Cog Gobbler

 I'm done. I'm absolutely fucking done. I can look at watches no more. I've gone to the outer limits, been pulled apart and reformed. Doneso. Finito. GOOD DAY!  I got into my head about a milestone birthday and wanted something with heritage, something special, and didn't want to feel like I was settling. I kept telling myself that Jon would not think twice about getting me something I really wanted, especially for my 40th birthday (thankfully, there's years before that 💁). He deserves the same.   So I learned everything I could to feel like I'm qualified to make a purchase like this. I enlisted Oli for extra help and he listened to all my, quite frankly, insane blatherings, and kindly offered to go with me to a boutique. The first time I went into a store I looked at a single Seiko and immediately burst out into cold sweats, so I cannot say how much having this moral support meant to me.  I've been writing this blog for myself because I felt like I was goi...

Longines Spirit Zulu Time 42mm I nearly bought this because of all the god damn Black Friday sales happening. So nearly bought this one. The specs are amazing for the price point I was finding it at - chronometer, 70 hr power reserve, date wheel, "true" GMT with a mutidirectional bezel.  This has been on my radar from early on but I thought it was too expensive to buy for just the looks. Now that I know way too much about watches I feel (slightly, it's still terrifying) more comfortable plopping down a bigger chunk of change. The only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger was that literally none of the watches Jon has mentioned have Arabic numbers on the dials. I've made a collage of all the watches, so I should know. It felt like a bit TOO much of a departure, perhaps, and Longines has never been mentioned despite the copious and not so subtle probing I've done. Really really nice looking, but maybe not right. There's also the issue of the 5 stars on the...

 Yeaaaah.. Remember that last update? Well, things have changed. I had this Christopher Ward bronze C60 in the closest for a couple weeks and kept looking at it a few times a day to try to reassure myself it was "the one". It's gorgeous. It's lovely. But it didn't feel right, and I think it's because of the brown dial. Felt a bit.. Meh. And not special enough for this particular occasion. So it's going back. The search continues.  I am losing my mind. 

 A decision has been made and it's none of these, but I wish I could also buy these  Henry Archer Vesterhav Meteorite A Danish microbrand, this Meteorite dial looks good, but unfortunately it's a preorder and not available until January. They have a few more meteorite options which may work better for Jon, as he SAYS he doesn't like two toned (although the watch he wears every day is two toned?) I've emailed the owner of this brand and he's incredibly helpful and nice, so I think there may be a purchase here for another time. I was really very impressed.  Zelos Mako GMT I really want to get Jon a GMT because he's one of the few people that I think will actually get use out of the function with often working American PST (also, American football games). Zelos do really nice dials and I love this mother of pearl. I think Jon would like the bright colored GMT hand, too. I just really like mother of pearl, man, I'm like a moth to the flame with these dials. Is i...

 Now that I know, and apparently care about, movements, I have taken a closer look at Christopher Ward. I had never heard of this brand before Jon showed me what he was looking at. All the other brands Jon has mentioned, I've been able to find on the high street, but this feels like more of a deep dive. This is feels like the watch equivalent of listening to records on vinyl for the audio quality, but we also have a record collection now, so I guess we are those people. Listen, I don't really understand how a brand that's 20 years old has the Internet forums foaming, when anything else I find less than 100 years old gets trashed. I think the brand is so well respected because you get good value for money with the craftsmanship?  Christopher Ward Twelve 40mm Glacier Blue Jon specifically said he liked the Twelve line, and I've got to say, it's really not for me. I can appreciate the dial, but the bracelet makes it look like an 80's piece and it doesn't do it ...

 Is this how it starts? I've spent hours trying to learn about watches. What makes a good watch. Why this is this one so expensive. Don't they all do the basic function of telling time? What more could there be to them?  I have looked at watches so much that the ones that previously all looked the same to me now couldn't be any more different.  I have opinions about where the date dial should be located.  I know all about the quartz crisis.  I now judge watches that have an accuracy of +45 and -35 seconds as inferior, and what's that? A quartz movement is so much more accurate and less expensive? Where's the art in that!!?! So this is how it begin. Not with the tick tick ticking of a quartz powered seconds hand, but the smooth sweeping of a mechanical movement. 

If I decide to go completely rogue, these are the options. Jon has not mentioned any of these brands, but after looking at watches for way too long, these are the ones that I would pick based on what I like and what I think Jon would like. Montblanc Watch Star Legacy Automatic Date39 mm Limited Edition MB130958 I really like a lot of the Montblanc designs, especially the ones with moon dials. Apparently despite making watches for over 30 years Montblanc is "new" ?? But they're a true Swiss brand (I still don't know what that means exactly, I just think they look nice) with lots of pieces that I think Jon would like, particularly the Iced Sea ones.  Oris Big Crown Day Pointer 40mm in Bronze  After going down a deep rabbit hole, it seems like an Oris is a more "respectable" brand (i.e. Has a history - all these watch nerds seem to care about are 100+ year old brands). I think the date dial on this gives it slightly more interest, but it looks decidedly vintage...

  I started to look up what watches characters wore in his favourite movies. Frank Cross in Scrooged wears this Audemars Piguet, which was apparently Bill Murray's personal watch. That's quite a bit out of budget, but I found this extremely similar from Baume & Mercier. Are watch dupes a thing? Is it looked down upon? I don't know enough about this stuff to purchase this so I'm not going to go this route.   I also looked up the watch worn by Riggs in Lethal Weapon and it's a little dinky TAG Formula One. It looks like it came from a Happy Meal. I'm leaving this one in the 80s where it belongs. 

When Jon mentioned he liked the Presage line of Seiko I thought I might have a little something to work with. I really like these watches a lot. The only problem is they're at a price point where Jon may buy one for himself if he wanted to really treat himself. My goal is to get him something he wouldn't get himself.  Seiko Presage Cocktail Time 'Manhattan"  SPB415J1 In my research I found an "Old Fashioned" version of the Cocktail Time which was gorgeous, but also sold out in 2019. Used ones go for about £300 above MSRP from private sellers, so it seemed silly to pay so much extra for the name of a version, when the newer release "Manhattan" is very similar. I also read that the cocktail line is prone to scratches because it uses hardlex instead of a sapphire crystal, whereas the Sharp Edged series has higher quality finishing with still interesting dials. A Cocktail watch is beautiful, but maybe it's a present for a different time.  Seiko Pres...

Bulova Limited Edition Lunar Pilot 96A312 Jon has mentioned that he would really like a meteorite dial, so I have found this Bulova. He has two Bulovas, so obviously likes the brand, but the only hesitation is he already has a Bulova Chronograph and this may be too similar.  I have done way too much research on meteorite dials and also looked at several Zelos, which are generally well regarded for their quality, but am unsure about buying him a brand he has not specifically mentioned, especially a smaller/newer one.  SWORDFISH FIELD 38MM BRONZE METEORITE The watch research has quickly spiraled out of control and I now have a Chronos24 account. I have found a meteorite dial Zodiac Super Sea Wolf for sale second hand, as it was a limited edition run a few years ago.  Jon has mentioned a Super Sea Wolf and I think he would like this, but I am unsure about purchasing used. Oli looked into the platform and confirmed it was a legitimate site, but the listing is from a private s...

  Seiko Prospex Glacier "Save the Ocean" 1968 re-imagined Diver SPB299J1 This is the first watch I viewed in person in October at Ogden's of Harrogate. Jon mentioned Seiko, specifically Seiko Samurai and Save the Ocean many months earlier but I wasn't sure the exact model he was talking about. I picked this out because the center is a powder blue, similar to his favourite Chargers jersey kit. It was beautiful in person but I was unsure of the colour at the time, although he has since shown me other light blue dials. I was also unsure of the diameter, as this is 42mm and his Bulova Chronograph is 45mm. I wouldn't think 3mm could make such a difference, but tell you what.. One does indeed notice it. After viewing the watch, I texted Oli for his opinion and he has been helping me look at watches ever since and answering any questions I have.  I have since learned that the specific model Jon wanted was Seiko Special Edition Prospex 'Great Blue' Samurai SRPJ93K...