I have been lurking for a bit and just now registered. A little over two years ago I promised to buy a long-term watch when my graduate studies complete, which will happen this summer. I have been looking for the perfect watch for me, but so far have only been able to articulate what I want in a watch. Ironically, price does not factor much into the decision. So let me pick your brain a little.
What I am looking for:
Analog (digital insets may be ok)
Bracelet
Silver or gray bracelet and case (no gold accents or black)
Attractive (I know this is subjective)
Quartz
Rather durable and hard to kill
Second hand
Perpetual calendar
Simultaneous display of day of week and date of month (bonus points if month is also displayed)
Stopwatch / chronograph
One or more countdown timers
One or more alarms
Backlight
Lume
Self charging (solar, kinetic or other)
Power reserve indicator
Self setting (atomic, GPS, bluetooth, wifi, or even magic pixie dust -- it doesn't matter)
Thinner is better
Probably prefer titanium to steel
Sapphire crystal
Water resistant to 200 meters (although 100 is probably sufficient)
Handle multiple timezones
Pretty much, all I want is an attractive (no bling), durable, zero-maintenance analog bracelet watch with a backlight and a second hand. I can find a grand total of zero watches which can do the job. Probably, I am just not looking in the right places. So far I have found a few candidates but they are all lacking in some way.
But it has plastic all over and brags too much on the bezel. It also lacks a second hand.
Is there a decent watch out there which can do the job? I figured I would start with a table of movements and features, but even that is becoming difficult to find.
Given your feature list there are a ton of JDM Citizen and Seiko models that would fit your criteria. You might want to ask in that forum too.
The all-analog version of that Casio you are looking at was my first "real" watch that didn't come from Wal-Mart, and it's an awesome machine. Unfortunately it's also REALLY thick to the point where it doesn't fit under my dress shirt cuffs at all. That's probably a good thing because it's entirely inappropriate for anything above business casual if you care about that sort of thing. (Disregard if you're an engineer). Mine has the same case and bracelet though. It's amazingly comfortable. It's a good weight, well-rounded links, no rattle because of all the plastic, and the caseback is a solid slab of metal, which I think feels better on my wrist than screw-on casebacks. (Blasphemy, I know.)
Citizen is better for versatile watches, but if you want titanium and/or sapphire, you're going to have to import one from Japan. Here in the US you're going to find steel and mineral glass. Look at just about any Citizen with A-T in its name and you'll probably find it fits the bill.
Check out the Casio Oceanus line too if you want something styled more like Citizens. I think it might be discontinued, but there's plenty of old stock out there.
There's a big thread on it, but basically most of us can pretty much agree that some watches are good with a suit and tie while others might be out of place. A big, chunky G-Shock or a really cheap plastic digital might not work well with a suit, while a two-handed gold dress watch doesn't fit in with swim trunks. In general, a steel three-handed watch or chrono around 38-42mm in diameter, less than 14mm thick on a bracelet or leather strap is going to probably work for 90% of people in 90% of situations. Something like the Attesa pictured below could easily be your one watch for life and nobody's going to think you're a clown at a wedding or a stick in the mud at the beach.
Of course you're always free to discard any or all of the above. You're an adult, after all.
I dunno if it ticks all your boxes, but it has 2 timers, alarm, split chronograph, high/low tide, compass...I don't know about a perpetual/full calendar, etc but an e-mail to Tissot would clear that up for you.
Good luck.
I dunno if it ticks all your boxes, but it has 2 timers, alarm, split chronograph, high/low tide, compass...I don't know about a perpetual/full calendar, etc but an e-mail to Tissot would clear that up for you.
Good luck.
I think this checks off almost all the boxes. Citizen Atessa Eco-Drive ATV53-3023 analog-digital chronograph with 4 area Radio Controlled reception (North America, Europe, China, Japan).
Thanks all for the responses. Maybe I'm being too finicky, but then again, I want what I want. I don't know why watch designers refuse to allow the ability to see the hands at night on a solar watch. Maybe wanting a backlight is somehow too lowbrow for a watch. If I could get over my aspirations to use the watch in dimly lit places, I can find lots of options.
I know, I know, there is lume. If I need to know the time in a dimly lit place where the lume has not been charged, I can always leave the area, go find sunshine, a bright light or a UV flashlight and see my watch.
Thanks all for the responses. Maybe I'm being too finicky, but then again, I want what I want. I don't know why watch designers refuse to allow the ability to see the hands at night on a solar watch. Maybe wanting a backlight is somehow too lowbrow for a watch. If I could get over my aspirations to use the watch in dimly lit places, I can find lots of options. I know, I know, there is lume. If I need to know the time in a dimly lit place where the lume has not been charged, I can always leave the area, go find sunshine, a bright light or a UV flashlight and see my watch. Or I could just have a backlight. Thanks again.
I understand your point regarding the hands in a less than ideal setting, this is why I purchase the tag aqua racer chronotimer. It is an analog/digital watch with a second hand. In low light situation (eg movie theater) I use the digital display to see the time to the second. Observation of the second hand becomes moot; as a matter of fact the hands become irrelevant. Not the perfect watch but a potential option. Good luck.
The T-Touch is a good choice, though I don't think it does absolutely all of the things on your list. But you won't have to carry around a magnifying glass to read it, either. The calendar is indeed perpetual--I haven't had to reset mine but once in 11 years, when it got a battery change.
The main thing it lacks is a seconds hand, which might be a deal-breaker for you. But it saves battery not having it--the minutes hand is only advanced every few seconds (I don't remember if it's 6 or 10), which greatly reduces power consumption.
I found it! I recently added "rotating bezel" to my list and the closest watch to meet the criteria is the WVA320DJ-1E. It has a dive look to it, which is kind of a let down and it lacks a countdown timer, but otherwise it hits the mark.
There is even a discussion on WUS how this is the ultimate Casio.
Oh ow - I think you may be walking down the path of no return. I predict it's just a matter of time before you realise that there is no single watch that is precisely right. So you might just have to have another one. And a dress watch. And maybe a chrono. And so on
I personally would "nix" the backlight feature from your must have list Recent production watches typically use Super Lume and are easily readable throughout the night. Set the watch under a lamp for a minute or two and you are good to go all night! My Oris has vintage lume and needs the help of a light source.
Some watches will have better lume than others, but yes, some you can see through the night. More surface area is better; it will be more visible. You might also consider keeping a small UV flashlight by the bed; a couple seconds from that and the lume will be glowing like a torch.
from my experience with the current edifice models (I have a M600 and a A1110), the lume is weak. if I charge with a 250lm 3w led for half a minute, it's bright as hell. but 5 minutes later it's already darker than my H3 tritium watches. when I go to sleep at 10pm, it's already really hard to read the time at 3am.
I'm telling you this because there are some impressive lume shots around that might trick you into discarding your backlight requirement. Then on the other hand, almost all edifices are out of the question because of missing sapphire and lack of rotating bezel.
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