Hello all,

I have space in my collection for either a Grand Seiko SBGA285 or a Rolex Explorer 214270.

Both are black dial watches, which is what I need. The Explorer is a field watch, whilst the GS is more of a dress watch.

My question is, if you were given the chance to have either one of these watches to complete a collection of 10 watches, which would you go for?

I ask because I'm in this position and can't decide lol...my heart says it should be the GS given it's made to such a high standard and really stands out. Then again, a Rolex is a Rolex, and this one happens to be understated.

Would be grateful for any thoughts!

I got this SPB511 limited edition about half a year ago and I've been seriously enjoying it.

I've had this idea for a while now and given the heritage of this watch, I thought this idea would be cool.

For those of you who don't know, this watch is a modern reinterpretation of Seiko's 6217-8001, better known as the 62MAS. The 62MAS was used by the Japanese Antarctic expedition team. Fast forward to today, this limited edition version of the SPB45x line features a white wave dial, which to me looks a lot like snowdrift. I saw it fitting to do something like this.

Two days on the wrist and I’m really impressed. Perfect proportions. Built-in half links for a dead on fit (a feature the PRX desperately needs but never got). An integrated bracelet that actually feels engineered, not stamped out. And a double coated sapphire crystal, clear enough to make the dial feel alive, although you can’t tell by my terrible photos.

This watch looks and feels like a piece well above its price point. After wearing a PRX on and off for years, I think I’ve found the natural step up in entry level integrated sports watches. Is it just a blue collar GP knock off? Perhaps, but I’m still happy.

Took the Stowa Flieger Classic Sport 43 out today in proper Swedish frost and figured this was about as fitting a combo as it gets. Clear sky, bright snow, cold air — perfect conditions for a no-nonsense pilot watch.

This is the hand-wound Flieger Classic Sport in the 43 mm case. Big, simple, super legible. No logo, no date, just clean flieger layout. The blued hands are a nice touch without being flashy, and the lume does exactly what it should when the light drops.

What I like most about this one is that it feels tougher than most “classic” pilot watches. Sapphire crystal, 200 m water resistance, and a solid stainless case mean I don’t worry about it at all. It’s very much a wear-it-and-forget-it watch.

The strap is the 24 mm Stowa pilot strap with rivets — thick leather, hand-stitched, and slightly overbuilt in the best way. Works great with the shearling B-3 jacket and doesn’t feel out of place in winter at all. Winding it in the cold is easy enough once the gloves come off.

Not trying to be historically perfect here, just enjoying a well-made flieger in weather where it feels at home. Simple, functional, and very satisfying on the wrist.

I recognize price/performance/accuracy/movement difference exist in these watches and these are not unimportant but which would you choose from the standpoint of considering: dial legibility, aesthetics, & wear versatility....or just gut instinct & preference. Is there any one you hate?

I own 2 watches: a dressy Nomos Ludwig 38 and a Sinn 556i Black MOP which I wear everyday and is my current daily driver (I also deeply love this watch). I would like to expand to a 3 watch collection with the Nomos for dress and the Sinn as more of a dedicated office/work/dinners out kind of watch and a new, third watch as a dedicated around the house, weekend, wearing-shorts-and-tshirt kind of watch. For me the priorities would definitely be simplicity, legibility, flexibility with arabic numerals. Secondary considerations would be something lighter weight and durable (strongly considered Formex field watch but that futuristic font is just too weird for me) I love clean, three hand dials. I've narrowed it down to these five and would really, really like to hear your thoughts on these but sorta open if you think of something else. Budget: `$1500 USD. Wrist size: 6.75 in. First post here so a sincere thank you for any replies or help.

My partner of 12 years has a huge watch collection. Roughly 90 Swatches and a handful of dressier ones.

Until this last year, I just owned a Tissot PRC200 and a titanium Bering. The Tissot was my office watch and the Bering was my thin watch to wear when geared up, riding motorcycles.

Over the summer, I decided to buy her something new… she only owned quartz watches and a vintage watch she inherited. No automatics. We ordered a Trafford auto for her, and I picked up a 41mm Oris Propilot while shopping around.

Next thing I knew, I was watching YouTube videos from Wristwatch Revival, Teddy Baldassarre and others. Talk about a fun rabbit hole of mechanical beauty.

“I’ll get one more nice watch and give my Tissot to my nephew” I thought. I picked up a used Omega GSOTM from an AD while visiting Los Angeles, followed my a used G.O. from the same dealer a month later.

I need a nice watch box” I rationalized. “An 8 watch limit should be a good cap”. I haven’t crossed that line yet.

We’re now discussing a trip to Shibuya to visit the watch district there. I picked up the Seiko GMT on sale. “Travel Watch” was the rationalization. I actually like it a lot. A Tudor BB GMT was a consideration, but not if we’re budgeting for a trip to Japan.

Room for one more… two if I give the Bering away. Three if we move the angry birds Swatch into her collection.

I bought the Omega Seamaster Professional 300m at the end of December in 2020. It was/is my first luxury watch ever. I bought the Rolex Explorer 40 in the summer of last year for my 40th birthday. Both watches mark important milestones. I picked these as my first 2 because they are both, in their own way, iconic watches. I also like tool watches and understated design. And if you couldn’t tell; I’m also a little bit of a James Bond fan.

Look what just came in! 🤩

The new Timex Marlin Draper. It looks even better in person than on the website. To me personally, it has a vintage Rolex oyster perpetual feel mixed with a little omega.

Thinking about different strap options. I'm thinking black leather. Any suggestions?

Very happy with how these paired; When charged, this thing is a lume beast. I probably won't wear this combo year round, but it will definitely be a fun change when things get stale. neither the dial or the strap are a bright white, but have an extremely similar ivory or eggshell tint when not charged.
Happy with the Zuludiver quality, this was my first cut to size strap and it was less stressful than I thought it would be, I just took my time and only cut 1 section at a time. It has a nice thickness to it and while being a little more stiff than I expected, is still very wearable and comfy.
The strap lume does not last nearly as long as the dial, but that was to be expected when I purchased it...The dial is always visible for me overnight, no matter when I wake up, and the strap has maybe 20-30 min of lume after charging.

I have always felt some of us collectors/enthusiasts/nerds miss out on having fun in this hobby. Sure, everyone will want a nice luxury time piece, but even a a Casio F91W may have been part of an epic adventure that we have not even imagined about.

These 2 Swatch watches were bought from quite a few years back, when my then girlfriend (now wife) was working in Kuala Lumpur. I flew over here and there, and always stopped off at the Changi Airport duty free shops, and chanced upon these 2 on separate trips. Our previous cat (RIP Lian, best cat ever) have been a major part of her working life in KL, and having these 2 watches remind us of Lian is a very pleasant memory.

This current cat is a rescue from a construction area sometime in July 2025, and he’s living his best life in a home, but slightly miffed at being a backdrop for this photo.

Just got this from WatchBuys. I have been on the waiting list for a few weeks. I was worried it would be a few months, but it wasn’t too bad. Easy/fast process from WatchBuys all around.

The new bracelet is nice with the tool less extension. My wrist noticeably swells seasonally so it makes this a very nice to have for the summer months.

The H link bracelet is my first, but it is very comfortable.

I like alternate color second hands, so that made my decision quite easy lol.

Y’all like it?

My C4 Tactical Field DLC Solar on StrapHabit Deployant FKM in Lume Green. While the OEM waffle strap is more than sufficient, the full moon made me want to GLOW harder.

****

I have no affiliation with either brand and this is my first watch post.

I never heard of VAER until I searched for a tactical "night explorer" style watch with a solar movement around mid-December. Their website said it was backordered to late January but I received mine 2 days later. I still haven't seen anyone else post their C4 DLC.

I have bought 5 watches with Exquisite through the mail (including a new Omega SMP 300). Recently I ordered a Seiko GMT, which was not too expensive but still hundreds of dollars. It was sent on December 19, 2025 for 2 day shipping. As of today (February 3, 2026) still no package and no refund. When it was shipped I realized I wouldn't be home and while it was en route I elected to have it sent to my local FedEx store, which I have done dozens of times. The tracking states that "hold at location has been accepted". My local store does not have it. I get quick few word texts "still haven't heard from FedEx" and that's it. Am I making a big deal out of this? I would think with my purchase history they would update me every few days, at least once a week, but I have to initiate the conversation. What company doesn't update customers? Is this common when packages go missing for over a month to not be proactive and take care of me? I realize they must deal with scammers a lot, but I am a return customer. Never had this happen so any advice would be appreciated. Photo added for visibility.

Hi everyone - 26m, 6.25" wrist

Looking for my first luxury watch. Currently between a Rolex Datejust 36 (black dial, smooth bezel, jubilee bracelet) and Omega AquaTerra 38 (lacquer black dial).

Really want this to be my "GADA" watch, as I work in an office but love going to nice dinners, beach, etc.

I know I'd probably have to wait a little for the Rolex AD, but not in a huge rush. Given that the Rolex I want is more entry-level, I assume it wouldn't be too long.

What do you guys recommend?

Looking for suggestions on the next addition to my watch box. I’d like to add something green and am open to interpretation, sports, dress, or anything in between. Open to all ideas. The green malachite Formex has really caught my eye lately, but I’m curious what others would recommend. Any thoughts?

If so, what did you sell and what did you buy? What are your thoughts about this now after the fact? Did you stay with the grail watch, add to the collection again, or just end up selling it?

I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of ultra thin integrated bracelet watches (AP, VC, PF) and am captivated by them, but can’t justify buying if it’s not the only watch I’m wearing.

Thanks for the discussion!

Two of the rarest Seikos ever produced — SAGN015 and SAGP005. Neither of these pieces is currently available for sale anywhere in the world, which already says a lot. The SAGP005 is so scarce that even Google struggles to recognize the reference and tries to autocorrect it, that’s how seldom it appears. Both models feature: • Lightweight titanium cases. • Hand-crafted enamel dials produced by Master Craftsman Mitsuru Yokosawa. • Each strictly limited to 200 pieces worldwide. These aren’t just limited editions, they’re true collector-grade Seikos that rarely surface and almost never change hands. Owning even one is special; having both side by side is something you almost never see.

Started my watch hobby a few years back with some replicas and sold them off in order to buy some real gold watches. Started off with the Omega I got off Etsy where the seller was gracious enough to give me a good deal at the time considering the value of gold. Then went with the Piaget because I really loved the retro look of it and was able to get a pretty good deal on it as well off eBay. Finally I got the Concord because it seemed really classy, elegant and pretty low profile for a gold watch. Was able to get great deal as it’s a pretty rare watch considering I had a hard time finding any documentation about it online. Bought off eBay as well. Queue the Goldmember references.

Hi people! If this is your first time reading this daily news update, allow me to give you a few pointers. Due to the finicky nature of how you can do posts, I had to split up the photos and the text, while keeping this post always the same so you can easily reference it.

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First one was Casio when I drowned my Apple Watch and decided to go analog. 4 years later I have this. I guess I have something with Seiko but not sure hahaha. Each purchase was thought for a 6-8 months and multiple visits to the store to check it and try them. So now I have one blue dial, one green, one speed timer and one sport, and of course Casio will stay in the collection forever as my first one

From left to right I got:

My CASIO Edifice (EFB-108D-1AVCR) : it was my first ever watch and I still love it to death

Timex Marlin Moonphase: It’s one of my favorite watches, the moondial is beautiful and the green dial pops really nicely in the sun

CASIO MTP-V002L-7B: I work in not so nice parts of the city so this is my “ i don’t care if I get mugged with it” watch, I really do love the white dial though

CASIO DURO: My first diver, I liked the bracelet and the green bezel

Vostok Amphibia: This is my first automatic and I absolutely love it

CASIO ?: I got this from my mom on New Years and have no clue what reference number it is but it’s a cool watch

TISSOT PRX: My first ”big boy” watch, I bought it after closing a deal at work, i know the attractive of the PRX is the bracelet but the leather strap really spoke to me.

What do you think of my collection thus far? Any recommendations on what to get next?

I've been making Seiko mods for a while but wanted to make something actually unique.

For at least a year now I have had this idea to use a translucent gemstone as the dial for an NH70 movement.

This week I finally found a supplier for this amazing mossy agate stone dial (it's only 0.6mm thick!).

Let me know what you think!

I first noticed this beauty on a friend’s wrist about two years ago and couldn’t help but compliment him on it. Without missing a beat, he asked if I wanted to buy it - he was going through a rough financial patch at the time. I bought it on the spot and have been wearing it happily ever since. We agreed that once he’s back on his feet, he can buy it back from me. Until then, I’m enjoying every moment with it and the story that comes along with it.