Post by timelessluxwatches on Nov 26, 2016 4:10:12 GMT -6
The holiday season is the time for gift giving and few presents have the personal touch and longevity of a fine watch. However, given the dizzying array of brands and models, finding the right one for you or a loved one can be daunting. That's why we created this list of our hottest watches to simplify the process for you. Here you'll find real photography and guidance that will help you find the right watch.
There's no better place to start than with the Grand Seiko Snowflake, also known as the SBGA011.
The Snowflake is often considered the greatest Japanese watch of this era, and it's easy to see why. It has a refined, understated beauty that few competitors can match.
It is, however, uniquely suited to be a holiday gift thanks to the dial from which it derives its name. The artfully textured surface depicts gentle snowdrifts.
But its beauty is more than skin deep. The SBGA011's 41mm titanium case is not only a great all-round size, but also incredibly light.
It is also, by far, the most accurate watch on this list, rated for an astonishing + or - 1 second per day. Furthermore, it has a class-leading 72 hour power reserve, meaning that it will run much longer off of the wrist.
The Snowflake makes a great choice for those looking for an all-around everyday watch. It can fit appropriately in every environment and its light weight means you won't even notice it on your wrist. It also appeals to tech lovers with its special spring drive movement.
They say that everything old is new again, and few watches prove this old adage better than the Zenith Type 20 Extra Special.
The Type 20 Extra Special is something of a love letter to Zenith pilot's watches and flying instruments of the past. Its huge Arabic numerals against a matte black dial and large cathedral hands not only remind the wearer of vintage aviation watches, but also make it easy to read.
But the Type 20 ES' most notable feature, is, of course, this 45mm bronze case. Bronze is really making a comeback in the watch industry and few do it better than Zenith. It's sure to set the watch apart from the sea of gold and steel watches available, and it develops a special patina that both contributes to an aged look while also making it unique to each owner.
The large onion crown makes it extremely easy to wind and set the time, although this watch, like most watches on this list, is an automatic and is powered simply by wearing it.
The back of the watch features a cool aviation-inspired engraving. Beneath the back beats an in-house Zenith Elite movement.
The Type 20's pièce de résistance, however, is its incredibly bright luminescent paint. It is, without a doubt, among the brightest watches I've ever seen.
These features make the Type 20 Extra Special a wonderful choice for those that appreciate a vintage look, or would prefer a larger, easy to operate and read watch.
While the Zenith may appeal to those who want a great and unique vintage-styled watch, the Omega Planet Ocean finds the affection of a thoroughly contemporary audience.
This particular Planet Ocean is quite special as it features the so-called "Oreo" bezel, the aptly nicknamed black and white ceramic ring surrounding the crystal. This is also the first bi-ceramic rotating bezel, which is not only incredibly scratch resistant but also helps separate night from day when using its second time zone feature.
The latter function is accomplished by using its GMT complication. GMT complications generally take the shape of a fourth hand, like this one pointing at 7:00. The GMT hand allows the owner to track a second time zone, making it uniquely suited to frequent travelers.
Like all Planet Oceans, this GMT model is a very robust diver and capable of depths as great as 600 meters. This makes them an ideal choice for the aquatically-inclined.
The Planet Ocean's 43.5mm steel case is large and is well suited for most men looking for a bigger (but not comically large) piece. It strikes a comfortable medium between the dressier Grand Seiko Snowflake and aggressive Zenith Type 20 Extra Special.
Like the Zenith, it features a great deal of luminescent paint. While not quite as bright as the Type 20, it is unique in that it features more than one color, highlighting the Planet Ocean's more playful character.
Powering the Planet Ocean GMT is a version of the extremely successful in-house Omega 8500, in this case the 8906. This is a Master Chronometer, meaning it must pass an additional battery of tests to prove itself. Among these is a test against magnetism. In fact, these movements are arguably the most anti-magnetic in the world.
The Planet Ocean GMT appeals to those who want the latest in movement technology accompanied by contemporary and aggressive styling. It also makes itself welcome on the wrist of frequent swimmers and divers, as well as world travelers and international businessmen who would like to see multiple time zones on a single watch.
Another great option for fans of the tastefully vintage is the ultra-popular Tudor Black Bay, and for collectors, this Black 1.0 model is particularly enticing.
There are a wide variety of Black Bays in different colors, sizes and movements, but by far the rarest is this black model. It comes in two versions, this original one, powered by a modified ETA movement, and the new one with Tudor's in-house movement.
However, due to differences in the dial and bracelet, many Tudor collectors prefer the outgoing version. It also benefits from an unusually short production run, making it both rarer and more collectible than other contemporary Tudor models.
One of the reasons that the Black Bay is among the most popular watches in the world is because it's sort of a greatest hits collection of classic Tudor watches, combining elements from each.
One such element are these hands, which, thanks to their highly angular design, are called snowflake hands. These are among the most iconic of Tudor's designs.
Another area where the Black Bay draws from its ancestors is its large protruding crown, borrowed from the aptly nicknamed Tudor Submariner Big Crown.
Being a dive watch, it is very easy to read day or night. Here we can see its impressive display of luminous paint.
The Black Bay is a dive watch, like the Omega Planet Ocean GMT above, but in terms of size it's more versatile at 41mm. With 200 meters of water resistance, it will handle pretty much anything you can throw at it.
The Damasko DB1 is the first collaboration between Timeless Luxury Watches and Damasko, the German maker of super tough tool watches. The DB1 is also the most affordable on this list, but don't assume that it comes up short on features.
For instance, it's the only watch here that comes with a hardened steel case, making it incredibly scratch resistant.
The dial is inspired by vintage flieger watches and is very easy to read.
The most interesting feature of the limited edition DB1, however, is its bright blue seconds hand, inspired by the Mexico Blue used in classic Porsche 911s. Its intense color also makes it extremely easy to differentiate the seconds hand from the other hands.
Another great feature unique to the DB series is that the numerals are luminescent. Most black-dial Damaskos only have glowing dots, but the DB1 is much easier to read at night.
The 40mm case is not only a very versatile size for men, it also has a soft iron inner core which protects the movement from magnetism, making it second only to the Omega on this list in terms of magnetic resistance.
Just 50 DB1s will be made, many of which have already been sold. It makes a great pick for men who want an extremely robust watch, an easy to service movement or for those looking to find a great value on a vintage-inspired pilot's watch.
The last watch on our list, the Nomos Orion Midnight Edition, is also the dressiest. It's available with either gold or steel accents.
The Orion Midnight Edition is the second collaboration between Timeless and Nomos. It takes Nomos' classiest watch, the Orion, and adds a beautiful midnight blue sunburst dial.
The sunburst dial is not only beautiful, but dynamic, shifting and becoming more pronounced as it responds to the unique lightning of wherever it happens to be.
The Orion's 38mm case makes it a discreet choice for everyday wear and formal events and its hand wind movement makes it much thinner than most mechanical watches today. Gold accents, like those on this model, make it slightly bolder.
The Orion is also the only watch here with a hand wound movement. It's a beautiful in-house calibre made by Nomos in Germany and is arguably the prettiest movement here.
The Orion Midnight Edition is a terrific pick for those wanting a smaller, more discreet watch, particularly one to wear to the office or even to formal occasions. It's also the thinnest watch of the list, making it easy to fit under a sleeve. Just 75 of each version was made, so there are few remaining!
