closing tag is in template navbar
timefactors watches



TZ-UK Fundraiser
Results 1 to 38 of 38

Thread: Lightweight diver under £2k?

  1. #1

    Lightweight diver under £2k?

    Despite having too many dive watches, I feel like I need another one. One that may or may not exist. I'm looking for something like my CWC "1983" quartz except not another CWC and not quartz. So automatic or maybe a vintage tuning fork. Things I want:

    • Polished case. Possibly titanium like the Seiko Snowflake, but not sure if anyone other than GS does these. Definitely not matte Ti.
    • Lightweight, reasonably slim and comfortable on the wrist.
    • Around 39-42mm: not too big, not too small.
    • Very clean & readable design.
    • High standard of fit & finish.
    • External bezel (rules out the LLD).
    • No cyclops!

    The closest thing I've found so far is this Glycine Combat Sub with Airman dial, but I don't think the level of quality is what I'm looking for. I want something a step up from the CWC, closer to MM300 levels of finish.

    I would consider saving up a bit longer for a lightly used one of these, were it not for the fact that it's apparently quite chunky. Also it has odd-sized lugs, which is annoying (although not an absolute deal-breaker).
    Last edited by robt; 24th May 2020 at 16:48. Reason: Added “no cyclops” to list

  2. #2

  3. #3
    Craftsman TAFKARM's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
    Location
    Yorkshire
    Posts
    393
    I’d pay a little bit more and get a Tudor BB58

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Normunds View Post
    Oris 65.
    Ah yes, keep forgetting about those. Not a fan of that particular dial, although I'd probably buy a Vostok like that. I do quite like this one. I don't think I'd pay what they cost though. Willing to be corrected, but it doesn't seem like a £1k+ watch.

  5. #5
    Master
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Leics
    Posts
    1,342
    Monta Oceanking - 40mm

    https://montawatch.com/collections/oceanking

    Tourby Lawless - 40mm

    https://www.tourbywatches.com/watches/lawless-blue-40/

    And Oris as already mentioned

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by TAFKARM View Post
    I’d pay a little bit more and get a Tudor BB58
    Not a bad suggestion but I'm really looking for something ideally in the £800-1500 range and these are like gold dust so way out of budget. No chance of getting a cheap used one. Plus I'm not sure about the gilding. I like the original Black Bay but couldn't quite decide between the red or the blue (don't like the black as much as either). And on the wrist, it is very slab-sided. I haven't seen a BB58 in person and I understand it is thinner, but that's definitely something I'd want to be sure about. I'm really looking for something that's relatively thin in proportion to how wide it is, so it will tend to sit quite flat.

    Also, the idea of the red ETA version is growing on me more over time (despite the gilding and the slab-sidedness) so I can see myself getting one of those at some point, but not right now.

  7. #7

  8. #8
    Master
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Leics
    Posts
    1,342
    Quote Originally Posted by noTAGlove View Post
    L.L.D
    that was ruled out in the OP

  9. #9
    Doxa Sub 200 on bracelet £950 at Jura watches.

    https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/produc...f86b64a8&_ss=r

  10. #10
    Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Edinburgh
    Posts
    4,566
    Stowa Prodiver. Various dial colours. Well within your budget.

    https://www.stowa.de/en/Prodiver+Tit...al+Edition.htm

  11. #11
    Sinn T2 ticks a lot of boxes.

  12. #12
    Banned
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Peterborough
    Posts
    2,841
    Blog Entries
    1
    Yeah, I know... it's a CW, but I rather like the look of the C60 Trident Ombre COSC 600m

    https://www.christopherward.co.uk/wa...-edition-range


    I guess the finish (probably) lets it down, but you'd get change from £1000 easily, and there are loads of vouchers for another £100 off floating around.


  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by steppy View Post
    Monta Oceanking ... Tourby Lawless
    Thanks, but those aren't doing much for me. They both seem very Kickstarterish for want of a better word.

    Quote Originally Posted by Timetotalk View Post
    Doxa Sub 200 on bracelet £950 at Jura watches.

    https://www.jurawatches.co.uk/produc...f86b64a8&_ss=r
    I quite like that. Not sure I could live with that crown though. I'd be interested in thoughts on how the build quality of this compares with the Oris 65, and now either of them compares to something like the MM300 or the LLD.

    Quote Originally Posted by junglebert View Post
    Sinn T2 ticks a lot of boxes.
    Not a fan of the case/bezel on these at all. Also it's a matte case. I specifically want something a bit shiny, as I have a bunch of other matte, toolish watches and I want something different to those, while still keeping a clean look and good legibility. So not going too blingy, although a bit of visual interest is good. The MM300 is a good example of what I'm aiming for, but I've already got one of those and it's quite top heavy, so despite being one of my favourite watches I find it gets a bit fatiguing to wear at times. I guess my ideal watch would be an MM300 made of zaratsu polished Ti with double-domed sapphire and half the thickness :)

    I'd definitely consider a Sinn, Damasko or similar, including pilots watches with bezels rather than dive watches per se. It's just that I find the bezel too useful to go for something like a Sinn 556/856, although something like an 857 might be in the running were it not also matte. I would definitely be considering a Sinn 104 were it not for the fact I already own a 103 and don't want two watches so similar to each other. Also, the 103 is quite thick and although the 104 is thinner, I don't think it's thin enough.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by amnesia View Post
    Yeah, I know... it's a CW, but I rather like the look of the C60 Trident Ombre COSC 600m

    https://www.christopherward.co.uk/wa...-edition-range
    Dial looks interesting, but overall, not one I would go for. Also I feel this is straying a bit into just divers in general, rather than specifically divers that are comparatively thin & lightweight, which is what I'm interested in.

  15. #15
    Grand Master Sinnlover's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    London
    Posts
    10,943


    How about the (wait for it)...
    The Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto?
    Lots of colours to choose from and will give you a fair bit of change from the budget.
    40mm diameter and 12mm thick.
    Only 100m water resistant though.
    Pic stolen from the web
    Last edited by Sinnlover; 25th May 2020 at 12:16.

  16. #16
    Master Tetlee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Somerset
    Posts
    2,993
    The fact you mention a tuning fork movement of interest and slim, the SMF300 would seem the obvious choice to me.

    I sold this one recently(due to tough times)and have to be honest deeply miss it(the buyer did say they'd potentially sell it back to me in future and I really hope to take them up on that).



    Absolutely brilliant watches, although you need patience to find a good one(the bezels especially tend to be damaged most of the time and unobtainable to replace)

  17. #17
    Has to be Rado captain Cook

  18. #18
    Master
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    1,111
    Quote Originally Posted by Sinnlover View Post


    How about the (wait for it)...
    The Hamilton Khaki Navy Scuba Auto?
    Lots of colours to choose from and will give you a fair bit of change from the budget.
    40mm diameter and 12mm thick.
    Only 100m water resistant though.
    Pic stolen from the web

    I picked one up on the Ernest jones sale on a nato for £340! I ended up returning it though


    Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Tetlee View Post
    The fact you mention a tuning fork movement of interest and slim, the SMF300 would seem the obvious choice to me.
    I actually used to have the silver-dial version of that & tended not to wear it that much, possibly because I have a number of other silver dialed watches, but also partly out of fear of damaging it because it was in unusually good condition (including the bezel).

    I have considered getting the black dial version, but where it falls down is that I'd most likely want to put it on an MN or a NATO, which doesn't really work. I can't even remember if the NATO fit at all, but it would definitely be too bulky. To be fair, I didn't know about MN straps until after I sold mine, so I don't know if it would work on that. The other thing is that it's not actually a proportionately thin watch, so much as it's just quite small compared to most divers. So it doesn't really "wear flat" but rather is a bit more "floaty" on the wrist because the balance of weight is more in the strap than usual.

    I do like tuning fork watches and would definitely consider a different tuning fork diver, if there are any that are proportionately a bit "flatter" (i.e., same thickness but wider) than these. I'm not sure if there are any though.

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by miguelh34 View Post
    Has to be Rado captain Cook
    I'm curious about how the smaller Captain Cook wears. I've only seen the larger version and that was just through a shop window. It looked fairly bulky. Also, the concave bezel didn't look as cool in person as it sounded on paper. Maybe it works better on the smaller version but it seemed to make the watch seem a lot bigger than it needed to be.

  21. #21
    Master
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Sunny Manchester
    Posts
    1,288
    Have a look at the Epos 3438 sports range, a Swiss brand within your budget.

    Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

  22. #22
    Grand Master Sinnlover's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    London
    Posts
    10,943
    Quote Originally Posted by s1wnw View Post
    I picked one up on the Ernest jones sale on a nato for £340! I ended up returning it though


    Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
    Any particular reason?
    I have to admit it does not float my boat but they generally make good watches.
    If the bigger 1000 Ti came with a blue bezel I could be persuaded to try one as a holiday watch.

  23. #23
    Master Alansmithee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Burscough, UK
    Posts
    9,573
    Quote Originally Posted by robt View Post
    I'm curious about how the smaller Captain Cook wears. I've only seen the larger version and that was just through a shop window. It looked fairly bulky. Also, the concave bezel didn't look as cool in person as it sounded on paper. Maybe it works better on the smaller version but it seemed to make the watch seem a lot bigger than it needed to be.
    I have the Grey Ghost which is one of the smaller ones - came with three nice straps as well...


    https://imgur.com/a/a5eRRYY

  24. #24
    Craftsman
    Join Date
    Jan 2019
    Location
    Dublin
    Posts
    515
    I bought a 2002 seamaster quartz GoldenEye ref recently for about 1200 pounds on chrono24.. absolutely mint condition. Might be option?

  25. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by Alansmithee View Post
    I have the Grey Ghost which is one of the smaller ones - came with three nice straps as well...

    https://imgur.com/a/a5eRRYY
    I do like the look of these - in photos at least. Looks like it would still wear relatively tall (in relation to overall size) though. Is that bezel concave or are the smaller ones flat? Maybe the bigger ones are just a bit more aggressive, or it's just that photos don't capture it well.

  26. #26
    Master
    Join Date
    Jun 2019
    Location
    UK
    Posts
    1,111
    Quote Originally Posted by Sinnlover View Post
    Any particular reason?
    I have to admit it does not float my boat but they generally make good watches.
    If the bigger 1000 Ti came with a blue bezel I could be persuaded to try one as a holiday watch.
    It was quite thick for a 40mm watch and i did not like where the date was either. I think I bought because it was cheap and a nice colour combo!


    Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

  27. #27
    Master Tetlee's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Somerset
    Posts
    2,993
    Quote Originally Posted by robt View Post
    I actually used to have the silver-dial version of that & tended not to wear it that much, possibly because I have a number of other silver dialed watches, but also partly out of fear of damaging it because it was in unusually good condition (including the bezel).

    I have considered getting the black dial version, but where it falls down is that I'd most likely want to put it on an MN or a NATO, which doesn't really work. I can't even remember if the NATO fit at all, but it would definitely be too bulky. To be fair, I didn't know about MN straps until after I sold mine, so I don't know if it would work on that. The other thing is that it's not actually a proportionately thin watch, so much as it's just quite small compared to most divers. So it doesn't really "wear flat" but rather is a bit more "floaty" on the wrist because the balance of weight is more in the strap than usual.

    I do like tuning fork watches and would definitely consider a different tuning fork diver, if there are any that are proportionately a bit "flatter" (i.e., same thickness but wider) than these. I'm not sure if there are any though.
    Ah didn't realise you have owned one already.

    Have you considered what is for me THE classic modern Seamaster the 2254?

  28. #28
    Master
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Suffolk
    Posts
    3,812
    Laco Himalaya?


    Sent from my Nokia 3.1 using TZ-UK mobile app

  29. #29
    Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    2,962
    Blog Entries
    1
    Black bay used seems a good option

  30. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by robt View Post
    I'm curious about how the smaller Captain Cook wears. I've only seen the larger version and that was just through a shop window. It looked fairly bulky. Also, the concave bezel didn't look as cool in person as it sounded on paper. Maybe it works better on the smaller version but it seemed to make the watch seem a lot bigger than it needed to be.

    Got to say I have the green captain cook and it wears smaller than the planet ocean 2500 I have

  31. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by Tetlee View Post
    Ah didn't realise you have owned one already.

    Have you considered what is for me THE classic modern Seamaster the 2254?
    Might be a good option especially as I haven't had one yet and probably should at some point. I understand they are relatively thin so would probably wear well and the fit & finish is exactly what I'd be looking for. The only trouble with Seamasters is finding one that doesn't have some niggly thing that bothers me. I don't like the wavy dials much, for instance. As I mentioned earlier, I really, really like the SM300 Master Co-Axial, but I believe it's a bit chunkier than the 2254.

    The SM300 is on my definitely want at some point list, so for that reason I'd slightly prefer something that isn't a Seamaster. Even though they are quite different watches, I tend to find if I have more than one watch in the same category from the same brand, I develop a preference for one don't wear the other(s). To compound matters, I'm really bad at selling on watches I don't wear much, if I still like them.

    Definitely worthy of consideration though and if one comes up on SC at a good price, I might give it a try.

  32. #32
    Master Christian's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    London
    Posts
    9,876
    As much as I quite like the look of the Oris 65, with those criteria, it would be no contest for me....

    https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...54-00-FULL-SET

    Far superior and such a bargain compared to anything previously mentioned. The watch sits quite flat and is much more comfortable than any of the new subs or full size black bays.

    I think it fits everything...


    • Polished case
    • Lightweight, reasonably slim and comfortable on the wrist.
    • Around 39-42mm: not too big, not too small.
    • Very clean & readable design.
    • High standard of fit & finish.
    • External bezel (rules out the LLD).
    • No cyclops!
    Last edited by Christian; 25th May 2020 at 17:18.

  33. #33
    Master woodacre1983's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2015
    Location
    Lancashire
    Posts
    1,705
    Quote Originally Posted by robt View Post
    Might be a good option especially as I haven't had one yet and probably should at some point. I understand they are relatively thin so would probably wear well and the fit & finish is exactly what I'd be looking for. The only trouble with Seamasters is finding one that doesn't have some niggly thing that bothers me. I don't like the wavy dials much, for instance. As I mentioned earlier, I really, really like the SM300 Master Co-Axial, but I believe it's a bit chunkier than the 2254.

    The SM300 is on my definitely want at some point list, so for that reason I'd slightly prefer something that isn't a Seamaster. Even though they are quite different watches, I tend to find if I have more than one watch in the same category from the same brand, I develop a preference for one don't wear the other(s). To compound matters, I'm really bad at selling on watches I don't wear much, if I still like them.

    Definitely worthy of consideration though and if one comes up on SC at a good price, I might give it a try.
    There is a 2254 on SC Atm and a nice one too!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  34. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by woodacre1983 View Post
    There is a 2254 on SC Atm and a nice one too!
    Thanks, and Christian already posted the link to it above. Unfortunately if I'm going to spend that much it won't be for a couple of months. Plus that one has the wavy dial, which is a nope for me.

    Not sure why I dislike the wavy dial. Maybe it reminds me of the Vostok Europe K3 I've got sitting in a drawer and never really got on with. Not sure why, it's actually quite a nice watch (and a bit of a Seamaster knock-off in general). In fact come to think of it, that one actually meets many of my criteria (although it's black with an olive dial). I should probably get it out and see if I've changed my mind about it. I suspect the main reason is that it has odd-sized lugs, so there's an annoying gap (or scrunching) on a NATO. Maybe a Perlon or MN would fit it better. Hmm.....

  35. #35
    Master Wooster's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Jammy Git county, apparently
    Posts
    3,549
    Tutima DI300 fits fairly well your criteria.

  36. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by Wooster View Post
    Tutima DI300 fits fairly well your criteria.
    Interesting choice. A bit unusual. I've heard of Tutima but don't know much about them. This looks fairly chunky though. Do you have one? If so does it fit on a NATO? It looks like it might be tricky getting other straps to fit with those short, enclosed lugs.

  37. #37
    Master Wooster's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Jammy Git county, apparently
    Posts
    3,549
    I've one indeed. Very, very comfortably, not chunky at all (l don't enjoy such watches, with the exception of the MM300). No idea about wearing it in a Nato. But with such a great bracelet, I wouldn't consider this option.

  38. #38
    Master earlofsodbury's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2019
    Location
    Tether's End, Lincs
    Posts
    4,852
    Not many Titanium watches have much polishing because it scratches too easily...

    Mühle Glashütte Lunova Tag/Datum - not a typical diver, but 100m WR and fulfills all the other criteria



    Pretty much the same comments apply to Ball's Trainmaster Titanium:


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Do Not Sell My Personal Information