There comes a time in any watch collector’s journey when he or she will be oversensitized on all the Rolex and Omega watches he can acquire. Rolexes, for instance, can turn boring easily, although their value doesn’t dip quickly with the test of time. Omega watches, on the other hand, are more varied, but they also tend to feel old fast.
3 Watches Worth Checking Out
When you’re a collector and you find yourself in this situation, fret not. This is normal. Actually, this is the time to reassess your singular taste in watches and try to look at the options you have other than these two aforementioned brands. You’ll find out soon enough that the watch industry is as wide-ranging as one could imagine. In this article, we’ve listed down some of the top watches for you to check out:
Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
Arguably one of the most underrated Swiss watchmakers on the planet, Blancpain has had quite the emergence in the last decade when compared with its contemporaries. From a virtually dying brand, it resurrected itself like a phoenix and rose with such flair that you’ll root for it. The saving grace and swansong for the brand? It’s a reimagining of its modern divers.
Blancpain Watches contain a special charm in them. They’re obviously helmed to perfection like most Swiss watches are, but the Fifty Fathoms is in itself, cut from a different stone. The Bathyscape Flyback Chronograph in black dial and black leather band is not only easy on the eyes, but it’s also a beast under the hood.
Powered by an automatic movement that has a power reserve of 50 hours, and flyback chronograph complication, this watch is a powerhouse when it comes to measuring the success of elapsed time. At no more than 7mm, its thinness is a joy to the wearer, plus the water-resistance of 300 meters is something to be in awe with!
Bell and Ross WW1-92 Military Watch
Among the brands listed here, Bell and Ross are maybe the youngest, conceived only in the 1990s, but in the first ten years of its operations, the brand has catapulted itself to compete with the greats, as well as the icons. Bell and Ross are all about military watches, and if you’re a fan of this type of watch, you already know that the brand is a serious contender with several product lines under its belt.
What to check out in the Bell and Ross roster is the WW1-92 watch. This gorgeous timepiece has a contemporary exterior that is a far cry from classic, vintage watches. It’s not a Flieger watch per se, but it took some identifiable elements from this watch icon and put a spin to it. The result? A timepiece that’s as hardworking and stylish as pilots in the 80s!
The movement inside is a mechanical automatic, a 45mm dial with the case glass bead blasted steel. It’s quite a large watch on the wrist, but aviator watches from way way back either are large in diameter or have really big, legible letters in order for pilots to easily check the time.
Girard-Perregaux Vintage 1945
The Vintage 1945 from Girard-Perregaux is a handsome watch. The brand is one of the oldest Swiss watchmakers, and with that kind of heritage, excellence in craftsmanship is out of this world. This is a watch that can make even the Audemars Piguet and Patek watch jealous of its make.
The rectangular dial is what sets the Vintage 1945 apart from its contemporaries. The dial is also open heart, which means, you get a glimpse of the beating “heart” of the watch every time you glance at the time. It’s the perfect watch to wear when you want to be subtle, but you also want to impress. It can transition well from day to night, so you can use it as a daily beater and for special occasions.
Powering the watch is a self-winding mechanical movement that has a gorgeous moon phase complication featured on the dial as well, a power reserve of 46 hours, and an oscillating steel weight. It also features small seconds complications, which is more than any watch in this list could show up for!
Takeaway
There you go! Make the most out of your watch collecting by giving your collection some depth. This is the way to go–diversifying what you have and not sticking to one brand alone. Trust us when we say that getting one of each from a brand that has a history and heritage under its name will make you happier than a collection of watches all from the same brand!