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I’ve always worn a watch, something my dad instilled in me. And I like cool watches. But I’ve never been a “watch guy.” You know the type, with the encyclopedic knowledge of movements, minute differences in design and quirky preferences informed by all that accumulated knowledge. No, I just like cool-looking and high quality watches; that means I’ve usually liked luxury brands since those tend to have the best of both those qualities. But I couldn’t tell you much of anything about the internals, other than whether it’s manual-wind/automatic or battery-powered quartz.
However, with my brother’s recent gift to me of the Bulova Lunar Pilot—the Other Moon Watch—I’m paying a bit more attention to watches now than I did before. Previously, I was essentially a One Watch man. My dad owns my favorite sports watch ever: the 90s-era Seamaster 300m, made famous by being the Bond watch starting in Goldeneye and going through Casino Royale. It’s a gorgeous, perfect watch, in my opinion. My dad has let me wear it off and on since he bought it nearly 20 years ago, recently even encouraging me to have links taken out of the bracelet so it would fit me properly. If I could only have one watch, this would be it.
Then on my 30th birthday, my brother gave me the second watch I was keen on: a 1960s Seamaster Deville (similar to this one). Those classic mid-century Omega dress watches are so incredibly svelte; their small sizes, their delicate features. And I mean literally delicate: mine broke twice in the first two years of owning it when the crown was pulled or twisted incorrectly without my awareness. But it’s gloriously small, understated and classic.
And that was it. I would be content to wear those two watches forever. But the Bulova sent me down the rabbit hole: it kindled my interest in the Omega Speedmaster Professional moon watch. I wanted to understand it better, including the changes Omega has made over the years. This excellent Hodinkee run-down gave me the info I was looking for. Before I knew it, I was looking at other Omega’s. There’s the previous-generation Aqua Terra 150m with striking orange accents, which I’d bookmarked years ago for being nice-looking, but never something I would be constantly searching for deals on.
And this week I discovered the deliciously vintage-inspired Seamaster 300 CoAxial. There is a limited edition SPECTRE tie-in version, which has appeal all its own, and a trio of more specifically 1950s-inspired special edition models called the Trinity collection. But the standard one is the one I like best. I never thought I’d ever join Reddit, but here I am, now scouring the WatchExchange subreddit. I think I’m going to need another source of income.
All this said, I still am mostly clueless about the technical details behind the watches. I honestly have no idea what the term “coaxial” means. And frankly, I kind of prefer it that way. Because I’ve learned that the more you know, the more it spoils you for the blissful enjoyment of being simply an enthusiast. As the old adage says, a luxury once experienced becomes a necessity.
How about you? Are you into watches? What’re your all-time faves, and the ones on your to-acquire list? I want to know what my readers think. Sound off in the comments below.
(Help support this site! If you buy stuff through my links, your clicks and purchases earn me a commission from many of the retailers I feature, and it helps me sustain this site—as well as my menswear habit ;-) Thanks!)
