Almost Picks

Workhorse:
Hamilton Khaki Auto
Manufacturer: Hamilton
Model: H70415133 (38mm w. bracelet) H70515133 (42mm w. bracelet)
Name: Khaki Field Auto
Caliber: ETA 2824-2
Water Resistance: 50 M
Notes:
  • saphire crystal
  • satined stainless steel case with saphire display back
  • 38mm case is 11mm thick
  • polished bezel
  • luminous hands and numerals
  • hacking seconds
  • 25 jewel automatic movement, 28800vph
  • There is a display-back, and a non-display back version. Are those the right codes for the display-back version?
  • I love this watch, but I think it'd be the perfect gift for someone. Somehow, I feel that this dissallows me from owning this watch myself.

If I win the lottery:
Blancpain Flyback
Manufacturer: Blancpain
Model: 2185F-1130-71
Name: Flyback Chronograph
Caliber: caliber F185, 37 jewels, 21600vph
Water Resistance: 100 M
Retail: 9000.
Notes:
  • 38mm stainless steel case, 11.7mm thick
  • subsidiary seconds, date, flyback chronograph
  • automatic winding
  • sapphire crystal
  • scewed-down crown and push buttons

If I still have money...
Omega DeVille
Manufacturer: Omega
Model: 4631.80.33
Name: DeVille Co-Axial Escapement
Caliber: Omega 2500, co-axial escapement, 28,800 vph
Water Resistance: 100 M
Retail:
  • 4631.80.33: 6695 (Gold Case, Blue Dial)
  • 4631.50.31: 2995 (Steel Case, Black Dial)
  • 4631.31.32: 2995 (Steel Case, Blue Dial)
    Notes:
    • 18K gold 37.5mm case
    • 10mm thick
    • self-winding chronometer, co-axial escapement movement with rhodium-plated finish
    • domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal with multi-layered anti-reflective treatment inside
    • Free-sprung balance
    • Mississipi alligator strap
    • designed in conjunction with master watchmaker George Daniels
    • co-axial escapement used in conjuction with new free sprung-balance
    • UTC/Travel Watch
    IWC UTC Pilot's Watch
    Manufacturer: International Watch Company
    Model: 3251
    Name: UTC Pilot's Watch
    Caliber: C.37626 (base caliber ETA 2892-A2), 21 jewels, 28800vph
    Water Resistance: 60 M
    Retail: 3695 (buffalo leather strap with buckle), 4695 (stainless steel bracelet)
    Notes:
    • 39mm Stainless steel case, 13.5mm thick
    • Self-winding
    • 24-hour display (UTC=Universal Time Coordinated)
    • Hour hand-adjustable in one-hour steps (TZC = Time Zone Corrector) treatment inside
    • Date indicator
    • Center seconds with stop function
    • Inner case made of antimagnetic soft iron
    • Screw-in crown
    • Convex sapphire glass secured against displacement by drop in air pressure
    • The problem: It's a pretty big watch. The non UTC version (Mark XV) is only 38mm by 9mm, and previous incarnations were even smaller.
    • Also, UTC is not an abbreviation of “Universal Time Coordinated”(Tirade by Jahan Byrne)

    Instrument:
    Breitling Aerospace
    Manufacturer: Breitling
    Model: 449
    Name: Professional Aerospace
    Caliber: Breitling 75
    Water Resistance: 100 M
    Retail: 2300.
    Notes:
    • 40mm titanium case, black dial
    • 9.8mm thick, 34.3 gr, interhorn width 20/18mm
    • SuperQuartz, thermocompensated quartz
    • electronic, analog and 12/24 hr LCD
    • digital display
    • EOL indicator
    • chronograph, countdown timer, 2nd timezone, alarm, minute repeater
    • pressure fitted caseback
    • sapphire crystal, glareproofed both sides
    • minute hand advances every 30 seconds
    • bidirectional, ratcheted rotating bezel
    • On the back: E75362. The 'E' means titanium case. 75 designates the calibre, with 75 meaning SuperQuartz.
    • On the dial, the SuperQuartz aerospace has “Chronometre Aerospace” above the bottom LCD
    • “Black” dial is not nearly as black as the catalog/website would have you believe. As a result, the LCD is over-emphasized. (ugly!)
    • Also kinda big for me...

    Big:
    Panerai Luminor Marina
    Manufacturer: Officine Panerai
    Model: PAM 00050 (with bracelet) PAM 00048 (leather strap)
    Name: Luminor Marina
    Caliber: Panerai Caliber OP III (base caliber ETA Valjoux 7750-P1), 28800 vph Water Resistance: 300 M
    Retail: 4300. (PAM 00050) 3100. (PAM 00048)
    Notes:
    • 40mm AISI 316L stainless steel case, 16.8mm thick
    • Automatic Movement is 13.25 lignes, 21 jewels, bridges personalized with “OFFICINE PANERAI”
    • Monometallic Glucydor balance, Incablock anti-shock device
    • C.O.S.C. Chronometer certified
    • Steel bracelet, each link consisisting of two steel parts overlapped and screwed
    • Sapphire crystal, 3.5 mm thick
    • 42 hour power reserve
    • subsidiary seconds, date with magnifying lens on inside of crystal
    • automatic winding
    • sapphire crystal
    • screw back
    • device protecting the crown, protected by trade mark
    • Why doesn't the bracelet have a diving extension?

    Diving:
    Bell & Ross Hydromax
    Manufacturer: Bell & Ross
    Name: Hydromax
    Caliber: quartz, ETA Caliber 955.612
    Water Resistance: 11100 M
    Retail: 2400.
    Notes:
    • 39mm stainless steel case, 11mm thick
    • subsidiary seconds
    • set of 3 straps (bracelet, rubber, velcro)
    • sapphire crystal, anti-reflective
    • screw-down caseback
    • unidirectional rotating bezel
    • case completely filled with liquid (Hydroil)
    • volume compensated by rubber membrane in case back
    • I don't think the rubber strap or the bracelet has a diver's extension. This could be a deal breaker.

    Perpetual Complication:
    IWC Da Vinci
    Manufacturer: International Watch Company
    Model: 3750
    Name: Da Vinci Perpetual
    Caliber: IWC Caliber C.79261 (Based on Valjoux 7750)
    Water Resistance: 30 M
    Retail: 12500.
    Notes:
    • 39mm Stainless Steel Case, 14.3mm thick
    • Plexiglas crystal (available with sapphire, although IMHO it looks better in plexiglas)
    • Chronograph
    • 4-digit year secular perpetual calender with moon phase
    • Screw-in Crown
    • Reptile skin band with buckle
    • Self-winding
    • Crown-activated rapid calender advance
    • C .two-body, polished, stepped bezel, screwed-down crown, hooded mobile lugs. D. black with applied steel bāton indexes and luminous dots, auxiliary dials for the seconds, the 12 hour and 30 minute registers, the days of the month, of the week and the months, apertures for the four-digit year and the moon phases.
    • “Bâton” luminous steel hands. M. Cal. 79261, copper-colored, “fausses côtes” decoration, 39 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shock-absorber, self-compensatng flat balance-spring.
    • Dial, case and movement signed
    • It's just so thick, though. Also, although this is the first watch that this movement appeared in, this movement has shown up in so many of IWC's lines. You cannot set the calendar back in time.
    • .. And the Vianney Halter Antiqua is just so much cooler..

    Because I'm a man of wealth and taste:
    Lange & Söhne Langematik
    Manufacturer: A. Lange & Söhne
    Model: 301.025 (platinum), 301.027 (white gold), 308.032 (pink gold)
    Name: Langematik with Outsize Date
    Caliber: L 921.4 SAX-0-MAT
    Water Resistance: M
    Retail: 26900. (platinum) 18600. (gold)
    Notes:
    • 37mm platinum case, 9.7mm thick
    • sapphire crystal, exhibition back secured by six screws
    • solid silver dial (Platinum version has white dial, white gold version has black dial, pink gold version can have either)
    • hand-stiched crocodile strap with platinum (or white or pink gold) buckle
    • automatic winding movement, 45 jewels, 21600vph
    • stop-seconds with automatic return to zero (“Zero Reset”)
    • large date (patented)
    • rhodiumed gold or blued steel hands
    • subsidiary seconds
    • At the begining of the month, the first date digit is blank, instead of zero. I wish it said zero, it'd look more balanced that way.
    • The display back isn't as nice as the hand-winds. No gold chatons & blued screws..

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