. Maybe I'll look into it a bit more.

I'm not so bothered about a variety of brands as a principle, but it'd definitely be nice if it happened. I don't know if I'd have consciously considered it, thanks! 🙂

It's a great watch, but I'm not sure I quite ready for it just yet 😅

I know its not what you asked for but, if You want something that looks like the Explorer without being a blatant copy. then the long island x Urban gentry rangemaster is inn my opinion a great option, unfortunately thay are all sold out, but i have seen som on Ebay for a premium, or wait for a restock  

Yeah, because it's a Tudor Ranger copy instead. They just had the bad/good luck to drop it on the same year that Tudor decided to bring the Ranger back. 

I’m biased but my vote is the Tudor Ranger.  It’s a different price range than the ones you mentioned, but well worth it. 
 

I was so annoyed I only learned about it like two weeks after it sold out! 😭 Such a great looking watch!

I'd love it, but I think I might need to work up to that one (or whatever the equivalent is by the time I get there 😅)

The Sealander from CW is a good option too. Comes in both 36 and 39. Has a little bit more of its own character than a direct homage. CW packs a lot of value in their offerings.  

I'd forgotten this watch! I stumbled across the GMT version a while back, both versions ate beautiful — thanks for jogging my memory!

I know 😢

I have looked at some of the alternatives mentioned here over the last few months to scratch what sounds like a similar itch to yours?

Oddly enough I found nothing to edge out that Steinhart. The Trasker is pretty good, as is that islander collaboration but my order of preference stayed the same. The adventure wins IMHO?

You my friend should consider a Smiths Everest or a Rolex OP style like my recent Seiko Titanium ! The OP is what I wish I could afford without being put out into the street :) 

I saw! Good purchase. I couldn’t be happier with mine. I asked for some leather straps for it for Christmas. Hopefully I’ll get lucky. It’s a very versatile and durable watch. 

Not my picture but maybe the San Martin Ranger 36mm? Has a Seiko NH35 and is under $300. If you're gonna get one, get it with the white lume and not the fauxtina. I'm probably getting one of these for my next daily.

Wow! Indeed the biggest complaint I have with the Ranger is the excessive fauxtina. This SM completely solves the problem!

Maybe it should be, thanks for the suggestion!

I really like the look of the Meteopole, but I'm a bit boring and I'm not sure how much I'd actually wear the coloured dials as opposed to the black 😅

I was looking at the Everest for a while, but it sounds like it's a bit of a struggle to actually pin one down 😅

The last San Martin I saw a picture of looked like a pretty cheap and nasty knockoff, but that's a beauty! And the 36mm size is a bit of a plus, too... I'm not finding a lot of reasons to say no to this 😅

so true , Timefactors owner Eddie opens for 20 minutes on an English Sunday ( Australian 2am Monday) I ended up getting mine on the grey market from a fella in the US !

Looking into all these options, I'm really loving the look of the Anchor, but I'm a bit concerned about the dimensions — 50mm lug-to-lug, with male end links? Does it wear as big as that sounds? I'm still right at the start of my watch collection, so I don't have much to compare it with 😅

I tend to wear watches of all sizes from 36-50mm+ so the size of the Anchor doesn’t bother me. I say give it a try if turns out to be too big you can simply return it or sell it. Good Luck.

I spotted a good reduction on the San Martin 0107, so I pulled the trigger on that: if I like the smaller size, I'll probably end up getting a Manhasset when they restock; if it feels too small, probably an Anchor or an Adventure. Thanks everyone for helping me weigh up my options!

Great choice! What configuration did you get it in? 36mm or 38mm? White lume or fauxtina? I just pulled the trigger on a 36mm SM Ranger with the white lume.

36mm, but with the fauxtina — I'm not 100% convinced it'll be a forever watch, I'm pretty sure I'll end up trading it in, or I'd have held out a bit longer for the white lume. But who knows, I might fall in love with it when it gets here, and end up trading it in for a white-lume version of itself rather than for a Manhasset or Adventure! 😅

Of the two pieces, the Steiny is a closer match to the Explorer than the Traska. I don't think you really could go wrong with the San Martin though.