So it is 2020 and what would a good watch website be without a look back at 2019. So here it is, our crack writing team and some thoughts on the watch that got the most wrist time in 2019, there really was no point in me taking part. (Rick)
@Koolpep:- Ralf – Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39mm blue dial
My most worn watch is a toss up as a few watches entered the stable in 2019 – and the new toy syndrome is strong within me…..I am also not a perfect bookkeeper of my wearing habits but I took this watch on most of my business trips and they were quite frequent this year – so my best guess is this: Rolex Oyster Perpetual 39mm blue dial. Simple reason – I fell in love with it and it was my first Rolex that I ever owned and I got it only in early 2019. Plus 2019 was the year of blue dial steel watches – so I fit right in the trend….What I love about this watch is that besides its elegant and non-pompous looks (for a Rolex) it does fit my wrist just so comfortably, Rolex really knows how to build watches that just feel “right” on the wrist. That way it became my most worn watch.
@timetotalk_watches:- Gigi – Apple Watch series 4
My most worn watch for 2019 is .. (drumroll) …an Apple Watch series 4! And with that statement, I’m probably going to lose most of my watchfam comrades. I’ve always been a watch guy but my collecting craze only broke the sound barrier after July. For the first half of the year, my daily beater was Apple’s horology offering. The functionality and convenience of this miniature technological marvel is off the scale. Apart from the obvious time telling function you get notifications, sat-nav assistance while driving, contactless payments and home automation control. There are also many many health and fitness-related functions, practically useless to an unfit guy like me. The ECG functionality is awesome too, and I’m sure it will save some lives; but I’m a firm believer that you can’t cheat fate, no matter how fancy a timepiece you’re wearing. From the day the numbers in my collection skyrocketed its lot in life amounts to recharging on my bedside table. It must feel sad, wondering whatever it did wrong to be ignored by its master. Nowadays I feel more emotionally connected to a mechanical watch even though the most I can expect from it is a rough approximation of the time. But that being said I still love the little bugger and promise to give it some well-deserved use from now on.
@wildwristwatch:- Philologus – Rolex Explorer 214720
I have had the privilege of experiencing and wearing many watches this year. Some of these pieces include heavyweights such as the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Rolex Submariner, Omega Speedmaster, and Cartier Tank. However, when asked to write about the watch I wore the most, only one came to mind, my Rolex Explorer 214720 (“Explorer”). I was really lucky to come across it at the start of the year when it was just being put in the AD’s window and jumped at the opportunity, given that I was also celebrating a recent success at work. Since then, it killed off every other “favourite” watch I had prior to that including both my Rolex Submariner (I did a side by side comparison here explaining this), Omega Speedmaster FOIS and Tudor Black Bay S&G. More than that though, it shaped my view of the watches I liked and gave me a certain focus regarding the type of watches I wanted in my collection. The Explorer’s elegant proportions fit my 6.5” wrist like a glove and made me question why I put up with any other more ill-fitting watches. The understated nature also appealed to me greatly, allowing me to truly wear this watch anywhere anytime, even when visiting countries which may not be the safest place to be sporting a Rolex. One instance that comes to mind was when my iPad Pro and the Explorer were both in the hotel safe, and the iPad Pro was stolen but the Explorer was left untouched. Ultimately, as I mentioned in my comparison with the Rolex Submariner, the quiet functional confidence of this watch makes this watch the quintessential Rolex to me.
@mr.c.mojo:- Chris –
My most worn watch of 2019 was my TAG Heuer Aquaracer reference WAN2110.BA0822. In fact the Aquaracer has been my most worn watch of the last 6 years! I purchased the watch just over six years ago to celebrate (or is it commiserate?) a significant birthday. At the time I thought it would be the one watch that I would wear for the rest of my life, with hindsight it has been my gateway drug into the wider world of horology.
I did quite a lot of research before purchasing my Aquaracer. I wanted a watch that would work in any scenario. A watch that would look smart with a suit at work or that I could wear on holiday at the beach. I also wanted an established and recognised brand, ideally with some heritage. I soon realised that the watch that best fitted the bill was the Rolex Submariner, unfortunately, it was way beyond my budget, so I started to look for alternatives. I knew that I was looking for a stainless steel dive watch on a bracelet with a black dial and bezel so I started looking on brands websites and at various online watch shops. I’m an F1 fan, so I was aware that TAG Heuer was a sponsor. I wanted a watch with an automatic movement and a more traditional dive look than the F1 models, this ultimately led me to the Aquaracer. It fulfilled my requirements and the fact that it had an off the shelf movement that most watchmakers would be able to work on added to the appeal, it would give me options when it came to future servicing.
My Aquaracer did develop an issue with self-winding within the first few months of ownership so it had to go back to TAG Heuer under warranty but for the past five and a half years, it has worked really well and kept good time. I haven’t worn it all the time, I often wear other watches at the weekend or on holiday, so it hasn’t been run continually. I’m sure it is due for a service.
Recently a watch friend sent me a link to a Heuer 1000 that was for sale and asked me what I thought. I started doing some research and I realised there was more to the story of the Aquaracer than I expected. Here’s a very short account. Heuer were traditionally known for their stopwatches and chronographs. During the quartz crisis their business was struggling and they needed to do something innovative to survive. Their solution was to release a quartz dive watch, the Heuer 1000. It was intended to be an affordable yet robust watch. The aesthetic was similar to the popular Rolex Submariner but at a fifth of the price. It proved to be successful and over the following years a number of different lines were released in a variety of colours and sizes, containing both quartz and automatic movements. In 2004 TAG Heuer released the 2000 Aquaracer. It was the first time the Aquaracer name was used and ultimately marked the transition into the Aquaracer models we see today.
It is easy to dismiss the Aquaracer as a Submariner copycat, but I think that does it a disservice. It was always intended to be an affordable yet robust watch with a popular dive watch aesthetic. It has a story and heritage of its own, it’s very existence today is testament to the fact that Heuer innovated and survived. My Aquaracer is getting less wrist time now that I have my Tudor Black Bay GMT, but it will always have a place in my watch box and on my wrist when I feel like wearing a great dive watch with a black dial, black bezel and a bit of history.
@lpwwatchco:-Dave – LPW Yellow Luna One
My most worn watch of 2019 has been one that many will not be familiar with. It’s bright, bold and unashamedly yellow. It’s a prototype from my microbrand project I’ve been working on for the past two years and was the culmination of a lot of hard work.
This yellow Luna One was actually a one-off piece made to test out a potential new supplier but it turned out really well. The brash colour scheme was inspired by another piece in my collection, a little Vostok diver with similar matching yellow dial and bezel. The case back was also one-off with a placeholder image used (it’s got a little picture of my dog on! The yellow may certainly not be for everyone, but as this was a trial piece I decided to go bold and go yellow!
It may seem somewhat self-gratifying to have worn my own watch the most this year, but when I think about why I started the project and how the design came about it makes perfect sense. This was always supposed to be my perfect watch, taking into account all of my personal preferences in each element of the design so the fact I have worn it so much seems only logical! I’m obviously somewhat biased but I love how the Luna One turned out.
My second most worn watch? Breitling Superocean Abyss. This was my first luxury watch and really cemented my love for watches. It’s probably the catalyst for my position today with involvement in RedBar MCR, my microbrand project (LPW Watch Co) and my writing about this wonderful industry for the fantastic Scottish Watches blog.
Here’s to a fantastic 2020! Looking forward to what the years bring for all of these projects!
@SophyRindler:- Sophy – Tockr Air Defender
I think I wore almost equally my Daytona and my Tockr Air Defender this year. I guess I like my chronographs!
I will choose the Tockr Air Defender as my most worn watch though for several reasons.
1- I have a special bond with the brand (being the co-founder makes it a very strong bond)
2- Regardless of the first reason, I really like a big watch. And I love the colour blue.
3- The amount of watch you get for the price is really impressive and I want people to realize it.
So here is the watch. It’s a 45 mm cushion shape chronograph, hosting the (soon to not be banned for delivery) ETA Valjoux 7750 movement. It has almost no lugs which makes it sit on the wrist slightly smaller than a 45 mm (at least on a strap. Put it on full stainless steel bracelet and you have a massive watch that even I wouldn’t wear). It’s a pilot watch which makes it very readable (I’m not getting any younger so legibility is starting to become a criteria). My Air Defender is the blue dial one because nothing makes me happier than the colour blue. To me it’s synonymous with life, and living in Miami, blue is a big part of my well being, and this blue is gorgeous because it has a sunray effect so it goes from dark to light blue depending on the way the light hits it.
The watch is nice and heavy with a beautiful polished and brushed case which gives it a sophisticated and high-quality look. I personally wear it on a Barton rubber strap. I find it balanced and comfortable, but the HIX strap version is also badass. There’s a lot of attention to details in this watch. Applied and lumed indices, lume on hands, the orange second hand that give a nice personality to the sub-counters. The chrono hand is also orange. The watch is in a way a classic (like a Heuer or a Sinn) but with a very contemporary flair and super ergonomic appeal. For instance, the chrono pushers are shaped like the case which really works with the aerodynamics you would see on a plane. The caseback is open, revealing the coolest rotor on such movement in the shape of a propeller, sticking with the aviation/pilot cues. The movement by the way is the highest grade of 7750 and is also decorated with perlage.
I’m telling you. It’s a hot watch and on a woman’s wrist, I find it also very sexy. Oh, and it retails for only $1600 which is a bargain!
@Edwin_McLachlan:– Edwin – Casio A168WEM-1EF
As the starving artist of the SW team, I spend much of my time travelling, playing shows, and making records, and lately, this little classic has been accompanying me for most of it. When I’m at a desk or in a studio, something a bit more indulgent and mechanical is fine, but when I’m laying into a drum kit in a sweaty club venue I need something that isn’t going to make a fuss. With all the durability and reliability that is synonymous with Casio, plus a funky, retro, unisex design that absolutely pops on the wrist, the catchily-named A168WEM-1EF is an indispensable tool that’s been with me everywhere in 2019, from German jazz clubs to the Australian bush.
@Quest327:- Sanford – Seiko Flight Alarm Chronograph (sna411p1) ‘Flightmaster’
I was given this watch as a gift and I have tried to wear it as often as possible. The weird lug width makes strap changes a chore, but I have two or three I can place it on. It’s become my go-to watch because its one of the few watches I have that has a date and isn’t made of plastic. I work in an office setting, so G-Shocks with button-ups aren’t exactly smiled upon. I can wear this and not worry about the dress code. While I do intend to upgrade my daily watch in 2020 to something from Switzerland, this bit of kit from Japan will do nicely until then.
