This is a summary of my search so far, including Jaeger, Grand Seiko, Habring and Kurono, although it hasn’t ended on a positive note. It’s a bit long, reflecting where I am.
I’m a straightforward sports watch guy, think Rolex, Breitling, Sinn and Damsko. I don’t have a dress watch as such, but for a dressier watch, I have a B&R 123 Geneva, that I’ve owned for more than 2 years, as enthused about here:
https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...oss-123-Geneva
It's a very nice watch indeed, but I’m open to letting it go for something better. I’ve tried, and so far failed to find something in the £4-6000 range. This is the brief story of that failure.
I had previously posted about the options being JLC, Grand Seiko or an independent such as Habring or Hentschel. Part of me has the nagging doubt I should have bought new Nomos rather than what was at the time an 8 year old B&R.
JLC
More eloquently than me, you could watch the views of Jenni Elle on the JLC Master Thin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OrL26t_m0w
I have evaluated the Reverso twice, I know it’s a classic, I know it’s emblematic of JLC, and I even like square or rectangular watches, it just doesn’t do it for me in the metal. Not to be put off by Jenni I went to WoS in Manchester to see a Master Thin. They didn’t have one in stock , actually they denied its existence (until shown), but I did evaluate the small second, moonphase version. At 39mm, it wears too big as all dial, but more importantly, there is just no frisson of excitement. The quality is undoubtedly great, but without desire, there just is no point getting it. Evaluated Reverso again, this time the large size, again not for me.
Grand Seiko
Slightly sporty watches on a bracelet in what we might call the DateJust / Aqua Terra style don’t interest me, but the SBGW231 has the right kind of look. I think I could summarise GS as fabulous finishing and details, but integrating those into a compelling design is where they fall short IMHO. I do like sub-seconds rather than centre seconds on this kind of watch, but the killer is its thickness. Excess thickness seems a feature of many GS.
Cartier? I love the Tank, but the only one worth it to me is the Tank Louis Cartier, and that has a retail of £11, edging towards ALS territory.
Hentschel
Not seen in the flesh obviously. H1 is lovely, but at £6900 +vat it's out of my price range.
Habring
I went to buy a Habring Felix yesterday, I was psychologically prepared, then when I had the opportunity, I didn’t. I’ve followed the team for a while, and love the independent watchmaking that Habring represents. I expected that if I didn’t come away with it, it was only because I would have an alternate dial on order. The size is perfect, the thinness is perfect, the movement although lacking embellishment is honest and represents horological craft. So what gave me pause? 3 things really.
I’ve seen a lot of Felix dials with concentric circles on the sundial, and I really like this detail. This wasn’t present on the watch I saw, maybe the dial supplier has changed. Maybe a custom order would deal with this. The instant rejection was actually the lack of finishing between the lugs, and the more I saw it, the more I couldn’t unsee it. It’s brushed, not polished between the lugs, but it just didn’t seem to have been done with finesse. I looked at my B&R when I got home, it’s perfect in this area. The strap and buckle was basic, but I have been spoiled by the £300 B&R Camille Fournet strap on deployante.
Nomos
Remember my nagging doubt that I should have got one 2 years back? They are a very nice watch, the dial work is very good, I think it's at least the equal of Habring, and I like the concentric circle details. Orion has crazy long lugs, and both it and the Tangente feel delicate. Straps are basic, remember I am spoiled.
I also had a Kurono Toki arrive as I ordered it thinking it was less austere than Habring and I love Japan, Mrs H and I got engaged there. I say I had a Kurono, as I sold it within a week. It was nice enough, but stripping away the hype and FOMO, my B&R is a better watch.
So where does this leave me?
The “should have bought a Nomos” nag is quieter. I could approach Habring directly, although it seems a bit cheeky, please can I have concentric circles on the subdial and careful finishing between the lugs?
A Dornblueth 99.1M is an option as 40mm across 10mm thick is probably OK for a Marine Chronometer type of watch. That would need a trip to Kalbe when the world settles down, I certainly wouldn’t have the faith to order it unseen.
Right now, all things considered, this is a pretty good watch.
Dave
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