Feature: 5 more amazing watches that do it all
Want a watch that can do it all and then some? Want a grab-and-go piece that’s got what it takes to do a few rounds with the day-to-day? Here are five incredible options I think you should consider.
Omega Seamaster Diver 300m Professional 210.32.42.20.10.001
So the price may be sneaking up on this buster, and by sneaking I mean by about 40% over the last five years, and yes the value for money is losing out increasingly to Tudor, but the Omega Seamaster Diver 300M—née Professional—is still the watch of choice for people living life on the daily. It’s more ornate than a Submariner, better equipped than a Superocean, more historically significant than an Aquaracer and of course, it’s James Bond’s sponsor of choice.
At pure face value, though, not only does the Seamaster offer an anti-magnetic, METAS certified, Co-Axial calibre, it’s also one of the best-looking dive watches in the segment. We bemoan the Xerox approach to creating dive watches of all budgets, and yet there’s this sat here the whole time, the peacock that it is with its wavy dial and white enamel-filled bezel.
It’s a jewel-like watch that sits well with a suit whether it’s business or dive, and that’s the kind of well-roundedness that really makes a daily watch work. It may be 42mm across but those stumpy lugs do a great job of making that size wear smaller, and when the worst complaint is that the helium escape valve looks like a delicious chocolate, you know you’re onto a good thing.
Casio G-Shock Octagon Series GA-2100-1A1ER
First thing about this next watch is that everyone calls it the Casioak. I think that’s wrong. It takes away from everything that is great about this watch and turns the attention to Audemars Piguet instead. AP don’t own integrated watches. They didn’t even invent them! Which is why I propose the name of this watch be changed to the Shocktagon.
The Shocktagon takes a similar thought process as the F-91W, only at ten times the price. When I say ten times the price, I mean about £100, so in the company of most watches we talk about, still very much at the affordable end of the scale. What it adds for the extra spend is the increased ability to not be phased by anything.
If you thought the F-91W was tough, this thing makes it look like a new-born foal. If you can even imagine a place where the mighty F-91W dare not tread, the Shocktagon will blast right in there like it owns the place and it won’t even take its shoes off. It can be dropped off a building, frozen in ice and boiled in water and it’ll be fine. Believe me, I’ve tried.
Panerai Submersible Bronzo Blu Abisso PAM01074
Daily doesn’t have to mean boring, and for those of you looking to hide your wrist in the most outrageous of ways, whilst still remaining practical and well-appointed, I give you the £15,200 Panerai Submersible Bronzo. Being a linguist of many languages, I can tell you that “Bronzo” is actually German for bronze, an alloy of copper, tin and fairy dust that makes for a fine aquatic material. Don’t take my word for it; sea captains the world over owe their propulsion to screws made of exactly the same stuff.
Marine metals may be overkill for dealing with—at worst—a light sweat, but you can never be too careful, and that’s why Panerai built the Submersible strong enough to patch a ship’s hull. Doorframes beware its 42mm frame, set with square shoulders and a deep chin. The combination of bronze and blue may make this watch seem deceptively luxurious, but don’t be fooled: you could definitely take someone down with this.
Three hundred metres’ water resistance makes short work of hand washing and unblocking the toilet, with the patented crown locking system keeping the automatic calibre P.900 safe from mischievous moisture. Plus, over time and wear, the bronze case will dull to a muted brown. And if that sounds terrible, they do a steel one too.
A. Lange & Söhne Odysseus 363.179
“We want a Lange watch that we can wear every day,” they said. “We want it to withstand the rigours of daily life,” they said. And so A. Lange & Söhne made this, the Odysseus. Not content to simply slap an existing movement in a sporty case, Lange built an entirely new calibre, the L155.1. It gets a balance bridge instead of a cock for better stability, a faster beat for greater accuracy under duress and a solid platinum rotor for… well, coolness.
Lange also weren’t content with a simple time-only watch for the Odysseus either, and so the calibre gets a big date and day display to make sure you know it’s Lange time. Where the genius really shines through is with the quick-setting of these features, whose pushers double up as crown guards. I know right. That’s more satisfying than the ending to Citizen Kane.
Even more impressive is the attention to detail given to the actual usability of this watch. Lange really want you to wear this thing come hell or high water. There’s 120m of water-resistance of course, but it’s in the little things the brand has really excelled itself. Take the bracelet. Too loose or too tight? The logo on the clasp is a button. Push it and you can adjust the size to your liking. Not enough room to maneuverer? The links can be removed with nothing more than a cocktail stick, with more engineering in each than the Space Shuttle.
Tudor Fastrider Black Shield M42000CN-0018
The ultimate daily really has to be tough, luxurious, good-looking but not too showy, and that’s where the Tudor Fastrider Black Shield comes in. No, you heard me right: that’s Black Shield and not Black Bay, and this isn’t even a Marvel collaboration. It’s actually, and perhaps even more confusingly, a Ducati collaboration, but don’t let that or the cringe name put you off, because this watch is legit. That’s no coating: this 42mm chronograph is made of ceramic. That makes it highly scratch resistant, and unless you are incredible careless with your arm, virtually indestructible. Yes, ceramic watches have a reputation for shattering, but not in the kind of situations you generally want to be in whilst wearing it anyway.
The fully stealthed-out look makes it the perfect under-the-radar wear whilst still getting to enjoy a fantastic watch, and the 150m of water-resistance just adds to its no-nonsense wearability. But the greatest thing about it, for you at least, is that it’s long been discontinued for not being part of the Black Bay line, and that means prices sit less than £3,000. It just might be the ultimate daily wear.
