6 Watches That Are Popular for a Reason

One of the funny things about watch collecting is how much time we spend trying to avoid buying the watches a lot of us end up purchasing anyways. You know the ones, the watches everyone recommends so you decide it's too obvious, or the one you think is too boring, too small, too expensive, or too overhyped. And then somewhere along the way you try it on and something in you shifts, it just feels right. These are the watches that seem to find their way into a lot of enthusiast collections, sometimes early on and sometimes after a long expensive detour. I have picked six watches, ranging from Casio to Rolex, each scratching a slightly different collector itch. This seems like the right one to start us off. This is the right starting place. Casio. And I'm going with the classic square G-Shock. You might buy one of these before you know anything about watches. You might buy one of these after you've already spent an alarming amount of money on watches. Either way, the little resin square makes a pretty persuasive argument. I think the appeal is the pure practicality. If you're swimming, moving furniture, going to the gym, doing anything Anything with a toddler? There's such a nice feeling in being relaxed about whatever life throws at you because this isn't going to scratch or break. For the purposes of this video, I've narrowed it down to the square G-Shock, so the 5600 series. I think it's practical, distinctive, and has absolutely no interest in looking expensive. I think that last part is a part of the reason why enthusiasts have such a soft spot for it. I love this hobby. I love watch collecting. I have a few pieces I never thought I And still, I've emerged on the other side. Still saying, should I buy another Casio G-Shock? Now, the Omega Seamaster Diver 300 is a different sort of inevitable. This is the watch that gets lodged into your brain. For some people, that happened watching Piers Brosnan in 007. For others, it was seeing the blue dial in the shop window or actually trying one on and discovering all those slightly unusual design decisions that weirdly work together. Because, if we're being honest, if you look at this watch, there's a lot going on here. Scalped bezel, skeletonized hands, five-link bracelet with lots of detail. On most versions, it's the wave dial and the helium escape valve, the ever contentious helium escape valve at 10 o'clock, and I'm not going to say anything more about that. I feel like you could make an argument about any of these decisions individually, but when they come together they make the Seamaster what it is. That's why this watch has staying power. It has an identity you can recognize from across the room. I gush about the S&P a lot and I'm going to do it again. I feel like this is one of the most considered and beautifully executed dive watches ever made. It almost feels fluid. The design is distinct, which is hard to do on a diver, especially a diver released in the 1990s versus the 1950s. And I think there's clearly a charm in it because so many of us return to it again and again. Omega is also doing a lot to protect this price. I think They clearly see it as their entry point into the brand and it's something they care about a lot, possibly the most important watch in their modern collection. It's almost a bargain when you compare it against the other watches in the catalog. I have very few bad things to say about this one. Now for a watch some of you have already decided you are never going to buy, the Cartier Tank. Maybe it's too small, too dressy, you don't wear suits, you only like sports watches. I've heard the defense, but I think the Cartier Tank is one of the most interesting watches on this list because it asks you to reconsider what it is You actually enjoy a bit wearing a watch. I really respect designs that have stood the test of time, which this one has. First introduced in 1919, the design has stayed almost the same. Humans have all collectively looked at this design and thought, yeah, this is great. When you first get into this hobby, you become obsessed with measurable things. Water resistance, power reserve, movement specs. And those things matter, but they don't fully explain why you put something on your wrist, why your eye is drawn to something, and why you ultimately choose a watch. I think people undersell the versatility as well. I think it looks as great with normal everyday clothes, casual clothes, jeans and a t-shirt, but it can also be worn to a formal affair. I would also happily, controversially be comfortable with putting the quartz variation on I have the quartz variant for me with a two-hand dress watch. Quartz is practical. It's not noticeable. You save some money, set and forget. Now I'm very aware just having the name Cartier on the dial makes it quite expensive. Some more affordable alternatives include the Seiko Tank, Longines Dolce Vita, Frederic Constant Classic Carre, or for something truly unique something like the IFL watches and LaFont and I've got in the Cloudling Edition and the Bukele. This is an official collaboration with LaFont. It is their first collaboration with them, hopefully first of many because these look awesome. So there's the Skybound. with a white rabbit steering colorful kites against a deep navy dial, cloudling with a teddy bear being carried away by balloons, and Bukele features a girl lifted skywards by flowers. Even a teddy bear needs a holiday and I respect that, but the important bit is every scene is painted by hand, every little stroke, and at this scale those tiny fingers, the flower shapes, fine lines. You're asking someone to create a miniature painting inside a watch. There are no hour markings crowding the scene. You get this lovely open space, with the polished case acting more like a picture frame. If you're not as familiar with the LaFontBloc, it has a stainless steel case material, 35 millimeters by 27.5 millimeters, just 7.6 millimeters thick. So really thin wearing experience, sapphire crystal, and powered by a Japanese Miyota quartz movement. Easy to pick up and enjoy, set, and forget. Great watch, fantastic watch, but ultimately the appeal is looking down and seeing a tiny hand-painted scene that makes you smile. These are limited, very limited, just 999 pieces of each design, priced at $399, launching November 2nd. If you like the looks of these, go click the link that is down below in my description. It'll take you to this collection, all subject to availability, so don't sleep on these. Go click that link, and thank you so much to IFL for sponsoring this video. Right back to divers and I'm going to say the Tudor Black Bay but this is going to be a bit of a catch-all for the Black Bay 41 millimeters, Black Bay 58 and Black Bay 54. I think Tudor is exceptionally good at finding the precise version of this watch that will eventually get you. Do you want a smaller diver? Well the Black Bay 54, mid-size, Black Bay 58, more presence, the larger Black Bays. Honestly Tudor divers are so difficult to beat as an overall package. You get that recognizable design, snowflake hands, restrained tool watch character, enough vintage influence but not taking it too far, and then exceptional movements. I think Tudor is unmatched for what it offers for the price, and even competes against watches that are far more expensive. If you watch this channel, you will know this, I say it all the time, but I chose my Black Bay 58 over the Rolex Submariner. For me, the Tudor made more sense, I thought it felt more like a tool, The size was better for me and met. my needs more. the reason i constantly say this and i'm gonna continue to is because i think we need to retire the idea that buying a tudor was just a waiting room for a rolex. you wish you could have got that rolex but you couldn't so you got the tudor. if you really want a submariner, buying a black bay won't scratch that itch. but plenty of people buy a black bay because they wanted a black bay. maybe they prefer the proportions of the 58 or the compactness of the 54. Either way, it's a perfectly complete reason for wanting one. Okay, we all knew we were going to get here eventually, the Speedmaster Professional. I gush about this watch a lot. I think it is one of the most handsome watch designs of all time. I think most people watching this video will already know the history. You've already seen the photographs. You've heard the recommendations. But this watch is so well-loved for a reason. The dial is beautifully composed. There's so many details to enjoy, and the whole package remains coherent. It has this particular character on wrist. For me, one of the biggest selling points is it being manual winding. There aren't a lot of manually wound chronographs at this price point. I enjoy winding my watch and that little interaction. Does owning a Speedmaster automatically make you an astronaut? Yes. And I just think it's a beautiful mechanical object. One quick little gripe I have is people often compare the Rolex Daytona with the Omega Speedmaster. I think this is the silliest comparison. This is like comparing apples and oranges, maybe like apples and cricket. They're so different to each other. They're both wonderful in their own way and they're icons for a reason, but I don't think these are comparable. Speaking of Rolex, of course we have to put this one on here, the Rolex Explorer. If I had to specify, I would say the 36 millimeters, but for the widest catchment here, we are just going to keep it the Explorer. This watch is fascinating because its appeal can grow as your priorities change. Early on, you might think, wow, that's very expensive for a black dial three-hander, and you wouldn't be incorrect. But I think most of us grow to value the execution. in what it is that rolex does so well. perfect proportions, excellent legibility, great bracelets with a useful clasp, the ease of wearing something that feels appropriate for almost anything you're going to do in your week, and there's almost nothing you have to negotiate with or work against. there's no date that you have to set, no rotating bezel, no extra functions waiting for you to invent a reason to use it. it just gets on with being a watch. I don't know if I want to confess this but as I age my eyes have been aging with me and I've grown to appreciate the no-nonsense easy to read highly legible watch. I love a complication but usually I just want to be able to look down tell the time at a glance quick easy and something that looks cool while doing it and that's the Explorer. I think this is a marvelous place to end and I should say this isn't an administrative checklist. These aren't watches everyone has to buy. That would be a very expensive endeavor. This is just a list of watches that I see winding up in enthusiast collections all the time and there must be something to it. Did I miss anything big? Did I miss your favorites? I'll pop it in the comments down below. I can't wait to see what you guys write down there. Um, I think. Thank you for your viewership. Thank you to IFL for sponsoring this video and thank you to the Popetier patrons. Get their names on the screen. Hello, Popetier patrons. Hello all your patrons. Hello, anyone who just made it to the end of the video. It's been a while since we've incorporated singing again. Oh, woof. Time to stop again. 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